Costco customers will use the Anywhere Visa Card for payments

Costco dumped American Express cards in favor of Visa cards, and from June 20, 2016, if you want to get credit card rewards for your bulk purchases, you'll be able to use any Visa card, along with debit cards, cash, checks, EBT and Costco Cash Cards.

Customers who previously had a Costco and American Express co-branded card, will receive a new Costco Anywhere Visa Card by Citi, with all the previous rewards.

The new card from Visa offers 4% back on up to $7,000 a year in gas purchases, 3% back on restaurant and travel purchases and 2% back on Costco purchases.

Little impact from Aldi California stores for Smart & Final

Smart & Final discount stores competes with about 20 of the 26 Aldis that have opened in the past couple of months.

According with the Dave Hirz company’s president and CEO, the stores had lost an average of $5,000 in sales during opening week, and it’s now down to about $2,000.

What’s helping the Smart & Final is the availability of club sizes, which account for 30% of its sales “and which Aldi doesn’t carry. The Smart & Final Weekly Ad Sale is released every week and has great offers for groceries.

Smart & Final expects to continue to increase store count by about 10% a year, though the acquisition of 33 former Haggen stores at the end of last year boosted growth to 15% this year.

The Los Angeles based Smart & Final Stores continues the rapid growth in California, with all 33 stores acquired from Haggen now open for business.

In opening the 33 stores, Smart & Final has increased its presence in the important Los Angeles and Orange County markets, and doubled store count in the California Central Coast and San Diego.

Currently, Smart & Final operates 306 stores in California, Oregon, Washington, Arizona, Nevada and Idaho, including 251 Smart & Final banner stores, 160 of which are Smart & Final Extra! format stores.

A new Hispanic Grocery Store format - Fresco y Más

At a Winn-Dixie store in Hialeah, Florida, the retailer had unveiled a new Hispanic brand name - Fresco y Más.

Fresco y Más has been tailored to provide the products and services that meet the needs of the community, "while continuing to offer great value, stunning quality food and service with personality."

“Winn-Dixie opened its first store in Hialeah in 1958, and this community has been important to us for many years," Ian McLeod, president and CEO of Southeastern, said in a statement. "

“Fresco y Más offers an expanded Hispanic product assortment, great low prices and new features, including a full-service Latin Butcher shop and new Cocina — everything that our customers told us is important to them,” he added.

Fresco y Más grocery supermarket services:
- A full-service Latin butcher shop (Carniceria) offering an expanded selection of fresh cut meats to better serve the customers.
- A café with expanded seating area serving authentic Hispanic breakfast, pastries, drinks and hot and cold sandwiches.
- A new “Cocina” offering daily specials of freshly-prepared, homemade favorites.
- Made-to-order personalized party platter packages available to serve 25, 50 or 100 people (includes personalized cake, croquettes (croquetas), pastries (pastelitos) and fried stuffed potatoes (papas rellenas).
- $1 Zone within the store, with savings on more than 300 popular items for only $1, including cleaning products, baby products, bath and health products, foil ware and value greeting cards.