The Atlanta-based beverage giant, Coco-Cola, reported that its profit for 2011 was hurt by restructuring charges and other charges. It also reported a program to save $550 to $650 million by the end of 2015 and reinvest that savings into systemwide brand building initiatives and to mitigate potential incremental near-term commodity costs as necessary, the […]
Author Archives: Kristen Cloud
Kristen was Editor at The Shelby Report.
Posted in, Southeast
Southern Family Markets To Come Under New Ownership
A new company has been formed to purchase all 57 Southern Family Markets (SFM) stores. Belle Foods LLC was formed in Birmingham, Ala., by William “Bill” White, a longtime industry veteran who has worked in both the Bruno’s and Piggly Wiggly organizations. According to the Feb. 7 announcement, Belle Foods is buying stores in Alabama, […]
Posted in, National
CRA: Sugar Industry’s Strategy to Pose as ‘Safer’ Sweetener
In a bid to revive litigation claims that a federal judge had dismissed, the refined sugar industry’s latest maneuver actually underlines its true objective: to confuse American consumers by suggesting that cane and beet sugar is healthier than sugar made from corn—at least according to the Corn Refiners Association (CRA). “The refined sugar industry’s latest […]
Posted in, Southeast
Aldi Opening New Store in Greensboro, N.C.
Greensboro, N.C., is getting yet another grocery store. The Business Journal reports that Aldi, a Batavia, Ill.-based subsidiary of Germany’s Aldi Group, plans to open a new store at 1507 New Garden Rd. sometime in 2013. Aldi bills itself as a super-discount chain with a no-frills approach and a limited selection of 1,400 items. The […]
Posted in, Southeast
Chiquita Offers Incentives for Execs to Move to Charlotte
Chiquita Brands International Inc. is offering incentives to entice its executives to move to Charlotte, N.C., reports The Charlotte Business Journal. In a securities filing Tuesday, the company spelled out the relocation benefits it will offer key employees who choose to transfer. Those benefits include payment for the costs of searching for a new residence […]
Posted in, Equipment & Technology, National
EPA Recognizes Ahold USA for Leading Green Power Purchasers
Ahold USA appears for the first time on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) list of the largest green power purchases. The company ranks No. 7 on the EPA’s Top 20 Retail list and No. 30 on the National Top 50 list. Ahold USA is purchasing more than 149 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power […]
Posted in, National
Study: Food Safety is Tops for Manufacturers, Consumers
In a new global study from UL (Underwriters Laboratories), a leader in advancing safety, food manufacturers identified product safety as a top business priority, but the majority of consumers believe food manufacturers can do even better to earn their confidence. The new study, “Navigating the Product Mindset,” explores the connections and contradictions between perceptions of […]
Posted in, Northeast
Giant Food Acquires Two Fresh & Green’s in Baltimore Region
Giant Food of Landover, Md., has entered into a definitive agreement with Mrs. Green’s Management Corp. to acquire two of the company’s Fresh & Green’s supermarket locations currently serving the Baltimore market. The following locations are part of this acquisition: • Fresh & Green’s of Hampden, 1020 West 41st St., Baltimore; and, • Fresh & […]
Posted in, National, New Products
Nestlé Debuts Seasonal Items For Creative Gift-Giving
With Valentine’s Day around the corner, Nestlé’s seasonal treats are making it easy to let friends, colleagues and family know they are loved. Nestlé’s line of Valentine’s Day sweets spotlights favorite varieties from Nestlé Butterfinger, Nestlé Crunch, and Wonka—each one featuring a Valentine’s twist. Wonka, the No. 1 branded sugar manufacturer for Valentine’s Day, has […]
Posted in, National, New Products
Stouffer’s Hopes To ‘Put the Two Back in Tuesdays’
Nestle Prepared Foods Co. says it is committed to helping couples reconnect over dinner with the launch of Stouffer’s Sautes for Two “Put the Two Back in Tuesdays” program, a nationwide campaign to make an ordinary evening extraordinary for couples. For the next six weeks, Stouffer’s is challenging couples to make their Tuesdays extraordinary with […]
Posted in, Southeast
Publix Deal Brings New Owner At Celebration Shopping Center
A shopping center in Celebration, Fla., has a new owner after Publix signed up to be a 50,000-s.f. anchor tenant, reports the Tampa Bay Business Journal. A group based in New York bought the 124,000-s.f. Water Tower Shoppes from General Electric Credit Equities in January. The center had been struggling for nearly seven years since […]
Posted in, Beverage News, National
Mary J Blige Joins Belvedere Vodka, (RED) To Help Save Lives
Award-winning, multi-platinum singer Mary J Blige will be performing at a private pre-Grammy event on Thursday, Feb. 9, to celebrate the partnership of Belvedere, the world’s first super premium vodka, and (RED). The exclusive performance will be followed by a private party at Bardot, Los Angeles, to help raise awareness around HIV/AIDS and emphasize the […]
Posted in, Equipment & Technology, National
Mobeam Raises $6.4M For Mobile Coupons
Mobeam Inc., a San Francisco technology platform for delivering coupons to mobile phones, has beamed a $6.4 million Series A round of venture capital on board from investors, reports the San Francisco Business Times. The company, founded in April 2010, has added new investor DFJ Athena, a Korea-focused venture fund affiliated with Draper Fisher Jurvetson, […]
Posted in, Marketing News, National
Walmart Unveils ‘Great For You’ Icon
A year after pledging to develop a front-of-pack label that would give its customers an easier way to identify healthier food, Walmart Stores Inc. has unveiled the “Great For You” icon. The icon, part of the company’s healthier food initiative, is an effort to implement a transparent, summary icon for its private label brand products […]
Posted in, Equipment & Technology, Marketing News, Midwest
Valentine’s ‘Spice’ Advice from Johnsonville Italian Sausage
Wisconsin-based Johnsonville Sausage says it’s going to help men impress the ladies in their lives this year with some Valentine’s Day “Advice with Spice.” Through Feb. 19, all are invited to visit Johnsonville Kitchens on Facebook for some advice to “spice” things up this Valentine’s Day. And, since Johnsonville knows everyone has a few buddies […]
Posted in, Southwest
Austin Bag Ban Could Cost Texas 8,800 Jobs, Group Says
An alliance of plastic bag manufacturers estimate that a bag ban in Austin, Texas, could cost the state 8,800 jobs, reports the Austin Business Journal. The Journal reports that the American Progressive Bag Alliance is against the city’s proposed ordinance to tax and ban single-use plastic bags that Mayor Lee Leffingwell has been pushing for. […]
Posted in, West
PMA to Debut Produce Pavilion at N.G.A Show in Las Vegas
The 2012 National Grocers Association (N.G.A.) Show will feature a new collaboration with the Produce Marketing Association (PMA) that will bring together more than 20 produce companies into 2,500 s.f. of exhibit space on the expo floor called “The PMA Produce Pavilion.” The PMA Produce Pavilion will provide independent grocers and attendees of The N.G.A. […]
Posted in, West
Ocean Mist Farms Receives Economic Vitality Award
Castroville, Calif.-based Ocean Mist Farms has been honored by the Monterey County Business Council for its contribution to agriculture in Monterey County. Ocean Mist Farms was one of six organizations selected to receive the Economic Vitality Award at the council’s annual awards ceremony last week in Monterey. The Monterey County Business Council is an alliance […]
Posted in, Center Store, New Products, Southwest
Hostess Rolls Out New Chocolate Creme Twinkies
Irving, Texas-based Hostess is giving consumers another way to celebrate Valentine’s Day this year with the launch of new Chocolate Creme Twinkies. Following a special limited-edition offering of the treat last spring, the golden cakes’ signature creme filling is getting a chocolate-y makeover just in time for the sweetest holiday of the year—and the flavor […]
Posted in, National, New Products
‘The Biggest Loser’ Plans To Win Big With Fruits, Vegetables
“The Biggest Loser” brand will debut this fall in produce departments nationwide, thanks to a multi-year licensing agreement between Giraffe Interactive and NBCUniversal Television Consumer Products Group. The goal of the agreement is to create promotional programs that leverage the power of The Biggest Loser as a lifestyle brand to promote the increased sale of […]