Who watched the eclipse? (hand up) Who traveled to watch the eclipse? Many people I know traveled hours away to get a glimpse of the phenomenon, that wasn’t a “total” eclipse in the Philadelphia area. Even so, it was awesome to watch and who knows if we’ll even be here when the next one comes around? Earth is an incredible place. Let’s keep working to make it an even better planet for generations to come. Happy Earth Day 2024!
Just after we went to press last month, on March 20, Wegmans opened their 19th store in Pennsylvania and their 111th store overall in Yardley, Bucks County. To give a little history of this location, 925 Vansant Drive, Yardley, we need to go back in time to when Bob Wegman was looking to expand the Wegmans brand. This is the first spot he and his son Danny looked at over 20 years ago. It wasn’t available for many years, but the Wegmans real estate team never took their eye off the prize and when the time was right, they pounced on the opportunity to expand their footprint in Bucks County, PA. Many road improvements were made to accommodate the increase in traffic and so far that seems to be working well. Across the street is the famous Shady Brook Farms which attracts thousands year-round but especially throughout December to see the spectacular holiday light show. A Wawa and Chick-Fil-A are also coming to the Newtown Bypass, just about a mile away. The area is not overbuilt so more residential developments will probably follow. The store is 88,000 square feet, including indoor and outdoor seating for 156 people. The hours are from 6:00 a.m. to midnight seven days a week with 576 parking spots (and people are complaining that there aren’t enough). It employs 415 part- and full-timers. Veteran Wegmans manager Bill Platt is the Yardley store manager, with a competent and well-versed team backing him up including executive chef, Ryan Franks. There are 13 full service and 15 self-checkouts, with 5 additional self-checkouts registers in the market café. Here’s the kicker, the self-checkouts are limited to 20 items. All others must go to the full-service lanes. In addition, the Yardley team has already contributed over $32,000 to their local neighbors through community donations and sponsorships.
Here’s what’s new and cool about the new store. In its first post-COVID store in PA, it seems that Wegmans has reimagined their store, once again, and tweaked what needed to be tweaked for today’s post-COVID customer. For example, the cut fruit station is back and ensconced under a trellis to bring the focus back to it. Wegmans makes fabulous cookies with huge customer demand, so now there is a cookie island where proving and baking takes place in front of the customers. The fish department has been moved to the center of the aisle in the fresh market section, giving it more prominence. The Yardley location offers thousands of options throughout the store including approximately 1,200 wines, and nearly 500 varieties of domestic, craft and imported beers and ciders and is located in the middle of the store. You can’t miss it; the sign is huge. Restaurant foods prepared by Chef Ryan Franks and his culinary staff of 85 include everything from fresh sushi, pizza, and wings, ready-to-go entrees, and sides to hot soup, freshly made salads, and sandwiches. The self-serve coffee station features Wegmans’ signature coffee made by La Colombe with two blends of specialty coffee made specifically for Wegmans. Shady Brook Farms has forged a good partnership with Wegmans and their products are featured throughout the store. The biggest move has been the frozen food department, which is now on the far right of the store. “Cart to Curb” – order online, pick up at store is available as is delivery by Instacart. Finally, at the Wegmans farm in upstate New York, there lives a rooster named Cassanova. At the front of the Yardley store, Cassanova makes an hourly appearance, bursting out of the barn doors, crowing for at least a minute. He’s adorable.
The Giant Company (TGC) released its third annual impact report on April 16, highlighting its 2023 corporate social responsibility initiatives centered around its purpose of connecting families for a better future. Marking 100 years in grocery in 2023, The Giant Company put its team members, customers, and community partners at the center of its anniversary celebrations. “Since opening our first store in Carlisle, PA in 1923, The Giant Company has always been committed to serving our local communities, both in and outside our stores,” said John Ruane, president, TGC. “As we celebrated our 100th anniversary last year, our efforts centered around areas where we can make the greatest impact: eliminating hunger, changing children’s lives, healing the planet, promoting wellbeing, and fostering a culture of inclusion and belonging. With this focus, we’re able to help connect families, create healthier communities, and grow local neighborhoods.” Highlights of TGC’s community impact report include: working with local hunger relief partners, 14.1 million meals were donated to help eliminate hunger in communities served; $500,000 was awarded to 20 local nonprofits as part of its Make a Difference Challenge to honor the company’s legacy of giving back; a total of $500,000 was donated to organizations committed to healing the planet by growing food system resiliency and reducing food waste to create a more sustainable future; and by helping customers and communities find real life wellbeing, TGC’s registered dietitians connected with more than 65,000 through over 300 virtual wellness classes and the company’s pharmacy teams helped keep neighbors healthy by administering more than 175,000 vaccinations.
Keeping with the topic of community outreach and support, on April 8, The Giant Company (TGC) announced its Feeding School Kids initiative, in partnership with its customers, raised more than $1.5 million to combat hunger throughout local public school districts in the communities it serves.
The top 15 public school districts receiving funds from the Feeding School Kids initiative were mostly in Pennsylvania with the School District of Philadelphia receiving the largest amount. Funds donated by customers benefitted the local public school district in the community in which they were given. TGC’s matching funds were awarded based on need, as determined by the percentage of students in the district who receive free or reduced meals. Good work, Giant!
Hot off the IDDBA press comes the announcement of two of this year’s speakers at the IDDBA 2024 being held in Houston June 9-11. Chip and Joanna Gaines of Magnolia fame will speak during the general sessions as will Jose Andres, world renowned chef, restaurateur and humanitarian. The show is sold out, but additional attendees are always welcome. The IDDBA show is the largest industry-only show for the dairy, deli, bakery industries. The 2023 show saw over 1,900 exhibitors representing more than 800 companies. Plus, over 564 retail companies had 1,600 attendees walking the aisles representing them. See you on the floor! To register, go to iddba.org/iddba-show/about/registration.
It’s that time of year, the Food Trade News Market Study will be published in June. This issue is kept by many in the industry, and it is available online for your reference throughout the year. The Market Study is a great way to tell your story to the trade in the form of an ad. Deadlines for space reservations will creep up spooner than you think. So, if you are interested in participating in the best Market Study in the biz, contact me at [email protected].
Taking another glorious trip around the sun this month are: David Zallie, Zallie Family Markets; Lou Eni Jr., Dietz & Watson; Ed Herr, Herr Foods; Theresa Lowden, JOH Produce; Ron Benjamin, Affinity Group; and Scott Vicari, Advantage Solutions. Buon compleanno a tutti!
We send special 60th birthday wishes to Wawa, who opened their first store on April 16, 1964 in Folsom, Delaware County, PA. It’s been a long journey, but this very local company now has 1,050 stores in seven states. And there’s more to come. Their commitment to servant leadership has helped guide them as they grow; putting employees’ needs first so they can perform their best. Here’s to 60 more!
Quote of the month: “Almost everything will work again if you unplug it for a few minutes, including you.” Anne Lamott