Independents | The Shelby Report
Posted inIndependent Store News, Fareway, Midwest, News

Fareway Breaks Ground On Freezer Expansion At Boone Distribution Center

Fareway Stores has broken ground on a 105,000-square-foot freezer building expansion at its Boone, Iowa distribution campus, a project the company says will nearly double pallet capacity and lay the groundwork for future automation investment. Gleeson Constructors and Engineers is set to complete construction by summer 2027. The Boone campus has served as the operational […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Featured News, Midwest, News, SpartanNash

Family Fare Completes Full-Store Remodel In Paw Paw, MI

The Family Fare supermarket in Paw Paw, Michigan has completed a full-store remodel, expanding its fresh food offerings and refreshing key departments at one of the community’s longest-standing grocery locations. The renovation focused on high-priority areas for shoppers, including expanded produce, an upgraded hot bar, enhanced beer, wine and liquor selections and a nostalgic candy […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Finance News, Harps Food Stores, National, News

Harps To Deploy SmartMeals AI Shopping Assistant

Harps Food Stores will deploy SmartMeals, AWG’s artificial intelligence-powered shopping assistant built by Breez AI, across its network of more than 150 stores. The announcement came during the AWG Innovation Showcase, where independent grocers gathered to explore technologies shaping the future of grocery retail. The rollout makes Harps one of the largest operators in the […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Meijer, Midwest, News

Volunteer Registration Open For Meijer LPGA Classic For Simply Give

Volunteer registration is open for the 12th Annual Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, set for June 18-21 at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Michigan. The tournament is seeking more than 1,400 volunteers to support the event, which combines LPGA Tour competition with hunger-relief fundraising through Meijer’s Simply Give program. The fee to volunteer is […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, News, Northeast

Price Rite Marketplace Raises $27.5K For Regional Food Banks

Price Rite Marketplace raised nearly $27,500 for local food banks through its annual Check-Out Hunger campaign, which ran November-January across all 53 stores. The campaign has now raised more than $2 million for hunger relief since its launch in 2002. The top fundraising store was Price Rite Marketplace of Fall River, Massachusetts, which collected $4,600 […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Feature, Featured News, National

National Rural Grocery Summit Focusing On Innovation

The National Rural Grocery Summit will be held May 5-7 in Fargo, North Dakota. The event was created by the Rural Grocery Initiative out of Kansas State University, with the first summit held in 2008 in Kansas. Since then, the summit has grown to attract rural grocers, community leaders, food suppliers, academic researchers, healthy food […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, H-E-B, News, Southwest

H-E-B Seeks Entries For Annual Quest For Texas Best Competition

H-E-B has opened entries for its 13th annual Quest for Texas Best competition, giving Lone Star State-based product makers until April 22 to submit products for a chance at shelf placement and a share of $100,000 in cash prizes. The grand-prize winner receives $50,000, the “Texas Best” title and a spot in H-E-B stores statewide. […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Midwest, News, Schnucks

Schnucks Raises $100K Through Urban League Campaign

Schnucks Markets and its customers raised $100,000 for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis through the sixth annual Round Up at the Register campaign Feb. 4-17. Customers contributed $83,624 at checkout, with Schnucks adding $16,376. All St. Louis-area donations are directed to the Urban League’s Save Our Sons and Save Our Sisters programs. Round-ups […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Featured News, Midwest, SpartanNash

Needler’s Fresh Market Opens New Store In Anderson, IN

Needler’s Fresh Market celebrated the grand opening of a new location March 20 in Anderson, Indiana, marking a milestone for the community and expanding grocery access on the city’s west side. Located at 2810 Nichol Ave., the store is the newest Needler’s Fresh Market in Ohio and Indiana. “Our goal is to be more than […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Finance News, News, Vallarta Supermarkets, West

Vallarta To Celebrate New Supermarket In Rancho Cucamonga, CA

Vallarta Supermarkets will open a 60,000-square-foot store April 1 at 9040 Foothill Blvd. in Rancho Cucamonga, California, marking the chain’s sixth Inland Empire location and its second store opening of 2026. The Rancho Cucamonga store is the first in the Vallarta network to feature Costa de Oro, a new in-store seafood restaurant concept the company […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, News, Northeast

Associated Supermarket Group Debuts Refreshed Brooklyn Location

Associated Supermarket Group (ASG) held a ribbon cutting March 13 at 344 Avenue X in Brooklyn, marking the opening of a new store in the borough’s 11223 neighborhood. The store carries fresh produce, meats, dairy, frozen foods and everyday essentials alongside an expanded international products section, freshly-baked goods and prepared foods. A growing organic and […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Executive News, Featured News, Finance News, News, Southwest

Brookshire Brothers Promotes 4 Executives In Leadership Restructuring

Lufkin, Texas-based Brookshire Brothers has announced four executive promotions, elevating longtime company veterans into senior leadership roles across operations, finance, accounting and legal services. Clay Oliver moves from CFO to COO, while Jessica Brown steps up from VP of accounting and treasury to CFO. In addition, Stephanie Cole is the new VP of accounting, and Jeff […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Executive News, Lowes Foods, News, Southeast

Lowes Foods Opens New Location On Johns Island, SC

Lowes Foods opened a new store March 12 on Johns Island, South Carolina, expanding its Charleston market footprint to five locations. The store at 3575 Maybank Highway occupies a building that formerly housed a KJ’s Market and which underwent extensive renovations before the transition. The Johns Island location features Lowes Foods’ signature “Originals” – specialized […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Finance News, Harps Food Stores, News, Southeast

Harps Food Stores To Acquire 18 Stores From Dyer Foods In TN, KY

Harps Food Stores has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire 18 stores from Joey and Jeanie Hays, owners of independent grocery operator Dyer Foods, with 17 of the locations in western Tennessee and one in Kentucky. Both parties anticipate completing the transaction by this summer, with store banners, employment and operations continuing with minimal […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Deli News, Featured News, News, Northeast

Allie B’s Mac & Cheese Expands To 120 Market 32, Price Chopper Locations

Market 32 and Price Chopper announced that Allie B’s Mac & Cheese has expanded to 120 of its stores across six Northeastern states, one year after debuting in 21 Albany, New York-area locations. More than 34,000 pounds of the product were shipped in the first year to meet customer demand. The gourmet mac and cheese […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Finance News, Meijer, Midwest, News

Meijer To Open 3 New Stores On May 6

Meijer will open three new stores May 6 – 159,000-square-foot supercenters in Bainbridge Township, Ohio, and Brownsburg, Indiana, and a 47,000-square-foot grocery store in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The openings bring Meijer’s Ohio store count to 59, Indiana to 44 and add a third grocery location in Michigan, where it has 125 supercenters and market format […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Executive News, Featured News, Finance News, News, West

HGG Appoints Hinojosa CEO Following National Search

Ontario, California-based Heritage Grocers Group (HGG) appointed David Hinojosa as CEO following a board-led national search. Hinojosa, a 30-year retail veteran with experience across the U.S., Australia and Asia, will lead the 115-store ethnic grocery operator’s next phase of growth. He most recently served as COO at Vallarta Supermarkets, which he joined in 2023. His career includes […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, News, West

Harmons Gives Local Businesses $5K Grants

Harmons Neighborhood Grocer named four Utah-based businesses as recipients of its 2026 Local Supplier Development Grants, each receiving $5,000 to fund equipment purchases, technology upgrades and community initiatives. It was the first time Harmons has awarded four grants, up from three in previous years. The beneficiaries are Happy Trowels Farm, Heber Valley Cheese, Salsa Del […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, News, Publix Super Markets, Southeast

Publix Opens 55,000-Square-Foot Store In St. Petersburg, FL

Publix opened a new 55,454-square-foot supermarket March 12 at 6605 38th Ave. in St. Petersburg, adding a full-format location with an indoor seating area and an adjacent Publix Liquors to the city’s northwest side. Lindsey Willis, Publix’s media relations manager, said the store was designed with comfort and convenience in mind. “This store brings together […]

Posted inIndependent Store News, Big Y Foods, Featured News, News, Northeast

Big Y Plans 6 New MA Stores For 90th Anniversary

Big Y hosted a media event March 10 at its future location in Saugus, Massachusetts, to announce six new store openings across the state and celebrate 90 years in business. Gov. Maura Healey addressed the gathering, calling the expansion a win for jobs and food access across the state. The event, held at 357 Broadway, […]