Ridley’s Family Markets, a family-owned grocery retailer serving the Intermountain West, has entered into an agreement to acquire Terrel’s Markets. The transaction is expected to close on or near the first week of April. All six Terrel’s Markets locations – in Fillmore, Gunnison, Mount Pleasant, Nephi, Payson and Santaquin, Utah – will transition to the […]
Category: Industry News
Posted inIndependent Store News, Corporate Store News, National, News, Online Grocery Technology
DoorDash Adds 5 Grocers, Expands SNAP/EBT Access Across 7 Chains
DoorDash added five grocery partners and expanded SNAP/EBT payment capabilities to seven additional merchants on Feb. 2, broadening access to on-demand grocery delivery across multiple categories, regions and payment options. The new partners include Berkeley Bowl, Cermak Fresh Market, Harmons Grocery, JONS Fresh Marketplace and Pete’s Market. Consumers who have uploaded their SNAP cards to […]
Posted inExecutive News, Finance News, National, News, Snacks Brands
Rise Baking Co. Names McNeil As CEO
Rise Baking Co. has appointed Mark McNeil as CEO, succeeding Brian Zellmer, who led the Minneapolis-based manufacturer over the past five years. McNeil is a seasoned food and beverage executive with more than 30 years of cross-functional leadership experience across retail, foodservice and manufacturing. He most recently served as CEO of Shearer’s Foods, the largest […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Finance News, News, Publix Super Markets, Southeast
Publix Opens New Store In Locust Grove, GA
Publix opened a new store Jan. 28 in the Shops at Indian Creek, 4518 Hwy 42 S. in Locust Grove, Georgia. The 48,387-square-foot store features traditional departments, including a full-service deli counter with a variety of meats and cheeses, an international selection of olives, antipastos, hummus and more than 200 artisan cheeses from the United […]
Posted inAssociation News, Finance News, Independent Store News, National, News
NGA Honors Hugo’s Magnuson Nelson With Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award
The National Grocers Association named Kristi Magnuson Nelson, president of Grand Forks, North Dakota-based Hugo’s Family Marketplace, as the 2026 recipient of the Thomas K. Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award. One of the most prestigious honors in the independent grocery industry, the award honors the legacy of Zaucha, NGA’s first president and CEO, whose career was […]
Expert Article
Ask The Experts: Ryan Draude, Giant Food
Ryan Draude has spent nearly 15 years building nationally-recognized loyalty programs at brands like Choice Hotels, RITE AID, and now Giant Food — where he currently serves as the head of loyalty. But as cross-shopping, value-seeking behavior becomes the norm, earning loyalty from grocery shoppers is getting harder every day. We spoke with Ryan about […]
Expert Article
How Independent Retailers Can Maximize Refrigeration Performance, Profitability
Independent retailers face tight budgets and rising operational costs. These pressures are felt even stronger these days as consumers remain hyper-focused on grocery prices and affordability. Refrigeration equipment – critical for merchandising fresh and frozen products – represents a significant investment for retailers. Getting the most out of that investment starts with investing in the […]
Expert Article
Relationship Advice For Independent Grocers
How many times have you had an interaction and left feeling misunderstood? Experts say, communication and finances are the top downfalls in relationships. Now you may be thinking, this only applies in our personal lives. Your relationship with shoppers could be suffering here as well. For example, Craig never buys chocolate and is not likely […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Anniversary Issues, Finance News, News, Retailer of the Year, Vallarta Supermarkets, West
SoCal-Based Vallarta Supermarkets Charts Path Of Growth, Change
In 1985, the Gonzalez family opened a small market in Van Nuys, California, called Carnicería Vallarta. The family focused on selling traditional cuts of meats popular in their native Mexico. They worked hard to build a name for themselves by offering high-quality authentic products, providing a high level of customer service and treating employees as […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Albertsons, News, Northeast
Albertsons Media Collective Opens NYC Office, Unveils Brand Refresh
Albertsons Media Collective has opened its first New York City office in Midtown Manhattan and launched a brand refresh as part of the retail media network’s expansion strategy. The new office positions the retail media division at the center of the advertising industry to enable closer collaboration with agency partners, advertisers and industry leaders. It […]
Posted inGrocery Store Equipment, Equipment & Technology, National, News
LOC Software, Local Express Partner On Unified Commerce Solution For Grocers
LOC Software and Local Express launched a unified commerce solution allowing grocers to manage in-store, online and marketplace sales through one platform, the companies announced Jan. 29. The partnership addresses a key operational challenge for grocers struggling with labor shortages and inventory management. According to research for LOC’s 2026 Exploring Grocery Technology Trends Survey, 57 […]
Posted inGrocery Store Equipment, Midwest, News
RSA America Expands Support Team, Previews AI Platform At The NGA Show
RSA America has strengthened its retail customer support operations, introduced new artificial intelligence-driven capabilities and will debut a fully integrated in-store kiosk at The NGA Show Feb. 1-3 in Las Vegas. The Chicago-based digital marketing solutions provider also promoted Mark Osborne from VP to SVP of retail execution. Osborne leads customer launch strategy, ad planning, […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, News, Sustainability News, Vallarta Supermarkets, West
Smartway Deploys AI Waste-Reduction Tech Across 39 Vallarta Supermarkets
Smartway, a France-based food waste technology provider, completed deployment of its artificial intelligence-powered waste management system across 39 Vallarta Supermarkets locations in six months, marking the company’s entry into the North American market. The rollout included 34 stores in five weeks across center store grocery, deli, frozen and dairy departments. The deployment followed a three- […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, C-Store News, News, Southeast
ECRS Launches CATAPULT Fuel For Independent Retailers
Boone, N.C.-based ECRS has released CATAPULT Fuel, a fuel management system that integrates operations into the company’s CATAPULT point-of-sale platform. The system allows independent retailers to manage fuel operations through CATAPULT Web Office, creating a single unified platform for store and fuel management. The release marks a departure from complex fuel software systems that require […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Executive News, News, Northeast
Grocery TV Adds 3 Execs As In-Store Retail Media Accelerates
Grocery TV has appointed Neil Murphy as SVP of retail partnerships, Steve Sapp as SVP of media partnerships and Chris Lee as chief technology officer, the New York-based in-store retail media platform announced Jan. 28. The leadership hires arrive as Grocery TV has grown its retailer-owned network 33 percent over the past year, to more […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Amazon Fresh, Finance News, National, News, Whole Foods
Amazon To Close Go and Fresh Stores, Open 100+ Whole Foods Locations
Amazon is closing all its Amazon Go and Amazon Fresh stores to focus on online grocery delivery and Whole Foods Market expansion, with various locations converting to Whole Foods stores. In addition, the Seattle-based company plans to open more than 100 new Whole Foods Market stores over the next few years and will expand same-day […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Finance News, Foodtown, News, Northeast
Instacart Expands ARS Partnership With Omnichannel Technologies
Instacart has expanded its partnership with Allegiance Retail Services to deploy omnichannel retail technologies across ARS’s network of more than 125 independently-owned supermarkets in the Northeast. The expansion includes the introduction of Instacart’s AI-powered Caper Carts at select Foodtown stores, alongside new capabilities designed to unify Allegiance’s digital, loyalty and in-store experiences. Storefront Pro – […]
Posted inCenter Store, Finance News, National, News
Violet Foods Acquires Muir Glen Organic Tomato Brand From General Mills
Violet Foods, a portfolio company of Amphora Equity Partners, has acquired the Muir Glen brand of organic tomato products from General Mills Inc. (NYSE: GIS). Financial terms of the deal were not disclosed. The acquisition marks a significant expansion for Williamstown, New Jersey-based Violet Foods, which owns a portfolio of brands, including Sclafani, Fattoria Fresca […]
Posted inC-Store News, Grocery Research, National, News
U.S. Convenience Store Count At 151K, Down From Last Year
There are 151,975 convenience stores in the United States, a slight decrease of 280 stores (0.2 percent) compared to the year prior, according to the 2026 NACS/NIQ TDLinx Convenience Industry Store Count. While the overall store count dipped, the number of convenience stores selling fuel increased by 768 stores (0.6 percent) to 122,620, the highest […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Associated Food Stores, Finance News, News, West
Dick’s Market Featured In Nationwide Film “STANDOUT”
Dick’s Market in Centerville, Utah, served as a filming location for “STANDOUT: The Ben Kjar Story,” a feature film that opened Jan. 23 in theaters nationwide and won the 2025 Slamdance Film Festival. The film chronicles the life of Ben Kjar, a Utah native born with Crouzon syndrome who became a three-time state wrestling champion, […]