The Kroger Co. has announced that Valerie Jabbar, SVP of retail divisions, retired in May after 38 years of service. Jabbar began her career with Kroger’s Fry’s division in 1987 as a clerk. Over the decades, she held a range of leadership roles, including assistant store director, category manager, drug/general manager coordinator, general office seasonal […]
Category: National
Posted inCorporate Store News, BJ's Wholesale Club, Featured News, National, News
BJ’s Adding 5 Clubs In 3 States
BJ’s Wholesale Club has announced the locations of five new clubs set to open this year in Florida, Indiana and Kentucky – part of a push to add 12 stores nationwide in 2026. The stores will be located in: Lecanto, Florida; Ocala, Florida; Port St. Lucie, Florida; Portage, Indiana; and Frankfort, Kentucky The expansion strengthens […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Corporate Store News, Featured News, National, News
Grocers Fire Up Grills, Fuel Points, Military Support For Memorial Day
Memorial Day weekend is nearly here, and grocers across the country are rolling out programs that blend savings, community support and a few hot-off-the-grill events. Whether shoppers are hosting a cookout, honoring service members or stocking up for summer, retailers are offering a range of options. Here’s a look at what some grocers are doing […]
Posted inSnacks Brands, Featured News, National, News
2026 Sweets & Snacks Expo Wraps Vegas Debut With Record Innovation Field
The 2026 Sweets & Snacks Expo wrapped its first run in Las Vegas, drawing 17,500 attendees and 1,000 exhibitors to the Las Vegas Convention Center for four days of new product launches, education and category-level dealmaking. Hosted by the National Confectioners Association (NCA), the show ran May 18-21, with the Supplier Showcase serving as a […]
Posted inGrocery Store Equipment, Association News, National, News
FMI, NGA Applaud Trump Administration’s Rollback Of Refrigeration Rules
President Trump and EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin announced revisions to two commercial refrigeration rules May 21, drawing praise from FMI – The Food Industry Association and the National Grocers Association (NGA), which said the changes will spare grocery retailers – especially independent operators – from an estimated $144 billion in compliance costs. The final EPA […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Association News, Featured News, National, News
National Rural Grocery Summit Spotlights Solutions For Rural Food Access
More than 300 rural grocery operators, community advocates, policymakers, vendors and researchers gathered May 5-7 in Fargo, North Dakota, for the 2026 National Rural Grocery Summit – a biennial event focused on sustaining independent rural grocery stores and improving food access in small communities. Attendees representing 42 states, Washington, D.C., and Canada convened at what […]
Posted inSnacks Brands, Featured News, Grocery Research, National, News
State Of Treating 2026: What’s Driving Confectionery Consumers
Nearly every American household still reaches for chocolate, candy, gum or mints at some point in the year — but how, where and why they buy is shifting in ways independent grocers can lean into. That was the core message from Anne-Marie Roerink, president of 210 Analytics, who presented the National Confectioners Association’s seventh annual […]
Posted inSnacks Brands, Featured News, National, New Products, News
Mars Snacking Maps Category Playbook For Grocers At Sweets & Snacks
Halloween is no longer a six-week season, the meal is increasingly being replaced by the snack, and roughly two-thirds of in-store confectionery purchases still ride on impulse. Those were among the headline messages Mike Gilroy, VP of industry engagement at Mars Snacking, shared with The Shelby Report at this week’s Sweets & Snacks Expo in […]