Well the football season is over and it looks like we’re rounding the backstretch of winter and coming down to the wire for spring. And you know what that means – trade shows, conferences and golf tournaments. And getting a jump on everyone was the team at Key Food Stores as the held their spring/summer selling show at the Nassau Coliseum on Long Island. I have said it before, but I will say it again – if you have not attended a Key Food selling show, you need to put it on your list of things to do. Dean Janeway, CEO, and George Knobloch, COO, have always pushed their team to put the “pedal to the metal” on all aspects of their job responsibilities, and the trade show is just one example of how all of the Key Foodies take it to the apex. The show had a “KeyChella” theme (think Coachella) with a proper mix of toeing the line of debauchery and flipping the bird to “wokeness” but still traveling within the navigational beacons of correctness, the Key Food team put on an entertaining and successful event for their vendors and delivered a wealth of deals, new items and ideas for their membership. Well done!!
We were sorry to hear that longtime food industry executive Harold Berthold passed away on January 23 at the age of 87. A lifetime New Jersey resident, Harold started in the food industry as a retail executive for The Grand Union Company in Elmwood Park. He moved over to the A&P Company where he remained until his retirement in 2002. At the Tea Company, he had ascended to be the director of grocery merchandising of the Food Emporium division. He is survived by his sons Kenneth (Linda) and David (Dena), and daughter Nancy (Jerred) Ciresi. He is also survived by four grandchildren and a great granddaughter. He was predeceased by his wife Nancy who passed away on December 18, 2022. The family asks that any donations made in his memory be made to Chilton Medical Center Foundation, 97 West Parkway, Pompton Plains, NJ 07444. Made his soul rest in eternal peace.
Heard from old friend Lou Biscotti of Marcum LLP, the accounting and advisory firm. Lou told us that their extensive 2022 Food & Beverage Industry National Survey is available for everyone to download. We all know that the industry has been in flux and faced many changes and challenges since the pandemic started. The Marcum 2022 F&B survey is a thorough report tracking such elements as food and beverage companies diversifying their sourcing, increasing wages and revenues, and revamping technology. As the survey states, revenues are up, optimism is on the rise and change is everywhere even as supply chain struggles and a labor shortage persist. With the peak of the pandemic behind us, executives are facing a new era and eyeing the future. It’s a watershed moment for the industry with companies’ and customers’ habits changing, sourcing becoming more flexible, data becoming a driver of efficiency, M&A going strong, and efforts to innovate and boost margins as competition sharpens. It is a good source of information and to download the survey go to http://www.marcumllp.com/industries/food-beverage/marcum-food-beverage-survey.
Author, author. John Catsimatidis, owner and CEO of the Red Apple Group, has added the title of best-selling author to his resume with the release of his just-published book “How Far Do You Want To Go?
Lessons from a Common-Sense Billionaire.” In the tome, John reveals how his instincts and common sense have propelled him to massive business success in a real life rags-to-riches story. Born on the small Greek island of Nisyros, John immigrated to the United States with his family and quickly became a true New Yorker, raised in Harlem. He went to school by day and worked in a small grocery store by night to help his parents pay the bills until, just eight credits short of graduating from New York University, he opted to work in the grocery business full-time. Today, that grocery business has become the Red Apple Group, a conglomerate that also has interests in energy, real estate, aviation, baseball, entertainment and media, including the radio station WABC, where John hosts leading figures in government, politics, business and economics.
As Catsimatidis has discovered, the American Dream doesn’t come with an instruction manual—or even a sign to let you know when you’ve arrived at the finish line. “How Far Do You Want to Go?” tells Catsimatidis’s dynamic story, from his beginnings in the grocery business to entering the political arena, including a New York City mayoral campaign. He’s tried his hand at nearly everything, but he’s far from finished with his adventures. Now, he offers readers a glimpse into the wisdom he’s gained—and the excitement he has for what the future holds in store. The book is available on all of the websites and book stores and I looking forward to reading it. Good luck John!
Allegiance Retail Services recently announced the opening of a Green Way Market on DeKalb Avenue in Brooklyn, NY. The supermarket officially opened its doors bringing new premium grocery products coupled with competitive pricing to the area. It is the fifth supermarket to open in the tri-state area under the Green Way Markets banner which promotes being “A better shopping experience.” The supermarket will focus on delivering fresh, natural foods and organics and gluten-free products as well as traditional groceries. It will also feature Rancher’s Legend beef, a steakhouse-quality beef at supermarket prices, along with wild-caught seafood.
The 8,000 square foot market is owned and operated by Rowhie Said, a lifelong grocer who has managed his family’s grocery stores in the Flatbush and Prospect Park areas of Brooklyn. He selected the DeKalb Avenue location as it provided the perfect setting to bring in a small, but high-quality grocery. “Green Way Markets is a modern-day supermarket banner perfect for the neighborhood, which is in the midst of a gentrification. We are offering a broad range of lines at affordable price points to accommodate the purchasing needs of all our customers. We are especially excited about the extensive selection of organic and natural lines of produce,” Said remarked.
“We are proud to support the growth of our members as they open new stores and banners,” said John Derderian, president and COO, Allegiance Retail Services. “Independent, family-owned markets are essential in catering to the tastes and needs of particular neighborhoods, especially in the New York City area where cultures and demographics can vary within blocks of one another.”
Said designed and built the grocery store from the ground up and the store offers a full complement of service and specialty departments as well as a strong selection of grocery merchandised to the trade area demographics. Green Way Markets also provide a strong customer loyalty program, digital coupon offers and online shopping options.
And before we end for the month, our apologies to America’s Food Basket (AFB). In our January issue, we had our annual retailer Outlook panel and David Siegel, CEO was one of the guest panelists. We incorrectly stated that AFB had 18 stores in the co-operative and the correct number of stores is 68.
Look forward to seeing you all out in the trade at the many upcoming events. As always you can reach me at 201.250.2217 or [email protected].