High-Fructose Corn Syrup (HFCS) is a man-made sweetener used in thousands of grocery store products and it has a serious image problem. Consumers are avoiding it. Food companies are taking it out of the products they make. Some supermarkets have banned it. Demand for this highly processed ingredient is falling fast. The Corn Refiners Association—comprised […]
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.
Posted in, West
Second California Sunflower store to open Oct. 12
Sunflower Farmers Market, the full-service natural and organic grocer famous for offering “serious food at silly prices,” is opening its second store in the California market. On Oct. 12, Sunflower will open its new store in Modesto, located at 1700 McHenry Ave. in the McHenry Village Shopping Center. Grand opening festivities will include special savings […]
Posted in, National, New Products
Matador Beef Jerky Launches New Bold Flavor in a New Package Design
Matador® Beef Jerky recently launched a new look, feel and taste for the brand. The company’s Quantitative Packaging Study conducted in March shows that the new Matador package design was preferred 3-to-1 over the previous package, and scored 89 percent purchase intent with millennial target consumers. In addition, new Peppered Beef Jerky flavor joins the […]
Posted in, West
California Conference for Equality and Justice honored three standouts
The California Conference for Equality and Justice (CCEJ) honored three standouts in the state’s grocery industry at its dinner on Sept. 2. The 2011 winners of the group’s Humanitarian Awards were Jim Lee of Stater Bros., Dave Van Winkle of The Performance Group and Joel Oakford of Anheuser-Busch. What is CCEJ? The California […]
Posted in, National
Tyson voluntarily recalling packages of ground beef
Tyson Fresh Meats Inc. is voluntarily recalling retail packages of ground beef sold in Georgia and other states. The affected ground beef, which might contain E. coli, was shipped by Tyson (NYSE: TSN) to distribution centers in Ohio, Indiana, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Maryland, Missouri, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas and Wisconsin. […]
Posted in, Southwest
Winn-Dixie Expands fuelperks! Throughout Central Florida
Winn-Dixie Stores Inc., is expanding the fuelperks! Rewards® Program throughout Central Florida. This expansion will include 62 Winn-Dixie stores in Orlando and Daytona, Fla., areas, and guests using the new Winn-Dixie Customer Reward Card (CRC) can begin earning significant fuel discounts at more 150 participating Shell stations. Winn-Dixie guests have already saved more than $26 […]
Posted in, National
Family Dollar Names Bloom New COO
Discount retailer Family Dollar Stores Inc. has named Michael K. Bloom as its new president and COO, filling the posts vacated by the retirement of longtime executive R. James Kelly. “Today’s announcement reflects the result of several years of thoughtful discussion and planning as we prepared for Jim’s retirement,” said Chief Executive Howard Levine. Bloom […]
Posted in, Midwest
Sunflower Farmers Market Set to Open Third Store in Denver
Boulder, Colo.-based Sunflower Farmers Market has announced it will open its thirteenth store in Colorado in late 2012, making it a baker’s dozen for the store’s home state. The new 26,000-s.f. Denver location will be on East Colfax Avenue between Garfield and Monroe Streets. The full-service grocer is expected to bring 100 jobs to the […]
Posted in, Northeast
Sheetz West Virginia Expansion Continues With Store in Beaver
Sheetz opened a new store in Beaver, W.Va., Sept. 22. This is the second Sheetz location in this area to open this year. The first in Beckley on Robert C. Byrd Drive opened in February. As part of the grand opening, the company made a donation to Special Olympics West Virginia. Sheetz has been a […]
Posted in, West
Bay Area Safeways Carrying ‘Killer Bread’
Portland, Ore.-based Dave’s Killer Bread, known for its healthy seeded breads and cinnamon rolls, is expanding throughout Northern California. According to a statement released by the private company on Sept. 19, all the Safeway stories in the San Francisco and San Jose areas were expected to start carrying the breads, as of Sept. 15. The […]
Posted in, Southwest
Sunflower Farmers Market Announces Second Oklahoma Location
Sunflower Farmers Market, the full-service natural and organic grocer famous for “serious food at silly prices,” has announced it will open its second Oklahoma store in Edmond in 2012. The new market will be a free-standing store located at 24 E. 2nd St., on the southeast corner of E. 2nd and S. Broadway, and will […]
Posted in, National, Suppliers
Ruhland Named Head of Beef Board
Polly Ruhland was named CEO of the Cattlemen’s Beef Board, the Centennial-based organization announced Sept. 20. Ruhland has filled the position on an interim basis since the resignation in late June of Tom Ramey. She joined the Cattlemen’s Beef Board in early 2010 as director of evaluation. Ruhland’s spent more than 20 years in the […]
Posted in, Southeast
BI-LO Adds to Corporate Office
BI-LO today announced two key new hires, Joan Miszak and Bruce Steadman. Both Miszak and Steadman will be holding management positions within the company’s corporate office, headquartered in Mauldin, S.C. Miszak joins BI-LO as the SVP of human resources and organizational effectiveness. In this role, she will be responsible for leading all human resources and […]
Posted in, Southeast
Kidfresh Meals Now Available at Publix Supermarkets
Kidfresh®—all-natural frozen kids meals—has announced the debut of its line of meals into Publix supermarkets. Unlike other kids’ meals, which often contain artificial ingredients, Kidfresh’s line of frozen entrees were created by parents for parents, with the help of pediatric nutritionists and top chefs. The meals, packaged in recyclable and BPA-free trays, are moderate in […]
Posted in, National, West
Sprouts, Whole Foods Win Green Grocer Award
The Environmental Protection Agency has named Sprouts Farmers Market and Whole Foods as the nation’s two top winners in the government’s GreenChill Partnership. Phoenix-based Sprouts and Austin-based Whole Foods are being recognized by the government for reducing harmful refrigerant emissions. Whole Foods has seven stores in Arizona. Sprouts earned GreenChill’s top award, Best Emissions Rate, […]
Posted in, Midwest
MGA Coverage: Missouri Beef Council Invites Grocers to Share Ideas
The Missouri Beef Industry Council in Columbia is charged with protecting and enhancing beef demand. Whitney Wallace, director of consumer outreach for the Missouri Beef Industry Council (MBIC), told The Shelby Report that an important way to do that is to work with grocery retailers. And it isn’t a cookie-cutter approach, either. “The cool thing […]
Posted in, Midwest
MGA Coverage: Dierbergs’ Ryan Receives N.G.A. Spirit of America Award
On Aug. 27 the National Grocers Association (N.G.A.) Spirit of America Award was presented to Linda Ryan of Dierbergs at the Missouri Grocers Association Annual Convention in Branson. The award, presented by N.G.A.’s director of government affairs, Greg Ferrara, was given in honor of Ryan’s involvement in community and civic affairs, and in praise of […]
Posted in, Midwest
MGA Coverage: Independents Know Their Customers
Ask Dan Shaul, state director of the Missouri Grocers Association (MGA), about the advantages independent retailers have in his state, and he will tell you a story. “We did a store opening several years ago, and the owner knew almost everybody in that store that was coming in,” Shaul told The Shelby Report. “He relocated […]
Posted in, New Products, West
Ocean Mist Farms Debuts Microwaveable Bag
Ocean Mist Farms is featuring a new item at this year’s PMA Fresh Summit in Atlanta, the first of its kind Season & Steam microwavable artichoke bag. The Season & Steam bag features two, fresh Globe artichokes that are cleaned, trimmed and ready to cook. The innovative packaging gives users the option to open the […]
Posted in, West
Kroger to Expand Store Brands
The Kroger Co., parent of Smith’s Food and Drug Stores, King Soopers and City Market, are buying its corporate brands at a faster rate than national brands, and the grocery giant is working to expand its offerings, reports the New Mexico and Denver business journals. Corporate-brand sales by Cincinnati-based Kroger represented 27 percent of grocery […]