According to Mid-America Real Estate Corp.’s biennial Urban Grocery Study published this month, the Chicago grocery sector showed a net loss of nine stores from 2015-17, totaling a loss of 544,512 s.f. of operating or to-be-opened inventory. The average store size continued its downsizing trend as evidenced by the fact that the average size of closed stores over […]
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.
Federated Group Gains Shopko, Banner Wholesale
Federated Group, which will celebrate its 90th year in business this December, brought its annual show back to a historic landmark, The Drake Hotel in Chicago. Federated Group takes over the luxurious venue and invites attendees, many of whom return every year, to catch up with a first-night cocktail reception. Jen Linke, VP of brand […]
MGA Recognizes Oleson’s, Lipari With Outstanding Achievement Awards
Michigan Grocers Association (MGA) has named Oleson’s Food Stores in northern Michigan and Lipari Foods, headquartered in Warren, as its 2017 Al Kessel Outstanding Achievement Award winners. “The award is named to honor former MGA Director Albert F. ‘Al’ Kessel Jr., who passed away in 2012,” said MGA President & CEO Linda M. Gobler. “Al […]
Accident Doesn’t Hinder Tom Schmutz From Opening Save-A-Lot In Herrin, Illinois
Since it opened in early May, sales have been better at Tom Schmutz’s new store in Herrin, Illinois, than what Save-A-Lot projected. “When the mayor toured our store, he said there was a lot of buzz around it,” Schmutz said. “He asked if we were going to have fresh meat with cutters. I took him […]
Hy-Vee Rolls Out First Products In Clean Honest Ingredients Initiative
Hy-Vee customers will have a lot fewer ingredients to read on the labels of select Hy-Vee brand food items, as the the supermarket chain says that, as as part of its Clean Honest Ingredients label initiative, it will eliminate more than 200 artificial ingredients or synthetic chemicals in 1,000 Hy-Vee label products by July 2018. […]
Schnucks To Co-Host Eclipse Party In Downtown St. Louis
On 1:18 p.m. Monday, Aug. 21, the St. Louis metropolitan area will experience its first total solar eclipse since 1442. To celebrate the rare occurrence, Schnucks has partnered with the Gateway Arch Park Foundation to host an eclipse party in downtown St. Louis. The two St. Louis institutions are inviting all to attend the party […]
‘Tally’ Robot To Audit Shelves At Three Schnucks Stores
Schnuck Markets is turning to a high-tech partner to help maintain an “exceptional” shopping experience: an aisle-roving robot named Tally. Schnucks and Simbe Robotics will collaborate to test-pilot Tally at three St. Louis metro area stores beginning July 31. During the six-week pilot, Tally will be charged with scanning store aisles three times a day […]
Insights: Coborn’s Succeeds As E-Commerce Differentiator
How can an independent grocer succeed in an increasingly crowded e-commerce market? For St. Cloud, Minnesota-based Coborn’s, the winning formula includes boosting its e-commerce investment, differentiating from competitors, training delivery drivers to engage consumers and even making friends with customers’ dogs. Recent National Grocers Association (NGA) research underscored the importance of boosting e-commerce strategies. The […]
Report: Kroger Spending $20M To Renovate Seven Former Marsh Stores
The Kroger Co. has closed on its purchase of 11 former Marsh stores and plans to spend $20 million to renovate and reopen seven of them, the Indianapolis Business Journal reports. Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. and Fresh Encounter Inc., another Ohio-based grocer, in June agreed to buy 26 of Marsh Supermarkets’ 44 stores. Indianapolis-based Marsh Supermarkets filed […]
Martin’s Debuts Artisan Pizza Concept At Granger, Indiana, Store
Martin’s Super Markets has launched a new artisan pizza concept, Crushed Tomato, at its Granger, Indiana, store located at 7355 Heritage Square. Crushed Tomato offers brick-oven pizzas made to order. Customers may choose from a large selection of both traditional and unconventional sauces, toppings and meats, according to the South Bend-based grocery chain. Each pizza […]
Pete’s Fresh Market To Open At Rice Lake Square In Wheaton, Illinois
Locally owned and operated Pete’s Fresh Market has leased two adjacent spaces vacated by Whole Foods Market and Sports Authority at Rice Lake Square in Wheaton, Illinois. According to property manager Annette Eastman of Mid-America Asset Management, Pete’s will open a 69,586-s.f. “enhanced concept grocery store” at this location in fall 2018. A multiple Talk […]
Whole Foods To Open First 365 In State Of Ohio This September
Whole Foods Market 365 will open its first Ohio store in Akron on Sept. 14. The store will be the sixth 365 format store to open nationally for Whole Foods. Located at 1745 W. Market Street, the store will feature only products that meet Whole Foods Market’s rigorous quality standards and are free of artificial […]
SpartanNash To Sponsor Commissioning Of Navy Aircraft Carrier, Will Host Viewing Party
As the U.S. Navy prepares to commission the USS Gerald R. Ford—the newest and most advanced aircraft carrier in the world—SpartanNash and the Gerald R. Ford Presidential Foundation invite the public to join in celebrating the occasion on Saturday, July 22. The commissioning begins at 10 a.m. in Norfolk, Virginia, with a viewing party taking […]
BPI Settles Lean Finely Textured Beef Lawsuit Against ABC News
A lawsuit stemming from what Beef Products Inc. (BPI) described as a “month-long disinformation campaign” in March 2012 against its lean finely textured beef product was settled on June 28 for an undisclosed sum. Dakota Dunes, South Dakota-based BPI and the Roth family, who own the company, said in a statement that they are “extraordinarily […]
More Details About Meijer’s New Urban Grocery Store Released
West Side and downtown Grand Rapids, Michigan, residents recently marked the groundbreaking of Meijer’s Bridge Street Market, a grocery store coming to the city’s West Side on the corner of Bridge Street and Seward Avenue.The new 37,000-s.f. store will feature 22-foot ceilings, open-air elements and a pedestrian-friendly design. Bridge Street Market is a first-of-its-kind store […]
Wind-Down Sale Under Way At Central Grocers
Inventory of Central Grocers, a retailer-owned cooperative that operated as a wholesaler for approximately 400 independent grocery stores before filing for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May, is being liquidated “through an orderly wholesale wind-down sale” at the company’s headquarters and distribution center in Joliet, Illinois. More than $20 million of dry grocery products, frozen foods and […]
Perch’s IGA Is Great North Foods’ Retailer Of The Year
Perch’s IGA in Alpena, Michigan, has been named Great North Foods Retailer of the Year. Great North Sales Manager Steffen Nizinsky made the presentation during the company’s annual food show recently. The Curtises won the national IGA Fall Into Savings Exclusive Brands sales contest and a trip to the Super Bowl, and also received IGA […]
Schnucks Launches Double Up Food Bucks At All Missouri Stores
Through a partnership with Fair Food Network and a grant provided by the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC), Schnucks is launching Double Up Food Bucks at all 56 of its Missouri stores. The program starts immediately and will run as long as local produce is available. Double Up Food Bucks is a national model for healthy […]
Big Lots’ ‘Store Of The Future’ To Open In Former Giant Eagle In Columbus
Big Lots is planning a store that will mark the retailer’s first “store of the future” at the site of a former Giant Eagle grocery store in Columbus, Ohio, at 1451 W. Fifth Avenue. Among the categories the store will emphasize are grocery-type items like food, household cleaners and pet products. Columbus Business First reports […]
Cub Remodels Three Stores
Twin Cities grocer Cub recently remodeled three stores in the northwest suburbs of Minneapolis. Cub stores in Champlin, Brooklyn Park North and Brooklyn Park South introduced updated signage and design, expanded produce departments with an enhanced organic selection and more signature grab-and-go options, among other features. “As our customers’ needs change, we continue to evolve with […]
