Posted inCalifornia Perspective, Association News, Bonus Content, Home Page Latest News, Shelby Signature Content, West

California Perspective: Relationship-Building Plays Important Role In The Political Process

by Ron Fong/president and CEO, California Grocers Association Success in government relations often is rooted in the connections developed with legislators over the years. While politics, and lobbying specifically, is by its nature an adversarial pursuit, good government relations separate the conflict from the person you conflict with. Legislation comes and goes, but legislators stay […]

Posted inBeverage News, Bonus Content, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Market Profile, Midwest, Shelby Exclusives, Shelby Signature Content

Indiana Now Has Sunday Sales, Which Is…Great?

by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest Anyone who wanted to grab a cold beer on Sunday in Indiana was out of luck until March of this year. That is when a state law took effect allowing Sunday alcohol sales. Now a customer can get a cold one on Sunday, but only from a liquor store. Grocery, drug and […]

Posted inDairy News, Bonus Content, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, National, Shelby Signature Content

Consumers’ Expectations In Dairy Products Changing

The list is long of what consumers are demanding from their dairy product favorites, including qualities like sugar reduction, value-added ingredients, portability and clean labels. The themes play out across dairy’s four leading categories: cultured products, cheese, milk and ice cream. According to the National Dairy Council (NDC), nutrition experts agree that it is best […]

Posted inDairy News, Bonus Content, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Shelby Exclusives, Shelby Signature Content, Southwest, Suppliers

Lovera’s In Krebs, Oklahoma, Makes Award-Winning ‘Approachable’ Cheese

by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Southwest Caciocavera is the signature cheese of Lovera’s Handcrafted Foods in Krebs, Oklahoma. The name is a play on the Italian caciocavallo (literally “horse cheese”). It keeps with a tradition born in Southern Italy some 500 years before Christ walked the earth. Cheeses were tied one to the other and transported to market […]

Posted inSnacks Brands, Bonus Content, Grocery Industry, Grocery News, Grocery Store Layout, Home Page Latest News, National, Shelby Signature Content, Suppliers

Mars Wrigley’s Front-End Plan Can Bring ‘Instant’ Double‑Digit Growth

by Terrie Ellerbee/editor-Midwest & Southwest As food retailers know very well, the majority of consumers no longer eat three sit-down meals every day. They are snacking instead. It is no surprise, then, that the fastest-growing category in the check lane is snacks. Yet snacks only get about 8 percent of the space there, Rimsha Baig, […]

Posted inROFDA Reports, Amazon Fresh, Bonus Content, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Shelby Signature Content, Southeast, Special Section, Store News, Whole Foods

Flexibility Has Kept Alabama Grocer Thriving For 50 Years

Gene Lawrence began his grocery career on a bicycle. Back in the early 1960s, he delivered groceries to people’s homes when he worked for an independent grocer in Montgomery, Alabama. About 1964, he went to work for Hudson-Thompson wholesale grocers there in Montgomery. He worked in produce, stocking and checking, and they trained him in […]

Posted inSnacks Brands, Bonus Content, Grocery News, Guest Contributors, Home Page Latest News, Midwest, Shelby Signature Content

Meet Gen Z: Snacking Is Convenient, Efficient And Preferred By Younger Consumers

by Claire Lentsch/a contributor to The Shelby Report Editor’s note: Shelby Midwest Editor Terrie Ellerbee met Claire Lentsch at the 2017 Supervalu National Expo in St. Paul, Minnesota. Lentsch was invited to share her perspective as a member of Generation Z (born since the mid-1990s) and a consumer. Snacking is replacing family meals. A lack […]

Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Bonus Content, Grocery Industry, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Marketing News, National, Shelby Signature Content

IGA Is ‘Upbranding’ Before Switch To Digital-First Marketing

Shoppers will always want three things from their local grocery store: value, convenience and selection. Those have been the top three attributes shoppers have sought out for many decades. What has changed over time are the qualities that come next, said IGA President and CEO John Ross. “You start asking them ‘what would make a […]