Coca-Cola Beverages Florida (Coke Florida) debuted limited-edition America250 Coca-Cola cans at its Jacksonville manufacturing facility, one of a select number of production sites nationwide creating commemorative packaging representing all 50 states ahead of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The America250-themed Coca-Cola and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar mini-cans will be available at retailers across Florida beginning April 6. […]
Category: Industry News
Hiland Dairy Names Leibacher General Manager Of Dallas Operation
Hiland Dairy Foods Co. has promoted Mike Leibacher to general manager of its Dallas-Fort Worth operation, effective March 1. He replaces Ray Gibson, who retired after a 43-year career in the dairy industry. Gibson spent decades serving the Dallas-Fort Worth market. He began in 1982 as a route salesman with Borden Dairy, rose through a […]
Grocery Outlet Appoints Allen, Thornton To Board Of Directors
Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has appointed Frances Allen and Felicia Thornton as independent directors, effective April 1. “Frances and Felicia bring strong grocery and retail operational experience and significant strategic insight to our board,” said Eric Lindberg, chairman of Grocery Outlet’s board of directors. “Frances is an accomplished leader of nationally recognized restaurant businesses with deep […]
Food City Promotes Cox To CFO, Baldwin To Finance VP
Food City has promoted Paul Cox to SVP and CFO and Sara Baldwin to VP of finance following the retirement of longtime CFO Eddie Neely. Cox also will join the company’s board of directors. “We would like to thank Eddie for his dedication and commitment, and the impact he has made on our company’s continued […]
Publix Opens New Supermarket In Spring Hill, FL
Publix Super Markets opened its newest location April 2 at 160 Mariner Blvd. in Spring Hill, Florida. The 48,387-square-foot store features full-service bakery, deli, seafood and pharmacy departments along with an upstairs seating area that is designed to encourage customers to dine on-site. “We’re excited to welcome customers to their new Spring Hill Publix and […]
Ingles Markets Urges Shareholders To Reject Sackler-Affiliated Director Nominee
Ingles Markets has filed a definitive proxy statement with the Securities and Exchange Commission ahead of its April 30 annual meeting, urging shareholders to reject a director nominee affiliated with members of the Sackler family. The Asheville, North Carolina-based grocer is recommending that shareholders vote for its two independent director candidates, Dwight Jacobs and Rebekah […]
Tote Deploys AI Employee Agent With Loop Neighborhood Markets
Tote, the AI-native point-of-sale platform built for fuel and convenience retail, has deployed its Genie AI agent with Loop Neighborhood Markets, a California-based convenience retailer operating more than 50 locations. Since launch, the tool has handled associate inquiries across customer service, POS operations, maintenance and payments with 100 percent first-contact resolution and zero escalations to […]
UFCW Poll Finds Maryland Consumers Support Banning Electronic Shelf Labels
A new poll released by the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) found that 68 percent of Maryland voters support banning electronic shelf labels (ESLs) in grocery stores. The survey, conducted by GBAO Strategies, also found 69 percent believe the technology will cause grocery prices to increase. The poll comes as Gov. Wes […]
Crossroads: How Cap Rates, Lease Terms Affect Grocery Store Property Value
In a previous column, we discussed building businesses to last and some of the factors that influence valuation. Today, we will take a closer look at one area that often creates confusion – the valuation of real estate in the grocery industry. Nerd alert: This one is a little more technical, but I believe it […]
Coke Florida Promotes Calhoun VP, Chief Of Staff To CEO
Coca-Cola Beverages Florida has appointed Reagan Calhoun as VP and chief of staff to Chairman and CEO Troy Taylor. Calhoun joins from The Coca-Cola Co., where she most recently served as VP of finance-marketing for the North America Operating Unit (NAOU). She has more than 20 years of experience across the Coca-Cola system spanning marketing, […]
Study Finds Food Affordability Rivals Taste As Top Purchase Driver
Food affordability has pulled even with taste as the two most important factors consumers consider when buying food, according to a new national survey from Stratovation Group and food and agriculture communications agency Inspire. More than half of respondents said rising food prices have strongly affected how they buy food at grocery stores or restaurants. […]
Logile Launches Fresh Operations Management Suite For Grocers
Logile Inc. has introduced its Fresh Operations Management suite, a platform designed to help grocers coordinate production, inventory, waste and food safety across fresh departments. The platform brings together customer demand, labor capacity and cost visibility to align production, inventory, waste control and food safety execution. The goal is to help grocers improve on-shelf availability, […]
McCormick To Combine With Unilever’s Foods Business
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 […]
Hannaford Supermarkets Refreshes Private Brand Packaging
Maine-based Hannaford Supermarkets is unveiling a refreshed design across its private brand portfolio, with the updated packaging arriving on shelves in select markets and a full portfolio expansion planned across all stores in 2027. The new look is designed to make it easier for shoppers to find products, discover new items and shop with confidence […]
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 […]
RELEX Report: AI Becomes Core Supply Chain Tool As Volatility Persists
RELEX Solutions has released the “State of Supply Chain 2026: Volatility, Trade-Offs & the Rise of AI,” finding that artificial intelligence is moving from experimentation to operational decision support across supply chain planning. The report, based on a January 2026 survey of 514 retail, manufacturing, wholesale and supply chain leaders, found that 67 percent of […]
Aldi U.S. Launches Redesigned Website, App With Instacart
Aldi U.S. and Instacart (Nasdaq: CART) have launched a redesigned Aldi website at aldi.us and an updated mobile app, powered by Instacart’s Storefront Pro enterprise commerce platform and fulfillment solutions. The enhanced digital experience offers personalized recommendations, improved product discovery and shoppable recipes for meal planning. Instacart, which began powering fulfillment for Aldi U.S. in […]
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 […]
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions Names Nettleship SVP Of Marketing
Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions has appointed Trish Nettleship as SVP of marketing. In her new role, Nettleship will serve on the company’s executive leadership team and lead the global marketing organization, responsible for defining and executing its marketing vision and strategy. Nettleship brings more than 25 years of marketing leadership experience across global technology and […]
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 […]
