Retail sales showed moderate monthly growth and strong year-over-year gains in January, marking the fourth consecutive month of increases, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released by the National Retail Federation. Total retail sales, excluding automobile dealers and gasoline stations, were up 0.2 percent seasonally adjusted month over month and up 5.72 percent unadjusted year […]
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 inSupply Chain News, Finance News, Lipari Foods, Midwest, News
Lipari Foods Selects RELEX Solutions For Supply Chain Planning
Lipari Foods has selected RELEX Solutions to transform its supply chain planning and improve replenishment operations across its distribution center. The Midwest distributor will use RELEX’s artificial intelligencer-driven platform and Advanced Diagnostics to manage more than 23,000 SKUs across grocery, deli, bakery, natural and specialty categories. Lipari Foods supplies thousands of retailers with fresh, natural, […]
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor News, Associated Food Stores, News, West
AFS Receives Instacart’s Wholesaler Partnership Award
Associated Food Stores received the Wholesaler Partnership Excellence Award at Instacart’s 2026 Independent Grocer Award Winners ceremony held during the recent NGA Show. The Salt Lake City-based wholesaler was recognized for its collaboration with Instacart throughout the onboarding process and hands-on approach to supporting the transition to Storefront Pro and Storefront platforms. Onboarding a retailer […]
Posted inCenter Store, Finance News, National, News
Kraft Heinz Pauses Company Split, Commits $600M To Turnaround Plan
The Kraft Heinz Company announced Feb. 11 it is pausing work on its planned separation into two independent companies, instead committing $600 million to accelerate growth efforts as the food manufacturer reported a 15 percent decline in full-year 2025 adjusted earnings. CEO Steve Cahillane, who joined the Pittsburgh and Chicago-based company Jan. 1, said its […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, News, Northeast
Lidl To Open Kips Bay Store As Manhattan Expansion Continues
Lidl US will open a new store Feb. 25 at 460 Third Ave. in the Kips Bay neighborhood of Manhattan, marking the German discount grocer’s continued push into New York City. The Arlington, Virginia-based retailer will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:40 a.m. Free croissants and coffee will be available at the grand opening. The […]
Posted inAssociation News, National, News
Publix Associate Prevails In Best Bagger Championship
The National Grocers Association (NGA) awarded a $10,000 cash prize to Rocco Cammarota of Publix Super Markets in Georgia after he finished first in the Best Bagger Championship on Feb. 2. Sponsored by PepsiCo, the competition took place during the second day of The NGA Show at Caesar’s Forum in Las Vegas. The annual gathering brings […]
Posted inBakery News, National, News
Rise Baking Co. Identifies 5 Trends Shaping 2026 Bakery Category
Rise Baking Co. released its outlook for the bakery sector in 2026, highlighting five consumer behaviors and market dynamics expected to influence in-store bakery and foodservice operations throughout the year. The Minneapolis-based manufacturer – which supplies cakes, cookies, muffins and pies to grocery chains, convenience stores and foodservice operators – identified indulgence, portion variety, flavor […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Finance News, National, News
Swiftly Converts Static Circulars Into Interactive Digital Format
Swiftly has launched SmartCircular, an artificial intelligence-powered tool that transforms grocery retailers’ PDF circulars into interactive digital experiences with engagement tracking. The Seattle-based retail technology company’s new product uses proprietary AI to convert static weekly ads into clickable formats that allow shoppers to browse deals, zoom in on products and add items to shopping lists. […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, News, West
Save Mart CARES Foundation Awards $825K In 2025
The Save Mart Companies CARES Foundation distributed more than $825,000 in grants to nonprofits across California and western Nevada in 2025, marking two decades of community investment totaling $6.3 million. The foundation’s 20th anniversary underscores a sustained commitment to organizations addressing food access, education, arts and essential community services in the grocer’s operating territories. “At […]
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor News, Finance News, News, Southeast, UNFI
UNFI Spotlights 5 Key Grocery Trends For 2026 Spring Season
United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) brought more than 3,400 retailers and suppliers together at its Spring and Summer Selling Show in Orlando, Florida, to examine five major trends reshaping grocery retail, from private label dominance to the growing emphasis on gut health. The distributor’s Feb. 10-12 event highlighted shifts in shopper behavior that grocers should […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, National, News
Bill To Make SNAP Online Purchasing Permanent Introduced In U.S. House
Rep. Mark Messmer (R-IN) and Rep. Adam Gray (D-CA) introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives Feb. 10 to permanently authorize Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to buy groceries online, converting a pilot program launched in 2019 into a permanent feature of the federal nutrition assistance program. The SNAP Online Access Act would […]
Posted inNational, Finance News, News, Store News
LocalDutch Brings Urban Farm Shop Model To U.S.
LocalDutch, a Netherlands-based agri-tech and food retail company, has announced plans to roll out its Urban Farm Shop concept in the United States and other markets. The model integrates on-site controlled-environment food production with direct-to-consumer retail and local delivery in a single location. The company, headquartered in The Hague, calls the concept the “LocalDutch Shop” […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Association News, IGA, National, News
IGA Centennial USA Retailers Of The Year Recognized
The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) has announced its 2026 Centennial USA Retailers of the Year, recognizing a group of independent grocers whose leadership, innovation and commitment to their communities exemplify the values that have defined IGA for the past 100 years. The retailers were announced during the welcome reception at The NGA Show 2026, marking […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Health & Wellness, Meijer, Midwest, News
Meijer Offers GLP-1 Medications Through Savings Program
Meijer is making Wegovy and Ozempic (semaglutide) more affordable through NovoCare savings programs, offering the two lowest-dose injection pens for $199 per month for the first two months at its pharmacies. The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based retailer announced Feb. 10 that patients who haven’t used a coupon for these products previously can access the introductory pricing […]
Posted inOrganic Natural, Association News, National, News
Organic & Natural Health Association Honors SENPA’s Short With Champion Award
The Organic & Natural Health Association presented Debra Short, executive director of the Southeast Natural Products Association, with its Champion Award Jan. 22 at the conclusion of its 11th annual conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Short was honored her commitment to advocacy, education and support of independent natural products retailers. She opened the conference, “The […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Food Lion, News, Southeast
14th Food Lion Store Coming To Greensboro, NC
The store Food Lion will open Feb. 11 at 3501 N. Elm St. in Greensboro, North Carolina, is its 14th in the city and continues the company’s growth across its 10-state footprint. “We’re thrilled to open Food Lion’s newest store here in Greensboro and welcome our neighbors into their new store to experience fresh and affordable […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, National, News, Save A Lot
Save A Lot Posts Largest Gain On Customer Satisfaction Study
Save A Lot achieved the largest customer satisfaction increase among supermarkets in the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Retail and Consumer Shipping Study, climbing 4 percent to a score of 78 between 2025 and 2026. The St. Louis-based discount grocer was one of just three grocers to see an improvement in the 2026 ACSI […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, News, West
Upside Expands Footprint With Save Mart Partnership
Upside has launched across nearly 200 Save Mart Companies stores in California and Nevada, expanding the digital marketplace’s West Coast grocery footprint to stores under the Save Mart, Lucky and FoodMaxx banners. Upside’s platform connects more than 35 million consumers with personalized cash back offers at over 100,000 grocery, restaurant and fuel locations nationwide, delivering […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, News, Northeast
McCaffrey’s To Open New PA Store In 2027
McCaffrey’s Food Markets is opening a 51,000-square-foot market in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, nearly four times the size of the location it is replacing in the borough. Set to open in early 2027, the new store will be located at 73 Old Dublin Pike. The Simply Fresh by McCaffrey’s store on State Street will remain open until […]
Posted inProduce News, Finance News, Independent Store News, News, Northeast
EmpowerFresh Enhances Produce Operations At Karns Quality Foods
EmpowerFresh has partnered with Karns Quality Foods, a 10-store family-owned grocer in central Pennsylvania, to enhance produce operations through artificial intelligence-powered ordering and inventory management. Founded in 1959, Karns Quality Foods has been recognized for its meat and produce departments. The partnership will leverage EmpowerFresh’s AI-driven forecasting and data analytics to help the grocer reduce […]