McCormick & Company Inc. (NYSE: MKC) and Unilever PLC (LSE: ULVR / NYSE: UL) have announced an agreement to combine McCormick with Unilever’s Foods business, creating a global flavor company with $20 billion in combined fiscal year 2025 revenue. Under the terms of the agreement, Unilever and its shareholders are expected to receive shares equating […]
Category: Finance News
Market moves, funding, earnings, and financial strategy across the grocery industry.
Posted inSouthwest, Featured News, Finance News, Independent Store News, News
Homeland Closing, Consolidating Stores As Part Of ‘Comeback’
In a March 26 post on its Facebook page, Homeland announced that it will close four stores in Oklahoma and consolidate six others into three. Homeland said in the post that it had informed employees of the changes the previous day, explaining the moves as “important steps to strengthen our company and better serve our […]
Posted inExecutive News, Center Store, Finance News, Midwest, News
General Mills Names Ness Chief Supply Chain Officer
General Mills (NYSE: GIS) has appointed Jonathan Ness as chief supply chain officer. Ness reports to chairman and CEO Jeff Harmening, joins the company’s senior leadership team and oversees global supply chain operations. Ness had been serving as interim chief supply chain officer since late January. He had previously served as VP of global supply […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Finance News, National, News
ReposiTrak, SPAR Group Launch ‘Surge Merchandising’ Platform For Retailers
ReposiTrak (NYSE: TRAK) and SPAR Group (NASDAQ: SGRP) have announced a strategic partnership to deploy a national solution designed to help retailers improve on-shelf availability, reduce store-level labor strain and ensure that products reach the shelf quickly and consistently. The integrated service pairs ReposiTrak’s inventory intelligence technology with SPAR’s nationwide on-demand workforce, giving retailers a […]
Posted inExecutive News, Featured News, Finance News, Independent Store News, West
Teel To Lead The Raley’s Companies Following Knopf’s Departure
The Raley’s Companies has announced a leadership transition, with President and CEO Keith Knopf departing after 11 years and owner and Chairman Mike Teel returning to the CEO role he previously held before Knopf joined the company. “After 11 fulfilling years of service, I have reached a natural inflection point, and having achieved significant milestones, […]
Posted in, Finance News, News
Nude Foods Market Reports Growth Following ‘Shark Tank’ Appearance
Nude Foods Market, a Colorado-based, female-founded grocery company built around eliminating single-use plastic, is seeing a surge in national attention following its appearance on ABC’s “Shark Tank,” which aired March 11. Co-founders Verity Noble and Rachel Irons entered the Tank asking for $250,000 in exchange for a 5 percent stake in their zero-waste grocery operation, […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Corporate Store News, Finance News, National, News, Walmart
Walmart, VIZIO Unveil Content-To-Commerce Integrations At IAB NewFronts
Walmart and VIZIO took the stage during the 2026 IAB NewFronts to announce new platform integrations, a first-to-market branded content deal with L’Oréal and early connected TV campaign results – accelerating the buildout of a content-to-commerce ecosystem that connects streaming audiences to retail purchases. Walmart completed its acquisition of VIZIO in December 2024. The NewFronts […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Feature, Finance News, West
Store Closings Part Of Grocery Outlet Turnaround
Grocery Outlet’s top executive was candid in his remarks to the investment community during the grocer’s earnings call March 4. Jason Potter, who took over as president and CEO of Emeryville, California-based Grocery Outlet in February 2025 after nearly five years as CEO of upscale retailer The Fresh Market, said, “I joined Grocery Outlet because […]
Posted inSnacks Brands, Finance News, Midwest, News, Northeast
CK Snacks Acquires Keystone Food Products
CK Snacks (Cheeze Kurls LLC) has acquired Keystone Food Products, expanding the Grand Rapids, Michigan-based private label snack platform to three manufacturing facilities across complementary geographies. Founded in 1946, Keystone is a snack food manufacturer and co-packer based in Easton, Pennsylvania. It specializes in masa and cooked corn tortilla chips, baked and fried extruded snacks, […]
Posted inAssociation News, Featured News, Finance News, News, Northeast
PFMA Announces 2026 PA DECA Scholar
The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA) has named Rishabh Jain of Downingtown STEM Academy as its 2026 PA DECA Scholar. Jain, a senior, compiled four years of competitive achievement, chapter leadership and community entrepreneurship in DECA. At the Pennsylvania State Career Development Conference, he placed first in entrepreneurship events. He followed that with a fourth-place […]
Posted inSnacks Brands, Finance News, Health & Wellness, News, Southeast, West
Woman-Owned Pretzel Co. Gets Growth Investment
Pretzel maker Stellar Snacks has announced a minority growth investment from Main Post Partners that is expected to expand the better-for-you snack brand’s distribution footprint, production capacity and innovation. Carson City, Nevada-based Stellar Snacks was founded by mother-daughter entrepreneurs Elisabeth and Gina Galvin. Their company manufactures non-GMO, Kosher, vegan pretzels using clean ingredients and then […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Finance News, Harps Food Stores, National, News
Harps To Deploy SmartMeals AI Shopping Assistant
Harps Food Stores will deploy SmartMeals, AWG’s artificial intelligence-powered shopping assistant built by Breez AI, across its network of more than 150 stores. The announcement came during the AWG Innovation Showcase, where independent grocers gathered to explore technologies shaping the future of grocery retail. The rollout makes Harps one of the largest operators in the […]
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor News, Anniversary Issues, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Feature, Featured News, Finance News, Midwest, News, Wholesaler/Distributor of the Year
AWG’s Cooperative Strength Positions Independent Grocers For Future
As Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) celebrates its 100th anniversary in 2026, the cooperative is reflecting on a century defined by independent spirit, shared success and an unwavering commitment to its members – while keeping its focus firmly on what comes next. Founded in 1926 by a group of independent grocers who believed they were stronger […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Finance News, News, Vallarta Supermarkets, West
Vallarta To Celebrate New Supermarket In Rancho Cucamonga, CA
Vallarta Supermarkets will open a 60,000-square-foot store April 1 at 9040 Foothill Blvd. in Rancho Cucamonga, California, marking the chain’s sixth Inland Empire location and its second store opening of 2026. The Rancho Cucamonga store is the first in the Vallarta network to feature Costa de Oro, a new in-store seafood restaurant concept the company […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Featured News, Finance News, News, Southeast
Amazon, Winn-Dixie Expand Grocery Delivery To Greater Tampa Bay Area
Amazon and The Winn-Dixie Co. expanded their grocery delivery partnership to the Greater Tampa Bay area, adding six counties and dozens of communities to a service that reaches nearly 100 cities and towns across Florida and South Georgia. Customers in Hillsborough, Pasco, North Pinellas, Polk, Manatee and Sarasota counties can order from more than 15,000 […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Executive News, Featured News, Finance News, News, Southwest
Brookshire Brothers Promotes 4 Executives In Leadership Restructuring
Lufkin, Texas-based Brookshire Brothers has announced four executive promotions, elevating longtime company veterans into senior leadership roles across operations, finance, accounting and legal services. Clay Oliver moves from CFO to COO, while Jessica Brown steps up from VP of accounting and treasury to CFO. In addition, Stephanie Cole is the new VP of accounting, and Jeff […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Finance News, News, Southeast
ECRS Standardizes Third-Party Access To CATAPULT Platform
ECRS has released updated third-party integration and application programming interface (API) guidance, a formal framework defining how retailers and solution providers can connect with its CATAPULT point-of-sale platform through standardized, reusable API endpoints. The documentation is designed to reduce technical friction for integrators while protecting the platform’s stability across high-volume retail environments. Why standardization matters […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Featured News, Finance News, National, News
Instacart, NVIDIA Build AI Platform to Unify In-Store, Online Grocery Retail
Instacart is building what it calls a “grocery world model” – a continuous learning artificial intelligence system that connects physical store data from its Caper Cart smart shopping carts with its online commerce platform in collaboration with NVIDIA. The initiative represents how it intends to use its scale across 2,200-plus retail banners and 100,000-plus locations […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Finance News, Harps Food Stores, News, Southeast
Harps Food Stores To Acquire 18 Stores From Dyer Foods In TN, KY
Harps Food Stores has entered into a purchase agreement to acquire 18 stores from Joey and Jeanie Hays, owners of independent grocery operator Dyer Foods, with 17 of the locations in western Tennessee and one in Kentucky. Both parties anticipate completing the transaction by this summer, with store banners, employment and operations continuing with minimal […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Finance News, Meijer, Midwest, News
Meijer To Open 3 New Stores On May 6
Meijer will open three new stores May 6 – 159,000-square-foot supercenters in Bainbridge Township, Ohio, and Brownsburg, Indiana, and a 47,000-square-foot grocery store in Rochester Hills, Michigan. The openings bring Meijer’s Ohio store count to 59, Indiana to 44 and add a third grocery location in Michigan, where it has 125 supercenters and market format […]