Updated 8/25/17 11:36 a.m. Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market will close on Monday August 28, 2017, and the two companies will “together pursue the vision of making Whole Foods Market’s high-quality, natural and organic food affordable for everyone.” Whole Foods Market will offer lower prices starting Monday on a selection of best-selling grocery staples […]
Author Archives: Alissa Marchat
Staff Writer at The Shelby Report.
Sweet Potato Industry Leader Carson Barnes Passes Away
Carson Barnes, a driving force in the North Carolina sweet potato industry, passed away late Saturday evening. He was 82. Barnes began farming in 1960 with three-eighths of an acre of sweet potatoes and eight acres of tobacco. His company, Barnes Farming Corp., has grown to become the largest sweet potato grower and shipper in the country. […]
Walmart Expands Delivery Pilot, Partners With Google Assistant
Walmart is stepping up its online ordering and delivery programs. The retailer is expanding its home delivery pilot program to Dallas and Orlando, and is partnering with Google to offer voice shopping via Google Assistant. See statements from Mike Turner, VP of ecommerce operations, and Marc Lore, president and CEO of Walmart U.S. ecommerce, below. […]
NGA Hires VP Of Government Relations And Counsel
Christopher Jones, former legislative director and counsel for U.S. Representative Rick Crawford (R-AR), a member of the House Agriculture Committee and Nutrition Subcommittee, is joining the National Grocers Association (NGA). He will serve as VP and counsel for the government relations department at NGA, which represents the independent supermarket industry. Jones will oversee the association’s […]
Macey’s Makes $68K+ Donation To Primary Children’s Hospital
Continuing a 30-year tradition, Macey’s grocery stores donated $68,536.59 to Primary Children’s Hospital during a check presentation last week. The donation was raised through the grocery store’s Macey’s Caring for Kids drive that ran from June 5-30 in 12 locations. During the drive, guests were invited to donate during checkout to support the hospital. “Macey’s has been […]
CSM Bakery, 3D Systems Partner To Bring 3D Printing To Food Industry
CSM Bakery Solutions, a provider of bakery ingredients, products and services, and 3D Systems Corp., the originator of 3D printing and solutions, have reached an agreement to collaborate on the development, sale and distribution of 3D printers, products and materials for the food industry. The companies’ collaboration is expected to bring 3D printed culinary products […]
Macey’s Offers ‘All-New’ Shopping Experience With Murray Store
Macey’s is bringing an all-new shopping experience to Murray, Utah. The retailer opened a new location on the East side of the valley Aug. 16, replacing the Fresh Market that was previously in the 5600 south and 900 east location. Celebrations for the new store kicked off with a ribbon-cutting ceremony and will continue all […]
ICSC Survey Finds Low Prices Raise Customer Loyalty
The competition for the consumer wallet is more intense than ever as consumers are setting the agenda for retailers and brands. An International Council of Shopping Centers (ICSC) survey on brand loyalty has found that the majority of U.S. adults are loyal to both product brands (82 percent) and retailers (84 percent). Driving loyalty to […]
Langer Farms Ramps Up California-Grown Apple Cider Line
Family-owned Langer Juice Co. Inc., based in City of Industry, California, is building on the latest addition to its lineup of juices. The company began testing an apple cider under its new Langer Farms brand last year and launched it this year. Soon, Langer Farms will begin peak production of its Unfiltered Apple Cider, according […]
Software Co. Releases S4Vision For Unified Customers
Software 4 Retail Solutions has released S4Vision for Unified Grocers customers participating in Unified’s “Scan Advantage” store data and analytics program. S4Vision is a self-service business intelligence platform that accumulates and analyzes real-time point-of-sale (POS) transaction data, giving store owners and managers actionable reporting and analytics on their desktop, tablet or smartphone. S4Vision connects store […]
Convenience Stores Hit Record In-Store Sales In 2016
U.S. convenience stores experienced record in-store sales of $233.0 billion in 2016—as well as their third straight year of $10 billion-plus in pretax profits—according to newly released “NACS State of the Industry” data, which provides benchmarks and key performance category insights for the convenience and fuel retailing industry. Convenience stores, which sell more than 80 […]
Publix Pharmacy Provides Free Montelukast
Publix Pharmacy is adding montelukast, a prescription medication for asthma and allergies, to its Free Medication Program, which provides up to a 90-day supply of certain common prescription medications at no charge to pharmacy customers for as a long as prescribed. “We’re always happy to help our customers get the medications they need to treat […]
ShopRite Supermarkets Names New President
ShopRite Supermarkets Inc. (SRS), which owns and operates 34 ShopRite stores in New Jersey and New York, has named industry veteran Brett Wing president of the company. He replaces Dave Figurelli, who retired this month after 15 years with the company. SRS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Wakefern Food Corp., a retailer-owned cooperative with members […]
365 By Whole Foods Planning Second Atlanta Store
Whole Foods Market announced with its third quarter earnings that it has signed a new lease for a 365 by Whole Foods Market location in Atlanta, Georgia. The store will be located in the Buckhead area and will feature what the company says is a simple, affordable and convenient grocery-shopping experience that offers the same […]
Senate Leaders Reach Agreement On National GMO Labeling
One week before Vermont’s mandatory GMO (genetically modified organism) labeling law is scheduled to go into effect, Senate legislators have reached a bipartisan agreement on a national labeling standard spearheaded by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-KS) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-MI). While this deal still requires packaged foods containing GMOs to be labeled, […]
Harry’s Farmers Market Founder Still Speeding Along In Life And Work
Harry Blazer opened his first Harry’s Farmers Market in Alpharetta, Georgia, in 1988. Blazer grew the business into three mega-stores and six Harry’s in a Hurry locations, generating revenues of $140 million and employing 1,200 people. Admitting later that the company expanded so fast it “ran out of runway,” Blazer sold to Whole Foods Market […]
CMI Releases Behind-The-Scenes Video Of Rainier Cherry Harvest
The Rainier cherry harvest reached its seasonal harvest peak in mid-June, and Columbia Marketing International (CMI) expects its cherries to be 85 percent harvested by June 26. Because few retailers or consumers will ever have an opportunity to see the harvest in person, CMI has released a video highlighting one of its growers, offering a […]
Stater Bros. Charities Sends Care Packages To Deployed Service Members
More than 200 members of the Stater Bros. “family” of employees, friends, suppliers and representatives from Operation Community Cares, a local organization that supports the U.S. troops, gathered to prepare 1,000 care packages for local military members serving overseas in celebration of Armed Forces Day. The event took place on Saturday, May 21, 2016 at the Stater Bros. […]
NCA’s Whiteside: Sweets & Snacks Expo Booming
The National Confectioners Association (NCA) once again saw record attendance at its Sweets & Snacks Expo, held May 24-26 at McCormick Place in Chicago. According to the organization, the Expo drew in more than 17,000 industry professionals from more than 90 countries. The expo hosted more than 750 companies exhibiting their products across nearly four […]
New Ground Beef Grinding Log Rules Take Effect
by Cindy Rice, RS, MSPH, CPFS Eastern Food Safety Supermarkets and neighborhood meat markets alike are looking at some new regulations that could impact their daily activities around grinding beef. The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s impending recordkeeping regulations will affect any operation that is grinding beef for retail sale, and soon will require grinding logs […]
