by Lorrie Griffith/editor–West Northgate González Market, the 41-store Southern California grocery retailer, soon will embark on a four-year pilot test to see whether offering Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) participants financial incentives to purchase fruits and vegetables actually increases their purchase and consumption. The Food Insecurity Nutrition Incentive (FINI) trial is being made possible through […]
Category: Shelby Signature Content
New Marketing Platform Aims To Bring Forecourt Customers Into The Store
by Alissa Marchat/staff writer Sixty-three percent—that’s how many c-store customers “drive up, fuel up and then they drive away without ever going inside the store,” said Bob Bradley, CEO of software-centric media and merchandising company NewsBreak. But Bradley and his team believe that their smart merchandising platform, SHEP, can solve that problem for c-store operators. […]
iFoster Co-Founder Touts Grocery Industry For Support In Creation Of Hiring Program
Serita Cox, executive director and co-founder of iFoster along with her husband Reid Cox, recently chatted with The Shelby Report about the organization, its beginnings and its many accomplishments in just a few short years. She also speaks to how the grocery and foodservice industries helped iFoster create its growing jobs/hiring program. “…The grocery industry […]
Weigel’s Expands With New Kitchens
by Sudie Crouch/contributing writer When customers stop in at Weigel’s, they now can fill up on more than just gas. Earlier this year, Weigel’s introduced quick-service foodservice in five of its locations, offering expanded made-to-order food and beverage offerings. The new concept, called Weigel’s Kitchens, features a menu with made-at-location items like paninis, pizzas, burgers […]
How The American Supermarket Can Best Serve Hispanic And Asian Customers
by Harry Blazer/Food industry consultant and former grocer The Shelby Report asked me to provide some advice to supermarkets regarding how to best serve Asian and Hispanic customers. First of all, there is a distinction to be made between ethnicity and race. Currently, the United States Census Bureau defines six race categories: • White or […]
Clark’s Market In Aspen Gets Floor-To-Ceiling Makeover
by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Southwest They are discreet in Aspen. Sure, celebrities pass through Clark’s Market, and the staff recognizes some of them. Usually they send their chefs, but they do come in from time to time. That’s according to Tom Clark Jr., who is president of the eight-store chain serving western Colorado and eastern Utah. He […]
Stater Bros. Debuts First Simi Valley Store
For decades, Stater Bros. Markets has been trying to make its way to Simi Valley, California. On Wednesday, the grocery chain did as it opened its first Ventura County store at 660 East Los Angeles Avenue. The grand opening and ribbon-cutting ceremony couldn’t have come at a more appropriate time, either, since Stater Bros. officially […]
There Is A Winning Deli/Prepared Foods Strategy For Every Retailer
It’s no small feat to keep up with consumer trends and preferences in a changing retail landscape, but Sarah Schmansky, director of account services for Nielsen-Perishables Group, and Colleen McClellan, director of Datassential, believe that every retailer—big or small—is capable of innovating and staying competitive in their deli and prepared foods department. At this year’s […]
Natural And Organics On The Rise, Legislative ‘Red Tape’ On The Decline In Kentucky
by Alissa Marchat/staff writer From bourbon to fried chicken, Kentucky is known for a number of indulgences, but the Bluegrass State appears to be going “clean” and “green” when it comes to groceries. The state has seen a recent influx of players in the natural and organic grocery segment, including Lucky’s Market, Fresh Thyme Farmers […]
Rouses’ Leader Preps For First Baton Rouge Store Opening As Rebuilding Of Flooded Unit Begins
Donny Rouse stays busy, but his schedule has been especially challenging over the last several days. The managing partner of Rouses Markets, the nearly 50-store chain based in Thibodaux, Louisiana, is getting renovations under way at the grocer’s Denham Springs unit, which was destroyed by the historic and deadly floods that inundated the southern portion of […]
Demographics Don’t Tell The Whole Story…But Store Managers Do
For years, grocery retailers followed a simple formula to identify their key customer. The target was a woman 19 to 49 years old. Why? Because this group most often was married, had children, were homemakers and did the majority of grocery shopping. Their shopping list was usually made up of recipes for family meals. As […]
Greeting Cards In The Grocery Cart?
by Sara Fernández Cendón/Creative Director-Cultural Identity, Hallmark Cards Special to The Shelby Report Why Hispanics are a natural fit for greetings within grocery retail If you cater to Hispanic customers, you already know the facts: Hispanics are frequent visitors to grocery stores and actually enjoy the experience; they favor fresh foods and home-cooked meals; and […]
Grocery Outlet Execs Share ‘Secret Sauce’ Ingredients
Grocery Outlet opened a new location in Costa Mesa in December, adding to its 250-plus store count and venturing for the first time into Southern California. Executives from the company offered a peek behind the curtain into the operations of the chain during a recent Food Industries Sales Managers’ Club (FISMC) event honoring Grocery Outlet. The […]
Bulk Nation President: How We Capture Millennial Shoppers
by Clay Donato/Bulk Nation Special to The Shelby Report The only thing constant in the grocery industry is change; opportunities and challenges will always be fast-moving targets. Capturing and keeping the Millennial market is important now and will continue to be into the future. So our industry should respond. In fact, an operator who is […]
KeHE Distributors Launches Care Trade With Companies That Do Good
During its show in Indianapolis in June, KeHE Distributors launched what it calls its “Care Trade” program. Scott Silverman, VP of growth solutions and own brands, made the announcement with a panel of speakers representing brands that are part of it. “I’ve known their brands as a consumer for quite a while, so we’re really […]
National And Regional Retailers Thrive In Gulf Coast Market
by Alissa Marchat/staff writer Times are still tough and competition, as always, is a challenge for retailers in Louisiana and Mississippi, but that’s not stopping a number of national and regional chains from thriving in those states. From new locations to same-store growth, the outlook for many retailers is positive. Brandon Trosclair, GM and owner […]
Trading Company Stores President: Humor Is A Differentiator
Trading Company Stores President Paul Matejovsky had no intention of being in the grocery business. He grew up in Montana, spending “half my time on a saddle horse and the other half on a tractor. I was going to be a cowboy, baby.” He told those gathered for the ROFDA Spring Conference in Coeur d’Alene, […]
Harry’s Farmers Market Founder Still Speeding Along In Life And Work
Harry Blazer opened his first Harry’s Farmers Market in Alpharetta, Georgia, in 1988. Blazer grew the business into three mega-stores and six Harry’s in a Hurry locations, generating revenues of $140 million and employing 1,200 people. Admitting later that the company expanded so fast it “ran out of runway,” Blazer sold to Whole Foods Market […]
Column: Going Beyond Technology To Empower Organizations
by Brian Miller, Intesource, a PROACTIS company Special to The Shelby Report Technology has long been a valuable asset in sourcing projects. Sourcing technology can enable organizations to be more transparent, foster innovation, drive meaningful improvements in process efficiencies and effectively manage costs. But not all solutions can deliver the specific results you’re after, and […]
Ben’s Soft Pretzels Franchise Eyeing Expansion Through Retail Partnerships
by Alissa Marchat/staff writer Growing from its first humble location in a farmers market booth to a budding national—and maybe even international—brand, Ben’s Soft Pretzels is taking the next steps in its development by partnering with Meijer and Walmart to open in-store locations. Founded in Indiana in 2008 by Ben Miller, an Amish baker; Brian […]
