Harvest Health Foods, a family-owned grocery chain in Michigan, is leveraging artificial intelligence (AI) to optimize inventory management and online shopping experiences, according to Bill Reiffer, the company’s VP of purchasing. Prior to becoming an ECRS customer in 2015, Harvest Health Foods employees were pricing each item individually. “It was our first point of sale,” […]
Category: Industry News
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Feature, National, Snacks Brands
The Hershey Co. Highlights New Retail Capabilities For Boosting In-Store Sales
The Hershey Co. is “perfecting perfection” with its Reese’s Big Cup, utilizing two new technologies designed to “drive decisions, track performance, collect actionable data and boost sales.” Momin Bhatti, Hershey’s associate manager of corporate communications, visited with The Shelby Report during the recent Sweets & Snacks Expo in Indianapolis, sharing how the company is using […]
Posted inFood Lion, Corporate Store News, Southeast, Sustainability News
Food Lion Introduces New Store In Garner, NC
Food Lion will open a new store July 24 at 55 Ford Meadows Drive in Garner, North Carolina, following a 7:45 a.m. ribbon-cutting ceremony. Afterward, the first 100 customers in line will receive a mystery gift card valued up to $200 and a free reusable shopping bag. “Our Garner community has always trusted us to […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, National
Simbe Introduces Mobile Application, Virtual Tour Capabilities
As a majority of retailers embrace in-store technologies that improve business and store team performance, Simbe has introduced new product capabilities. This is one of Simbe’s largest software updates to date and extends the value of its web platform – as the only platform with proven results at scale used by dozens of retailers across three continents. The first solution, Simbe Mobile, […]
Posted inSustainability News, Association News, Northeast
Reusable Bag Redistribution Project Supports NJ Communities
In a limited rollout over the past year, the New Jersey Clean Communities Council – in cooperation with a key partner, Goatote, and other stakeholders – launched a plan through which residents can donate unwanted reusable grocery bags to local food banks and pantries. During that span, the NJCCC estimates that hundreds of thousands of […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Health & Wellness, National
Instacart, Northwell Health Expand Access To Food For Patients, Staff
Instacart and Northwell Health, New York’s largest health system, have begun a partnership through the Instacart Health initiative to use Instacart’s platform and products to expand access to nutritious food, inspire sustainable healthy choices and scale food as health programs to reach diverse Northwell communities. “Raising health is more than the care Northwell provides in our hospitals and […]
Posted inMeijer, Independent Store News, Midwest, Online Grocery Technology
Meijer Introducing School Supply List Technology Through App
Meijer is introducing a new feature to help families get school supplies requested by their teachers through a digital “School Supply List” technology on its app and website. The feature allows parents to enter their zip codes, search for schools and add the necessary items to carts. This technology can be accessed through a QR code […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, National
June Online Grocery Sales Total $7.7B, Up 8% From 2023
The U.S. online grocery market finished June with $7.7 billion in monthly sales, an 8 percent increase over last year. Delivery sales surged after aggressive promotions last month, ship-to-home posted strong results due to increased spending per order and pickup held steady year-over-year, according to the Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopper Survey, fielded June 30-31. During June, […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, National
eGrowcery Adds AI To Recipes Through New Technology
eGrowcery is helping supermarkets and other retailers improve engagement with their shoppers by offering a suite of more than 70,000 recipes. This latest feature allows retailers to personalize their recipe offerings based on regional preference and product catalog using eGrowcery’s AI technologies to auto-select the products to be assigned to the recipe or for the […]
Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, Packaging News, Southeast
Butterball Introduces Redesigned Packaging
Butterball is introducing new packaging for its portfolio of retail products for the first time since 2018. The redesign will enhance the consumer shopping experience by incorporating a consistent look and feel across all product lines with easy-to-read labeling, a bright blue design and an interactive QR code to boost shopper engagement with the brand. […]
Posted inMarketing News, Southeast
Acosta Group Expands Partnership With J.M. Smucker Co.
Acosta Group, a sales and marketing agency collective based in Jacksonville, Florida, has expanded its engagement with The J.M. Smucker Company to include a complete North American solution for headquarter sales, retail merchandising and digital commerce. This appointment by The J.M. Smucker Co. is based on Acosta Group’s comprehensive set of services and solutions and demonstrated ability to support […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Feature, Southeast
ECRS’ CATAPULT Retail POS Utilizes AI To Help Independent Grocers Compete
Artificial intelligence applications for local and regional retail grocers are no longer on the horizon – they are a reality today. Pete Catoe, founder and CEO of ECRS, a retail solutions provider, said AI technology is available to grocers with practical tools they should already be using to enhance the customer experience. Catoe said two […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Hy-Vee, Midwest
Hy-Vee Implements VusionGroup’s Digital Solutions
Hy-Vee has implemented a series of digital solutions from VusionGroup to help streamline the shopping experience for its customers. Hy-Vee is using the VusionGroup platform to digitalize more than 230 of its stores, which will be able to update product prices and data automatically, rather than the labor-intensive process of printing and hanging paper price tags. […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, West
Heritage Grocers Group Expands Loyalty Program To El Rancho Supermercado
Heritage Grocers Group has expanded its rewards program to El Rancho Supermercado, one of its banner companies with 29 stores across Texas and Kansas. This expansion further unifies Heritage’s banner companies under one loyalty program to enhance the overall shopping experience for its customers. “Building on the successful launch of Heritage’s rewards program for Cardenas Markets in […]
Posted inGrocery Store Equipment, National
Upshop, Invafresh Merge To Transform Food Retail Technology
Upshop and Invafresh have merged, aiming to address major food sector challenges regarding availability, affordability and waste. The united entity, Upshop, aims to empower communities worldwide by enabling better access to fresh, safe and affordable food, regardless of whether it’s prepared, perishable or shelf stable. The platform will be used by more than 400 retailers […]
Posted inHy-Vee, Independent Store News, Midwest, Online Grocery Technology
Hy-Vee Adds PayPal Express Checkout, Venmo To Aisles Online
Beginning July 8, PayPal and Venmo payment options will be available to Hy-Vee customers using its Aisles Online platform for grocery pickup and delivery orders. “Our Aisles Online platform has continued to evolve alongside our customers’ needs since we launched this service,” said Jody Gosch, chief technology officer and EVP at Hy-Vee. “With this new […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Food Service News, Southwest
GrubMarket Acquires Foodservice Company Brothers Produce
GrubMarket has acquired Brothers Produce, one of the largest foodservice distributors in Texas and the broader Southwestern U.S. Founded as a small family business in the 1980s by fresh produce veteran and current CEO Martin Erenwert, Brothers Produce is a full-service food distribution and wholesale business with warehouse facilities in Houston, Dallas/Fort Worth and San Antonio, totaling more than 250,000 square feet in […]
Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, Northeast, Packaging News, Sustainability News
North Coast Seafoods Introduces 100% Recyclable Packaging
North Coast Seafoods, an importer, processor and supplier of sustainably sourced seafood, has partnered with Australia-based Disruptive Packaging to introduce a new innovation: 100 percent recyclable and reusable packaging. For the past decade, North Coast Seafoods has been searching for sustainable, recyclable packaging alternatives to non-recyclable packaging that are scalable across its operations. However, being recyclable alone […]
Posted inPackaging News, Bakery News, National
Grupo Bimbo Reports 93% Of Packaging Made From Recyclable Materials
Grupo Bimbo has launched its 2023 annual report: “Behind our Actions.” The document shows the progress of the business and the objectives of the bakery company’s sustainability strategy for 2030 and 2050. Among the highlights of its “Baked For Nature” priority, where the bakery works on regeneration, growth, circularity and creating a positive impact on […]
Posted inSustainability News, Independent Store News, National
REAP Grants Available To Independent Grocers For Store Upgrades
Independent food retailers across the United States have an opportunity to fund store upgrades that reduce operational costs, improve profits and enhance sustainability. Administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) provides grants to rural small businesses for energy efficiency improvements (such as HVAC, lighting, and refrigeration) and renewable […]