Congratulations to Zulema Wiscovitch, co-president and co-CEO of Associated Supermarket Group (ASG) as she was presented The NGA Spirit of America Award in Washington DC on October 25 at the NGA Executive Conference & Public Policy Summit. The Spirit of America award is an acknowledgement of the dedication and support of champions of America’s food distribution industry and past award recipients include former Presidents George H.W. Bush and Gerald Ford former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin Powell as well as several members of the United States Congress. The NGA Executive Conference & Pubic Policy Summit is an industry gathering of owners, operators, and management teams from independent retailers throughout the U.S. The event features thought provoking content and speakers covering a range of topics including consumer trends, shopper loyalty, food safety, the upcoming midterm elections and more. Congratulations on this prestigious recognition, Zulema!!
Big news recently from the Hunts Point Produce Market which has been selected to receive a $110 million federal grant to upgrade and improve its facilities. The grant comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation (USDOT) Infrastructure for Rebuilding America (INFRA) and the money will be used to strengthen critical freight movement and improve the environment, public health, and quality of life for the Hunts Point community.
The new produce market will be an approximately one million-square-foot, state-of-the-art intermodal freight facility with more than 800,000 square feet of refrigerated warehouse space and 200,000 square feet of ancillary space. The new facility will be compliant with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s new Food Safety Modernization Act and will expand much-needed refrigerated warehouse space and pallet capacity — eliminating 1,000 diesel-powered refrigerated trailer units currently idling onsite as additional storage and significantly reducing emissions in the surrounding community. The redevelopment will also improve site circulation and coordination of inbound and outbound traffic, and it will facilitate increased rail usage.
The produce market distributes more than 2.5 billion pounds of produce a year to New York City and the New York metropolitan region. The market employs thousands of New Yorkers and supplies 25 percent of the city’s fresh produce.
Kudos to the Stop & Shop team and associates for their donation of 100,000 diapers to diaper banks across their geographic footprint in honor of National Diaper Need Awareness Week. The event took place from September 24 to October 2 and called attention to the issue of diaper need to keep babies and toddlers clean, dry and healthy. Diapers are among the most highly sought-after items at food banks and food pantries, and Stop & Shop stepped up to help in a big way. “Many families continue to struggle due to the ongoing impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and inflation, and we know that when families face difficulty providing diapers for their children it can impact their physical and mental well-being,” said Jennifer Barr, director of external communications and community relations for Stop & Shop. “Stop & Shop is proud to step up to help with these diaper donations, which we hope will provide relief for many families in need.”
In addition to the diapers, Stop & Shop also donated $5,000 to The Diaper Bank of Connecticut in North Haven, CT, the leading diaper bank in the nation The organization has donated more than 31 million free diapers to low-income families through its extensive 60+ agency network since its founding in 2004. The additional donation to The Diaper Bank of Connecticut will support its mission to provide free infant and toddler diapers, period products, and youth and adult incontinence supplies to low-income families across Connecticut.
And while we are speaking of Stop & Shop, the big Ahold Delhaize USA unit has reopened three more supermarkets under a $140 million program to upgrade its New York City stores bringing the total number to four remodels out of their 25 stores in the five boroughs. The locations include the Avenue Y store in Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn, the Grand Avenue store in Maspeth, Queens and the Myrtle Avenue store in Glendale, Queens.
The retailer noted that its NYC remodels focus primarily on expanded product selections tailored to each store’s diverse neighborhood. The Avenue Y store in Sheepshead Bay houses the second-largest kosher assortment across the entire banner as well as expanded selections of Eastern European, Russian and Turkish products, plus a wider array of Halal dairy products, including Kasbos Market and several new tropical Spanish items.
“Our customers are thrilled by the enhancements we’ve made at the store, especially the expanded kosher and Eastern European products,” Mario Siragusa, store manager of Avenue Y Stop & Shop in Sheepshead Bay, said in a statement. “It brings us great joy to see that the products we now offer bring our customers a little closer to home.”
Similarly, the Maspeth store carries more than 1,500 additional multicultural products, including new Asian items and a broader assortment of Latin dairy and grocery items, and expanded Halal options. And in the Glendale store, almost 1,000 new ethnic products have been added including Latin dairy items plus Puerto Rican and Caribbean products.
“Our customers are thrilled by the enhancements we’ve made at the stores so far, especially the expanded ethnic products,” according to Al Steiger, district director at Stop & Shop. “Queens is the most ethnically diverse borough in New York City, and we’re proud to bring products from around the world to the ‘world’s borough.’”
The three stores also sport a brighter, more modern décor and signage to make it easier to navigate the aisles, including icons that help non-native English speakers better understand what’s in each aisle. All three stores also offer click-and-collect service, more sale bins and more special deals on relevant products spotlighted in an NYC-specific weekly circular ad. They also participate in the Flashfood program, a mobile app that gives shoppers access to sizable discounts on products — including meat, produce, seafood, dairy, deli and bakery — nearing their best-by date.
Big news came to Saker ShopRite stores as the iconic British party supplies company Party Pieces has selected the retailer as the launch for its first retail partnership outside of the United Kingdom. The company was founded by Carole Middleton (Kate and Pippa’s mom) and features a variety of themed product ranges and delivers a celebratory wow factor for guests.
“We are thrilled to be the first U.S. retail partner for British heritage brand Party Pieces. We know our customers are coming together again to mark special occasions in their lives and they want to make their parties spectacular. We’re sure our customers will enjoy celebrating memorable moments with these fantastic new lines from Party Pieces,” said Richard Saker, president and CEO of Saker ShopRites, Inc.
“We’re excited about the Party Pieces launch at Saker ShopRites in New Jersey, and are confident the line’s imaginative party decor and themes will resonate with customers. We also think shoppers will appreciate the convenience of being able to purchase Party Pieces’ distinctive items at ShopRite, and plan to introduce the line at other ShopRite locations in the coming months,” said Pat Mooney, Wakefern’s, VP-health & beauty care and non-foods.
And finally, congratulations to the entire team at Douglas Sales Associates as they celebrated their 65th anniversary as one of the premier sales and marketing agency in the Metro New York/New Jersey area. Founded in 1957 by Chris Christopher and Ernie Hegedus, the company was acquired by longtime employee Richie Kmec in 1993 when Hegedus retired. Then, following Richie’s unexpected death in 1997, Ken Atkinson, John Pavlik and Roni Potocco purchased the company. In the early years Douglas Sales focused on its strength as a frozen food brokerage company, and over time diversified into grocery, general merchandise, bakery and dairy/deli. Douglas Sales also expanded its coverage when it formed Price Mark Sales which distributes Avery-Monarch pricing guns and labels to provide additional support to their principals. The Douglas team has also reached in to the New England marketplace through a partnership with Joe Davis and Progressive Sales which has proven to be very successful. Congratulations on a very successful first 65 years to Ken, John, Michael Atkinson (who will become president of the company in 2023), Kathy Atkinson, Brad Atkinson and the entire Douglas Sales team, and best wishes for the future!!
That’s all for now, folks. Look forward to seeing you all out in the trade as we round the final turn and head down the stretch of the year 2022. As always you can reach me at 201.250.2217 or [email protected].