Six food enterprises in Grand Rapids, Kalamazoo, Southeast Michigan and the Upper Peninsula have received financing from the Michigan Good Food Fund, marking more than $10.5 million in investments since its launch two years ago. The $30 million fund was created to finance projects that increase healthy food access and spur economic opportunity in underserved […]
Category: Independent Store News
Chicago’s Food Market La Chiquita Joins AWG
Alfredo Linares’ first major life change happened in 1964 when he and his family ventured from a small town in Mexico to Chicago, Illinois. He was 9 years old at the time, and it was a true culture shock. He was struck by the many different nationalities that live there, the cold and the snow. […]
Festival Foods To Purchase Two Pierce’s Marketplace Stores In Wisconsin
Festival Foods plans to purchase two Pierce’s Marketplace stores in Baraboo and Portage, Wisconsin, from Angie and Dave Pierce. The Pierce family operates a third Pierce’s Market in Muscoda. Festival Foods, which operates 26 other locations across the state, expects to begin operations June 20 under the Festival Foods banner. Mark Skogen, president and CEO […]
Grocery Biz ‘Not For The Faint Of Heart’: Independent Sales Down From Prior Year
FMS Solutions and the National Grocers Association (NGA) have released their annual “Independent Grocers Financial Survey,” the latest edition covering fiscal year 2016. The study, now in its 12th year, found independent grocers reported that their sales were down 1.62 percent in 2016 compared to 2015. Food-at-home deflation across all categories, especially in meat and […]
GF Buche Co. Promotes McFayden To Operations Manager
Chris McFayden has been promoted to operations manager for GF Buche Co. He replaces Gregg Drees, who recently retired from the South Dakota grocery chain. McFayden started at the Gregory Buche Foods in 1996 as a carryout and quickly rose up the ranks to store supervisor. From there, he was promoted to store manager of the Gus […]
Hy-Vee Guarantees 100 Percent Of Its Sushi From Responsible Sources
Hy-Vee Inc. has successfully transitioned 100 percent of its sushi to responsible sources. The supermarket chain guarantees that all sushi prepared and sold in its 244 Midwestern stores, including Hy-Vee Market Grille restaurants, will now contain seafood that is caught in an environmentally and socially responsible manner. According to its recently updated Seafood Procurement Policy, Hy-Vee […]
Drees Retires From GF Buche Co. After Nearly 36 Years
Gregg Drees has worked for three generations of Buches at South Dakota’s GF Buche Co., starting with Bob Sr., then with Robert and finishing with current president RF Buche (pronounced boo-ee). He has praise for all of them. “Bob Sr. had an uncharacteristic thirst for knowledge and understanding of computers when most people his age […]
Supervalu Reveals ‘Beef Stampede’ Winners, Karns Quality Foods Takes Grand Prize
Karns Quality Foods in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, took top honors in Supervalu’s 2016 national “Beef Stampede” contest. The annual merchandising contest is a month-long program held each fall to showcase beef as a dinner plate staple. More than 120 grocery retailers nationwide served by Supervalu’s independent wholesale distribution business participated in the contest. “Supervalu applauds all of […]
