Stepherson Inc., Superlo Foods Expands Loyalty, Digital Engagement With RSA America
Stepherson Inc. has rolled out RSA America’s loyalty and digital engagement platform across all 11 Superlo Foods stores in Memphis and Mississippi. The multi‑year agreement adds a unified rewards program, digital coupons and a branded mobile app designed to lift shopper engagement and visit frequency. The deployment follows successful pilots at three Piggly Wiggly locations that Stepherson recently acquired. By consolidating loyalty, promotions and mobile access, Superlo Foods aims to strengthen its competitive position against national chains.
NWPB Releases Marketing Guide To Sustain Watermelon Growth Following Record 2025
The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB) released a new marketing guide to sustain the record‑breaking 2025 watermelon sales, which topped 3.5 billion pounds at retail. The guide outlines three growth levers—extending whole‑watermelon promotions into spring and summer, shifting to cut watermelon...
Wiliot, Velociti Partner To Scale Physical AI Deployments Across Supply Chains
Wiliot, a Physical AI platform provider, has teamed with systems integrator Velociti to accelerate nationwide rollouts of real‑time supply‑chain intelligence. The partnership moves customers from pilot projects to full‑scale deployments across more than 500 sites, offering over 15 distinct deployment...
Wegmans Releases 2025 Impact Report, Highlighting $96.3 Million in Community Giving
Wegmans Food Markets released its 2025 Impact Report, revealing $96.3 million in community contributions, 36.8 million pounds of food donations, and a $3.1 million customer‑driven hunger campaign. The retailer opened three new stores, adding roughly 1,400 permanent jobs and expanding its footprint to...
PLMA Shares 2026 Board Of Directors, Executive Committee
The Private Label Manufacturers Association (PLMA) announced its 2026 Board of Directors and Executive Committee on April 20, naming Mark Cheney of Upstate Niagara Cooperative as chairperson for a one‑year term. The executive committee also includes First Vice Chair Anthony Biggers...
Tops Markets Adds Compost Drop-Off Initiative In Hamburg, NY
Tops Friendly Markets has launched a pilot compost drop-off called “From Scraps to Soil” at its Hamburg, New York store, partnering with worker‑owned Farmer Pirates Compost. The initiative lets households deposit organic waste for a $10 monthly fee (first month...
Food City Launches Pharmacy RX Pickup Station Pilot In Gatlinburg, TN
Food City has launched a pilot RX Pickup Station in Gatlinburg, Tennessee, the first retail pharmacy kiosk of its kind in the state. The kiosk, designed by iLocalBox, receives same‑day prescription deliveries from the nearby Pigeon Forge pharmacy and provides...
Sam’s Club Expands Retail Experience Network With Measurement, Video Tools
Sam’s Club’s Member Access Platform (MAP) has upgraded its Retail Experience Network with new measurement, video and in‑club feedback tools. The additions include expert‑review videos that delivered a four‑fold sales lift for GhostBed, tablet‑enabled demo carts for real‑time member ratings,...
Meijer Introduces 300 Products To Meet Fiber, Protein Consumer Goals
Meijer is rolling out more than 300 new private‑label items aimed at boosting customers' fiber and protein intake, reflecting a 2026 trend that places fiber ahead of protein as the top nutrition priority. Over 120 of the launches contain at...
Family Fare Completes Remodels At 3 MI Stores
Family Fare finished a Spring Refresh remodel at three Calhoun County, Michigan stores—Pennfield, Marshall and Albion. Each location added larger fresh departments, upgraded bakery, deli and hot‑bar areas, and introduced new self‑checkout lanes. The upgrades aim to support meal‑planning, grab‑and‑go...
Kroger Launches Pearl Street Academy For Employee Development
Kroger Co. has unveiled Pearl Street Academy, a unified learning platform for its 400,000‑plus associates across stores, supply chain and corporate functions. The academy consolidates leadership development, skill‑building courses and career‑growth tools, linking them to the company’s strategic objectives. Employees...
A&G Real Estate Markets 78 Walgreens Properties Across 22 States
A&G Real Estate Partners is marketing 78 Walgreens locations across 22 states, comprising 60 leasehold stores, eight fee‑owned former Walgreens sites, eight undeveloped parcels and two additional fee‑owned properties. The assets range from 2,070 to 23,509 square feet for stores...
BJ’s Wholesale Club Makes TX Debut With New Store In Forney
BJ’s Wholesale Club entered Texas on April 24 with a new Forney location, its 264th club nationwide and 202nd gas station. The retailer launched a one‑day fuel promotion offering regular gasoline at $2 per gallon, limited to 30 gallons per member....
NGA Concludes Inaugural Leadership Institute At Mount Vernon
The National Grocers Association (NGA) and its foundation wrapped up the inaugural NGA Leadership Institute, held April 13‑15 at George Washington’s Mount Vernon. Targeting senior executives from independent grocery chains, the three‑day program combined classic leadership theory with historic experiences...
Stop & Shop Named Official Grocery Store Of Boston Legacy FC
Stop & Shop has signed a multi‑year deal to become the Official Grocery Store of Boston Legacy FC, the National Women’s Soccer League’s newest franchise. The partnership focuses on combating food insecurity in Massachusetts through the retailer’s School Food Pantry...
GrubMarket Acquires Schoenmann Produce To Strengthen Gulf Coast Presence
GrubMarket announced the acquisition of Schoenmann Produce, a Houston‑based distributor with more than a century of service in the Gulf Coast. The deal adds a 90,000‑square‑foot facility, including 75,000 square feet of cold storage and ripening rooms, to GrubMarket’s AI‑driven...
Independent Grocers Expand In NYC As Debate Over City-Run Stores Continues
Two independent supermarkets opened on April 10 in New York City—Met Fresh in Brooklyn’s Fort Greene and Shop Fresh Food in the Bronx’s White Plains Road corridor. Both stores are owned by local operators who emphasize fresh, culturally relevant products...
Schnucks Adds Second Springboard Cohort Products To 15 Stores
Schnucks launched the second cohort of its Springboard emerging‑business accelerator, placing products from 10 local startups in 15 St. Louis‑area stores for a four‑week trial that began on April 15. Each vendor receives $5,000 in equity‑free funding and participates in...
Sprouts Farmers Market To Open New Store In Kingwood, TX
Sprouts Farmers Market will open a new 27,000‑square‑foot store in Kingwood, Texas on April 17, marking its return to the Houston suburbs. The store follows Sprouts’ signature layout with fresh produce at its core and offers extensive organic, plant‑based, gluten‑free and...
Publix Expands NC Footprint With New Durham Store
Publix opened a 41,744‑square‑foot supermarket at 4628 Guess Road in Durham, North Carolina on April 11. The new store offers a full‑service pharmacy with a drive‑through, Instacart‑powered home delivery, and traditional grocery departments including a scratch bakery, deli, meat, and...
Save A Lot Debuts La Tierra De Sabores Hispanic Private Label Brand
Save A Lot is relaunching its Hispanic private‑label line as La Tierra de Sabores, merging the former Tio Santi and Caracara brands into a single offering. The refreshed assortment keeps core items such as tortillas, seasonings and cheese while adding...
Casey’s Awards $1.3M In Grants To K-12 Schools Nationwide
Casey’s, the third‑largest U.S. convenience‑store chain, awarded more than $1.3 million in Cash for Classrooms grants to 100 K‑12 public and nonprofit private schools across its 17‑state footprint. Individual grants can reach $50,000 and support playgrounds, accessibility upgrades, and classroom resources....
La Fermière Launches LTO Yogurt Pots Designed By Alex Alpert
French yogurt brand La Fermière introduced a limited‑time terracotta yogurt pot on April 6, designed by New York visual artist Alex Alpert. The collaboration blends Alpert’s free‑flowing, city‑inspired illustrations with La Fermière’s seven core flavors, including Vanilla Bean and Matcha Lime. The...
Lindsay Rolls Out Latin-Inspired Jarred Olives At Albertsons
Lindsay, the flagship brand of Bell‑Carter Foods, launched a trio of Latin‑inspired jarred olives—Sofrito, Pimiento Picantito, and Escabeche—in mid‑March. The olives, priced at $2.99, debuted at select Albertsons stores and are positioned for snacking, cooking, and entertaining. Bell‑Carter, a century‑old...
EmpowerFresh Deploys AI Produce Ordering Platform At Kowalski’s Markets
EmpowerFresh has rolled out its AI-driven produce inventory and ordering platform at Kowalski’s Markets, the upscale Minnesota grocery chain. The system provides predictive forecasting, real-time inventory visibility, and automated ordering to reduce shrinkage and increase product turns. Store teams received...
Leadership Lessons For Grocery Industry From Lou Holtz
Leadership coach Steve Black draws on the late Lou Holtz’s football playbook to outline how grocery retailers can sharpen management. He highlights eight principles—clear standards, people‑first focus, accountability, constant communication, talent development, integrity, positivity, and relentless preparation—that translate directly to...
Francisco Foods To Acquire Rizo-Lopez Foods Assets Out Of Bankruptcy
Valley Milk formed a joint venture, Francisco Foods, to acquire the bulk of Rizo‑Lopez Foods' assets from bankruptcy. The transaction preserves the Tío Francisco brand, its Modesto workforce, and existing customer relationships. Valley Milk holds a majority stake while the Rizo...
Walmart, Sam’s Club Launch Annual Fight Hunger. Spark Change. Campaign
Walmart and Sam’s Club have kicked off the 13th annual Fight Hunger. Spark Change. campaign, running at all U.S. locations through May 3. The initiative, partnered with Feeding America, aims to channel donations and product‑linked purchases into meals for the food‑insecure....
Chef Robotics Expands AI-Powered Automation Into Meatpacking
Chef Robotics, a San Francisco‑based food robotics firm, has extended its AI‑driven automation platform to tray assembly for meatpacking. The system can pick, orient and place raw, frozen and precooked proteins—such as pork loins, chicken breasts, steaks and sausage links—onto...
Chicago Selected As Home Of NCSA’s Candy Hall Of Fame Experience
The National Confectionery Sales Association (NCSA) announced that Chicago will host the permanent Candy Hall of Fame Experience, a 60,000‑square‑foot, multi‑level attraction slated to open in summer 2027 at 830 North Michigan Avenue. The city was selected over Orlando and...
Survey: Consumers Spend 37% Of Grocery Budget At Independent Stores
A new OnDeck and Censuswide survey of 2,000 U.S. consumers reveals that 37% of their grocery budget is spent at independent, locally owned stores – the highest share among all retail categories. Respondents average $2,298 a year on independent groceries,...
PCC Community Markets To Open New Store In Seattle’s Madison Valley
PCC Community Markets, a 73‑year‑old community‑owned grocery co‑op, will open its 17th store in Seattle’s Madison Valley this fall at 2925 E. Madison Street. The project, long‑planned after a lease signed a decade ago, will feature the co‑op’s full assortment of...
Rainforest Distribution Opens Fort Pierce, FL Facility, Expanding Coverage
Rainforest Distribution opened a 62,817‑square‑foot distribution center in Fort Pierce, Florida, featuring ambient, refrigerated and frozen temperature zones. The site gives the company access to 37 % of Florida’s population within two hours and 92 % within four hours. It expands Rainforest’s...
Tops Friendly Markets Launches MoolahVille Cash Back Rewards Program
Tops Friendly Markets has launched MoolahVille, a cash‑back rewards program running through May 23 across its 147 stores in New York, Pennsylvania and Vermont. Shoppers earn “Moolah” coins—10 coins per $50 spend and extra coins on specially tagged items—redeemable for unlimited...
Thrive Market Launches Climate Action Working Group
Thrive Market announced the Climate Action Working Group, a joint effort with Planet FWD, PCX Markets and Climate Positive Consulting. The program gives its more than 1,000 marketplace brands and owned‑brand suppliers tools to measure carbon emissions and plastic packaging...
Island Pacific’s Philhouse Named Top Las Vegas Culinary Destination
Island Pacific’s in‑store restaurant Philhouse was named a top Las Vegas culinary destination by Dailywise, highlighting the grocer’s push to elevate Filipino cuisine beyond the grocery aisle. The accolade arrives during Filipino Food Month, which the chain celebrates with a...
Toufayan Bakeries Launches Seed Oil-Free Wraps Nationwide
Toufayan Bakeries, a family‑owned bakery from New Jersey, has rolled out its full line of seed‑oil‑free wraps nationwide and on Amazon. The wraps replace soybean, canola and sunflower oils with avocado oil and come in five flavors, including Classic and...
Publix Signs Leases For 3 New KY Supermarket Locations
Publix Super Markets has signed leases for three new 54,964‑square‑foot stores in Kentucky—Richmond, Versailles and Bowling Green—each paired with a Publix Liquors outlet. The locations are expected to generate roughly 150 jobs across the three sites. The move deepens Publix’s...
Sugar Factory Launches Frozen Rainbow Sliders at Jewel-Osco Stores
Sugar Factory is expanding beyond its restaurants by launching a frozen‑food line called Sugar Factory at Home, debuting its Rainbow Sliders in Jewel‑Osco stores across Illinois, Indiana and Iowa. The sliders—colorful buns with 0.8‑ounce beef patties—are sold in 5‑ and...
Natural Grocers Adds Organic Pasture-Raised Eggs To Private Label Line
Natural Grocers has introduced Regenerative Organic Certified pasture‑raised eggs to its private‑label line, sold in 12‑count cartons. The eggs meet the retailer’s Gold Standard egg ranking and carry both Regenerative Organic and Certified Humane designations. Sourced from small family farms...
Kroger Begins Earth Month Campaign To Benefit World Wildlife Fund
Kroger has launched an Earth Month campaign, inviting customers to round up their purchases to the nearest dollar at checkout through April 30, with the company matching donations up to $50,000 via its Zero Hunger | Zero Waste Foundation. The...
CBP Building Centralized Refund System for IEEPA Tariff Duties
U.S. Customs and Border Protection is creating a centralized, web‑based system to refund duties collected under International Emergency Economic Powers Act (IEEPA) tariffs that the Supreme Court invalidated in February. The new Consolidated Administration and Processing of Entries platform will...
Natural Grocers Plans New Store Opening In McMinnville, OR
Natural Grocers announced a new store opening this summer at 448 OR-99W in McMinnville, Oregon, marking its 15th location in the state and the first in the Willamette Valley. The company is conducting a virtual hiring fair on April 8, offering...
King’s Hawaiian Launches Ube Coconut Sweet Rolls Nationwide
King’s Hawaiian is rolling out its limited‑edition Ube Coconut Sweet Rolls to grocery shelves across the United States. The purple‑hued rolls combine real ube and coconut milk, contain no artificial dyes, and are sold in 12‑count bags and 24‑count twin...
Ahold Delhaize USA Rolls Out Pay By Bank Option For Online Orders
Ahold Delhaize USA has extended its partnership with Fiserv to launch Pay by Bank on the e‑commerce sites and mobile apps of The Giant Co., Giant Food and Stop & Shop. The new option lets shoppers link their bank accounts for...
Entrepreneur Acquires Honey Creek Legacy, Rebrands As Legacy Maker Farms
Entrepreneur Steven Hershberger led an investor group to acquire Honey Creek Legacy and rebrand it as Legacy Maker Farms, a premium USDA‑Prime beef producer based in Fairmount, Indiana. The company is deploying the AI‑powered predictive intelligence platform ELI, developed by...
RELEX Launches Franchise Pricing To Protect Margins Across Networks
RELEX Solutions introduced RELEX Franchise Pricing, an add‑on to its price‑optimization suite that lets franchisors control pricing across corporate‑owned and franchise locations from a single AI‑native platform. The tool delivers zone‑level competitive intelligence, automated price recommendations, and scenario‑based evaluation while...
Strictly From Scratch Rolls Out New Sweet Pastry Lineup For Wholesale
Phoenix‑based commercial bakery Strictly From Scratch has introduced a new sweet pastry lineup for its national wholesale customers in 2026. The range includes Croissant Danish Muffins in five fruit‑cheese varieties, Ube‑flavored Danish and muffin, a Carrot Cake Cinnamon Roll, an...
PFMA Sets 2026 Annual Conference For May 12-13 In Bedford, PA
The Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association (PFMA) announced its 2026 Annual Conference will take place May 12‑13 at the Omni Bedford Springs Resort in Bedford, Pennsylvania. The two‑day gathering will bring together more than 600 members—including retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and solution...
Kraft Heinz Becomes NFL’s First Condiment Partner In Five-Year Global Deal
Kraft Heinz has secured a five‑year global partnership with the NFL, becoming the league’s first condiment partner. The agreement places flagship brands such as Heinz ketchup, Kraft cheese, Velveeta and Philadelphia cream cheese at the heart of high‑visibility NFL moments,...