WEST CARY, NC - Wegmans might be synonymous with New York state, but after numerous efforts to lock down retail markets along the East Coast—Wegmans just might become synonymous with states like North Carolina as well. This month, the grocer revealed more details on its newest store in the Tar Heel State, which is strengthening the foundation Wegmans laid down last year.
The new West Cary, North Carolina, location will weigh in at 103,000 square feet and feature the retailer’s iconic European-style open-air market look and feel. The store will also offer Wegmans’ top-notch selection of food options—both for consumers to throw in their shopping cart for later or to enjoy in-store at fast casual eatery The Burger Bar.
Wegmans’ newest store will open this summer, creating 450 local job opportunities—180 of which will be full-time positions, according to a press release.
“Our company is known for being one of the best places to work because we offer opportunities for advancement, flexible scheduling, and competitive pay and benefits packages,” said West Cary Store Manager Katie Duchnowski. “At Wegmans, we work as a family to accomplish our goals. We are committed to hiring applicants who have a passion for food and are eager to make a difference for our customers and the community. The ideal candidate is someone who shares our core values of respect, caring, and high standards. If you match these criteria, the skill set to do any position in the store can be taught.”
Wegmans currently operates 101 stores in seven states across the East Coast. In addition to its West Cary location, 2020 2ill also see the retailer open new stores in Harrison, New York, and Tysons Corner, Virginia.
For more on the latest retail expansions, keep following along with ANUK’s daily newsletters.
CALIFORNIA - With the conclusion of the E. coli outbreaks associated with the Salinas, California, region, the Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement (LGMA), alongside the leafy greens community, government regulators, and other key industry leaders, is increasing its efforts to prevent future outbreaks. 
"Foodborne illness outbreaks have a significant and devastating impact on consumers who put their trust in our products," said Scott Horfsall, CEO of the LGMA. "Members of the LGMA take our responsibility to produce safe food very seriously and work to make improvements is well underway."
In a recent press release, Horsfall explained the LGMA has appointed industry experts to serve on a series of new subcommittees to address specific areas involved in the production of leafy greens.
Additional work is also being done, including ensuring the implementation of LGMA requirements on thousands of farms. These farms produce over 90 percent of the leafy greens grown in the U.S., making it crucial that all standards are met and requirements upheld. Government auditors help verify growers are following the new practices through mandatory government audits, which, according to a press release, no other food safety program in the world has this capability.
As the LGMA continues its efforts to help understand how future outbreaks can be prevented and contained—efforts that can be explored here—AndNowUKnow will continue to work alongside our industry’s advocates to join the fight championing food safety.
UNITED STATES - There are multiple players in the foodservice space, all vying for a slice of the foodservice pie. As companies seek to expand, acquisitions hit the newswire at a rapid-fire rate. HF Foods Group, a food distributor to Asian restaurants across the Southeast, Pacific, and Mountain West regions of the U.S., has recently purchased 10 warehouses for a total of $101.3 million, bringing its total warehouse count to 24.
“With the closing of this transaction, we have gained control of the warehousing properties on terms that we believe are beneficial to our shareholders,” said Zhou Min Ni, Chairman and Co-CEO of HF Foods. “These are properties in which we’ve already invested to upgrade the freezer and storage facilities, which help us better serve our customers and operate more effectively. By owning them outright, we have reduced our dependence on outside parties, and we will eliminate our entire lease expense, which was up for renewal in the next two to three years and was estimated to increase to $6.5 million. The acquisition of the properties will also improve our EBITDA by approximately $2.8 million in 2020.”
Under the terms of the purchase, Triad Business Journal noted, the distributor acquired a 100 percent stake in nine independent holding companies. These nine companies control the 10 warehouse properties, which in total amount to more than 642,757 square feet. Of that square footage, 223,500 of it is dedicated to cold and freezer storage space.
Where else will we see foodservice acquisitions in the new year? AndNowUKnow will keep you updated.
SALINAS, CA - A great way to begin any Friday morning is with a fresh story about new team members. For Ippolito International, it recently added Lara Grossman and Roberto Ornelas to its sales and marketing staff.
Grossman has been in the produce biz since 1998, where she has since racked up experience at companies like Tanimura & Antle, Bayer CropScience, and Robinson Fresh. She has held various marketing and product development roles.
“We’re happy to have Lara join our team. With her background in both commodity and value-added produce as well as within the organic segment, Lara will continue to strengthen and lead Queen Victoria’s marketing presence within the fresh produce industry,” stated Dan Canales, Senior Vice President, Sales, Marketing, and Processing, in a recent press release.
Orenalas joins the team with five years of agriculture and supply chain experience under his belt. A graduate of California State University, Monterey Bay, he has held positions with Tanimura & Antle, C.H. Robinson, and the USDA. His experience includes commodity sales, business analysis and product management, as well as organics and hydroponics.
“Roberto brings a diversified skillset that will support Ippolito’s growth in many areas. With his impressive foundation in fresh produce and experience in managing a variety of commodity programs, he’s a strong addition to the Ippolito family and we are excited to have him on board,” Canales added.
Congratulations to both Lara and Roberto and the growing team at Ippolito International!
SACRAMENTO, CA - Love might be in the air, but our industry's merchandising champions are making sure all those ooey-gooey feelings are directed at fresh produce, and fresh produce only. In this way, the produce aisle will be transformed this February into a dating hotspot—and consumers will be asking for a shopping cart for two: for themselves and all the fresh produce they're buying. To help retailers set the right mood in their produce aisles, we tapped a few of our industry's merchandising pros to see what tips and tricks they have to help the buy-side boost sales in the lead up to the holiday.
Here's what cross-merchandising best practices, stocking tips, and category trend insights a few of these marketing pros had to share ahead of Valentine's Day...
Jan DeLyser, Vice President of Marketing, California Avocado Commission
“Did you know that once upon a time the avocado was considered to be an aphrodisiac? Let’s just say it had something to do with its shape. Nowadays, avocados are beloved just because their creamy taste is so versatile and satisfying. Remind consumers of their avocado love by merchandising them with signage showing two halves of an avocado together in a heart shape or build a heart-shaped avocado display in a tomato or red pepper display. Or, vice versa! And here’s some other news to love—the California avocado harvest is building with peak supplies expected in spring and summer.”
Mac Riggan, Director of Marketing, Chelan Fresh
“One of the things we stress when we work with our retail partners is to drive awareness of the Pink Lady. We ship them when they have a really vibrant color and that flowing heart design, so it’s got a Valentine’s Day feel. We also emphasize the fact that a lot of people aren’t just doing chocolates anymore. Consumers are actually looking for the alternative because they’ve just come out of their New Year’s Resolution and they’re probably on a roll—working out at the gym, eating right—and they don’t want to ruin their progress with one holiday. A lot of people are buying into that, and I think we need to be aware of this as an industry, both on the shipper side and the retail side, and capitalize on the people who have made a commitment to change their eating habits. I think a combination of driving awareness at the store, putting a reasonable price on Pink Ladies, and ensuring high-quality product will help drive sales for Valentine’s Day."
Katiana Valdes, Director of Marketing and Business Development, Crystal Valley Foods
“Since ancient times, asparagus has been a favorite vegetable associated with love. It also makes for an elegant looking side and, most importantly, an easy one to prepare for a romantic Valentine’s Day dinner. To boot, asparagus is typically plentiful in February as well. The vegetable pairs well with a variety of proteins so we recommend retailers make it front and center during the month of love and also consider cross-merchandising asparagus with meats, poultry, and seafood.”
Alisha Albinder, Owner-Operator, Hudson River Fruit Distributors
"Hudson River Fruit Distributors is excited to have RubyFrost® launched just in time for Valentine’s Day! These ruby red apples will steal your heart, and taste buds! Perfect for complimenting chocolate and wine, it’s the perfect romantic snack! Available now through May with merchandising support promotional funds and advertising campaigns."
Retailers, what are you waiting for?! There's a whole host of opportunites in the lead up to Valentine's Day to take advantage of! As one ANUK staff writer's favorite holiday approaches (guess!), the whole team will continue to keep you on top of all that the produce industry can do to make this February a record-breaking sales year for all of produce.
LAGUNA NIGUEL, CA - Our industry’s fresh produce operations are full of nuance, complex practices from the seed to the produce department, market volatility, and weather mayhem—and that is before you delve into the value proposition and due diligence that defines organic fruits and vegetables. Helping its partners to navigate the retail waters and bring the best in organic excellence to the table is LIV Organic Produce as it highlights a citrus program to rival.
“We partner closely with our retail customers to address the needs of their consumer base, the demands of the evolving citrus palate, and the competitive edge that they need to thrive in today’s dynamic market,” Carrie Briones, Sales and Grower Relations, shares with me. “Our diverse range of resources coupled with our deep passion and experience in organics is how we help our partners fine-tune and elevate their citrus programs.”
Currently, LIV Organic is harvesting Minneolas, lemons, grapefruit, Navels, and Meyer lemons— all in the coveted growing regions of California. New on the horizon, LIV Organic will be expanding volumes of organic pink lemons in the mix as demand for specialty citrus continues to grow.
“Overall demand for our citrus program is up and we have included this incredible growth in how we build our annual portfolio, strategize the acreage we plant and elevate our growing practices,” Carrie says.
In addition to providing a premium product, LIV Organic also has a centralized loading and shipping facility in Los Angles, California, that loads 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
“We are always working with our core group of growers to expand acreage and explore new commodities,” Carrie reflects. "What allows us to be so nimble is that LIV Organic is a tight, teamwork-oriented company where our work ethic and our commitment are transparent to our customers. Our values and commitment also allow us to be able to provide our growers with fair and sustainable returns on top of providing a premium product to our customers.”
Sustaining a well-constructed and valued organic program may showcase itself at the table, but it goes without saying, that it always starts with the people.
LEUVEN, BELGIUM - With the new year comes new moves and changes. TOMRA is following suit by announcing that the company appointed a new Executive Vice President and Head of TOMRA Foods. Michel Picandet stepped into his new role on January 1, 2020, and he will now be in charge of the company’s three brands: TOMRA Food, Compac, and BBC Technologies.
“I am thrilled to have been given the opportunity to lead a forward-looking company such as TOMRA Food, which is spearheading the resource revolution as a sustainability leader,” commented Picandet on his new appointment. “This is a company that continually strives to find innovative ways to reduce the world’s waste and optimize the use of its resources, and I am looking forward to the challenge of helping customers reduce food waste and improve yields in their operations, and build a reputation for their sustainability credentials.”
According to a press release, Picandet brings a strong track record to his position, developed in various roles of increasing scope and responsibility covering markets across the world. Before joining TOMRA, Picandet held management positions within Tetra Pak as Global and Managing Director since 2013. Before that, he headed the Life Cycle Management division of Sidel, where he also worked in America, Asia, and Europe for more than 20 years after having started his career in Engineering and Controls at Rhone-Poulenc Animal Nutrition. Picandet has an Engineering degree from the University of Clermont-Ferrand as well as a Master’s in Management from ESCP Business School.
“I am delighted that Michel is joining our management team. He is a highly strategic, global business executive with strong experience in the food and beverage industry, as well as capital equipment and related services,” Stefan Ranstrand, President and Chief Executive Officer of TOMRA, stated. “I am confident that under his leadership, the TOMRA Food team will continue to build on our three pillars of technical leadership—food, trust, and digital transformation—in order to achieve a more circular economy and safeguard the future of food. Michel and the global team will drive to always deliver high customer value and satisfaction, proving TOMRA Food to be a solid long-term partner focused on helping our customers increase their competitiveness and profitability.”
Congratulations to Michel Picandet on his new position! Keep reading ANUK as we bring the latest in the industry.
BOISE, ID - Albertsons is putting new focus on its Own Brands private label, recently announcing the appointment of Alice Chan to the role of Vice President of Own Brands Sales and Marketing.
“Alice is an energetic and visionary leader who brings more than 16 years of proven results in the CPG industry with PepsiCo’s Frito-Lay Division,” Own Brands SVP Chad Coester said. “We have ambitious goals at Own Brands, and Alice’s work will be key to that growth.”
In her previous role as Senior Director of Customer Account Sales, Chan was responsible for more than $1.5 billion in annual sales across Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Most recently, she spearheaded Frito-Lay’s efforts to build sales strategies for key national selling initiatives.
According to the retailer, in her new role, Chan will oversee the development and execution of strategic go-to-market initiatives and plans. The innovation and growth of its private label, Own Brands, is an important component of Albertsons’ overall strategy. In Q3 of FY 2019, Own Brands secured a record-high 25.6 percent penetration, and the company aims to grow that figure to 30 percent.
For more retail industry news, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
NEW YORK CITY, NY - Village Super Market, owner of the ShopRite chain and member of the Wakefern Food cooperative, recently bid $70 million for five of Fairway Market’s New York supermarkets and one of its distribution centers. Fairway, which has recently come into the newswire due to its financial struggles and bankruptcy filing, has struggled to stay afloat in an increasingly competitive retail market.
“If we are successful in our bid, we are committed to keeping Fairway, including its name, unique product selection, and value, a part of this community,” stated Robert Sumas, Chief Executive Officer of Village Super Market.
As The Wall Street Journal reported, court filings from Fairway Market detail that heavy competition coupled with high labor and pension costs severely dwindled the retailer’s cash flow. The news source noted that its lenders agreed to provide a loan of up to $25 million to keep Fairway’s remaining stores running during the bankruptcy.
The company “has been engaged in a strategic process and expects to soon announce a value-maximizing transaction that will provide for the ongoing operations of stores,” Fairway said in a statement.
With grocers like Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods moving into the hot New York market, smaller, local retailers are fighting for market share—and square footage.
AndNowUKnow will continue to cover the latest in retail news and report back on the state of New York's grocery sector.
WENATCHEE, WA - Sometimes, during these dark winter months, all the consumer needs is a marketing mirage to reignite their fresh produce flame, and consumers have found this in the premium apple provider Stemilt Growers. The company’s Piñata® apple season has pressed pedal to the metal, popping up in produce departments across the country. To get a better sense of this iconic campaign, I spoke with Stemilt Marketing Director Roger Pepperl.
“Our Piñata program remains on a steady track as the variety has reached our desired crop size,” he said. “The Piñata orchards have reached an ideal maturity level, and the fruit that is coming off the trees has a perfect dessert quality.”
Roger continued, explaining that the Piñata apple continues to sell out each year at retailers throughout North America. In addition to the retail response, consumers have continuously come back asking for the product.
“We have a good mix close to 50/50 of organic and conventional product. Piñata is a unique variety in that it is a cross of three heirloom varieties: Duchess of Oldenburg, Cox’s Orange Pippin, and Golden Delicious. The cross delivers a beautiful reddish-orange skin with a slight yellow background,” Roger told me. “It has attributes that make it a great ‘out-of-hand’ apple while also being one of the best, if not the best, for culinary uses. The Golden Delicious in it gives it the ability to be baked or sautéed without losing its texture. It gives dishes a great apple experience as the apple softens in the cooking process. It is the best apple pie selection in that the Orange Cox Pippin gives it the acid to deliver the taste that you would need to get from adding lemon or quince to the pie. It gives you a real apple taste experience.”
Another unique aspect of this apple is the different packaging offered by Stemilt. According to Roger, bulk organic and conventional Piñata are the most popular, but the company also offers 3 lb conventional and organic Lil Snappers® packages that are mainly marketed toward kids. Additionally, Stemilt offers a 5 lb stand-up pouch of Piñata as part of its Apple Lovers program as well as a 4 lb conventional bag.
“Piñata’s main merchandising support is its iconic box that has become a fixture in January and February promotions that often include tropical fruit promotions,” said Roger. “In a consumer survey that challenged people to call out the flavors this apple delivers, the consumers said that the overtones were a tropical flavor, which of course comes from the acid of the Cox’s Orange Pippin. So, we built the branding around a tropical theme. The apple is floating in the ocean with a cruise ship coming in the background, and the apple has a palm tree where the stem should be. It is a fun way to market an apple during the dreary months of winter, which are our best months of sales. Retailers use these boxes to build big displays, and we often promote display contests and tie in with the dietitian programs. We also use social media channels to promote the apple in markets we are heavy in.”
Lastly, Roger relayed that the Piñata Lil Snappers and Apple Lovers options are great packages to sell digitally for curbside and home delivery. According to him, building apple sales digitally requires better packages that encourage bigger purchase size, and these packages deliver.
For more exciting campaigns popping off across the industry, stay tuned in to AndNowUKnow.