by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest Jon McCormick told the state House taxation committee in February that the Kansas Food Dealers Association (KFDA) has lost 150 stores in the last 20 years. He then gave a short list of reasons why that happened that included the usual suspects, like competition from Walmart, dollar stores and Aldi, but— perhaps […]
Category: Shelby Originals
Lucky’s Market Apothecary Department Offers Health, Wellness Options
by Treva Bennett/staff writer As many grocery shoppers continue to turn toward foods that are natural, or have clean labels, they also are looking for clean products in the area of health and wellness. Sindy Wise said she saw the trend starting to emerge right around the time Lucky’s Market was opening its new store […]
Faith And Community Keep Versailles Hometown IGA Prosperous
2019 Indiana Market Profile by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest Robert Wood evidently was meant to be a grocer. A grocer in Versailles. He was a contractor for years, building foundations and bridges. His father had an implement dealership that he and his wife, Dotty, worked with for five years. After that, they started a bulk food business […]
Exclusive: Buche Foods Opens Needed Store On Pine Ridge Indian Reservation
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest (see more photos at end of story) The Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in South Dakota is home to the Oglala Lakota Tribe. It is located a little west of Buche Foods’ normal territory, but the grocery company always is looking to grow. Besides, Buche Foods already operates a grocery store on the […]
North Florida Profile: Region’s Economy Offers Opportunities For Growth
by Treva Bennett/staff writer The North Florida economy is strong and getting stronger, as the Sunshine State continues to grow in population, job opportunities and tourism. Jacksonville.com, citing an “Elevate Northeast Florida” report, recently said the Jacksonville area could become the “highest performing economy in the country” over the next five years. The report recommended […]
People To Watch: Harps’ Sarah Thacker
The Shelby Report and The Grocery Group have introduced a new series entitled People to Watch that focuses on current and future leadership in the grocery industry. In this third installment, The Grocery Group Founder and CEO Cindy Sorensen interviews Sarah Thacker, advertising manager for Harps Food Stores. Sorensen’s questions are in bold. Tell […]
Central Co-op Focuses On Making A Difference In The Community
by Treva Bennett/staff writer It all comes down to making a difference in the community. When she started her job as CEO of Seattle’s Central Co-op on March 25, Catherine Willis Cleveland said she felt as if she had come full circle in her career. After almost dying in a climbing accident in Nepal when […]
A Red-Letter Day For H-E-B In Houston’s The Heights
H-E-B President Scott McClelland said there was a lot of pressure on him to get the new 92,000-s.f. store at 2300 Shepherd Drive in Houston’s The Heights just right. “My daughter lives in The Heights,” McClelland told The Shelby Report’s Jan Meade on opening day. “She told me, ‘Dad, if you really love me, you’ll […]
Henderson’s IGA An ‘Oasis’ For Visitors, Vital To Community
2019 Nebraska Market Profile by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest If you visit the Facebook page of Henderson’s IGA in Valentine—and you should—don’t be surprised to see Clint Eastwood. He stars in a “Fistful of Brats.” Humphrey Bogart is in another video (well, his profile anyway) titled “Burgers of the Sierra Madre.” Notable quote: “Burgers? We don’t need […]
Cropping Up: Strange Bedfellows And Grocery Stores In Unexpected Places
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Southwest Stores of all stripes are downsizing, including grocery and department stores. Some are shrinking and offering the extra space to other types of retail formats. The relationship between Kohl’s and Aldi is a case in point. In March of last year, Kohl’s announced a partnership with Aldi, the German grocer, to sublet […]
Souto Foods Opens New Warehouse In Norcross, Georgia
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 […]
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 […]
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. […]
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 […]
