Publix Super Markets, The Shelby Report of the Southeast’s 2025 Retailer of the Year, is continuing its expansion into Kentucky with the opening of another store – part of a new market for the Florida-based grocer but one CEO Kevin Murphy says is already exceeding expectations. The second Lexington store, which opened June 4, is […]
Category: Bonus Content
Posted inIndependent Store News, Association News, Guest Contributors, IGA, National, News
Column: Why Are There So Many Food Deserts In America?
By Ashley Page, VP of marketing and public affairs for the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) Most Americans, and certainly those of us in the grocery business, have grown used to seeing a bounty of food in our local grocery store. Rows of vibrantly colored fruits and vegetables, fresh meat and dairy and a huge variety […]
Posted inSustainability News, Guest Contributors, National, News
Close The Freezer, Open The Margin – Ratchet Effect Of Energy Efficiency
From leaky gaskets to overnight heat loss, small inefficiencies add up fast. As we continue our sustainability series on resource management, we focus this month on the benefits of energy efficiency and how effective energy use can positively impact the bottom line. Alongside labor, a grocery store’s electric bill is typically one of its highest […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Market Profile, News, Southwest
Clark’s Continued Serving Meeker Community Despite Encroaching Wildfire
When wildfires threatened Watt’s Ranch Market in Meeker, Colorado, this summer, two executives from the company that owns the store – Aspen-based Clark’s Market – stepped in to keep it operating while team members went home to prepare for possible evacuation. Clark’s COO Jim Clapp first arrived on the scene, later joined by Director of […]
Posted inAssociation News, Feature, National, News
FMI Report Says Grocery Shoppers Are Resilient, With Aspirations To Eat Well
FMI – The Food Industry Association surveyed nearly 1,600 shoppers in late July to gather intelligence for the second installment of 2025 of its U.S. Grocery Shopping Trends report, which the association has been generating for 51 years. Subtitled “New Routines,” the report “examines the logic behind grocery shopping or the notion of what is […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, News, Southwest
Association: Overregulation Biggest Threat To Colorado’s Independent Grocers, C-Stores
“I guess I would say that it is getting harder and harder to hold the line.” That’s the assessment of Grier Bailey, executive director of the Colorado Wyoming Petroleum Marketers Association, referring to the livelihoods of smaller retailers in Colorado such as convenience stores and independent grocers. “There aren’t a lot of good things to […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Market Profile, News, Southeast
HFG Empowering Employee-Owners, Supporting Communities
A 100-percent employee-owned company, Bowling Green, Kentucky-based Houchens Food Group (HFG) operates in the grocery, convenience, hardware and restaurant industries. It has more than 400 locations across 15 states, including Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Tennessee and Alabama. HFG is a subsidiary of Houchens Industries Inc., one of the largest and most diversified wholly-owned S Corp employee […]
Posted inAnniversary Issues, Affiliated Foods, News, Southwest, Wholesaler/Distributor of the Year
Affiliated Foods Leverages Technology To Boost Retailer Services, Engagement
Amarillo, Texas-based Affiliated Foods Inc. is investing in forward-thinking technology to enhance the shopping experience for consumers and improve operational efficiency for its retail members. Among the most visible innovations is the implementation of digital video rails in member stores – a project led by Josh Silvia, AFI’s network and PC manager. Vusion v-rails is […]