Convenience Store News In Brief… Confectioner manufacturer Ferrara Candy Co. plans to increase manufacturing capacity as it plans to expand the number of products it supplies to Walmart… According to Beverage Marketing Corp., a market research company, the U.S. market for beverages grew in 2014 after sales were basically flat in 2013. One of the […]
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
McDonald’s Pledges To Raise Minimum Wage Pay, And More…
Food Service News In Brief McDonald’s announced that it will raise wages at the roughly 1,500 restaurants it owns in the U.S. beginning July 1. The new policy, which guarantees that the company will pay at least $1 an hour more than the local minimum wage, only applies to company-owned locations, not franchises. The pay […]
Posted in, Northeast
U.S. Commission Files Wheat Price Fixing Charges, And More…
Supermarket News In Brief The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission last week filed a complaint in the U.S. District Court against Kraft Foods Group and Mondelez International charging the manufacturers with “manipulation and attempted manipulation of the prices of cash wheat and wheat futures.” Neither Kraft or Mondelez has yet issued any comment on the […]
Posted in, Northeast
KeyMe Places Key Kiosks In Two Stop & Shop Stores
KeyMe of New York has announced an agreement with Ahold USA that will place the company’s new retail kiosks at Super Stop & Shop locations in Dorchester and Malden, Massachusetts. The kiosks will enable customers to safely store a “digital copy” of their keys in the cloud and easily create a spare copy at their local […]
Posted in, Northeast
New England Ice Cream CEO Remarks On Bliss Dairy Buy
New England Ice Cream CEO Bruce Ginsberg tells The Griffin Report he is pleased with the the recent purchase of Bliss Bros. Dairy, which he reveals will enhance his Taunton, Massachusetts, company’s distribution of ice cream products. “We are very excited with regard to the Bliss Dairy acquisition,” he says. “The transaction was perfect for the […]
Posted in, Northeast
FTC To Rule Soon On Reynolds-Lorillard Merger
A decision is expected soon from the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) on its review of the Reynolds American and Lorillard merger. Several media reports have speculated that the staff of the FTC is recommending a lawsuit to block the merger, although it is possible the FTC commissioners could overrule the staff. The FTC has spent […]
Posted in, Northeast
Keurig Announces Pact With Reily Foods Co., And More…
Supermarket News In Brief… Keurig Green Mountain of Waterbury, Vermont, and Reily Foods Co. of New Orleans, Louisiana, parent company to New England Coffee, have announced an exclusive multi-year manufacturing and distribution agreement for New England brand coffee, New Orleans Famous French Market Since 1890 brand coffee and Luzianne brand iced tea pods for Keurig […]
Posted in, Northeast
Dunkin’ Donuts Commits To Cage-Free Eggs And Crate-Free Pork, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Dunkin’ Donuts of Canton, Massachusetts, announced this week that it will map its international supply chain to understand the feasibility of transitioning to 100 percent cage-free eggs globally, and establish a global target with interim deliverables toward this goal. As an immediate step, 10 percent of all eggs sourced for […]
Posted in, Northeast
Cambridge, Massachusetts, To Block Plastic Bags In 2016, And More…
New Channels News In Brief… The Cambridge, Massachusetts, City Council voted Monday to ban the use of thin, single-use plastic bags at supermarkets and retailers beginning in March 2016. Cambridge is the largest city in the state to enact such a ban. In addition, businesses will charge a 10-cent fee for plastic bags. Businesses could […]
Posted in, Northeast
New Study Estimates Cigarette Smuggling Per State
New York holds the highest cigarette smuggling rate, and smuggling in Illinois has dramatically increased, according to a recent report from the Tax Foundation. Using the latest data from the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, the report details each state’s total inflow or outflow of smuggled cigarettes in 2013. The key findings include: Smuggled cigarettes make […]
Posted in, Northeast
New England Ice Cream Purchases Bliss Bros. Dairy
New England Ice Cream Co. of Taunton, Massachusetts, has purchased Bliss Bros. Dairy of Attleboro, Massachusetts. Bliss Bros. has been a family-owned company since 1929, although the family has owned a dairy farm dating back to the 1600s. Bliss Bros. owns its own restaurant in addition to distributing ice cream to about 400 other restaurants. […]
Posted in, Northeast
Big Heart Pet Brands Sold To Smucker’s, And More…
New Channels News In Brief… The J. M. Smucker Co. has completed the acquisition of Big Heart Pet Brands, valued at nearly $6 billion. Big Heart Pet Brands, with nearly 2,500 employees, is a producer, distributor and marketer of branded pet food and pet snacks in the U.S. Its portfolio of brands includes Meow Mix, […]
Posted in, Northeast
R.I. Legislature Reviews Tobacco Purchase Age Bill, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… Rhode Island legislators are reviewing a bill that would make the state the first in the nation to raise the legal age to buy tobacco to 21 years old. The bill would apply to all forms of tobacco… The Asian American Trade Associations Council (AATAC) has partnered with CAF Environmental […]
Posted in, Northeast
Lemon-X Sold To Texas Firm, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… Highlander Partners LP of Dallas, Texas, acquired the Lemon-X Corp., a manufacturer and supplier of 100 percent juices, juice blends, lemonades, teas and cocktail mixes. These come in various food service pack sizes, including bag-in-box, bottles, jugs and cartons. Lemon-X’s production facilities are located in Huntington Station, New York, which […]
Posted in, Northeast
Northeast James Beard Foundation Awards Announced
Nominees for the 2015 James Beard Foundation Awards were announced earlier this week. The final awards will be announced May 4. Best Chef in the Northeast nominees are: Karen Akunowicz of Myers & Chang of Boston; Barry Maiden of Hungry Mother of Cambridge and Cassie Piuma of Sarma of Somerville, Massachusetts; and Masa Miyake of Miyake […]
Posted in, Northeast
New Jersey Closer To Approving Home Delivery Of Lottery Tickets
The New Jersey State Assembly Tourism, Gaming and the Arts Committee voted 5-0 in favor of a bill allowing the operation of lottery courier services, which could deliver tickets to customers at home. “Ticket delivery will make lottery products more accessible for players who are homebound or find it inconvenient to get to a retailer,” said […]
Posted in, Northeast
GMA Praises Introduction Of National Food Labeling Bill
The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) had praise for The Safe & Accurate Food Labeling Act filed this week by U.S. Rep. Mike Pompeo (R-Kansas) and U.S. Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-North Carolina.) The bill would establish a federal labeling standard for food and beverage products made with genetically modified ingredients (GMOs). Pamela Bailey, president and CEO […]
Posted in, Northeast
MRA, Harpoon Brewery Fighting Hunger, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… The Massachusetts Restaurant Association (MRA) and Harpoon Brewery have rescheduled their fundraising event to end childhood hunger. It will be held March 30 from 7-10 p.m. at the Harpoon Brewery in Boston… Dunkin’ Brands Group Inc., the parent company of Dunkin’ Donuts and Baskin-Robbins, promoted Jack Clare to chief information […]
Posted in, Northeast
VERC Enters Business Hall Of Fame, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… VERC Enterprises, a convenience store and Mobile-Gulf gasoline operator with locations throughout eastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire, has been given the 2015 Best of Plymouth Award in the Convenience Stores category, qualifying the company for inclusion in the Plymouth Business Hall of Fame… Herr’s Snacks of Nottingham, Pennsylvania, is partnering […]
Posted in, Albertsons, Amazon Fresh, Northeast, Whole Foods
Energizer Holdings To Split, And More…
New Channels News In Brief… Energizer Holdings Inc. will split into two new companies, with a target date of July 1. The Personal Care Division will be named Edgewell Personal Care and will become an independent company. The Household Product Division will retain the Energizer Holdings Inc. name and logo… Amazon.com plans to expand its […]