Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) has announced several promotions. Bob Pickerill has been appointed to the role of SVP and division manager for the Kansas City Division. Pickerill began his career with AWG in the Springfield Division as the director of bakery and was soon given responsibility for both bakery and deli. He has had many […]
Author Archives: Shelby Report Staff

The Shelby Report newsroom covers the grocery industry for retailers, wholesalers and suppliers. Staff reports include store openings, executive appointments, company announcements and industry event coverage. Since 1967, The Shelby Report has covered supermarkets, grocery chains and independent grocers through five regional editions.
MRA To Fight For Extension Of Massachusetts Sick Leave Law
The Massachusetts Restaurant Association (MRA) is urging its members to contact legislators and encourage a delay in the implementation—until Jan. 1, 2016—of the mandated sick leave law. In November 2014, voters approved a ballot question that mandates paid sick leave for all employees of employers with 11 or more employees. The law takes effect July […]
Bill Filed To Raise Federal Minimum Wage To $12 Per Hour
About a quarter of American workers would get a raise under a recently introduced bill on Capitol Hill. Co-sponsored by Reps. Bobby Scott (D-Virginia) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-Washington), the bill would gradually increase the federal minimum wage from $7.25 to $12 an hour over five years, and then index it to median wage growth. […]
Connecticut Foodshare Walk Against Hunger Raises More Than $500K, And More…
Supermarket News In Brief The Connecticut Foodshare Walk Against Hunger on May 3 raised $530,478, based on totals reported May 5. More than 4,000 participants attended, including more than 175 walking teams… The third annual Guida’s Dairy Golf Invitational will be held at the Lyman Orchards Golf Club in Middlefield, Connecticut, on Friday, beginning at […]
Starbucks Opens First Express Unit In New York City, And More…
Food Service News In Brief Starbucks has opened its first-ever New York City express format store at 14 Wall Street. A compact 538-s.f. location was built to ensure customers have a fast, convenient experience. Upon entry, customers are greeted by a Starbucks employee who is able to take orders with a hand-held device. Mobile point […]
Giant Eagle To Cut Water Consumption By 5 Percent By 2017, And More…
New Channels News In Brief Multi-format food, fuel and pharmacy retailer Giant Eagle plans to reduce water consumption by 5 percent by July 2017, resulting in an anticipated conservation of millions of gallons of water. All corporately operated Giant Eagle supermarkets will be retrofitted with water conservation equipment by June 30… Biena Foods of Boston […]
The Fresh Market Opening New Stores In Texas, North Carolina Over The Next Week
The Fresh Market will open a store in Turtle Creek, Texas, on May 6 and another store in Fayetteville, North Carolina, on May 13. The 26,000-s.f. Turtle Creek store at 3878 Oak Lawn Avenue in the Turtle Creek Village shopping center will mark the company’s seventh Texas store and its third in the greater Dallas […]
Meijer Debuts New Supercenters In Manistee And Alpena, Michigan
Meijer last week opened two new supercenters in Michigan—one at 15 Caberfae Highway in Manistee in western Michigan and another at 1251 M-32 West in Alpena on the northern end of the state. Both stores are 190,000 s.f. The grocery options that Meijer offers include more than 600 varieties of farm-fresh produce and a meat […]
Hy-Vee’s Edeker Elected Board Chair For National Association Of Chain Drug Stores
Hy-Vee Inc. Board Chairman, CEO and President Randy Edeker was elected chairman of the board for the National Association of Chain Drug Stores (NACDS) at the trade organization’s annual meeting in Florida last week. As chairman of the board, Edeker will work with the NACDS board of directors, the organization’s officers and executive committee members […]
Publix’s 1Q Sales Increase, Comp-Store Sales Up 5.3 Percent
Publix’s sales for the first quarter of 2015 were $8.3 billion, a 6.8 percent increase from last year’s $7.8 billion. Comparable-store sales for the first quarter of 2015 increased 5.3 percent. Net earnings for the first quarter of 2015 were $548.9 million, compared to $493.7 million in 2014, an increase of 11.2 percent. Earnings per […]
Houston Food Bank Named Feeding America’s 2015 Member Of The Year
Each year Feeding America honors network members and leaders for their distinguished contributions toward Feeding America’s mission to end hunger in America. This year’s Hunger’s Hope Awards were presented during Feeding America’s recent Network Leadership Conference in Scottsdale, Arizona. The Houston Food Bank was named the 2015 Member of the Year. The award is given […]
More Than Half Of Global Consumers Are Willing To Buy Groceries Online
One-quarter of global respondents say they are already ordering grocery products online for home delivery and more than half (55 percent) are willing to use it in the future, according to a new Nielsen Global E-commerce and the New Retail Survey. The survey polled 30,000 online respondents in 60 countries to understand how digital technology […]
2015 General Merchandise Marketing Conference Begins May 28
The Global Market Development Center’s (GMDC) 2015 General Merchandise Marketing Conference will be held May 28-June 1 at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Florida. The event focuses on developing, expanding and growing general merchandise sales at retail. The conference will offer members of the retail, wholesale, supplier, service and solution communities an opportunity to […]
Kroger Cutting Prices Throughout The Triangle And North Carolina
The Kroger Co., the nation’s largest traditional grocery retailer with 14 stores throughout the Triangle and North Carolina, says it plans to increase its commitment to customers by lowering prices on thousands of items in stores across its Mid-Atlantic Division, which covers Virginia, West Virginia, North Carolina and parts of Tennessee, Kentucky and Ohio. The […]
2014 WGA Mary Macey Scholarship Winner Talks Prepared Foods, Prepared Leaders
Sometimes, the simplest messages are the most powerful. When 2014 Mary Macey Scholarship recipient Kaeley Latow was asked what initially attracted her to the retail grocery industry, she responded, “I love food and I love working with people.” This time last year, the Women Grocers of America (WGA) awarded college scholarships to Latow and three […]
UNFI G&E Channel To Celebrate Tastes From Around The World At Upcoming ‘Customer Experience’
United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) Gourmet & Ethnic (G&E) Channel’s new “Customer Experience” at this year’s Foxwoods Tabletop Show, to be held May 13-14 at Fox Tower at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut, will feature tastes from around the world. Rufus Teague will serve its award-winning barbecue sauces, Maille will create a unique mustard […]
NJFC Trade Event To Cover ‘Food Retail Outlet Of The Future’
A panel discussion on the future food retail outlet will highlight the New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) Trade Relations Conference, to be held June 2 at the Tropicana Casino & Hotel in Atlantic City, New Jersey. Neill Crowley, adjunct professor at St. Joseph’s University, will lead the discussion. Panel members include Jim McCaffrey, president, McCaffrey’s […]
NACS Joins NGA And FMI In Backing Common Sense Nutrition Labeling Bill
The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) has joined with the National Grocers Association and the Food Marketing Institute in backing the Common Sense Nutrition Disclosure Act of 2015, HR 2017, a bipartisan bill reintroduced into Congress on Tuesday with the goal of addressing what the groups say is the FDA’s misinterpretation of a chain […]
Martignetti Cos. Eyes New HQ In Taunton, Massachusetts
Martignetti Cos., a major wine and liquor distributor in the Bay State, plans to build a new regional headquarters in Taunton, combining the offices of current facilities in Braintree and Norwood, Massachusetts. Currently based in Norwood, the company operates in Massachusetts as United Liquors, Carolina Wine & Spirits, Classic Wine and Commonwealth Wine & Spirits. […]
7-Eleven Franchisee Sentenced For Exploiting Illegal Workers, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief 7-Eleven franchisee Farrukh Baig has been sentenced in federal court to 87 months in prison following his guilty plea to committing wire fraud and concealing and harboring illegal aliens employed at 7-Eleven franchise stores throughout Long Island, New York, and Virginia… Japan Tobacco Inc. will acquire Logic Technology Development, a […]
