Allegiance Retail Services held its annual meeting May 20, during which the board of directors for the supermarket cooperative and Foodtown were chosen for the 2026-27 fiscal year. Jason Ferreira was elected chairman and CEO. Ferreira has served on the board at Iselin, New Jersey-based Allegiance since 2021 and has been a co-op member since […]
Category: News
Veteran Lidl Leader Barry To Take Top Role As U.S. CEO
Alan Barry will assume the role of Lidl US chief executive officer, effective in July, bringing nearly two decades of international experience with the company to the top post. According to a Lidl US spokesperson, Barry joined Lidl US in 2024 as chief operating officer and previously served the company in Ireland and Great Britain. […]
Tops Completes $2M Store Remodel In Tonawanda, NY
Tops Friendly Markets has completed a $2 million remodel of its 67,279‑square‑foot store at 150 Niagara St. in Tonawanda, New York, marking the company’s 51st major renovation in six years. The effort was part of Tops’ capital improvement project, which has included more than $100 million invested in its three‑state footprint. The renovation included a […]
Sprouts Opening First Store In Savannah, GA
Sprouts Farmers Market will open its first store in Savannah, Georgia, next year, according to a news release from an Atlanta real estate firm. The Phoenix, Arizona-based natural and organic grocer has signed a lease at Crossroads Shopping Center, a 92,000-square-foot neighborhood retail center on Savannah’s east side. The store is targeted to open in […]
Kroger EVP Tim Massa To Retire After 16 Years
Tim Massa, The Kroger Co.’s EVP and chief associate experience officer, will retire Sept. 18 following 16 years of leadership at the company and more than three decades in human resources. Massa joined Kroger in 2010 after a 21‑year career at Procter & Gamble. Prior to his current positions, he rose through senior leadership roles, […]
Oikos Adds Strawberry, Caffeinated Mocha Latte to Protein Shake Lineup
Oikos, the Danone-owned high-protein yogurt brand, is expanding its ready-to-drink protein shake lineup with two new flavors: Strawberry and Mocha Latte. The additions bring the shelf-stable shake line to five varieties, joining Chocolate, Vanilla and Salted Caramel. Each shake delivers 30 grams of complete protein, 5 grams of prebiotic fiber and vitamins A and D, […]
Report: 19 States To Restrict SNAP Soda, Candy Purchases By End Of 2026
By the end of 2026, 19 states will have Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food restriction waivers in place, affecting about one‑third of program participants and putting up to $830 million in soda, candy and energy drink sales at risk, according to a new report from Numerator, a consumer data and technology company. The report, […]
Wegmans Sets Oct. 14 Opening For First Store In Charlotte, NC
Wegmans will enter the Charlotte, North Carolina, market Oct. 14 when it opens a store at 11550 North Community House Road in the Ballantyne neighborhood. “We’ve put a lot of care into hiring and training our new team, and we’re looking for more enthusiastic candidates to join us before opening day,” said Patrick McGuinness, store […]
Family Dollar Shutters 350 Stores In 10 Months Under New Ownership
Family Dollar has closed at least 350 stores in the U.S. since July 7, 2025, a 4.69 percent reduction in the chain’s footprint, according to a new analysis by Local Falcon, a local AI search visibility platform. The closures amount to about one store per day over the 309‑day period ending May 12. The chain’s […]
H‑E‑B Unveils New-Look Store With Restaurant, Expanded Departments
After more than two years of renovations, H‑E‑B held a grand reopening May 22 for its H‑E‑B plus! store at 104 N. Hasler Blvd. in Bastrop, Texas. Spanning nearly 140,000 square feet, the location features a wider selection of food options, larger departments and a new True Texas barbecue restaurant with indoor seating. Renovations began […]
Walmart Revamps First‑Mile Supply Chain To Speed Inbound Shipments
Walmart is overhauling its first‑mile logistics with a new Prepaid Consolidation Program, designed to get products onto store shelves faster while reducing complexity for suppliers. The program allows vendors to send products under a single national purchase order to one location. From there, Walmart combines the inventory and distributes it to 42 regional distribution centers […]
Texas AG Settles With Chain Over Pesticides On Organic Produce
Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton has secured a settlement with Albertsons Safeway LLC over the unauthorized use of synthetic pesticides on organic produce in its Texas stores. The agreement, formalized as an Assurance of Voluntary Compliance, centers on ProduceMaxx, an EPA-registered antimicrobial pesticide containing hypochlorous acid, a chlorine‑based compound. According to the investigation, which launched […]
Publix Continues KY Expansion, Inks Lease In Nicholasville
Publix Super Markets has executed a lease on a new store location in Nicholasville, Kentucky, adding to the grocer’s growing footprint in the Bluegrass State. Located at Nicholasville and Brannon roads, Publix at Stonedale will total 54,964 square feet with an adjacent Publix Liquors. An opening timeframe has not been determined for the location, which […]
PFMA Annual Conference Draws Food Leaders To Bedford, PA
The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA) welcomed members, wholesalers, vendors and industry partners to the 2026 PFMA Annual Conference, held May 12-13 at Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford, Pennsylvania. The conference brought together leaders across Pennsylvania’s food and beverage industry for two days of networking, education and industry‑focused conversations. The event featured a mini […]
Kraft Natural Cheese Adds Lactose‑Free Line With Three Varieties
Kraft Natural Cheese has launched a Lactose‑Free product line, expanding its portfolio to meet growing demand for dairy options that support a range of dietary needs. Available in three varieties – Mild Cheddar Shredded Cheese, Mozzarella Shredded Cheese, and Mozzarella String Cheese – each product is made with real dairy and delivers Kraft flavor with […]
Kroger SVP Jabbar Retires After 38 Years
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 […]
Wakefern Expands Domestic Kosher Beef Program In ShopRite Stores
Wakefern Food Corp. is expanding and enhancing its fresh domestic kosher beef offering for ShopRite stores with kosher meat departments under rabbinical supervision. Through a new direct‑sourcing program, select ShopRite locations will have expanded access to a wider variety of fresh, high‑quality domestic kosher beef – including bone‑in and boneless cuts, steaks, roasts and offals. […]
CGAEF Honors 3 Leaders For Service, Tops $1M In Scholarship Funds For Year
April 16 proved an eventful day for the California Grocers Association Educational Foundation as it inducted three industry veterans into its Hall of Achievement and raised more than $500,000 to help fund its college scholarship and tuition reimbursement programs. With the latest contributions, the CGAEF has secured about $1,025,000 in scholarship commitments this year, bringing […]
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 […]
The Winn‑Dixie Co. Converts 5 Harveys Stores In FL, GA
The Winn‑Dixie Co. recently held grand reopenings for five former Harveys Supermarkets in north and central Florida and south Georgia that are now operate under the corporate banner. These openings continue the Jacksonville-based grocer’s ongoing efforts to unify its store holdings under the Winn‑Dixie banner. This wave of converted stores includes these locations: 5909 University […]
