The Illinois Retail Merchants Association and the Illinois Food Retailers Association merged at the end of September 2021. Since then, the IRMA has taken responsibility for all grocery members across the state, according to Rob Karr, president and CEO. The two organizations had an overlap of members. The IFRA represented a majority of the independents […]
Category: Market Profile
Lone Grocer In Lacon, Jim’s IGA Likes To Help Community
Michael Lambrecht has owned Jim’s IGA for just two years. But he has been a part of the Lacon, Illinois, community since the store’s inception. Jim’s opened in 1976, Lambrecht’s father and the store’s namesake, Jim, came down from Chicago to manage what used to be a A&P grocery store. “A&P decided to get out of […]
Dehoff’s Markets Marks 50 Years Of Service To Redwood City, CA
Dehoff’s Markets celebrated its 50th anniversary on Oct. 15, with the store’s original location in Redwood City, California, still thriving under family ownership. However, the Dehoffs’ history of entrepreneurship in the Northern California community stretches much farther back than 1972. Emil Dehoff immigrated to the U.S. from Germany after serving in World War I. According […]
Grant Street Grocery Offers Experience Of ‘Curated Shopping’
Grant Street Grocery in Casper, Wyoming, is 104 years old. But the historic business may not have made it to the century mark if not for the intervention of some residents in the city’s Big Tree neighborhood, where it is located. Lindsey Grant, who co-owns the specialty grocery store with her partner Susan Holmes, said […]
Wyoming ‘In Pretty Good Shape’ For Businesses
Wyoming remains a “great, great state to be operating in and having businesses,” according to Grier Bailey, executive director of the Colorado Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association & Convenience Store Association. The state, which hasn’t seen a large population growth since the last Census, has “an amazing regulatory environment, where taxes remain low and operational costs […]
Hurricane Ian Delivered A Soaking, But Grocers Largely Spared
One week after Hurricane Ian caused damage and flooding in coastal South Carolina and parts of North Carolina, grocery retailers have remained largely unaffected. The Carolinas Food Industry Council maintains a “seat at the table” in the emergency operation centers of both states, according to Lindsey Kueffner, its executive director. The council keeps its members […]
Father, Daughter Working Together To Expand Maurer’s Market
Jeff and Kristie Maurer, father and daughter, are independent grocers in Wisconsin. Dad owns Maurer’s Market in Wisconsin Dells, where his daughter is the store director. He also now is a minority owner in a store – Fresh Madison Market – he opened on the University of Wisconsin campus in Madison. Kristie Maurer is planning […]
Wisconsin Grocers Association Preparing 2023 Legislative Agenda
Wisconsin is experiencing some of the same economic woes as other states across the country. “We have record high unemployment. We have members who continue to experience supply chain issues and getting products in inventory,” said Brandon Scholz, president and CEO of the Wisconsin Grocers Association. “We still have high demand from consumers, but their […]
