The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA), a statewide trade organization advocating for the retail food industry, has bolstered its Board of Directors by adding two new members. Andrea Karns, vice president of marketing and sales at Karns Quality Foods, and Joe Munno, regional manager, industry engagement,  Altria Group, are the…

The Rochester, NY based retailer cites issues with the Anne Arundel County planning department as the impetus for the withdrawal from the much anticipated site.

After a 48-year industry career, Jerry Clontz has retired as president of Kroger’s Mid-Atlantic division based in Roanoke, VA. He will be replaced by Paula Ginnett, who most recently was a vice president for Walmart. The changes became effective on November 1. “Jerry has been an outstanding leader and colleague…

New Contract Negotiations At A Stalemate As All Parties Seek Help From PBGC.

Crest Hill Bakery, the fast-growing artisan maker based in Glenn Dale, MD, has crafted a formula for success: produce high quality European hearth baked breads and sell them to retail and wholesale customers as private label items. “It allows our customers to have flexibility on how they market our products,”…

Katz was named to his new position after former chairman and CEO David Maniaci announced that his company, Nicholas Markets, would be leaving the Iselin, NJ-based co-op to join the larger Wakefern Food Corp. cooperative.

Upon their conversion, the four New Jersey-based stores will be rebranded as The Fresh Grocer, a Wakefern trademark.

The e-commerce giant is now making services from its grocery subsidiaries AmazonFresh and Whole Food Market, which were previously available for a monthly fee of $14.99 on top of the Prime membership, a no-cost additional service.

Kings Food Markets is joining forces this holiday season with South Ward Children’s Alliance, a division of the BRICK Education Network (BEN), to provide Thanksgiving meals and culinary education to families in the greater South Ward of Newark, NJ. Together, the organizations will distribute a classic Thanksgiving meal including turkey,…

Natalie Knight is in as Executive Vice President Finance for Ahold Delhaize. She will also join the retailer's executive committee.

Most recently, Campbell served as president of Rexall Pharmacy Group, a 448-store Canadian pharmacy chain.

Specialty Produce Distributor Develops Niche, Continues To Grow 100 Years Later

Chris Kenny, CEO andpresident of Kenny Family ShopRites has helped form a new non-partisan public policy and political advocacy organization called A Better Delaware.

The Seattle, WA-based e-commerce mega retailer has already reportedly signed a number of leases for a new grocery concept in Los Angeles, Chicago and Philadelphia.

The Thomas’ Foodtown purchase continues an “infill” acquisition strategy that began in 2016.

After a sluggish debut, Lidl has begun to pick up steam by offering a revamped merchandising plan (featuring more American products), a smaller footprint (20,000-25,000 square feet vs. its original 36,000 square foot model) and an evolving real estate philosophy in which it is now willing to lease locations rather…

Stop & Shop, the Metro New York market’s second largest grocery retailer, has completed upgrades at 21 of its 50 Long Island stores in the two-county region where it is the share of market leader. Stop & Shop currently operates 27 stores in Suffolk County and the following 21 locations…

The PA-based merchant said it plans to open 40 stores in Northern Virginia alone over the next 15 years.

Albertsons Companies has announced that Geoff White, the company’s Own Brand president, has been named its new executive vice president and chief marketing and merchandising officer, replacing Shane Sampson who stepped down on September 7 at the end of the second fiscal quarter. Under White’s leadership, Own Brands penetration grew…

The recent restructuring stemmed from the reality of dealing with current competitive marketing conditions that have impacted the group.

Massive Unfunded Pension Liability A Key Mutual Concern

Michael Joseph McCann Jr., retired food broker and a major presence in the Baltimore-Washington market for more than 30 years, passed away last month at the age of 81. Born in Philadelphia and raised in Laurel Springs, NJ, McCann graduated from Camden Catholic High School and attended Saint Joseph’s University…

The new technology is expected to roll out to select stores by early next year.

The executive change comes after a turbulent year for the CPG giant.

Work Stoppage Losses Are $345M; Other US Brands Performing Well

Target announced that it will be launching a new private label food line called “Good & Gather” next month. The new brand, which will start rolling out with 650 products on September 15, will become the flagship food line for the Minneapolis-based retailer and will include four lines: kids, organic,…

Albertsons Companies announced on August 19 that Shane Sampson, executive vice president and chief marketing & merchandising officer, has decided to leave the company at the end of its second fiscal quarter on September 7, 2019. “Shane has been instrumental in building the Albertsons Companies we know today – both…

The purchase marks the fourth strategic “infill” acquisition that Giant/Martin’s has made in less than a year.

The Carlisle, PA-based retailer’s first full size store in Center City will have dedicated customer parking and an outdoor terrace in the Riverwalk mixed-use development project.

In conjunction with the announcement, John Standley has stepped down as chief executive officer, effective immediately.

A recent article on bisnow.com highlighted 11 grocery-anchored developments that are underway in the Washington, DC metro area. The commercial real estate news website outlined grocery stores that are or will be built into mixed-use developments from Rockville to Shaw to Southeast DC to Alexandria. The regional projects consist of…

80 Percent Of Fleet Now Under ‘Easy, Fresh And Affordable’ Program.

Greg Ferrara has been named president and CEO of the National Grocers Association (NGA. Ferrara succeeds Peter Larkin who announced his retirement in the fall of 2018. “As a former independent grocer, Greg’s passion for our industry is second to none and his leadership over the years as NGA’s chief…

The Trump administration proposed a new rule that will cut roughly 3 million Americans from the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), more commonly known as food stamps. All this in a bid to save taxpayers around $2.5 billion a year. The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) sent out a press…

The transition will take place between Q3 2019 and Q3 2020.

The large distributor of gourmet, ethnic, organic and specialty foods will be closing its Upper Marlboro, MD operations in late October.

On July 16, NAFCO broke ground on a new cold storage freezer facility adjacent to its current seafood processing and distribution facility at the Maryland Market Center. The groundbreaking ceremony was attended by Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd Rutherford, Howard County Executive Calvin Ball and Dr. Donald Darnell, executive director of…

Giant/Martin’s earlier this month announced a milestone in its e-commerce strategy: Giant Direct, Powered by Peapod, its online grocery service that offers pick-up and delivery, is now available at 100 Giant stores and Martin’s Food Markets, under the Martin’s Direct banner, across four different states. On July 12, Giant/Martin’s president…

Upscale Merchant Would Give Second Largest Wakefern Member Entree To Manhattan.

Former supermarket executive Julian “Jack” DiFiore passed away peacefully July 15, 2019, surrounded by his family. He was 89. DiFiore was born and raised in Camden, NJ. He served in the U.S. Army in the Korean War. In 1949, he started his career in the retail food industry as a…