Peapod Digital Labs (PDL) drives the digital and eCommerce innovation, technology and expertise for the retail brands of Ahold Delhaize USA – Food Lion, Giant Food, The Giant Co., Hannaford Supermarkets and Stop & Shop. Originally known as Peapod Online Grocer or simply Peapod, the company was founded in 1989 and operated independently until Ahold […]
Author Archives: Jack R. Jordan
Jack is a former Content Creator at The Shelby Report.
Posted inProduce News, Feature, Southeast
Former Georgia Ag Commissioner: Branding Most Important For Produce Firms
Gary Black, Georgia’s former agriculture commissioner, says producers and retailers should look to branding as the future of selling produce. Black, now a founding and managing partner of On Point Strategies consulting firm, has a number of produce-producing clients, including Lake Park, Georgia-based Corbett Brothers Farms. The company has been producing fruits and vegetables commercially […]
Posted inAssociation News, Market Profile, Midwest
IRMA Exec: Future Of Illinois Grocers Hangs In Balance
Merchants in Illinois are facing a problem 15 years in the making. In 2008, the Illinois legislature unanimously passed the Biometric Information Privacy Act, which ensures that private companies are prohibited from collecting biometric data unless given express permission, according to Rob Karr, president and CEO of the Illinois Retail Merchants Association. The law requires […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Market Profile, Southeast
Tryon IGA Owner Enjoys Freedom Of Being An Independent
Just a mile from the South Carolina border sits Tryon IGA, which has been serving Tryon, North Carolina for 26 years. Owner Willard Teaster has been part of the grocery business for nearly six decades. He started his grocery career with A&P in the produce department and went on to hold just about every managerial […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, Southeast
Carolina Retailers Face Alcohol Issues, Though Solutions Differ
Modernizing alcohol regulations has been a top priority in North and South Carolina, according to Lindsey Kueffner, executive director of the Carolinas Food Industry Council. In North Carolina, the CFIC has been working to limit wine wholesalers’ split case fees. The charges ultimately limit retailers’ ability to provide deals to the customers and have been […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, Beverage News, Southeast
Ready-To-Drink Cocktails Yields ‘Mixed Bag’ Of Success For TGCSA
Tennessee grocers are finding success in the sale of wine-based ready-to-drink cocktails, according to Rob Ikard, president and CEO, Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association (TGCSA). The amendment to the original Wine Act of 2014 went into effect Jan. 1. Although TGCSA had proposed legislation that would have authorized the sale of both wine- and […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Southwest
Shoplifting Bill Fails To Advance In Colorado
Colorado retailers can feel a bit safer after a low-level crime proposal that would’ve prohibited the arrest of shoplifters was struck down in the state’s most recent legislative session. “It was really kind of egregious, especially with inflation,” said Grier Bailey, executive director of the Colorado Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association & Convenience Store Association. While […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Midwest
Jerry’s Foods Reflects One Year After Destruction Of Hurricane Ian
One year removed from Hurricane Ian, Jerry’s Foods on Sanibel Island, Florida, is seeing its community slowly return to normal. “Each month that goes past, there are more businesses that are able to open,” said Rick Winningham, general manager. “And as the resorts start to come back…The vegetation that survived is coming back…I think the […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Feature, Southeast
IGA President: U.S., Georgia Ag Leadership ‘On The Right Journey’
“They’re on the right journey,” John Ross, president and CEO of IGA, said following his participation on a panel featuring U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. Ross, Vilsack and Harper were three of the 15-person panel featured in the USDA’s More, New & Better Markets Stakeholder Meeting in Atlanta, […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, Northeast
Pennsylvania’s Election Battleground Status Will Capture Nation’s Attention In 2024
Assessing Pennsylvania’s status as a battleground state in the 2024 election, Alex Baloga didn’t mince words. “To say that it’s going to be a wild next year is probably putting it mildly,” said Baloga, who is president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association. For the first time in 12 years, the Pennsylvania House […]
Posted inProduce News, Association News, Feature, National
Panel At IFPA Global Produce And Floral Show Addresses AI
“Technology does not scale linearly. It scales exponentially.” That comment from Patrick Vizzone, executive director of DiMuto, perhaps best sums up the CEO Panel on Oct. 19 at the IFPA Global Produce and Floral Show in Anaheim, California. The panel – Johnny C. Taylor Jr., president and CEO of SHRM; Elliott Grant, CEO of Mineral, […]
Posted inSnacks Brands, C-Store News, Feature, National
Tech, Foodservice Paramount At NACS Show
Over the past 20 years, convenience stores have become much more than a place to pick up drinks, snacks or a magazine. “But what does the next 20 years look like,” asked Jeff Lenard, VP of strategic industry initiatives for the National Association of Convenience Stores. The size of the industry itself attests to its […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Market Profile, Southeast
Stepherson Inc. Continues Family Legacy In Memphis, TN
Stepherson Inc. has been a Memphis staple since before Elvis or BB King were household names. The employee-owned business operates nine locations under the Superlo Foods and Stepherson’s banners across the Memphis area, as well as a central warehouse. The company was founded in 1944 by brothers Wesley, Kenneth and Jack Stepherson. Wesley and Kenneth […]
Posted inCenter Store, Feature, Northeast
Olive Oil Market Sees Little Decline Despite Higher Prices
While prices continue to rise and supplies are down from last year, the olive oil market is growing. High temperatures and drought in Spain have caused about a 50 percent decline in production, according to Mouna Aissaoui, EVP and COO at Baltimore-based Pompeian Inc. “Although Spain is just one of the producing countries of olive oil, it […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, Midwest
Retailers Celebrate Approval Of Pro-Business Legislation In Missouri
The Missouri Grocers Association and the Missouri Chamber of Commerce and Industry are celebrating multiple wins following this year’s state legislative session. “[It] will go down as one of the more productive for Missouri job creators,” said Dan Mehan, chamber president and CEO, in a July press release. Gov. Mike Parson signed 31 pieces of […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, West
Livestock Changes Looming In California
California’s Proposition 12, which prohibits the sale of uncooked meat or eggs from producers that don’t comply with new state requirements, has been finalized after years of uncertainty, unclear wording and lawsuits. What’s next? Well, according to California Grocers Association President Ron Fong, there’s likely “going to be a shortage in the marketplace.” “The [California […]
Posted inGrocery Store Equipment, National, Webinars
Webinar Highlights Case Studies To Drive Success In Your Grocerant
Maximizing time has quickly become a top priority for consumers. Grocers and restaurants, also known as “grocerants,” are in a unique position as they make up a large percentage of the household food spend, according to Jeremy Julian, CRO and founder, CBS NorthStar & Restaurant Tech Guys. He, along with two members of the Toshiba […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Market Profile, Southeast
NC-Based Lowes Foods Poised To Enter New Market
Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based Lowes Foods is set to bring the Lowes banner to Georgia through the acquisition of Foothills IGA, which serves Dawson and Pickens counties. Lowes President Tim Lowe attended a July 27 retirement party for departing owners Jeff and Sandy Downing. Beforehand, The Shelby Report was able visit with Lowe about the expectations […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Home Page Latest News, Publix Super Markets, Southeast
End Of An Era For Foothills IGA In Georgia
Nestled at the base of the Appalachian Mountains in northern Georgia sits the aptly named Foothills IGA, which has been serving the nearby communities of Big Canoe and Marble Hill for 21 years. Former owners Jeff and Sandy Downing, who recently retired, committed themselves to exemplary customer service, quality food and connection with their customers. […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, Northeast
Minimum Wage, Tax Refunds Top Of Retailer’s Minds In New York
Retailers in New York are about to see their labor costs increase thanks to new legislation that will result in a gradual minimum wage increase statewide. Mike Durant, president and CEO of the Food Industry Alliance of New York, said the recently concluded state assembly session stirred “heated debate” over the measure. As it stands, the […]