Ahold

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — News flash: Retailers get the idea that attracting today's consumer means going multichannel.

(THE NEWS: Retailers plan to spend more on e-commerce this year. Click here for the story.)

QUINCY, Mass. — An event sponsored earlier this week by supermarket chain Stop & Shop provided information to kids designed to encourage them to live healthier lifestyles.

The Healthy Kids Summit, which took place Monday at Gillette Stadium in Foxboro, Mass., attracted more than 300 residents, customers, families and children and featured guidance from community and health experts, such as New England Patriots safety Patrick Chung and leaders from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the YMCA.

WHAT IT MEANS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT — With shoppers looking for ways to buy things more conveniently, it's clear that the age of the multichannel consumer is well under way, and retailers would be wise to respond in kind. Many of them have already done so.

According to retail consulting firm Upstream Commerce, convenience ranks at the top of reasons why consumers shop online, and as recent news has shown, this is just as true for supermarkets as it is for anyone else.

QUINCY, Mass. — Stop & Shop is opening a new store that will include new features that emphasize customer experience, the company said.

Stop & Shop, a division of the U.S. subsidiary of Dutch supermarket operator Ahold, said the Wayland, Mass., store would include nine complementary electric car charging stations, as well as numerous energy-efficient features. The store's grand opening is scheduled for Nov. 16.

NEW YORK — An article recently published in the New England Journal of Medicine examines the role that impulse marketing and customer psychology in supermarkets contributes to obesity and related health problems.

BOULDER, Colo. — Giant-Landover and ShopRite are shoppers' two favorite supermarkets, according to results of a survey released Tuesday.

CARLISLE, Pa. — Giant Food Stores collected nearly 3 tons of unused medications during a nationwide medication take-back day last month, the chain said.

Giant, owned by Dutch supermarket operator Ahold, said it and its Martin's Food Markets banner collected 5,843 lbs of unwanted and expired medications at 43 of its stores during the April 28 take-back event, doubling the amount collected last year.

CHICAGO — Online grocer Peapod is bringing its scan-and-buy grocery ordering system to the Chicago El.

The online retailer, owned by Netherlands-based Royal Ahold, announced Monday that it had placed its virtual store posters along the walls of a tunnel at the heavily trafficked State and Lake station of Chicago's rapid transit system.