Hank Meijer recently recounted some history and possibly recruited future employees at Western Michigan University during the annual Food Marketing Conference, where he spoke about “Minding Our Customers.” Retailing starts with a truism that Meijer said is as important today as it was when his grandfather opened a tiny grocery store in 1934 in Greenville. “Our […]
Category: Midwest
Leppink’s Food Centers Recognized As Michigan’s 2016 Outstanding Retailer
Leppink’s Food Centers of West Michigan and the Grand Rapids-headquartered Star Truck Rentals are the 2016 Al Kessel Outstanding Achievement Award winners, the Michigan Grocers Association (MGA) said this week. “The awards honor former MGA Director Al Kessel, who passed away in 2012,” said MGA President and CEO Linda M. Gobler. “Al was the founder […]
Feeding America Receives $100,000 Donation At Supervalu’s National Expo
Representatives for Feeding America were on hand Aug. 10 at Supervalu’s 2016 National Expo to accept a $100,000 donation in support of the organization’s mission to end hunger. The donation was made possible through the collective efforts of Supervalu and the independent grocery retailers and consumer packaged goods companies attending and exhibiting at this year’s […]
KeHE Distributors Launches Care Trade With Companies That Do Good
During its show in Indianapolis in June, KeHE Distributors launched what it calls its “Care Trade” program. Scott Silverman, VP of growth solutions and own brands, made the announcement with a panel of speakers representing brands that are part of it. “I’ve known their brands as a consumer for quite a while, so we’re really […]
Hy-Vee Promotes Two To EVP
Hy-Vee has promoted two senior leaders—Jeremy Gosch and Donna Tweeten—to EVP; they join only six others selected to help guide the regional supermarket chain based in West Des Moines, Iowa. Gosch, formerly SVP and chief merchandising officer, was named EVP of strategy and chief merchandising officer. Tweeten, formerly SVP and chief marketing officer, was promoted […]
Festival Foods To Be Featured On ‘World’s Greatest’
Wisconsin grocery company Festival Foods will be featured in an upcoming episode of the “World’s Greatest!…” television series as the “World’s Greatest Grocery Store.” The show will feature comments from Festival Foods associates along with an interview with Mark Skogen, president and CEO. The episode starts with the history of Festival Foods and its roots […]
Associated Wholesale Grocers And Affiliated Foods Midwest Consolidate
Associated Wholesale Grocers (AWG) and Affiliated Foods Midwest (AFM) are combining the two cooperatives’ distribution businesses, the companies said today. “This exciting endeavor is exactly what we need to allow our retailers to compete, grow and be profitable,” said AFM President and CEO Martin Arter. “The synergies between our joint cooperatives will help our retailers […]
Apple Co-op Releases SweeTango Crop Projections
Members of the Next Big Thing Growers’ Cooperative released estimates for the 2016 crop of SweeTango, the sweet, tangy, crunchy apple that was developed by the University of Minnesota to feature the best characteristics of the Honeycrisp and Zestar apple varieties. The projected crop yield is 450,000 standard 40-lb. boxes, which is an 18 percent […]
