Convenience Store News In Brief… Boston Mayor Martin Walsh says he will take steps to prohibit the use of smokeless tobacco and other tobacco products at baseball parks, including Fenway Park, and other professional and amateur sports venues in Boston. He has filed an ordinance with the Boston City Council. The ordinance will ban smokeless […]
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
‘Something’s Brewing In Worcester’ Delayed Until Fall, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… The Massachusetts Restaurant Association has postponed its “Something’s Brewing In Worcester” event due to the extension of Worcester Restaurant Week. The event will be rescheduled to a later date in the fall… Herris Gourmet is supplying Kosher-certified food products to the Hudson News retailer in Terminal E of Logan International […]
Posted in, Northeast
Mass. Governor Signs Tax Holiday Into Law, And More…
New Channels News In Brief… Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has signed into law a state sales tax holiday, which will be Aug. 15 and 16. The law is similar to those passed in past sessions and exempts sales tax collection for certain items purchased under $2,500. Items that will continue to be taxed include meals, […]
Posted in, Northeast
Hannaford Debuts Small-Format Store, Will Purchase Durham, N.H., Market
Hannaford is opening a smaller store, a 20,000-s.f. unit (less than half the size of a traditional Hannaford) in North Berwick, Maine, on Aug. 8. Some of the store’s features will include fresh produce, a walk-in beer cooler, as well as gluten-free, natural and organic items. The store will employ as many as 75 associates, […]
Posted in, Northeast
New NACS Resource Helps Retailers Assess Fresh Food Options
As more convenience stores consider expanding their fresh produce offering in stores, a new resource has been published to help operators examine what they need to be successful with a fresh produce program. “Are You Fit For Fresh?” is 10-point checklist developed by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) and the United Fresh Produce Association. […]
Posted in, Northeast
College Study Suggests $15 Minimum Wage Could Hike Restaurant Prices
Boosting employee wages to $15 an hour at limited-service restaurants could lead to an estimated 4.3 percent increase in prices at those restaurants, according to a recent Purdue School of Hospitality and Tourism Management study. The study also says that increasing wages to $22 per hour would result in a 25 percent increase in menu prices. […]
Posted in, Northeast
Rite Aid Sales Rise, New CEO Appointed
Rite Aid’s same-store sales increased 2.4 percent for the four-week period ended July 25 compared to the prior-year period. July front-end same-store sales increased 0.1 percent. Pharmacy same-store sales increased 3.4 percent. Total drugstore sales for the four-week period increased 2.1 percent to $2.016 billion compared to $1.975 billion for the same period last year. […]
Posted in, Northeast
Wegmans To Open Fifth Bay State Store At The Natick Mall, And More…
Supermarket News In Brief… Wegmans plans to open a 125,000-s.f. Massachusetts store at the Natick Mall in Natick by spring 2017. It will be the Rochester, New York-based grocer’s fifth store in Massachusetts; the company’s fourth location, a 122,000-s.f. unit, is set to open on University Avenue in Westwood on Oct. 11. Wegmans also is […]
Posted in, Northeast
NightFood Expands Distribution Network, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… NightFood Holdings Inc. of Tarrytown, New Jersey, a company dedicated to delivering better nighttime snack solutions to shoppers, has expanded its broker and distribution network with broker coverage of the entire East Coast. The company has entered into exclusive broker arrangements with Main Street Marketing in the Southeast and Tozzi […]
Posted in, Northeast
Study Finds 3 Percent Drop In Independent Restaurant Count, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… A 3 percent drop in independent restaurant unit counts compared to year ago brought the total U.S. restaurant count down by 1 percent to 630,511 units, according to a census of U.S. commercial restaurant locations compiled in the spring and fall each year by The NPD Group, a national research […]
Posted in, Northeast
Study Shows Costco, Wawa Are Favorite Places To Fuel Up, And More…
New Channels News In Brief… Wawa and Costco are favorite places for motorists to fill up their gas tanks, according to a study by Market Force Information. Nearly 7,000 consumers were polled for the study, which was designed to uncover where consumers prefer to fuel up and why they prefer one chain to another. The […]
Posted in, Northeast
Boston Public Market Opens As A Source Of Locally Produced Fresh Food
The Boston Public Market has opened at Haymarket Station in downtown Boston. It is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. The market is described as a year-round, self-sustaining market featuring fresh, locally sourced food brought directly from farmers, fishermen and food producers from Massachusetts and throughout New England. The market houses more than 35 vendors selling […]
Posted in, Northeast
7-Eleven To Sell 25 C-Stores In 10 States
7-Eleven plans to sell 25 gasoline stations and/or convenience stores in 10 states. The sale includes six locations in Virginia, three each in Colorado, Illinois, Texas and West Virginia, two each in Florida and Missouri, and one each in Nevada, New York and South Carolina. Robbie Radant, 7-Eleven’s VP of mergers and acquisitions, said, “This […]
Posted in, Northeast
Target Opening More Express Locations
Target continues to roll out its new TargetExpress brand with the opening of a store in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota. The 16,000-s.f. store caters to a community of families, empty-nesters and college students and includes a pharmacy and a robust organics section—the first of its kind at a TargetExpress. The store […]
Posted in, Northeast
Weis Markets Reports Strong 2Q Results, And More…
Supermarket News In Brief… Weis Markets of Sunbury, Pennsylvania, has reported a 28.4 percent increase in its second quarter net income, while its sales for the same period increased 3.8 percent. “Our second quarter results reflect our continuing investments in sales-building strategies and disciplined promotions that helped us generate strong sales and net income increases,” […]
Posted in, Northeast
ABA Files Suit Over San Francisco Labeling Rule, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… The American Beverage Association has joined two other groups in trying to block San Francisco city rules requiring mandatory labels on soda advertisements. The label, which must be affixed to sugary beverages, would read, “Warning: Drinking beverages with added sugar contributes to obesity, diabetes and tooth decay.” The lawsuit, which […]
Posted in, Northeast
SFA Honored For Work To Reduce Hunger, And More…
New Channels News In Brief… The Specialty Food Association (SFA) has been awarded a Power of A Gold Award from the American Society of Association Executives for its work to help reduce hunger and increase food recovery via the grant-making, education and industry events of its Specialty Food Foundation. The foundation, established in 2014, in […]
Posted in, Northeast
Deli Publisher Explains What’s Driving Food Label Transparency
The second annual Blount Culinary Summit on food industry trends and challenges was held July 22-23 at the Newport Marriott in Newport, Rhode Island. About 125 invited industry guests, including chefs and retailers, attended—more than double the number that attended last year. The summit was designed as a forum for exploring and discussing how trends, […]
Posted in, Northeast
New York AG Settles With C&S On Preventable Accident Termination Policy
New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman has announced a settlement with C&S Wholesale Grocers following a review into the company’s written policy of firing employees who were injured in a “preventable accident” within their initial 90-day probationary period of employment. C&S has two distribution centers in Newburgh and Chester, New York. Under the company’s policy, […]
Posted in, Northeast
NACS Launches Online C-Store Training Platform
The National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) has launched a new training program for convenience store employees that is available through a new online platform, NACS e-Learning, powered by Ready Training Online (RTO). “The goal in offering this training platform to our members is to help convenience store companies streamline the way they deliver and manage […]