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, […]
Category: Midwest
The Shelby Report of the Midwest covers grocery retailers, wholesalers and suppliers in Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota and Wisconsin. Follow the latest store openings, remodels, leadership changes and market news from the region.
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor News, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Featured News, Midwest, News
AWG Reports $293M Patronage Distribution During Annual Meeting
Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) distributed a record $293.1 million in year-end patronage during its Annual Shareholders Meeting, capping a fiscal year in which the cooperative reported net sales of $11.6 billion and consolidated company sales of $12.2 billion – up 0.63 percent and 0.91 percent, respectively, on a comparable basis. The total distribution of cooperative […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Fareway, Midwest, News
Fareway Breaks Ground On Freezer Expansion At Boone Distribution Center
Fareway Stores has broken ground on a 105,000-square-foot freezer building expansion at its Boone, Iowa distribution campus, a project the company says will nearly double pallet capacity and lay the groundwork for future automation investment. Gleeson Constructors and Engineers is set to complete construction by summer 2027. The Boone campus has served as the operational […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Featured News, Midwest, News, SpartanNash
Family Fare Completes Full-Store Remodel In Paw Paw, MI
The Family Fare supermarket in Paw Paw, Michigan has completed a full-store remodel, expanding its fresh food offerings and refreshing key departments at one of the community’s longest-standing grocery locations. The renovation focused on high-priority areas for shoppers, including expanded produce, an upgraded hot bar, enhanced beer, wine and liquor selections and a nostalgic candy […]
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor News, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Featured News, Midwest, News
AWG Celebrates 100th Anniversary At 2026 Innovation Showcase
Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) launched its centennial celebration during its 2026 Innovation Showcase, marking 100 years since independent retailers united in 1926 to compete against the growing power of chain stores. Today, the cooperative serves 1,100 member companies and 3,500 locations across 33 states, making it the nation’s largest cooperative food wholesaler. The Innovation Showcase […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Meijer, Midwest, News
Volunteer Registration Open For Meijer LPGA Classic For Simply Give
Volunteer registration is open for the 12th Annual Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, set for June 18-21 at Blythefield Country Club in Belmont, Michigan. The tournament is seeking more than 1,400 volunteers to support the event, which combines LPGA Tour competition with hunger-relief fundraising through Meijer’s Simply Give program. The fee to volunteer is […]
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 inCorporate Store News, Featured News, Midwest, News, The Kroger Co.
Kroger, Peoria Area Anti-Hunger Coalition Launch Annual Canathon Food Drive
The Peoria Area Anti-Hunger Coalition launched its 40th annual Canathon food drive March 19 at area Kroger stores, collecting donations through the end of March with a goal of 50,000 pounds of food for 11 participating central Illinois food pantries. Kroger opened the drive with $1,000 in non-perishable food donations and $1,500 in Kroger gift […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Midwest, News, Schnucks
Schnucks Raises $100K Through Urban League Campaign
Schnucks Markets and its customers raised $100,000 for the Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis through the sixth annual Round Up at the Register campaign Feb. 4-17. Customers contributed $83,624 at checkout, with Schnucks adding $16,376. All St. Louis-area donations are directed to the Urban League’s Save Our Sons and Save Our Sisters programs. Round-ups […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Featured News, Midwest, SpartanNash
Needler’s Fresh Market Opens New Store In Anderson, IN
Needler’s Fresh Market celebrated the grand opening of a new location March 20 in Anderson, Indiana, marking a milestone for the community and expanding grocery access on the city’s west side. Located at 2810 Nichol Ave., the store is the newest Needler’s Fresh Market in Ohio and Indiana. “Our goal is to be more than […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Featured News, Midwest, News
AWG Rolls Out SmartMeals AI Shopping Assistant
Associated Wholesale Grocers‘ (AWG) SmartMeals, its artificial intelligence-powered meal planning and shopping assistant built in partnership with Breez AI Corporation, has moved from pilot to wide-scale deployment across its member network. Nearly 100 AWG member stores are now onboarded, with 85 stores going live in January and additional rollouts under way. The announcement comes as […]
Posted inAssociation News, Featured News, Midwest, News
MGA’s 2025 Bag Hunger Campaign Raises 1.9M Meals Statewide
The Minnesota Grocers Association (MGA) announced the Silver Plate Award winners of its 2025 Bag Hunger Campaign, which collected 1.9 million meals and $16,500 for neighborhood hunger-relief organizations across the state. Since the program launched in 2008, MGA hunger campaigns have delivered more than 47 million meals to Minnesota families. The campaign engages grocers, vendor […]
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 […]
Posted inPrivate Label Brands, Center Store, Midwest, News
Dainty Foods To Build First U.S. Plant In Batavia Township, OH
Les Aliments Dainty Foods, a Canadian producer of private-label rice and ready-to-heat meal solutions, has shared plans to open its first U.S. manufacturing facility in Batavia Township, Ohio, committing up to $150 million over five years and creating about 240 jobs. An initial $85 million investment will fund the first phase of the 250,000-square-foot facility, […]
Posted inDairy News, Featured News, Grocery Research, Midwest, News
Land O’Lakes Voted Most Trusted Butter Brand In Newsweek Survey
Land O’Lakes has been named the most trusted butter brand in the U.S., according to Newsweek‘s 2026 Most Trusted Brand Awards, conducted by market research firm BrandSpark. The designation is based on an unaided survey of more than 35,000 American shoppers asked to name – without prompts or lists – the brands they trust most […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Health & Wellness, Midwest, News, The Kroger Co.
The Kroger Co. Adds Zepbound KwikPen To Retail Pharmacies
The Kroger Co. announced that Zepbound KwikPen, Eli Lilly’s multi-dose weight-management injection, is available at participating Kroger Family of Pharmacies locations. For the first time, self-pay patients eligible for Lilly’s KwikPen Self-Pay Savings Card can access the manufacturer’s program at a retail pharmacy counter. Zepbound is a GLP-1 receptor agonist prescribed for chronic weight management. […]
Posted inPrivate Label Brands, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Featured News, Midwest, News
AWG Brands Adds 63 New Products In Q1 2026
Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) is rolling out 63 new private brand items across its Best Choice, Superior Selections by Best Choice, Tippy Toes, TopCare and Simply Done lines in the first quarter of 2026, with products hitting shelves throughout the quarter. The expansion spans food, wellness and household categories, with a notable debut: four Tippy […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Fareway, Featured News, Midwest, News
Fareway Launches Online Pickup Through Instacart Partnership
Fareway, the Iowa-based grocer with more than 140 Midwest stores, has partnered with Instacart to launch an updated e-commerce experience powered by Storefront Pro, its enterprise commerce platform. Fareway orders are available for pickup through the Instacart Marketplace with no markups and customers can shop at Shop.Fareway.com or through the Instacart app. The partnership gives […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Hy-Vee, Midwest, News
Hy-Vee Opens Food Pantry At Kansas City Elementary School
Hy-Vee, Harvesters – The Community Food Network and KC Dream Center have opened a revitalized food pantry at M.E. Pearson Elementary School, marking the first on-site school food pantry in Kansas that Hy-Vee has launched with a Feeding America-affiliated food bank. The pantry is expected to serve about 150 families each month in Wyandotte County, […]
Posted inBakery News, Midwest, National, News
Puratos To Acquire MI-Based Dawn Foods
Belgian bakery ingredients group Puratos has begun an agreement to acquire Jackson, Michigan-based Dawn Foods, bringing together two family-owned companies that have each operated in the professional bakery industry for more than a century. The combined company would connect Dawn Foods’ large-scale North American distribution with Puratos’ international subsidiary network, and pair Dawn’s application-focused creativity with […]