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 […]
Category: Bonus Content
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 […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Association News, Guest Contributors, National, News
NGA, CGA Help Independents Remain Important Part Of American Economy
As some of the most resilient business owners in the country, independent community grocers know they don’t thrive by working in a vacuum. The strength of our industry comes from its robust sense of unity. Few organizations embody that sense better than the National Grocers Association and the California Grocers Association. By bringing independent retailers […]
Posted inSnacks Brands, Feature, National, News
Hershey Expands Innovation With New Flavors, Formats And Technology
Hershey is keeping its focus on consumer demand with a lineup of new innovations across confections, snacks and better-for-you products. Lindsay McCabe, manager of corporate communications and brand PR for Hershey, recently spoke with The Shelby Report about some new offerings from the company. “One area that we were missing within our confection space was […]
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor of the Year, Affiliated Foods, Anniversary Issues, News, Southwest
Manufacturing Subsidiaries Fuel AFI Membership’s Success, Growth
At Affiliated Foods Inc. (AFI), a member-owned cooperative headquartered in Amarillo, Texas, the value of community-focused manufacturing is front and center. Noma Burr, the company’s chief financial officer, has seen that impact firsthand since joining the organization in 1996. Burr highlighted how AFI’s manufacturing subsidiaries – which include a bakery, dairy, meat processing plant and […]