PreRoll
COMSTOCK, MI - Ed Klein, former Director of Sales for Fresh Express, has joined AllFresh GPS, a group of Michigan apple growers. He will work directly with retail and distribution partners to build consumer-focused apple programs, according to a press release.
“AllFresh needs our customers to realize the sales potential of our high quality, unique varieties,” said Scott Swindeman, AllFresh Vice President. “We are thrilled to have Ed Klein on board because he has the experience to do just that. He understands how to build promotional programs and execute merchandising opportunities together with retailers.”
Klein expressed his excitement joining AllFresh GPS, noting that the group is “committed to servicing their customers and making the necessary investments.”
He began his grocery career in 1989 with Stouffer Frozen Foods. He then transitioned to fresh produce with the Chicago company Acosta (PMI Eisenhart). At Fresh Express, he was heavily involved in the Defense Commissary Agency program.
Congrats on joining AllFresh GPS, Ed!
BOISE, ID - Samuel Zell has entered the Albertsons asset sale race. In order to gain FTC approval for its impending merger with Safeway, the retailer is expected to divest roughly a total of 160 stores. According to the New York Times, Zell, the Chicago real estate titan and Founder and Chairman of Equity Group Investments, is vying with two other major bidders for over 100 of these locations. Capital Management and Comvest Partners are also reported to be in on the race.
While Zell himself has little experience in retail, the group which he is backing also includes retail veteran Stuart Sloan, the former Chairman of Quality Food Centers. At this time, both Sloan and Zell have declined to comment officially on the matter.
While the FTC will have to approve whichever company wins this bidding war, Deborah L. Feinstein, Director of the FTC’s Bureau of Competition, revealed that retailers have the option of receiving feedback on multiple bidders throughout the process.
“We will try to give the parties some guidance on which bidders would or would not be acceptable,” Feinstein explained. “A full vetting occurs only when we are presented with a buyer and a specific proposal.”
So far, no official word has been released regarding the amounts of the bids being offered by Zell, Capital Management, or Comvest Partners, according to the New York Times. When further news does become available, however, you can count on AndNowUKnow to bring you the latest. Stay tuned.
DES MOINES, IA – Dahl’s Foods Inc. has filed a $41 million bankruptcy petition in federal court asking to be allowed to reorganize and sell its stores.
The Des Moines Register reports that Kansas City-based Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. (AWG) plans to purchase Dahl’s assets and rebrand the stores. According to the court filings, AWG has offered to purchase the 10-store chain’s assets for $4.8 million, which could be adjusted based on the value of inventory.
AWG CEO Jerry Garland said in a statement, “Our intentions for entering into the agreement to purchase Dahl's Foods are to provide an opportunity for a member of our cooperative to successfully enter the Des Moines grocery market, with some good locations, and to gain a strong and experienced workforce.”
The Register reports that Dahl’s currently has over 950 employees and had $136.8 million in sales during the 12 months ending June 28. In the court documents, the retailer stated that its sales declined because of increased competition and the company was “slow to recognize the competitive threat and to make the operational changes necessary to remain viable.”
"Our board has approved the sale of the company, which will ensure that the stores come out of this stage successfully. Right now, our focus is on preserving our workforce and continuing to provide a competitive and connected store experience for customers," Craig Moore, Dahl's CEO, told KCCI News.
Dahl’s stores are expected to remain open and operate as normal through the process with no interruptions in service to customers.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to follow this bankruptcy and sale.
AVONDALE, PA - With Thanksgiving only weeks away, To-Jo Mushrooms is gearing up for one of the busiest times of year for the mushroom industry. Sales in the category are up about 3% year to date, and industry insiders see no reason why Thanksgiving should be any exception to this trend. To-Jo, along with many of other growers and shippers, have seen some nice lift in the brown and specialty categories this year with Baby Bella’s posting double digit growth in many of the major markets.
The increased demand for mushrooms is being aided by the adoption of “Blendability” in the foodservice sector. This concept replaces a portion of protein in a recipe with chopped mushrooms, allowing enterprising food lovers to lower the calories, fat, and cholesterol in their diets, while preserving the taste of traditional favorites. Mushrooms not only make meals healthier and more flavorful, they allow families to stretch their budget as beef prices continue to rise.
“To-Jo is excited about the growth of the mushroom category in the foodservice industry surrounding Blendability,” Kevin Delaney VP of Sales and Marketing told ANUK. “With the cost of beef rising, establishments are increasingly turning towards mushrooms in order to increase the variety of menu items while keeping food costs manageable.”
To-Jo is very proud of its crew of dedicated drivers and works closely with its customers' Receiving and QA Departments in order to guarantee that its products are being handled properly from start to finish along the supply chain.
“Ensuring quality in the mushroom category requires a close monitoring of the cold chain,” Kevin continued. “With that in mind, To-Jo aims to deliver its products within 24 hours of harvest, and utilizes a sophisticated temperature monitoring system on its fleet of vehicles to ensure the maximum freshness upon delivery to its customers.”
While today's focus remains on ensuring a successful Thanksgiving and Christmas season, To-Jo's looks toward 2015 with high hopes. The industry seems primed for growth as companies capitalize on Blendability as a potential impact player for the future and To-Jo Mushrooms is prepared to take full advantage of these future opportunities.
Congratulations on an excellent start to the Thanksgiving season, To-Jo Mushrooms!
CHICAGO, IL - Target will be building two new TargetExpress locations in Chicago, further expanding the smaller store concept which has been an important source of growth for the company. The two sites are currently expected to be built in Lakeview and Steeterville. According to Chicago Real Estate Daily, the Lakeview store is expected to span as much as 30,000 square feet, while the second, smaller Steeterville location will clock in at around 24,000 square feet. In contrast, the average Target full sized store covers 130,000 square feet.
As retailers further expand into more highly populated urban sectors, the small store concept has allowed companies like Wal-Mart and Target to make the most of the limited real estate available.
“I think retailers are doing this now because they have to,” said Neil Stern, Senior Partner at the Retail Consultancy Firm, McMillan/Doolittle LLP. “If you're going to figure out how to grow, you're going to have to figure out how to be opportunistic in scaled-down formats.”
To compensate for the scaled down selection in smaller stores, the company reveals that TargetExpress is positioned to cater to the needs of the on-the-go consumer.
“TargetExpress is designed so guests can get what they need and get out quickly,” Kathryn Tesija, Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising and Supply Chain Officer at Target, told Chicago Real Estate Daily.
As AndNowUKnow earlier reported, Target will also be opening new TargetExpress stores in San Diego and the Bay Area in California.
As of this time, no word has been release as to when these new stores are expected to open. When Target does disclose this information, however, you can count on AndNowUKnow to bring you the news first. Stay tuned.
BRONX, NY – In April of 2013, E. Armata began an extensive renovation project at the Hunts Point Terminal Market in the Bronx, NY. Completed by November of that year, the company had gutted the facility and rebuilt it from the ground up.
Last month, the company announced that it had passed the audit for Good Management Practices (GMP) and HACCP certification on its first attempt, boasting an impressive 98.4% Superior rating, corrected to a 100% rating that same day.
“We feel strongly that we need to supply our growers, shippers and customers with a facility that matches the quality of our produce and our high level of service. We believe in the future and our strong reputation, that is now enhanced by our newly rebuilt facility,” said Vice President Paul Armata.
Nick Lomax, Head of Operations for the company, lead the rigorous certification process, which began in January and ended October 2014.
“Not only are we proud of the changes that have been made at E. Armata in the past year, but I agree with Chris [Armata] — we did this because we feel strongly about supplying our growers, shippers and customers with the best quality and safest food possible. We look forward to a future that insures that we always have the highest level of technologies and food safety initiatives,” said Lomax.
From September 2013 through December, the company took courses in food safety, the GMP program and the HACCP program. Between finishing the courses and receiving the certification, E. Armata implemented the changes at the facility. The company followed Sanitation Standard Operating Procedures (SSOP) while putting together instructions for all of its divisions.
“I moved pretty fast because we wanted to obtain our certifications as quickly as possible to coincide with our renovation project,” Lomax added.
He credited the company’s 16 foremen for accomplishing the job in such a short amount of time. They were trained on proper cleaning procedures, employee safety habits and other requirements while working.
Foremen now conduct ongoing spot checks during the day, which are documented. Certification rules also state that the company has to check temperatures on the units twice a day, along with random daily checks. That too is documented.
“Our customers are assured of getting safe food from our shippers to us and to them. Our shippers are required to have third-party Primus audits, which are required by HACCP, and they provide us with a letter of guarantee. This entire process and certification boils down to self-policing and maintaining precise documentation,” said Lomax.
Congratulations on the certification, E. Armata!
SALINAS, CA – Kori Tuggle is returning to Church Brothers, LLC, as the new Vice President of Marketing.
She will report to CEO Steve Church and work closely with the sales and new business development team, according to a press release. She will also have responsibilities for marketing and other corporate priorities.
“I’m anxious to return to the Church Brothers team and work for Tom and Steve who have always believed in me and taught me so much in the earlier years of my career,” Kori said. “I’m looking forward to being part of the relentless entrepreneurial vision that drives their businesses forward.”
Kori said that Church Brothers is a different farming company than it was 10 years ago, and added that it is vertically integrated with a focus on innovation from field to plant processing.
“We are excited to have Kori rejoin Church Brothers, as she has over 12 years of marketing experience in our industry,” Steve Church said. “Kori has a great work ethic, marketing skills, and character that will help Church Brothers and True Leaf Farms with our continued plan for growth.”
Kori was most recently the Director of Marketing and Business Development for Ocean Mist Farms. In that role, she managed the marketing program for the trade and consumer markets for 10 years.
She began her produce career as a Produce Buyer at Safeway in 1996 after graduating with a degree in Agribusiness from California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo, CA. After Safeway, Kori joined Church Brothers for four years. In that time, she completed the MBA program from Pepperdine University.
Congratulations, Kori!
BRAMPTON, ONTARIO – Loblaw released its Q3 financial report on November 12th, 2014, disclosing impressive gains across the board. The Q3 and year-to-date numbers listed in this latest report include the performance of Shoppers Drug Mart from the date of the acquisition, as well as the associated acquisition-related accounting adjustments. With its impact adjusted EBITDA climbed 56.9% to $1.001 billion compared to $638 million from Q3 2013.
"In the third quarter we continued to advance our strategic initiatives and improve our market position," shared Galen G. Weston, President and Executive Chairman. "We delivered solid performance across our portfolio of businesses, recognized efficiencies, realized significant synergies, and remained on track with our deleveraging targets.”
Some highlights from the report include:
- A 35.9% increase in revenue to $13.599 billion during Q3 2014 compared to the same quarter from last year. Excluding the impact of Shoppers, revenue increased by 2.0%.
- Retail sales growth of 36.9% during Q3 2014 compared to the same quarter from last year. Excluding the impact of Shoppers, retail sales grew by 2.2% and same-store sales grew by 2.6%.
- Sales of $3.387 billion during Q3 2014 for Shoppers Drug Mart.
- A 2.5% increase in same-store sales for Shoppers Drug Mart during Q3 2014.
- The realization of roughly $44 million in net synergies associated with the Shoppers Drug Mart acquisition.
- A 23.3% increase in adjusted basic net earnings per common share to $0.90 compared to $0.73 in the third quarter of 2013.
"Although the industry and regulatory backdrop continues to be challenging, our momentum is encouraging," Galen concluded. "As we look forward, we believe our performance will continue to improve, supported by stable business performance, further efficiencies, and planned synergies."
Going forward, Loblaw plans on realizing the full $100 million in net synergies it expected through the first year following its Shoppers Drug Mart acquisition, according to a press release.
Congratulation on a strong Q3, Loblaw!
WATSONVILLE, CA – Sambrailo Packaging has partnered with California Certified Organic Farmer (CCOF) with a new promotion.
Through this partnership, Sambrailo will donate a portion of the sales of its recently launched Go Greener!™ clamshells that are generated through the CCOF web stores back to CCOF to support the Future Organic Farmer Grant Fund. This promotion will run on the CCOF web store through December 31, 2014.
According to a press release, this fund aids kindergarten through eighth grade, high school, and vocational and higher education students in their journey to become organic farmers.
As we previously reported, the Go Greener!™ clamshells are made from 100% post-consumer recycled PET extracted from clear and green beverage bottles. The bottles give the clamshells the green translucent color key to capturing the attention of organic consumers at the retail aisle.
“More than 33 million pounds of green plastic could be reused in one year,” states Sara Mailhot, Product Development Manager for Sambrailo Packaging. “This statistic is hypothetically based on all CCOF-certified organic strawberry growers in the U.S. and Mexico using the Go Greener! 1 lb. clamshells for one year, so the real potential could far exceed this number as sales grow and the product line increases.”
The Go Greener! clamshells are currently available in the Mixim® Classic 1lb Friction-Lock, 1lb LV Button-Lock, and 6oz LV (5x5) sizes. Ideal for for strawberries, raspberries and blackberries, they can also be used for organic produce items. Recyclable film labels applied with a water-soluble adhesive are also available for these clamshells, letting growers double down on the sustainability theme.
It is always nice to see companies in the industry coming together for a good cause.