Publix Super Markets will make its highly anticipated Virginia debut on Saturday, July 15, when it opens its new store at 5400 Wyndham Forest Drive in Glen Allen. This first store is located in the Nuckols Place shopping center; it’s a 54,191 s.f. The Nuckols Place store quickly will be followed by two more stores […]
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.
First 365 In Arizona Will Anchor 9-Story Tempe Development
A new mixed-use development in Tempe, Arizona, called The Local is under construction following a groundbreaking in July. It will house the first Whole Foods Market 365 store in the state. Located at the intersection of University Drive and Ash Avenue in downtown Tempe, The Local combines a luxury apartment residence with the 365 grocery market. […]
Meridian Bird Removal Gets Feathered Friends Out Of Stores
by Lorrie Griffith/editor-in-chief A bird inside a retail store can cause thousands of dollars in damage in a short amount of time, so it’s imperative that the manager acts fast to get the bird, or birds, back outside where they belong. The question is who to call. Some try their local humane society, but its […]
Publix And Instacart Expanding Delivery Service Due To Demand
Nearly a year after they first formed a partnership that covered some stores, Publix and Instacart are gearing up to offer same-day grocery delivery to all Publix customers by 2020. Publix and Instacart began same-day grocery delivery to select customers in July 2016 via delivery.publix.com and instacart.com. Customers have embraced the service, the companies say. Publix […]
Walmart CEO: We Will Be ‘People-Led And Tech-Empowered’
At Walmart’s 47th Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on Friday, June 2, President and CEO Doug McMillon said Walmart has “started to invent the future of shopping again,” leveraging technology to “empower associates and improve the customer experience.” The goal is to offer the “best prices and great merchandise, while saving customers time and creating a fast, […]
Owens Succeeds Polhill As CEO Of In-Store Bakery Supplier
Phoenix, Arizona-based Café Valley has appointed Brian Owens CEO, effective June 2. Owens succeeded Larry Polhill, Café Valley’s current CEO and president, who assisted in taking the company from a regional bakery to a leading national brand and global supplier during the past 12 years. Today, Café Valley is a global manufacturer of ready-to-eat bakery […]
Hy-Vee Awards $156,000 To Fund Community Gardens
Hy-Vee recently awarded 156 One Step Garden Grants totaling $156,000 to community organizations and Hy-Vee stores as part of the Hy-Vee One Step program. The $1,000 grants will be used to purchase seeds, plants, garden tools and food preservation equipment for community gardens. One Step Garden Grants are given to community gardens that teach those […]
Amazon To Open Fulfillment Center In Fresno, California
Amazon said June 2 that it will open its first fulfillment center in Fresno, California. The Seattle-based online retailer said the center will “continue its growth in California’s Central Valley” and create 1,500 new full-time jobs. The Fresno center will be Amazon’s fifth fulfillment center in the Central Valley, with three operating fulfillment centers located […]
Men Rule At 2017 National Pie Championships; Publix Baker Top Pro
For the first time ever in the American Pie Council (APC) National Pie Championship’s 23-year history, both the Amateur and Professional Divisions’ Best in Show winners were men. The professional winner was Andy Hilton, a Publix baker from Davenport, Florida, who topped the Professional Division with his Dreamy Lemon Pie. Christopher Taylor, an amateur baker […]
Bashas’ Names 13 Finalists In Donut Flavor Contest
Thirteen kid and teen finalists have been named in Bashas’ Supermarkets’ second annual Donut Flavor Craze Contest. After reviewing more than 100 entries, a team of judges whittled down the field to the 13 finalists–a baker’s dozen. The judges weighed creativity, flavor combination and individuality to choose the finalists. The kids and teens ages 6 to […]
AWG Ramps Up Kenosha D.C. With New Chicago Retailers On Board
Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. (AWG) has begun serving additional Chicago-area supermarket retailers, the Kansas City, Kansas-based wholesaler said May 5. With the new Chicagoland business coming on board, AWG is ramping up full-scale deliveries out of its Kenosha, Wisconsin, division—acquired following its merger with Affiliated Foods Midwest (AFM) last October—which will be the main distribution center […]
Bud’s Best Cookies Founder Inducted Into Baking Hall Of Fame
Albert L. “Bud” Cason, founder and chairman of Birmingham, Alabama-based Bud’s Best Cookies, was inducted into the Baking Hall of Fame by the American Society of Baking (ASB) during BakeTech2017 in Chicago Feb. 26-28. The award recognizes industry innovation and entrepreneurial spirit as well as organizational growth and development, equipment design and innovation, advancements in […]
Shipt Delivery Service Growing In N.C., Fla., Markets
Shipt is expanding its delivery coverage with Harris Teeter in three North Carolina metros as well as with Costco Wholesale in the Tampa, Florida, area. On March 23, Shipt will begin to deliver grocery products, beer and wine from Harris Teeter stores to customers in the Winston-Salem, Greensboro and Asheville metros. With this expansion, the […]
Safeway Community Markets To Open In California March 1
Safeway will introduce shoppers in the Northern California towns of Berkeley, Los Altos and San Anselmo to its new Safeway Community Markets banner on Wednesday, March 1. This banner is being used on former Andronico’s Markets stores, which Safeway purchased in early November last year. Safeway purchased five stores; four are being reopened under the […]
Big Red, Kroger And Weber Kicked Up Summer Sales
Austin, Texas-based beverage company Big Red reports that its “100 Days of BBQ” summer retail promotion and marketing campaign in Kroger stores in Louisville, Kentucky—with help from Weber—generated a 15.7 percent sales increase in dollars. The goal? A 10 percent increase. Big Red hosted Weber Mobile Grill Academy classes at the Kroger stores as part of […]
Lloyd, Goelzer To Hold Supermarket Management Class 2.0 In May
Longtime grocery educator Harold Lloyd of Harold Lloyd Presents and Paulo Goelzer, president of the IGA Coca-Cola Institute, are teaming up to present Supermarket Management Class 2.0 in Chicago in May. Lloyd, who created the course about 15 years ago, used to hold the class in January, but saw an opportunity this year, with FMI […]
Total Sales Up Slightly, Net Income Down For Ingles’ Fiscal Year
Asheville, North Carolina-based Ingles Markets, operating 201 stores in six states in the Southeast, reported fourth quarter and fiscal year results for the period ended Sept. 24. In a news release Dec. 16, Ingles said total sales for fiscal 2016 were $3.79 billion vs. $3.78 billion in fiscal 2015. Net income for the year was $54.2 […]
Phil Smith Elected Stater Bros. Markets Chairman
Stater Bros. Holdings Inc., parent company of Stater Bros. Markets, has elected Phillip J. “Phil” Smith to chairman of the board of Stater Bros. Markets, following the passing of Executive Chairman Jack H. Brown on Nov. 13. Smith formerly served as vice chairman of Stater Bros. Holdings—a position to which Brown appointed him in 2012. […]
Veteran Grocer Jesse Lewis Launches Consulting Firm
Jesse Lewis, who has spent nearly 60 years in the grocery industry, has stepped down from his day-to-day role as EVP and COO at K-VA-T/Food City in Abingdon, Virginia, and launched his own firm, JAL Consulting LLC. Lewis, and his wife of 57 years, Joyce, reside in Piney Flats, Tennessee, in the eastern part of […]
Albertsons Cos. Supports, Celebrates Veterans
On Veterans Day, Nov. 11, Albertsons Cos. announced that it is paying tribute to veterans with a host of community-based events, financial support to veterans organizations and additional outreach to honor and show appreciation for America’s veterans. The company and its 19 store banners, along with the Albertsons Companies Foundation, has dedicated a week of […]
