WESTBOROUGH, MA – Yesterday, BJ's Wholesale Club announced Naveen Seshadri will be joining its omnichannel team in the newly created position of VP, Digital Commerce and Experience.
"BJ's has made significant advancements in our omnichannel capabilities, and I'm pleased to have Naveen join our team," said Rafeh Masood, SVP, Chief Digital Officer, in a press release. "Naveen has extensive experience in driving omnichannel transformations and his leadership will help as we work to deliver more to our members."
Seshadri holds a Master's Degree in Business Administration from Duke University; a post-graduate degree in Financial Management from Annamalai University; and a Bachelor of Arts in English Literature from Loyola College–University of Madras, India. He also holds two U.S. patents: a continuous automated worker feedback system and a learning management system.
Prior to joining BJ’s team, Seshadri held senior management positions at Sears Holdings, where he ran product strategy and analytics initiatives. He then joined Lonely Planet as the Chief Operating Officer, where he was responsible for leading strategy and digital transformation.
With BJ’s Wholesale Club, Seshadri will focus on continuing to expand BJ's omni-capabilities in order to bring convenience and value to members. In his new position, he will lead digital customer experience strategy, e-commerce merchandising, digital marketing, and digital insights and analytics.
Congratulations, Naveen Seshadri!
For more on what’s happening on the retail side of our industry, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for the latest.
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - After less than three years, Minneapolis-based Target is shutting the doors on its e-commerce distribution center in Memphis, Tennessee. The closing will lay off 486 Radial employees—Radial is a third-party logistics firm operating the Target facility—as the company revamps its e-commerce strategy.
“While Target does not disclose details about relationships with vendors, I can confirm we are not renewing our contract for e-commerce fulfillment at the Memphis facility,” said Eddie Baeb, Senior Manager of Communications and PR for Target. “The decision comes as Target is making significant long-term investments in our team and business. As part of these efforts, we have enhanced the capabilities of Target-operated distribution facilities and expanded the number of stores we use to ship online orders. We will shift the online order capacity from Memphis to Target facilities and to our stores – so that we can provide more efficient and faster deliveries to Target guests.”
After Radial filed a WARN notice on January 30th with Tennessee’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development, news broke of the 914,000-square-foot Memphis facility’s closure. Companies are required to give a 60-day notice for layoffs with more than 100 employees by the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.
When Target first selected the Memphis site, the retailer had committed to spending $52.3 million on the facility and pledged to create 462 jobs with an average annual salary of $28,456. And with public subsidies provided, Target entered a 15-year agreement calling for $12.2 million in tax abatements; however, the closure of the site effectively ends the incentives agreement.
While the Memphis location had been a part of the retailer’s 2015 plan to improve shipping for online orders, Target CEO Brian Cornell revealed in 2017 a change of plans, allocating $7 billion to redesign many of its stores instead. The redesigns are part of Target’s new strategy to start shipping online orders directly from stores and include building separate entrances for customers to pick up online orders and groceries.
“Target is focused on turning their stores into these mini-fulfillment centers,” said Ben Antenore, an analyst from Kantar Consulting, a global sales and marketing consulting firm, according to Twin Cities Business.
Will Target’s revised e-commerce strategy mean more closures in the future? AndNowUKnow will continue to report as the story unfolds.
OXNARD, CA – This February, Mission Produce is celebrating American Heart Month with a new campaign designed to grow the profile of avocados, educate consumers about their heart-healthy attributes, and encourage healthy eating. To this end, Mission has launched its new #CheckMeOut campaign.
“According to the CDC, heart disease is the leading cause of death for men and women in the United States. We want consumers to know that adding Mission avocados to their meal planning is a small step toward a heart healthy diet,” said Denise Junqueiro, Director of Marketing, in a press release. “Our #CheckMeOut program is an example of how we can have fun while eating healthy. Who doesn’t want to show off their heart-healthy avo-toast or green smoothie and say, ‘check me out’? So, from using our in-store signage to engaging with us on social, everyone has the opportunity to #CheckMeOut.”
Mission will use the hashtag on it various social channels including Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. And, Mission noted in its press release, the company’s new campaign involves both social and on-ground aspects—and supports retailers with an in-store tool kit designed to engage consumers at the retail level and leverage the popular self-congratulatory hashtag.
“Including the Heart-Check mark on our avocado packaging, providing retail support, and sharing our heart healthy findings is an important way for us to carry the health message about avocados across all channels,” added Robb Bertels, VP of Marketing. “We’ve been engaging with avocado lovers more and more through social, and #CheckMeOut is another way to extend that message. We’ve generated a lot of enthusiasm, and the Heart-Check is a positive touchpoint to give consumers another reason to eat more avocados.”
Additionally, all month long, Mission will share heart healthy recipes developed by registered dietitians and which feature the cholesterol and sodium free fruit—recipes including an Avocado Ramen Bowl by @GratefulGrazer and avocado cookies by @krolls_korner.
Mission encourages others to share heart healthy recipes and their “#CheckMeOut” moments.
For more on campaigns promoting fresh produce, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN – The Produce Moms® has acquired the Best Health Eating Advocacy Enterprise Award from Global Health and Pharma at the 2018 Private Healthcare Awards for the work it has done to promote the consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, which, in doing so, promotes the health benefits that such consumption incurs.
“This award was especially meaningful to The Produce Moms because we were nominated for our work to bring more fresh produce to USDA school meals,” Lori Taylor, Founder of The Produce Moms explained in a press release. “This work includes the Power Up with Produce school show, starring USDA mascot Power Panther and NCAA student-athletes. The show was scripted by The Produce Moms to promote fresh produce consumption and serves as a complimentary effort to our culinary skills training for school foodservice professionals which began in March of 2017. Both the school show and the culinary trainings are ongoing.”
Not only is The Produce Moms excited to receive the award and proud of the positive impact it has had on school-aged children, but Global Health and Pharma feels thankful for The Produce Moms' work, as well.
According to Global Health & Pharma, “The healthcare industry is one of the most challenging, but also one of most rewarding, which is why we first created the Private Healthcare Awards, two years ago, to reward the most influential leaders and projects which make such difference to the lives of patients.”
With all of the work The Produce Moms has done to bring fresh produce to schools, it truly deserves the honor. Just last year The Produce Moms launched a K-12 School Initiative with participation in all 50 states to promote under-consumed fruit and vegetables in school meals. Taylor herself has traveled to D.C. to discuss fruit and vegetable consumption in school meals with congressional leaders from 14 states, and Taylor addressed California Educators about how they may implement The Produce Moms The Produce Challenge, a program supported by the American Farm Bureau and the State Department of Education, to participate in the National Agriculture in the Classroom program.
To stay abreast on all industry awards, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
RIO GRANDE VALLEY, TEXAS – There’s never a dull moment in the produce industry, and certainly not now as we move through the first part of 2018. In light of the recent ELD challenges, I caught up with Val Verde Vegetable Co.’s President Frank Schuster to find out more on how the company is faring this season.
“We have been touched by the sudden and drastic increased freight rates,” Frank tells me. “Annually, we would see an increase in freight rates during the holidays. This year, however, the tightness in truck supply was exacerbated by the new regulations for E-Log. Some of our preholiday rates doubled for the East Coast and even then, trucks were not to be had. Now, after the holidays, rates have backed off some, but are still 30 percent higher than before.”
And while the holiday ELD regulations continue to affect the company, Frank also shares that Val Verde is experiencing a good growing season, with cauliflower thriving and cabbage and greens in high demand.
“We have been preoccupied with the below average temperatures for our growing season. The last two winters we have seen above average temperatures, which brought our crops on faster than expected. Cauliflower, a very temperature sensitive crop, had difficulties adjusting last year, but the cool temperatures this season have given us the perfect growing conditions. This year’s cauliflower is outstanding, generating many repeat orders.”
However, the weather hasn’t impacted all crops the same. With weather affecting both the Rio Grande Valley and other regions, Val Verde’s cabbage and greens are in much demand. But both varieties have matured much slower than expected, with demand exceeding supply, which Frank notes is quite the opposite from last year.
Val Verde is also working on expanding its organic program by transitioning acreage and bettering the program.
“This season, our organic program has expanded 50 percent. We are working on transitioning additional acreage, as we have seen more demand for Texas organics,” Frank tells me. “After climbing the learning curve, we are pleased with our program. Organic green and red kale; Lacinato kale; cilantro; green, red, and rainbow Swiss chard; and red and golden beets are a solid part of our offerings, and we are continuing to expand our knowledge into other organic crops.”
2018 is off to a busy start, and while some challenges from last year are still being faced, Val Verde is certain the upcoming year will include more wins, with organics on the rise.
For more updates from the companies who grow what we love, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for the latest.
BAKERSFIELD, CA – Sun World Innovations has licensed six new companies in South Africa, Peru, Morocco, and Tunisia to grow and market the lines of proprietary fruit that Sun World Innovations has developed, according to a recent press release.
“We are pleased to appoint these fine companies, many of which we have had longstanding relationships, to help bolster our presence in the global fruit trade,” Swinburn, Vice President of Licensing, said. “We’re confident that emerging production regions such as Peru, Morocco, and Tunisia, along with our more established regions, will provide more quality-oriented producers with access to our proprietary fruit varieties and further increase the visibility of our varietal brands.”
The companies are as follows:
- DEFRUSA
- Safco Peru
- Sadira
- Delecta Fruit of Paarl South Africa
- Les Vergers du Soleil
- Delassus
DEFRUSA: Based in Piura, Peru, and strategically positioned to produce and export grapes beginning in October. It will function as a complement to production from its parent company Gesex in Chile, December to April in Copiapo and the central area of Chile.
Safco Peru: Centered in Ica, Peru, the company has quickly grown to one of Peru’s top five grape exporters. Its December grape supplies will offer the opportunity to further extend parent company Rio King’s Chilean grape season.
Sadira: A vertically-integrated nursery-producer-exporter based in Tunis, Tunisia. The company focuses on table grape, stonefruit, and citrus farming and marketing. Founded 31 years ago and represented by Founder and CEO Sahbi Mahjoub, Sadira will be Sun World’s first Tunisian licensee.
Delecta Fruit of Paarl South Africa: A longstanding Western-Cape export company owned by the Graaf family and other leading fruit growers. Founded in 1997 and represented by Managing Director Stefan Du Plessis, Delecta joins three South African exporters including Stems, In2Stone and Green Marketing as licensed Sun World stonefruit marketers.
Les Vergers du Soleil and Delassus: Sun World’s first Moroccan grape grower/marketers. Both companies currently grow grapes for export in the south of the country thus capturing early markets prior to the season in continental Europe. Les Verges Du Soleil based in Marrakech is one of Morocco’s largest producers and exporters of seedless and seeded table grapes. Delassus, with its head office in Casablanca, operates two farms in Marrakech and Taroudant and exports 1200 tons of grapes per year to markets in Europe.
To stay up to date with all industry growth, keep reading AndKnowUKnow.
WATSONVILLE, CA - Just in time for February’s most anticipated holiday—Galentine’s Day—California Giant Berry Farms is teaming up with the popular Envy™ apple brand to expand the company’s reach and bring consumers a day full of food, fun, and photography.
“Of course berries pair deliciously with apples, but our brands complement and enhance each other far beyond just recipes,” said Cindy Jewell, California Giant’s Vice President of Marketing, who approached Envy about continuing their partnership after a successful 2017 Friendsgiving campaign. “We target the same audiences, share a commitment to delivering consistent and quality content, and believe that strategic consumer marketing is key to driving sales and securing brand loyalty.”
According to California Giant’s press release, recipes, photos, and videos from this partnership—starting with a Galentine’s Day soiree—will be promoted across both brands’ digital platforms to appeal to each other’s audiences and inspire purchases of the premium berries and apples.
The company’s Galentine’s Day collaboration will be the first of many joint efforts this year. California Giant Berry Farms and Envy™ noted that, because parties and homemade meals may be rare occasions in many households, the two brands are also coordinating a joint lifestyle shoot in the spring to highlight that their products—simply eaten out-of-hand—are sweet staples in the everyday lives of apple and berry lovers, as well.
And with recipes like Poached Envy Apples with Salted Caramel and White Chocolate and Rosé Covered Strawberries, the California Giant is making sure consumers have all the tools needed to celebrate the festivities while driving repeat sales.
“We will always showcase our berries as the versatile, nutritious products they are,” added Cindy. “By aligning with other likeminded brand partners, we’re able to emphasize those qualities to larger audiences and in new and different ways. That’s ultimately how we want to connect with consumers and promote the California Giant Berry Farms brand.”
For more information on California Giant, visit the company’s website. And for more fresh produce news, stay up-to-date with AndNowUKnow.
LEAMINGTON, ON – Stepping into a new hothouse facility is Double Diamond Farms. The expansion includes 62 acres for the company’s greenhouse-grown produce in Leamington, Ontario, significantly increasing Double Diamond’s production capacity.
"Growing consumer demand in the organic category, as well as in multiple specialty items, are really what’s driving this expansion,” said Chris Mastronardi, CEO. “We have an extensive selection of high-quality, superior-flavored items that have really been a hit with our customers.”
Using the latest in automation and growing technology, this new facility will use Grow lights, which will increase the array of Double Diamond’s greenhouse-grown produce. Further, advanced and innovative sustainable growing methods will be used, including capturing and utilizing carbon dioxide to promote growth, introducing bumblebees for natural pollination, and employing energy curtains as insulation. In addition to these strategies, the company’s new facility will have a state-of-the-art warehouse and packaging facility.
How will this new expansion boost the company’s year-round sales, and will that expansion trickle into more advancements seen throughout the industry? AndNowUKnow will continue to keep you up-to-date with the latest!
PORTLAND, OR - This week marks a big change in direction for the New Seasons Market chain, which saw its CEO Wendy Collie step down as the company also announced plans to slow its expansion into the cities of San Francisco, Carmel, and Emeryville. Under Collie’s leadership, the company pursued an aggressive expansion strategy, opening a New Seasons Market in Seattle and acquiring New Leaf in 2013.
"The retail landscape in the grocery industry has been changing dramatically and with incredible speed over the last 6-18 months," said Collie, according to Oregon Business. "The leadership team, the board and myself, have been spending a lot of time thinking about how New Seasons is going to compete in a very volatile market, what is our position, and how do we think about strategy and organizational structure to make sure we’re setting up the company for long-term growth and success."
Since embarking on her tenure at New Seasons in 2012, Collie earned the grocery chain B Corp certification—marking it as the first grocery chain in the U.S. to earn this certification. She also reportedly boosted wages and benefits, as well as introduced paid paternal leave for employees. While Collie will stay on board through the month to help transition the company into its new leadership, New Seasons Market is now curating an entirely different leadership set-up, opting for two Co-Presidents instead of a single CEO. Kristi McFarland, Chief People Officer, and Forrest Hoffmaster, Chief Financial Officer, will take on the newly designed roles.
Alongside the transition comes Collie’s reassurance that she and the company believe in the strategic shift. She then expressed her faith in those who are gaining leadership command moving forward.
Moving ahead, the company intends to maintain its local vendor programs; however, it will also create more “meal solutions” and delivery options to expand the neighborly-vibe chain’s bandwidth. Further, while some Northern California New Seasons Markets won’t make their debut as soon as originally planned, the company's New Leaf banner is reportedly opening two new stores in Seattle and in Aptos, California.
With this new shift in strategy for the retailer as it heads into a year that promises stiff competition at retail, AndNowUKnow will keep an eye out on what this will mean for the produce industry.
CALIFORNIA – Despite Governor Jerry Brown declaring California’s five-year drought over last April, the year’s low rainfall, light snowpack, and warm temperatures have led to Southern California, along with a majority of the southwestern United States, to revert back to drought conditions.
According to a report by the United States Drought Monitor, over 54 percent of California is experiencing an abnormally dry year, leading the source to declare parts of Southern California in a moderate drought.
And while rainfall was fierce between October 2016 and March 2017, with rainfall averaging 30.75 inches–the second-highest rainfall total since 1895, which helped end the state’s five-year drought–the state has been dry as of late. The Los Angeles Basin in particular reportedly received less than 20 percent of the precipitation that’s normally expected this time of year.
“There are growing worries for [the] water supply picture, especially in California, but even over more of the Southwest,” said Meteorologist Jim Andrews, in a report from AccuWeather. “In Southern California, February is the wettest month of the year even though it is the shortest month. So, if the first two weeks are rain-free, you’ve already lost an eighth of the year’s rainfall. That is very worrisome for the region’s water supply and fire danger.”
According to the same AccuWeather report, a single year with below-average rainfall may be a “hiccup,” but this pattern could actually be a part of a larger problem that traces back to 2011.
For more on the latest affecting our industry, stay tuned to AndNowUKnow.