The Logan Square neighborhood of Philadelphia, a combination of upscale residences and many museums, was all abuzz in mid-March because a full-service supermarket was finally opening. And open it did. The Giant Company opened Riverwalk Giant, its highly anticipated urban flagship store, on March 19. Located at 60 N. 23rd Street, the 65,000 square foot store takes up the second floor of a 25 story residential building. A Starbucks is on the first level. The two-level store features on-site parking, a first-of-its kind Food Hall, the company’s largest plant-based section to date, an outdoor terrace, and a self-serve beer tap wall. My favorite perk of having the Giant in an apartment building is the VIP elevator reserved for tenants of the building. Just think, you’re making dinner and you run out of an ingredient. No problem, hop in the elevator which delivers you into the store, pick up what you need, pay for it and go back to your cooking without leaving the building. Now, that’s concierge! During the grand opening, the company also announced $150,000 in donations to local organizations, including a major commitment to Mural Arts Philadelphia. The event featured remarks from Deputy Secretary of Pennsylvania’s Department of Community and Economic Development David Briel, Philadelphia Mayor Jim Kenney, Philadelphia City Council President Darrell L. Clarke, Executive Director of Mural Arts Philadelphia Jane Golden, The Giant Company President Nicholas Bertram, and Riverwalk Giant store manager Jessica Fischer. Mayor Kenney remarked, “I congratulate The Giant Company on the opening of its Philadelphia flagship and wish them continued success in our city.” One highlight of the event was the announcement of contributions to numerous Philadelphia organizations, including a $110,000 sponsorship of Mural Arts Philadelphia to create a 4,000 square foot mural that explores how to transform local food systems into equitable engines for healthy, empowered communities. Additionally, a $25,000 contribution was made to the Reading Terminal Market which will be used to support the market’s nearly 80 vendors, ensuring a stable future for Philadelphia’s historic market. Several other donations to other nonprofits that benefit families in greater Philadelphia were also announced, including Philabundance, Project Home’s Hub of Hope, and Pennsylvania Horticultural Society Tree Tenders, as well as support for the city’s schools, police department, and fire department. The company is also making investments in the immediate neighborhood by supporting the Schuylkill River Development Corporation and Logan Square Neighborhood Association. “On behalf of the whole team at Riverwalk, we couldn’t have envisioned a better way to celebrate our opening than by recognizing the local organizations who make this neighborhood the special place it is,” said Fischer. “We’re committed to supporting and enhancing our community as we bring our purpose of connecting families for a better future to life, and today’s donations are a symbol of that commitment.” I went for a return visit a couple of weeks later and found it to be active but not crazy. In talking with one of the three assistant store managers, the store is doing better than expected with rushes in the morning when the seniors shop and after 3:00 p.m. Welcome to the neighborhood, Giant!
The past month or so has been the “awards season” for the food industry. The Giant Company celebrated the achievements of its team members at its annual business meeting held virtually on March 18. Twelve awards were presented recognizing the recipients’ commitment to the company and their efforts to connect families for a better future. “In what was an extremely challenging year, our more than 35,000 team members elevated their game when it came to customer service, innovation and connecting families in the midst of a pandemic,” said Bertram. “The team members recognized this year are role models for our entire organization, embracing our customer and team promises, keeping The Giant Company’s values front and center, and leading be example to live our purpose in all that they do. We are so grateful for their contributions to our company and the communities they serve and are thrilled to recognize them for their performance.” Highlights included Store of the Year, awarded to Martin’s Keyser, WV for demonstrating operational excellence and living the company’s values, bringing them to life by actively engaging its customers and team members; and the President’s Award which was presented to Steve Harfield, district director serving South Central Pennsylvania and parts of Maryland. This award is The Giant Company’s highest honor presented annually and is voted upon by all of the company’s living past presidents including Rick Herring, Tom Lenkevich, Allan Noddle, Tony Schiano, Carl Schlicker, and Sander van der Laan. The prestigious award recognizes an individual who consistently delivers exceptional performance, contributes to the organization’s success in countless ways, is a role model for the company’s values, and brings the company’s purpose to life in all that they do. Congratulations!
ShopRite customers will recognize some familiar faces on their favorite cereal box when they visit ShopRite stores this month April. Photos of 100 ShopRite associates are appearing on limited-edition Cheerios boxes as part of an annual tradition recognizing associates for fighting hunger in the communities where ShopRite stores operate. Their fundraising efforts this year raised $1 million for regional food banks. To earn a spot on the iconic cereal box, ShopRite associates across stores compete each fall in the annual ShopRite Partners In Caring Cheerios Contest, a friendly competition sponsored by ShopRite and General Mills. With this year’s contest theme, “Ending Hunger Together,” serving as backdrop, ShopRite associates came together during Hunger Action Month in September to collect donations at check-out and in-store in the fight against hunger. The campaign also encourages customers to round their grocery purchases up to the nearest dollar. “This past year we saw food banks working overtime as more families found themselves facing food insecurity during the pandemic,” said Rob Zuehlke, ShopRite’s manager of corporate social responsibility. “We’re proud to be able to support these regional food banks in the Feeding America network and extend a sincere thank you to our hardworking associates and generous customers who sustain this annual contest and make a difference in our communities.” ShopRite and General Mills recognized the 45 top fundraising ShopRite stores, which each then selected two ShopRite associates to be featured on the Cheerios box. The customized cereal boxes, sold exclusively at ShopRite, were unveiled at beginning in March and going through this month. Unfortunately, due to the pandemic, most presentations were not made in person this year. Each winning store also received prize money ($3,000 for the top five stores, and $500 for the remaining winning stores) that was then donated to local food pantries chosen by the respective store teams. Winning ShopRites in our area include: in New Jersey: Burlington, Stanhope, Laurel Springs, Egg Harbor, Flanders, Flemington, Galloway, Phillipsburg, Hainesport, Vineland, Hackettstown, Marmora, Medford, Jersey City, Montague, Mt. Laurel, New Milford, Newton, Rio Grande, Somers Point, Somerset, Sparta, Spotswood, Springfield, Succasunna, Washington, West Deptford, and Williamstown; and in Pennsylvania: Brodheadsville, Bethlehem, and Yardley. Nice work!
Rounding out the 2020 award season were the Five Star Awards given out by IGA. This year, IGA retailers and their teams used their independent flexibility and ingenuity to adapt in ways that they could have never imagined even a year ago. That tenacity and professionalism is reflected in the 2021 Five Star Assessment recipients, whose stores excelled in the independent grocery industry. Reacting to the significantly evolving ways IGA retailers were going to market in 2020, IGA’s evaluation of stores adapted significantly, too. The 2020 Assessment pivoted to reflect the changes the stores were going through. “We didn’t want to continue the same assessment—someone running around telling you all the little things that need attention when demand is through the roof wouldn’t be helpful,” says IGA CEO John Ross. The Five Star Award winners were determined from the average of the last three assessments in 2019 and 2020, including the summer/fall 2019 shops and the 2020 summer shop. To qualify for Five Star status, the retailer must have been a member of IGA for at least one year (beginning in 2019); the store owner must be the same for all three shops conducted; stores excelling in operations, merchandising, and service earned high marks, setting a high standard for IGA retailers everywhere. Of the 69 winners in the Bozzuto’s distribution area in the Northeast, the following were from the Mid-Atlantic region: Bishops Market IGA, Whitehouse Station, NJ; Chelten Market IGA, Philadelphia; Dekalb Supermarket IGA, Norristown, PA; Frenchtown Market IGA, Frenchtown, NJ; The Richmond Shops IGA Philadelphia, PA; Pasquale’s IGA Express, Carbondale, PA; Lake Region IGA, Hawley, PA; and Kennie’s Markets in the Pennsylvania towns of Littlestown, Gettysburg, and Spring Grove. Nice job!
The pandemic has forced businesses and associations to think outside the box to get their messages across and keep people engaged. That includes seminars and events, where usually we interact with one another in person. Well, one of the only upsides from being virtual is that participation can be more hands-on. Such is the case with the recent Saint Joseph’s University’s (SJU) Academy of Food Marketing, which held its International Food Industry Summit over a month of Wednesdays in March. Topics that are imperative to the future of the specialty food business including supply chain challenges, e-commerce growth, and consumer buying habits in a post-COVID world were covered. The first four weeks featured: “Impact of the Pandemic on International and Specialty Foods;” “Insights from the Inside: How the Foodservice Industry is Adapting;” “Winning the New ‘Semi-Normal’;” and “What’s Next? Trends Impacting International and Specialty Foods.” The final installment was a virtual master class, which is where it got really cool. SJU sent a package of Italian charcuterie, a wedge of Piave and a split of Prosecco to each participant’s home. Then, at noon on March 31, three industry experts discussed product origin, characteristics and qualities of the products they sent, as well as simple recipes. Everyone was invited to make a charcuterie board ands submit it for a prize. My Prosecco turned into an Aperol Spritz accompanied by a board with all kinds of Italian goodies from my fridge and pantry. Winners haven’t been announced yet, but the whole experience was innovative and a nice break from the hum drum of the day. Many thanks to the Academy of Food Marketing’s Alison Nolan and Joe Bivona for their efforts in making this virtual event a success. Complimenti!
The Pennsylvania Dairymen’s Association announced its new board of directors, welcoming Alex Baloga, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, to its board for 2021. The association is well-known for its Farm Show milkshakes and other dairy treats. It first began as the Crawford County Dairy Association in 1871, becoming a statewide association just 17 years later. The PA Dairymen’s Association supports dairy farms throughout the commonwealth and continues its strong presence at the annual Farm Show.
“The PA Food Merchants Association maintains a close relationship with the PA Dairymen’s Association to support our state’s strong dairy industry,” Baloga said. “I’m honored to join the Dairymen’s board of directors to continue this strong collaboration.”
Celebrating another trip around the sun in April are: Lou Eni Jr., Dietz & Watson; Ed Herr, Herr Foods; Theresa Lowden, JOH Produce; Ron Benjamin, The Star Companies; Scott Vicari, PromoPoint Marketing and Dominic Botto, Botto’s Sausage. Buon compleanno a tutti!
Quote of the month: “A champion is defined not by their wins but how they can recover when they fall.” Serena Williams
Maria can be reached at: 443-631-0172 or [email protected]