The store New Seasons Market is preparing to open April 9 in the Tanasbourne Town Center in Hillsboro, Oregon, will be its second in the city and 22nd overall. Located at 10940 N.E. Evergreen Pkwy., the new store will serve as one of the primary full-service grocers in an area that features many local businesses. […]
Author Archives: Sommer Stockton
Digital Content Editor
Sommer joined The Shelby Report in January 2022 after graduating from Brenau University in Gainesville, GA, with a B.A. and M.A. in Communications and Media Studies. As Digital Content Editor, she leverages her expertise in digital strategy and content creation to enhance The Shelby Report’s online presence and engage readers.
Committed to the grocery industry, Sommer also serves on an advisory committee with the National Grocers Association (NGA), advocating for independent grocers. She enjoys exploring emerging trends and delivering actionable insights to the Shelby community.
NGA Introduces Fair Markets, Fresh Choices Advocacy Campaign
During The NGA Show in Las Vegas, the National Grocers Association (NGA) introduced Fair Markets, Fresh Choices, an advocacy campaign that spotlights and demands a level playing field in the food retail industry for independent grocers. Independent community supermarkets – many of them family or employee owned – are the backbone of neighborhoods across America, […]
Topco Honors Members With Awards, Recognizes Anniversaries
Topco Associates LLC recently held its Annual Membership Conference, where the cooperative honored several members that achieved significant sales and volume growth across its programs during 2024, while also introducing a new award. “The membership experienced a record year in growth, not only through the performance of Topco and member own brands but in key […]
Dollar General Adds SNAP/EBT Payments To DoorDash Platform
DoorDash and Dollar General have created a new offering to bring SNAP/EBT payment capabilities to more than 16,000 of the retailer’s stores on the DoorDash Marketplace. With the addition of Dollar General, DoorDash’s network of stores that accept SNAP/EBT online payments nearly doubles to more than 35,000 stores. “Dollar General’s mission of ‘Serving Others’ includes […]
Procurant Expands Retail Connections For Perishable Suppliers
Procurant, a Watsonville, California-based software platform for retail grocers, has debuted a major expansion of its network of retail grocery connections, available to all suppliers on the platform. Additionally, perishable goods suppliers currently trading with these retailers can connect via Procurant’s EDI or API solutions, offering a more cost-effective and streamlined way to manage orders […]
DiPietro To Succeed Shoemaker As Kroger’s Dallas Division President
Kroger has announced that Rudy DiPietro will succeed Keith Shoemaker as president of its Dallas Division, effective March 29, following Shoemaker’s retirement after nearly 48 years with the company. Over the course of a 21-year career with Ahold Delhaize USA, DiPietro held a variety of leadership roles across many of the organization’s family of brands. […]
H-E-B To Open New Location In Denton, TX
As H-E-B continues its expansion across North Texas, the retailer has shared plans to open its first store in Denton. The store will be built on a 20-plus-acre site at Interstate 35 West and Robson Ranch Road that is part of Hillwood’s Landmark development. While the purchase of the property is not yet finalized, construction […]
Market 32/Price Chopper Expands Fresh Produce Access Through DUFBNY Program
Market 32/Price Chopper is extending a partnership with Field & Fork Network to add its nutrition incentive program, Double Up Food Bucks NY (DUFBNY), to select locations in New York’s Schenectady and Onondaga counties. Field & Fork Network is a nonprofit that works to alleviate food insecurity across the state. “Our collaboration with Field & […]
FMI Report: Seafood Sales Struggle Despite Perception As Healthy Option
FMI – The Food Industry Association released its Power of Seafood 2025 report during Seafood Expo North America, which runs March 16-18 at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. The seventh edition of the report explores shifting consumer attitudes, purchasing behaviors and untapped opportunities for the seafood department despite lackluster category performance. The reasons for the […]
PepsiCo To Acquire Prebiotic Soda Brand Poppi
PepsiCo has entered into an agreement to acquire poppi, a fast-growing prebiotic soda brand, for $1.95 billion, including $300 million of anticipated cash tax benefits, for a net purchase price of $1.65 billion. The transaction also includes an additional potential earn-out consideration subject to the achievement of certain performance milestones within a specified period after closing of […]
Utz Brands Adds New Sour Cream, Onion Flavor To Mixed Minis Pretzels
Inspired by the brand’s top-selling flavored potato chip, Utz has introduced a sour cream and onion flavor to its Mixed Minis Pretzel line. Available in 12-ounce pretzel packages, Utz’s Sour Cream and Onion Mixed Minis join two other flavors – Garlic Butter and Mike’s Hot Honey. “At Utz, we are always looking for ways to […]
The Hershey Co. Names Taffet As Chief Growth Officer
The Hershey Co. has named Stacy Taffet as its chief growth officer, effective April 14. In this role, she will be responsible for driving transformative growth strategies across the company’s expanding snacks portfolio. Taffet is a seasoned marketing executive with 20 years of leadership experience, including 15 years in consumer-packaged goods (CPG) and a PepsiCo […]
NJFC Prepares For Trade Relations Conference, Shares Speaker Lineup
For its annual Trade Relations Conference on April 8 at Caesars Atlantic City Hotel & Casino, The New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) is presenting a lineup of industry experts to speak on the theme “Emerging Technologies & Emerging Opportunities.” The conference will feature a chat with Joe Fantozzi, president of Allegiance Retail Services (ARS), that […]
Wakefern’s Stigers Named USC’s 2025 Food Industry Executive Of The Year
The USC Marshall School of Business Food Industry Management (FIM) program will honor Mike Stigers, president of Wakefern Food Corp., as its 2025 Food Industry Executive of the Year. Each year, the award is presented to an executive who has demonstrated extraordinary leadership and a strong commitment to education. Stigers also will serve as the […]
Food City, Sioux Honey Partner For Record Honey Donation
The Sioux Honey Association Co-op, in partnership with Food City, participated in a Coalition For Kids after-school program’s interactive lesson on honey and honeybee pollination. The event March 12 at the Johnson City, Tennessee, nonprofit was part of a broader effort to make a record donation of honey by the Sioux Honey Association Co-op, a group of […]
Whole Foods Market Opens New Location In Doylestown, PA
Whole Foods Market opened a 43,617-square-foot store March 13 at 1745 South Easton Road in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. The store’s product assortment includes more than 500 locally sourced items from the Mid-Atlantic region, each meeting Whole Foods Market’s quality standards. “My family and I have called Doylestown home for almost 20 years, and I am excited […]
Bristol Farms Fundraises For California Wildfire Relief, Local Charities
As part of its ongoing support of communities impacted by recent wildfires, Bristol Farms has begun fundraising campaigns for California Fire Foundation, World Central Kitchen and Pasadena Humane. The L.A. Strong effort is a “give at the registers” program in all 13 Bristol Farms locations. From March 1-14, shoppers could donate $1, $5 or $10 […]
Tops Exceeds Goal During Gift Of Warmth Clothing Drive
Tops Friendly Markets collaborated for the second year with M&T Bank and The Salvation Army for the Gift of Warmth campaign, a winter clothing drive. The 39th annual campaign collected 4,848 items – hats, gloves, mittens and scarves – in bins at 53 Tops locations and 84 M&T branches in the Buffalo-Rochester, New York, region. […]
Natural Grocers Debuts Private-Label Organic Mussels
Natural Grocers is expanding its frozen seafood offerings with a new private label product – Natural Grocers Brand Organic Mussels. Sustainably rope-grown in Chile’s waters, the whole-shell mussels are fully cooked, containing protein and other nutrients. They are the latest addition to the Natural Grocers Brand Frozen Seafood line, joining wild-caught cod and shrimp selections. […]
Blount Fine Foods Donates More Than 1M Food Servings In 2024
Blount Fine Foods donated more than 1 million servings of its products – including chowder, mac and cheese and soups – to communities throughout 2024. “Giving back to our community is a crucial part of the work we do at Blount,” said William Bigelow, chief operating officer. “Our employees not only take great pride in […]
