Hy-Vee, Harvesters – The Community Food Network and KC Dream Center have opened a revitalized food pantry at M.E. Pearson Elementary School, marking the first on-site school food pantry in Kansas that Hy-Vee has launched with a Feeding America-affiliated food bank. The pantry is expected to serve about 150 families each month in Wyandotte County, […]
Category: Independent Store News
Posted inIndependent Store News, Corporate Store News, Featured News, Grocery Research, National, News
Study Finds 81% Of Americans Open To Switching Grocery Brands
Loyalty in the grocery aisle is softening, according to a new national study from Reach3 Insights that found 81 percent of Americans are open to trying new brands – a signal that routine, habit-driven CPG purchases are giving way to more deliberate in-store decision-making. The study, “Rethinking Routine: What’s Really Happening in the Grocery Aisle,” […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Natural Grocers, News, West
Natural Grocers Plans New Store In Walla Walla, WA
Natural Grocers has begun preparations for a new store in downtown Walla Walla, Washington, marking the family-operated chain’s sixth location in the state and first in the Walla Walla Valley. Ahead of the spring opening, the company is hosting a community meet-and-greet March 24 and a two-day hiring event March 25-26 at the Courtyard by […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Food City, Health & Wellness, News, Southeast
Food City Expands NationsBenefit Flex Card Access For Members
NationsBenefits has integrated its Flex Card network with Food City, allowing eligible health plan members to use prepaid benefit cards at all of the grocer’s participating locations in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia and Alabama. Using the NationsBenefits Mastercard Prepaid Flex Card, they will be able to buy approved food as medicine items, over-the-counter (OTC) health […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Market Profile, News, Northeast
Redner’s Bringing ‘Fresh Market 2.0’ To Wilmington, Creating Foodservice Destination
Walk into most grocery stores and the experience is largely transactional: Grab a cart, work your way down the aisles and check out. Redner’s Markets wants to change that, and its newest store in Wilmington, Delaware, is the place where it’s making moves toward that next-generation grocery shopping experience. The Reading, Pennsylvania-based grocer broke ground […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Merchant Distributors, News, Online Grocery Technology, Southeast
Swiftly, MDI Bringing Digital Circular, AI Targeting To Independent Grocers
Swiftly has partnered with Merchants Distributors (MDI), a Hickory, N.C.-based wholesale grocery distributor, to expand digital capabilities across MDI’s network of more than 600 independent retailers in the Southeast. Under the agreement, MDI retailers will gain access to three Swiftly products – a modern retail website platform, SmartCircular for digitizing the weekly circular experience and Audience […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Finance News, News, West
Oliver’s Market Plans Fifth Store In Santa Rosa, CA
Oliver’s Market, an employee-owned independent grocer, is under contract to purchase Farmer’s Lane Plaza at 1501-1591 Farmer’s Lane in Santa Rosa, California, where it will open a fifth location in a 35,500-square-foot space formerly occupied by Rite Aid. The deal is expected to close April 1, with construction beginning immediately and a 2027 opening targeted. […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, News, Northeast, Online Grocery Technology
Redner’s Markets Launches New Mobile App, Kicks Off ‘Appiness Tour’
Redner’s Markets launched a new mobile app March 5, and the employee-owned regional chain is celebrating with a five-store tour across Pennsylvania, Maryland and Delaware that begins March 10. The app gives customers access to exclusive deals, gas and grocery rewards points, grocery delivery and pickup and catering orders – consolidating Redner’s loyalty and shopping […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Natural Grocers, News, Southwest
Natural Grocers To Host Spring Forward Savings Event March 7-10
Natural Grocers is running a four-day promotional event March 7-10 tied to the start of daylight saving time, offering discounts, wellness resources and in-store sweepstakes at participating locations. The “Spring Forward Into Even More Affordable Prices” event targets the sleep and energy disruption many consumers experience with the time change, pairing limited-time deals with educational […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Association News, Featured News, National, News
Topco Names Big Y’s D’Amour As Board Chairman, Shares Leadership Updates
Topco Associates LLC elected Michael D’Amour, president and CEO of Big Y Foods, as board chairman during the cooperative’s Annual Membership Conference. D’Amour, who previously served as vice chairman, succeeds Steve Smith, president and CEO of K-VA-T Food Stores Inc., whose two-year term as chairman expired following the conference. Smith remains on the board as […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, West
Good Earth Natural Foods To Open Third Location In San Rafael, CA
Good Earth Natural Foods has announced plans to add a third store in the Terra Linda neighborhood of San Rafael, California, with an expected spring 2027 opening. The independent, Marin, California-based natural and organic grocer will take over the free-standing building at 1500 Northgate – formerly occupied by Rite Aid – and will serve as […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, International Foods, News, Northeast, Wakefern
Fairway Market Celebrates Lunar New Year With Dumpling-Making Class
Fairway Market celebrated Lunar New Year with a culinary collaboration alongside Nom Wah, New York City’s oldest continuously operating dim sum restaurant, bringing an interactive dumpling-making class to its 74th Street Café on the Upper West Side. The two-hour class Feb. 26 was led by Wilson Tang, owner of Nom Wah, who guided guests through […]
Posted inNews, Finance News, Independent Store News, Publix Super Markets, Southeast
Publix Reports Fourth Quarter, Annual Results For 2025
Publix Super Markets reported fiscal 2025 sales of $62.7 billion, a 5 percent increase from $59.7 billion in 2024. Comparable store sales for the fiscal year ended Dec. 27, 2025, increased 3.5 percent. “Our greatest asset is our associates,” said Publix CEO Kevin Murphy. “I’m proud of their dedication to continuous improvement and commitment to […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Association News, Featured News, National, News
Topco Recognizes Members With Awards, Honors Company Anniversaries
Topco Associates recently held its Annual Membership Conference, during which several members were honored for sales and volume growth across its programs in 2025, with select organizations receiving additional recognition for exemplary performance. “The membership achieved a record year of growth – driven not only by the outstanding performances in pharmacy, center store, fresh and […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Natural Grocers, News, Southwest
Natural Grocers To Open New Store In Ruidoso, NM
The store Natural Grocers plans to open March 18 at 25992 U.S. 70 No. 1 in Ruidoso, New Mexico, will be its seventh in the state. The good4u Crew will kick off festivities at 8:15 a.m. with a $2,500 donation presentation to the Lincoln County Food Bank, followed by a ribbon-cutting ceremony with the Ruidoso […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Independent Store News, Meijer, Midwest, News
Meijer Partners With SHI International For Technology Solutions
Meijer has partnered with SHI International, a technology solutions provider, to support the retailer’s behind-the-scenes technology needs, including Microsoft-related services. The partnership is led by Patrick Grow, who manages key Michigan accounts for SHI and has a personal connection to Meijer that spans decades. Grow grew up in western Michigan, just a few miles from […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Brookshire Grocery Co., Executive News, Featured News, News, Southwest
Brookshire Grocery Co. Chairman, CEO To Retire
Brookshire Grocery Co. (BGC) has shared that Chairman and CEO Brad Brookshire is retiring, concluding a career defined by servant leadership, community commitment and long-term growth of the family-owned company. Jerry LeClair will assume the role of interim CEO. Brookshire, the grandson of company founder W.T. Brookshire, has served the company for 49 years, including […]
Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, Featured News, IGA, Independent Store News, National, News
IGA, National Pork Board Partner To Drive Pork Category Growth At Retail
The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) has begun a Red Oval Partnership with the National Pork Board (NPB), reinforcing IGA’s commitment to sharing resources with independent grocers to help them better serve shoppers. Through the partnership, the National Pork Board will collaborate with IGA member stores on in-store promotions, shopper marketing initiatives and educational resources featuring […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Dairy News, Midwest, News
Busch’s Fresh Food Market Launches 2026 Spring Milk Drive
Busch’s Fresh Food Market will hold its annual Spring Milk Drive March 9-22, with a goal of collecting 53,000 gallons for local food banks. For more than a decade, Busch’s has helped provide fresh milk to families facing food insecurity across southeast Michigan. Since the program launched in 2015 in partnership with United Dairy Industry […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, H-E-B, News, Southwest
H-E-B Undertakes Store Remodel, Expansion In Harlingen, TX
H-E-B has begun a major remodel and expansion of its 83 and Lincoln store in Harlingen, Texas, bringing significant upgrades that will modernize, refresh and expand services for customers. The project represents a substantial investment in the community and reaffirms the grocer’s commitment to the Rio Grande Valley. Located at 613 S. Expressway 83, the […]