Wraparound
ORLANDO, FL - Darden Restaurants is investing $40 million to remodel Olive Garden locations across the United States in a push to give Olive Garden a fresh, new look capable of attracting a younger generation of diners. When all is said and done, 75 of Olive Garden's 800 nationwide locations will feature this major upgrade to its dining area, bar, and counter-tops. In addition, Olive Garden will be unveiling a new logo for its restaurants and a new set of menu selections to go with it. Altogether Darden hopes the changes will lend a sense of newness to a franchise that has gone a long time without a remodel.
"Quite frankly, we let the brand go too long without [a] major update,” Jay Spenchian, Darden's Executive Vice President of Marketing told the Orlando Sentinel. “We don't like to brag, but our restaurants still offer tremendous value, and this is going to refresh that and bring in new customers. We are already thrilled with the reaction we're seeing."
Considering that Olive Garden sales will make up 60% of Darden's total sales numbers now that it is finalizing it's $2.1 billion sale of Red Lobster, Darden badly needs a good return on its investment in order to avoid financial troubles in the future.
"Darden's success is really dependent on Olive Garden's success,'' said Mark Kalinowski, an analyst for Janney Montgomery Scott. "They needed to do something. The concept of Olive Garden is behind the times. It still offers good value, but it's getting lost in the changing market.''
The new Olive Garden menu will have 20 new items for customers to choose from, including low calorie items and cheaper, under $10 choices for the modern consumer who is increasingly more health and budget focused than ever before. It will also be hopping on-board the growing list of restaurants offering an online takeout option for customers to take advantage of.
So far the returns look promising. Darden President Gene Lee noted increased sales numbers after the Fort Walton Beach Olive Garden was remodeled, according to the Orlando Sentinel. With only two of the remodels completed however, Olive Garden still has plenty of work to do before anyone will be able to get a sense on how successful the overall plan was.
In the mean time you can count on AndNowUKnow to keep you informed of any updates to this story as they occur.
WASHINGTON, D.C. - Two PACA violators in California and Florida have been restricted from operating in the produce industry, according to a USDA press release.
Health America Fresh Foods Inc., a Salinas, California-based company, has failed to pay a $125,194 award in favor of a California seller. Vince C. Fratangelo was listed as the officer, director, and major stockholder of the business.
James D. King, doing business as J D King, a Lecanto, Florida-based company, has failed to pay a $21,394 award in favor of a South Carolina seller. James D. King was listed as the sole proprietor of the business.
In the past three years, the USDA resolved approximately 4,600 claims under the PACA involving more than $87 million. Individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors, or major stockholders may not be employed or affiliated with any PACA licensee without the approval of the USDA. The Agricultural Marketing Service (AMS), PACA Division, regulates fair trading practices of produce businesses operating subject to PACA.
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA – ALC Logistics has been named a “2014 Great Supply Chain Partner” by SupplyChainBrain, an information resource for supply chain management.
Brad Berger, SupplyChainBrain Publisher wrote: "Our prestigious list highlights a select list of companies whose solutions and services have been so impressive, that their customers took the time to write and let us know."
To receive a place on the list, a customer has to first nominate an outside vendor or service provider whose technology, logistics, transportation or consulting solutions have made a significant impact on their supply chain efficiency, according to a press release.
Paul Demmink, Chief Financial Officer of Bottomley Evergreens and Farms, nominated the Allen Lund Company for its TMS system. "ALC has provided on-site staff and technology to completely manage our logistics needs...Our partnership with them has allowed us to focus on growing our business, knowing our logistics needs are being taken care of," said Demmink.
Gerald Ebert, Manager of the Allen Lund Company Richmond office said, "The nature of the Bottomley Evergreens and Farms shipments demand a robust, yet very customizable TMS system. They were instrumental in ensuring that our company is the true pioneer of designing each system it sells around the customer's needs rather than the other way around."
ALC Logistics provides web-based Transportation Management Software designed and customized to meet its customers' unique transportation management needs.
Allen Lund Company will appear in the July/August 2014 issue of SupplyChainBrain magazine. Congratulations ALC!
DORCHESTER, MA - Every year millions of pounds of fresh fruit and vegetables are thrown out by growers and retailers because they don't pass the so-called “eye-test.” Some innovative thinkers however see a way to turn this loss into a new source of profits for retailers, one which would both help financially struggling families access fresh produce and slash food waste at the same time. Why not sell those misshapen fruits and vegetables at a discount customers can afford, asks Doug Rauch, former President of Trader Joe's and the thinker behind Daily Table.
According to the USDA roughly 31% of the food produced in America every year is wasted. In total this loss amounts to $161.6 billion. Rauch finds such waste appalling.
“Grocery stores routinely trash produce for being the wrong shape or containing minor blemishes...yet one in six Americans is going hungry,” he told reporters at The Atlantic.
Part of the problem is the economy. Families making at or near the federal minimum wage, $7.25 for non-tipped employees, are put in the position of having to make difficult decisions between buying more expensive fresh produce and paying the bills for other important family needs. Often unwilling to accept the social stigmas that are associated with “handouts” and government programs, these families can be priced out of the fresh produce market.
“Dignity is a major issue,” Rauch says. “People want to be normalized; they want to shop like a customer and feel like they have provided for their family.”
The path has already been paved before by overseas French retailer Intermarché, the 3rd largest grocery store chain in France. As AndNowUKnow previously covered, when Intermarché debuted its line of misshapen or disfigured fruits and vegetables, its Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables line sold 1.2 tons of Inglorious produce in the first two days of the program alone with a 24% increase in overall store traffic.
Rauch plans on bringing this same business model to the United States with Daily Table.
The first Daily Table location will open this fall in Dorchester, Massachusetts. If it succeeds he says there will be plenty more to follow.
For more on Daily Table, you can read our previous article on the new retailer here.
BROOKS, OR - Curry & Company is appointing Boris Manz as the new General Manager of Santiago, Chile-based Curry Fruit Chile SA. He will be responsible for the company’s import and export Chilean Fruit Program.
“Boris brings a level of excitement to our team that is contagious,” said Matt Curry, Curry & Co. President. “He has helped develop programs around the world for the past three years and he’s going to be a real asset to Curry Fruit Chile SA. He understands what customers want and knows how to communicate those messages and needs to our team.”
During the West Coast’s North American blueberry season, Boris works closely with Curry & Co.’s team which is currently harvesting in Oregon and Washington, according to a press release. Prior to joining the company, he worked for Vitalberry Marketing (VBM) in Chile where he helped establish and develop retail and wholesale programs for blueberries and cherries in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Peru, and the United Kingdom.
“I like produce because it is very dynamic and the industry continues to grow worldwide,” said Boris. “Over the past three years, I’ve really learned how consumers around the world expect good quality and consistent product, every market is looking for the right piece of fruit for their customer base. I also see large growth opportunities in markets we are exploring such as the Middle East, India, and China.”
Boris studied Agribusiness at the Universidad Catolica de Chile and graduated college from Colego Suizo in Santiago, Chile. He is an avid soccer player and enjoys skiing and bicycling.
Congrats on joining Curry & Co., Boris!
NIXA, MO - Market Fresh added a new face to its Florida campus team yesterday with the promotion of Adam Faust to Operations Coordinator. In his new role Faust will have a variety of responsibilities such as entering product, sales, and logistics data into Market Fresh's computer system and monitoring the daily activities of commodity investors. He will also now be responsible for analyzing market trends and working directly with Market Fresh's customers to expand its customer base.
“I am excited to be joining our team in Florida, where we have a beautiful facility and a great staff,” Faust said. “I look forward to earning our current customers’ trust and helping gain new customers. I have lofty goals, both personal and professional, as well.”
Faust has seven years of experience working in the produce industry, something that Market Fresh appreciated when making its decision to promote him to this new role.
“We knew when the position opened in Florida, Adam would be a great fit as his background has prepared him for his new position,” said Market Fresh CEO and owner, Steve Phipps. “We are confident he will thrive at our Florida facility!”
Before the promotion, Adam Faust worked as Market Fresh's Manager of Field Operations and Packaging. Prior to this position he spent time with Crossroads Fresh Connection and as a Inventory Control and Assistant Warehouse Manager for Martinous Produce, according to a press release.
Congratulations on the promotion, Adam!
Jim Grabowski, Well-Pict Director of Marketing, joins AndNowUKnow to discuss the company’s Summer strawberries and Display Wars promotion. Grabowski notes that proprietary raspberries are on the way as the category is in preproduction now.
Well-Pict’s Summer strawberries have excellent quality, sizing, color and aroma, and there are plenty of berries for retail. To promote them, Well-Pict is currently running an advertising promotion across the country called Display Wars. All retailers have to do is build a Well-Pict strawberry display and send in a photo of it to be entered for a chance to win an iPad mini. The promotion hopes to remind retailers that strawberries are a valuable part of the Summer season.
For more on Well-Pict's Display Wars contest, click here.
CALIFORNIA - With 4th of July festivities approaching, grapes have been in high demand as growers are making the transition from Coachella/Mexico to the San Joaquin Valley.
There is currently a high demand for reds that has kept prices around $20 - $22, and greens around $22 - $24. With prices at such high levels, we’ll still have to wait and see if the transition will have any effect on pricing.
Rob Spinelli of Anthony Vineyards tells AndNowUKnow that they finished harvest in Coachella around the 25th and started Arvin harvest in time for the 4th of July pull. “Mexico and Coachella finished early so everyone made the switch to Arvin,” Spinelli said. He expects to see steady demand even after the holiday.
Jim Llano of Castle Rock Vineyards tells us that they are currently finishing their last variety in Coachella, but have already started at Arvin to stay ahead of the high demand for Flames, Summer Royals and Sugar Ones.
Randy Giumarra from Giumarra Vineyards is optimistic that demand will remain strong and sees pricing staying in the $18 range through the entire month of July. “With fewer Sugraones in the market than past years and good demand for Flames we’re looking for the market to settle in that range. Going forward, with all of the new varieties of table grapes filling shorter windows than with the older conventional varieties, we hope to see consistent demand right through fall and into the winter months.”
With the transition fully underway, growers are already looking at what will come next.
Llano says that Castle Rock is looking forward to the volume of Sweet Celebration this season as it enters its 2nd year. With good volume and quality, they should be even more accessible to retailers.
For Anthony Vineyards, Spinelli tells us that they are looking forward to a strong crop of organic grapes to help satisfy a large demand.
With the question of any changes in pricing still up in the air, we’ll continue to keep an eye on the season. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for the latest updates.
MILWAUKEE, WI – Roundy’s, Inc. has announced the closure of its Stevens Point, WI distribution facility just months after it announced its planned departure from the Twin Cities area.
In a mass layoff notice sent to officials in the state of Wisconsin, the company stated that the closure will result in the loss of 196 jobs by September 13th, according to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Roundy’s says that the closure is in connection with its recent announcement of the divestiture of its Rainbow stores in the Twin Cities area, according to a press release.
In that divestiture, Roundy’s sold 18 Rainbow stores to a group of local grocery retailers, including Supervalu, in a $65 million deal in attempts to fully exit the Minneapolis/St. Paul market. Supervalu’s aggregate purchase price across its multiple purchase agreements is approximately $35 million. If it cannot find buyers for its remaining 9 stores, the company plans to close them as well.
For more information on this process, check out our previous story by clicking here.
The company will now consolidate its operations to its Oconomowoc, WI and Mazomanie, WI distribution facilities.
The Stevens Point facility will follow a gradual phase-out plan before operations cease entirely by September 30, 2014.