Washington Archives
Posted inIndependent Store News, International Foods, West

Island Pacific Supermarket Holds Grand Opening In Federal Way, WA

Island Pacific Supermarket opened a new store Sept. 26 in Federal Way, Washington. The event drew hundreds of families, community leaders and dignitaries, marking a milestone for Island Pacific and the region’s Filipino-American community. The grand-opening celebration featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, cultural performances and opening weekend promotions. Guests enjoyed giveaways, live entertainment and the unveiling […]

Posted inMarket Profile, Association News, News, West

Grocers Bracing For Impact Of Largest Tax Hike In WA’s History

Washington is considered one of the most expensive states in the nation when it comes to the cost of gas, housing and healthcare. It has the fourth highest average grocery prices in the country, and 55 percent of residents face food insecurity. And officials from the Washington Food Industry Association note that grocers and consumers […]

Posted inAssociation News, National, News

NGA, FMS Solutions Partner On Policy, Profit Summits

The National Grocers Association (NGA) has partnered with FMS Solutions for this year’s Executive Conference & Public Policy Summit (Oct. 20-21) and the inaugural FMS Profit Summit (Oct. 22-24), two events featuring sessions focused on policy, technology and profit strategies for independent grocers. “NGA’s Executive Conference & Public Policy Summit has been a must-attend event […]

Posted inSnacks Brands, Frozen Food, Produce News, Suppliers, Supply Chain News, West

McCain Foods USA Begins Major Expansion In Othello, Washington

McCain Foods USA, an Oakbrook Terrace, Illinois-based supplier of frozen potato and snack food products, has broken ground on a 170,000-s.f. expansion at its Othello, Washington, potato processing facility. This $300 million investment will expand McCain Foods’ North American production capacity through the addition of a state-of-the-art battered and conventional French fry processing line. The […]

Posted inInternational Foods, Bakery News, Beverage News, Food Service News, Northeast

Latin Marketplace La Cosecha Opens In Washington, D.C.

On Thursday, Oct. 3, a new Latin marketplace called La Cosecha had a soft opening in Washington, D.C. The 20,000-s.f. cross-cultural marketplace features more than a dozen businesses, from first-to-region restaurants to retail to rotating pop-ups. It is located in the Union Market District. Opening partners in La Cosecha include: • El Cielo—a pop-up of […]

Posted inDeli News, National, Perishables, Produce News, Suppliers

Campbell Soup Co. To Sell Refrigerated Soup Plant In Washington

Campbell Soup Co. has signed a definitive agreement for the sale of its Everett, Washington, refrigerated soup plant to an affiliate of the Joshua Green Corp. (JGC), a Seattle-based private investment company. Terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The 225,000-s.f. Everett facility is part of the fresh division, which includes Bolthouse Farms and Garden Fresh […]

Posted inHome Page Slider, Industry News, Supply Chain News, West, Wholesaler/Distributor News

UNFI Plans To Consolidate Five Of Its Distribution Centers

UNFI today revealed plans to optimize its distribution center network in the Pacific Northwest. As part of that optimization, UNFI says it will consolidate five distribution centers into a new 1.2 million-s.f. facility in Centralia, Washington, and a newly expanded, 800,000-s.f. facility in Ridgefield, Washington. UNFI says the new facility and expansion will “enhance customer […]

Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Corporate Store News, Equipment & Technology, Home Page Slider, Industry News, National, Store News

Kroger And Microsoft Introducing New Digital Solutions For The Retail Industry

The Kroger Co. and Microsoft Corp. are collaborating in an effort to “redefine the customer experience” using Kroger Technology products powered by Microsoft Azure, the retailer’s preferred cloud platform for Retail as a Service (RaaS). Through this partnership, Kroger will pilot a connected store experience and together with Microsoft, jointly market a commercial RaaS product […]

Posted inGrocery News, Health & Wellness, Home Page Latest News, Meat/Seafood/Poultry, Organic Natural, Produce News, West

Central Co-op Celebrates Four Decades Of Community Impact

Central Co-op has begun a week-long celebration of its 40th birthday, marking four decades of serving its members and community. Originally founded on Capitol Hill in Seattle as a consumer-co-op, Central first opened its doors on Oct. 16, 1978. Today, the community-owned natural foods co-op is 14,200 members strong, supporting more than 120 employees, 400 […]

Posted inOrganic Natural, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, PCC, Store News, West

PCC Community Markets Commits $1M To PCC Farmland Trust

PCC Community Markets, Seattle’s community-owned food market, is giving a $1 million gift to PCC Farmland Trust, an organization it founded nearly 20 years ago. The gift comes at a time when rising land costs and sprawling development—with more people moving to Pierce and Snohomish counties than anywhere else in the country—are impacting the future of local farming, the company says. PCC’s intends for […]

Posted inHealth & Wellness, Beverage News, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, New Products, Specialty, Suppliers, West

CBD Water Reaching Store Shelves Through Pepsi Independent Distributors

Oregon-based Xanthic Beverages has unveiled its flagship product, Xanthic CBD Water, intended to be “disruptive for the entire cannabis industry.” CBD Water is produced by a Pepsi independent bottler, and is being distributed now by a network of Pepsi independent distributors in hundreds of retail locations throughout Washington and Oregon. CBD Water contains cannabidiol (CBD) derived from natural […]

Posted inBeverage News, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, New Products, Private Label Brands, Store News, West

URM Launches Its First Exclusive Product Brand—Merchant’s Craft Beverages

Spokane, Washington-based URM Stores is rolling out its first exclusive product brand, Merchant’s Craft. The new brand of beverage products will replace Western Family brand soda, sparkling water and mixers at URM-supplied stores in the Northwest. The official launch date for Merchant’s Craft is June 1, though the products were available at some retail stores […]

Posted inMarket Profile, Amazon Fresh, Home Page Latest News, Shelby Content, Shelby Originals, Shelby Signature Content, Store News, West, Whole Foods

Washington Market Profile: Challenges, But Growth, Too

by Lorrie Griffith/editor-West One of the dichotomies in a state like Washington is that while there are major metropolitan areas like Seattle, there also are extremely rural areas. But, of course, both are subject to the same state laws, like the $12 an hour minimum wage that went into effect this year that will go […]

Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, Grocery News, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Organic Natural, PCC, Private Label Brands, Store News, Sustainability News, West

PCC Community Markets Commits To Improving Chicken Welfare

PCC Community Markets (PCC), a Seattle-based community-owned food market, is committing to improve the welfare of chickens raised for meat by meeting the standards of Compassion in World Farming’s Better Chicken Initiative (BCI) and the Joint Animal Protection Organization Statement on Broiler Chicken Welfare. PCC says it is the first retailer in the country to comprehensively address broiler chicken […]

Posted inRecommended Reading, Amazon Fresh, Corporate Store News, Grocery Store Layout, Home Page Latest News, Industry News, Shelby Content, Store News, West, Whole Foods

Recommended: Amazon Plans To Open As Many As Six More Go Stores This Year

Amazon’s much-heralded convenience store of the future, Amazon Go, may seem like a crazy experiment. But the company plans to open as many as six more of these storefronts this year, multiple people familiar with the company’s plans have told Recode. Some of the new high-tech stores are likely to open in Amazon’s hometown of […]

Posted inShelby Content, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Shelby Signature Content, Store News, West

URM Stores Continues To Strengthen Its Value Proposition For Retailers

Ray Sprinkle has been at the helm of URM Stores Inc. in Spokane, Washington, for four years now. During that time, the retailer-owned co-op has enjoyed some bright spots, like sales growth and a frozen and refrigerated warehouse expansion, while also weathering some storms, including a data breach. The future looks to be mostly sunny, […]

Posted inSpecialty, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, West

Central Co-op Returns More Than Half Its Revenue To Local Economy

In celebration of National Co-op Month, Seattle-based Central Co-op has released the results of an economic impact report conducted by Civic Economics, a financial analysis agency, showing the cooperative returns more than 52 percent of its revenue back to the local economy. By comparison, the average U.S. cooperative grocery recirculates 36 percent of its revenue […]

Posted inWest, Amazon Fresh, Home Page Latest News, Independent Store News, Industry News, Whole Foods

Two New Stores In The Works For PCC Natural Markets

Seattle-based PCC Natural Markets, the largest community-owned food market in the U.S., has two new stores on the drawing board. The first, in Burien, Washington, is expected to open in early 2018. The approximately 20,000-s.f. unit will be located in Five Corners Shopping Center at 15840 1st Avenue South and bring about 100 jobs to […]

Posted in, Home Page Latest News, National, Suppliers

Majority Of Industry Commends Trump’s Pick For Top Ag Post

President Donald J. Trump’s nomination of former Georgia Gov. George Ervin “Sonny” Perdue III for Agriculture Secretary is being commended by the majority of the food industry groups and officials. Perdue will oversee a department of about 100,000 employees and about $140 billion across various programs. He also will have a significant role in the […]