Retail News
One in every five dollars
spent at Target Corp. stores is for food and pet supplies,
according to company reports and Citi Research. In
2012, 20% of sales came from this sector, up from 19% in 2011
and 17% in 2010. Full
Report
Tesco
does not know if it will continue to own Fresh & Easy Neighborhood
Market, according to an e-mail sent to shoppers. Tesco
invested $1 billion in the 200-store operation in California,
Arizona and Nevada, and reported about $1 billion in cumulative
annual losses. "Tesco's failure will rank as one of the biggest
among food retailers in modern supermarket history," stated
Burt Flickinger III, managing director at retail consulting
firm Strategic Resource Group, reported The Los Angeles
Times. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Walmart is tripling the number of
U.S. stores in a pilot program that lets shoppers scan items
with their iPhones and pay at self-checkout counters.
Walmart's "Scan & Go" program will soon be in more than 200
stores, up from about 70. The pilot began near its home office
in Bentonville, AR in late 2012, then expanded to Atlanta.
For now, "Scan & Go" only works on Apple devices. An Android
version should be out soon, reported Reuters. Full
Story
Starbucks will expand its loyalty and rewards program
in May to enable customers to earn rewards for grocery
channel purchases that can be redeemed in Starbucks retail
stores, and the company is expected to double the number of
customers enrolled in the company's programs in fiscal 2013.
Starbucks mobile payment platform is also now generating more
than three million U.S. mobile payment transactions per week,
and the company will integrate the Starbucks Card and My Starbucks
Rewards loyalty program across several brands, including Teavana.
Full
Story
Publix came in at No. 1 in the latest Temkin study based
on feedback from 10,000 customers about their latest interactions
with given companies, followed by Trader Joe's with a rating
of 83%. With a rating of 80%, H-E-B was in a four-way tie
for the No. 7 spot, along with grocery chain Save-a-Lot, and
fast-food chains Little Caesars and Sonic Drive-In, reported
San Antonio Business Journal. Full
Story
Some 39% of undergraduates ages 18 to 24 owned a credit
card in 2012, down from 49% in 2010, according to a Sallie
Mae and Ipsos Public Affairs survey. Even young adults who
do have credit cards are carrying smaller balances: A median
of $1,700 in 2010 compared with $2,500 in 2001 for under-35
households, according to Federal Reserve data. The trend,
rooted in stricter lending rules and weaker job outlooks for
young Americans since the 2008-09 recession, has implications
for the strength of the economy, reported Chicago Tribune.
Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
New Store News: Walgreens will officially open
its newest Well Experience flagship store in Washington, DC
March 21. The store showcases a unique pharmacy format that
includes: hundreds of fresh food items such as produce and
high-quality, on-the-go meal options made fresh daily; A Coca-Cola
Freestyle machine dispensing 130 varieties of Coca Cola fountain
drinks; self-serve frozen yogurt accompanied by an enticing
toppings bar; an Upmarket Cafe offering a barista preparing
fresh brewed premium coffee and espressos; and a juice and
smoothie bar featuring fresh fruits and vegetables. Full
Story... Safeway is close to finalizing its plan
for a 219,000-sq.-ft. mixed-use development which will include
a 55,000-sq.-ft. Safeway store in the Shadelands business
park in Walnut Creek, CA, reported San Francisco Business
Times. Full
Story
Manufacturer News
PepsiCo and two independent
bottlers -Pepsi Bottling Ventures and the Honickman Group's
Pepsi-Cola Bottling Company of New York – intend to transfer
certain franchise ownerships in New York, North Carolina,
Idaho and Vermont. PepsiCo agreed to swap five counties of
its company-owned North Carolina territory - including Charlotte
- to PBV in exchange for PBV's 11 counties in Vermont and
18 counties in Idaho, which are close to other PepsiCo-owned
bottling territories. PBV in turn agreed to sell its Long
Island, N.Y., territory, including Nassau and Suffolk counties,
to the Honickman Group's PCNY, which already operates in each
of New York City's five boroughs and New York's Westchester
County. Full
Story
Green Mountain Coffee Roasters' Nantucket
Blend is now 100% Fair Trade Certified, and will represent
approximately 5 million-lbs. of Fair Trade Certified coffee
for fiscal year 2013. Full
Story
Post Holdings is considering closing its
manufacturing facility in Modesto, CA to improve operational
efficiency. Post will be soliciting input from the union that
represents the hourly employees to ensure that employees'
interests are represented before it makes a final decision
on the matter, which is expected by the end of April 2013.
Full
Story
New Product News: Lean Cuisine and
Fresh Express teamed up with four new Lean Cuisine Salad
Additions using Fresh Express lettuce. The salads are customized,
prepared in minutes and portioned to be 350 calories are less.
Full
Story... RiceBran Technologies is launching
a new family of ingredients based on rice bran protein under
the trademark Proryza. Products to be sold under the
brand will be natural, gluten-free, non-GMO, and hypoallergenic
premium proteins. Full
Story
Executives on the Move:
Novel Ingredient Services hired three new executives
to help manage the company's recent growth: Frank J. Kimmerling,
CFO; David I. Chipkin, VP of Operations; and Eugene Lepelletier,
Quality Assurance Manager. Full
Story
ConAgra Foods announced the winners of its
2013 Sustainable Development Awards, an internal awards
program that drives and rewards innovative approaches to sustainability
and produces tangible business results. The 90 entries collectively:
reduced carbon emissions by more than 26,700 metric tons;
reduced landfill waste by 23,000 tons; optimized and improved
packaging while using 3 million-lbs. less material; and conserved
646 million gallons of water. Additionally, the projects delivered
more than $22 million in savings, demonstrating the economic
value of the company's commitment to sustainability. Full
Story
Foodservice
News
McDonald's views its upcoming McWrap as capable of taking
share from Subway and similar sandwich chains, according
to people familiar with the launch. The restaurant also considers
the new product its biggest launch of 2013 and biggest brand
opportunity since the McCafe line. Though the McWrap is available
in some locations already, it's thought the official national
launch will be within the next few weeks and will include
a major national marketing push, reported Crain's Chicago
Business. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Restaurant Roundup: Fuddruckers
is adding a gluten-free bun option. The gluten-free bun is
in partnership with Dallas-based Local Oven. Full
Story ... Baristas
Coffee Company is rolling out its collection of coffee
ice cream featuring classic flavors like "Caramel Cappuccino"
and new specialty creations like "Coconut Cafe Latte" Select
Baristas locations in Seattle and Tampa with all other locations
rolling out over the next two weeks. The products will also
be available in high-end supermarkets and specialty retailers
throughout New York City beginning in April. Full
Story
Health News
Lower prices influence shoppers to buy more healthful
food, according to a new study from South Africa. Discover,
a South African health insurance company, offered a rebate
of up to 25% on grocery purchases of fresh fruits, vegetables
and other healthy foods. The researchers found that the discount
on healthy foods increased the proportion of healthy foods
by about 10%. At the same time, the purchases of unhealthy
foods went down by 6%, reported Voice of America. Full
Story
Chewing
gum may lead to increased junk food consumption and may not
curb appetite as once thought, according to a study published
in Eating Behaviors. The study found that gum, especially
the mint variety, may create a bitter flavor, altering the
taste of fruits and vegetables and subsequently making it
more tempting to reach for something less healthy, reported
New York Daily News. Full
Story
Washington News
A bipartisan amendment to avoid furloughs of food-safety
inspectors was included in a continuing resolution passed
by the Senate. The bill, passed with a vote of 73 to 26,
now heads to the House of Representatives for final passage.
House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) stated the Senate's changes
to the resolution will likely not face much opposition in
the House, reported ABCNews. Full
Story
The Department of Commerce made change to the margin calculations
of the new shipper reviews on certain frozen fish fillets
from Vietnam. The Preliminary Results also rescinded the administrative
review with respect to seven companies, which was made final,
and rescindedthe administrative review with respect to the
New Shipper Respondents. Full
Notice
Republican Representatives introduced a bill to eliminate
the requirement that businesses automatically enroll new workers
in company health plans. Reps. Richard Hudson (R-NC) and
Robert Pittenger (R-NC) introduced H.R. 1254 March 20, and
warned the auto-enroll provision would bury employers of 200
workers or more in paperwork, particularly for industries
that experience high employee turnover, reported The Hill.
Full
Story
Daesang America is recalling its 500 gram packages
of Sesame and Garlic flavored Mixed Soy Bean Paste because
they may contain undeclared peanuts. Full
Story
Global News
3G Capital's Jorge Paulo Lemann purchased a 20% stake
in Brazilian ice-cream maker Diletto for approximately
$50.5 million. The deal was concluded in January and was handled
through Innova, a fund controlled by Mr. Lemann, according
to a person familiar with the transaction. Diletto, based
in Sao Paulo, has 3,000 sale points in Brazil and aims to
expand overseas, reported The Wall Street Journal.
Full
Story (WSJ Subscription Required)
Chinese intake of trans fatty acids is lower than the
limit recommended by the World Health Organization due
to the typical Chinese diet, which involves fewer dairy products.
The recommended trans fatty acids level is no more than 1%
of total energy intake, or 2.2 grams per day. In Beijing and
Guangzhou, where higher levels are consumed, trans fatty acids
account for only 0.34% of the people's total energy intake,
reported China Daily. Full
Story
Market News
A new series of citrus varieties was presented for launch
this year from The Citrus Crops Program at the University
of California. Presented during the first day of Citrus 2013,
the two new varieties plans to launch this summer, after investigating
them for more than 15 years. With less seeds, high brix and
resistance to fungus, the new varieties should be able to
produce two seasons in one year, reported Fresh Plaza.
Full
Story
Prices for avocados are increasing due to rising demand,
weather-related issues and a decrease in production. Some
30 million-lbs. are expected to be harvested, and while it
is a lot of fruit, it is less than the winter production.
Mexican production is expected to continue until June and
California deals could extend into October, reported The
Packer Online. Full
Story
The mango season in South Africa will likely finish earlier
than normal this year. "The climatic conditions during
the growing season were not particularly good either, volumes
this year will be down from last year's 65,000 tonnes to 50,000
tonnes. The season will come to a close at the end of March
instead of April, but there may still be some fruit available
into April," stated Rudolf Badenhorst, reported Fresh Plaza.
Full
Story
The Florida Department of Citrus' 2013-14 advertising
effort will more specifically focus on Millennials as
the rising market for OJ consumers while still keeping faith
with baby boomers, the traditional market. In their beverage
purchases, millennials tend to favor smaller sizes that they
consume frequently and on-the-go, reported The Lakeland
Ledger. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
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