Rob McDougall, president and CEO of Gelson’s Markets, said his company’s annual “Fun Day” has two purposes. “First, it brings together more than 500 Gelson’s employees, vendors, distributors, brokers and industry friends to have fun,” he said. “We want to say thank you for your support of this tournament. It is because of the support […]
Category: Independent Store News
Fiesta Mart Reopening First Of Acquired Minyard Stores This Week
Houston-based Fiesta Mart will host a grand reopening of its store at 800 S. Wayside Drive on Wednesday. The store is the first full-store remodel for the grocery chain after the company acquired 11 Minyard Food Stores earlier this summer. This week’s ribbon-cutting event will kick off several store redesigns for Fiesta. In addition, the […]
Chris’ Food Center Bagger Is Minnesota’s Best
Seth Allen of Chris’ Food Center in Sandstone, Minnesota, is the state’s best grocery bagger. He bested the competition during the Minnesota Grocers Association’s (MGA) 28th annual statewide Best Bagger Contest, held earlier this month at the Mall of America. Allen won $500 cash, a trophy and a trip to Las Vegas next year to […]
Associated Wholesale Grocers To Join ROFDA
Retailer Owned Food Distributors & Associates (ROFDA) today said that Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) will become a member of the cooperative. The addition of AWG will increase the aggregated total of ROFDA to represent more than $24 billion in wholesale revenue with more than 9,000 independent retail grocers and more than $60 billion in retail […]
Gordy’s ‘Meat Guy’ Completes Ultra-Marathon To Aid Grocer’s Food Bank Auction
Gordy’s Market held its 12th annual Feed My People live charity auction earlier this month, with all proceeds from the event going to the Feed My People Food Bank of Wisconsin. Feed My People is the only food bank in West Central Wisconsin, providing food to more than 125 hunger-relief organizations in 14 different counties. […]
Clark’s Market In Aspen Gets Floor-To-Ceiling Makeover
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Southwest They are discreet in Aspen. Sure, celebrities pass through Clark’s Market, and the staff recognizes some of them. Usually they send their chefs, but they do come in from time to time. That’s according to Tom Clark Jr., who is president of the eight-store chain serving western Colorado and eastern Utah. He […]
Cox, Ritchie Recognized By Laurel Grocery With Retailer Of The Year Honors
Laurel Grocery Co. this week hosted its August Trade Show—“Building Brands Together”—at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center. The London-based wholesaler recognized several retailers with awards, including Martin Cox of Cox Foods, which operates 10 stores in Kentucky, and Jamie Ritchie of Ritchie’s Marketplace in Piketon, Ohio, with Retailer of the Year honors. Cox Foods also was […]
Stater Bros. Debuts First Simi Valley Store
For decades, Stater Bros. Markets has been trying to make its way to Simi Valley, California. On Wednesday, the grocery chain did as it opened its first Ventura County store at 660 East Los Angeles Avenue. The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time, either, since Stater Bros. officially […]
Day’s Market In Heber City, Utah, To Become Lee’s Marketplace
Lee’s Marketplace is expanding to Heber City, Utah. The locally owned grocer plans to purchase Day’s Market in Heber City and transition the store to a Lee’s Marketplace. The sale is expected to be finalized on Sept. 26. “We are excited to bring Lee’s to the Heber community and are looking forward to getting to […]
Reasor’s Stuff The Bus Campaign Raises $41K-Plus
Tahlequah, Oklahoma-based Reasor’s is reporting a record-breaking year for its Stuff the Bus campaign. More than $41,000 was donated to the initiative, surpassing last year’s total by $15,000. The grocer’s Stuff the Bus campaign gives the community an opportunity to donate school supplies for local students in need. Reasor’s teamed up with Tulsa’s Fox23 and […]
Food Industry Hall Of Fame 2016 Inductee: Super A Foods’ Lou Amen
Super A Foods founder Lou Amen is being inducted into the Food Industry Hall of Fame as his company celebrates 45 years as a strong Southern California independent. Amen began his career in the industry as a teenager and today, at 87 years old, the chairman of Super A Foods is still at it, working from […]
Leppink’s Food Centers Recognized As Michigan’s 2016 Outstanding Retailer
Leppink’s Food Centers of West Michigan and the Grand Rapids-headquartered Star Truck Rentals are the 2016 Al Kessel Outstanding Achievement Award winners, the Michigan Grocers Association (MGA) said this week. “The awards honor former MGA Director Al Kessel, who passed away in 2012,” said MGA President and CEO Linda M. Gobler. “Al was the founder […]
Rouses’ Leader Preps For First Baton Rouge Store Opening As Rebuilding Of Flooded Unit Begins
Donny Rouse stays busy, but his schedule has been especially challenging over the last several days. The managing partner of Rouses Markets, the nearly 50-store chain based in Thibodaux, Louisiana, is getting renovations under way at the grocer’s Denham Springs unit, which was destroyed by the historic and deadly floods that inundated the southern portion of […]
NFRA Reveals Golden Penguin Winners
The National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) has revealed the winners of the newly revamped Golden Penguin Awards for its 2016 March Frozen Food Month promotion. The March promotion helped the industry drive traffic in the frozen food aisles and increase sales for many categories and brands. NFRA has awarded 20 gold awards and […]
CV’s Family Foods Taps Rosie To Launch E-Commerce Program
CV’s Family Foods, a 31-store grocery chain serving Arkansas, Oklahoma and Kansas under the CV’s Savers Club, Marvins Savers Club and Pawhuska Savers Club banners, will launch its first-ever online shopping platform using the Rosie e-commerce suite. The retailer will roll out the platform at its Fort Smith, Arkansas, store on Route 253. “In today’s fast-paced […]
Former House Speaker Boehner To Keynote 2017 NGA Show
Former Speaker of the United States House of Representatives John Boehner will deliver the opening keynote address, sponsored by The Kraft Heinz Co., during the National Grocers Association’s (NGA) 2017 NGA Show, Feb. 12-15 at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. A former small businessman, Boehner served for nearly five years as […]
Feeding America Receives $100,000 Donation At Supervalu’s National Expo
Representatives for Feeding America were on hand Aug. 10 at Supervalu’s 2016 National Expo to accept a $100,000 donation in support of the organization’s mission to end hunger. The donation was made possible through the collective efforts of Supervalu and the independent grocery retailers and consumer packaged goods companies attending and exhibiting at this year’s […]
Louisiana Leaders: Industry Can Help Those In Path Of Historic Floods
As is the norm when it comes to natural disasters, grocers and others in the industry are wondering what they can do to help those impacted by the historic flooding in Louisiana. “Over the last 10 days, heavy rains have been falling in South Louisiana but, over the last three to four days, extraordinary amounts […]
Grocery Outlet Execs Share ‘Secret Sauce’ Ingredients
Grocery Outlet opened a new location in Costa Mesa in December, adding to its 250-plus store count and venturing for the first time into Southern California. Executives from the company offered a peek behind the curtain into the operations of the chain during a recent Food Industries Sales Managers’ Club (FISMC) event honoring Grocery Outlet. The […]
Bulk Nation President: How We Capture Millennial Shoppers
by Clay Donato/Bulk Nation Special to The Shelby Report The only thing constant in the grocery industry is change; opportunities and challenges will always be fast-moving targets. Capturing and keeping the Millennial market is important now and will continue to be into the future. So our industry should respond. In fact, an operator who is […]
