Takeoff Technologies and Wakefern Food Corp. have teamed up to launch an automated micro-fulfillment center (MFC) in Clifton, New Jersey. With Takeoff, orders are placed online through retailers—whether using their existing e-commerce platform or Takeoff’s customized UI solution—and Takeoff’s automated technology fulfills the order using robots in MFCs. Takeoff utilizes advanced robotics in the MFC, […]
Author Archives: Lorrie Griffith
Lorrie began covering the supermarket and foodservice industries at Shelby Publishing in 1988, an English major fresh out of the University of Georgia. She started as an editorial assistant and proofreader—and, in spite of herself, she still proofreads everything, everywhere. Over more than three decades with Shelby, she held a variety of editorial roles. After a detour into business development, she rejoined Shelby in June 2024. “It’s good to be back covering the greatest industry in the world,” she says.
Posted inHome Page Slider, Equipment & Technology, Industry News, Northeast, Online Grocery Technology, Store News
Weis Markets Expands Online Shopping To 61 More Stores
Weis Markets has launched Weis 2 Go online ordering, with pickup and home delivery (where available), in 61 additional stores. With the additions, Weis 2 Go is offered in 150 stores in the Sunbury, Pennsylvania-based grocer’s seven-state market area. That represented the majority of the company’s 200 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, New Jersey, New […]
Posted inHome Page Slider, Beverage News, Center Store, Corporate Store News, Grocery News, Nonfood Items, Snacks Brands, Southwest, Store News
Dollar General Opens Longview, Texas, Distribution Center
Dollar General employees, their families and local and state officials celebrated the official grand opening of the company’s 16th distribution center in Longview, Texas, on July 20. At full capacity, the state-of-the-art Longview facility is expected to employ more than 400 people and support approximately 1,000 Dollar General stores. “Today marks another growth milestone for Dollar […]
Posted inShelby Content, Grocery News, Health & Wellness, Home Page Slider, Industry News, Midwest, Recommended Reading, Store News
Recommended: Lunds & Byerlys To Close Twin Cities Pharmacies
Edina-based grocer Lunds & Byerlys will close all 14 of its Twin Cities pharmacy locations at the end of the business day Tuesday, after the company said it no longer could absorb “significant losses.” A spokesman said Friday that 27 pharmacy managers and staff pharmacists will lose their jobs, but technicians have been offered open jobs within […]
Posted inPackaging News, Center Store, Grocery News, Home Page Slider, Industry News, International Foods, New Products, Southeast, Suppliers
Cape Foods’ 4-in-1 Spice Shakers Set To Launch In U.S.
Cape Foods will launch its 4-in-1 Shakers products into the U.S. market, the company said July 15. The South African-based company with U.S. headquarters in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, is a maker of herb, seasoning and spice products. It sells its private label spice blends in its signature grinders and shakers in more than 30 countries […]
Posted inGrocery News, Center Store, Executive News, Nonfood Items, Southwest, Suppliers
Kimberly-Clark Names Alison Lewis Chief Growth Officer
Kimberly-Clark has appointed Alison Lewis to the newly created position of chief growth officer. Lewis joins Dallas, Texas-based Kimberly-Clark from Johnson & Johnson, where she had served as chief marketing officer (CMO) of the global consumer business since 2013. She will join Kimberly-Clark at the end of July. Kimberly Clark’s brands include Huggies, Kleenex, Scott, […]
Posted inHealth & Wellness, Grocery News, Home Page Slider, Nonfood Items, Organic Natural, Southwest, Store News
Natural Grocers To Open New Store In Fredricksburg, Texas
Natural Grocers plans to open a new store in Fredricksburg, Texas, that will create 18 full-time jobs. The grocer held open interviews for the positions in late June for the store, which is located at 610 E. Main Street. Applicants also may apply for consideration at careers-naturalgrocers.icims.com. The Lakewood, Colorado-based company—a specialty retailer of organic […]
Posted inHome Page Slider, Southeast, Store News
ON SITE: Publix Opens New Store In Its Hometown Of Lakeland
The Shelby Report‘s EVP Paul Hynson was on site this morning—Thursday, June 27—for the opening of Publix’s new store in the Grove Park Shopping Center in its headquarters city of Lakeland, Florida. The store, which is 47,144 s.f., is located at 1617 U.S. Highway 98 South in Polk County. It replaces an existing Publix in […]
Posted inGrocery News, Health & Wellness, Meat/Seafood/Poultry, Organic Natural, Southeast, Suppliers
Shenandoah Valley Organic Names Chief Sales, Marketing Officers
Shenandoah Valley Organic (SVO), an organic protein company in Harrisonburg, Virginia, has named Jefferson Heatwole chief sales officer (CSO) and Dorothy Muszynska chief marketing officer (CMO), effective June 20. In his new role, Heatwole will continue to lead the sales, supply chain and customer service teams. He also will be heavily involved in new product […]
Posted inGrocery News, Center Store, Health & Wellness, Home Page Slider, New Products, Organic Natural, Packaging News, Southwest, Suppliers
Madhava Enters New Category With Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Madhava Ltd., a Boulder, Colorado, company that makes natural sweeteners, has released its first product in the olive oil category, Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil. The company also has rolled out a new logo and a refreshed packaging redesign designed to reflect its renewed focus on achieving the highest standard of purity for its products, […]
Posted inShelby Content, Grocery Store Equipment, Grocery Store Layout, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Midwest, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Store News
Exclusive: Buche Foods Opens Needed Store On Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest (see more photos at end of story) The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota is home to the Oglala Lakota Tribe. It is located a little west of Buche Foods’ normal territory, but the grocery company always is looking to grow. Besides, Buche Foods already operates a grocery store on the […]
Posted inFood Lion, Corporate Store News, Industry News, Online Grocery Technology, Southeast, Store News, Supply Chain News
Food Lion To-Go Launches In Multiple Locations
Salisbury, North Carolina-based Food Lion is launching its Food Lion To-Go grocery pickup service at multiple area locations on Monday, June 24. For a full list of participating stores, click here. A ribbon cutting ceremony will be held at each location at 8:45 a.m. To help introduce customers to this new service, Food Lion is […]
Posted inOrganic Natural, Executive News, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Produce News, Store News, West
Former Walmart Exec Jack Sinclair Named CEO Of Sprouts
Phoenix, Arizona-based Sprouts Farmers Market announced June 20 that Jack L. Sinclair has been chosen as its new CEO and member of its board of directors, effective June 24. Sinclair has more than 35 years of experience in retail and grocery, most recently serving as CEO of 99 Cents Only Stores LLC, a Commerce, California-based […]
Posted inGrocery News, Center Store, Private Label Brands, Southeast, Suppliers
Golding Farms Foods Acquires Arcobasso Foods To Enhance Its Offerings
Golding Farms Foods, a Winston-Salem, North Carolina-based manufacturer of private label and branded sauce and condiment products, has acquired Arcobasso Foods Inc., a manufacturer of refrigerated dressings, sauces and beverage mixers. Golding Farms says the acquisition will enhance its product offerings and capabilities in several high-growth categories and establishes a national manufacturing footprint to supply […]
Posted inHome Page Slider, Grocery Store Layout, Independent Store News, Industry News, Merchandising News, Perishables, Southeast
Rouses Opens Replacement Store In Gulfport, Mississippi
More than 300 people lined up before dawn on June 12 to be among the first to check out their new Rouses Market in Gulfport, Mississippi, the Thibodaux, Louisiana-based grocer says. Doors opened at 6:55 a.m., and the shoppers were greeted by cheering team members and company leaders who offered a big “Welcome to Rouses” […]
Posted inHome Page Slider, Marketing News, Merchandising News, Southeast, Suppliers
Next Generation Takes Over At Alliance Sales & Marketing Of Alabama
To suggest that July 2018 was a bad month for the Tinney family of Birmingham, Alabama, is an understatement. The patriarch of the family, Doug Tinney, died unexpectedly, leaving his wife and four adult children to manage Tinney’s business, Alliance Sales & Marketing of Alabama. They quickly realized that Alliance was a true “old school” […]
Posted inHome Page Slider, Aldi, Corporate Store News, Grocery Store Equipment, Store News, West
An Exclusive Look At Aldi’s 1,900th Store In San Diego
The Shelby Report‘s VP-West Bob Reeves was on site at Aldi’s new store in the Mira Mesa neighborhood of San Diego that opened June 13. It marks the Illinois-based grocer’s 1,900th store in the U.S. and is part of a $3.4 billion Aldi investment to expand to 2,500 stores nationwide by the end of 2022. […]
Posted inGrocery News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Perishables, Produce News, Southeast
Fourth-Generation Ala. Grocer Jackson Mitchell Buys Five Ga. Stores
Jackson Mitchell is a fourth-generation member of his family’s business, Mitchell Grocery Corp. in Albertville, Alabama. On June 12, Jackson Mitchell Holdings Inc.—of which Jackson Mitchell is founder and CEO—closed on a deal to purchase Little Giant Farmers Market Corp., which operates five Georgia grocery stores. These include the original Riverdale location; the flagship store […]
Posted inShelby Content, Association News, Home Page Slider, Market Profile, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Southeast, Store News
North Florida Profile: Region’s Economy Offers Opportunities For Growth
by Treva Bennett/staff writer The North Florida economy is strong and getting stronger, as the Sunshine State continues to grow in population, job opportunities and tourism. Jacksonville.com, citing an “Elevate Northeast Florida” report, recently said the Jacksonville area could become the “highest performing economy in the country” over the next five years. The report recommended […]
Posted inGrocery News, Frozen Food, Home Page Slider, Meat/Seafood/Poultry, National, Suppliers
Perdue Foods’ New Chicken Plus Line Combines Chicken, Vegetables
Perdue Foods has created a new line called Perdue Chicken Plus that includes nuggets, tenders and patties. To make the new products, Salisbury, Maryland-based Perdue blends cauliflower, chickpeas and plant protein with no-antibiotics-ever white meat chicken. Each serving has a quarter-cup, or half a serving, of vegetables. The products are made with 100 percent all-natural […]