The Retailer Owned Food Distributors & Associates (ROFDA) organization will merge under the National Grocers Association (NGA) umbrella, effective Jan. 1, 2020. The announcement was made this morning at the NGA and ROFDA co-located fall conference in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. ROFDA’s current share groups and buying programs will continue to operate under this new […]
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.
Real Shoppers With Real Feedback On Deli
sponsored content Meet the Keeley family of Warrenville, Illinois. They are one of several families Tyson Foods-Deli recently invited to take the Prepared Foods Challenge4. It seemed easy enough, to make dinner every night for a week using prepared foods from local grocery stores. But what the Keeley family soon discovered was not the fun […]
Kroger Will Exit E-Cigarette Business, Citing Questions, Complexity
In a statement from a Kroger Co. spokesperson this afternoon, the Cincinnati, Ohio-based grocery chain said it is getting out of the e-cigarette business. “Kroger is discontinuing the sale of electronic nicotine delivery products, or e-cigarettes, at all store and fuel center locations due to the mounting questions and increasingly-complex regulatory environment associated with these […]
Ferranti To Succeed Gisel As CEO Of Rich Products Jan. 1
Rich Products’ decade-long succession plan will take effect Jan. 1, 2020, when CEO Bill Gisel becomes executive vice chair of Rich Holdings Inc. and Richard Ferranti, currently president and COO of Rich Products, becomes CEO. In that role, Ferranti will lead Buffalo, New York-based Rich’s $4 billion global food business. Rich Holdings is the holding […]
Latin Marketplace La Cosecha Opens In Washington, D.C.
On Thursday, Oct. 3, a new Latin marketplace called La Cosecha had a soft opening in Washington, D.C. The 20,000-s.f. cross-cultural marketplace features more than a dozen businesses, from first-to-region restaurants to retail to rotating pop-ups. It is located in the Union Market District. Opening partners in La Cosecha include: • El Cielo—a pop-up of […]
Recommended: Kroger To Lay Off Hundreds, Turnaround Questioned
Kroger is laying off hundreds of employees across the family of grocery stores it owns, a person familiar with the situation tells CNBC. The unionized grocer, which also owns Harris Teeter, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, has 443,000 full-time and part-time employees. A spokeswoman for Kroger told CNBC in a statement that “As part of ongoing talent […]
Wegmans To Make N.C. Debut, Open 100th Store, In Raleigh Sept. 29
Wegmans will open its first North Carolina store Sunday, Sept. 29, at 1200 Wake Towne Drive in Raleigh. With the Raleigh opening, New York-based Wegmans will operate 100 stores New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, Virginia, Maryland and Massachusetts. The North Carolina opening has been a long time coming for residents of Raleigh and surrounding areas. […]
Column: Consumer Demand For Fresh Products Expands Role Of HPP
by Brad Key, Universal Pure Consumers’ shopping and eating behavior is changing, with many spending more time shopping the perimeter of the store for fresh products. In line with this trend, the perimeter—which includes fresh meat, deli, produce, bakery, seafood and prepared foods—is reported to comprise up to 40 percent of a store’s footprint in […]
‘Spice King’ Lorren’s Gourmet Spices Headed To 1,500 Walmarts
by Lorrie Griffith/editor in chief Keith Lorren remembers climbing up to get into the spice cabinet when he was just 3 years old. He needed the spices to add to water to make “soup.” His grandmother inspired him to want to make soup. She had watched her father, Gene Johnson, who operated a soul food […]
Bay Food Brokerage President Honored As A Top Tampa BusinessWoman
Cammie Chatterton, president of Bay Food Brokerage Inc. in Tampa, Florida, received a Tampa BusinessWoman of the Year award at a gala Sept. 13 at the Tampa Marriott Water Street. Chatterton was chosen as one of 27 women in different fields to receive the award. The women were selected by the Tampa Bay Business Journal […]
Nounós Creamery Adds New Investors, Plans Capacity Expansion
Nounós Creamery, an emerging brand that produces the only FDA approved cheesecloth strained yogurt in the U.S., has secured new investment and is expanding capacity. The new funds will accelerate the company’s growth by allowing the brand to acquire key hires, amplify marketing support to bolster consumer awareness and increase R&D support for new product […]
Pro-Dip Debuts Energy Supplement Pouches Targeted To C-Stores
Pro-Dip offers what it describes as a “category-creating” energy health supplement. The company took a smokeless tobacco pouch usually used for snus, emptied it of tobacco and filled it with vitamin powder. The new pouch, which is patent pending, is designed to compete with energy drinks, coffee and the like. The company said the pouch […]
Recommended: Texas Allsup’s Stores Get New Ownership
Nine Allsup’s convenience stores in Texas have been sold to a company in Georgia, according to a report in the Iowa Park (Texas) Leader newspaper. Allsup’s officials at the company’s headquarters in Clovis have not returned multiple calls requesting information. But city officials said Tuesday no applications for new business licenses connected to the potential […]
Buc-ee’s Partners With Texas DOT To Fight Litter In State
Convenience store chain Buc-ee’s is teaming with the Texas Department of Transportation to battle litter in Texas. In August, drivers in Texas started seeing billboards featuring the department’s “Don’t mess with Texas” and Buc-ee’s, along major travel routes to remind drivers to keep trash inside their cars. Drivers also will see reminders of the campaign […]
Recommended: Grocery Workers In Oregon, SW Washington May Strike
By Kristi Turnquist | The Oregonian/OregonLive (Updated Monday, Aug. 26, with statement from Fred Meyer Stores, Inc.) Grocery store workers in Oregon and Southwest Washington have voted to authorize a strike if the workers’ union fails to reach a satisfying agreement with negotiators representing such stores as Fred Meyer, QFC, Safeway and Albertsons. Members of […]
Wegmans Sponsors NY State Fair 51st Annual Butter Sculpture
“Milk. Love What’s Real” is the theme of the 51st Annual Butter Sculpture at the New York State Fair. The sculpture portrays a grandfather and child dunking cookies in milk and a young couple sharing a milkshake. The American Dairy Association North East Butter Sculpture, sponsored by Wegmans, also depicts the important role that real cow’s milk plays in memorable […]
Oskar Blues Cult Favorite Death By Coconut Returning This Fall
Longmont, Colorado-based Oskar Blues Brewery is bring back a seasonal cult favorite, Death by Coconut Irish Porter, a malty brew that with the flavors of bittersweet cacao and creamy coconut. The limited release makes its 2019 arrival with kickoff events in taprooms Aug. 23. Death By Coconut will be nationally distributed in 4-packs of 12-oz. […]
On Site: Vons Unveils Remodeled Store In Corona, California
The Shelby Report’s Bob Reeves, VP-West, attended the Aug. 21 grand reopening of the Vons store at 369 Magnolia Avenue in Corona, California, following an extensive remodel. Every department in the store, which first opened about 20 years ago, was included in the refresh, according to Store Manager Robert Pfeffer, who spoke with Reeves on […]
Brookshire Brothers Breaks Ground On Texas A&M Campus Store
Brookshire Brothers broke ground this morning (Aug. 22) on a store adjacent to the campus of Texas A&M University in College Station. The store is an initiative between the Texas A&M System and the East Texas grocer. In making the announcement, Brookshire Brothers President and CEO John Alston said, “Our company is honored to have […]
Profile: Zapata Next On List For Border Town Markets, Then Remodeling
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Southwest Amando Pena Jr. got into the grocery business working for his father. He carries on the tradition now with his own family. If you ask what makes him most proud, he will tell you it is that he and his wife, Dalina, are able to work with their three children, Liana, Amando […]
