CANADA - Target is returning 55 stores back to the landlords it had leased from, as well as 19 office and warehouse space leases.
“Unfortunately, they’re coming in at a time when the retail environment is somewhat challenging,” Edward Sonshine, Chief Executive Officer of RioCan Real Estate Investment Trust, said in a Globe and Mail interview.
The company filed with the Ontario Superior Court of Justice, according to The Star, saying that any leases that hadn’t been returned to the respective landlords by yesterday (May 4), today (May 5), and tomorrow (May 6) will be auctioned off individually.
While the real estate may not be the best as of yet, Target’s financial adviser Lazard Freres & Co. LLC was reportedly in contact with about 360 prospective parties for the leases, according to a Alvarez & Marsal Canada Inc. report of monitor.
According to the Globe and Mail report, retailers believed to have a vested interest in the leases include:
- Wal-Mart Canada Corp.
- Canadian Tire Corp.
- Loblaw Cos. Ltd.
- Lowe’s Canada
- Sears Canada Inc.
Target reportedly also signed with Oxford Properties Corp. and Ivanhoe Cambridge Inc. (a pair of Canada’s largest landlords) to buy back 11 leases for its more ideal stores for $138 million, according to the report.
Those that will benefit from the income Target receives once the properties are auctioned will soon see the outcome, so keep checking in to AndNowUKnow.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Giumarra Agricom International has announced a new way to appreciate your avocados with the debut of its new Nature’s Partner avocado nutrition initiative. This announcement also includes a redesigned bulk avocado bag to target increasing consumption.
“Given their consumer popularity and reputation as a delicious superfood, we felt strongly about positioning avocados as a vital addition to a healthy lifestyle,” says Bruce Dowhan, Vice President and General Manager of Giumarra Agricom. “We are excited to share the bag and accompanying promotions with our retail partners and work with them to develop nutrition-focused programs designed to educate their consumers and increase avocado purchases.”
The bag was designed to promote Hass Avocado Board’s “Love One Today” nutritional messaging and touts the avocado’s “naturally good fats + cholesterol free” benefits.
“We are offering a customized nutritional marketing program to each of our customers to help them promote and sell more avocados to consumers,” says Gary Caloroso, Director of Marketing for Giumarra Agricom. “We will utilize our company’s nationwide network of respected registered dietitians and chefs to support our customers’ in-store and out-of-store communications vehicles in sharing the health benefits and varied uses of avocados to their customers.”
As the perfect complement, Giumarra also offers Nature’s Partner branded avocado racks for retail display purposes. The back of the bag also features a Hass Avocado Board-created recipe for an Avocado, Feta, and Apple Sandwich. The company’s new, rotating recipes will highlight avocados’ versatility and flavor.
“Since their introduction in 2013, the Love One Today mark and marketing campaign have been helping to support the industry's efforts to educate consumers about avocados’ health benefits. They were designed to complement and extend the marketing efforts of Hass Avocado Board members and the industry, and Giumarra’s new retail packaging is a perfect example of this synergy,” says Jamie Johnson, California avocado grower and Chairman of Hass Avocado Board.
According to a press release, Giumarra will be continuing its close work with avocado commodity board partners to create effective and creative ways to market its Nature’s Partner avocados grown in California, Mexico, Chile, and Peru.
IDAHO - Several Idaho potato farms have filed a lawsuit against the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service and the Idaho State Department of Agriculture in an effort to rectify damages they say have been sustained from Pale Cyst Nematode (PCN) regulations.
“After exhausting all available avenues to bring about necessary changes to the PCN program, growers were left with no options other than to file suit,” Mickelsen Farms, LLC, one of the plaintiffs, said in a statement, according to the Southeast Idaho Business Journal. “The PCN program and regulations were put in place without proper notice to or input from the appropriate stakeholders.”
Other companies and farms listed on the Plaintiffs list are:
- RIGBY PRODUCE, INC., an Idaho corporation.
- WATTENBARGER FARMS, an Idaho general partnership.
- ADAM and BROOKE NEIBAUR, husband and wife, d/b/a.
- CRIPPLE CREEK FARMS.
- CAROL A. ANDERSON FARMS TRUST.
- MARK ANDERSON, Trustee.
- KORY FRANCE, an individual.
- GERALD OLER, an individual, d/b/a/.
- OLER FARMS.
- BOHEMIAN, LLC, an Idaho limited liability company.
- GERALD and HELEN KELLEY, husband and wife.
- CRAIG V. and ANDREA KELLEY, husband and wife.
- DAN G. and KAREN K. ELDREDGE, husband and wife.
- LAMOND COOK, an individual.
According to the report, all plaintiffs currently have farms that are under quarantine or came to harm as a direct result of APHIS and ISDA regulations. In the claim it is stated that this is not well-founded because while PCN is a potato pest, it allegedly does not pose any threat to human health or “enters the tuber of a potato.”
- As a result of the damages sustained, some of the results the farms filing action are seeking include:
- A declaration that APHIS’s actions violated several Acts and the Tenth Amendment and were arbitrary and capricious.
- A cancellation of the Final Rule, APHIS’s ad hoc protocols, and the Idaho PCN Rules.
- An end to quarantine and regulation of the plaintiffs’ fields.
Due to the litigation process currently underway, the Southeast Idaho Business Journal reported that both departments could not comment on the matter. AndNowUKnow will continue to keep you up to date on this story as it develops further.
Welcome to What's In Store. Since its inception in 2008, Rally Logistics has been providing the best in logistics solutions to some of the largest retailers, wholesalers and growers in Canada and the United States. Growth has been tremendous during this period. Sales have more than tripled and new offices have sprung up in Woodstock, NB and Leamington, Ontario.
Realizing the importance of staying at the forefront of the industry, Rally Transportation was formed in 2014 in order to better provide Rally's clients with consistent year-round or seasonal pricing. With the combined resources of Rally Logistics and Rally Transportation, Rally has access to thousands of carriers and drivers throughout Canada and the 48 continental United States. It strives to grow these borders each year and has delivered freight as far west as the Hawaiian islands.
Rally Logistics is now looking to ride this wave of momentum into the future. Through acquisitions, new partnerships, and strategic hirings, the company is looking to expand throughout Canada and the United States. In doing so, it will focus on opening new offices throughout Florida, California, Texas, New York, Arizona and Quebec. Rally is also planning to expand the size of its fleet of trucks within the next three to six months in order to better meet the growing demands of its client base.
Rally Logistics is continually looking to partner with new wholesalers, retailers and growers. It will continue to share the benefits of being part of its close-knit logistics operation with both its current and future partners. From a foundation of integrity and expertise in the industry, Rally Logistics is looking to make your business its own. Thank you for watching What's In Store.
CHICAGO, IL - A new company is teaming up healthy snack options and cold pressed juices to make it easier for consumers to pick produce when shopping.
“Consumers are looking to food to provide more than just life-sustaining calories - they want their food to really work for them. dailyServing is the first of its kind to harness the power of whole foods in this way. We have seen that supplements simply aren’t the best ways to meet our nutritional needs. If we can encourage people to eat more real food instead of reaching for a pill, we can make a huge impact on our public health,” Katie Goldberg, dailyServing’s in-house Registered Dietitian, said in a press release.
The company has paired its own individual line of vegan-friendly, gluten-free snack options that come tailor-packaged with its cold pressed juices. According to dailyServing, these pairings are a science-based solution to attract consumers seeking a trusted source of nutrition information. The company does this with the intent of personalizing or tailoring the product with the help of a Registered Dietitian.
“A recent Neilsen study found that three-fourths of Americans believe they can manage their health with nutrition, and one-third believe that food can replace medicine. But knowing how to make that happen can be daunting,” Goldberg said. “As dietitians, we are trained to sift through the research and pull out the best information for the consumer. dailyServing is the result of that process."
dailyServing’s cold pressed juices are 100 percent pure produce, paired with trend-focused superfoods to provide expert nutritional advice and make eating smart an easy choice for consumers.
BENTONVILLE, AR - Wal-Mart has announced another shakeup of its top executives, including a few departures from the company. All signs indicate that Wal-Mart is looking to tighten up its operations team.
Mike Moore, EVP of the smaller-sized Neighborhood Market store division, has been promoted to EVP of the much larger Supercenter division. According to Forbes, there are only 613 Neighborhood Markets, but Mike Moore will now be in charge of 3421 U.S. Supercenter locations. Julie Murphy, former Wal-Mart West EVP, has taken Mike Moore’s former position.
Current U.S. SVP of Innovations, Mark Ibbotson, will now also work on asset protection, as well as working more closely with Wal-Mart Global eCommerce. This new position is expected to help integrate grocery home shopping.
Several positions have also been eliminated in the current Wal-Mart shakeup. CEO Greg Foran and COO Judith McKenna have eliminated executive positions which supervised Wal-Mart East and Wal-Mart West. The position formerly held by Julie Murphy will not be filled, and Joaquin Gonzales Varela, EVP of Wal-Mart East has left the company, according to Forbes. All U.S. operation executives now report directly to Judith McKenna, and the merchandising division reports directly to Greg Foran.
Lastly, Pam Kohn, EVP of Wal-Mart Realty has left Wal-Mart and is being replaced by J.P. Suarez. Forbes reports that Suarez has served as SVP of real-estate strategy and has now been elevated to Executive Vice President. He will now report to Judith McKenna, COO.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow to follow all the updates on this restructuring company.
SALINAS, CA - One of the greatest parts of reporting for the produce industry from Sacramento is being so close to a hub of the nation's agriculture.
Just down the way, the D'Arrigo Bros. hosted a double-occasion at its location in Salinas, California, on Friday, May 1st. It was a perfect opportunity to get out and see what this family farming business looks like off the page.
"This is our 56th annual Broccoli Rabe Feed, but we are also celebrating the 95th anniversary of the family of companies," Claudia Pizarro-Villalobos, Marketing and Culinary Manager for D’Arrigo, tells me.
The D’Arrigo brothers of California, of Massachusetts, and of New York signed a one-page agreement in the 1920’s that continues to hang in the lobby of the California headquarters to this day, uniting the families into a cross-continental working team for the produce industry.
Andy D'Arrigo, who just celebrated his 91st birthday last February, charmed the crowd as he walked through to welcome all visitors with a smile for everyone.
Prickly pears cut into enticing shapes, spring rolls, and a delicious green soup were just a few of the dishes served as everyone celebrated the coming together of the three D'Arrigo families and the versatility and superfood benefits of broccoli rabe. Soft music played as members of the industry from all over mingled and sampled the delectable entrees.
The only setback was not having the opportunity to try one of the company’s signature broccoli rabe cocktails, but that is just something that President John D'Arrigo said would give ANUK a reason to return.
VANCOUVER, BC - Windset Farms’ is showing its community some love once again.
The company is sponsoring two major events for the BC Children’s Hospital, as well as donating a portion of proceeds from specially marked products. These events include the Miracle Weekend telethon and ChildRun, which take place on May 30 and 31.
“We love how events such as Miracle Weekend and ChildRun promote a healthy lifestyle, while bringing the community together,” said John Newell, COO, Windset Farms. “Giving back to the community is something our whole company feels strongly about and we want to thank everyone for their support.”
Throughout the month of May, ten percent of net proceeds from the sale of specially marked packages of Concerto® Grape Tomatoes and Fresco® Mini Cucumbers sold in British Columbia will be donated to the BC Children’s Hospital. BC Children’s Hospital blue and orange stickers designate which packages will contribute to this cause.
Last year, Windset Farms sponsored a Miracle Hour during the telethon and its team raised additional funds as members of the Miracle Maker Panel, according to a press release.
Funds raised at these events are used to support and enhance pediatric care in British Columbia.
TUCSON, AZ - The Port of Nogales got a little more than they bargained for last week, when Customs and Border Protection officers found more than 2,700 pounds of marijuana hidden in a shipment of bell peppers.
“We have to be prepared for the various forms of drug smuggling techniques,” said Nogales Port Director Guadalupe Ramirez. “In this case, through our officers efforts marijuana was found co-mingled within a load of bell peppers.”
The Customs and Border Protection have arrested two Mexican nationals and three U.S. citizens during separate smuggling attempts last week at the Port of Nogales.
According to a press release, Officers at the Mariposa Commercial facility arrested Xavier Armando Bautista-Borboa, a 38-year-old Nogales man, after a narcotics-detection canine alerted to his trailer. During a secondary inspection, officers located marijuana to the tune of $1,360,000 intermingled with a bell pepper shipment.
The very next day, officers at the Mariposa crossing arrested Tuscon’s Margarita Martinez after finding 127 pounds of marijuana, valued at almost $64,000. Officers also arrested two southern California natives after a service-canine alerted officers to more than 168 pounds of marijuana, worth in excess of $84,000.
Officers processed all drugs and vehicles involved, and referred the subjects to U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Homeland Security Investigations.
LAKELAND, FL - Publix has released a strong Q1 2015 financial report, and the company has signaled increases in both sales and net earnings.
Publix’s sales for the first quarter of 2015 were $8.3 billion, a 6.8 percent increase from last year's $7.8 billion.
"I'm delighted we had another significant increase in our stock price," said Publix CEO Ed Crenshaw. "I want to thank our associates for delivering premier customer service that makes shopping a pleasure."
As we've previously reported, Publix has recently been setting its sights on expansion, setting aside $1.3 billion for new stores. The company has also purchased two Lowes Foods locations within the last month.
Other highlights from the report include:
- Comparable-store sales for the first quarter of 2015 increased 5.3 percent.
- Net earnings for the first quarter of 2015 were $548.9 million, compared to $493.7 million in 2014, an increase of 11.2 percent.
- Earnings per share for the first quarter increased to $0.71 for 2015, up from $0.63 per share in 2014.
- Effective May 1, 2015, Publix's stock price increased from $39.05 per share to $42.10 per share.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for all the latest retail financial news.