Shelby Originals | In-Depth Food Industry Stories & Analysis
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HR & Benefits News: Key To Success—Hire & Keep The Best People

HR & Benefits News is a monthly column by Chris Cooley, co-founder of MyHRConcierge and SMB Benefits Advisors. It’s no secret, hiring and keeping workers has significant impact on independent grocers. Its impact is second only to “competition from other retailers” say independent grocers who participated in the 2018 Independent Grocers Financial Survey prepared by […]

Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, Grocery News, Grocery Store Layout, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Produce News, Shelby Content, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Southeast, Store News

Wayfield Foods Unveils Eden Fresh Market Concept Store

Atlanta-based Wayfield Foods has opened a new-format store called Eden Fresh Market. True to its name, the store offers a broader selection of fresh foods than a traditional Wayfield Foods store. Eden Fresh Market is located southwest of Atlanta, at 12160 County Line Road in Fayetteville. It had a soft opening at the end of […]

Posted inRecommended Reading, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Midwest, Shelby Content, Store News

Recommended: Ohio’s Huffman’s Market Sold, Will Remain In Business

After more than three decades in business, the owner of Huffman’s Market in the Tremont Center has sold his store. Tim Huffman, who opened Huffman’s Market with two brothers at 2140 Tremont Center in Upper Arlington in 1987, sold the store to Chicago businessman Raj Patel. The sale was completed July 30. Huffman declined to […]

Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Equipment & Technology, Guest Contributors, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National, Shelby Content

The Top Four Reasons Self-Checkout Fails In Grocery

(And why line-free mobile checkout is the future) by Will Hogben/ CEO, FutureProof Retail The first iteration of what we now call “self-checkout” in the grocery industry was launched at the Food Marketing Institute’s annual convention in 1987. The “Automatic Checkout Machine” was unveiled by a Florida company called CheckRobot, and it was received well, […]

Posted inMarket Profile, Beverage News, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Midwest, Shelby Content, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Store News

Deep Community Roots, Family And Beer Have Kept John’s Grocery Thriving

by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest If only the walls of John’s Grocery could talk. The grocery store has been in business for 70 years, which is impressive for a small, family-owned independent retailer. But the building where John’s Grocery is located has been a cornerstone in Iowa City history going back another 100 years. “Iowa was founded […]

Posted inPackaging News, Beverage News, Grocery News, Guest Contributors, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Midwest, Shelby Content, Shelby Signature Content, Sustainability News

Meet Gen Z: Plastic Water Bottles Bring Landfills To Mind

by Claire Lentsch/a contributor to The Shelby Report The first thing that comes to mind when it comes to landfills is plastic. Although plastic is not the only thing that forms mountains of waste, it is one of the more common things we face in our day-to-day lives. Ads promote the idea of “save the […]

Posted inCalifornia Perspective, Association News, Home Page Latest News, Shelby Content, West

California Perspective: State Showed Its Purple In June Polling

by Ron Fong/president and CEO, California Grocers Association Californians went to the polls in June to determine matchups for November’s General Election. Despite California’s reputation as being solidly blue and progressive, this election showed the shades of purple that exist up and down the state. While a vast majority of Californians remain socially very liberal […]

Posted inRecommended Reading, Grocery Store Layout, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Shelby Content, Southeast, Store News

Recommended: Publix To Renovate Two Florida Stores At $1.9M

Publix Super Markets Inc. continues its store renovations, this round comprising two in north and southwest Jacksonville. Elkins Construction LLC proposes to renovate the store at 731 Duval Station Road at a cost of $975,000 and the store at 9518 Argyle Forest Blvd. at $900,000. The 48,830-square-foot Duval Station Centre store and the 49,600-square-foot OakLeaf […]

Posted inFood Service News, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Recommended Reading, Shelby Content

Recommended: Chef’d Shuts Down Suddenly, Lays Off Workers

Chef’d, a major meal-kit company, suddenly shut down services on Monday. As of Tuesday, customers can no longer place orders on the meal-kit service’s website. According to four sources with knowledge of the situation and an internal email viewed by Business Insider, the company alerted employees that it was immediately ceasing operations on Monday. Chef’d’s […]

Posted inShelby Content, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Market Profile, Midwest

More Help Is Available For Kansas’ Struggling Rural Grocers

by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest Many independent grocers in Kansas’ rural communities struggle to remain open. This year alone, at least five independent grocers already have closed, according to David Procter, director of the Center for Engagement and Community Development (CECD) at Kansas State University (KSU). “We know of several stores that have closed this year, so […]

Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Amazon Fresh, Grocery News, Guest Contributors, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Marketing News, National, Shelby Content, Whole Foods

AI-Enabled Personalized Marketing Will Drive FMCG Forward

By Mike Bristol/VP Personalized Marketing, Symphony RetailAI Sometimes, the world seems to just turn too quickly; work projects kick into overdrive, kids’ schedules get too hectic, and even taking the time to pick out a somewhat healthy meal at the grocery store seems like a daunting task. As both consumers and busy, complex people, many […]

Posted inShelby Signature Content, Grocery Store Layout, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Market Profile, Shelby Content, Shelby Originals, Southwest, Store News

Junior’s Super Market Readies For The Future

Junior’s Super Market is a seven-store chain based in Pharr, Texas, where it now operates three stores: one Junior’s Express and two Junior’s Super Market locations. Other locations in the Rio Grande Valley include Edinburg, San Juan, Hidalgo, Penitas and Alton. The Shelby Report’s Jan Meade caught up with owner Felix Chavez Jr. for a […]

Posted inRecommended Reading, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Shelby Content, Southeast, Wholesaler/Distributor News

Recommended: C&S Wholesale Laying Off 328 At Orlando Warehouse

Grocery distributor C&S Wholesale Services Inc. has told state officials it plans to lay off 328 workers at its Orlando warehouse. C&S has filed a layoff notice with the state, saying it plans to lay off the workers between Aug. 27 and Sept. 10. A representative with C&S did not respond to requests for comment. […]

Posted inShelby Content, Home Page Latest News, National, The Independent Perspective

Survey Shows Independent Grocers Feeling Optimistic About 2018

by Peter Larkin/ president and CEO, National Grocers Association Special to The Shelby Report With the explosion of new formats and competitors in the marketplace, alongside some continued food deflation, 2017 was a challenging year for independent supermarket operators. However, as the true entrepreneurs of the industry, independent grocers are responding in innovative ways to these challenges […]

Posted inRecommended Reading, Corporate Store News, Grocery Store Layout, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Shelby Content, Southeast, Store News

Recommended: Southeastern Grocers To Upgrade 100 Stores This Year

Now that Southeastern Grocers successfully reorganized its finances in a Chapter 11 bankruptcy process, customers will see the supermarket operator ramp up its pace of store upgrades, CEO Anthony Hucker said Thursday. “We’re now able to move with a much more powerful velocity,” Hucker said in an interview after the company unveiled a newly remodeled […]

Posted inIndustry News, Guest Contributors, Home Page Latest News, National, Shelby Content

HR & Benefits News: Feds Step Up I-9 Audits—Be Ready

Editor’s note: HR & Benefits News is a monthly column by Chris Cooley, co-founder of MyHRConcierge and SMB Benefits Advisors. It’s The Law “All U.S. Employers must ensure proper completion of Form I-9 for each individual they hire for employment in the United States. This includes citizens and noncitizens.” –U.S. Citizen and Immigration Services, U.S. Department of […]

Posted inFood Service News, Grocery News, Guest Contributors, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National, Shelby Content

What QSRs Can Teach Grocers

by Howland Blackiston/ principal, King-Casey As groceries and supermarkets step into the brave, new world of branded, proprietary food offerings, they quickly learn that they have a whole new set of competitors—specifically, QSRs and fast-casual restaurants. But that’s not all bad news. QSRs have served their market for 50-plus years, which means that grocers can shortcut […]

Posted inShelby Content, Association News, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Midwest, Produce News, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Suppliers

Indiana Grown Makes Life‑Changing Connections For Producers

by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest Austin and Kristen Witt have been growing blackberries on their District 6 Farm in Jasonville, Indiana, since 2015. It isn’t easy to grow blackberries in the state, but for the Witts, it was a lot easier than selling them. “This is all new to us,” said Austin Witt. “I didn’t even know […]

Posted inGuest Contributors, Albertsons, Amazon Fresh, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National, Shelby Content, Shelby Signature Content, Store News, Whole Foods

With Retail Store Openings Down And Closings Up, Employees Appreciate Leadership

by Art Patch/a retired retail executive & regular columnist for The Shelby Report There is so much happening in retail businesses, it’s no wonder employees are concerned about their future. Most distressing is a recent industry study by Jones Lang LaSalle showing new store openings down 28.8 percent in 2017. Most of us follow the […]