Challenging the speed of light, Stephanie Teteak of Larry’s Piggly Wiggly in Kaukauna, Wisc., has won the 2012 National Grocers Association (N.G.A.) Best Bagger Championship, sponsored by the Kellogg Co., Bunzl Distributors Inc., and Pan-Oston. The contest, emceed by “Supermarket Guru” Phil Lempert, was held Monday during The N.G.A. Show in Las Vegas, Nev. This […]
Tag: Grocery
Posted in, Beverage News, Northeast, Shelby Content
PepsiCo Cutting 8,700 Jobs, Increasing Ad Dollars
The Associated Press reports that PepsiCo plans to cut 8,700 jobs around the world and ramp up advertising in North America in an effort to reduce costs. Though the company exceeded fourth quarter expectations, it predicted a decline in 2012 earnings. PepsiCo, which produces such beverages as Gatorade and Mountain Dew along with numerous other […]
Posted in, Marketing News, West
Former Defense Secretary Gates Opens N.G.A. Show
The National Grocers Association (N.G.A.) 2012 Show kicked off in Las Vegas on Feb. 12 with and opening session attended by more than 1,400 independent grocers, wholesalers and industry partners. The opening event featured an inspirational speech by former U.S. Defense Secretary Robert Gates. Secretary Gates shared his thoughts on the state of world affairs […]
Posted in, Southeast
Trader Joe’s, CIW Sign Fair Food Agreement
Trader Joe’s and the Coalition of Immokalee Workers (CIW) signed an agreement on Feb. 9 that formalizes the ways in which Trader Joe’s will work with the CIW and Florida tomato growers to support the CIW’s Fair Food Program. According to the coalition and Trader Joe’s, the Fair Food Program is a “groundbreaking approach to […]
Posted in, Southwest
Texas Supermarket, Red Mango Partner on In-Store Yogurt Shop
United Supermarkets and Red Mango are embarking on a test of a store-in-store concept offering healthy frozen treats to United shoppers. United is slated to open its first Red Mango counter later this month at its Judge Ely Boulevard location in Abilene. Construction begins inside the store today, Feb. 13. This is the first Red […]
Posted in, Northeast
Safeway Selling Three Genuardi’s Stores to Weis Markets
Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway Inc. has reached a definitive agreement to sell three of its Genuardi’s stores in Pennsylvania to Weis Markets Inc. Safeway will continue to operate these stores until the transaction closes, and the company is working through an orderly transition for the stores, according to a news release. The transaction is subject to […]
Posted in, West
McGregor Honored for Industry Leadership at N.G.A. Show
Idaho independent grocer Archie McGregor Jr., 75, president of Archie’s IGA in St. Maries, Idaho, and Dissmores IGA in Pullman, Wash., has been awarded the 2012 Thomas K. Zaucha Entrepreneurial Excellence Award. First presented in 2009, the award is given each year by Kraft Foods Inc. at The National Grocers Association (N.G.A.) Show to an […]
Posted in, Southeast
Box Tops for Education Lets Harvey Be Principal For A Day
Laughter literally filled the hallways of one Birmingham school, as it received a special visit from comedian, author and syndicated radio personality, Steve Harvey. Box Tops for Education enlisted the help of the Steve Harvey Morning Show to award one school 100,000 Box Tops in the national Principal-for-a-Day contest. Phillips Academy’s principal, Mark Sullivan, relinquished […]
Posted in, West
Fresh & Easy Opening Five Sacramento Stores in March
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market plans March openings for its first five locations in the Sacramento, Calif., region. The U.K-owned grocery chain, which opened its first stores in Southern California, Nevada and Arizona in 2007, announced expansion into Northern California last year. The first stores set to open March 7 will be at Mack and […]
Posted in, Southeast
Blue Bell Ice Cream Coming To North Carolina’s Triangle
Coming soon to Kroger and Walmart stores in North Carolina’s Triangle: Blue Bell Ice Cream. Brenham, Texas-based Blue Bell will begin distributing its ice cream products in area stores in Wake, Durham and Orange counties on March 19, according to an announcement from the company. It began distribution in the Charlotte area in 2004, reports […]
Posted in, Southwest
Michael Besancon Retires From Whole Foods Market
Whole Foods Market, a leading organic and natural foods supermarket, has announced that Michael Besancon, senior global VP of purchasing, distribution and communication, will retire from the company after more than 17 years of service. “Having worked in our line of business from soup to nuts, Michael is absolutely one of the most knowledgeable natural […]
Posted in, West
Eggert Retires from New Seasons Market
Co-founder and board member Chuck Eggert has retired from New Seasons Market, the 12-store grocery company based in Portland, Ore. He has sold his shares back to the company, but Eggert is not completely severing his ties with the grocery company he helped create more than a dozen years ago. He will remain as a […]
Posted in, West
San Francisco Bans All Plastic Disposable Bags
The Wall Street Journal reports that the San Francisco Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to make it illegal for any shop in the city to offer disposable plastic bags to customers. The law expands a 2007 bag ban that applied to large grocery stores and pharmacies, and also mandates stores charge customers 10 cents apiece […]
Posted in, National
Supervalu Eliminating 800 Jobs
Supervalu Inc. plans to eliminate 800 jobs in the U.S., the company announced Feb. 7. Most of the reductions will take place by the close of the company’s fiscal year on Feb. 25. Cuts include both current positions as well as open jobs that will not be filled, the company said. The moves are part […]
Posted in, Beverage News, Marketing News, National
Coca-Cola Profit Down 27 Percent On Charges
The Atlanta-based beverage giant, Coco-Cola, reported that its profit for 2011 was hurt by restructuring charges and other charges. It also reported a program to save $550 to $650 million by the end of 2015 and reinvest that savings into systemwide brand building initiatives and to mitigate potential incremental near-term commodity costs as necessary, the […]
Posted in, Southeast
Southern Family Markets To Come Under New Ownership
A new company has been formed to purchase all 57 Southern Family Markets (SFM) stores. Belle Foods LLC was formed in Birmingham, Ala., by William “Bill” White, a longtime industry veteran who has worked in both the Bruno’s and Piggly Wiggly organizations. According to the Feb. 7 announcement, Belle Foods is buying stores in Alabama, […]
Posted in, National
CRA: Sugar Industry’s Strategy to Pose as ‘Safer’ Sweetener
In a bid to revive litigation claims that a federal judge had dismissed, the refined sugar industry’s latest maneuver actually underlines its true objective: to confuse American consumers by suggesting that cane and beet sugar is healthier than sugar made from corn—at least according to the Corn Refiners Association (CRA). “The refined sugar industry’s latest […]
Posted in, Southeast
Aldi Opening New Store in Greensboro, N.C.
Greensboro, N.C., is getting yet another grocery store. The Business Journal reports that Aldi, a Batavia, Ill.-based subsidiary of Germany’s Aldi Group, plans to open a new store at 1507 New Garden Rd. sometime in 2013. Aldi bills itself as a super-discount chain with a no-frills approach and a limited selection of 1,400 items. The […]
Posted in, Equipment & Technology, National
EPA Recognizes Ahold USA for Leading Green Power Purchasers
Ahold USA appears for the first time on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) list of the largest green power purchases. The company ranks No. 7 on the EPA’s Top 20 Retail list and No. 30 on the National Top 50 list. Ahold USA is purchasing more than 149 million kilowatt-hours (kWh) of green power […]