South Dakota’s grocery industry is settling into what Nathan Sanderson, executive director of the South Dakota Retailers Association, calls an “average year,” with consumers trading down on proteins and store brands, convenience stores grabbing more food sales and big-box retailers delivering groceries at a loss into rural communities. Sanderson told The Shelby Report that business […]
Category: Market Profile
Food Affordability Among Many Pressing Concerns For CT Grocery Industry
Sometimes there are advantages to being small. Connecticut’s small geographic size, for instance, means there are not too many food deserts, according to Wayne Pesce, president of the Connecticut Food Association. Though there is some disagreement about what constitutes a food desert, it is basically a low-income geographic area where a significant number of people […]
Ohio Grocers Association’s Mullins Leaves Legacy Of Fighting The Impossible
Kristin Mullins started at the Ohio Grocers Association on April 4, 1990, as a receptionist. She is leaving as its president and CEO – and, by her own account, she’s ready. “A 36-year run – I think I’m ready for something, quite frankly, a little less demanding, a little less stressful,” she said with a […]
Ohio Grocers Navigate Consolidation, Rising Costs, Changing Consumer
Ohio enters 2026 as one of the nation’s most economically competitive states, though a mix of national headwinds and shifting federal policy creates uncertainty in the year ahead. The state’s gross domestic product reached $979 billion in the third quarter of 2025 – the highest on record, according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis. […]
Redner’s Bringing ‘Fresh Market 2.0’ To Wilmington, Creating Foodservice Destination
Walk into most grocery stores and the experience is largely transactional: Grab a cart, work your way down the aisles and check out. Redner’s Markets wants to change that, and its newest store in Wilmington, Delaware, is the place where it’s making moves toward that next-generation grocery shopping experience. The Reading, Pennsylvania-based grocer broke ground […]
Nebraska Grocers Grappling With General Sense Of Unease, Labor Costs
Ansley Fellers, executive director of the Nebraska Grocery Industry Association, responded to questions from The Shelby Report of the Midwest about what’s happening in the state’s grocery industry. How would you characterize the overall health of the grocery industry in Nebraska right now, and what are the key factors driving performance in 2026? I […]
Shift In Spending Patterns Detected As DE Shoppers Navigate Economic Minefields
Julie Miro Wenger, executive director of the Delaware Food Industry Council, spoke with The Griffin Report about the busy year she and her members have had. Many challenges have arisen over the past 12-plus months, as a new administration has made some sweeping changes that affect the industry. But the state’s grocers, as is their […]
Independent Grocers Face Pricing Pressures, Rural Store Closures In ND
Independent grocers across North Dakota face mounting pressure from several directions, according to John “Jiggs” Dyste, president of the North Dakota Grocers Association. “Independent grocers are being squeezed by big-box stores and food manufacturers,” Dyste said. “Unfair pricing is the main problem driving consumers to big-box stores.” The challenges come as North Dakota’s economy undergoes […]
