ARLINGTON, VA - On your mark, get set... shop! Lidl is opening a new Lidl US location at 651 RT-17, Paramus, New Jersey, 07652, on Wednesday, February 12.

Make sure to get there early to fuel up with a freshly baked croissant and a cup of coffee before the fun begins! The retailer will start welcoming customers with the sunrise; the official ribbon-cutting ceremony will begin at 7:40 a.m.

If you miss the grand opening celebration, don’t worry—the new Paramus store will be open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.

"We’re the Super-EST Market in town for a reason, delivering unique options and unbeatable savings to our communities. At Lidl US, shoppers experience a curated collection of private label picks, global imports, and everyday name brands," a press release read. "From imported cheeses to fresh meats and seafood, you’ll get to experience the quality we’re famous for in Europe—without using your passport."

In case you don’t believe us yet…

• There's something for everyone at the new Lidl US—the company prides itself on its unique specialty items, ranging from authentic specialty sauces, cured meats, and more
• You never know what you can find in the Midl of Lidl aisle, where merchandise changes each week, providing shoppers with limited-time offers and surprisingly delightful finds
• Break out your best fruit and veggie salad recipes because it gets fresh produce from its suppliers daily
• Smell that? It’s Lidl's sweet, freshly baked breads and pastries constantly refilled throughout the day
• No endless mazes here: Lidl offers an easy-to-shop layout for a faster and more convenient shop for customers
• The MyLidl app offers exclusive app-only deals, including a welcome coupon and Super Shopper rewards program
• Lidl delivers on its promises with its Lidl Love It Guarantee, a logo that guarantees customer satisfaction. If shoppers don’t love the product they buy, they’re entitled to a refund and a replacement

Keep reading ANUK for the latest retail updates.

WILMINGTON, MA - Symbotic Inc., a leader in A.I.-enabled robotics technology for the supply chain, announced it has agreed to acquire the Advanced Systems and Robotics business from Walmart. This transaction expands the long-standing relationship between Walmart and Symbotic with the aim of developing an integrated automated supply chain.

Walmart has chosen Symbotic to develop, build, and deploy an advanced solution leveraging Symbotic’s A.I.-enabled robotics platform to offer Walmart customers greater shopping convenience through accelerated online pickup and delivery options at stores. Symbotic will engage in a development program funded by Walmart to enhance current online pickup and delivery fulfillment systems as well as to design new systems to meet the needs of current and future customers. If performance criteria are achieved, Walmart is committed to purchasing and deploying systems for 400 APDs at stores over a multi-year period, with Walmart’s option to add additional APDs in the coming years. Associated with the development program, Walmart will pay Symbotic a total of $520 million, including $230 million at closing.

The transaction and new agreements could increase Symbotic’s future backlog by more than $5 billion and adds a micro-fulfillment solution that expands its addressable market by more than $300 billion in the United States alone, a press release stated.

Total consideration for the acquisition is $200 million in cash at close, subject to customary adjustments, and up to $350 million in additional contingent consideration in future periods dependent upon the quantity of APD systems ordered.

“This is a highly strategic transaction for Symbotic as we expand upon our long-term relationship with Walmart and broaden our product offering beyond the traditional warehouse to eCommerce settings for last mile delivery,” said Rick Cohen, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Symbotic.

Symbotic has played a critical role in enabling Walmart to automate its vast supply chain since 2017 and is currently deploying its software and robotics platform across all 42 of Walmart’s regional distribution centers in the U.S. Bringing Symbotic’s expertise and technology platform to the APD is a natural extension of this work and allows Walmart to utilize its stores to fulfill eCommerce orders through pickup and delivery more efficiently, economically, and accurately. Approximately 90 percent of the U.S. population lives within 10 miles of Walmart’s more than 4,600 stores. Walmart’s store-fulfilled deliveries grew nearly 50 percent year-over-year, surpassing a $2.5 billion monthly run rate, during its quarter ended October 31, 2024.

“We’re excited about what this means for our customers. We anticipate the synergy between Symbotic’s expertise and our nearly decade-long relationship in innovating the supply chain technologies to elevate customer service and rapidly advance our in-store Accelerated Pickup and Delivery capabilities,” said Greg Cathey, Senior Vice President of Transformation and Innovation at Walmart.

The acquisition is anticipated to close in Symbotic’s fiscal second quarter of 2025.

Citi served as financial advisor to Symbotic.

BOCA RATON, FL - Whole Foods Market will open a new 35,000-square-foot store located at 9560 Glades Road, Boca Raton, Florida, on February 11.

A press release explained that the store will open at 9:00 a.m. on opening day, and regular store hours will be 8:00 a.m.—10:00 p.m. daily. The new location’s product assortment features more than 700 local items from Florida, sourced with the help of Dustin Kennedy, Forager for Local & Emerging Brands at Whole Foods Market.

Features of the new Boca Raton store include:

• Full-service seafood counter featuring only sustainable wild-caught or Responsibly Farmed seafood and a selection of ready-to-cook seafood. Local seafood options with fresh catches daily include American red snapper and grouper from Greg Abrams Seafood, Inc., and tilefish and pompano from Halperns’ Steak and Seafood
• An array of certified organic, conventional, and Sourced for Goodproduce, including collard greens and kale from Lady Moon Farms, tomatoes from Pacific Tomato Growers, and grapefruit from Florida Classic Growers
• Specialty department dedicated to celebrating cheesemakers and artisan producers. Local items include mozzarella from Mozzarita, jams from Gables Delight, and dark chocolate bars from 5150 Chocolate Co. The cheese counter is overseen by trained cheesemongers who can offer recommendations for any occasion
• Curated grocery section filled with private label favorites from 365 by Whole Foods Market and local products, including fresh juices from Natalie’s Juice Company and 305 Squeezed, and gelato bars from Gelaty’s
• Full-service meat counter, with butcher offering custom cuts of steak and poultry. Features include dry-aged beef, sausage made in-house, as well as beef from local supplier Adam’s Ranch Natural Beef

For more information, click here.

WASHINGTON, DC - Yesterday, Sen. Ted Cruz introduced the No Tax on Tips Act of 2025. The bill will eliminate income tax on the tips earned by servers and bartenders in the restaurant and foodservice industry. Sean Kennedy, Executive Vice President of Public Affairs for the National Restaurant Association, had this to say about the bill:

“Eliminating taxes on tips would put cash back in the pocket of a significant number of workers in the restaurant and foodservice industry and could help restaurant operators recruit industry workforce. The No Tax on Tips Act of 2025 is sensible legislation that includes refinements and protections to make it fiscally responsible while still supporting our employees.

“Tax policy plays a major role in the success of the restaurant industry, so we’ll continue to work with Congress on this and other common-sense tax policy that will stimulate investments and improvements in restaurants of all sizes and help operators make greater investments in their workforce and communities.”

As the organization explained, more than 2 million tipped servers and bartenders work in the restaurant and foodservice industry.

FRESNO, CA - The California Table Grape Commission welcomes Lisa Massie and Alexandra Merritt to the marketing team.

As the Director of International Marketing for Asia, Massie will lead the marketing work in targeted export markets throughout Asia, focusing on building demand for California table grapes through the work of multiple in-country promotion teams.

According to a press release, Massie served as the Global Marketing and Communications Specialist at Trillium Flow Technologies.

[She] brings a background in account management, business analysis, communications, and export promotion with her to the commission.

As Director of Global Marketing, Merritt will manage retail accounts in the U.S. and will lead the marketing work in the key export markets of Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Additionally, Merritt will be responsible for directing category management research.

According to a press release, Merritt joins the commission from Root Creative Marketing where she served as Account Director and was responsible for implementing marketing campaigns for a diverse set of agriculture, food product, and lifestyle product clients.

“Both Lisa and Alexandra bring talent, drive, heart, and extensive backgrounds in account management and analysis to the commission marketing team,” said Ian LeMay, incoming commission President. “We are very pleased to welcome them to the team and look forward to the many contributions they will each make in the years to come,” said LeMay.

Congratulations to these two new leaders!