Souto Foods Wholesale & Distributors opened its new warehouse in Norcross, Georgia, this week. Sebastian Souto, president of the company, told The Shelby Report that the warehouse has nearly 60,000 s.f. of space, with 10,000 s.f. of that refrigerated. The facility can be expanded by another 30,000 s.f. as needed, he said. “We are looking to […]
Category: Shelby Content
Exclusive, in-depth stories from the Shelby team. Explore Food Industry features, market profiles, and unique perspectives from industry leaders.
A Look At Some Best Practices For Retailer Labor Productivity
It is critically important for retailers to monitor the productivity of their associates. Labor productivity measures the output of store associates over a specific period of time. Tracking measures such as sales per labor hour or scans per minute will ensure that a retailer is getting the most of his/her labor dollars. Low productivity rates […]
Recommended: Rowe Buys Former Baymeadows Winn-Dixie In Jax
Veteran grocery store owner Rob Rowe bought the closed Winn-Dixie in Baymeadows and is assessing what to do with it – open another Rowe’s IGA supermarket or keep the property for another use. Buying it – for $3.7 million – was the first step. “I had to get that done first,” he said. “I have […]
The United Family Brings Texas-Born Culture To New Mexico Stores
The United Family’s parent company, Albertsons, handed United the reins to its stores in New Mexico in September 2014. Since then, United has worked to bring the culture it perfected in West Texas to the Land of Enchantment. “Your biggest fear is your culture, because you can integrate the systems and you can change the […]
Specialty Products Have Always Had A Home At Kaune’s In Santa Fe
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Southwest Kaune’s Neighborhood Market—and as stated on the company’s website, “if you’ve ever known a Connie, you can say Kaune’s”—is a small boutique grocery that has been in operation in Santa Fe since 1896. According to a story in Specialty Food Magazine, founder Henry Spencer Kaune, who was from Illinois, was known for […]
Grocers Need to Plumb Their Data To Better Understand Shoppers
by Sy Fahimi/SVP-Product Strategy, Symphony RetailAI Grocery retail is going through a significant reinvention as we continue to move into the era of the consumer. Retailers can succeed in 2019 by keeping data at the core of every practice in order to better understand their shoppers. Historically, retailers have large amounts of data, such as […]
URM Continues Upgrading Operations, Adding New Members
Ray Sprinkle, president and CEO of URM in Spokane, Washington, sat down in mid-November with Shelby Publishing’s president and publisher, Ron Johnston, at Sprinkle’s office in Spokane. URM Stores Inc., formerly called United Retail Merchants, began in 1921 when five retailers banded together to form a corporation. Today, URM comprises many more retailers than that, […]
Rural North Dakota Grocers May Soon Get Help From The U.S. Postal Service
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest The Republican Party dominates state politics in North Dakota. With large majorities in both the House and Senate, state politics can be somewhat predictable, said John “Jiggs” Dyste, president and CEO of the North Dakota Grocers Association (NDGA). But North Dakota is different from most other states in at least one way. […]
Recommended: Smart & Final Explores Sale, Sources Say
By Harry Brumpton and Joshua Franklin (Reuters) – Smart & Final Stores Inc (SFS.N), a U.S. food retailer controlled by private equity firm Ares Management Corp (ARES.N), is exploring options that include a sale of the company, according to people familiar with the matter. An outright sale would allow Ares to cash out on its […]
A Reawakening At Borden: Executives Plan Company’s Next Chapter
Tony Sarsam was looking for what he called the next “great adventure,” and he has found it at Borden Dairy. Now CEO of the Dallas-based company, Sarsam most recently was CEO of Los Angeles-based Ready Pac. Prior to that, he honed his turnaround skills at PepsiCo. He not only has the experience doing it, but […]
Now-Thriving Arizona Seeing Grocers Investing In Stores And Growth
by Treva Bennett/staff writer Competition is alive and well in the Arizona grocery industry, and it looks to become even more so in the future. With a strong economy and growing population, Arizona—one of the hardest-hit states during the recession—is becoming more attractive to national retailers, according to Tim McCabe, president of the Arizona Food […]
Alabama’s Economy Bolstering All Kinds Of Businesses, Including Grocery
by Treva Bennett/staff writer Home to the Rocket Capital of the World in Huntsville, the state of Alabama is blasting off in terms of its business climate. Overall, Site Selection ranked Alabama No. 8 in its 2018 Business Climate analysis, tied with Indiana. Another economic development-focused publication, Business Facilities, ranked the state No. 1 for […]
Recommended: Peter Magowan, Key Leader Of SF Giants And Safeway, Dies
Peter A. Magowan, the charismatic Safeway supermarket magnate and San Francisco Giants owner and executive who fought off relocation of the team and spearheaded construction of their waterfront ballpark, died Sunday afternoon at his home in Pacific Heights. Magowan had been ill for several years, undergoing surgeries for prostate and liver cancer, and had recently […]
N.J. Food Council President Reviews 2018 At Outset Of 2019
Linda Doherty, president of the New Jersey Food Council, looked at what happened in the past year in preparation for this new year. Not much in Trenton surprises me, but occasionally the unexpected arises that has an impact on our membership. Case in point were two significant issues we faced heading into the year. When […]
Keep Waste Removal Process Going During Severe Weather
by Michael Hess/Founder, President and CEO, Waste Harmonics Winter weather hits and before you know it, garbage piles up resulting in dangerous and unsightly conditions. Within hours, garbage and recycling headaches can deter you from your day. As a reliable source of food and merchandise, you need to be ready to serve the needs of […]
Cash Is Here To Stay—How To Deal With Rising Handling Costs
by David Johnson/Director of Business Development, G4S Retail Solutions Retail and finance experts are fond of proclaiming that cash usage in retail and restaurants is “dying” or even “dead,” and many point to the growth of credit and debit cards, the emergence of mobile payments and an increase in conversations around restaurants, grocers and other […]
An Interview With Topco’s Liebich About Leadership
The Shelby Report and The Grocery Group this month introduce a new column series called “Emerging Leaders” that focuses on current and future leadership in the grocery industry. In this first installment, The Grocery Group Founder and CEO Cindy Sorensen interviews Jamie Liebich, dairy category director for Topco. Sorensen’s questions are in bold. Jamie, congratulations […]
Piggly Wiggly’s Bullard Got Education In More Than One Form In The Army
ROFDA Member: Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Co. Editor’s note: The following is a portion of 2018’s ROFDA Report honoring ROFDA vets. The full report is available in the December 2018 editions of The Shelby Report. David Bullard, president and CEO of Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Co. (PWADC), took a break from college to serve in […]
HR & Benefits News: 2019 HR Compliance Checklist
HR & Benefits News is a monthly column by Chris Cooley, co-founder of MyHRConcierge and SMB Benefits Advisors. As we begin a new year in 2019 and approach the end of a decade, the grocery industry and the workplace in general is changing and growing at an unprecedented rate. By the year 2020, there will be five generations […]
The Griffin Report Of The Northeast’s 2018 Year In Review
New store concepts, new executives and some financial setbacks marked the top 10 news stories in the Northeast region over the past year. 1. UNFI acquires Supervalu United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) in October finalized its acquisition of Supervalu in a deal worth about $2.9 billion. The deal first was announced July 26. Providence, Rhode Island-based […]
