FoodsCo, a banner of Food 4 Less, will open its first Oakland, Calif., store on Wednesday, March 26, following the ribbon-cutting at 7:30 a.m. The new 80,000-s.f. supermarket is located in East Oakland’s Foothill Square Shopping Center at 10790 MacArthur Blvd. “We are very excited about this opportunity to open our newest FoodsCo store in […]
Category: West
The Shelby Report of the West covers grocery retailers, wholesalers and suppliers in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington and Wyoming. Follow the latest store openings, remodels, leadership changes and market news from the region.
Posted in, Independent Store News, West
Stater Bros. Launches 2-Ads-1-Day Wednesdays
Stater Bros. is debuting a program called “2 ads 1 day.” A new Stater Bros. ad breaks on Wednesday of each week, and now the prior week’s ad also is effective on that one day as well. In other words, on Wednesdays, Stater Bros. customers can shop two ads, together, on the same day. “Food […]
Posted in, National, West
California Grocery Veteran Rick Fry Dies At 62
Mr. Rick Fry, who spent 47 years in the grocery business and became well known and respected as a top industry leader in grocery marketing and operations, died unexpectedly March 14 in California due to post lung cancer treatment complications. He was 62. Since November 2012, Mr. Fry was a managing partner at Coastal Marketing Group, serving […]
Posted in, Executive News, West
Smart & Final Names Hong Chief Marketing Officer
Smart & Final, the warehouse grocery store that counts households, businesses and community groups among its customers, has appointed Eleanor Hong SVP and chief marketing officer (CMO). Reporting to Dave Hirz, president and CEO, Hong will develop and oversee strategic marketing programs at Smart & Final designed to enhance the brand and build sales in […]
Posted in, Beverage News, Marketing News, West
Essentia Water Releases Its Expo West Event Schedule
Essentia Water has released its schedule of events for its booth No. 5209 at the Natural Products Expo West, March 6-9, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif. • Friday, March 7: Stop the Swish 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Trampoline athlete Jerry “Iron Man” Fleming, an AIRobics instructor at Sky High Sports in Costa Mesa, […]
Posted in, Executive News, West
C&K Market Appoints Wissmann COO To Lead Turnaround
Karl V. Wissmann joined C&K Market Inc. as its COO on Monday. “I’m excited about the opportunity to grow this independent chain. We have a lot of room to increase what we offer our customers,” Wissmann said. “I’ve learned a lot in my 40 years in this industry, and I’ve spent some time getting to […]
Posted in, Independent Store News, West
Completion Of Arden Deal May Lead To Gelson’s Expansion
Arden Group, parent of Gelson’s Markets, an operator of 17 full-service specialty grocery stores in Southern California, has completed its previously announced acquisition by TPG, a leading global private investment firm. The merger agreement was approved by the company’s board of directors in December. Under the terms of the agreement, Arden Group’s shareholders will receive […]
Posted in, Independent Store News, West
Northgate González Wins Unified’s Ben Schwartz Visionary Award
Anaheim, Calif.-based Northgate González Markets, which operates 38 supermarkets in Southern California, was the recipient of the 2014 “Ben Schwartz Retail Grocery Visionary Award” from Unified Grocers at a special awards dinner Tuesday at Tamayo Restaurant in Los Angeles. This is the ninth year that Unified has presented the award to an outstanding independent retailer. […]
Posted in, National, West
Former Vons President Davila Passes Away
Mr. William S. “Bill” Davila, former president of Vons and past president of the Western Association of Food Chains (WAFC), died Feb. 14 after suffering with Alzheimer’s for several years. He was 82. Mr. Davila began his career with Vons Grocery Co. in 1950 and became president in the mid-1980s. He retired from Vons in […]
Posted in, Albertsons, New Products, West
Ehrmann Mixim Greek Yogurt Hits Stores In Six Flavor Combos
Ehrmann is rolling out Mixim, the only Greek yogurt with a triple-dip of flavorful fun, according to the Irvine, Calif.-based company. Packaged in a heart-shaped container, each serving of plain Mixim Greek yogurt is paired with two topping combinations to let consumers create their own taste sensations. Mixim is now available at retail locations in […]
Posted in, National, West
Unified’s SMART Shows Feature Technology, Marketing Programs For Independents
Unified Grocers, the largest wholesale grocery distributor in the western U.S., held the first of three regional SMART (Sales, Marketing And Retail Technology) Shows last week in Norwalk, Calif. The shows were created exclusively for the wholesaler’s independent retail customers. The new, day-long event showcased the latest in technology and cutting-edge marketing programs that are […]
Posted in, Store News, West
Cardenas, Northgate Gonzalez Come Together To Purchase Pro’s Ranch Markets
Two well-known Southern California-based Hispanic retailers—Cardenas Markets and Northgate Gonzalez Markets—said this morning they have come together and reached an agreement with the U.S. Bankruptcy Court to purchase Phoenix, Ariz.-based Pro’s Ranch Markets, which has seven stores in Arizona, two in New Mexico and two in Texas, for $55 million. The two retailers recently formed […]
Posted in, Suppliers, West
GoGo squeeZ Plans $85M Manufacturing Facility In Idaho
Materne North America—the makers of GoGo squeeZ Applesauce On the Go—plans to make an $85 million investment in a new food processing facility that will create a minimum of 230 new jobs in Idaho’s Treasure Valley. The new state-of-the-art facility—the company’s second U.S. location—will be housed at a site formerly owned by Micron Technology Inc., at […]
Posted in, Executive News, West
Unified Names Bergmann, Murphy To New Leadership Roles
Unified Grocers’ board of directors announced two EVP appointments on Tuesday. Leon Bergmann was named EVP of sales and procurement, and Dan Murphy was named EVP of fresh programs and manufacturing. Bergmann has served as SVP of sales since joining Unified in December 2012. In addition to responsibility for sales and service functions across all […]
Posted in, Independent Store News, West
Newport Avenue Market Astounds Feeding Agency With Donation
Newport Avenue Market in Bend, Ore., is celebrating a mission accomplished: The company’s “Food for February” campaign held in December resulted in a fresh food donation that will produce 5,000 meals per month for nearly five months. The December campaign raised $12,668.24 from customer donations. Inspired by that level of generosity from its shoppers, Newport […]
Posted in, Store News, West
Stater Bros. Helps Salvation Army Raise $528K For Red Kettle Campaign
Stater Bros. helped The Salvation Army raise more than $528,000 this past holiday season. During the months of November and December, all 167 Stater Bros. supermarket locations in Southern California hosted the iconic Salvation Army bell-ringers at their stores. “I always tell my employees to do the right thing for the right reason,” said Jack […]
Posted in, Executive News, West
Stater Bros. Promotes Ciraulo To VP Of Meat Division
John Ciraulo has been promoted to VP of the Meat Division at Stater Bros. Markets. Ciraulo will replace Kevin Schubert, who will retire in March after more than 39 years of service. Ciraulo has been a member of the Stater Bros. family for more than 28 years and has progressed through a range of both […]
Posted in, Albertsons, Store News, West
Save Mart Names Store Manager Of The Year
Save Mart, S-Mart Foods, Lucky, Maxx Value Foods and FoodMaxx stores have honored George Bettencourt, manager of Save Mart in Ceres, Calif., with the Nicholas J. Tocco Store Manager of the Year Award. This is the 20th year of the company’s award. “George Bettencourt is a top-rate store manager. He has demonstrated a continuous commitment […]
Posted in, Store News, West
Report: Bankrupt Mi Pueblo Evaluating Possible Sale Or Financial Lifeline
San Jose, Calif.-based grocery chain Mi Pueblo Foods, which filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection last July, has asked for court permission to hire investment bankers as it seeks a financial lifeline or a possible sale of the company. The Silicon Valley Business Journal reports that Mi Pueblo wants to retain Piper Jaffray, the Minneapolis-based […]
Posted in, Independent Store News, West
Vallarta Supermarkets Donating $54K, Time To Hospital For Three Kings Day
Vallarta Supermarkets is celebrating the 2nd annual Three Kings Day (Dia de Reyes) with patients, families and staff at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles today. Vallarta staff is joining in the festivities by dressing as the Three Kings and bringing toys for patients. Additionally, the grocer is bringing its traditional Rosca de Reyes (traditional sweet bread in […]