Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. and Circana (formerly IRI) teamed up in January 2022 to launch AWG Partner Gateway, a portal to enable integrated collaboration between members and their vendor partners using Circana’s Liquid Data technology. The gateway is part of AWG’s Convergence initiative. Convergence is AWG’s long-term strategy to operate as a $23 billion cooperative […]
Category: Shelby Content
Exclusive, in-depth stories from the Shelby team. Explore Food Industry features, market profiles, and unique perspectives from industry leaders.
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Food Industry Hall of Fame, Midwest
AWG Working To Increase Efficiencies With Convergence
Technology is the top strategic investment for AWG, according to its annual report. Part of that technology investment has been in the co-op’s Convergence initiative, which is the alignment of AWG, its member stores and supply partners. Convergence brings the co-op and its members together to work on areas to scale its more than $24 […]
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor News, Food Industry Hall of Fame, Southeast
AWG’s All-In-One Distribution Hub First In North America
AWG’s all-in-one distribution hub in Hernando, Mississippi, has been a huge investment and massive undertaking for the company. The AIO facility is providing immediate and long-term sustainable benefits to the membership, according to AWG. The first of its kind in the U.S., and just the third such facility in the world, the AIO will replace […]
Posted inFood Industry Hall of Fame, Home Page Latest News, Midwest, Wholesaler/Distributor News
AWG’s Smith Reflects On Storied 48-Year Career In Grocery
“It’s been a good ride.” Reflecting on his 48-year career in the grocery industry and upcoming retirement, David Smith, president and CEO of Kansas City-based Associated Wholesale Grocers, said it will be the people he will miss the most – co-workers, AWG member retailers and vendors. Shelby Publishing is inducting Smith into its Food Industry […]
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
Success May Lie Outside Your Comfort Zone – Find Out At NGA Show
I’ve said many times that the events hosted by the National Grocers Association are opportunities to take time away from your business – as busy as I know you all to be – in order to spend some time working on your business. But perhaps it’s also an opportunity to step outside your comfort zone […]
Posted inPiggly Wiggly, Market Profile, Midwest
Fox Bros. Piggly Wiggly Investing In Employee Development
Hartland, Wisconsin-based Fox Bros. Piggly Wiggly was founded in 1988 by Pat and Bob Fox. Now employee-owned, the retailer added its 10th location in September 2022. Mike Olwig, president of Fox Bros. Piggly Wiggly, has been with the company for nearly 17 years. When he came aboard as store director in Hartland, there were just […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Market Profile, Southeast
Tryon IGA Owner Enjoys Freedom Of Being An Independent
Just a mile from the South Carolina border sits Tryon IGA, which has been serving Tryon, North Carolina for 26 years. Owner Willard Teaster has been part of the grocery business for nearly six decades. He started his grocery career with A&P in the produce department and went on to hold just about every managerial […]
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
Truly Inspirational: BIPOC Independent Grocers Virtual Roundtable
By Chelsea Matzen / VP, NGA Foundation Diversity and inclusion is one of the NGA Foundation’s five programmatic pillars and one that will be important to the long-term success of the independent grocery industry. For an industry that can boast its position at the heart of the community, its reflection of that community – through […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, Southeast
Carolina Retailers Face Alcohol Issues, Though Solutions Differ
Modernizing alcohol regulations has been a top priority in North and South Carolina, according to Lindsey Kueffner, executive director of the Carolinas Food Industry Council. In North Carolina, the CFIC has been working to limit wine wholesalers’ split case fees. The charges ultimately limit retailers’ ability to provide deals to the customers and have been […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, Beverage News, Southeast
Ready-To-Drink Cocktails Yields ‘Mixed Bag’ Of Success For TGCSA
Tennessee grocers are finding success in the sale of wine-based ready-to-drink cocktails, according to Rob Ikard, president and CEO, Tennessee Grocers & Convenience Store Association (TGCSA). The amendment to the original Wine Act of 2014 went into effect Jan. 1. Although TGCSA had proposed legislation that would have authorized the sale of both wine- and […]
Posted inMarket Profile, West
Lee’s Marketplace Offers Shoppers Fun Experience
Lee’s Marketplace, headquartered in Logan, Utah, believes that grocery shopping should be a fun and enjoyable experience. In fact, that is the first line of the company’s mission statement. Jonathan Badger, president and CEO, said they try to live by that through the experience offered in their stores. “Knowing that it’s kind of a chore […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Southwest
Shoplifting Bill Fails To Advance In Colorado
Colorado retailers can feel a bit safer after a low-level crime proposal that would’ve prohibited the arrest of shoplifters was struck down in the state’s most recent legislative session. “It was really kind of egregious, especially with inflation,” said Grier Bailey, executive director of the Colorado Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association & Convenience Store Association. While […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Southeast
Kentucky Grocery Industry ‘Quite Strong,’ Retail Crime A ‘Huge Issue’
The state of Kentucky reported General Fund receipts for July of $1.1 billion, which was the 11th straight month that revenues surpassed the $1 billion mark. The state’s overall unemployment rate for July was 3.8 percent, which is very low historically, according to Tod Griffin, executive director of the Kentucky Grocers & Convenience Store Association. […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, Southwest
Oklahoma Grocers ‘Resilient’ In Face Of Ongoing Challenges
Oklahoma’s economy has remained fairly steady over the past year, according to Ron Edgmon, president and CEO of the Oklahoma Grocers Association. The state treasury report for August showed gross sales tax receipts up 5.1 percent over the last 12 months, although oil and gas production taxes have declined by 7.2 percent, he said. “Regional […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, West
New Seasons Market Plans New Stores, Freshens Others
New Seasons Market, The Shelby Report of the West’s Retailer of the Year, has been updating its stores across its soon to be 20 locations, while four more are slated to open in the next three years. For the company’s recognition, EVP Bob Reeves visited multiple stores to get a glimpse of what the future […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, West
New Seasons Markets Boasts Track Record Of Valuing, Supporting Staff
New Seasons Market, The Shelby Report of the West’s Retailer of the Year, strives to be the ultimate neighborhood grocery store. This goal is not only for customers but staff as well. “We take good care of our staff, and they take good care of our customers. The care our customers feel when they shop […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Midwest
Jerry’s Foods Reflects One Year After Destruction Of Hurricane Ian
One year removed from Hurricane Ian, Jerry’s Foods on Sanibel Island, Florida, is seeing its community slowly return to normal. “Each month that goes past, there are more businesses that are able to open,” said Rick Winningham, general manager. “And as the resorts start to come back…The vegetation that survived is coming back…I think the […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, West
New Seasons Market Strives To Improve Social, Environmental Efforts
New Seasons Market, The Shelby Report of the West’s Retailer of the Year, is the nation’s first grocer to be B Corporation certified. Certified B-Corps are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. New Seasons Market, like other B-Corps, undergoes […]
Posted inWoman Executive of the Year, Home Page Latest News, Retailer of the Year, West
New Seasons Market CEO Lebold Relishing Return To Pacific Northwest
(Editor’s note: Bob Reeves, Shelby Publishing’s EVP West, recently visited with Nancy Lebold, CEO of Oregon-based New Seasons Market and the Woman Executive of the Year for the West. Their discussion appears below.) Thank you so much for joining us. Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Feature, Southeast
IGA President: U.S., Georgia Ag Leadership ‘On The Right Journey’
“They’re on the right journey,” John Ross, president and CEO of IGA, said following his participation on a panel featuring U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack and Georgia Agriculture Commissioner Tyler Harper. Ross, Vilsack and Harper were three of the 15-person panel featured in the USDA’s More, New & Better Markets Stakeholder Meeting in Atlanta, […]