Retailer

Algae Cooking Club launched earlier this year and immediately began to make waves in the industry and online. But, despite the rising popularity of macroalgae – a group that includes seaweed, sea moss, kelp and other ocean-hailing ingredients – in food and beverage products, Algae Cooking Club (ACC) identifies with a completely separate group.

Two Chicago-based retailers Foxtrot and natural grocery chain Dom’s Kitchen & Market announced an all-stock merger that will create a new entity called Outfox Hospitality.

In this week’s Checkout: market research firms IRI and NPD merge, Rao’s Homemade activates its first popup marketplace in NYC, All Y’all’s Foods supports a Texas Ranch turned vegan sanctuary and Kroger Dallas launches Restaurant Supply program.

Online retailer Boxed announced today that it would become a publicly traded company via a merger with SPAC Seven Oaks Acquisition Corp. Seven Oaks said Boxed is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 33% over the next five years, ultimately achieving $1 billion in net revenue by 2026.

Grocery delivery service Misfits Market announced yesterday the close of an $85 million round of capital led by Valor Equity Partners. Additional investors included Greenoaks Capital, Third Kind Venture Capital, and Sound Ventures. The funding will go, in part, towards helping the brand expand further into offering more center store offerings.

Crack the code of fresh, convenient food? Paul Coletta, CEO of fresh food and juice brand Urban Remedy, thinks he may have done it — and he’s taking radical risks in his manufacturing, distribution and retail operations in order to prove it.

Whether you are an entrepreneur looking to better understand how your retailers are faring in the online space or a retailer looking to up your digital game, here are four main takeaways about the state of U.S. digital grocery, according to L2 researchers.

The big box retailer announced today that it has agreed to acquire Shipt, Inc., a leading online same-day delivery platform, for $550 million in cash. The acquisition strengthens Target’s position as a major competitor in the online grocery space.

In previously scheduled appearances, Sprouts CFO Brad Lukow presented at the Jefferies 2017 Global Consumer Conference Tuesday and Kroger CFO Michael Schlotman addressed investors at the Oppenheimer Annual Consumer Conference Wednesday. Schlotman addressed investors again during Thursday’s annual shareholders meeting. Though their talks didn’t focus on Amazon’s Friday announcement that the online retailer is acquiring Whole Foods for $13.7 billion, that didn’t keep the elephant out of the room.

During the Cincinnati-based retailer’s Q1 earnings call on Thursday, before the Whole Foods sale was announced, Kroger CEO Rodney McMullen said earnings would be about nine percent lower than initially forecast due to new investments in pricing and service, as well as margin pressure. The retailer’s stock price plunged 19 percent on Thursday as a result of the struggles, then — similar to other retailers– fell another 13 percent Friday once the Whole Foods deal was done. The market slowly began rebounding late Monday morning.