IGA Red Oval Perspective

Red Oval Partners "In the Huddle" with IGA

A message to IGA Retailers from...
Ralph Black
IGA National Accounts Manager & Red Oval Representative
The Coca-Cola Company

Committed Red Oval Partners are constantly looking for ways to bring resources to IGA and its retailers. Coca-Cola is proud to be one of these premier partners, offering ongoing support with the IGA Coca-Cola Institute, digital social media and beverage category management, among many other valued initiatives.

Promotionally speaking, Coca-Cola has worked harder than ever during 2010 to enhance the IGA national core event program and to deliver incremental regional and local promotions that grow profitable retail sales. There are other Red Oval partners similarly engaged in providing a range of promotional support, driving benefits for their products and your IGA stores at the same time.

It is when several committed Red Oval Partners join together in a collective promotional effort that the unique strength of the IGA Alliance is best demonstrated. This year's IGA fall football activity being brought to you by Red Oval Partners Kraft Foods, Coca-Cola, and Anheuser Busch (where legal*) is a great example.

Building from the solid base of the unique "Huddle to Fight Hunger" cause marketing campaign being championed by Kraft Foods, and supplemented by additional bundle coupon and merchandising support from Coca-Cola and Anheuser-Busch (where legal*), this year's IGA-exclusive fall football sales event will be bigger and better than ever before!

Working together with IGA Retailers and Licensed Distribution Centers to meet merchandising targets related to the program, we will make it possible for IGA to provide 200,000 extra meals to families in need through Feeding America and local food banks across the USA. Nowhere else will this powerful combination of leading U.S. food and beverage companies come together to meet this critical national need, but we have to have your help to make it a success. I encourage you to join with us in this important effort to once again demonstrate the power of our unique IGA Alliance while also reinforcing your shoppers' image of IGA as their "Hometown Proud" grocer who consistently gives back to local communities all across the U.S.

Thank you for your support.

Ralph Black
The Coca-Cola Company

Click here to get detailed information about the program and to sign up to participate.

* Note: This beer portion of this promotion, or portion thereof, may not be available in all states due to legal restrictions. This program may be available in other accounts. The alcohol beverage laws of the individual states vary with regard to the merchandising and promotion of our beers.

Retail News

Dollar Tree may expand to up to 7,000 stores across the country from its current 3,925, president and CEO Bob Sasser stated in a conference call, and plans to open 230 new stores before year-end. The company also intends to roll out food and frozen and refrigerated products to 146 stores for a total of 400 stores for the year after installing freezers and coolers in 117 stores during the company's fiscal second quarter, increasing frozen and refrigerated products availability to 1,677 stores. Morningstar.com

Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market plans to open eight stores in Northern California in early 2011. Full Story

Bossa Nova now offers Acai Original, Acai Blueberry and Acerola Mango in a 32-oz. size at grocery retailers, natural food stores, specialty retailers and co-ops nationwide. Full Story

Quality Food Brands, Inc. received an order from Rite Aid Corporation for five proprietary items expected to be displayed in the grocery area. Full Story

New Store News: Thorntons opened a location in Louisville, KY, reported Business First of Louisville. Full Story (Free Registration Required) ... Quick Chek will open a store in Wallkill, NY on Aug. 31. Full Story

Fresh Family Foods will open a location in Chicago on Aug. 26. The boutique-style grocery offers fresh produce, a juice and coffee bar and freshly prepared hot meals. Full Story

Shoppers Food & Pharmacy will move its corporate headquarters to Bowie, MD, reported Baltimore Sun. Full Story

Manufacturer News

Rizo Lopez Foods will open a 128,000-sq. ft. plant in Modesto, CA and expects to start production in early 2012. The company makes a variety of Hispanic cheeses, yogurts, creams and desserts, which it sells under its Don Francisco brand. It sells meat products manufactured by another company, also under the Don Francisco name. The products are sold in California, Nevada, Arizona, Illinois, Georgia, Texas and Florida, reported The Modesto Bee. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Cypress Grove Chevre was acquired by Switzerland-based Emmi. Emmi also increased its stake in Contract Aseptic & Specialty Packaging LLC (CASP) to 100%. CASP specializes in contract manufacturing of aseptic milk products. Full Story

New Product News: ConAgra Foods, Inc. launched eight Healthy Choice microwavable frozen meals. Full Story ... Pinnacle Foods introduced Hungry-Man Frozen Dinners and Entrees Pub Favorites in three varieties. Full Story ... Saffron Road launched a line of frozen Halal Certified Indian entrees at Whole Foods Market stores across the U.S. Full Story ... Jerome Brown Barbeque & Wings' signature barbecue sauce will be sold in Walmart stores nationwide, reported Jacksonville Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Lions Gate Lighting Corp. completed its corporate name change to Umami Sustainable Seafood Inc. Full Story

Foodservice News

Fazoli's plans to add as many as seven new restaurants in the Kansas City metro area during the next few years. Meanwhile, Firehouse Subs wants to expand from two to 26 Kansas City-area locations during the next several years, reported Kansas City Business Journal. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Pinkberry will open at least 11 locations in San Francisco, reported The San Francisco Chronicle. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Health News

A diet rich in green leafy vegetables may reduce the risk of developing diabetes, claims a study published in the British Medical Journal, reported BBC News. Full Story

Washington News

Utz Quality Foods Inc. and Frito-Lay Inc. sued each other over the "Grandma" trademark. Utz sued Frito-Lay last week, arguing that the trademark is weak since other companies also registered "Grandma" in connection with food. Utz's lawsuit conceded that Frito-Lay holds U.S. trademarks for "Grandma's" as it relates to cookies. On Aug. 16, Frito-Lay filed suit against Utz and a related company, Rice Investments, contending trademark infringement, reported The Dallas Morning News. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

Acting under a court order sought by FDA, U.S. Marshals seized packaged food products from a rodent-infested warehouse in Athens, GA. A variety of products, including crackers, cookies and potato chips, were intended for sale to jails and prisons throughout the southeastern U.S. Full Story

Country Eggs, Inc. issued a voluntary recall of specific Julian dates of shell eggs produced by Wright County Egg because the products have the potential to be contaminated with salmonella. Full Story

Global News

Starbucks Corp assumed 100% ownership and operating control of Starbucks Brazil through the acquisition of Cafes Sereia do Brasil Participacoes S.A. Full Story

Menchie's expects to open 100 locations in Japan as part of a master franchise agreement, reported dBusinessNews. Full Story

Smallholders at Cargill's oil palm plantation in South Sumatra, Indonesia, PT. Hindoli, received Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) certification. Full Story

Market News

Sales of the 2009-2010 U.S. mushroom crop are 793 million-lbs., down 3% from the 2008-2009 season. Value of sales for the 2009-2010 mushroom crop is $925 million, down 4% from the previous season. The number of growers, at 312, is up 23 from last season. The average price is $1.17 per pound, unchanged from 2008-2009. Volume of sales reported by growers of Agaricus mushrooms for fresh market is 671 million-lbs., down 1% from the 2008-2009 season. Volume of sales of Agaricus mushrooms for processing is 107 million-lbs., down 13% from last season. USDA Mushroom Report

Farmers in the U.S. are wary that global dynamics could shift wheat prices again before next year's harvest despite Russia's ban on grain exports causing rising prices. However, a quirk of crop insurance, which locks in grain prices for policies based on a window set after Russia announced the Aug. 5 ban on grain exports, could accelerate the trend of increased wheat planting, farm experts state, or prompt farmers in other parts of the country to reconsider planting the crop, reported The New York Times on the Web. Full Story (Free Registration Required)

National Pasteurized Eggs increased production of its Davidson's Safest Choice Pasteurized Shell Eggs. Full Story

Sugar growers claim there is not enough conventional seed available for growers to plant a full crop in 2011, reported The Associated Press. Full Story

USDA will release its cold storage report on Aug. 20 at 3:00 p.m. EST. View Report

California agriculture officials established an 82-sq. mi. quarantine in the Arvin/Mettler area of Kern County due to the discovery of invasive melon fruit flies, reported The Fresno Bee. Full Story (Free Registration Required)