Shelby Originals | In-Depth Food Industry Stories & Analysis
Posted inNonfood Items, Guest Contributors, Health & Wellness, Home Page Slider, National

Non-Food For Thought: Supermarket ‘Selfcare’ Solutions

by Naomi Sleeper VP of Continuous Improvement and Strategic Initiatives, Imperial Distributors It is that time of year when we replace our holiday indulgences with better-for-you practices. Gyms are packed more than usual, and nutrition becomes a priority (according to Google Trends, the search term “nutrition” has peaked every January over the past five years). […]

Posted inDairy News, Guest Contributors, Midwest, Packaging News, Perishables

The Year In Review: Innovation In Thought Was Lacking In Dairy Industry

by Cindy Sorensen/founder and CEO, The Grocery Group Each year as I prepare to write my dairy industry “year in review” column, I reflect on the newsworthy events that occurred in the industry in the previous 12 months. This reflection often includes a look back on the following: new product introductions; ingredient, product and package […]

Posted inNonfood Items, Guest Contributors, Home Page Slider, National, Sustainability News

Non-Food For Thought: New Year’s Resolutions For 2020

by Naomi Sleeper, VP of Continuous Improvement and Strategic Initiatives, Imperial Distributors With the 2010s decade coming to a close(!), it’s time to set some strong resolutions for the next year (or 10). In this spirit, I dedicate this column to changes our industry can make for longer-term impact: on environmental sustainability. While “responsible consumerism”—including environmental and […]

Posted inRecommended Reading, Corporate Store News, Home Page Slider, West

Recommended: Apollo Seeks Sale Of Smart & Final’s Food Warehouse Stores

Private equity firm Apollo Global Management Inc. is exploring a sale of the warehouse store business of Smart & Final Stores LLC, the U.S. food retailer it acquired in June, people familiar with the matter said on Friday. Apollo is seeking more than $1 billion for the business, close to the price tag of $1.1 […]

Posted inRecommended Reading, Home Page Slider, Independent Store News, Midwest, Wholesaler/Distributor News

Recommended: Suit Filed Against Former Central Grocers Directors

A bankruptcy trustee has sued the former officers and directors of Central Grocers, once the largest grocery cooperative in the Chicago area and a wholesaler to hundreds of local retailers, for allegedly making self-interested decisions that drove the company into the ground. The suit, filed Tuesday [Nov. 19] in Chicago federal court, names 20 defendants, […]

Posted inMerchandising News, Corporate Store News, Executive News, Home Page Slider, Produce News, Shelby Originals, Southwest

Kroger’s Kelley: We Have Work To Do In Competitive Houston Market

Expect to see The Kroger Co. Houston Division team members take on more leadership roles outside the company. Other changes are coming, too, including more emphasis on diversified marketing and community engagement in the Houston area. Joe Kelley, who is president of the division, laid out some of the adjustments Kroger will make as he […]

Posted inPackaging News, Guest Contributors, National

Guest Column: Five Packaging Design Mistakes And How To Avoid Them

by Katie Lundin/marketing and branding specialist, Crowdspring We all enjoy a good meme poking fun at embarrassing mistakes online. But, it’s far less funny when your product or package is the butt of those jokes. Poor packaging leads to worse things than a bruised ego—it leads to lost sales and revenue. And, it’s no mystery why. People’s […]

Posted inSoutheast, Home Page Slider, Independent Store News, Recommended Reading

Recommended: Jacksonville Approves $750,000 Grant To Rowe’s IGA

After sitting empty for nearly two years, the former Harveys Supermarket in the Commonwealth Shopping Center in Northwest Jacksonville will reopen as Rowe’s IGA. City Council approved a $750,000 grant Tuesday night to partially finance renovations to open the Rowe’s IGA Supermarket. Ordinance 2019-0767 passed unanimously as part of the consent agenda. The bill provides […]

Posted inInternational Foods, Deli News, Grocery Store Layout, Home Page Slider, Independent Store News, Market Profile, Meat/Seafood/Poultry, Online Grocery Technology, Produce News, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Southeast

Hispanic Grocer Finds Success Across Different Cultures

by Treva Bennett/staff writer Born and raised in the grocery business, Omar Jorge has followed in his family’s footsteps and now is a partner in Compare Foods and chairman of Aurora Grocery Group. Compare Foods is a subsidiary of Aurora, which is an umbrella holding company. Each supermarket in the group is individually owned by […]

Posted inInternational Foods, Amazon Fresh, Guest Contributors, Home Page Slider, National, Whole Foods

Soto: Know Your Multicultural Customers So You Can Grow Sales

by Terry Soto/multicultural marketing expert The California Grocers Association’s “Minding the Gap” Strategic Conference took place recently in Palms Springs, California, where retailers brought up specific challenges they currently are attempting to manage when it comes to growing sales among multicultural grocery shoppers. Understanding how to assort authentically for diverse Hispanic and Asian shoppers came […]

Posted inBeverage News, Center Store, Northeast, Shelby Originals, Suppliers, Women In The News

People To Watch: Welch’s Customer Team Leader Leslie Campbell

The Shelby Report and The Grocery Group have introduced a series entitled People to Watch that focuses on current and future leadership in the grocery industry. In this installment, The Grocery Group Founder and CEO Cindy Sorensen interviews Leslie Campbell, customer team leader, Welch’s. Tell me a little bit about you and what do you […]

Posted inBeverage News, Bakery News, Dairy News, Guest Contributors, Marketing News, National, Packaging News, Shelby Originals, Sustainability News

Sorensen: Innovation In Thought Was Lacking This Year

by Cindy Sorensen/founder and CEO, The Grocery Group Each year as I prepare to write my dairy industry “year in review” column, I reflect on the newsworthy events that occurred in the industry in the previous 12 months. This reflection often includes a look back on the following: new product introductions; ingredient, product and package […]

Posted inAssociation News, Executive News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, National, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Wholesaler/Distributor News

UPDATED: ROFDA To Join Forces With NGA Jan. 1

The Retailer Owned Food Distributors & Associates (ROFDA) organization will merge under the National Grocers Association (NGA) umbrella, effective Jan. 1, 2020. The announcement was made this morning at the NGA and ROFDA co-located fall conference in Ponte Vedra Beach, Florida. ROFDA’s current share groups and buying programs will continue to operate under this new […]

Posted inNational, Home Page Slider, Private Label Brands, Shelby Originals, Snacks Brands, Wholesaler/Distributor News

The Private Label Path To The Shelf: UNFI’s Essential Everyday Chips

by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest Editor’s note: The Shelby Report staff toured the Supervalu private brands facility in 2018, just before United Natural Food Inc.’s (UNFI) acquisition of the company. The staff again visited with private brands associates at this year’s UNFI National Expo and found that some of the products that the Shelby team had sampled […]

Posted inWomen In The News, Center Store, Frozen Food, Health & Wellness, Shelby Signature Content, Southwest, Suppliers

People To Watch: Conagra Brands Director Of Sales Wendi Archambault

The Shelby Report and The Grocery Group have introduced a series entitled People to Watch that focuses on current and future leadership in the grocery industry. In this installment, The Grocery Group Founder and CEO Cindy Sorensen interviews Wendi Archambault, director of sales for Conagra Brands.   Tell me a little bit about you and […]

Posted inRecommended Reading, Corporate Store News, Home Page Slider, National

Recommended: Kroger To Lay Off Hundreds, Turnaround Questioned

Kroger is laying off hundreds of employees across the family of grocery stores it owns, a person familiar with the situation tells CNBC. The unionized grocer, which also owns Harris Teeter, Ralphs, Fred Meyer, has 443,000 full-time and part-time employees. A spokeswoman for Kroger told CNBC in a statement that “As part of ongoing talent […]