Questions about promotional displays, fresh insight into back-to-school shopping behavior, a landmark supermarket acquisition on Long Island, and a look back at the legacy of one of New York grocery’s most influential retailers lead this weekend’s report.
Meanwhile, a growing coalition of food and retail organizations is urging Congress to establish a national ingredient transparency framework.
Greg Madison, Michael Rathburn, Jessica Smith and Alexander Wissel break down the stories so you can get up to speed before Monday morning.
It’s all below or, if you prefer, online at FoodTradeNews.com
Before We Declare the Promotional Display Dead…
Here’s a fairly uncontroversial statement: In-store displays have been one of grocery retail’s most dependable merchandising tools.
Whether they’re endcaps, pallet displays, or secondary placements, they’ve helped retailers and manufacturers introduce new products, promote seasonal items and generate incremental sales beyond what a product might achieve all alone on the shelf.
The Basket Tells All: What Back-to-School Really Does
Every year, back-to-school is treated like a seasonal event. Retailers build displays of backpacks, lunch boxes and school supplies while grocery stores feature lunchbox snacks, breakfast staples and quick dinner solutions.
Those promotions certainly drive trips, but after years of studying grocery baskets, Michael Rathburn suggests we’ve been looking at back-to-school through the wrong lens.
Morton Sloan, Co-Founder of NYC’s Morton Williams Has Died
Morton Sloan, co-founder of New York City supermarket chain Morton Williams, died surrounded by family. He was 86.
Born in the Bronx in 1939, Sloan remained closely connected to his hometown throughout his life. A lifelong New York Yankees fan, he kept the company’s corporate offices in the Bronx, often saying he never wanted to become “too big for my britches.”
You can read his obituary and all about his legacy here…
269 Industry Groups Press Congress on Ingredient Transparency
Pressure is building on Congress to establish a uniform national framework for food ingredient transparency, safety, and labeling as nearly 270 agricultural, food, beverage and retail organizations warn that an expanding patchwork of state regulations could increase grocery costs, complicate interstate commerce and disrupt food supply chains.
The appeal comes amid growing congressional interest in food labeling and ingredient oversight.
Jessica Smith has details of the letter…
Giunta’s Meat Farms to Acquire King Kullen Grocery Co.
Giunta’s Meat Farms has agreed to acquire King Kullen Grocery Co., including its 24 King Kullen supermarkets and four Wild by Nature natural foods stores, the companies announced.
Financial terms of the transaction were not disclosed. The acquisition is expected to close in September, subject to customary closing conditions.
The deal combines two family-owned Long Island grocery retailers and will expand Giunta’s footprint to 38 stores, making it one of the region’s largest supermarket operators.
Alexander Wissel has all the available details…