by Ron Fong/president and CEO, California Grocers Association Californians went to the polls in June to determine matchups for November’s General Election. Despite California’s reputation as being solidly blue and progressive, this election showed the shades of purple that exist up and down the state. While a vast majority of Californians remain socially very liberal […]
Tag: column
Posted inNational, Amazon Fresh, Whole Foods
Date Check Pro: What Makes A Grocery Store Manager Great?
By Jared Krawczyk/ Date Check Pro There are few destinations more important to the daily life of a neighborhood than the grocery store. It should therefore come as no surprise that grocery store management is a demanding role that requires a range of skill sets to ensure their stores run smoothly day-in and day-out. Take a […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Amazon Fresh, Grocery News, Guest Contributors, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Marketing News, National, Shelby Content, Whole Foods
AI-Enabled Personalized Marketing Will Drive FMCG Forward
By Mike Bristol/VP Personalized Marketing, Symphony RetailAI Sometimes, the world seems to just turn too quickly; work projects kick into overdrive, kids’ schedules get too hectic, and even taking the time to pick out a somewhat healthy meal at the grocery store seems like a daunting task. As both consumers and busy, complex people, many […]
Posted inShelby Content, Home Page Latest News, National, The Independent Perspective
Survey Shows Independent Grocers Feeling Optimistic About 2018
by Peter Larkin/ president and CEO, National Grocers Association Special to The Shelby Report With the explosion of new formats and competitors in the marketplace, alongside some continued food deflation, 2017 was a challenging year for independent supermarket operators. However, as the true entrepreneurs of the industry, independent grocers are responding in innovative ways to these challenges […]
Posted inFood Service News, Grocery News, Guest Contributors, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National, Shelby Content
What QSRs Can Teach Grocers
by Howland Blackiston/ principal, King-Casey As groceries and supermarkets step into the brave, new world of branded, proprietary food offerings, they quickly learn that they have a whole new set of competitors—specifically, QSRs and fast-casual restaurants. But that’s not all bad news. QSRs have served their market for 50-plus years, which means that grocers can shortcut […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Albertsons, Amazon Fresh, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National, Shelby Content, Shelby Signature Content, Store News, Whole Foods
With Retail Store Openings Down And Closings Up, Employees Appreciate Leadership
by Art Patch/a retired retail executive & regular columnist for The Shelby Report There is so much happening in retail businesses, it’s no wonder employees are concerned about their future. Most distressing is a recent industry study by Jones Lang LaSalle showing new store openings down 28.8 percent in 2017. Most of us follow the […]
Posted inIndustry News, Guest Contributors, Home Page Latest News, National, Shelby Content
HR & Benefits News: Believing ACA Rumors Can Be Costly
Editor’s note: HR & Benefits News is a monthly column by Chris Cooley, co-founder of MyHRConcierge and SMB Benefits Advisors. Believing rumors about the Affordable Care Act (ACA) can be costly for grocers. For example, many companies mistakenly believed that ACA wouldn’t be enforced, but the IRS has recently started sending out penalty letters for […]
Posted inCalifornia Perspective, Association News, Home Page Latest News, Shelby Content, West
California Perspective: Strength Comes In Unity
by Ron Fong/president and CEO, California Grocers Association Have you ever stopped to closely look at a piece of rope? Like one, for example, used to tie a boat, or even a ship, to a dock? It can actually be a little shocking. Because if you did, you would see that the big, bulky, strong […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Equipment & Technology, Guest Contributors, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National, Shelby Content
Top Six Trends For Independent Grocers In 2018
by Adam Abbene/ Sales Manager, BRdata Software Solutions In today’s hyper-competitive grocery market, independent grocers need to utilize every tool and technology available to optimize every aspect of their operation. In the months ahead, that means independent grocers will rely more than ever on cloud-based systems to enhance and complement their capabilities in customer service, inventory […]
Posted inThe Independent Perspective, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, National, Perspectives, Shelby Content, Shelby Signature Content
Larkin: 2017 Year In Review For Independent Grocers
by Peter Larkin/ president and CEO, National Grocers Association Special to The Shelby Report Last year was an exciting one for the supermarket industry, which is perhaps undergoing more rapid change than at any other time. As usual, though, independent grocers proved—once again—that they’re the best equipped to evolve with changing times and serve their communities. […]
Posted inNonfood Items, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, National
Non-Food For Thought: This Year’s Top Supermarket Trends
by Naomi Sleeper/Imperial Distributors Last month, we explored 2017 product trends and our projection for them in 2018. Going beyond last year’s hottest items, projections for the supermarket industry’s biggest global trends in 2018 also have implications for performance of non-food categories this year. Here, we look at this year’s top trends anticipated by supermarket […]
Posted inCalifornia Perspective, Association News, Home Page Latest News, Shelby Content, West
California Legislature’s Focus May Again Be Diverted From Anti-Business Bills
by Ron Fong/president and CEO, California Grocers Association California’s political outlook appears even more unpredictable than in years past due to an intersection of events that don’t happen very often. From the election of the first new governor in eight years, to a legislature in flux due to a number of recent resignations resulting from […]
Posted inIndustry News, Equipment & Technology, Grocery Store Equipment, Guest Contributors, Home Page Latest News, National, Shelby Content
The Right Coin Management Strategy For Grocers: Turn Hidden Costs Into Profits
by Jim Weaks/ VP, Cummins Allison The grocery industry is constantly changing. Grocers must adapt to changes in consumer behaviors and expectations, online competitors luring away once-loyal shoppers and economic uncertainty that threatens already razor-thin margins. With that in mind, the pressure is on to control costs and find new ways of increasing profitability. Fortunately, […]
Posted in, Guest Contributors, National
A Difficult Personnel Decision Some Executives Can’t Make
The recent series of events that led to the termination of Rutgers University’s head basketball coach, Mike Rice, brought to the forefront an issue faced by many executives. For those of you that missed the story, Coach Rice was secretly filmed conducting what for him was a typical practice. The issue was that for Coach […]
Posted in, National, The Independent Perspective
How Much Can Congress Cram into a Post-Election Session?
In case you haven’t picked up on it yet, Congress’ post-election session is slated to address a myriad of major issues, ranging from avoiding automatic cuts set in motion after the failure of the Supercommittee to preventing a major tax increase on millions of Americans and businesses when the existing individual rates expire on Dec. […]
Posted in, California Perspective, West
Proposed Bills Would Make Grocers Public Health Educators
Lawmakers continue to struggle with priorities as California’s unprecedented “top two” June primary election approaches and lawmakers face voters in newly drawn districts. Uncertainty about political futures has created an odd climate in Sacramento, with more than 2,000 bills introduced in 2012—many of which are rumored to be destined for the trash heap as soon […]
Posted in, From My Point of View, National
A New Beginning, 2012
I, for one, am going to pray for Barack Obama because the Bible admonishes us to pray for our leaders, but I’m also going to pray that God will give us a new God-loving, God-fearing leader in November. I am going to try to avoid using such words as “everyone,” “never,” “always,” “all” and “absolutely” […]
Posted in, From My Point of View, National
New Year = OLD Year
As we prepare to write 2012 on our checks and letters, let’s not let the most exciting part of our year slip by without squeezing extra dollars out of every holiday hour. If we keep our people excited and upbeat about the potential extra dollars of profit, we will turn what might be a mediocre […]
Posted in, National, The Independent Perspective
The $1.5 Trillion Question: What Happens Nov. 23?
Come Nov. 23, most grocers will have little on their minds besides serving holiday shoppers and maximizing the end-of-Thanksgiving sales. Meanwhile, in Washington, thoughts of drumsticks and stuffing will have to take a back seat as the primary focus will be on the 12-member deficit reduction commission which must produce at least $1.5 trillion in […]
Posted in, Ellerbee Buzz, National
Maybe What We Need is a Little Sacrifice
It’s funny how the little things get you thinking. There was a story in The New York Times about consumers who stubbornly refuse to wash clothes in cold water, even as popular detergent makers have developed formulas specifically for the job. Evidently, that’s too much of a sacrifice, or at least, that’s how it read […]