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BRIDGETON, MO - Schnuck Markets is preparing to move a majority of its operation in Bridgeton to a new 915,000 square-foot distribution center. The new facility is scheduled to open in July, which will result in a cut of almost 200 jobs as they stand in the warehouse’s current location.
“We have outgrown our Bridgeton warehouses; they are very old, and as a result, inefficient by today’s standards,” the company said in a prepared statement, according to the St. Louis Today. “The new facility offers an efficient layout that nearly doubles the space we currently have. It also increases service capabilities because of its improved design.”
Chairman and Chief Executive, Todd Schnuck, informed workers of the warehouse shift on April 4. Upon portions of the warehouse operation being moved to new location, the company said, 190 union jobs will be cut between late July and September.
“Transitions like this are difficult for any organization and we are no different,” the company said in reference to the upcoming cuts. “This was carefully considered and, we believe, further positions Schnucks for growth and is in the best long-term interest of our customers and teammates.”
Facility operations are shifting in location from the old warehouse in Bridgeton to the new location in nearby Kinlock, and will also be operated by a third-party logistics company. This changes, stated Schnucks, will be a more efficient system.
Secretary and Treasurer of Teamsters Local 688, Mike Goebel, told St. Louis Today that the union has filed a grievance against the company, stating that the move violates its collective bargaining agreements.
According to one report, Gloebel stated that this warehouse move was an influx of nonunion workers into the grocery realm. “He [Schnuck] is doing exactly what we have fought against for the past dozen years,” Goebel continued.
Schnucks has answered the union’s qualms with a new 6-year agreement between itself and Teamsters Local 610. This agreement was confirmed on April 10, in efforts to show the company’s commitment to its “union teammates”, said the company.
Click back on AndNowUKnow to continue to follow this story and others in the retail circuit.
ROCHESTER, NY – Crunch Time Apple Growers reports that its RubyFrost variety, what it calls “the wintertime beauty from New York State,” successfully sold out right before the start of the spring season.
“We can’t believe how quickly we sold out this year,” Mark Russell, Crunch Time apple grower and Marketing Committee Chair, stated in a press release. “The response from consumers has been extremely positive, and that meant bigger orders from our retail partners.”
The season launched the second week of January, with final supplies shipping out in mid-March. Available exclusively through Crunch Time Apple Growers, RubyFrost’s retail distribution expanded by 40% in 2016 to meet high demand. “It was particularly gratifying for me to have coast-to-coast success with RubyFrost. As an eastern grower, we love to ship west,” Russell said.
Recent marketing efforts to promote RubyFrost included a social media contest, coupons, POS materials with high graphic bins, pouch bags and in-store demos, according to a press release.
“The high demand for this apple shows that its qualities stand out,” said Russell, “There’s a lot of new energy in the category and it’s become an exciting and competitive space. RubyFrost sells well – because it eats well, and that’s what consumers demand.”
According to Russell, consumers showed their love for the new apple this year via social media feedback, described by one new fan as “crisp and juicy with a hint of blackberries,” with many proclaiming it their new favorite variety.
“The demos really tell the tale; people really respond to the combination of a hard crunch with compelling apple flavor,” Russell concluded.
Keep checking with AndNowUKnow as we continue to track the growth of this and all other new launches throughout the produce industry.
SALINAS, CA - The blueberry business has begun to expand rapidly across the globe. The need for changes to match that growth has prompted TransFresh to develop a technology that would assist Apio, Inc. in prolonging the storage life of blueberries.
“We are able to store blueberries, fresh blueberries, for on the order of 28 days at 34 degrees fahrenheit,” Steve Bitler, Vice President of Corporate Technology for Apio, Inc., tells ANUK.
Incorporating three different technologies, as well as marrying this concept to the Apio Breatheway Membrane technology, the result is a multi-layered membrane. According to Steve, this includes:
- A porous support
- A polymeric film
- The ability to control the oxygen and CO2 emission rates
- The ability to control the level of selectivity of oxygen and CO2
This technology gives shippers an ability to extend and expand their shipping window so as not to have to concentrate all product at the peak, according to Rich Macleod, TransFresh Company’s Director for North American Pallets.
“The shippers and packers of blueberries need a way to expand or extend their market window,” Rich explains, saying that TransFresh took its system and rebuilt from the bottom up to meet this need.
To find out more about this technology and how it is adding to the shelf-life and freshness of blueberries, as well as how the pallet bags communicate to the customers that the proper levels of carbon dioxide have been maintained at a glance, watch the short video above.
RIO RICO, AZ - SunFed is joining the push for produce consumption in schools. The company will sponsor two riders or the Summer 2016 Tour de Fresh. Vice President of Marketing, Brett Burdsal, and Vice President Operations, Matt Mandel are saddling up to put salad bars in schools.
“Tour de Fresh is truly a cause that we can get behind and support. The event aligns with our vision of helping to provide healthy food to the next generation and create a produce-passionate group of influencers,” Burdsal commented in a press release. “Giving children access to healthier eating options at a young age will help them form great habits they can carry throughout their lives.”
The upcoming ride, which covers more than 150 miles from Napa Valley to Monterey, California, as cyclists make their way into PMA Foodservice Conference, will be a three-day-long trek from July 26-28.
“There are opportunities to reach the younger generations at an earlier age and create more awareness around the versatility of produce and the health and flavor benefits available to all,” Mandel said. “Simply exposing them to different produce options informs them of the variety of different choices they have beyond traditional produce staples.”
Both first-time participants in the ride that has managed to successfully place more than 100 salad bars since its inception in 2014, Burdsal and Mandel said that they both hope to rally more industry members to join the 2016 ride.
Presented by The California Giant Foundation to benefit the Let's Move Salad Bars to Schools campaign, Tour de Fresh continues to grow as it brings members together for a cause that is beneficial both nation and industry-wide.
You can support Burdsal and Mandel, as well as all other riders, by clicking here.
GREENSBORO, NC - More complications have arisen in response to Apollo Global’s $1.36 billion acquisition of The Fresh Market retail chain. In addition to the investigation into the grocer’s Board of Directors announced last month, a new lawsuit takes aim at Apollo Global, claiming that its purchase “undervalues” The Fresh Market’s business.
Last week, several stockholders of The Fresh Market sued asset manager Apollo Global in a Delaware federal court, according to source Law360. The website alleges that Fresh Market Founder and Chairman, Ray Berry, spoke to Apollo privately without consulting the company’s board. According to the complaint, the company's financial adviser, J.P. Morgan Securities LLC, also has a bias favoring Apollo, having done more than $116 million of business together in the past two years.
“The flawed sale process was tainted from the outset due to defendant Ray Berry’s and his son Brett Berry’s prior back channeling with Apollo,” the complaint explained, according to Law360. “Berry and his family, who collectively own approximately 9.8 percent of the outstanding common stock of the company, were able to initiate the current proposed transaction in private conversations with Apollo, unknown to the rest of the company board or management, well before the sale process had even begun.”
As we recently reported, The Fresh Market had announced mid-March its acceptance of Apollo Global’s offer at $28.50 per share for stockholders, coming out to a tender agreement totaling about $1.36 billion.
As explained by Law360, the offer represents a 24 percent premium to The Fresh Market’s stock price on March 11, and a 53 percent premium to the February 10 closing price, the day before press got wind of details surrounding the purchase.
The new lawsuit seeks to stop the companies from closing the proposed deal unless they “disclose material information about the deal.” As of the time of writing this, neither The Fresh Market or Apollo Global have commented on the lawsuit.
As more details on The Fresh Market and Apollo Global are released, AndNowUKnow will continue to update you with the latest.
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WENATCHEE, WA – The current lineup of astronauts aboard the International Space Station have a new treat in the form of CMI’s KIKU® brand apples. The company announced that a package of its fruit left Earth’s soil on Friday, in its first partnership with NASA.
“The growers of KIKU® apples were delighted to provide KIKU® to the crew of the Space Station,” said Bob Mast, President of CMI, in a press release. “With sweetness levels that are out of this world, it is only fitting that KIKU® apples would reach for the stars.”
The apples left from Cape Canaveral in an unmanned mission, aboard the SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket and Dragon capsule. After the Dragon capsule reached orbit, the company said that the SpaceX rocket successfully landed back on Earth aboard a ship in the Atlantic Ocean. The Falcon 9 landing was the first ocean landing for the team, and a crucial milestone for SpaceX.
Mast added, “We are incredibly proud to have partnered with the flight team on this mission, and congratulate SpaceX for their successful landing of the Falcon 9 today. It is a momentous day in the history of space travel.”
KIKU® apples were delivered to the International Space Station under a Commercial Resupply Services contract with NASA, said the company, a partnership that was initiated by the Food System Manager at the Johnson Space Center, Vickie Kloeris.
“We think it’s a perfect fit,” finished Mast. “NASA wants to work directly with growers to secure the freshest, sweetest fruit imaginable for the space crew and KIKU® apples fit that description to a tee.”
CMI said that the apples delivered to the astronauts through the mission were all handpicked to supply the space travelers with its best product.
Keep checking back with AndNowUKnow for more astral updates, and big industry announcements.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that Global Foods International satisfied a reparation order issued under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA), according to a press release.
The Irvine, CA, company can continue operating in the produce industry upon applying for and being issued a PACA license. Sivoush Nayyeri was listed as the officer, director, and/or major stockholder of the business and may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.
Once a reparation order is fully satisfied and it is confirmed that there are not any outstanding unpaid awards, the USDA lifts the employment restrictions of the previously named, responsibly connected individuals. The USDA also requires any unlicensed company that fully satisfies all unpaid reparation awards to obtain a license if it continues to operate in the industry.
In the past three years, the USDA resolved approximately 3,700 PACA claims involving more than $66 million. Its experts also assisted more than 7,100 callers with issues valued at approximately $100 million. These are just two examples of how USDA continues to support the fruit and vegetable industry.
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