U.S. consumers can now track their food orders directly through Alexa Echo devices.

Uber Technologies said that U.S. consumers can now use their Amazon Echo devices to track the status of Uber Eats orders. The new integration provides real-time, hands-free order tracking for Echo users across the country.

Alexa can give consumers timely updates on critical points in the delivery process — starting when an order is being prepared through to when the driver is arriving and when the order is delivered.

Consumers can decide how to receive updates. They can choose, for example, to have Alexa announce when there's a status change to their order from one or all of their household devices.  Or they can choose to receive an Alexa notification instead — the light on their Echo device will change to yellow, and consumers can ask, "Alexa, what's my notification.”

“Simple ambient experiences let customers be more present with family and friends — they don't need to be distracted by checking for delivery updates on their mobile apps," said Mark Yoshitake, general manager and director of Alexa Skills. "Now, customers can settle in for their favorite movie and trust Alexa to let them know when their driver is approaching with their order, or update them if there is a material change to the estimated delivery time. It's yet another example of how Alexa is helping make customers' lives easier."

Amazon is Uber's third partner in the voice-activated space, after announcing partnerships with Google Assistant and Apple's Siri for voice ordering integrations within the last year.

Brookshire Grocery Co. is using a new cloud-based point-of-sale system to integrate its in-store technology solutions.

The Tyler, Texas-based supermarket company is implementing the NCR Emerald cloud-based POS solution, which connects to the company’s store operations platform, NCR Commerce (NCP). The solution, which is currently live in one store, is rolling out acrossall of Brookshire’s 206 locations.

Designed to unify all technology needed to run the store, NCP will streamline workflows and improve consumer experiences across all of Brookshire’s sales channels. Further, the solution will enable the grocer to bring innovation to market faster and at a lower cost. For example, POS and self-checkout upgrades and changes to loyalty programs and payments that often took long periods of time to build, test and roll out can now be achieved much quicker, according to a company statement.

“Brookshire places a priority on customer service, and we’re looking for ways to leverage technology to improve the experience for our customers,” said Shawn Sedate, CIO of Brookshire Grocery Co. “By simplifying and standardizing our store infrastructure, we’ll have more time to focus on customer needs and create offers that keep shoppers coming back.”

Brookshire Grocery Co. operates the Brookshire’s, Super 1 Foods, FRESH by Brookshire’s, Spring Market and Reasor’s banners, along with three distribution centers throughout Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma.

Weis Markets will lead the retail contingent at Delaware’s Bayberry Town Center, signing for a 64,000-sq.-ft. space that will hold a supermarket and fuel facility.

The planned 280,000-sq.-ft. town center will be the retail center of The Village of Bayberry, a 1,500-acre master-planned community in Middletown. Construction begins later this year on the project that will include some 2,700 homes surrounded by 600 acres of parks, playgrounds, lakes, and luxury clubhouses.

Weis has been a long-standing brand in the Mid-Atlantic region with nearly 200 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, West Virginia, and Virginia. Scheduled to open in 2025, the Bayberry store will be its fourth Delaware location.

Bayberry Town Center will be the largest grocery-anchored center in Middletown, according to Blenheim Group, its developer. The town center will also include upscale shopping, restaurants, services, banking, and healthcare.

Middletown is located about 20 miles south of Wilmington and 30 miles east of Baltimore.

“The Town Center is the final phase in our multi-year development of The Village of Bayberry,” said  Jay Sonecha, president of Blenheim Group, which is based the United Kingdom. "Located in one of Delaware's fastest-growing residential areas, Bayberry Town Center will give local residents a new first-class grocery option.”

Sonecha added that other new tenants would be announced in the coming months.

Publix showed no signs of losing its momentum in its first quarter. 

Publix’s sales rose 8.2%to $14.3 billion for the quarter ended April 1, 2023. Comparable store sales increased 6.4%.

Net earnings doubled, rising to $1.2 billion, compared to $618 million in 2022. Earnings increased to $0.37 per share, up from $0.18 per share in the year-ago period, adjusted for the effect of the 5-for-1 stock split that occurred on April 14, 2022.

[Read More: Publix, Kroger, Costco, PetSmart among 'Most Trustworthy Companies in America']

Effective May 1, 2023, Publix’s stock price increased from $14.55 per share to $14.97 per share. Publix stock is not publicly traded and is made available for sale only to current Publix associates and members of its board of directors.

Publix, the largest employee-owned company in the U.S., currently operates 1,335 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia.

In a move that came as no surprise, Tuesday Morning is liquidating.

The Dallas-based, closeout home goods retailer, which filed for bankruptcy for the second time in less than three years in February, is going out of business after years of downsizing and slumping sales. The company on Monday said that going-out-of-business sales have begun at all Tuesday Morning stores in 25 states across the U.S. Select fixtures, furnishings and equipment will also be available for sale in closing locations (related link at end of article). The sales come several days after Hilco Merchant Resources won an auction for the retailer’s assets.

When Tuesday Morning filed for bankruptcy in February, the company had roughly 465 stores and was seeking court approval to conduct store-closing sales at 264 of its locations. The sales are "necessary to maximize the value of the assets being sold," the retailer stated.

The retailer also laid out restructuring plans that included “significantly” cutting costs across its distribution channels as it pivots to a third-party logistics model and transitions to a more “cost-effective inventory acquisition strategy” for remaining stores. However, Tuesday Morning failed to turn around and was put up for auction, with Hilco Merchant Resources paying more than $32 million for the company. 

The retailer, which has been in business since 1974, noted that gift cards will be honored through May 13, 2023. All sales are final during the store closing event.

To see a list of Tuesday Morning store closing locations, click here.

JCPenney has received awards for energy sustainability from both the public and private sectors.

The department store chain was named a 2023 Energy Star Partner of the Year Sustained Excellence from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and the U.S. Department of Energy. The award is the program’s highest honor and is reserved for participants demonstrating outstanding leadership, year over year.

The EPA recognizes companies with the Sustained Excellence Award if they have already received Energy Star Partner of the Year recognition for a minimum of two consecutive years and have gone above and beyond the criteria needed to qualify for recognition. Department store retailer Kohl’s is also a 2023 recipient of this award.

In addition, JCPenney has been recognized by Unifi Inc., the makers of Repreve recycled polyester, as a recipient of the sixth annual Champions of Sustainability award. This is the third year in a row the retailer has received this honor. The award recognizes brand, textile and retail partners that have demonstrated a commitment to supporting sustainability.

Since its partnership with Repreve began, JCPenney has recycled a total of 59 million plastic bottles to be made into fiber for new apparel, footwear, home goods and other consumer products. Through Repreve, Unifi has transformed more than 30 billion plastic bottles into recycled fiber for consumer products.