RETAIL NEWS

WOONSOCKET, R.I. — CVS Health’s MinuteClinic has opened five new locations three of New York City’s five boroughs. Two of the new clinics are in Brooklyn, two are in Manhattan and one is located in Queens. All are located inside of CVS Pharmacy locations.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart is bullish on big data — especially when it comes to finding ways to better serve its shoppers.

Big data volume continues to grow, but Walmart is using it to the company’s — and its customers’ — advantage. By analyzing the robust information flowing throughout its operations, the discounter has gained a real-time view of workflow across its pharmacy, distribution centers, stores and e-commerce, according to a company blog.

WASHINGTON — Shopping for groceries online has a long way to go before it catches on with the vast majority of U.S. consumers, according to new data from Gallup.

Nine percent of U.S. adults report that their household shop online for groceries at least once a month, including 4% who do it at least weekly, according to Gallup's annual Consumption Habits survey. By contrast, almost all Americans say someone in their family shops for groceries in person at least once a month, with 83% going at least once a week.

SEATTLE — Based on the momentum of early back to school shoppers, Amazon is on pace to hit a record 80% sales growth for the season.

The online giant's school supplies sales have grown by 35% year-over-year in the first two weeks of the back-to-school shopping season, according to One Click Retail. Early back-to-school shopping only accounted for 9% of sales in 2016.

Last year, Amazon’s back-to-school sales hit a record 20% growth over the entire season. This year, the online giant has a total growth potential of over 80% for back-to-school 2017.

SEATTLE — Amazon has lots of ideas about how drones can improve package deliveries, but they also need supportive facilities and operations.

In hopes of getting the ball rolling, the online giant has filed a patent application for “ground-based mobile maintenance facilities for unmanned aerial vehicles.” Simply put, these hubs would be dedicated to accommodating, loading, launching, receiving and maintaining the delivery drones.

NEW YORK — With the CoverGirl Collective influencer network now numbering nine makeup enthusiasts, the brand is looking to bring Instagram-ready looks to the physical store. CoverGirl is unveiling select in-store displays that will feature trending beauty looks from each of the three new CoverGirl Collective members

GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — Meijer and Spectrum Health today announced they have collaborated to launch a line of co-branded over-the-counter products.

“As the nation’s ninth largest grocery retailer, Meijer has an undeniable presence throughout the Midwest,” Spectrum Health SVP and chief strategy officer Roger Jansen said. “We are excited to work with Meijer. This collaboration enables Spectrum Health to meet consumers where they are on their health-and-wellness journey.”