Expana has appointed Julie Harris as CEO, effective Jan. 26. She succeeds Spencer Wicks, who will retire Jan. 23 after more than seven years leading the agrifood-focused price reporting agency and market intelligence provider. Harris joins Expana from IWSR, the beverage-alcohol data and insight provider, where she served as CEO and led the company through […]
Category: National
Posted inCenter Store, National, News
B&G Foods Wins Del Monte Broth Brands For $110M In Bankruptcy Auction
B&G Foods has agreed to acquire Del Monte Foods’ broth and stock business, including the College Inn and Kitchen Basics brands, for about $110 million in cash following a competitive bankruptcy auction. The transaction emerged from Del Monte Foods Corporation II’s Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings, where B&G Foods prevailed as the winning bidder for the […]
Posted inMarketing News, National, News
Acosta Group Forms Alliance With CommerceIQ
Acosta Group’s Connected Commerce team has formed an alliance with CommerceIQ, integrating the AI-driven retail platform into its agency services to provide automated decision-making capabilities for consumer brands. The alliance positions Acosta Group Connected Commerce as one of the industry’s first AI-driven agency teams, combining omnichannel execution expertise with CommerceIQ’s automation platform that analyzes digital […]
Posted inPrivate Label Brands, Association News, National, News
U.S. Private Label Sales Hit Record $282.8B In 2025
U.S. store brand sales reached a record $282.8 billion in 2025, climbing 3.3 percent compared to 1.2 percent growth for national brands, according to year-end Circana Unify+ data released Jan. 20 by the Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA). The $9 billion increase marks store brands’ continued momentum in capturing market share across all retail channels. […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Merchandising News, National, News
ROFDA Rolls Out National Merchandising Program
Retailer Owned Food Distributors & Associates has launched Aggregated National Merchandising Scale Events, a new capability designed to provide manufacturers with coordinated access to the independent grocery channel through ROFDA’s nine member wholesalers. Beginning this year, ROFDA will execute three coordinated, national-scale merchandising programs across key seasonal windows during summer and fall. The programs will […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, National, News
Crossroads: Where Life And Business Meet
This is the first installment of a new ongoing column in The Shelby Report. We’re calling it Crossroads, in recognition of the intersection between life and business, where all of us – especially independent grocers– truly live. Each month, this column will highlight a moment where life and business collide and attempt to offer insight […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, National, News, The Kroger Co.
Kroger Launches Grocery Delivery Through Uber
Kroger has launched on-demand and same-day delivery through Uber Eats, Uber and Postmates apps at nearly 2,700 stores nationwide, the Cincinnati-based grocer and Uber Technologies announced Jan. 15. Customers can order groceries, Kroger’s Our Brands products and household essentials from Ralphs, Fred Meyer, King Soopers, Smith’s, Fry’s, Harris Teeter, Mariano’s and other Kroger banners through […]
Posted inExecutive News, Corporate Store News, National, News, Walmart
Walmart Shares Executive Leadership Changes
Walmart Inc. (Nasdaq: WMT) has announced several executive leadership changes designed to fuel innovation and drive the new era of retail, with all appointments effective Feb. 1. The board of directors has elected new leaders to its executive council, and incoming President and CEO John Furner shared additional organizational changes. “Over my 32 years with […]