Hy-Vee customers generously showed their respect and gratitude to slain Urbandale Police Officer Justin Martin and Des Moines Police Sgt. Anthony Beminio by donating nearly $140,000 to their families during a four-day period in November. Hy-Vee sent out a thank-you message to its customers on Nov. 10. Following the officers’ fatal shootings the previous week, Hy-Vee […]
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.
California Fresh Market Opens Line-Free Grocery Store
Business partners Alfred Holzheu, Greg King and Sean Walwick have opened a California Fresh Market in a former Haggen/Albertsons store in San Luis Obispo, California, that allows shoppers to skip the checkout line by using an app on their smartphone. The store opened Nov. 9 at 767 Foothill Boulevard. To skip the line, shoppers download […]
KKR Invests In Two California Hispanic Grocers
Vendor memos from Mi Pueblo Food Center and Cardenas Markets dated Nov. 1 said that KKR, a global investment firm, has made investments in each company. Mi Pueblo operates in Northern California, Cardenas in Southern California. Both grocers say KKR is committed to their growth, saying the investment will be used for “creating new jobs […]
Hy-Vee To Host Annual Veterans Day Breakfasts On 11-11
On Friday, Hy-Vee will host its annual Veterans Day breakfasts to recognize and thank veterans and active-duty military members for their service and will provide them with a complimentary meal. The grocery chain expects to serve more than 90,000 veterans, military members and their guests at 242 stores across its eight-state Midwest operating area this […]
McLane Expands ‘Spark’ Initiative To Increase Workforce Diversity
McLane Co. Inc., the Temple, Texas-based supply chain services company offering grocery and foodservice solutions, said Oct. 3 that it has expanded its Spark program, a companywide initiative focused on identifying workplace diversity opportunities through a variety of programs, community outreach and lending support to nationally recognized diversity-focused annual events. The expansion underscores McLane’s commitment […]
Publix Pharmacies In Florida To Offer Strep, Flu Tests
Publix Super Markets said Oct. 3 that its Florida Publix pharmacies are offering testing and treatment for strep throat and flu for customers 13 years of age or older. Publix pharmacists now can evaluate patients, perform a diagnostic test and dispense treatment in one visit. For patients who test positive for flu, pharmacists also are […]
Dean Foods Reveals CEO Succession Plan
Dean Foods Co., the Dallas, Texas-based processor and direct-to-store distributor of fresh fluid milk and other dairy and dairy case products, said Sept. 1 that Ralph Scozzafava, EVP and COO, will succeed Gregg A. Tanner as the company’s CEO and a member of the board of directors, effective Jan. 1, 2017. For transition purposes, Tanner […]
Acosta Appoints Matthesen President And CEO
Acosta has named Steve Matthesen president and CEO, effective Sept. 6. Matthesen succeeds current President and CEO Robert Hill, who will become vice chair of the board of directors, also effective Sept. 6, and will continue to work with Acosta’s clients and customers in this new role. Hill has been with the company and industry […]
Louisiana Flood Update: Waters Receding But Flooding Persists
Jay Campbell, executive chairman of Associated Grocers Baton Rouge, provided The Shelby Report with an update on the flooding in the area as of Sunday, Aug. 21. “Flood waters have been receding in most areas, and yet flooding persists in the most southerly portions of the state of Louisiana. The estimated number of personal residences […]
Ky. University Adds Online Associate Degree For Food Retail Associates
University of the Cumberlands, a nonprofit, private university in the state of Kentucky, has teamed up with the Retail Learning Institute (RLI), a provider of online training programs for food retailers, to provide educational opportunities to food retail associates worldwide. Through this partnership, RLI students can validate their online training courses for college credit towards […]
Dollar General Completes Buy Of 41 Walmart Express Locations
Dollar General said July 27 that it had completed its purchase of 41 former Walmart Express locations in 11 states. Goodlettsville, Tennessee-based Dollar General anticipates relocating 40 existing Dollar Generals into the purchased sites by October 2016 and entering one new market—Coal Hill, Arkansas—as part of the purchase. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. […]
Big Y Holds Annual Paul & Gerry D’Amour Memorial Charity Golf Outing
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Fry’s Opens New Marketplace In Phoenix
The Shelby Report’s Southwest VP Tom Maloney was present for the opening of the new Fry’s Marketplace in Phoenix on July 15. The store is located at 1311 E. Bell Road. The 124,070-s.f. Marketplace features a wine bar that serves a wide selection of wines as well as local craft beer; a specialty cheese shop; […]
Publix Has Target Date For Cage-Free Egg Transition
Publix Super Markets has published a position statement on its website that says it will work toward a 100 percent cage-free egg supply by 2026. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) sent out an email to media with a link to Publix’s statement. Even though Publix already offered seven varieties of cage-free eggs […]
House Passes Biotech Labeling Act; President’s Desk Is Next Stop
The U.S. House has voted 306-117 in favor of final passage of S. 764, the Roberts-Stabenow Biotech Labeling Act. Industry groups are praising the House for passing the bill, which is now on the desk of President Obama. Media reports have indicated that the president is likely to sign the bill. If signed, the law […]
Natural Grocers Holding Job Fair For Idaho Store
Lakewood, Colorado-based Natural Grocers will open a new store in Hailey, Idaho, on Sept. 27, adding 28 jobs to the community. A job fair for the Hailey store, which is located at 710 North Main Street, will take place near the store, at the Wood River Inn at 603 North Main Street. The job fair […]
Senate Passes Roberts/Stabenow GMO Labeling Bill; Now To The House
Next week is a big week in the U.S. House of Representatives for the U.S. food industry, following the July 7 Senate passage of a bipartisan bill that creates a national labeling standard for all foods made with genetically engineered (GE) ingredients and genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Industry groups commended the Senate for its passage […]
Meat/Poultry/Seafood Sourcing Event Coming This Fall To Florida
FirstSource Events’ MainCourse1on1 is coming up Nov. 2-3 at the Renaissance World Golf Village Resort in St. Augustine, Florida. Bill Doherty, director of MainCourse1on1, says the event targets high-volume retail and foodservice buyers and suppliers of all “main course proteins,” including meat, poultry and seafood. Referring to surveys of past participants in MainCourse1on1, Doherty said, […]
Senate To Hold Final Vote On Compromise GMO Labeling Bill
On July 6, the U.S. Senate voted 65-32 to end debate and have a final vote on bipartisan national legislation regarding the disclosure of genetically engineered ingredients in food products. The compromise bill, S. 764, was championed by Senate Agriculture Committee Chairman Pat Roberts (R-Kansas) and Ranking Member Debbie Stabenow (D-Michigan). It includes reforms to […]
Column: Getting A Boost From Nutrition Bars
by Naomi Sleeper Director of Business Development Imperial Distributors As the sun makes an appearance in the summer, so do we…on bike paths, hiking and running trails, waterfronts, sports fields; any outside venue, really. The seasonal upswing in outdoor activities, enhanced by a growing focus on wellness and active lifestyles, means a boost in the […]
