An update on discount grocer Save A Lot's turnaround efforts and Post's new snack line based on two cereal brands made this week's Top 10 list. Ben & Jerry's new dessert for dogs and Pepsi's Super Bowl advertising game plan also interested SmartBrief's food and beverage readers.

Lowe's has embarked on a "Total Home" strategy with the goal of growing market share by offering all of the solutions people need for every aspect of home improvement and decor. The mission comes as the pandemic has altered the way many think about their homes and a December survey revealed that 59% of consumers plan to spend some of their extra cash on home improvements.

Lowe's and Wayfair come from different parts of the retail world, but Lowe's President and CEO Marvin Ellison and Wayfair President and CEO Niraj Shah both talked about the importance of technology and strong foundations at Retail's Big Show. "It's like building a home," Ellison said. "You need a sound, solid foundation."

Suitsupply and Verizon have adopted strategies such as retail-by-appointment during the pandemic to both keep shoppers and employees safe and further personalize the shopping experience, executives from both companies told attendees at Retail's Big Show. Suitsupply made store improvements to enhance the experience when in-person shopping returns and made stylists available in virtual channels in the meantime, CEO Fokke De Jong said.

Existing technology helped some retailers pivot quickly to meet changing shopper needs, Scandit co-founder Christian Floerkemeier said during a session at NRF 2021: Retail's Big Show -- Chapter 1. Target's Shipt service was already using Scandit's mobile scanning tech, and the partnership allowed the service to get more than 40,000 new shoppers on board in eight weeks, Floerkemeier said.

Wayfair's increased investments in customer service have encouraged more consumers to shop for furniture online, CEO Niraj Shah said at NRF 2021: Retail's Big Show -- Chapter 1. The online furniture retailer is forecasting 2020 revenue of $14.2 billion, a 56% gain.

Instacart will offer its full-service shoppers a $25 stipend if they miss a shift to get a COVID-19 vaccine. Dollar General has also announced this week that it will give front-line employees four hours of paid time off so they can get the vaccine, and the company is working on a similar program for its distribution and transportation workers.

Former Kroger CEO Lyle Everingham, who died Jan. 6 at age 94, started his career as a clerk and guided the company through some of its most difficult days. This obituary recounts Everingham's iconic career, including how he fought off a takeover attempt in 1988 and subsequently built Kroger into an industry powerhouse before retiring in 1990.

Nearly two-thirds of shoppers say they will continue to have groceries delivered even after the pandemic ebbs, according to a survey from LendingTree. That survey, along with a number of others released recently, show that while many people initially considered grocery delivery a pandemic "splurge," they plan to continue spending on the service in the future.

Iconic brands such as NordicTrack and Bowflex made their mark at CES 2021 with home fitness platforms, offering personal training solutions in the wake of gyms shuttering across the country during the pandemic. Other notable smart fitness offerings include iFit ActivePulse and Hyfit.