Jim and Carmen Diehl are true independent supermarket operators, running three stores in the northeast corner of Wyoming and helping to keep their small towns viable. Jim and Carmen each have been in the industry for more than 30 years and own Diehl’s Supermarket in Moorcroft, Joe’s Food Center in Upton and Paradise Foods in […]
Category: Shelby Content
Exclusive, in-depth stories from the Shelby team. Explore Food Industry features, market profiles, and unique perspectives from industry leaders.
Calif. Governor Signs Landmark Carryout Bag Legislation
After years of work, California grocers scored a major victory Tuesday with Gov. Jerry Brown’s signature on Senate Bill 270—a measure that creates a consistent, statewide standard for regulation of carryout bags. More than 120 local jurisdictions have enacted their own regulatory schemes, many with slight variations. The patchwork has become confusing for grocery retailers […]
CGA’s Fong Pleased With Strategic Conference 2014
Ron Fong, president and CEO of the California Grocers Association (CGA), spoke with The Shelby Report’s VP-West, Bob Reeves, during the CGA Strategic Conference Sept. 21-23. It was the conference’s third year in Palm Springs, and “I think it’s the best one this year,” Fong said. “A little over 850 attendees, which is better than […]
What Makes A Business A Great Place To Work?
While the state of the U.S. economy has changed substantially since 2000, the state of the American workplace has not. Currently, 30 percent of the U.S. workforce is engaged in their work, and the ratio of engaged to actively disengaged employees is roughly 2 to 1, meaning that the vast majority of U.S. workers (70 […]
Kentucky City’s Public Fuel Sales Draw Ire From Industry
It’s long been said that everyone wants to sell groceries. In Kentucky, everyone wants to sell fuel. At least that’s the impression that’s being given as the city of Somerset began public fuel sales July 17 from facilities that once only fueled its vehicle fleet. “…They have expanded that facility to where now they are […]
Woman Executive Of The Year 2014: Unified Grocers’ Sue Klug
Sue Klug is perhaps the best-known woman in the West Coast food industry. The 54-year-old Unified Grocers executive started in the business at Vons as Susan Lawmaster in her early 20s. She went on to work at Lucky Stores before joining Catalina Marketing and later Albertsons/Supervalu. Prior to coming on board with Unified in late […]
Rose Mitchell’s Influence Will Have Impact For Years To Come
Rose Mitchell was the first woman in the history of West Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee Inc. to be named an officer of the company. That happened in 1992. Three years later, the company that was founded in 1930 named her to the board of directors, another first for a woman executive. Had she not gone […]
The Year Of The Pet
2014 may be the Year of the Horse in the Chinese calendar, and while horses can be considered pets, I’m pronouncing 2014 the Year of the Pet. In 2012, there were an estimated 157,141,000 dogs, cats, birds and horses in the U.S. So why do I think 2014 should be the Year of the Pet? […]
Format Agility Helps Brookshire Brothers Meet Community Needs
Brookshire Brothers expanded its supermarket count by five and convenience operations by six stores over the last year. Jerry Johnson, president and CEO, uses the word “vibrant” to describe the state of the Lufkin-based company, and 2014 looks promising as well. Projects include rebuilding an Apple Springs facility destroyed last year and incorporating a North […]
Schnucks 75th Anniversary Special Feature
Schnucks is celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2014.
A Congressional Year In Review And A Look To Future Action
Similar to 2012, this past year’s themes encompassed those of partisan gridlock and legislative uncertainty, making it another challenging year for our industry. While the so-called “fiscal cliff” was averted in the very early hours of 2013, Americans experienced a partial government shutdown for the first time in more than a decade. Many issues, including […]
Conquering That Pesky Millennial Generation
by Kristen Cloud/staff writer Millennials, as retailers have come to discover, are a tough collective nut to crack. The group includes those born between 1977 and 1995 and also is referred to as Gen Y. There are 79.8 million Gen Yers and, while they may be the children of Baby Boomers, they pose […]
A Light At The End Of The WIC Moratorium Tunnel?
by Ron Fong, CGA president/CEO For The Shelby Report California continues to suffer under an indefinite moratorium on new WIC vendor authorizations. The issue remains one of the most critical facing California’s retail grocers. The California Grocers Association (CGA) has taken a multi-pronged approach in an attempt to help the California WIC Department and the […]
Store Brands Play Major Role In Retailer Brand-Building
by Rick Rusch For The Shelby Report Private label or store brand foods have grown explosively. No news there! Private label food and beverage sales surpassed $98 billion in the United States in 2011, according to Packaged Facts figures from October 2012. Take a quick look at the facts: • Between 2006 and 2009, private […]
How AWG Formed The Consortium That Landed Belle Foods
by Kristen Cloud/staff writer How did Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) manage to put together the consortium that will buy 43 Belle Foods stores across three states? David Smith, SVP and Gulf Coast Division manager for AWG, says it’s due to the determination of the co-op’s members. Birmingham, Ala.-based Belle Foods filed for bankruptcy July 1. […]
Staying On Top Means Always Looking Ahead
by Brian Numainville Special to The Shelby Report We live in a world of rapid change. As technology continues to evolve, new retail concepts come to light and innovative ideas surface, what does the future hold for food retailers? I recently reflected on some interesting concepts and ideas that have the possibility to impact our […]
Southern Season Opens In Mt. Pleasant, S.C.
A Southern-style emporium featuring cooking classes, a specialty grocery store, a restaurant and more is now open for business in Mt. Pleasant, S.C. Live 5 WCSC reports that Southern Season, located at 730 Coleman Blvd., is holding a grand opening celebration through Sept. 22. The festivities include live music, cooking demos, tastings and a “Southern […]
A Difficult Personnel Decision Some Executives Can’t Make
The recent series of events that led to the termination of Rutgers University’s head basketball coach, Mike Rice, brought to the forefront an issue faced by many executives. For those of you that missed the story, Coach Rice was secretly filmed conducting what for him was a typical practice. The issue was that for Coach […]
