Publix opened a new 55,454-square-foot supermarket March 12 at 6605 38th Ave. in St. Petersburg, adding a full-format location with an indoor seating area and an adjacent Publix Liquors to the city’s northwest side. Lindsey Willis, Publix’s media relations manager, said the store was designed with comfort and convenience in mind. “This store brings together […]
Category: Southeast
The Shelby Report of the Southeast covers grocery retailers, wholesalers and suppliers in Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia. Follow the latest store openings, remodels, leadership changes and market news from the region.
Posted inCorporate Store News, Featured News, News, Southeast
The Fresh Market Reopens Store One Year After Hurricane Helene
The Fresh Market recently reopened a store in Hendersonville, North Carolina, following more than a year of repairs and renovations after Hurricane Helene damage in 2024. The reopening included a $5,000 donation to MANNA Food Bank and a bread-breaking ceremony with the Hendersonville High School marching band. Mayor Barbara Volk and Chamber of Commerce President […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Featured News, Food City, Health & Wellness, News, Southeast
Food City Expands NationsBenefit Flex Card Access For Members
NationsBenefits has integrated its Flex Card network with Food City, allowing eligible health plan members to use prepaid benefit cards at all of the grocer’s participating locations in Tennessee, Kentucky, Virginia, Georgia and Alabama. Using the NationsBenefits Mastercard Prepaid Flex Card, they will be able to buy approved food as medicine items, over-the-counter (OTC) health […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Featured News, News, Southeast, Southwest
Sprouts Farmers Market Opens 3 New Stores In FL, TX
Sprouts Farmers Market opened three new stores in late February and early March, adding two Florida locations and one in Texas. The first store opened Feb. 27 at 1591 N. Williamson Blvd. in Daytona Beach, Florida. That was followed by two locations on March 6 – one at 3420 South U.S. Hwy. 27 in Clermont, […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Executive News, Featured News, Finance News, News, Southeast
ECRS Names Rosner Chief Revenue Officer
ECRS, a Boone, North Carolina-based retail technology company, has named Merrick Rosner chief revenue officer. Rosner brings more than a decade of executive experience in retail technology and previously served on the National Retailer Advisory Board of the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA). In his new role, Rosner will oversee customer experience, sales operations and strategic […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Merchant Distributors, News, Online Grocery Technology, Southeast
Swiftly, MDI Bringing Digital Circular, AI Targeting To Independent Grocers
Swiftly has partnered with Merchants Distributors (MDI), a Hickory, N.C.-based wholesale grocery distributor, to expand digital capabilities across MDI’s network of more than 600 independent retailers in the Southeast. Under the agreement, MDI retailers will gain access to three Swiftly products – a modern retail website platform, SmartCircular for digitizing the weekly circular experience and Audience […]
Posted inProduce News, Featured News, News, Southeast
Healthy Family Project Raised $348K In 2025 For Food Security
Healthy Family Project gathered more than 200 produce industry professionals Feb. 27 for its annual Thank You Reception during the Southeast Produce Council’s 2026 Southern Exposure event in Orlando, celebrating a year of cause marketing campaigns that raised more than $348,000 for charitable partners. The funds benefited Feeding America food banks, the Foundation for Fresh […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Featured News, Southeast, Walmart
Walmart Opens New Supercenter In The Villages, FL
Walmart opened a new supercenter March 4 at 11115 Waxman Drive in The Villages, a 55-and-up community in central Florida. The “next generation” store opened with a community celebration “highlighting the store’s associates, new products and services, Fresh From Florida produce and local nonprofit partners,” the retailer said. “Today is a proud moment for our […]
Posted inBakery News, Executive News, Featured News, News, Southeast
Flowers Foods Promotes Lorge To Lead Simple Mills Unit
Michelle Lorge has been named president of the Simple Mills business of Thomasville, Georgia-based Flowers Foods Inc., the company announced March 2. Lorge succeeds Simple Mills founder and CEO Katlin Smith, who Flowers said “has made a personal decision to step down to spend more time with her family and on philanthropic interests, and will […]
Posted inNews, Finance News, Independent Store News, Publix Super Markets, Southeast
Publix Reports Fourth Quarter, Annual Results For 2025
Publix Super Markets reported fiscal 2025 sales of $62.7 billion, a 5 percent increase from $59.7 billion in 2024. Comparable store sales for the fiscal year ended Dec. 27, 2025, increased 3.5 percent. “Our greatest asset is our associates,” said Publix CEO Kevin Murphy. “I’m proud of their dedication to continuous improvement and commitment to […]
Posted inCenter Store, News, Southeast
Louisiana Fish Fry Expands Seafood Boil Lineup With Two New Seasonings
Louisiana Fish Fry launched two additions to its seafood boil lineup – Louisiana Fish Fry Cajun Reserve Boil Seasoning and Louisiana Fish Fry Slammin’ Spice Boil Booster. Together, the new seasonings give home cooks more ways to customize their boils with Louisiana flavor. Louisiana Fish Fry Cajun Reserve Seafood Boil Seasoning is a premium citrus-herb […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Executive News, Featured News, Finance News, News, Southeast
Houchens Industries Names Jordan White As EVP
Houchens Industries has appointed Jordan White as EVP, the Bowling Green, Kentucky-based company announced Feb. 26. White will work with executive leadership and subsidiary management teams to support strategic growth initiatives, capital deployment and operational excellence across Houchens’ portfolio of companies. “I am excited to have Jordan join the Houchens team,” said Dion Houchins, chairman […]
Posted inProduce News, Food Lion, News, Southeast
Food Lion Begins Annual Orange Bag Donation Campaign
Food Lion launched its annual three-week Orange Bag campaign Feb. 25, inviting customers to turn purchases of fresh navel oranges into meals for communities through its Food Lion Feeds hunger-relief platform. The campaign, which runs through March 17, benefits Feeding America and partner food banks throughout the retailer’s 10-state footprint. Since it began in 2019, […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Featured News, News, Southeast
The Fresh Market Opens Second Store In Aventura, FL
The Fresh Market has opened a second location in Aventura, Florida, featuring expanded seating and a Roasting Plant where guests can buy freshly roasted premium coffee beans to order. The specialty grocery retailer celebrated the occasion by breaking a six-foot loaf of Cuban bread. The opening also featured giveaways and sampling, along with a $2,000 […]
Posted inProduce News, Association News, Featured News, News, Southeast
Southern Exposure 2026 To Feature Grower Panel, Product Launches
The Southeast Produce Council will hold Southern Exposure 2026 from Feb. 26-March 1 at the Orlando World Center Marriott in Orlando, Florida, featuring educational sessions on agriculture challenges and consumer trends alongside new product debuts from exhibitors. The conference theme, “From Fields to Families: Nourishing Our Nation,” reflects SEPC Board Chair Sloan Lott’s platform emphasizing […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Featured News, News, Southeast, The Kroger Co.
Kroger Invests $23M To Expand Store In Marietta, GA
Kroger is expanding its Parkaire Landing location in Marietta, Georgia, with a $23 million investment that will increase the store’s size by more than 26,000 square feet. The project will grow the store from about 59,000 to 85,000 square feet by filling three adjacent vacancies in the East Cobb shopping center. A new 12-pump fuel […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, News, Southeast
ECRS Completes SOC 2 Type 2 Audit
ECRS has completed a SOC 2 Type 2 audit conducted by an independent CPA firm in accordance with American Institute of Certified Public Accountants Trust Services Criteria, the Boone, North Carolina-based retail technology provider announced. The audit evaluated the design and operational effectiveness of ECRS’ internal controls over a defined period. The SOC 2 Type […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Food Lion, News, Southeast
Food Lion Awards $20K To North Carolina College Hunger Challenge Winners
Food Lion Feeds and North Carolina Campus Engagement awarded $20,000 to three North Carolina colleges for student-led hunger-relief efforts. Alamance Community College received $10,000 as Grand Hunger Champion, while Catawba College won $5,000 as the North Carolina Independent Colleges and Universities Private Sector Hunger Champion. North Carolina Central University received $5,000 as the UNC System […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Ahold Delhaize, Featured News, News, Southeast, Supply Chain News
Ahold Delhaize USA Breaks Ground On $860M DC In Burlington, NC
Ahold Delhaize USA recently broke ground on a new distribution center in Burlington, North Carolina, marking an $860 million investment in supply chain expansion. The facility, which will be the largest in the company’s network, will add more than one million square feet of fresh and frozen distribution capacity to support Food Lion and other […]
Posted inC-Store News, Grocery Store Equipment, News, Southeast
Spinx Selects Tote.AI For POS, Foodservice Technology
The Spinx Company has selected Tote.AI to provide point-of-sale, self-service kiosks and foodservice technology across all 96 convenience stores in the Carolinas, the Greenville, South Carolina-based retailer announced in early February. The AI-native platform will unify Spinx’s ordering, checkout and kitchen technology into a single system. The rollout will begin in the second half of […]