Swiftly has launched SmartCircular, an artificial intelligence-powered tool that transforms grocery retailers’ PDF circulars into interactive digital experiences with engagement tracking. The Seattle-based retail technology company’s new product uses proprietary AI to convert static weekly ads into clickable formats that allow shoppers to browse deals, zoom in on products and add items to shopping lists. […]
Category: News
Posted inCorporate Store News, News, West
Save Mart CARES Foundation Awards $825K In 2025
The Save Mart Companies CARES Foundation distributed more than $825,000 in grants to nonprofits across California and western Nevada in 2025, marking two decades of community investment totaling $6.3 million. The foundation’s 20th anniversary underscores a sustained commitment to organizations addressing food access, education, arts and essential community services in the grocer’s operating territories. “At […]
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor News, Finance News, News, Southeast, UNFI
UNFI Spotlights 5 Key Grocery Trends For 2026 Spring Season
United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) brought more than 3,400 retailers and suppliers together at its Spring and Summer Selling Show in Orlando, Florida, to examine five major trends reshaping grocery retail, from private label dominance to the growing emphasis on gut health. The distributor’s Feb. 10-12 event highlighted shifts in shopper behavior that grocers should […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, National, News
Bill To Make SNAP Online Purchasing Permanent Introduced In U.S. House
Rep. Mark Messmer (R-IN) and Rep. Adam Gray (D-CA) introduced legislation in the U.S. House of Representatives Feb. 10 to permanently authorize Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) recipients to buy groceries online, converting a pilot program launched in 2019 into a permanent feature of the federal nutrition assistance program. The SNAP Online Access Act would […]
Posted inNational, Finance News, News, Store News
LocalDutch Brings Urban Farm Shop Model To U.S.
LocalDutch, a Netherlands-based agri-tech and food retail company, has announced plans to roll out its Urban Farm Shop concept in the United States and other markets. The model integrates on-site controlled-environment food production with direct-to-consumer retail and local delivery in a single location. The company, headquartered in The Hague, calls the concept the “LocalDutch Shop” […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Association News, IGA, National, News
IGA Centennial USA Retailers Of The Year Recognized
The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) has announced its 2026 Centennial USA Retailers of the Year, recognizing a group of independent grocers whose leadership, innovation and commitment to their communities exemplify the values that have defined IGA for the past 100 years. The retailers were announced during the welcome reception at The NGA Show 2026, marking […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Health & Wellness, Meijer, Midwest, News
Meijer Offers GLP-1 Medications Through Savings Program
Meijer is making Wegovy and Ozempic (semaglutide) more affordable through NovoCare savings programs, offering the two lowest-dose injection pens for $199 per month for the first two months at its pharmacies. The Grand Rapids, Michigan-based retailer announced Feb. 10 that patients who haven’t used a coupon for these products previously can access the introductory pricing […]
Posted inOrganic Natural, Association News, National, News
Organic & Natural Health Association Honors SENPA’s Short With Champion Award
The Organic & Natural Health Association presented Debra Short, executive director of the Southeast Natural Products Association, with its Champion Award Jan. 22 at the conclusion of its 11th annual conference in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Short was honored her commitment to advocacy, education and support of independent natural products retailers. She opened the conference, “The […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Food Lion, News, Southeast
14th Food Lion Store Coming To Greensboro, NC
The store Food Lion will open Feb. 11 at 3501 N. Elm St. in Greensboro, North Carolina, is its 14th in the city and continues the company’s growth across its 10-state footprint. “We’re thrilled to open Food Lion’s newest store here in Greensboro and welcome our neighbors into their new store to experience fresh and affordable […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, National, News, Save A Lot
Save A Lot Posts Largest Gain On Customer Satisfaction Study
Save A Lot achieved the largest customer satisfaction increase among supermarkets in the latest American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) Retail and Consumer Shipping Study, climbing 4 percent to a score of 78 between 2025 and 2026. The St. Louis-based discount grocer was one of just three grocers to see an improvement in the 2026 ACSI […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, News, West
Upside Expands Footprint With Save Mart Partnership
Upside has launched across nearly 200 Save Mart Companies stores in California and Nevada, expanding the digital marketplace’s West Coast grocery footprint to stores under the Save Mart, Lucky and FoodMaxx banners. Upside’s platform connects more than 35 million consumers with personalized cash back offers at over 100,000 grocery, restaurant and fuel locations nationwide, delivering […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, News, Northeast
McCaffrey’s To Open New PA Store In 2027
McCaffrey’s Food Markets is opening a 51,000-square-foot market in Doylestown, Pennsylvania, nearly four times the size of the location it is replacing in the borough. Set to open in early 2027, the new store will be located at 73 Old Dublin Pike. The Simply Fresh by McCaffrey’s store on State Street will remain open until […]
Posted inProduce News, Finance News, Independent Store News, News, Northeast
EmpowerFresh Enhances Produce Operations At Karns Quality Foods
EmpowerFresh has partnered with Karns Quality Foods, a 10-store family-owned grocer in central Pennsylvania, to enhance produce operations through artificial intelligence-powered ordering and inventory management. Founded in 1959, Karns Quality Foods has been recognized for its meat and produce departments. The partnership will leverage EmpowerFresh’s AI-driven forecasting and data analytics to help the grocer reduce […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Hannaford Supermarkets, News, Northeast
Hannaford Posts Top LGBTQ+ Workplace Equality Score For 14th Year
Hannaford Supermarkets received a score of 100 on the Human Rights Campaign Foundation’s 2026 Corporate Equality Index for the 14th consecutive year, making it the only supermarket in its area to receive top marks on the nation’s foremost benchmarking survey measuring LGBTQ+ workplace inclusion. The Scarborough, Maine-based grocer is one of 534 U.S. businesses to […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Feature, Finance News, News, West
Instacart Executive Touts Benefits Of Storefront Pro E-Commerce Platform
The Shelby Report of the West recently visited with Merrick Rosner, Instacart’s head of revenue and solution sales, independent grocery, to learn more about the company’s e-commerce platform Storefront Pro. What is involved in training employees on how to use e-commerce platforms like Storefront Pro? Storefront Pro gives grocers of all sizes the ability to […]
Posted inSuppliers, Albertsons, Center Store, H-E-B, Home Page Latest News, National, News, Southwest, Walmart
Dutch Bros Expands Its CPG Coffee Launch
Dutch Bros Inc. (NYSE: BROS) is capitalizing on the cult following it has developed through its more than 1,000 drive-thru locations by expanding its consumer packaged goods footprint across major retail channels. The company’s “Dutch Bros at home” assortment now is available through Amazon and grocery partners such as Walmart, H-E-B and Albertsons, with additional […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, News, Southwest
United Supermarkets Donates Socks To Salvation Army
United Supermarkets donated 1,000 pairs of socks to the Salvation Army of Lubbock on Feb. 6, marking the seventh year The United Family has partnered with Rainier Fruit on the Apples & Pears on a Mission initiative. The donation stems from a program where a portion of proceeds from purchasing Rainier fruit during fall and […]
Posted inProduce News, Association News, Grocery Research, National, News
Fresh Produce White Paper Links Fruits, Vegetables To Reduced Disease Risk
The Foundation for Fresh Produce has released a white paper examining how fruits and vegetables reduce the risk of chronic non-communicable diseases including heart disease, diabetes, obesity and cancer, the Newark, Delaware-based organization announced Feb. 9. “Fruits, Vegetables, and Human Health: Key Nutrients and Their Role in Chronic Diseases,” written by the foundation’s Chief Medical […]
Posted inSnacks Brands, Association News, National, News
NCA Names Smith, Bradley 2026 Candy Dish Award Winners
The National Confectioners Association (NCA) has named Nancy Smith, national account manager at Premier Specialty, as the 2026 Golden Candy Dish Award recipient and Paul Bradley, sales director at Lindt & Sprüngli (USA) Inc., as the Silver Candy Dish Award winner. The awards recognize those who have strengthened connections between manufacturers, broker sales agents and […]
Posted inAssociation News, National, News
NGA Welcomes 9 New Members To Board Of Directors
The National Grocers Association has announced changes to its board of directors, welcoming nine new members and thanking six outgoing members for their service. The announcement was made during The NGA Show 2026 in Las Vegas. The incoming board members are Ryan Adams, Gelson’s Markets; Steve Clark, County Fair Food Stores; Jeff Gross, Federated Group […]