Publix’s sales for the second quarter of 2016 were $8.1 billion, a 2.1 percent increase from last year’s $8 billion. Comparable-store sales for the second quarter of 2016 increased 1.1 percent. The company estimates that sales were negatively impacted by 1.2 percent due to the effect of the Easter holiday being in the first quarter […]
Category: Home Page Latest News
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 […]
Texas Finalizes Penalty Agreement With Blue Bell
Texas health officials on July 29 finalized a penalty and agreement against Blue Bell Creameries, which will continue to test and monitor its ice cream following last year’s outbreak of Listeria monocytogenes linked to products made at its plant in Brenham. The total penalty amount is $850,000. Of that, $175,000 must be paid within 30 […]
Bill Establishing National Standard For GMO Disclosure Signed Into Law
President Barack Obama has signed S. 764 into law, a bi-partisan, bi-cameral action that sets in place one national standard for GMO disclosure. According to industry food groups like the Food Marketing Institute (FMI) and the Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA), the bill brings consistency, certainty and an end to restrictions on interstate commerce facing retailers, manufacturers and […]
Festival Foods To Be Featured On ‘World’s Greatest’
Wisconsin grocery company Festival Foods will be featured in an upcoming episode of the “World’s Greatest!…” television series as the “World’s Greatest Grocery Store.” The show will feature comments from Festival Foods associates along with an interview with Mark Skogen, president and CEO. The episode starts with the history of Festival Foods and its roots […]
365 By Whole Foods Planning Second Atlanta Store
Whole Foods Market announced with its third quarter earnings that it has signed a new lease for a 365 by Whole Foods Market location in Atlanta, Georgia. The store will be located in the Buckhead area and will feature what the company says is a simple, affordable and convenient grocery-shopping experience that offers the same […]
Spindrift Reveals New Packaging With The Fruit Front And Center
Spindrift, a line of sparkling beverages made with real squeezed fruit, has unveiled new packaging that conveys its core mission of “real,” which will roll out to stores and foodservice outlets beginning in August. “Spindrift was founded six years ago on one simple idea: take fresh juice, squeeze it and make the single best sparkling […]
Associated Wholesale Grocers And Affiliated Foods Midwest Consolidate
Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) and Affiliated Foods Midwest (AFM) are combining the two cooperatives’ distribution businesses, the companies said today. “This exciting endeavor is exactly what we need to allow our retailers to compete, grow and be profitable,” said AFM President and CEO Martin Arter. “The synergies between our joint cooperatives will help our retailers […]
Dollar General Completes Buy Of 41 Walmart Express Locations
Dollar General said July 27 that it had completed its purchase of 41 former Walmart Express locations in 11 states. Goodlettsville, Tennessee-based Dollar General anticipates relocating 40 existing Dollar Generals into the purchased sites by October 2016 and entering one new market—Coal Hill, Arkansas—as part of the purchase. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. […]
Craft Beer Volume Increased In First Half
The National Beer Wholesalers Association (NBWA)–which represents the interests of America’s more than 3,000 licensed, independent beer distributors–applauds America’s craft brewers for its continued growth and entrepreneurial spirit in the American beer industry. The Brewers Association (BA) released data showing that production volume by American craft brewers, as defined by BA, increased eight percent during the […]
IDDBA’s Latest Original Research Focuses On Allergens
The International Dairy-Deli-Bakery Association (IDDBA) has released its latest original research, Focus on Allergens: A Matter of Trust. The IDDBA-commissioned study, prepared by Phil Lempert, identifies what “must-haves” encourage shopper loyalty among shoppers who have food allergies. It also focuses on how customer’s observations and perceptions shape which supermarket dairy, deli and bakery departments they […]
Publix To Open In Saint Augustine, Florida
A new Publix store will open in Saint Augustine, Florida, tomorrow, July 28, at 8 a.m, in the Moultrie Square at 4255 US 1 South. Previously, a 48,500-s.f. Publix occupied this location but was demolished as part of a renovation project on the shopping center. The 53,785-s.f. Publix store will offer the traditional grocery, meat, produce, dairy and […]
Natural Grocers Opening Two Nevada Stores In August
Natural Grocers will open two new stores in Nevada on Aug. 9–one in North Las Vegas store, at 6305 Simmons Street, and the other in Henderson, at 1660 West Sunset Road. In celebration of the Aug. 9 grand opening, Natural Grocers will host a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 7:55 a.m. and pass out mystery gift cards […]
7-Eleven Delivers First Slurpee Via Drone
7-Eleven and Flirtey, an independent drone delivery service, have completed the first fully autonomous drone delivery to a customer’s residence to advance research toward integrating drones into the National Airspace System. This delivery is the first time a U.S. customer has received a package at home via drone, representing a milestone in both U.S. and […]
Stater Bros. To Donate Nearly 98K Pounds Of Food To OC Food Bank
Stater Bros. will deliver nearly 98,000 pounds of fresh food today, July 25, to Second Harvest Food Bank of Orange County through Stater Bros. “Harvesting Hope in the Summer” campaign. During summer months, food banks experience decreases in food reserves just as the school year comes to a close and many children lose access to […]
Renfro Foods Introduces New Pumpkin Salsa
Renfro Foods introduced its newest Mrs. Renfro’s Gourmet Salsa flavor at the Summer Fancy Food Show in New York, June 26-28. Pumpkin, the company’s 19th salsa, features pumpkin pie spices and a medium heat level. “We’ve been playing with the concept of a holiday-themed item for several years,” says Doug Renfro, president of Fort Worth, Texas-based […]
Watershed Study Provides Insight On What Millennials Consider Authentic
Watershed Communications released findings from two national ethnographic studies examining the media habits of Millennial food and beverage consumers. The “Media Habits of Millennials” study investigated whether social media and influencer marketing have eclipsed the impact of traditional editorial coverage. The “What Matters to Millennials” study set out to examine the marketing buzzword “authenticity” and to learn what creates an […]
Mi Pueblo Commits To Providing Cage-Free Eggs By 2026
Mi Pueblo, a San Jose-based Hispanic grocery chain in Northern California, will work with suppliers towards sourcing only cage-free eggs throughout their entire operations by 2026, based on available supply. The initiative is a result to changes in customers’ buying habits and the company’s commitment to animal welfare and a more sustainable environment. “Our customers […]
Grocers Show Utah Pride With Local Farmers Markets
Macey’s, Lin’s, Dan’s, Dick’s Market and Fresh Market stores are featuring more Utah-grown items in the produce section with the Local Farmers Markets program, which launched July 1. The in-store program includes signage highlighting Utah-grown produce and the farmers who supply them, as well as parking lot tent sales on Saturdays. “Buying from Utah farmers and growers allows […]
Kafarakis Named Specialty Food Association’s New President
The board of directors of the Specialty Food Association (SFA) has named Phillip M. Kafarakis as president of the not-for-profit trade association. Kafarakis brings more than 30 years of food industry experience to SFA, with a background in brand management, membership development and strategic planning. Since May 2013, Kafarakis served as chief innovation and member […]
