Thierry Garnier, CEO of UK retailer and FTSE 100 component Kingfisher plc is expected to be named as Muller’s successor. This is all pending shareholder and regulatory approval, of course. Here’s what’s happening…
- Gallery: Mid-Atlantic Food Trade Organization Golf Outing
- Utz Quarterly Earnings Flash a Welcome Snack Signal
- ICYMI: After 40-Plus Years, a Change to the Costco Combo
- Ahold Delhaize Leans Into Digital as Pressures Mount
- Frans Muller Retiring as Ahold CEO, Garnier Tapped for Job
- Gallery: Mid-Atlantic Food Trade Organization Golf Outing
- Utz Quarterly Earnings Flash a Welcome Snack Signal
- ICYMI: After 40-Plus Years, a Change to the Costco Combo
- Ahold Delhaize Leans Into Digital as Pressures Mount
Gallery: Mid-Atlantic Food Trade Organization Golf Outing
The Mid-Atlantic Food Trade Organization (MAFTO) held its annual golf outing earlier this month at Commonwealth National Club in Horsham, PA. Our Maria Maggio was on hand to capture the golf and festivities.
View the entire gallery…
Utz Quarterly Earnings Flash a Welcome Snack Signal
On the surface, Utz’s performance last quarter was good, if not exactly stellar. Observers noted modest top-line growth and improving margins. But it’s where the growth was that’s really encouraging for salty snacks. Utz’s “Power Four” brands of Utz, On The Border, Zapps’, and Boulder Canyon posted sales growth of 6.7%.
That’s an encouraging sign that this category is likely headed into a rebound after years of volatility and changing consumer behavior.
There was even more good news elsewhere. Let’s dive in…
ICYMI: After 40-Plus Years, a Change to the Costco Combo
Costco’s $1.50 quarter-pound hot dog and 20oz. soda deal is arguably one of the most famous, beloved deals in the entire retail sector. Famously, leadership has kept the price the same since its introduction in 1984. Insiders have sometimes considered changing the price… and then thought the better of it, leaving the combo as-is.
As it turns out, over the past few months, there has been a significant change to the deal. And it looks like shoppers love it.
Here’s what’s happening…
Ahold Delhaize Leans Into Digital as Pressures Mount
Much of grocery has performed a familiar balancing act: digital growth, improving operational performance… and relentless pressure from every major external force hitting the supermarket industry right now.
Ahold Delhaize is no different, recently posting comparable sales growth of 1.5% and an online sales surge of more than 14%.
That digital acceleration is important, because plenty of other things worked against the company this year. This is what you need to know…
Earnings season can be… overhyped. Astute observers know how to cut through the overblown analyst lingo to get at the real substance. That’s just what our team did this week. We’ll leave the inflated guidance and wild, 13-figure headline numbers to the tech sector and look at some of the most important reports in the grocery industry right now.
Leadership changes at Ahold Delhaize are hitting at the exact same moment the company is seeing modest comps growth and a double-digit digital surge. This drives home just how much execution will define the quarters and years ahead.
Meanwhile, Utz Brands offers a more encouraging data point. They’re seeing growth cluster around their big four core brands; this suggests the salty snacks aisle may be stabilizing after what could politely be called a “rough” stretch.
And at Costco, our Greg Madison looks at how a quiet, significant tweak to its venerable buck-fifty hotdog and soda combo spotlights a bigger lesson: price perception remains one of the most durable, potent assets in retail. Of course, not everything here is high-stakes. Maria Maggio’s photos of the MAFTO golf outing are a colorful reminder that the industry still runs on relationships, too.
You can read it all below…
Frans Muller Retiring as Ahold CEO, Garnier Tapped for Job
Ahold Delhaize’s announcement that Muller will be retiring in 2027 is the third instance of turnover across the grocery titan’s most senior leadership roles. Muller will follow Europe and Indonesia leader Claude Sarrailh and ADUSA chief Fleeman out.
Thierry Garnier, CEO of UK retailer and FTSE 100 component Kingfisher plc is expected to be named as Muller’s successor. This is all pending shareholder and regulatory approval, of course. Here’s what’s happening…
Gallery: Mid-Atlantic Food Trade Organization Golf Outing
The Mid-Atlantic Food Trade Organization (MAFTO) held its annual golf outing earlier this month at Commonwealth National Club in Horsham, PA. Our Maria Maggio was on hand to capture the golf and festivities.
View the entire gallery…
Utz Quarterly Earnings Flash a Welcome Snack Signal
On the surface, Utz’s performance last quarter was good, if not exactly stellar. Observers noted modest top-line growth and improving margins. But it’s where the growth was that’s really encouraging for salty snacks. Utz’s “Power Four” brands of Utz, On The Border, Zapps’, and Boulder Canyon posted sales growth of 6.7%.
That’s an encouraging sign that this category is likely headed into a rebound after years of volatility and changing consumer behavior.
There was even more good news elsewhere. Let’s dive in…
ICYMI: After 40-Plus Years, a Change to the Costco Combo
Costco’s $1.50 quarter-pound hot dog and 20oz. soda deal is arguably one of the most famous, beloved deals in the entire retail sector. Famously, leadership has kept the price the same since its introduction in 1984. Insiders have sometimes considered changing the price… and then thought the better of it, leaving the combo as-is.
As it turns out, over the past few months, there has been a significant change to the deal. And it looks like shoppers love it.
Here’s what’s happening…
Ahold Delhaize Leans Into Digital as Pressures Mount
Much of grocery has performed a familiar balancing act: digital growth, improving operational performance… and relentless pressure from every major external force hitting the supermarket industry right now.
Ahold Delhaize is no different, recently posting comparable sales growth of 1.5% and an online sales surge of more than 14%.
That digital acceleration is important, because plenty of other things worked against the company this year. This is what you need to know…
