Food Service News In Brief… The National Restaurant Association will join the International Foodservice Distributors Association as co-host for the 53rd Annual Presidents Conference. The by-invitation-only forum will include leaders from the operator, manufacturer, distributor and allied partner communities. The Presidents Conference takes place Nov. 1-4 in Scottsdale, Arizona. This year’s theme is “Transformative Change, […]
Tag: Northeast
News from the northeastern United States.
Wawa Moves Closer To Beer Sales In Pennsylvania
The Concord Township Board of Supervisors in Delaware County, Pennsylvania, has voted unanimously to grant conditional use for Wawa to sell beer at its location in Chadds Ford. While the state must still approve Wawa’s request, initial approval by the township was the larger hurdle. The board previously granted similar approval to Acme, Whole Foods […]
National Restaurant Performance Dips For Second Straight Month
The National Restaurant Association’s Restaurant Performance Index (RPI) declined in June for the second consecutive month. The RPI—a monthly composite index that tracks the health of and outlook for the U.S. restaurant industry—stood at 102.0 in June, down 0.4 percent from May and its lowest level in nine months. Despite the decline, June represented the 28th […]
Vermont Cheesemakers Take Home 46 Ribbons At National Competition, And More…
Supermarket News In Brief… The Vermont Cheese Council (VCC), the organization dedicated to the production and advancement of Vermont cheese, says Vermont took home 46 ribbons from 20 cheesemakers at the recent 32nd annual American Cheese Society competition in Providence, Rhode Island. Notable awards include a third place Best In Show designation for Cellars at […]
Boston Mayor Files Ordinance To Ban Smokeless Tobacco At Sports Venues, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… Boston Mayor Martin Walsh says he will take steps to prohibit the use of smokeless tobacco and other tobacco products at baseball parks, including Fenway Park, and other professional and amateur sports venues in Boston. He has filed an ordinance with the Boston City Council. The ordinance will ban smokeless […]
‘Something’s Brewing In Worcester’ Delayed Until Fall, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… The Massachusetts Restaurant Association has postponed its “Something’s Brewing In Worcester” event due to the extension of Worcester Restaurant Week. The event will be rescheduled to a later date in the fall… Herris Gourmet is supplying Kosher-certified food products to the Hudson News retailer in Terminal E of Logan International […]
Mass. Governor Signs Tax Holiday Into Law, And More…
New Channels News In Brief… Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker has signed into law a state sales tax holiday, which will be Aug. 15 and 16. The law is similar to those passed in past sessions and exempts sales tax collection for certain items purchased under $2,500. Items that will continue to be taxed include meals, […]
As First Woman Supermarket Manager, Carole Bitter Has Led Industry For Women
Carole Bitter grew up in a time when opportunities in management for women in the grocery industry did not exist. Even as the daughter of supermarket owners, she never considered running the family business because the heir apparent was a male cousin. Bitter’s grandfather came to the U.S. from Austria-Hungary at the turn of the […]
Martindale Assumes Newly Created Position Of CEO Of Rite Aid Stores
Rite Aid Corp.’s president and COO, Ken Martindale, has been promoted to the newly created position of CEO of Rite Aid stores. Martindale, 55, will continue to report to John Standley, Rite Aid Corp.’s chairman and CEO, and will retain his role as president of Rite Aid Corp. “Ken is a proven leader who, since […]
Hannaford Debuts Small-Format Store, Will Purchase Durham, N.H., Market
Hannaford is opening a smaller store, a 20,000-s.f. unit (less than half the size of a traditional Hannaford) in North Berwick, Maine, on Aug. 8. Some of the store’s features will include fresh produce, a walk-in beer cooler, as well as gluten-free, natural and organic items. The store will employ as many as 75 associates, […]
New NACS Resource Helps Retailers Assess Fresh Food Options
As more convenience stores consider expanding their fresh produce offering in stores, a new resource has been published to help operators examine what they need to be successful with a fresh produce program. “Are You Fit For Fresh?” is 10-point checklist developed by the National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) and the United Fresh Produce Association. […]
College Study Suggests $15 Minimum Wage Could Hike Restaurant Prices
Boosting employee wages to $15 an hour at limited-service restaurants could lead to an estimated 4.3 percent increase in prices at those restaurants, according to a recent Purdue School of Hospitality and Tourism Management study. The study also says that increasing wages to $22 per hour would result in a 25 percent increase in menu prices. […]
Rite Aid Sales Rise, New CEO Appointed
Rite Aid’s same-store sales increased 2.4 percent for the four-week period ended July 25 compared to the prior-year period. July front-end same-store sales increased 0.1 percent. Pharmacy same-store sales increased 3.4 percent. Total drugstore sales for the four-week period increased 2.1 percent to $2.016 billion compared to $1.975 billion for the same period last year. […]
Wegmans To Open Fifth Bay State Store At The Natick Mall, And More…
Supermarket News In Brief… Wegmans plans to open a 125,000-s.f. Massachusetts store at the Natick Mall in Natick by spring 2017. It will be the Rochester, New York-based grocer’s fifth store in Massachusetts; the company’s fourth location, a 122,000-s.f. unit, is set to open on University Avenue in Westwood on Oct. 11. Wegmans also is […]
NightFood Expands Distribution Network, And More…
Convenience Store News In Brief… NightFood Holdings Inc. of Tarrytown, New Jersey, a company dedicated to delivering better nighttime snack solutions to shoppers, has expanded its broker and distribution network with broker coverage of the entire East Coast. The company has entered into exclusive broker arrangements with Main Street Marketing in the Southeast and Tozzi […]
Study Finds 3 Percent Drop In Independent Restaurant Count, And More…
Food Service News In Brief… A 3 percent drop in independent restaurant unit counts compared to year ago brought the total U.S. restaurant count down by 1 percent to 630,511 units, according to a census of U.S. commercial restaurant locations compiled in the spring and fall each year by The NPD Group, a national research […]
Study Shows Costco, Wawa Are Favorite Places To Fuel Up, And More…
New Channels News In Brief… Wawa and Costco are favorite places for motorists to fill up their gas tanks, according to a study by Market Force Information. Nearly 7,000 consumers were polled for the study, which was designed to uncover where consumers prefer to fuel up and why they prefer one chain to another. The […]
Boston Public Market Opens As A Source Of Locally Produced Fresh Food
The Boston Public Market has opened at Haymarket Station in downtown Boston. It is open 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Wednesday-Sunday. The market is described as a year-round, self-sustaining market featuring fresh, locally sourced food brought directly from farmers, fishermen and food producers from Massachusetts and throughout New England. The market houses more than 35 vendors selling […]
7-Eleven To Sell 25 C-Stores In 10 States
7-Eleven plans to sell 25 gasoline stations and/or convenience stores in 10 states. The sale includes six locations in Virginia, three each in Colorado, Illinois, Texas and West Virginia, two each in Florida and Missouri, and one each in Nevada, New York and South Carolina. Robbie Radant, 7-Eleven’s VP of mergers and acquisitions, said, “This […]
Target Opening More Express Locations
Target continues to roll out its new TargetExpress brand with the opening of a store in the Highland Park neighborhood of St. Paul, Minnesota. The 16,000-s.f. store caters to a community of families, empty-nesters and college students and includes a pharmacy and a robust organics section—the first of its kind at a TargetExpress. The store […]
