Retail News
Supermarket chains are being forced to reconcile raising
prices with potentially losing shoppers to rivals who
do not, with retailers including Whole Foods Market Inc.,
Safeway Inc. and Supervalu Inc. trying to make promotions
more effective, reconsider where they raise prices and work
out better deals with vendors. Facing a 4% rise in food costs
this year, the CEO of Whole Foods stated supermarkets have
to push back with vendors, asking them to explain where those
cost increases are coming from before agreeing to them, reported
The Wall Street Journal. Full
Story (WSJ Subscription Required)
Amazon is reportedly developing a program that will put
lockers in 7-Eleven stores, letting customers have their
online orders delivered to a storage locker, reported The
Daily. Customers would get an email with a bar code that
would then allow them to get a number to punch in to access
a locker, reported CNN. Full
Story
There are now 100 million worldwide active Twitter users
monthly, up 82% since Jan. 1, and half of them log in
every day, according to the company's CEO. Some 55% of them
are mobile users. However, 40% of them do not tweet, or have
not tweeted in the last month. The CEO claimed Twitter is
on pace to add another 26 million active users in the next
four months, reported Advertising Age. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Kroger grocery stores throughout Dallas-Fort Worth will
stop doubling and tripling manufacturers' coupons beginning
Sept. 14. The practice has not proved cost-effective, according
to the director of consumer affairs for its Southwest division.
Dallas-Fort Worth stores will instead refocus on promoting
low-priced items, reported The Dallas Morning News.
Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Supervalu Pharmacies received approval from DEA to accept
e-prescriptions for controlled substances. The approval
will expand to all Supervalu pharmacies where approved by
state law. Full
Story
Reasor's is planning a 75,000-sq. ft. grocery store in
Bixby, OK that could be completed by late spring. The
store will feature specialty foods; freshly made sushi; seafood;
an olive bar; and a restaurant. The company plans to announce
another Tulsa-area store in the coming months, reported Tulsa
World. Full
Story
The Stop & Shop Supermarket Company LLC and Unilever entered
into a partnership to donate $150,000 to Feeding America
and its local member food banks this September - Hunger Action
Month. The donation will provide more than one million meals
to children and families in need by supporting local hunger
relief organizations such as regional food banks and pantries.
Full
Story
Peapod is contributing to Feeding America's National
Hunger Month by launching a Virtual Food Drive in its
Northeast locations. Every item a customer purchases an item
from a list of nearly 20 products, Peapod will donate that
same item to local food banks in the communities it serves
(up to a $5,000 value). Full
Story
Whole Foods Market is offering virtual gift cards.
Gift card recipients can either print their card out or display
it at the store register on their smart phone. Full
Story
V&V Supremo Foods, Inc. will be awarded as "Vendor of
the Year" during the VIP Hispanic Heritage Month reception
hosted by Jewel-Osco. Full
Story
Dallas, TX launched an effort to add food and beverage
cartons to its residential curbside recycling program.
Full
Story
Executives on the Move: Weis Markets named
Regina Tator director of private brands, reported Supermarket
News. Full
Story ... OXIS International, Inc. named David
Saloff CEO. Full
Story
Manufacturer News
PepsiCo Inc. was named supersector leader
in the food and beverage segment on the Dow Jones Sustainability
World Index, released by SAM and Dow Jones Indexes. Lotte
Shopping Co. Ltd. was the leader in the retail sector. Full
Story
Baptista's Bakery Inc. is planning a 120,000-sq.
ft. expansion of its Franklin, WI-based baking facility.
Baptista's will invest about $75 million into the project.
Construction plans include a groundbreaking in October with
construction scheduled for completion in spring of 2012, reported
Milwaukee Business Journal. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Five of the top 15 Heinz brands are now considered
emerging market brands. The top 15 brands currently make
up nearly 75% of Heinz's portfolio. Emerging markets continue
to grow in importance for Heinz as it accounted for 23% of
its sales in the last quarter, reported Forbes.com.
Full
Story
Sara Lee Corp. received overtures from parties
interested in its coffee business. "We've had some incoming
calls," CEO Marcel Smits stated during a presentation at a
Barclays conference, reported Reuters. Full
Story
The Coca-Cola Company will add six eStar
all-electric, zero-emission trucks to Coca-Cola's fleet
of alternative fuel vehicles (AFV) in North America, which
will surpass 750 by the end of this year. The new eStar trucks
will be deployed in San Francisco, New York City, Washington,
DC and Hartford, CT, with two trucks in Los Angeles. Full
Story
New Product News: Shaw's Supermarkets
will introduce fresh case products certified by the Marine
Stewardship Council and fresh product verified through the
Gulf of Maine Research Institute. Full
Story ... T.G.I. Friday's Frozen Foods launched
a nine-product line of "Entrees for One." Full
Story ... Near East added two varieties to its
Quinoa Blends line. Full
Story ... Mike-sell's Snack Food Company introduced
five products, including Blazin' Hot Crunchin' Cheese Curls.
Full
Story ... Bebida Beverage Company released a sugar-free
version of its Koma Unwind product. Full
Story
Foodservice News
Google acquired Zagat. Zagat's ratings will work in
tandem with the technology company's search and mapping functions.
Full
Story
Dunkin' Donuts is recruiting franchisees in numerous markets,
including Denver and Colorado Springs, CO; Houston and Waco,
TX; Lincoln and Omaha, NE; Oklahoma City and Tulsa, OK; as
well as Santa Fe and Albuquerque, NM. The company expects
that restaurants in these markets will begin to open in early
2013. Full
Story
Some 70% of all opinions posted on social media about
U.S. fast food chains were positive over the past 12 months,
with Subway garnering the most praise, according to the Public
Opinion on Fast Food Chains in the U.S. on Social Media
report from Amplicate. Full
Story
About 59% of consumers would be likely to visit a food
truck if their favorite restaurant offered one, up from
47% one year ago, according to research released by the National
Restaurant Association. Consumers living in the West (29%)
and Northeast (24%) were much more likely than those in the
South (15%) and the Midwest (9%) to see a food truck parked
in their community this summer. Full
Story
Restaurant Roundup: VooDoo
BBQ & Grill Franchise signed an agreement to open 26 restaurants
in Florida within the next decade. Full
Story ... Straw Hat Pizza added five varieties
of chicken wings to its menu. Full
Story
Health News
Women who consume moderate amounts of alcohol in middle
age are somewhat more likely than non-drinkers to be in good
physical and mental health in old age, according to research
published in PLoS Medicine, reported HealthDay.
Full
Story
Washington News
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) introduced the Dietary Supplement
Labeling Act of 2011. The legislation would require companies
to register their products with FDA; disclose all ingredients,
including proprietary blends; and list known health hazards
on the labels. The bill also targets the area of food, beverage
and dietary ingredients by requiring FDA to clarify the difference
between a food and a health aid, reported Chicago Tribune.
Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
Amazon.com agreed to abandon its planned 2012 referendum
on internet-sales taxes in California in exchange for
a one-year break in levying the tax on purchases by state
residents, reported Bloomberg.com. Under the proposed
compromise, Amazon and the state would also work together
to seek a uniform federal standard to assess taxes on internet
commerce.
Full Story
FDA is extending the comment period by 60 days to Dec.
2 for the notice, Draft Guidance for Industry; Dietary
Supplements: New Dietary Ingredient Notifications and Related
Issues; Availability, published in the July 5 Federal
Register. Full
Notice
Sen. Susan Collins (R-ME) delayed an amendment that would
challenge USDA's proposal to limit potatoes in school meals,
reported The Packer Online. Full
Story
Sara Lee and Kraft Foods settled a two-year legal battle
over advertising claims made for the company's Ball
Park and Oscar Mayer brands. The companies settled out of
court, reported The Associated Press. Full
Story
Global News
Sobeys cut prices on 4,000 items in its Manitoba, Canada
stores in preparation for increased competition from Walmart
and Target, reported Winnipeg Free Press. Full
Story
Nestle is reportedly in talks to buy Progress, a Russian
juices and baby food producer, according to two industry sources,
reported Reuters. Full
Story
KFC is buying out the Rostik's fried chicken brand.
The chain will rebrand the 164 Rostik's - KFC restaurants
operating in Russia, Armenia, Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan. The
process should be complete at some point in mid-2012, by which
time all the stores will carry the single KFC logo and decor,
reported The Moscow Times. Full
Story
Coca-Cola Enterprises confirmed its investment in its
Les Pennes-Mirabeau facility in France, refuting a previous
story that reported the company would suspend the plans due
to an increased tax on sugary drinks in France. Full
Story
Market News
Retail prices for both fruits and vegetables rose in the
second quarter of 2011 compared with the same period last
year, driving an increase in weekly dollar sales, according
to FreshFacts on Retail report from the United Fresh
Foundation. Higher prices led produce sales volume to a slight
decline, down 1% from Q2 2010, however volumes of value-added
fruits, value-added vegetables and organics each grew in Q2
2011, reported Western Farm Press. Full
Story
Smithfield Foods' fresh pork operating margins were about
$6 per head in the company's fiscal 2012 first quarter,
bolstered by stable protein supplies and solid exports
despite a 19% increase in live hog market prices. Live hog
market prices also increased 19% to $69 per hundredweight
compared to $58 per hundredweight last year, more than offsetting
higher feed costs for the company. Full
Story
Kiwifruit shippers expect a smooth transition from import
deals to California this fall. Kiwifruit volumes from
New Zealand are not declining significantly as the deal heads
toward its fall finish, stated the senior marketing manager
for Zespri North America, reported The Packer Online.
Full
Story
A tomato variety developed by the University of Florida
will become available in all 1,036 Publix stores. Last
season, Florida growers harvested 80 acres of Tasti-Lees,
and the product manager for Tasti-Lee expects that number
to increase this season, reported Southeast Farm Press.
Full
Story
FAS will release its Raisins: World Markets and Trade
report on Sept. 9 at 3 p.m. (EST) Full
Report
Hot, dry weather in major peanut-growing states such as
Georgia and Texas devastated this year's peanut crop.
Some plants died before they could produce peanuts, while
other plants got too hot to mature into anything edible, reported
The Plain Dealer. Full
Story
With some exceptions, fruit and vegetable growers in Texas
were not hit as hard by drought as other producers in
the state, according to shippers and industry officials. The
Texas citrus crop could be off by about 10% this season, but
that is due to cold weather in February, not the drought,
reported The Packer Online. Full
Story
The Florida Department of Agriculture stepped up its detection
program after finding a guava fruit fly in Orange County,
reported The Lakeland Ledger. Full
Story (Free Registration Required)
The Agriculture Secretary and a U.S. Trade Representative
appointed 148 private-sector members to the Agricultural Policy
Advisory Committee and six Agricultural Technical Advisory
Committees. Full
Story
The National Advisory Committee on Meat and Poultry Inspection
will hold a public meeting on Sept. 22 and 23 to review and
discuss pre-harvest and validation. The meeting site will
be posted on the FSIS website as soon as the information is
available. Full
Notice
The Department of Commerce is conducting an administrative
review of the antidumping duty order on certain frozen
fish fillets from Vietnam. The Department preliminarily
determined that QVD Food Company, Ltd. sold subject merchandise
at less than normal value, and that Vinh Hoan Corporation
did not sell merchandise below NV during the period of review
of Aug. 1, 2009 through July 31, 2010. Full
Notice
|
IGA
Red Oval Partner Perspective
