Whole Foods Market will open six new stores across London between April and June, doubling its U.K. store count to 12. The expansion marks the international debut of the grocer’s Daily Shop format, a compact store design launched in 2024 in New York City that fits high-quality product selection into locations under 14,000 square feet. […]
Category: National
Posted inFrozen Food, Association News, Executive News, Featured News, National, News
AFFI Names Van Doren Chief Of Government Affairs
The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) has hired Lisa Van Doren as chief of government affairs, effective March 16. Van Doren will lead the association’s legislative and regulatory strategy on behalf of the frozen food industry. In the role, Van Doren also will manage congressional and federal agency engagement, oversee coalitions and political activities and […]
Posted inSupply Chain News, National, News
NRF: Import Cargo Volume Expected To Be Down In First Half Of 2026
Imports at major U.S. container ports are expected to remain below last year’s levels for the first half of 2026 amid ongoing tariff uncertainty, but it is too soon to gauge the impact of the conflict in Iran, according to the Global Port Tracker report released by the National Retail Federation and Hackett Associates. “The […]
Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, Association News, Featured News, National, News
12 Finalists Named For 2026 Seafood Excellence Awards
Seafood Expo North America/Seafood Processing North America has named 12 finalists for its 2026 Seafood Excellence Awards, selected from 108 entries in its New Product Showcase. Winners will be announced at 3:30 p.m. ET on March 15 in the Wave Makers’ Zone at the Thomas M. Menino Convention and Exhibition Center in Boston, followed by […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Corporate Store News, Featured News, Grocery Research, National, News
Study Finds 81% Of Americans Open To Switching Grocery Brands
Loyalty in the grocery aisle is softening, according to a new national study from Reach3 Insights that found 81 percent of Americans are open to trying new brands – a signal that routine, habit-driven CPG purchases are giving way to more deliberate in-store decision-making. The study, “Rethinking Routine: What’s Really Happening in the Grocery Aisle,” […]
Posted inProduce News, Association News, Featured News, National, News
IFPA Calls On Congress To Fund Produce Incentives, Expand School Programs
International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) CEO Cathy Burns testified March 11 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry, urging lawmakers to expand federal produce incentives, modernize nutrition programs and increase investment in U.S. growers. Burns argued that closing America’s fruit and vegetable consumption gap is a public health and economic imperative. Nine […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Grocery Store Equipment, National, News
Birdzi Launches Natural Language BI Tool, AskKea
Birdzi has released AskKea, a generative business intelligence (BI) assistant that lets grocery retailers query their data using plain-English questions and receive decision-ready answers in minutes instead of days. AskKea is designed for non-analysts. Store managers and marketing teams can ask questions directly and receive clear answers, visual summaries, exportable data files, methodology explanations and […]
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 […]