According to the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union’s (RWDSU) Local 110, the workers at General Mills’ production facility in Cedar Rapids, Iowa, may go on strike. At their last negotiations meeting, General Mills presented a “last, best and final” offer to workers. The offer did not include any real protections of a labor contract, […]
Tag: retail
Nielsen, Charlotte’s Web Launch CBD Retail Market Measurement
Nielsen, the New York City-based market intelligence company, and Charlotte’s Web Holdings Inc., a cannabidiol (CBD) brand, have formed an analytic relationship. Together, Nielsen and Charlotte’s Web will help guide the U.S. retail market for consumer packaged goods (CPG) companies through the evolution of the CBD space. Mirroring the changing tide happening across the U.S. […]
Milk Category Commoditization Is Not The Best Tactic
Author’s note: After a hiatus following brain surgery due to the discovery of a brain aneurysm, I have returned to my writing responsibilities with The Shelby Report and am now better than new. It’s great to be back! by Cindy Sorensen/ owner and CEO of The Grocery Group Today’s milk case is exploding with an abundance […]
Ralphs Unveils Meal Kits At Select Stores, Plans Larger Rollout
Ralphs Grocery Co. is introducing pre-measured and prepared meal kits, called Prep+Pared, in its stores. The meal kits are available now in 25 Ralphs locations across Southern California, and by early 2018, shoppers will be able to purchase Prep+ Pared meal kits at more than 100 Ralphs locations. “The meals are fresh-made, chef-inspired, restaurant-quality, easily […]
Consumers Continue To Choose Physical Over Digital For Groceries
Consumers have a variety of options when it comes to buying groceries, and they continue to choose physical grocery stores to make their purchases. That’s according to the International Council of Shopping Centers’ (ICSC) recently released “The State of Grocery Shopping” survey, which found that 99 percent of adults buy some or all of their […]
Organic Fresh Produce Expert To Open NEPC Expo
Matt Seeley, co-founder and CEO of the Organic Produce Network, will speak on organic merchandising and trends Tuesday, Sept. 12, at 3 p.m. to open up the New England Produce Council Produce, Floral & Foodservice Expo at the Boston Convention & Exhibition Center. In addition, Brian Numainville, a consultant and expert on consumer-centered marketing research […]
Festival Foods To Open Replacement Holmen, Wisconsin, Store Oct. 6
Festival Foods will open its newest store at 123 Hale Drive in Holmen, Wisconsin, at 6 a.m. Friday, Oct. 6. The new location replaces the current Holmen store at 600 Holmen Drive. At 67,000 s.f., the new store is nearly double the size of the current location, allowing shoppers to find an expanded selection of […]
Publix Opens New Florida Store In Winter Garden’s Hamlin Development
The 53,785-s.f. Publix store in the Hamlin community, a master-planned, mixed-use development, will offer the traditional grocery, meat, produce, dairy and frozen food departments, as well as pharmacy, bakery, deli, floral and fresh seafood departments. Approximately 145 Publix associates will be employed at the store. “We are pleased and excited to have the opportunity to serve the beautiful Hamlin community in Winter […]
Unata Partners With SpartanNash For Click-And-Collect Program
Unata, a provider of 1-to-1 digital solutions for grocers, has partnered with Grand Rapids, Michigan-based SpartanNash on the grocer’s new click-and-collect program. Known as Fast Lane, the program allows customers to order groceries online and schedule a time to pick them up. SpartanNash launched Fast Lane at its location in Grandville, Michigan, in mid-July. Less than a month later, and […]
Study Discredits ‘Retail Apocalypse’ As Retailers Opening 4,000+ Stores
U.S. retailers are opening 4,080 more stores in 2017 than they are closing and plan to open more than 5,500 more in 2018, according to a new research report from IHL Group. The report, “Debunking the Retail Apocalypse,” was released Aug. 30 and is available for free download here. The research reviewed more than 1,800 retail chains […]
Walmart Expands Delivery Pilot, Partners With Google Assistant
Walmart is stepping up its online ordering and delivery programs. The retailer is expanding its home delivery pilot program to Dallas and Orlando, and is partnering with Google to offer voice shopping via Google Assistant. See statements from Mike Turner, VP of ecommerce operations, and Marc Lore, president and CEO of Walmart U.S. ecommerce, below. […]
Little Miss Cupcape Flourishes With Designer Cupcakes, A Retro Look And A Passion For Baking
by Mike Berger/editor–Northeast Taylor Stump knew early that she would own her own retail bakery. The challenge, then, was to differentiate her bakery from everyone else’s. She decided to devote much of her space to cupcakes, create a retro setting from the 1950s and ’60s and offer children’s birthday parties. Her company motto? “A Decadent […]
Walmart Debuts E-Commerce Fulfillment Center In Florida
Florida Gov. Rick Scott, Walmart officials and community leaders attended the grand opening of Walmart’s new state-of-the art e-commerce fulfillment center in Davenport on Tuesday. The campus is the sixth in the Walmart network and the first in Florida. The facility in Polk County will house millions of items dedicated to fulfilling online orders and will […]
FDA Extends Menu Labeling Comment Period To Aug. 2
The FDA has extended its menu labeling comment period for retailers. The agency delayed its rule until May 2018, largely due to a petition filed by NACS and the National Grocers Association. The FDA announced June 29 that it would extend the comment period for the interim final rule an additional 30 days to Aug. 2; […]
Meridian Bird Removal Gets Feathered Friends Out Of Stores
by Lorrie Griffith/editor-in-chief A bird inside a retail store can cause thousands of dollars in damage in a short amount of time, so it’s imperative that the manager acts fast to get the bird, or birds, back outside where they belong. The question is who to call. Some try their local humane society, but its […]
Food Lion Ranked Among Points Of Light’s Civic 50
Points of Light, an organization dedicated to volunteer service, recently released its Civic 50 list, highlighting companies that are examples of good corporate citizenship. Salisbury, North Carolina-based Food Lion was the sole retailer on the list, which was announced at the Points of Light Conference on Volunteering and Service in Seattle, Washington. “Food Lion is […]
Big Lots’ ‘Store Of The Future’ To Open In Former Giant Eagle In Columbus
Big Lots is planning a store that will mark the retailer’s first “store of the future” at the site of a former Giant Eagle grocery store in Columbus, Ohio, at 1451 W. Fifth Avenue. Among the categories the store will emphasize are grocery-type items like food, household cleaners and pet products. Columbus Business First reports […]
Witynski Promoted To President Of Dollar Tree Banner
Discount variety store chain Dollar Tree Inc. has promoted Michael A. Witynski to president and COO of its Dollar Tree banner. Witynski, 54, will be responsible for merchandising and marketing as well as store operations for more than 6,200 Dollar Tree bannered stores in the U.S. A company veteran, Witynski has served as COO since […]
Walmart CEO: We Will Be ‘People-Led And Tech-Empowered’
At Walmart’s 47th Annual Shareholders’ Meeting on Friday, June 2, President and CEO Doug McMillon said Walmart has “started to invent the future of shopping again,” leveraging technology to “empower associates and improve the customer experience.” The goal is to offer the “best prices and great merchandise, while saving customers time and creating a fast, […]
Owens Succeeds Polhill As CEO Of In-Store Bakery Supplier
Phoenix, Arizona-based Café Valley has appointed Brian Owens CEO, effective June 2. Owens succeeded Larry Polhill, Café Valley’s current CEO and president, who assisted in taking the company from a regional bakery to a leading national brand and global supplier during the past 12 years. Today, Café Valley is a global manufacturer of ready-to-eat bakery […]
