WALMART

CHICAGO – Quaker Oats, a divison of PepsiCo, has introduced Quaker Popped — a rebranded version of the company's popular Quaker Quakes snack.

Quaker Popped are bite-size snacks made from whole-grain brown rice and corn, with 10 to 13 grams of whole grain per serving and zero grams of trans fat. Because the snacks are popped, and not fried, they contain lower fat than a number of fried snacks.

MINNEAPOLIS — While Supervalu has completed its overhaul of its value proposition across its Jewel-Osco banner, the grocer will be analyzing the impact before replicating the price repositioning across its entire chain, the Minnesota-based supermarket chain announced Thursday morning. "We continue to have a market-leading price position amongst conventional food retailers in three markets," Wayne Sales, Supervalu president, CEO and chairman told analysts during the second-quarter conference call.

CINCINNATI — Over the course of a day-long investor conference Tuesday, Kroger outlined its future growth strategy. Across its physical store base, Kroger plans to enter one or two as-yet-to-be-named new markets along with boosting presence in existing markets. But Kroger also has significant designs on the multichannel consumer, and outlined for analysts the grocer's plan to grow its marketshare across the digital landscape as well.

CAMBRIDGE, Mass. — Target should be feeling confident about its upcoming entry into Canada, as a recent survey from Kantar Retail and TNS Canada revealed that 75% of Canadians are aware of the retailer.

Furthermore, 43% of Canadian consumers said that they were likely to shop at Target Canada for grocery or health and beauty aids and 50% were likely to shop at Target Canada for general merchandise or apparel.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart and Humana have teamed up again to help Medicare beneficiaries afford their prescriptions. With annual enrollment open until Dec. 7, 2012, for 2013 Medicare plans, the Humana-Walmart Preferred Rx Plan announced that it offers one monthly plan premium of $18.50 a month for beneficiaries in all 50 states and Washington, D.C., regardless of where they live.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. — Walmart has launched a first-of-its-kind Centers of Excellence program that will offer its associates quality health care with no out-of-pocket cost for heart, spine and transplant surgeries at six of the leading hospital and health systems in the United States.

 WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — It appears that even when the economy gets back to humming on all cylinders that America’s shopping patterns will have been forever changed, and that's only going to support dollar store growth for years to come. Clearly, the two biggest competitors in Family Dollar and Dollar General are ramping up store growth all over the country, with the two companies lining up on opposite corners much the way drug chains began had done in the '80s and '90s.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — DSN noted that 2012 would be the year more big-box retailers committed to “going small” and, while we may hate to toot our own horn, we are going to do it anyway.

(THE NEWS: Supercenters rule, but small formats to accelerate for Walmart. For the full story, click here)