Pleasanton, Calif.-based Safeway Inc.’s companywide effort to mobilize its workforce and transform communities resulted in employees volunteering one million hours in 2011. “The number of hours along with the stories about employees who unselfishly gave their valuable time are inspiring and humbling,” said Larree Renda, Safeway EVP and chair of the Safeway Foundation. “Through their […]
Tag: shopping
Posted in, Midwest, Northeast
Roland Supports Indianapolis ‘Taste of the NFL’ Event
American Roland Food Corp. is supporting the Taste of the NFL event for the second year in a row. Held annually on the eve before the big game, the Taste of the NFL brings together the country’s top chefs, NFL players and hundreds of volunteers to “Party with a Purpose®.” The game is in Indianapolis, […]
Posted in, Southwest
FRESH By Brookshire’s Awarded LEED Green Building Certification
The Fresh by Brookshire’s store in Tyler, Texas, has earned LEED® certification in recognition of its energy-saving features, the first grocery store in East Texas to earn the certification. Brookshire’s new concept store achieved LEED status for energy use, lighting, water and material use as well as incorporating a variety of other sustainable strategies. The […]
Posted in, West
Bristol Farms Rolling Hills Re-Opens With New Look
Bristol Farms opened the doors to its first store in Rolling Hills, Calif., 30 years ago, and it re-opened that same store earlier this month with a new design and look to kick off 2012. The store is located at 837 Silver Spur Rd. “We have been planning the remodel of this store for some […]
Posted in, West
Trader Joe’s Files Paperwork for Colorado Stores
Trader Joe’s has field paperwork with Colorado officials to come to the state for the first time, reports the Denver Business Journal. The California-based grocer and specialty foods company filed paperwork with the Colorado Secretary of State’s office last week saying it intends to start doing business in the state on April 1. Sources told […]
Posted in, West
Your Local Market Hosts Charity Benefit Friday
Your Local Market in Bellevue, Wash., will hold a benefit Friday, Jan. 13, for Bellevue LifeSpring (formerly Overlake Service League), a local charity that provides emergency services, youth programs and educational assistance within the Bellevue community. The event, FridayFest, is free and open to the public, with wine and beer tasting and free samplings all […]
Posted in, Marketing News, National
Pacific Natural Foods Redesigns Packaging
Tualatin, Ore.-based Pacific Natural Foods, a leader in the organic and natural food industry, is rolling out new packaging on its soup, broth and non-dairy beverage lines this year. The updated look will have greater impact on shelf, making the products easier to find and purchase, according to the company. The redesign includes a modernized […]
Posted in, Equipment & Technology, National
Valpak Coupons Now Available on CheckPoints App
Valpak, a leader in local print and digital coupons, will expand its reach further by making its coupons available on CheckPoints, an app that gives shoppers access to discounts and savings right when and where they need them. Valpak will offer its savings to mobile consumers via CheckPoints with national brand partners such as Procter […]
Posted in, Southeast
Winn-Dixie CEO Says Company Will Defend Against Suit
Winn Dixie Stores Inc. Chairman, President and CEO Peter Lynch sent out written communications to company employees updating them and answering questions about the pending sale to Bi-Lo and addressed publicly a lawsuit filed by shareholders against the sale, reports the Jacksonville Business Journal. The recently released information is part of Winn-Dixie’s merger resource center […]
Posted in, Southeast
Publix Abandoning Curbside Service
In August 2003, Publix Super Markets closed its online grocery and home delivery business, roughly two years after launching the service. In August 2010, Publix came back with a test of a new online service allowing consumers to drive to a store for a pickup at curbside for a $7.99 service fee in addition to […]
Posted in, Northeast
Wegmans: No Price Hike on Seasonal Product List
Against a backdrop of persistent concern about the economy, Wegmans has once again announced a freeze on prices through April 28 for a list of more than 50 products families use most. (Counting all flavors/varieties, the total number of items —SKUs—affected is 223.) This move follows the expiration of a list of 40 items, with […]
Posted in, Southeast
Durham’s New Aldi Opening Earlier Than Expected
The new Aldi grocery store in south Durham, N.C., has moved up its opening date by one day to Wednesday, Jan. 11, with the public invited to come sample and tour the store between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. The south Durham store is the Essen, Germany-based company’s first location in Durham and features the […]
Posted in, National
Dole Challenges Americans to ‘Go Bananas’ in 2012
Dole is out to make it socially acceptable to go bananas every day. Undeterred that close to 90 percent of U.S. households already purchase bananas regularly—one of the highest penetrations of any supermarket item—the produce giant is challenging all Americans to make bananas part of their daily routine in 2012. The year-long initiative is consistent […]
Posted in, Equipment & Technology, Marketing News, Southeast, West
Revionics Signs Grocer for Price Optimization Software
Roseville, Calif.’s Revionics Inc. has signed K-VA-T Food Stores to use its price optimization software, reports the Sacramento Business Journal. K-VA-T Food Stores is based Abingdon, Va. It operates 104 grocery stores, with 76 pharmacies and 71 gas stations under the Food City, Super Dollar, and Gas ‘N Go brands in Kentucky, Virginia and Tennessee. […]
Posted in, West
Seattle Plastic Bag Ban One Step Closer to Reality
The Seattle City Council voted unanimously Monday for a broad band on plastic shopping bags for businesses ranging from farmers markets to department stores. The bill would require stores to charge a 5-cent fee to shoppers if they want paper bags to hold their purchases. The bill now goes to Mayor Mike McGinn for his […]
Posted in, National
Study: Reusable Shopping Bags Could Harbor Bacteria
The International Association for Food Protection’s Food Protection Trends published a study in its latest issue revealing that most consumers surveyed never wash their reusable bags between uses, permitting bacteria to grow. The peer-reviewed study, completed by University of Arizona Microbiologist Dr. Charles Gerba, found that large numbers of bacteria were found in almost all […]
Posted in, Midwest, Southeast
Meijer Prepares for Holiday Hiring Blitz
Supercenter chain Meijer is preparing to hire hundreds of new employees for its stores as it prepares for this year’s holiday season. The announcement was made via press release Oct. 5 by Janet Emerson, EVP of operations for the Grand Rapids, Mich.-based retailer. “Meijer is known for friendly customer service,” said Emerson. “In order to […]
Posted in, West
Fresh & Easy to Launch ‘Thank You’ Card for Loyal Customers
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market is rolling out its new Friends of Fresh & Easy “thank you” card to all its stores following a successful trial of the program at seven stores in Bakersfield, Calif. Fresh & Easy had originally planned to trial the card this fall and roll out the program to all stores […]
Posted in, Midwest
Meijer Opening Chi-Town Marketplace
Less than two years after launching its first new format store in the Chicago market, Meijer will deliver another new concept to its Chicago-area customers when it officially cuts the ribbon on Meijer Marketplace, a more localized grocery store in Melrose Park, today. “Meijer is thrilled to bring our newest store concept to this great […]
Posted in, From My Point of View, National
It Can Be Done & Here Is the Proof
It almost makes me ill to see the lack of attention given to this most important part of today’s retail operations called Customer Service, which many have turned into Customer-No-Service