Grocery News In Brief… On Feb. 29 and March 1, Stop & Shop met and continued to negotiate with the five United Food and Commercial Workers local unions that represent associates in the company’s New England stores. According to Stop & Shop, while progress since the weekend has been made toward reaching a new agreement, […]
Category: Northeast
The Shelby Report of the Northeast covers grocery retailers, wholesalers and suppliers in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont. Follow the latest store openings, remodels, leadership changes and market news from the region.
Posted in, Northeast
Global Partners Eyes Sale Of 125 Non-Strategic C-Stores, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… Global Partners LP of Waltham, Massachusetts, is exploring plans to sell 125 non-strategic convenience stores within a year. The announcement was made during the company’s 2015 fiscal fourth quarter earning conference. The company currently has 844 owned or leased convenience stores, now that the Warren Equities and Capitol Petroleum acquisitions […]
Posted in, Northeast
Judge Halts Commencement Of NYC Salt Labeling Mandate, And More…
Foodservice News In Brief… A judge granted the National Restaurant Association’s request for an emergency stay of New York City’s sodium labeling mandate. The Feb. 29 decision by Justice David Friedman temporarily prohibits the New York City health department from enforcing the controversial mandate, which would require chain restaurants with more than 15 stores to […]
Posted in, Northeast
Whole Foods Rolls Out Food Truck, And More…
New Channels News In Brief… Whole Foods Market is launching a food truck test kitchen at its flagship store in Austin, Texas, to experiment with new ideas for the specialty grocer’s in-store eateries. The truck will open Thursday, March 10, under the name Tartinette and will offer a selection of open-faced sandwiches and salads prepared […]
Posted in, Northeast
UFCW, Stop & Shop Continue Talks Despite Union Decision To Authorize Strike
United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW) Local 1445, representing 10,000 workers at Stop & Shop stores in New England, has authorized a worker strike but has not set a strike date and continues to negotiate toward a new contract. The previous contract expired at midnight Feb. 27. According to Stop & Shop, “Associates represented by UFCW […]
Posted in, Northeast
Judge Rules For Sodium Labeling In New York City
A Manhattan Supreme Court judge has ruled that, beginning March 1, chain restaurants must comply with the New York City Board of Health’s sodium-labeling mandate. The mandate requires chain restaurants with more than 15 locations nationally to post salt-shaker labels next to menu items exceeding 2,300mg of sodium. Saying “information is power,” Justice Eileen Rakower issued […]
Posted in, Northeast
Whole Foods To Open In Bedford, New Hampshire, In April
Whole Foods Market will open a new store at 121 South River Road in Bedford, New Hampshire, on Friday, April 8, following a 9:45 a.m. bread-breaking ceremony. The 40,000-s.f. store will be Whole Foods Market’s second New Hampshire location. It will employ approximately 150 full- and part-time team members. It is part of the Goffe […]
Posted in, Aldi, Northeast
Aldi Expanding In Massachusetts, And More…
Grocery News In Brief… Discount grocer Aldi is expanding in Massachusetts and will open its 11th store in the Bay State this summer in Plymouth at Colony Place. The chain is known for its smaller-footprint stores, averaging 17,000 s.f., and an inventory that is 90 percent Aldi branded products. Aldi charges for plastic and paper […]
Posted in, Northeast
U.S. Bottled Water Sales Reach Record High In 2015, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… New research from Mintel reveals that sales of bottled water increased 6.4 percent to top $15 billion in 2015. Mintel projects sales to continue growing at a rapid pace through 2020, with projected sales growth of 34.7 percent for the category, including 75.1 percent growth for the sparkling/mineral water/seltzer segment. […]
Posted in, Northeast
Kettle Cuisine Buys Florida-Based Chef Creations, And More…
Foodservice News In Brief… Kettle Cuisine of Lynn, Massachusetts, has purchased Chef Creations of Orlando, Florida, which produces wholesale soups and sauces for restaurants and retail operations. The plant operations will be shifted to Boston in July, and many of the Orlando plant staffers face layoffs. Kettle Cuisine focuses on soups and chowders for mainly […]
Posted in, Corporate Store News, Northeast, Perishables, Sustainability News
Ahold USA Commits To Sell Only Cage-Free Private Label Shell Eggs
As part of its responsible retailing efforts, Ahold USA says that its companies’ private label shell eggs will be 100 percent cage free by 2022. Ahold USA’s retail divisions—Stop & Shop, Giant Food of Landover, Giant Food Stores of Carlisle, Martin’s and online grocer Peapod—now offer cage-free, free-range, organic and traditional egg varieties for its […]
Posted in, Amazon Fresh, Northeast, Whole Foods
Report: Sales Of HBC At Grocery Are On The Rise
According to Acosta, after years on the decline, sales of health and beauty care (HBC) products at grocery stores are showing signs of life. Grocery stores capture only about 18 percent, or $15 billion, of the $84 billion annual spend in the HBC category, but Acosta’s “Health of Health & Beauty Care in the Grocery […]
Posted in, Northeast
Massachusetts Governor To Keynote NEFS On March 14
Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker will be the second keynote speaker at the New England Food Show (NEFS), as he addresses the crowd Monday, March 14, beginning at 12:45 p.m. Baker will discuss the restaurateurs, chefs, farmers and people who bring fresh, healthy and hearty food to tables—and their impact on both our culture and economy. Kicking […]
Posted in, Northeast
NGA, FMI Back Uniform GMO Labeling Legislation
Several food groups, including the National Grocers Association and the Food Marketing Institute, are supporting a congressional proposal to establish a federal uniform labeling standard for foods made with genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and also for GMO-free foods. The legislation, backed by U.S. Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kansas), chair of the Senate Agriculture Committee, would block […]
Posted in, Northeast
Wakefern Appoints Williams CIO, And More…
Grocery News In Brief… Wakefern has named executive Cheryl Williams its chief information officer. She will serve as VP of Wakefern’s CISD Division, coordinating cyber-security efforts and technology on both the corporate and retail fronts. Williams was named VP of marketing in 2001 and worked with a variety of divisions to launch consumer marketing and […]
Posted in, Northeast
Group Continues Search For New Executive Director, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… Gwen Forman of Cumberland Farms, chair of the New England Convenience Store & Energy Marketers Association (NECSEMA), reports some progress in the search for a new executive director to replace Steve Ryan, who left to lead the New England Water Works Association. NECSEMA has received a number of resumes and […]
Posted in, Northeast
Tasty Burger Opens Fifth Location In Greater Boston, And More…
Foodservice News In Brief… With five locations in the Boston area and more in the works in and outside Massachusetts, Tasty Burger recently opened a new restaurant in Dudley Square in Roxbury, Massachusetts. Tasty Burger officials describe all the locations as having “outstanding fresh ingredients cooked to order in an incredibly fun, laid back atmosphere.” […]
Posted in, Northeast
Alliance Cost Containment Launches C-Store Savings
Alliance Cost Containment (ACC) of Kentucky has created a cost reduction program targeting the retail grocery and convenience store industry. Working under the name C-Store Savings, this new entity offers chains with 10 or more locations two distinct ways to reduce day-to-day operating costs. The group savings option provides pre-negotiated savings on more than 30 expense areas, […]
Posted in, Northeast
Challenges Loom Despite National Restaurant Growth
The National Restaurant Association (NRA) projects that restaurants in 2016 will post sales of $782.7 billion and employ 14.4 million people in more than one million locations. The 2016 Restaurant Industry Forecast reveals that the U.S. restaurant industry will remain the nation’s second-largest, private-sector employer—providing career opportunities for one in 10 working Americans. “Though the […]
Posted in, Northeast
Survey Smokers Say CVS Decision Makes It Harder To Buy Cigarettes
A new survey by e-cigarette and vaporizer company V2 examines the impact of CVS’s decision to stop selling cigarettes and other tobacco products. The survey focused on several aspects of the CVS decision, which was implemented in fall 2014, including smokers’ reactions, how their lives have changed since and substitute points of purchase. The survey found that […]