Ahold Delhaize flexes muscle in Baltimore/D.C.

Ahold Delhaize controls about 35% of the retail market share in Maryland/District of Columbia, northern Virgina and Delaware in 2018.

With a reported all-commodity volume of $24.86 billion in March, the market share report includes the cities of Baltimore, Md.; Washington, D.C.; Arlington, Va.; Charlottesville, Va.; and the Georgetown neighborhood in the District of Columbia.

According to Shelby Market Shares, Ahold Delhaize has about 305 stores in the market and a market share of 35.3%, excluding Food Lion.

• Food Lion, owned by Ahold Delhaize, has 130 stores and a 6.1% market share, according to the Shelby data.

In May, Food Lion announced it would remodel 105 stores in the greater Norfolk, Va., area in 2018, making a $168 million capital investment to renovate the stores, lower prices, expand product assortment and hire approximately 5,000 new associates.

In the past four years, Food Lion said it has remodeled 544 of its more than 1,000 stores across its 10-state operating area.

• Giant Food was No. 2 in the market, with Shelby Market Share reporting that the chain’s 164 stores captured 27.6% of the market.

In June, the Baltimore Sun reported Giant Food has started selling HelloFresh meal kits in its stores.

Through an agreement with HelloFresh, Giant will offer five exclusive meal kits in all 166 Giant stores in Maryland, Virginia, Delaware and D.C., according to the report.

• C&S Wholesale Grocers has 138 stores and a 14% retail market share, according to Shelby Market Data.
• Albertsons/Safeway had 126 stores and a 12.4% market share in March, according to Shelby.
• Walmart has 67 stores in the market and a retail share of 11.6%.
• Supervalu has 184 stores and a 9.6% share.
• Harris Teeter (Kroger) has 54 stores and a 5.8% share.
• Wegmans has 14 stores and a 4.5% share in the market. First opening in the DC region in 2004 and with eight stores this year, Bisnow.com reports the Rochester, Wegmans has two more stores under construction and at least four more planned.
• Whole Foods has 22 stores and a 3.4% share of the market.
• Weis Markets has 58 stores and a 3.1% share of the market.
• Aldi has 56 stores and a 2% share.
• SpartanNash has 11 stores and a 1.8% share.
• Trader Joe’s has 19 stores and a 1.6% share.
• Wakefern has 18 stores and 1.6% share.
• Save A Lot has 44 stores and a 1.1% share.

Grocery store evolution

Bob Phibbs, New York-based retail consultant and principal in The Retail Doctor consulting company, said the grocery business continues to evolve.

He noted that Kroger is adding an apparel line in some stores this fall.

According to Fortune.com, Kroger is leaning on fashion designer Joe Mimran to introduce what is being called the “Dip” line, which will include men’s, women’s, juniors, kids, and baby collections.

“I think it’s going to be more pretty much like Target,” Phibbs said. “That’s kind of how they are positioning themselves.”

It could bring Kroger a bigger ring.

He said the grocery business is determined by length of time you pay you spend in the store.

“The longer they can get you to linger, the more they can build the basket, and apparel has higher margins than regular grocery, so that all makes sense,” he said.

Phibbs said that it seems likely that Amazon will open an Amazon Go format store without cashiers in the Washington, D.C., market in the next six to 10 months.

Amazon will also work to expand its Amazon Prime business in Whole Food stores, he said.