by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Southwest Firelake Discount Foods in Shawnee, Oklahoma, recently was designated the first-ever Blue Zones Project-approved grocery store in Oklahoma. Richard Driskell, director of retail operations for the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, oversees three tribal grocery stores, including the flagship in Shawnee. At 88,000-s.f., it is the largest tribally-owned grocery store in the U.S. The […]
Category: Market Profile
Posted inLipari Foods, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Market Profile, Midwest, Shelby Content, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Supply Chain News, Wholesaler/Distributor News
Lipari: Detroit Is Back And Michigan Is On Fire
Thom Lipari is president and CEO of Warren-based Lipari Foods. His father, Jim, started the company in the 1950s by distributing unique products from the back of his Ford station wagon. Thom came on board in 1971. Today, Lipari Foods operates a central distribution center in Warren, the largest suburb of Detroit. From that facility, […]
Posted inFood Service News, Albertsons, Corporate Store News, Grocery Store Layout, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Market Profile, Shelby Content, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Store News, West
Albertsons On Broadway Makes Its Debut In Boise
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest, Southwest Albertsons on Broadway opened its doors 79 years to the day that Joe Albertson opened his first cutting-edge, innovative store just a few miles down the road at 16th and State streets. In his obituary in 1993, the amenities in that first store were described as “unheard of in markets of […]
Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, Bakery News, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Market Profile, Shelby Content, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Southeast, Store News
Hometown Food Markets Makes Grocery Shopping A Sensory Experience
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Southwest Hometown Food Markets, owned by Ed and Dana Sowards, operates two Colorado stores. The towns they serve, Pagosa Springs and Antonito, are located on either side of the Continental Divide. Both are tourist towns and sit at about 8,000 feet above sea level. “Both of them are the last stops before you […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Home Page Latest News, Shelby Content, Store News, West
Utah Market Profile: Strong State Economy Supports Store Growth
by Stacy Weichel/contributing writer Utah has a strong economy and a strong stable of grocers, both chains and independents. Chains include Smith’s (a Kroger banner),Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market; independents include Lee’s Marketplace, Harmons and Associated Food Stores (AFS), which has both wholesale customers and its own corporate stores. A new Trader Joe’s will […]
Posted inRaley's, Home Page Latest News, Market Profile, Shelby Content, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Store News, West
Raley’s Strategic Initiatives Focus On Customers, Concepts, Team Members
Kevin Konkel, who was appointed to the newly created role of chief operations officer at Raley’s this past March, kicked off a trio of executives from the West Sacramento-based grocery who addressed the audience at the Western Association of Food Chains annual convention in May. Konkel was followed by Deirdre Zimmermann, SVP of marketing, and […]
Posted inShelby Content, Albertsons, Home Page Latest News, Market Profile, West
WinCo, Heeb’s Among Those Building In Montana
by Lorrie Griffith/editor–West The Montana grocery landscape features a mix of chains like Walmart, Costco, Smith’s, Albertsons, Safeway and Lucky Markets as well as some strong local independents. Shoppers in the Billings area may get a new grocery option, as it was reported in February that WinCo Foods is planning to build a new grocery […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Beverage News, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Midwest, Shelby Content, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Store News
Deep Community Roots, Family And Beer Have Kept John’s Grocery Thriving
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest If only the walls of John’s Grocery could talk. The grocery store has been in business for 70 years, which is impressive for a small, family-owned independent retailer. But the building where John’s Grocery is located has been a cornerstone in Iowa City history going back another 100 years. “Iowa was founded […]
Posted inShelby Content, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Market Profile, Midwest
More Help Is Available For Kansas’ Struggling Rural Grocers
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest Many independent grocers in Kansas’ rural communities struggle to remain open. This year alone, at least five independent grocers already have closed, according to David Procter, director of the Center for Engagement and Community Development (CECD) at Kansas State University (KSU). “We know of several stores that have closed this year, so […]
Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Market Profile, Shelby Content
Missouri General Assembly Has ‘Most Successful Session In The State’s History’
Last year about this time, Dan Shaul told The Shelby Report that while the General Assembly had done some good work in 2017, it could have done a whole heck of a lot more. This year, that heck of a lot more got done, and there is more to come. A lot of work got […]
Posted inShelby Signature Content, Grocery Store Layout, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Market Profile, Shelby Content, Shelby Originals, Southwest, Store News
Junior’s Super Market Readies For The Future
Junior’s Super Market is a seven-store chain based in Pharr, Texas, where it now operates three stores: one Junior’s Express and two Junior’s Super Market locations. Other locations in the Rio Grande Valley include Edinburg, San Juan, Hidalgo, Penitas and Alton. The Shelby Report’s Jan Meade caught up with owner Felix Chavez Jr. for a […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Amazon Fresh, Home Page Latest News, Shelby Content, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Store News, West, Whole Foods
Washington Market Profile: Challenges, But Growth, Too
by Lorrie Griffith/editor-West One of the dichotomies in a state like Washington is that while there are major metropolitan areas like Seattle, there also are extremely rural areas. But, of course, both are subject to the same state laws, like the $12 an hour minimum wage that went into effect this year that will go […]
Posted inBeverage News, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Market Profile, Midwest, Shelby Content, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content
Indiana Now Has Sunday Sales, Which Is…Great?
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest Anyone who wanted to grab a cold beer on Sunday in Indiana was out of luck until March of this year. That is when a state law took effect allowing Sunday alcohol sales. Now a customer can get a cold one on Sunday, but only from a liquor store. Grocery, drug and […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Amazon Fresh, Home Page Latest News, Shelby Content, Southeast, Store News, Whole Foods
Central Florida Gaining In Population, Businesses
by Lorrie Griffith/editor–Southeast Central Florida is in the midst of a housing crisis created by Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico last September. According to the Orlando Sentinel’s 2018 Central Florida Business Forecast, released in January, 50,000 or more Puerto Ricans are believed to have moved to Florida since the storm, many of them now […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Shelby Signature Content, Southeast, Store News
Alabama Market Profile: State’s Economy Is On The Upswing
by Lorrie Griffith/editor–Southeast Alabama’s economy is on the upswing, according to Ellie Taylor, president of the Alabama Grocers Association AGA), located in Birmingham. In fact, the state’s unemployment rate is now 3.5 percent—the lowest in its history. The good times look to be continuing, as two major plants were announced in January. One is a […]
Posted inGrocery Store Layout, Amazon Fresh, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Market Profile, Shelby Content, Southwest, Store News, Whole Foods
Reasor’s Refocuses To Keep Up With Evolving Needs Of Shoppers
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor—Midwest and Southwest Several factors are driving change at Tahlequah, Oklahoma-based Reasor’s as it celebrates its 55th anniversary this year. Perhaps the most significant will be the ability to sell full-strength beer and wine beginning in October. For decades, Oklahoma grocery stores have only been allowed to offer beer that is 3.2 percent […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Produce News, Shelby Content, Shelby Signature Content, Store News, West
Nevada Market Profile: State Drawing New Residents, New Business
by Lorrie Griffith/editor–West “Go west, young man” is how the saying goes. But today, some young men (and women) and older people, too, are doing the opposite and going east, according to a Dec. 3 article in the Los Angeles Times. They are leaving Southern California to head to Las Vegas to “find the middle-class […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Market Profile, Midwest, Shelby Content, Shelby Signature Content, Store News
Born On One Coast & Based On The Other, Cohn Wholesale Serves Small Towns In Between
Editor’s note: This story is part of the Dakotas Market Profile, which can be found in the February 2018 print edition of The Shelby Report of the Midwest. by Terrie Ellerbee/editor—Midwest and Southwest The Cohn name likely is familiar to some in the Midwest, where Cohn Wholesale once operated 20 stores. The family business, however, began in […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Bakery News, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Shelby Content, Shelby Signature Content, Southeast, Store News
Georgia Independent’s Own-Recipe Fried Peanut Clusters Spawn A Thriving Second Business
by Lorrie Griffith/editor–Southeast West Foods, an independent grocery store in the rural southwest Georgia town of Edison, has been making and selling fried peanuts to its customers for many years. The store’s owner, John West, who bought the store from his dad, Richard, back earlier in this decade, said the peanuts have always been a […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Northeast, Shelby Content
New Maine Food Group Executive Director Working To Join Retailers And Producers
by Mike Berger/editor-Northeast Christine Cummings, new executive director of the Maine Grocers and Food Producers Association (MGFPA), will be returning to her position in January after maternity leave. She joined the association in 2017 and was promoted to executive director in June. She is excited about the growth of the association, the rise of Maine […]