A startup called Bodega began a pilot test in the San Francisco Bay Area 10 months ago, according to a Fast Company article that said Bodega’s goal is to make corner stores “a thing of the past.” Bodega’s unmanned 5-foot-wide pantry boxes are located in apartments, offices, dorms and gyms and contain non-perishable items typically found […]
Category: National
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HR & Benefits News: The Real Cost Of Worker Turnover For Grocers
Editor’s note: HR & Benefits News is a new monthly column by Chris Cooley, co-founder of MyHRConcierge and SMB Benefits Advisors. Price tag of turnover is shocking Employee turnover is a significant issue for independent grocers, especially for part-time workers. And the real cost of turnover is hidden—it’s not a tracked profit-and-loss statement line item. […]
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Consumers Continue To Choose Physical Over Digital For Groceries
Consumers have a variety of options when it comes to buying groceries, and they continue to choose physical grocery stores to make their purchases. That’s according to the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC) recently released “The State of Grocery Shopping” survey, which found that 99 percent of adults buy some or all of their […]
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Study Finds Store Employees Extremely Important To Millennials
ChargeItSpot, a provider of cell phone charging stations for retailers, events and other indoor public venues, has released the results of its “Store Associate Report.” The study asked consumers for their thoughts and feelings on the value of store employees at retail locations. ChargeItSpot collected responses from more than 600 shoppers at malls across the […]
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Starbucks Taps Former Sam’s Club Exec As Group President And COO
Starbucks Corp. has appointed Rosalind Brewer group president and COO, effective Oct. 2. Brewer, former president and CEO of Sam’s Club and current Starbucks board member, has more than 30 years of management experience and more than 10 years of experience leading multi-national retailers. “Starbucks is a culture-first company focused on performance, and Roz is […]
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GMA Presents Mariano And Powell With Its Highest Honor
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) has presented its highest honor, the Hall of Achievement Award, to Bob Mariano of Roundy’s Inc. and Ken Powell of General Mills. The awards were presented Saturday at the GMA Leadership Forum at The Greenbrier in White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia. The Hall of Achievement Award recognizes the service and extraordinary […]
Posted inHealth & Wellness, Albertsons, Amazon Fresh, Home Page Latest News, National, Organic Natural, Whole Foods
Study: Organic Food Trends Broadening Competition For Natural Grocers
Americans’ perennial enthusiasm for all things health and wellness is expressed in the food they consume, and natural and organic retailers are often at the forefront of meeting this demand, says Packaged Facts. The market intelligence company has published national consumer survey data in its new report “Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, and Natural Channel Grocery […]
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Acosta Reshapes Its Customer-Client Service Team
The national office of Acosta has appointed Ashley Taylor as chief customer officer. The new position was created as a result of the promotion of Darian Pickett to chief client officer. Both Taylor and Pickett will report directly to Acosta President and CEO Steve Matthesen. Both appointments were made to better service Acosta’s customers and […]
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Federal Overtime Rule Struck Down By Texas Judge
Last week, a federal judge in Texas overturned an Obama Administration rule that expanded overtime protections. U.S. District Judge Amos Mazzant said the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) didn’t use a salary-level test correctly to figure out which employees would be exempt from overtime compensation. Judge Mazzant ruled in favor of the Plano Chamber of Commerce […]
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Green Giant Spiralized Frozen Vegetables Coming In 2018
B&G Foods continues to innovate its Green Giant line, with plans to roll out Veggie Spirals early next year. The spiral-shaped vegetables, designed to be an alternative to pasta, initially will be available in Zucchini, Carrots and Butternut Squash varieties. The new line contains 100 percent vegetables; no sauces or seasonings are added. All varieties […]
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Senator Jeff Flake To Keynote United Fresh Washington Conference
Arizona Senator Jeff Flake will serve as the opening keynote breakfast speaker at the annual United Fresh Washington Conference, Tuesday, Sept. 19. At a time of heightened political uncertainty in Washington, D.C., Senator Flake has become an outspoken voice on the need for compromise, civility and commitment to conservative values in our national government, says […]
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Hallmark Partners With Funny Or Die For New Card Collection
Hallmark’s Shoebox brand is launching a new collection of greeting cards developed in partnership with the comedy brand Funny Or Die. Funny Or Die collaborated with the creative team at Hallmark to develop designs and editorial for 24 cards. Earlier this year, the cards were displayed on Funny Or Die’s website for fans to vote for their favorites. Hallmark […]
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HR & Benefits News: How FMLA Applies To Grocers
Editor’s note: HR & Benefits News is a new monthly column by Chris Cooley, co-founder of MyHRConcierge and SMB Benefits Advisors. The Family Medical Leave Act (FMLA) provides protected leave to employees when they must take extended absences for qualified reasons. The calculation to determine if a grocer meets the 50-employee threshold to comply with […]
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Study Discredits ‘Retail Apocalypse’ As Retailers Opening 4,000+ Stores
U.S. retailers are opening 4,080 more stores in 2017 than they are closing and plan to open more than 5,500 more in 2018, according to a new research report from IHL Group. The report, “Debunking the Retail Apocalypse,” was released Aug. 30 and is available for free download here. The research reviewed more than 1,800 retail chains […]
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Wine Consumption Increases Led By Sparkling And Champagne
The U.S. wine market continued to show strength in 2016, growing 2.4 percent to 341.1 million 9-liter cases led by a 6.6 percent upsurge in the consumption of total sparkling wines, according to the Beverage Information Group’s 2017 Wine Handbook. A strong U.S. economy, employment and wage gains, and larger discretionary incomes all contributed to the […]
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UPDATED: Amazon/Whole Foods Merger Will Close Monday; Industry Leaders Respond
Updated 8/25/17 11:36 a.m. Amazon’s acquisition of Whole Foods Market will close on Monday August 28, 2017, and the two companies will “together pursue the vision of making Whole Foods Market’s high-quality, natural and organic food affordable for everyone.” Whole Foods Market will offer lower prices starting Monday on a selection of best-selling grocery staples […]
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Walmart Expands Delivery Pilot, Partners With Google Assistant
Walmart is stepping up its online ordering and delivery programs. The retailer is expanding its home delivery pilot program to Dallas and Orlando, and is partnering with Google to offer voice shopping via Google Assistant. See statements from Mike Turner, VP of ecommerce operations, and Marc Lore, president and CEO of Walmart U.S. ecommerce, below. […]
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NGA Hires VP Of Government Relations And Counsel
Christopher Jones, former legislative director and counsel for U.S. Representative Rick Crawford (R-AR), a member of the House Agriculture Committee and Nutrition Subcommittee, is joining the National Grocers Association (NGA). He will serve as VP and counsel for the government relations department at NGA, which represents the independent supermarket industry. Jones will oversee the association’s […]
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Trader Joe’s Marks 50th Anniversary With Customer Celebration
Trader Joe’s marked its 50th anniversary with in-store customer celebrations on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 19-20. Festivities included special product tastings and giveaways, and a limited edition 50th anniversary reusable bag was offered to customers for 50 cents. Trader Joe’s introduced its first reusable bag to customers 40 years ago. The first Trader Joe’s store opened on Aug. […]
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Walmart Reports Strongest Food Comp Jump In Five Years, GMV Up 69 Percent
Walmart reported today that it continued to gain traction in both food sales and its e-commerce business in its second quarter. Walmart U.S. traffic increased 1.3 percent and comparable-store sales grew 1.8 percent. It marks Walmart’s 12th consecutive quarter of positive comp sales. “The grocery business continued to improve as food categories delivered the strongest […]