Though Subriana Pierce has resided in Southern California for nearly 15 years now, “I am a Deep South girl,” she says. Pierce was born in the South Georgia town of Moultrie. Moves to Mobile, Alabama, and then Jackson, Mississippi, followed. The daughter of a high school vocational teacher/auto mechanic and a nurse, Pierce and her […]
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 inWoman Executive of the Year, Home Page Latest News, West
Pierce’s Career Marked By Balancing Ambition, Service To Others
Subriana Pierce, SVP of sales for C.A. Fortune based in the company’s Southern California office, has been named The Shelby Report of the West’s Woman Executive of the Year for 2024. Pierce is being honored for her contributions to the grocery industry, both through her work and through her service to others. Pierce has a […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Market Profile, West
At Hawaii-Based KTA, ‘We Are What We Are Because Of Our Community’
Toby Taniguchi is the yonsei of his family’s company on the Big Island of Hawai’i. That is, he is the fourth generation to lead the business, Puna Plantation Hawaii Ltd., based in Hilo. The company comprises businesses including six KTA Super Stores, KTA Express, five KTA Pharmacy locations and K. Takata Store, which Puna Plantation […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, West
Beauty, Challenges Are Dual Realities In Isolated, Expensive Hawaii
For all its natural beauty, welcoming people and myriad other charms, Hawaii does have its share of challenges economically, which impact the islands’ food store operators. Alexis Chapman, director of operations for the Hawaii Food Industry Association in Honolulu, on the island of Oahu, said the state’s economy is growing but still faces some unique […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Anniversary Issues, Lowes Foods, Southeast
Pursuit Of Innovation Key To ‘Very Bright Future’ For Lowes Foods
Lowes Foods is celebrating 70 years in the grocery business this year. It began with a small grocery store in Wilkesboro, North Carolina, operated by Jim Lowe, who was part of the family that founded a separate business under the same name selling home improvement products. The focus at Jim Lowe’s grocery store was on […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Anniversary Issues, Lowes Foods, Southeast
Lowes Foods’ In-Store Atmosphere Offers Sense Of Community
The Community Table is the heart of a Lowes Foods store. Constructed of reclaimed wood from local barns, the table is designed to bring the community together through events like food pairings, tea parties and floral arranging classes. Private events ranging from birthday parties for kids to beer and wine pairings for adults (Beer & […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Anniversary Issues, Central Market, Southwest
‘Unique Food-Focused Format’ Helped Scratch H-E-B’s Itch For Innovation
Stephen Butt, H-E-B’s president of shareholder relations and the Central Market division, talks about the origins of Central Market and how it has evolved over the years. What prompted the creation of Central Market? How did the idea for this concept come to be? In the mid-1980s, H-E-B was becoming “restlessly dissatisfied” with the lack […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Anniversary Issues, Central Market, Southwest
‘Let’s Renew Our Wows’ – Central Market Celebrates 30 Years Of Sharing Love Of Food
With its launch 30 years ago in Austin, Texas, the foodie-focused Central Market format put H-E-B on the path to becoming the highly successful multi-format retailer it is today. Central Market was born out of the retailer’s desire to create something new and exciting for its shoppers. Inspired by European markets, the stores have winding […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Feature, National
Exec From nCountR: Reaching Shoppers At Store Level Vitally Important
As popular as e-commerce has become, about 80 percent of retail transactions still take place in the real world, at the store. “Every retailer, including some of the largest on the planet, see more foot traffic than they do digital traffic by a very large factor,” noted Hans Fischmann, VP and GM of the nCountR […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Albertsons, Feature, National
Ibotta Digital Promo Network Powers Loyalty Programs
Denver-based Ibotta powers cash-back rewards for companies including Albertsons, Dollar General, H-E-B, Instacart, Kroger, Schnuck Markets, Sprouts, Walmart and many others. Shoppers download the app and can get rewards by scanning a receipt or linking their store loyalty account to the app to earn points. To date, 50 million people have downloaded the app and […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Fareway, Feature, Midwest
Fareway Stores’ Headquarters Moves To Johnston, IA
Fareway Stores has completed the move to its new corporate headquarters in Johnston, Iowa, a suburb west of Des Moines that’s about a 30-minute drive from the grocer’s former base in Boone, north of the city. However, the Boone complex continues to be home to more than 100 staff members on the wholesale/warehouse side of […]
Posted inAssociation News, Albertsons, Market Profile, West
Wildfires, Inflation Among Challenges For Wyoming’s Retailers, Residents
Natural disasters are sometimes more difficult to navigate through in areas that are less densely populated. Wildfires have burned more than 810,000 acres in Wyoming thus far this year, and “towns are under duress,” according to Grier Bailey, executive director of the Colorado Wyoming Petroleum Marketers and Convenience Store Association, which also represents grocers. “Unlike […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Northeast, Retailer of the Year, Wakefern
Stigers Using All Career Experiences To Lead Wakefern Food Corp.
Mike Stigers is in his second year of serving as president of Wakefern Food Corp., a role he feels he was preparing for throughout his five-decade career in the grocery industry. Stigers started out as a part-time courtesy clerk at Safeway in California in 1974. Over the years, in subsequent roles in retail and wholesale, […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Northeast, Retailer of the Year, Wakefern
Wakefern – Powering Success Of Membership For Nearly Eight Decades
Wakefern President Mike Stigers took to the stage Oct. 17 at the Hilton in Parsippany, New Jersey, for Wakefern Food Corp.’s Annual Meeting. In the ballroom audience and tuning in virtually were thousands of retail and corporate team members who came together to hear important business updates from leadership and plans for the next year. […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Market Profile, West
Benedict Family Has Served Wyoming’s Bridger Valley For 80-plus Years
In the exhibit hall at an NGA Show in Las Vegas a few years ago, Jim Benedict saw a Southern Pride smoker and decided on the spot to buy one for his family’s store in Mountain View, Wyoming. Others were intrigued by it; he was not only intrigued by it but moved decisively to make […]
Posted inFood Industry Hall of Fame, Executive News, West
Superior Grocers CEO Wardwell Hailed For Exceptional Leadership, Dedication
There are words that come up frequently when people talk about Richard Wardwell, president and CEO of Superior Grocers. Driven. Intense. Hands-on. Aware. Friendly. Funny. Tireless. Good-hearted. Humble. Competitive. He doesn’t sleep much and works six 15ish-hour days a week, which would make most people unable to be any of those things. When he’s not […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Market Profile, Northeast
Murphy’s Fresh Markets Serving Its Communities Inside, Outside Stores
Murphy’s Fresh Markets operates three stores in southern New Jersey. The stores are nestled in their respective neighborhoods, with strong relationships with customers and a reputation for charitable giving. But the grocer knows that to continue to be successful, the stores have to provide the goods, literally, as well. “My family’s grown roots here and […]
Posted inMarketing News, Amazon Fresh, Feature, Southeast, Whole Foods
Diversification Helps Acosta Group Connect Shoppers With Brands
The core purpose of Acosta Group is to “help connect shoppers with brands that they love, anywhere that they want to buy them, in this omnichannel environment,” said Darian Pickett, chief global client officer for the company, during an interview at the NACS Show in October with The Shelby Report’s Jan Meade. Understanding today’s shoppers […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Amazon Fresh, Association News, Northeast, Whole Foods
NJFC CEO: New Jersey’s Grocery Landscape Experiencing Selective Growth
Linda Doherty, president and CEO of the New Jersey Food Council, took time out of her busy schedule in October to provide an update to The Griffin Report on the state’s grocery industry. Below are her responses. How is the economy in your state? What kind of population and unemployment trends are you seeing? Our […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Independent Store News, Southwest
Oklahoma’s Super C Mart Committed To Communities, Growth
Super C Mart is a progressive independent grocer. Though its eight stores operate in predominantly rural areas of southern Oklahoma, it has an app with digital coupons, sells sushi in one of its stores and its top two leaders are women. Nikki Carver succeeded her father as president and CEO in 2020, and COO Angela […]