Wakefern Food Corp. has promoted Chris Ruane to director of Own Brands. In his new role, Ruane will focus on advancing product innovation, optimizing assortment, strengthening supplier partnerships and delivering quality and value across brands including Bowl & Basket, Wholesome Pantry and Paperbird. He will report to Chief Sales Officer Darren Caudill. “Chris’s deep industry […]
Category: Featured News
Posted inCorporate Store News, Featured News, National, News, Whole Foods
Whole Foods Market Bringing Daily Shop Concept To 3 U.S. Markets
Whole Foods Market will be adding its smaller format store concept, Whole Foods Market Daily Shop, to Boston, Chicago and Philadelphia over the next two years, continuing the brand’s expansion of the format into dense urban neighborhoods. Whole Foods Market Daily Shop stores feature a streamlined footprint, with an emphasis on product selection and an […]
Posted inFinance News, Featured News, Grocery Research, National, News
NRF: Retail Sales Rose For Seventh Consecutive Month In April
Retail sales grew for the seventh straight month in April despite rising gas prices and persistent inflation, according to the CNBC/NRF Retail Monitor released May 13 by the National Retail Federation. Total retail sales, excluding automobile dealers and gasoline stations, rose 0.34 percent month over month on a seasonally adjusted basis and 5.73 percent year […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, National, Natural Grocers, News
23 Natural Grocers Stores In 12 States Marking 10th Anniversary
Natural Grocers is celebrating the 1oth anniversary of 23 stores in 12 states across the country with exclusive discounts and in-store festivities. From May 17-23, customers can join the celebration with special {N}power member-only deals. Since opening the stores in 2016, Natural Grocers has become a source of high-quality affordable organic and natural groceries, supplements […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Coborn's, Featured News, Midwest, News
Hornbacher’s Marks 75 Years In ND’s Red River Valley
Hornbacher’s marked its 75th anniversary April 21 with a celebration honoring its roots in North Dakota’s Red River Valley and commitment to supporting communities, producers and organizations. The event featured a ribbon cutting, live entertainment and product samples. Since its founding in 1951, Hornbacher’s has been connected to the communities it serves. That commitment continues […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Executive News, Featured News, National, News
Gopal Joins Ahold Delhaize USA To Lead Data, AI Strategy
Ahold Delhaize USA has appointed Vipin Gopal as SVP, serving as chief data and artificial intelligence officer for the U.S. businesses. Reporting to Chief Information Officer Ann Dozier, Gopal will lead data, analytics and AI strategy and advance Ahold Delhaize USA’s efforts to further embed data-driven decision-making and AI capabilities into its business. He will […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Featured News, National, News
Amazon Now Expands Ultra-Fast Delivery Across The U.S.
Amazon has rolled out its ultra-fast delivery service, Amazon Now, to customers throughout the U.S. Amazon Now provides thousands of fresh groceries, everyday household essentials and locally-relevant items in about 30 minutes or less. It is widely available in Atlanta, Dallas-Fort Worth, Philadelphia and Seattle, and is expanding in dozens more cities, including Austin and […]
Posted inProduce News, Corporate Store News, Featured News, News, Southwest
The United Family Donates 50K Pounds Of Apples For Hunger Program
As part of the 16th Take a Bite Out of Hunger program, The United Family donated more than 50,000 pounds of apples throughout April to food banks and food pantries in Texas and New Mexico. Thanks to the partnership between The United Family and FirstFruits Farms, more than 650,000 pounds of apples have been donated […]
Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, Featured News, News, Southeast
Kueffner: NC Grocers Maneuvering To Meet Regulatory Rules, Consumer Needs
Lindsey Kueffner, executive director of the Carolinas Food Industry Council, is in the midst of a busy legislative season in North Carolina that got under way April 21. Nevertheless, she took time to respond to questions from The Shelby Report of the Southeast’s Lorrie Griffith about the state’s grocery industry and some of the challenges […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Feature, Featured News, News, Southeast, Walmart
Walmart Blanketing Southeast With Remodeled Supercenters, Additional Locations
On April 16, Walmart announced its plans for remodels and new locations in markets across the country. A total of 650 remodels is planned, along with 20 new store locations this year and early into 2027. “This year, we are making a significant investment in our stores across the United States, reinforcing our commitment to […]
Posted inFinance News, Association News, Featured News
Report: Independent Grocers Generate $557.5B In Annual Economic Activity
According to a new economic impact analysis released today by the National Grocers Association, independent supermarket operators generate $557.5 billion in total annual economic activity, representing nearly 2 percent of U.S. gross domestic product. The report, conducted by Arizona State University using store-level retail sales data from NielsenIQ’s TDLinx platform, found that independent grocers account […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, News, West
Market of Choice Completes Basics Market Acquisition, Plans Store Refresh
Market of Choice has completed its acquisition of Basics Market in Portland’s Hillsdale neighborhood, adding a fifth location in the metro area and bringing the company’s total statewide footprint to 13 stores. The transition to Market of Choice is expected to take place June 23, with no store closure planned. The deal, announced in January, […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Featured News, Giant Food, News, Northeast
Annual Giant Barbecue Battle Returns June 27-28 To Washington, D.C.
The 34th Annual Giant Barbecue Battle will take place June 27-28 between 3rd and 7th streets on Pennsylvania Avenue in Washington, D.C., featuring world-class barbecue, international flavors, celebrity chefs, live music and activities for all ages. Recognized by the U.S. Congress as the Official National Barbecue Championship, the event ranks as one of the country’s […]
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor News, Feature, Featured News, News, Southeast
PWADC Food Show To Feature New Products, Education Sessions
Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Co. (PWADC) is heading into its May food show and aims to build on recent gains in show performance, private label, fresh and digital participation. Tod Seiling, who joined PWADC as chief merchandising officer in October 2025 after executive roles with Lidl US and Save A Lot, said the co-op has […]
Posted inGrocery Research, Costco Wholesale, Featured News, National, News
5WPR Index Finds Costco Tops AI Citation Rankings, Walmart Trails
Costco emerged atop 5WPR’s 2026 U.S. Grocery Retail AI Visibility Index, the first to rank U.S. grocers by how frequently they are cited inside artificial intelligence-generated answers. The warehouse club retailer was cited most often when American shoppers ask ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews where to buy their groceries. Trader Joe’s ranked second, […]
Posted inFinance News, Featured News, Grocery Research, National, News
Upside Report Reveals A Growing Income Divide In Consumer Spending
Upside’s new report “The Income Divide” reveals that high- and low-income consumers are making fundamentally different decisions about where and how much to spend. The findings, drawn from more than 10 billion transactions and surveys of 3,500-plus shoppers, show consumer behavior splits sharply at $75,000 in household income. Above that threshold, consumers report increased spending […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Featured News, News, West
Sprouts To Open New Market In Santa Maria, CA
Sprouts Farmers Market will open a new store May 15 at 2170 S. Bradley Road in Santa Maria, California. “The city of Santa Maria is excited for the opening of Sprouts as it is a business that many of our residents look forward to having within our community,” said Mayor Alice Patino. “Sprouts is a wonderful […]
Posted inOrganic Natural, Featured News, National, News
Independent Natural Food Co-op INFRA Tops 400 Members
The Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA) has surpassed 400 member stores in more than 650 communities nationwide. In addition, the association reached $3.4 billion in representative sales in 2025 and continues to lead the natural channel in dollar sales growth, at 8 percent year over year from 2024-25. Pat Sheridan, INFRA president and CEO, […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Featured News, Giant Food, News, Northeast
Giant Food Celebrates Grand Reopenings In VA, MD
Giant Food celebrated a milestone day May 8, with back-to-back grand reopening ceremonies at remodeled stores in Vienna, Virginia, and Germantown, Maryland. The events mark not only an investment in the company’s physical footprint but also the grocer’s 90th anniversary. “Since opening our first store as the region’s very first self-service supermarket, we recognize that […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Featured News, National, News
Leadership: Be The Leader People Want To Work For
People do not follow titles for long. They follow credibility. They follow consistency. They follow leaders whose behavior makes trust possible. In an age when culture is tested daily, the enduring leadership principle is surprisingly simple: do your job, live your values, and give people something worth following. There is a leadership lesson that never […]