BENTONVILLE, AR – As Sam’s Club’s current CEO prepares to retire less than a month from now, Walmart has just announced who will take the helm of its giant subsidiary. John Furner will replace Rosalind Brewer as Chief Executive Officer of the warehouse chain.
Furner currently holds a position as Sam’s Club’s Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer, titles that he has held since October of 2015. In addition to these executive roles, Furner also spent two years as Chief Merchandise and Marketing Officer for Walmart China, according to the Wall Street Journal.
"In John, we see someone who loves the company and our associates, has learned the business from the bottom up and across, and has the desire to lead change which is so necessary in today's environment," Walmart's Chief Executive Doug McMillon said in an internal memo, according to Reuters.
Walmart announced this past Friday that Sam’s Club outgoing CEO, Brewer, would be retiring from the company after five years in the role, and 11 years with Walmart. In her time with the company, Brewer focused on attracting wealthier shoppers to the chain, to distinguish the wholesaler from its competition.
"She’s leaving Sam’s with momentum," said McMillon, according to Fortune. "Roz [Brewer] and the team have developed a strategy that’s led to three consecutive quarters of improving comp sales and some exciting innovation."
Reuters reported that Brewer is leaving the company to take on a “new challenge,” according to the memo.
Brewer will vacate her appointment as CEO on February 1, 2017, leaving the role to Furner. Furner has worked within the Walmart branches of companies since first joining as an hourly associate in 1993.
What will this executive shakeup bring? AndNowUKnow will keep you updated as buy-side strategies and effects unfold.
FT. LAUDERDALE, FL – A new year has brought new opportunities to CarbAmericas, specifically in the form of a year-round broccoli program. The company recently announced that it has started harvesting its Florida crop this week.
“Just like with every other grower partnership we have, we expect quality to meet our high-standards. The fields look fantastic, so we’re encouraged by what we’ve seen in the fields thus far,” said Jeff Friedman, President of CarbAmericas. "We are particularly excited about this program as it fulfills a need in the broccoli category out of Florida, for which our customers have been looking for a solution.”
CarbAmericas recently partnered with an experienced family of growers–who have been in the business for 30-plus years–to supplement the company’s already existing Mexico and Maine crops. According to a recent press release, the company and its growers planted over 350 acres over the past year to grow its broccoli program.
"Due to our grower’s location in north Florida, overnight deliveries will be very easy for us,” said Danny Pollak, Vice President of Sales of CarbAmericas. “With this, our broccoli can be at our customers’ warehouses within 24-48 hours of harvesting. This results in better turns in our customer’s warehouses, improved freshness on the shelf, and the ability to highlight and support local Florida-grown programs to consumers.”
CarbAmericas expects harvesting to continue now through April. The company will ship Asian Cut broccoli in wax boxes that are iced in a brand-new, on-site clamshell ice machine in Bunnell, Florida. The company also takes orders for iceless crowns upon request.
As companies continue to expand capabilities and boost production, AndNowUKnow will keep you up-to-date with relevant announcements.
PITTSBURG, PA - Giant Eagle has announced a slew of store closures set to take effect in the next three months.
The retailer is planning to immediately close five supermarkets and four GetGo Café + Market locations across two states—Ohio, Maryland—with the additional closure of two supermarkets in Pennsylvania pending, according to local news source the Pittsburg Post-Gazette.
Some in the industry have attributed the store closures to increased competition among discount retailers.
"There is increased competition among the chains and there is a blurring of the channels, meaning that you now have dollar stores competing with food stores and pharmacies with food departments," remarked Alex Baloga, Vice President of External Relations for the Pennsylvania Food Merchants Association, to news source GoErie. "This is happening…across the country. The competition, especially in the food industry, is fierce.”
GetGo locations in Altoona, PA, and Frederick, MD, are expected to close as early as January 17.
Meanwhile, three supermarkets and one GetGo in central Ohio near Columbus, and two supermarkets and another GetGo in northeastern Ohio near Cleveland, are slated to be closed between February 4 and March 4.
The additional shutdown of two supermarkets in the Eire, PA area are expected to follow. The company will close locations at 7200 Peach Street and 2877 West 26th Street—in part to transition resources to the company’s new Millcreek Mall location.
The company stressed that the Pennsylvania store closings are due to local factors and are not related to the corporation tightening its belt. The company has announced plans to transition employees from closed store locations to surrounding-area Giant Eagle stores.
We here at AndNowUKnow will bring you more developments as they happen.
BELLINGHAM, WA - A Washington berry grower was fined a total of $102,000 for two separate offenses by the Washington Department of Ecology.
Gurjant “George” Sandhu, who owns several berry farms in Whatcom County, was allegedly fined by the department for illegally watering raspberries and failing to submit required water use records, according to a press release.
Seen as actions that negatively impact legal water users and flows in the Nooksack River basin, Sandhu was fined $90,000 for illegally irrigating a 220-acre raspberry farm and a $12,000 penalty for not submitting water use records for a 120-acre blueberry farm.
The department noted in the release that the region in which Sandhu grows, the Nooksack River watershed, is one of six basins considered critical for providing habitat for threatened migratory fish in Washington.
“Many farmers in Whatcom County have worked hard and made investments to obtain legal water rights,” the Washington Department of Ecology stated in the release. “Ecology is working to ensure a level playing field.”
The report notes that the grower irrigated a raspberry farm for at least two years without approved water rights for most of the property, and that he separately failed to submit accurate water use data at his blueberry farm, despite being required to do so by an earlier settlement for illegal water use.
Ecology noted a series of events, including a cease and desist order issued last March, requests for real meter data that were not received, and attempts to help bring the farm into compliance before applying the fines.
Sandhu can appeal the penalties within 30 days to the Pollution Control Hearings Board.
Illegal water use was listed as negatively affecting not only Nooksack River flows, but those acting within their legal water rights.
PORTLAND, OR – New beginnings are abound for Organically Grown Company (OGC) as the industry looks to 2017. The organic produce distributor announced that mid-January, Samuel (Sam) Braden will join OGC as its newest Vice President of Operations to ensure continued effective, safe, compliant, and smooth-running operations across all of OGC’s facilities.
"I view this opportunity as a complete privilege and honor to participate, enhance and help to continue OGCs momentum forward,” stated Sam. “It is an organization about, for, and by people, driven by the noble cause of preserving untainted food supply evident in its grower and employee co-owners and every interaction I have had the pleasure of observing thus far. I so look forward to joining the team!"
Sam is welcomed to his new role by OGC CEO Elizabeth Nardi. According to a press release, Sam will oversee transportation, facilities, maintenance, and warehousing for OGC. This position will enable Sam to provide direction for the Operations department through tactical and strategic leadership, in addition to collaborating with Elizabeth and OGC leadership on short and long-term plans.
Sam comes to OGC after nine years with United Natural Foods (UNFI) as a General Manager. In this position, Sam further added to his extensive grocery operations knowledge, and was instrumental in opening UNFI’s Ridgefield, WA, facility.
Sam also held the following positions throughout his decorated grocery endeavors:
- Warehouse Lead, Sysco Foods
- Supervisor, Hughes Family Markets
- Operation’s Manager, Nature’s Best
- Distribution Manager, P&O Cold Logistics and Distribution
- Manufacturing Manager, Tazo Tea
The company noted that through his notable experience, Sam will bring his own knowledge of distribution, transportation, security, facilities maintenance, and internal operations while also striving for continuous improvement.
Additionally, Sam is a champion for sustainability and health, both personally and professionally. Sam has led company “Green Teams” and volunteer groups in alignment with this goal.
For more on key leadership appointments and executive shakeups, count on AndNowUKnow.
CAMARILLO, CA - Industry veteran Mike Reed has been announced as Houweling’s new Executive Vice President of Sales, effective today, January 5th.
“Early in my career, Houweling’s was a grower with whom I had the pleasure of representing. Since that time they have grown and evolved into a major supplier in North America,” Reed said on what attracted him to the company. “I’ve watched closely the changes they have made over the last few years, positioning the company as a top tier supply partner. It is an exciting time to be joining Houweling’s, and I am thrilled about being part of a team dedicated to being the supplier of choice in our categories.”
Reed brings more than 20 years of greenhouse experience, the last 15 of which he spent in senior and executive management positions, according to a press release.
“Bringing a talent of Mike’s caliber to our organization is the logical next step in our company’s progression. His experience, leadership qualities, and industry relationships forged over the last twenty years make him the ideal candidate,” Kevin Doran, Houweling’s CEO, said.
Reed begun his career in retail, working as a category manager before moving to the supply-side in 1997 as a greenhouse product manager.
Climbing through the ranks to executiveship of numerous, highly respected organizations within the produce industry, Reed has built a portfolio that Houweling’s noted as making him the right choice.
“Our company has been through a critical transition to a direct to retail business model over the last few years,” Doran continued. “Mike’s experiences with some of the sectors top companies will serve him well in leading our commercial efforts to the next level.”
Congratulations Mike on this newest chapter in your produce career!
WATSONVILLE, CA – With more and more shoppers look to trim down and start the year off with healthy eating habits, Monterey Mushrooms has created a useful tool for health-conscious consumers—a nutrition guide for registered dieticians and retailers to promote the extraordinary health benefits of mushrooms.
“We created the guide with our retail partners in mind so they could promote the health benefits of mushrooms,” said Lindsey Roberts, Marketing Coordinator. “Mushrooms are high in antioxidants, vitamins, and minerals and have been shown to have an impact on hunger and weight—all the topics shoppers are focused on at this time of year.”
The mushroom nutrition guide, created with a team of experts, includes nutrition facts and messages, cooking tips, recipes, and varietal information. The guide can be accessed online, here, and the company is providing dieticians with mushroom nutrition messages for use on retailers’ social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter.
“We know shoppers look to their local grocery stores for recipe ideas and do-it-yourself health tips,” Roberts said. “Our goal is to make it easy for our retail partners to help tell our nutrition story.”
Retailers looking to capitalize on healthy eating habits can turn customers on to the remarkably healthy category in person and via social media, and boost mushroom sales throughout the year.
For more on the produce industry, check in with us at AndNowUKnow.
CALIFORNIA – Winter has truly come for the state of California. In the midst of an ongoing drought, and reputably sunny days, the state could be in for a seasonal deluge of precipitation. With parts of California already experiencing rainfall, some new storms are looking to bring further rain through the weekend and beyond.
"The storm this weekend will be the latest in a series of major storms to affect the West Coast this winter," according to AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brett Anderson. "The storms are piping a river of moisture into the region from the Pacific Ocean and will go a long way toward drought relief but at a price."
The next couple of days will find rain centered over northern California, with a new storm system arriving on Friday or Saturday with a much further reach into lower parts of the state. According to AccuWeather, land and air transportation will begin to be affected over the weekend due to low cloud ceilings, wet conditions, and gusty winds.
Over the 60 hours of direct rainfall that the Weather Advisory Service expects over the weekend and into next week will see over 8 inches of rain in Watsonville, around 5 inches in Salinas, and 2-3 inches in the central and southern Salinas Valley. From there, the weather institution expects the rain to lighten until Thursday for the next round of fast-moving storms.
The Weather Advisory Service stated that the day before the next storm hits, whether that be Friday or early Saturday, may be the last fully dry day that California experiences for the next two weeks as the storms continue.
Northern California will also be at increased risk of flooding from heightened snow levels and falling rain through Monday, according to the Weather Advisory Service. Higher elevation points can pick up 1-2 feet of snow from the storm, in addition to a further 2-4 feet of snow that will come next week.
How will the weather shift over the next few days, and will California stay wet for the time being? AndNowUKnow will keep you updated.
JACKSONVILLE, FL - Winn-Dixie supermarkets are forging ahead; in an effort to regain market share and stay competitive in a saturated Florida grocery market, the company is slashing prices and making significant investments in overhauling storefronts.
In late 2015, Winn-Dixie began to cut prices after hiring CEO Ian McLeod, according to local news source the Orlando Sentinel. The company’s stores first dropped their prices on 400 common items—including bread, chicken breast, and sugar—in one fell swoop, and subsequent cuts followed as the grocer attempted to win customers back from steep competition.
"Ultimately the customers have a choice of where to shop. We wanted to make sure we offered the most competitive prices, the products customers were buying on a regular basis," McLeod told the Sentinel.
So far, McLeod noted, the strategy has been a success.
Central Florida’s grocery market has grown increasingly crowded in the past few years. With discount brands like Aldi and niche stores like Lucky’s Market moving, and increasingly convenient pickup and delivery services being offered by major national players like Walmart and Amazon, Winn-Dixie is in a precarious position—offering a full grocery selection at discount prices.
Recently Winn-Dixie’s parent company, Southeastern Grocers, has been narrowing its footprint. The company has closed several drugstores in Central Florida. McLeod, though, is optimistic.
"There have been a limited number of stores that closed, but we've remodeled more stores than have actually closed," McLeod said, noting that the company has shifted focus and is now looking to grow in high-income areas. “Flagship” remodels in Tampa with bright, clean features and modern decor, and stores rebranded under the Fresco y Mas banner in South Florida promise new avenues for growth.
The future looks bright for the Florida retailer. For more updates on the company’s ambitious strategy, check back in with AndNowUKnow.
RIO RICO, AZ – Addressing the changing sustainability goals of today’s shoppers, SunFed is debuting its Almost Famous produce program in stores across the nation.
The program aims to use imperfect produce to drive sales and create a destination for produce shoppers while minimizing food waste and bringing consumers exceptional value.
“Sustainability has a changing definition for consumers, and one of those shifting aspects is the desire to find programs that seek to decrease food waste,” Brett Burdsal, Vice President of Marketing, said, in a company release. “We have always used this imperfect produce outlet and have continued to look for ways to maximize output from the farm in terms of production, and find homes for the fruits and vegetables. When we saw that opportunity to start something new and noticed people were responding to reducing food waste, we saw the perfect opportunity to make an actual program on a consistent basis.”
SunFed currently offers a range of imperfect produce items including eggplant, green bell peppers, colored bell peppers, zucchini, cucumbers, and yellow squash, depending on seasonality and availability. The cosmetically-imperfect produce are fresh and have the same consistency and high-flavor profiles that SunFed’s partners have come to expect from the company.
“We don’t see this just as a value-buy and an opportunity to increase sales,” said Vice President of Operations Matt Mandel. “We see this as a movement that will grow and continue. It is an opportunity to change the produce industry for the better, as well as retail for the better.”
The Almost Famous program is available in grab-and-go bags; the program addresses the challenge of selling items in bulk and ensures that the produce is rung up correctly at the register.
“This packaging concept is the best way to tell the story of SunFed’s Almost Famous program and helps retailers differentiate in the produce department,” Craig Slate, VP of Sales, said. “It comes down to the execution, and we have it in spades. SunFed offers an entire merchandising and marketing program that will generate more brand-value for the retailer, while creating opportunities for consumers to purchase produce items that fit into their buying behaviors, sustainability goals, and their budget.”
SunFed’s new program promises to both diminish food waste and make produce available to more people.
“As we continue to see fresh produce move toward the center of the plate, this program is a great strategic way to build on those trends,” said Mark Cassius, Executive Vice President and General Manager. “Whether it's bringing freshness to people of all socio-economic backgrounds that may not typically buy produce, or fulfilling the different needs of a diverse range of shoppers, this program supports our goal of expanding where, and what, we grow as a one-stop shop and true partner for retailers.”
For more on innovative strategies that continue to drive sales and decrease waste, check in with AndNowUKnow.