Keeping employees and customers safe, and trying to make life a little easier during the Covid-19 pandemic, are priorities for grocery retailers. In the Southeast, Southeastern Grocers is expanding its safety precautions, Food Lion customers can help feed their neighbors and Publix Pharmacy is extending its hours of operation. And Georgia has issued guidelines for […]
Category: Health & Wellness
The Shelby Report covers health and wellness for grocery retailers nationwide, from better-for-you products and natural and organic trends to supplements, functional foods and supplier announcements. Updated regularly across our five regional editions.
Survey: Coronavirus Transforms Americans’ Grocery, Cooking Habits
The Covid-19 pandemic is having a profound impact on American’s grocery shopping and cooking habits, according to a March 23 survey of more than 3,000 consumers by meal planning service eMeals, based in Birmingham, Alabama. Shoppers were unable to find 40 percent of the grocery items on their shopping list as the gravity of the […]
Guest Columnist: After Covid-19, Grocery Future Should Be Pretty Bright
by Aleya Jennings Gatesman It is obvious that the Covid-19 pandemic is changing everything in the world right now. While an infinite number of questions remain about what to expect in our new normal, it may be my upbeat nature but I’m especially curious to explore some of the positives that may emerge from our current […]
Pandemic To Cause Projected 17% Drop In Pet Industry Sales
The pet industry is famously recession resistant, coming through September 11, 2001 attacks and the Great Recession of 2008-09 relatively unscathed. However, not even the new “pet parent” sensibility can make the pet industry recession proof in the midst of the novel coronavirus pandemic. In its just-published U.S. Pet Market Outlook 2020-2021, market research firm Packaged […]
SE Grocery Retailers Work To Keep Employees, Customers Safe
Grocery retailers across the nation are on the front lines of the battle against Covid-19. Keeping customers and employees safe is a top priority, and many are thanking their employees for the selfless hard work with bonuses and other benefits. In the Southeast, Ingles Markets is hiring more associates and giving an appreciation bonus to […]
Regional Businesses Helping Fight War Against Covid-19
Covid-19 continues to take a toll on the United States and countries across the globe. Many businesses are taking action to help their communities, whether through donations or services. In the Midwest, the Produce Alliance has started a produce giveaway for local hospitals; Drake’s Organic Spirits is producing hand sanitizer for first responders and Polar […]
Rouses Invests $1M In Team, Ole Smoky Distillery Switches Gears
As the situation begins to look more dire from the Covid-19 pandemic, more states are ordering their residents to stay at home. Certain industries are exempt from these orders, including the grocery industry and those making medical supplies. In the Southeast, Rouses Markets continues to be open for its customers and is rewarding its frontline […]
Steritech Offers New Services To Assist Stores During Pandemic
Charlotte, North Carolina-based Steritech, a provider of specialized food safety and brand protection services for the restaurant, food retail, foodservice and hospitality industries, has launched two new services, as well as a virtual component, to help the food service industry reinforce safety measures during the Coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. The Covid-19 Protocol Check will provide food […]
Fresh Farms Praises Efforts Of Employees During Covid-19 Crisis
The Shelby Report received a Covid-19 briefing on March 25 from Dino Svigos of Fresh Farms, which has four markets in the Chicago area. Svigos is a principal in two of the locations, which range in size from 10,000 to 60,000 s.f. Their wholesaler is UNFI. As with most grocery retailers across the country, Fresh […]
Wish Farms Supplies Local Food Banks Amid Covid-19 Pandemic
International grower and year-round marketer of strawberries, blueberries, blackberries and raspberries, Wish Farms is aiding local food banks during the Covid-19 pandemic. “The need is urgent. We have seen double the amount of people we normally see since the crisis began. With stores having a hard time keeping shelves stocked, our organization’s usual supply chain […]
Dais X Offers Free Online Ordering, E-Commerce Resources During Crisis
Dais X, a Charlotte, North Carolina-based digital company that works with middle-market companies, is providing online ordering and e-commerce resources free of charge to small businesses in the food and beverage industry. Certain qualifying businesses also will be offered a suite of free services during the Covid-19 crisis. Dais X made the decision to aid small […]
CGA Offers Covid-19 Update, Smart & Final Reaches Out
As new information is released each day pertaining to the Covid-19 pandemic, industry associations are keeping their members informed while local grocers continue to help those in need. The California Grocers Association (CGA) has been issuing updates to its members on government mandates as they are adopted. And Smart & Final, through its foundation, is […]
Kroger, Mattress Mack, Houston Mayor Partner On Senior Needs Drive
The Kroger Co., along with Jim McIngvale “Mattress Mack” of Gallery Furniture and Houston, Texas, Mayor Sylvester Turner have formed a partnership to feed more than 10,000 seniors in need. “There is an extremely large number of housebound seniors in our community who don’t have access to the food and supplies they need,” said Joe […]
This Saves Lives Debuts New Kids Krispy Treats; Expands Existing Lines
Los Angeles, California-based This Saves Lives, a snack brand on a mission to end early childhood malnutrition, has launched its second kids snack line, Kids Krispy Kritter Treats, in addition to four new Classic Bar flavors and two new Kids Snack Bar flavors. Like all This Saves Lives foods, every single purchase sends a life-saving food packet to a child […]
Fresh Produce Sales Up 33.9% Amid Increase In Covid-19 Cases
by Anne-Marie Roerink/210 Analytics LLC As coranavirus social distancing measures are tightening and the number of confirmed cases are growing, retail sales are surging. Shoppers are stocking up on staples and fresh foods. 210 Analytics analyzed the sales results, provided by IRI. Total store sales increased 62.5 percent over the week ending March 15, with […]
Lidl Opens Regional HQ And Distribution Center In Maryland
Lidl has opened opened its regional headquarters and distribution center in Cecil County, Maryland. The new 700,000 s.f. facility will serve Lidl’s regional store network, quickly supplying products to stores in five states. The chain invested more than $100 million in the project which will create more than 200 new full-time jobs. “As we work hard to meet […]
SW Businesses Trying To Make Life A Little Easier For Their Communities
In a time of stress and difficulty, local grocers and other affiliated businesses are doing what they can to make life just a little bit easier. As the Covid-19 pandemic continues, some Southwest business are reaching out to their communities. Brookshire Grocery Co. will open all its stores on Easter Sunday, which is has never […]
Elden’s Fresh Foods Says Support ‘Phenomenal’ During Covid-19 Crisis
Elden’s Fresh Foods has been serving the Alexandria, Minnesota, community since 1982. Like most grocery retailers during the Covid-19 pandemic, it has had to make some adjustments. Elliot Christensen, who is co-owner with his brother, Dennis, told The Shelby Report on March 25 about changing the hours at the 50,000-s.f. store and other measures they’ve […]
CBA Report Reveals A Nation Changed By Coronavirus
Eighty-four percent of Americans have seen shortages of high-demand products during the coronavirus, up from only 37 percent at the beginning of March, according the latest findings from the Consumer Brands Association (CBA) in Arlington, Virginia. Since March 4, CBA has conducted a weekly poll of American adults’ attitudes toward the coronavirus. Now in its fourth […]
C&S Provides PTO, Bonuses To Employees For Covid-19 Challenges
Keene, New Hampshire-based C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc., the largest wholesale grocery supply company in the U.S., said it will provide frontline workers with a special appreciation bonus and all employees with additional paid time off (PTO), among other benefits enhancements, in the wake of challenges caused by the coronavirus (Covid-19) pandemic. “For the last several […]
