Like many who grew up in family-owned and -operated grocery stores, Crest Foods President Bruce Harroz got his start in the business at an early age. He was just 12 when he began working in his father’s store in Midwest City, Oklahoma, part of the Oklahoma City metro area. “The apron was too long, so […]
Category: Retailer of the Year
Posted inIndependent Store News, Northeast, Retailer of the Year, Wakefern
Stigers Using All Career Experiences To Lead Wakefern Food Corp.
Mike Stigers is in his second year of serving as president of Wakefern Food Corp., a role he feels he was preparing for throughout his five-decade career in the grocery industry. Stigers started out as a part-time courtesy clerk at Safeway in California in 1974. Over the years, in subsequent roles in retail and wholesale, […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Northeast, Retailer of the Year, Wakefern
Wakefern – Powering Success Of Membership For Nearly Eight Decades
Wakefern President Mike Stigers took to the stage Oct. 17 at the Hilton in Parsippany, New Jersey, for Wakefern Food Corp.’s Annual Meeting. In the ballroom audience and tuning in virtually were thousands of retail and corporate team members who came together to hear important business updates from leadership and plans for the next year. […]
Posted inFood Lion, Corporate Store News, Retailer of the Year, Southeast
Food Lion Strategy Creates Culture Of Belonging
Fostering a caring and inclusive workplace has been a priority for more than three decades at Food Lion, The Shelby Report’s 2024 Southeast Retailer of the Year. Linda Johnson, SVP of human resources and communications, said Food Lion’s commitment goes beyond words, creating a culture that extends to customers, communities and their entire associate base. […]
Posted inFood Lion, Corporate Store News, Retailer of the Year, Southeast
‘Proud To Be An Omnichannel Retailer,’ Food Lion Delivers Value To Shoppers
Food Lion, a grocery store chain with a presence in 10 Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern states, makes continuous enhancements to meet the evolving needs of its customers. Greg Finchum, EVP of retail operations for the grocer, which is The Shelby Report’s 2024 Southeast Retailer of the Year, outlined the focus on being a leading omnichannel retailer […]
Posted inFood Lion, Corporate Store News, Home Page Latest News, Retailer of the Year, Southeast
Food Lion Focuses On ‘Easy, Fresh And Affordable’ Experience
Food Lion, a grocery store chain with 1,109 stores across 10 states in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern U.S., remains focused on providing an “easy, fresh and affordable” shopping experience for its customers. Key initiatives include store remodels, technology upgrades and community engagement through the company’s Food Lion Feeds program. The company has been named The […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Cosentino's Food Stores, Midwest, Retailer of the Year
Cosentino’s Cultivating Community Through Giving, Local Partnerships
Being a part of the community is one of the core missions at Cosentino’s. From schools and sports teams to town holiday events, the Cosentino Charity Foundation helps support many groups and causes. The company also is a key supporter of local businesses, featuring many of their products in-store. As most philanthropic groups tend to […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, Cosentino's Food Stores, Independent Store News, Midwest
Relationships, Customer Service Remain Cosentino’s Hallmarks
The first Cosentino’s Market was on the east side of Kansas City. Brothers Jerry and Jim Cosentino had recently returned to Kansas City from serving their country during World War II and were trying to determine what to do next. They took a gamble and bought a small grocery store in Blue Ridge. With no […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, Cosentino's Food Stores, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Midwest
Generations Strong, Cosentino’s Food Stores Building Success On Old-Time Values
Many retailers believe that to succeed in business they need to focus on future-forward goals and distance themselves from the old ways of doing things. For family-run Cosentino’s Food Stores, The Shelby Report of the Midwest’s 2024 Retailer of the Year, leveraging how business was done in the past has played a central role in […]
Posted inHarps Food Stores, Independent Store News, Retailer of the Year, Southwest
Harps’ Culture Sparks Further Growth With Recent Acquisitions
Harps Food Stores had “a bunch of irons in the fire in 2023,” according to Chairman and CEO Kim Eskew. Those “irons” are among the reasons the Springdale, Arkansas-based company has been named The Shelby Report of the Southwest’s 2023 Retailer of the Year. Harps added 34 net new locations and moved into two additional […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, Independent Store News, Northeast
Rebranding As Market 32 Rooted In Past, Focused On Future
In the ever-shifting grocery industry, retailers need to evolve or become irrelevant. Schenectady, New York-based Price Chopper/ Market 32 – The Shelby Report of the Northeast’s Retailer of the Year – is no exception. The Public Service Market in Green Island, New York, was founded in 1932 by brothers Ben and Bill Golub. Three more […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, Midwest, Sustainability News
Fareway Committed To Community, Giving Back In Many Ways
By Carol Radice As a Midwest grocery company, being a partner in the community is important to the leadership team at Fareway. From supporting volunteerism to environmental stewardship, the grocer is heavily devoted to the neighborhoods in which it operates. Some companies simply donate money to community causes, but at Fareway giving back and community […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, Midwest
Labor-Saving Measures Allows Fareway’s Supply Chain To Shine
By Carol Radice As a company that competes against some formidable grocery chains, many of which are much larger, making every penny count is critical. Fareway’s finely-tuned supply chain plays a critical role in helping accomplish this. From its labor-saving and cost-cutting measures to its impressive, modern warehouse, logistics operation and self-distribution model, the company […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, Midwest
Fareway CEO: Customer Experiences, In-Store Interactions Key To Building Trust
by Carol Radice A reputation of offering top-notch customer service is important for most retailers, but for Fareway this the heart of what makes it stand apart. From its famous meat counter with packaged and cut-to-order meats to car carryout service and everything in between, Fareway focuses on making the customer experience a special one. […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, Independent Store News, Midwest
Train And Retain – Fareway Investing ‘In Our People’
By Carol Radice Throughout its many years in business, Fareway has worked hard to establish a culture that encourages and motivates employees to do well. One could say, in fact, that being an employee-focused company is a central part of Fareway’s overall store mission. According to Garrett Piklapp, president, Fareway’s people, extensive training programs and […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, Home Page Latest News, Midwest
Rooted In Iowa, Fareway Expanding Across Midwest
By Carol Radice Fareway opened its first grocery store in 1938 in Boone, Iowa. While much has changed at this Midwest chain over the past 85 years, many things have remained the same. The leadership team – headed by CEO Reynolds Cramer, who is the fourth generation in his family to run the company – has […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, West
New Seasons Market Plans New Stores, Freshens Others
New Seasons Market, The Shelby Report of the West’s Retailer of the Year, has been updating its stores across its soon to be 20 locations, while four more are slated to open in the next three years. For the company’s recognition, EVP Bob Reeves visited multiple stores to get a glimpse of what the future […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, West
New Seasons Markets Boasts Track Record Of Valuing, Supporting Staff
New Seasons Market, The Shelby Report of the West’s Retailer of the Year, strives to be the ultimate neighborhood grocery store. This goal is not only for customers but staff as well. “We take good care of our staff, and they take good care of our customers. The care our customers feel when they shop […]
Posted inRetailer of the Year, West
New Seasons Market Strives To Improve Social, Environmental Efforts
New Seasons Market, The Shelby Report of the West’s Retailer of the Year, is the nation’s first grocer to be B Corporation certified. Certified B-Corps are businesses that meet the highest standards of verified social and environmental performance, public transparency and legal accountability to balance profit and purpose. New Seasons Market, like other B-Corps, undergoes […]
Posted inWoman Executive of the Year, Home Page Latest News, Retailer of the Year, West
New Seasons Market CEO Lebold Relishing Return To Pacific Northwest
(Editor’s note: Bob Reeves, Shelby Publishing’s EVP West, recently visited with Nancy Lebold, CEO of Oregon-based New Seasons Market and the Woman Executive of the Year for the West. Their discussion appears below.) Thank you so much for joining us. Before we dig in, our readers would like to get to know you a bit […]