New Channels News In Brief… Two of the nation’s largest drugstore chains have agreed to combine operations. Walgreens Boots Alliance announced Oct. 27 that it has entered into a definitive agreement to acquire all the outstanding shares of Rite Aid in a deal valued at $17.2 billion. Walgreens has more than 13,100 stores in 11 […]
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
Italian Trade Commission Partners With Golub Corp.
Golub Corp. (Price Chopper) executives recently joined with officials from the Italian Trade Commission to announce a new multi-year partnership agreement to increase the variety of authentic Italian products across all Price Chopper stores in six states. The partnership—one of only three in the country, and the only of its kind on the East Coast—is focused […]
Posted in, Northeast
Forman Of Cumberland Farms Named President Of Newly Configured NECSEMA
Gwen Forman of Cumberland Farms is the new president of the newly merged New England Convenience Store Association and Independent Oil Marketers Association. The group’s new name is New England Convenience Store & Energy Marketers Association, or NECSEMA. The group held its first event Oct. 22 at the Dedham Hilton in Dedham, Massachusetts, and elected new […]
Posted in, Northeast
Friendly’s Debuts First Drive-Thru In Westfield, Massachusetts
Friendly’s Ice Cream, the operator of Friendly’s restaurants and a manufacturer of ice cream products, has opened its first drive-thru in western Massachusetts, located at the Friendly’s restaurant at 21 Southampton Road in Westfield, right off exit 3 from the Mass Pike. This is a test concept and, if successful, could create new growth for the […]
Posted in, Northeast
Gulf Oil Awaiting Federal Approval Before Moving To ArcLight Capital, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… Pending Federal Trade Commission approval, the transfer sale of Gulf Oil from Cumberland Farms will occur with the new owner: Arclight Capital Partners of Boston, a private equity firm focused on North American Energy Infrastructure assets. Since its establishment in 2001, ArcLight has invested more than $13.1 billion across multiple […]
Posted in, Northeast
Private Equity Firm Acquires The Greene Turtle, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Stone-Goff Partners of New York has acquired Greene Turtle Sports Bar & Grille, a 41-unit casual dining concept based in Maryland. Founded in 1976, the company has expanded throughout the Northeast with locations in Delaware, Virginia, the D.C. area, West Virginia and Long Island. The chain is described as casual […]
Posted in, Northeast
CVS Health MinuteClinic Surpasses 1,000 Clinic Milestone, And More…
New Channels News In Brief… CVS Health MinuteClinic, the walk-in medical clinic of CVS Health, has opened its 1,000th MinuteClinic location nationwide in Washington, D.C. Since opening the first walk-in retail clinic 15 years ago, MinuteClinic has expanded its clinics across 31 states and the District of Columbia to more than 26 million patient visits. […]
Posted in, Northeast
MFA Leader: D.C. ‘Gridlock’ Leads To Local Initiatives And Need To Stay Ahead Of The Issues
Chris Flynn, president of the Massachusetts Food Association (MFA), speaking to the Refrigerated Foods Association’s national convention in Boston recently, says federal gridlock has opened the floodgates for local and state initiatives on the issues of plastic bags, plastic water bottles, minimum wage and GMO legislation. Flynn says the threat of local initiatives is real […]
Posted in, Northeast
Top 10 ‘Cool’ New Products From The 2015 NACS Show Revealed
During the recent National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show in Las Vegas, the Cool New Products Preview Room was opened up for retailers and convenience distributors. Now in its 15th year, the Cool New Products section previews new products, packaging and innovations available to the convenience and fuel retailing industry. Visitors scanned more than 290,000 products […]
Posted in, Northeast
Subway Proposes ‘Footlong’ Issue Settlement
Doctor’s Associates Inc. (DAI), the franchisor of Subway Sandwich Shops, has proposed a settlement in a class-action lawsuit about the marketing of Six Inch and Footlong Subway Sandwiches. The court has not made any findings that any of DAI’s marketing or practices were improper or unlawful. In the settlement, DAI has agreed to certain practice […]
Posted in, Northeast
Ahold USA Receives EPA Green Power Leadership Award
Ahold USA has received a 2015 Green Power Leadership Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The annual awards recognize the country’s leading green power users for their commitment and contribution to helping advance the development of the nation’s voluntary green power market. Combined, Ahold USA and its four regional divisions—Stop & Shop New England, […]
Posted in, Albertsons, Northeast
Former Weis Markets Chairman Robert Weis Passes Away At 96, And More…
Supermarket News In Brief… Robert Weis, the principal figure in the growth and continued success of Weis Markets, died this week at age 96. Mr. Weis was the former chairman of Weis Markets, a food retailer operating 163 stores in Pennsylvania, Maryland, New Jersey, New York and West Virginia. In 2014, the company generated $2.8 […]
Posted in, Northeast
Pennsylvania Considers Raising Tobacco Age, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… Pennsylvania may join Hawaii in requiring the minimum age for tobacco use to be 21 years old. The current age for tobacco product purchases in the state is 18. Hawaii’s law, which takes effect Jan. 1, is the first statewide measure to set the minimum age for tobacco purchases at […]
Posted in, Northeast
Aramark Transitions To 100 Percent Sustainability Sourced Tuna, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Aramark of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a provider of food, facilities management and uniforms, will transition to 100 percent sustainably sourced canned skipjack and albacore tuna in the U.S. by April 1, 2016. When the transition is complete next year, Aramark will have converted an estimated 2.5 million pounds of tuna to […]
Posted in, Northeast
More C-Stores Join Partnership For A Healthier America
Healthy food and healthy choices were one of the key categories mentioned at the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show this month, and this was accentuated by an announcement of two companies joining Partnership for a Healthier America (PHA). PHA works with First Lady Michelle Obama and strives to make healthier choices easier for busy […]
Posted in, Northeast
Whole Foods To Build Next-Generation Cloud Retail Management Solution
Whole Foods Market and Infor, a provider of business applications specialized by industry and built for the cloud, have partnered to build a new, cloud-based retail management solution allowing Whole Foods to operate faster and more efficiently while enhancing the customer experience. The new retail management suite, Infor Cloudsuite Retail, also will be made available to […]
Posted in, Northeast
Cumberland Farms Awards Free Gas Prize To Mark SmartPay Milestone, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… Cumberland Farms is giving away one year of free gas to loyal customer Kenneth Hobart of Wilmington, Massachusetts. Hobart recently was fueling up his tank at the Cumberland Farms store in Wilmington when the brand hit a major milestone of $1 billion of gas purchased through its SmartPay Check-Link program […]
Posted in, Northeast
New York Orders Four Papa John’s Franchisees To Pay Back Wages, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman and the U.S. Department of Labor have announced four settlements totaling nearly $500,000 with three current Papa John’s Pizza franchisees and one former franchisee, who together operated a total of nine restaurants in Queens, The Bronx and Brooklyn. The franchisees investigated by the Attorney […]
Posted in, Northeast
Target Adds PINs To Store-Issued Credit Cards, And More…
New Channels News In Brief… Target has added another layer of security to its store-issued credit cards. The retailer has become the first big credit card issuer to send customers new cards with a computer chip and PINs. In 2013, Target experienced a major security breach that compromised customer data. The store has started sending […]
Posted in, Northeast
Companies Working To Capture Shopping Habits Through Smartphone App
Boston-based Mobee, involved with data and insights for brands, retail and hedge funds, has formed a strategic alliance with Nielsen to develop the “Nielsen Product Diary.” Created in the form of an easy-to-use mobile product diary, this application captures consumer habits and product usage behaviors in real time. With this tool, the ability to report […]