As part of an initial in-store program, Wegmans has launched Instacart’s Caper Carts – AI-powered smart carts – at its store in Syracuse, New York. Caper Carts enable customers to track spending and check out seamlessly. They recognize items as they are dropped into the cart and customers can bag as they shop, tapping signals […]
Category: News
Posted inIndependent Store News, Market Profile, Midwest, News
Mackinaw Family Market Thrives As Community Hub In Bustling Tourist Town
At the northern tip of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula, the independent Mackinaw Family Market stands as a cornerstone of Mackinaw City – both during the bustling summer tourism season and the quiet winter months. The village of 847 residents is a resort community located on the shores of the Straits of Mackinac. For Mackinaw Family Market […]
Expert Article
Independent Grocers Show Resilience: Key Takeaways From The 2025 FMS/NGA U.S. Independent Grocers Financial Study
The 2025 FMS/NGA Financial Study highlights how independent grocers responded to economic uncertainty, rising costs and shifting consumer spending. Robert Graybill, president and CEO of FMS Solutions, brings decades of expertise in grocery financial performance. With the release of the 2025 U.S. Independent Grocers Financial Study – developed in partnership with the National Grocers Association, […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Foodtown, News, Northeast
Allegiance Retail Services Celebrates Growth At Annual Membership Meeting
Allegiance Retail Services, a retailer-owned grocery cooperative, held its annual membership meeting June 25. The gathering, one of the largest in recent years, reflected the strong support and unity among the cooperative’s independent retail members. Joseph Fantozzi, president and COO of Allegiance Retail Services, praised the exceptional leadership now in place – describing it as […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, News, West
Grocery Outlet Welcomes 2 New Board Members
Grocery Outlet Holding Corp. has appointed Michael Kobayashi and Lawrence “Chip” Molloy to its board of directors, effective June 26, as part of the company’s board refreshment and leadership transition efforts. Kobayashi and Molloy also will serve on the board’s audit and risk committee. They were selected following a national search conducted with the assistance […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Midwest, News, Schnucks
Schnucks Markets Donates $110K To Help Tornado Victims In St. Louis
Schnucks Markets, in collaboration with customers, has raised $110,000 to support St. Louis tornado victims following a recent two-week “Round up at the Register” campaign. The total will be split evenly between the United Way of Greater St. Louis and Urban League of Metropolitan St. Louis to support the relief efforts for those affected by […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, News, Southwest
HGG Celebrates Reopening Of El Rancho Supermercado In Dallas, TX
Heritage Grocers Group and its Texas-based banner, El Rancho Supermercado, will celebrate the grand reopening July 2 of a store at 1515 S. Buckner in Dallas, Texas. El Rancho has completed significant interior and exterior renovations to enhance and elevate the banner’s flagship store. Customers will find a modernized Fresh Mercado, anchored by an extended […]
Posted inFeature, News, West
Longtime Leader McCloud Bids Farewell To USC FIM
Cynthia McCloud, director of Food Industry Programs and adjunct faculty at the University of Southern California (USC) Marshall School of Business, is retiring. McCloud, a student in the Food Industry Management (FIM) program in 1990, has served as director since 2014, following a 40-year career in the food industry. In a farewell speech during the […]
Posted inBakery News, National, News
BGL Sells Specialty Bakers Brand To HC Private Investments
Brown Gibbons Lang & Company (BGL) has sold Specialty Bakers, a provider of branded and private label baked goods for the in-store bakery section and a portfolio company of Stonebridge Partners, to HC Private Investments. HC Private Investments will combine Specialty Bakers and Snackwerks together to create Artisan Bakery. Founded in 1901 and based in Marysville, […]
Posted inBakery News, National, News, Snacks Brands
The J.M. Smucker Co. To Remove FD&C Colors
The J.M. Smucker Co. has committed to remove FD&C colors from all consumer food products by the end of 2027. While the majority of the company’s consumer foods are already free of FD&C colors, this removal will impact its sugar-free fruit spreads and ice cream toppings as well as certain products from its Hostess brand portfolio. […]
Posted inCenter Store, National, News, Packaging News
Seed Oil Free Certified Products See Triple-Digit Growth
Seed Oil Free Certified, the world’s first certification for products made without seed oils, has entered a strategic data partnership with SPINS, a provider of data and analytics for the wellness-focused CPG industry. This collaboration provides the first empirical look into an emerging consumer preference: the growing demand for products made without industrial seed oils. […]
Posted inProduce News, National, News
GrubMarket Acquires Coast Citrus Distributors
GrubMarket, an AI-powered technology and digital transformation company in the food supply chain, has acquired Coast Citrus Distributors. GrubMarket‘s largest acquisition to date, the move enhances the company’s national produce distribution capabilities, particularly for high-demand tropical fruits and specialty root vegetables. Founded in 1950 by Roberto Alvarez, Coast Citrus Distributors has a 75-year legacy of […]
Posted inBakery News, News, Packaging News, West
King’s Hawaiian Highlights Brand Refresh For 75th Anniversary
King’s Hawaiian is marking its 75th anniversary with a brand refresh, followed with new retail packaging in July. This strategic evolution aims to reinforce its market leadership and connect with a new generation of consumers, offering grocers a fresh opportunity for category growth. Since Robert Taira opened his first bakery in Hilo, Hawaii, in 1950, […]
Posted inAssociation News, National, News, Specialty
Specialty Food Association Names Fancy Food Rising Stars
The Specialty Food Association has selected the inaugural roster of its Fancy Food Rising Stars program for buyers and investors. Recognizing emerging leaders in the specialty food industry age 35 and younger, the Rising Star initiative sought nominations from across the buying and business-financing communities, with SFA making the final selections. They receive complimentary badges […]
Posted inExecutive News, Associated Grocers of New England, News, Northeast, Wholesaler/Distributor News
AGNE Promotes Glover To SVP, CFO, Treasurer
Associated Grocers of New England (AGNE), the largest retailer-owned, wholesale grocery distribution center in New England, has promoted Ben Glover to SVP, CFO and treasurer. Since joining AGNE in 2022, Glover has played a key role in strengthening its financial operations through a series of leadership positions, including corporate store controller, director of finance, senior […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, News, Southeast
SEG Salutes Military Families With $300K Folds Of Honor Donation
Ahead of Independence Day, Southeastern Grocers (SEG) – parent company of Harveys Supermarket and Winn-Dixie – is supporting local military families by donating $300,000 to Folds of Honor, a patriotic nonprofit. This donation, made possible by customers and employees who contributed during SEG’s eighth annual community donation program, will fund 60 educational scholarships for the […]
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor News, Midwest, News, Online Grocery Technology
KeHE Distributors Partners With AppCard To Benefit Suppliers
KeHE Distributors, a distributor of natural and organic, specialty and fresh products, has partnered with AppCard, a personalized marketing, shopper analytics and digital coupons platform for retailers and brands. The collaboration benefits suppliers by offering tools to launch and manage digital coupon campaigns, ultimately driving sales and trial. It also unlocks opportunities for CPG brands, […]
Posted inMarket Profile, News, West
Favorable Job Market Intensifying Employer Competition For Talent In WA
Anneliese Vance-Sherman, chief labor economist with the Washington Employment Security Department, recently spoke with The Shelby Report about the workforce challenges retailers are facing in the state. How would you summarize the retail workforce situation in Washington state? The overall job market, while showing a slight slowdown after recovering from COVID-19 pandemic job losses, […]
Posted inBakery News, News, Publix Super Markets, Southeast
Publix Wins 9 Blue Ribbons At Pie Championships
Publix Super Markets is celebrating its freshly-made in-store pies, which won nine blue ribbons at the recent 2025 American Pie Council Pie Championships in Orlando, Florida. The grocer’s bakery competed in the commercial division in the mini, small and large categories. The mini pie winner was the key lime pie, while the large pie winners […]
Posted inPrivate Label Brands, National, News
Study: Consumers Purchase Private Label Products Without Knowing
First Insight has released findings from its latest study, “The Quiet Takeover of Private Label,” revealing that the traditional distinctions between private and national brands have become so subtle that most consumers can’t tell the difference. Nearly three-quarters (71 percent) of consumers surveyed believed they could recognize a private label when making a purchase, yet […]