BRAMPTON, ONTARIO – Loblaw is developing a new “hard discount” chain that caters to value-conscious customers called the BOX™.
According to a press release, the BOX™ has been designed to offer customers a convenient shopping experience with low prices on fresh food, dairy, bakery, grocery and general merchandise items.
Global News reports that this new model is based on selling a limited number of household essentials, and primarily store brand goods to help keep costs as low as possible.
On Wednesday, Galen Weston, Executive Chairman and President of Loblaw Cos. Ltd., spoke about the new store concept in a conference call. When asked if this type of business model could work in Canada, Weston said that the BOX™ “really is designed to answer that question. Is there [an opportunity] in that area that the customer will respond positively to in Canada. We think so, but we’re not sure.”
To test the effectiveness of the BOX™, Loblaw has opened three trial locations, two in the Ontario cities of Hamilton and Windsor and a third in Calgary, according to Global News. The stores heavily features Loblaw’s No Name and President’s Choice store brand products.
For now, the retailer has not announced when or if the company might expand this new concept.
Joseph M. DeLorenzo, former six-year Eastern Produce Council President and Director of Produce for Krasdale Foods of White Plains, NY, passed away at the age of 64 on November 13, 2014.
Joe’s passion for produce has been a source of inspiration for many in the retail industry. For over 20 years, he played a critical role with FoodTown Corporation, eventually leading him to land a role as Director of Produce for Krasdale Foods for the last 12 years. His contributions to the industry will not be forgotten.
Joe was born on November 10, 1950 in New York City and moved to Middletown, NJ at six years old. He attended St. Mary’s School and graduated from mater Dei High School, Class of 1969.
Joe was well regarded in the industry as a family man, and will be greatly missed by his family and friends. An avid Sinatra enthusiast, he loved to sing, entertain, and he also enjoyed traveling.
Joe is survived by his adoring wife, Malama “Goldie” DeLorenzo, his father, Anthony DeLorenzo, four sisters, along with many children, grandchildren, and nieces and nephews.
AndNowUKnow would like to offer our heartfelt sympathies to Joe’s family and friends.
PERU - Camposol, one of Peru’s most noteworthy agro-industrial companies, is setting its eyes on blueberries. With plans to ship approximately 17,000,000 pounds of blueberries from now through next year, the company is looking to greatly expand its operations in the U.S., especially for a crop that is just coming out of the gate.
“Last year, we decided to go big on blueberries,” Chief Commercial Officer José Antonio Gómez tells me. “Five years ago, we started with a 100 acre trial of blueberries. Since then, we’ve invested $150 million in blueberry expansion to help take us to 1,500 acres this year.”
Just recently, Camposol introduced a new packaging design for its blueberry line-up, emphasizing their “premium quality, perfect bloom, perfect color, and taste.” To further promote fresh and healthy eating, the company is partnering with PMA and Sesame Workshop to incorporate Sesame Street characters onto its blueberry packaging by December. This initiative will soon expand to the company’s mango program and other categories in the future as well, Gómez says.
The home of Camposol’s blueberries is located in Peru’s coastal city of Trujillo, where the company’s growers dedicate themselves to cultivating first-class blueberries from August to March. 14,000 employees strong, the company is currently the second largest private employer in Peru. Current estimates predict 10,000 new employees to be added by 2020 as a result of its blueberry business. This would make Camposol the largest employer in Peru, employing, on average, 25,000 workers at its highest periods of production.
“Quality has been fantastic so far this season,” said Gómez. “We’re committed to satisfying our clients in a reliable and consistent manner. One of our biggest priorities is keeping quality as close to perfect as we can.”
With Argentina currently at the peak of its season, the blueberry market has seen high prices since September. Gómez notes that once Chile puts more volume into the market at the end of the year, pricing will adjust to normal figures.
Aside from blueberries, Camposol also produces avocados, asparagus, table grapes, mangos, mandarins, pomegranates, artichokes, and peppers, all of which are exported fresh, preserved, and frozen to key markets in the U.S., Europe, and Asia.
With blueberry volume anticipated to increase approximately 200% by the end of next year, this company’s growth since its establishment 15 years ago is nothing short of impressive. I look forward to seeing which new categories Camposol will venture into next.
JUPITER, FL – Locus Traxx and Paramount Citrus have announced a new partnership. Going forward, SmartTraxx GO™ will be used in all of Paramount’s Direct Delivery Carriers to increase the efficiency, visibility and live load temperature and location tracking of Paramount’s TMS solution, according to a press release.
“Paramount Citrus is excited to announce that the SmartTraxx GO™ of Locus Traxx Worldwide will be used with all of our Direct Delivery Carriers,” shared Jeff Cottingham, Director of Transportation at Paramount Citrus. “As the only citrus grower, packer and shipper utilizing this solution, it reinforces our commitment to food safety by tracking the location and temperature of our direct delivery trucks, and also ensures that the freshest citrus arrives at your door.”
“We are excited to join forces with Paramount Citrus, one of the leading companies in the produce industry,” agreed David Benjamin, President and CEO of Locus Traxx Worldwide. “This company grows, packs, and then ships their own product; it is imperative for them to track and monitor their precious cargo. They are unique because they are able to see their product from its infancy all the way to the shelves in a supermarket. Locus Traxx Worldwide is happy to assist them in helping them achieve ultimate product quality by integrating with their TMS system.”
Congratulations on the commencement of this exciting new partnership, Locus Traxx and Paramount Citrus!
SALISBURY, NC – Food Lion has rolled out its new, easier shopping experience for customers in 45 stores in the greater Greenville, New Bern and Jacksonville, N.C., market. The stores have received remodels as part of the retailer’s “Easy, Fresh and Affordable…You Can Count on Food Lion Every Day” strategy.
“Our customers told us that they want a grocery experience where it’s easy to shop, easy to save and easy to figure out what is for dinner tonight,” said Meg Ham, President of Food Lion. “In these stores, we’ve worked to deliver just that. We invite our customers in the greater Greenville, New Bern and Jacksonville area to come out and experience grocery shopping reimagined at Food Lion and let us know what you think.”
To celebrate the launch of the new format stores, Food Lion is giving away $10 gift cards to the first 50 customers at each of the 45 locations every day from Wednesday, Nov. 12, through Saturday, Nov. 15, according to a press release.
Also, Food Lion Feeds has donated 225,000 meals, or $45,000, to the Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina and 49 local feeding agencies in the region to mark the launch of the 45 stores.
The new format has expanded the selection in stores with thousands of new items with a dedicated Gluten Free section and a wide selection of quality fresh produce and meat to make shopping and saving easier for customers.
This is the second rollout in Food Lion’s expansion plans. As we previously reported, the retailer remodeled 31 stores in the greater Wilmington, N.C. market in August of this year.
Food Lion will continue to roll out storewide enhancements in markets over time, including remodels in approximately 150 stores in 2015.
ZAANDAM, THE NETHERLANDS - Ahold released its Q3 2014 financial report on, Thursday, November 14th, reporting a 1.9% increase in overall sales to €7.5 billion and a 7.9% increase in net income to €178 million.
Jeff Carr, Ahold's CFO, shared his insights into this company's performance in a video for investors. You can check out his perspective for yourself below:
Some highlights from Ahold's United States operations include:
- A 1.6% increase (0.4% given constant exchange rates) in net sales to €4,501 million, compared to Q3 2013.
- A 1.2% increase in identical store sales, excluding gasoline.
- A 1.3% increase in comparable store sales, excluding gasoline.
- A 3.8% increase in underlying operating margin.
- A 16.929% increase in EBITDA to €297 million from €254 million.
“This quarter we reported improved sales trends in the United States and the Netherlands while our margin was stable versus the prior quarter, excluding the impact of the SPAR acquisition,” CEO Dick Boer shared in a press release. “In the United States, the rollout of our program to improve quality, service and value for our customers is progressing well. By the end of this quarter, the program was active in over half of our stores.”
"We expect that ongoing investments in our customer proposition and further development of our formats and assortment will continue to result in improving sales trends," he continued.
Congratulations on an excellent Q3, Ahold!
BURLINGTON, ON - EarthFresh is debuting three fresh potato products under its new Celebratoes line.
Celebratoes are convenient recyclable trays of gluten-free fresh baby potatoes with savoury seasonings packs. These potatoes can be either microwaved, or oven roasted, to compliment a simple, wonderful meal for up to four people, according to a press release.
Celebratoes currently come in three different flavors: White Cheddar & Rosemary, Lemon & Garlic, and Jalapeno & Cheddar.
“With the convenience factor influencing eating occasions for North American consumers, we felt the need to provide our customers with a fresh, convenient potato option,” said Stephanie Cutaia, Marketing Manager for EarthFresh. “Our market research shows that changing consumer demographics and ‘time-starved’ consumers are having a dramatic influence on food preparation and consumption. Consumers are spending less time planning and preparing meals, but still demanding high quality, tasty food.”
Celebratoes are available in select stores now.
IRVING, TX - DMA Solutions, Inc. has released a new set of free resources aimed at giving marketers a head start on planning for 2015. Input from blog subscribers and industry colleagues went into crafting these tools, which the company hopes will simplify the annual process of planning and budgeting.
To check out these tools for yourself, you can view them on DMA's website here.
“We created the 2015 planning resources because we are committed to providing free and helpful resources to marketers in our industry,” shared President and CEO of DMA Solutions, Dan’l Mackey Almy. “When our company’s tools are enlightening fresh produce marketers to work smarter and in a way that helps them increase demand of their products and services, then everybody wins from the produce grower all the way to the consumer.”
“Mission Possible: 5-Steps to Get More Marketing Dollars,” the newest addition to this set, is geared towards showing marketers the best way to approach planning and budgeting when there are insufficient funds for current team goals. It demonstrates to readers how to receive approval for new funding from senior management.
Another one of the resources, “The 2015 Produce Marketer’s Master Calendar,” features twelve months of key dates relevant to fresh produce industry marketing teams. Trade events, professional marketing conferences, major blogging events, foodie celebration days, noteworthy holidays and eating occasions are listed out to help teams stay ahead of the game on tradeshow planning, social media content management and influencer management.
Excellent work on these new resources, DMA Solutions.
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA - Nate Thomas, former Operations Manager at Allen Lund Company’s Charlotte Office, is being promoted to Assistant Manager.
“Nate has been a tremendous producer since he started working with us in 2002,” said Jim McGuire, Manager at the Charlotte office. “His expanded role will allow him to mentor others and help take our office to the next level.”
Nate joined Allen Lund Company Charlotte Office as a Broker in 2002 and became Operations Manager in 2012, according to a press release.
“Nate is a well rounded broker that has been an integral part of the Charlotte office’s growth and success this year,” said Eddie Lund, Vice President of Sales/Branch Operations. “His promotion is well-earned; he and Jim make a great team. We look forward to great things from Nate and the Charlotte office for years to come.”
Nate shared his excitement, noting that he’s honored to be part of a great office and team. “They are my Freight Family! I have learned a lot from Jim and my co-workers over the years and see a bright future ahead,” he said.
Congratulations on your promotion, Nate!
Robert “Bob” Craves, Costco Co-Founder and Philanthropist, has passed away at the age of 72. College Success Foundation, a nonprofit he co-founded in 2000 to provide scholarships and mentorships to low-income youth, announced his passing.
The Foundation said, “Our hearts are heavy as we say a final farewell to our dear co-founder and former CEO and chair of the College Success Foundation (CSF) - Robert “Bob” E. Craves. Our visionary leader passed away on November 5, 2014, following a brief struggle with cancer. He died peacefully, surrounded by his family.”
The Los Angeles Times reports that Craves worked as a marketing executive in Los Angeles for Builders Emporium when Jim Sinegal, the man who hired him, recruited him to become a founding officer of Costco in 1983. He spent the next 17 years with the company as a Senior Vice President.
Sinegal, the now retired Costco CEO, spoke to the Times about Bob, saying, “He could always find the good thing in every situation. Most people couldn’t.”
After he left Costco, Bob led CSF for the 13 years since he co-founded it. The Foundation says that he raised $600 million to further educational opportunities for vulnerable youth in that time. By the end of 2013, over 12,000 scholarships were disbursed and almost 4,000 CSF Scholars had earned bachelor’s degrees, with thousands more still attending college.
He is survived by his wife of 42 years, Gerri; their daughter, Stacie, of Seattle; sisters Teri Renz, of Napa, Calif., and Mary Holland, of Des Moines; brother Jim Craves, of Portland, Maine; and two grandchildren.
AndNowUKnow would like to offer our heartfelt sympathies to Bob’s family and friends. He will certainly be missed.