As non-traditional grocery retailers see more competition from dollar store formats and wholesale club stores, mass merchandisers and supercenters are enlisting new ways to grow their consumer bases.
According to Barrington, Ill.-based Willard Bishop’s June 2011 report “The Future of Food Retailing,” supercenter sales grew 6.3 percent in 2010, with store counts increasing 4.1 percent and market share up 0.3 percent to 17 percent. During that same time period, mass merchandise sales increased 6.1 percent and market share increased from 0.1 percent to 4.4 percent.