WASHINGTON, DC - It’s that time of year! United Fresh is now accepting nominations for the 2019 Retail Produce Manager Awards Program. The purpose of this program is to recognize 25 remarkable retail managers for their innovative merchandising, produce-related community outreach, and increased store sales.
“The ability to creatively merchandise product, interact with customers, and oversee the growth of not only the department’s offerings, but also the people within the department, is paramount,” noted Jeff Cady, Director of Produce & Floral, Tops Friendly Markets and Chairman of the United Fresh Retail-Foodservice Board. “Fresh produce is a vital part of our day-to-day business, and being able manage it successfully is invaluable and truly appreciated throughout the industry.”
Since the program’s inception 15 years ago, over 300 produce managers from over 100 different retail banners have been honored. The 25 award winners, along with their corporate produce directors, will receive complimentary airfare, hotel accommodations, and registration to United Fresh 2019, which takes place June 10-12, in Chicago, Illinois.
According to a press release, the program is sponsored by Dole Food Company this year.
“This is Dole’s fifth year as title sponsor of the United Fresh Retail Produce Manager Awards, and we could not be more proud to be a part of this important recognition program,” shared Johan Linden, President and CEO of Dole Food Company. “These men and women do so much to promote the increased consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables, and this gives us an opportunity to recognize that contribution and a platform to express our sincere thanks on behalf of our company and our industry.”
In order to nominate someone, forms can be accessed online at www.unitedfresh.org and must be received by Thursday, January 24, 2019.
Happy nominating!
GRAND RAPIDS, MI - SpartanNash Company announced the financial results of the company’s third quarter fiscal 2018—noting top-line growth and teasing a new partnership and a company-wide initiative designed to transform the company’s culture.
“We continued to make good progress on our strategic business objectives during the third quarter with particular strength in our food distribution segment sales where we benefited from retention in our core customer base and expanded business with key customers,” said David Staples, President and Chief Executive Officer, in a press release. “We continue to work diligently to address the industry challenges that face the company and are pleased to have generated new business wins across our food distribution and military segments that are expected to commence in the mid to late fourth quarter, with the majority of the benefits to be realized in 2019.”
Highlights from the company’s Q3 include:
- Consolidated net sales for the third quarter increased $18.3 million, or 1.0%, to $1.89 billion from $1.87 billion in the prior year quarter
- Gross profit for the third quarter of fiscal 2018 of $256.1 million, or 13.6% of net sales, compared to $261.7 million, or 14.0% of net sales, in the prior year quarter
- Operating expenses for the third quarter of $229.3 million, or 12.2% of net sales, compared to $455.6 million, or 24.4% of net sales, in the prior year’s third quarter
- Operating earnings of $26.8 million compared to an operating loss $193.9 million in the prior year quarter
- Adjusted EBITDA of $48.3 million compared to $55.9 million in the prior year quarter
Among additional highlights the company noted plans to pilot a test program to deliver fresh product to smaller format stores in the fourth quarter of 2018 and to enhance food processing operations and offer new and innovative opportunities in value-added prepared product categories.
“In addition to these top line wins, I am excited to announce that we have partnered with a third party advisory firm to begin a company-wide initiative designed to transform our culture, empowering associates at all levels to drive substantial ongoing, sustainable improvements to our business processes and results,” Staples continued. “This initiative is intended to position the company to take full advantage of the opportunities we expect to see over the next one to two years.”
SpartanNash also noted work on its long-term strategic objective—to evolve into a growth company focused on developing a national, highly efficient distribution platform and servicing a diverse customer base. This work included efforts to improve the company’s core distribution network, enhance its supply chain capabilities, and better serve both the East and West Coasts.
For more information, read SpartanNash’s earnings statement in its entirety here.
SYRACUSE, UT - Is Onions 52 a year old—or forty? Last year, Utah Onions, Inc. completed a transformative rebrand—complete with a new name, logo, a newly launched website, and complete brand overhaul. And the company is now experiencing a Renaissance (pun intended), according to CEO Bob Meek; Onions 52 has excelled in all areas, with the company’s rebranding and marketing efforts at the helm of it all.
“Last year was the 40th year of business for Utah Onions, Inc., and the need for a name change and updated website to reinforce a more accurate description of services was long overdue,” Meek stated, in a press release. “Looking back one year ago today, our marketing and branding efforts have been a tremendous success, and a proven catalyst to our continuing growth and customer success.”
The newly-launched Onions 52 website also has an impressive list of creative upgrades targeted at both end consumers and the trade.
“We designed the new website with the needs of our industry and our loyal customers in mind,” said Director of Marketing Falon Rufty. “Our goal was to create an aesthetically-pleasing website that captured our company initiative to provide safe, high-quality onions, 52 weeks a year. We also wanted to ensure the new website would be simple to use and would serve as an interactive resource that would be beneficial to whomever, wherever. Whether a produce manager needed to download signage before a store event, a buyer was curious of our red onion pack styles, or a friend was looking to quickly access the ingredients in our Pressure Cooker Sweet Pork Tacos while perusing the aisles of the grocery store; all of these resources [and much more] are now easily accessible on the all-new Onions 52 website.”
Congratulations, from the ANUK crew, on a year of well-deserved success—and many more to come.
PASADENA, CA - Sun Pacific’s signature mandarin brand Cuties® is helping add oomph to produce departments this season with the introduction of a new “fuel up” themed Snacking Station.
“Our new Snacking Stations help position Cuties as the better snacking choice when compared to the sugary and processed snacks that are typically placed in the middle of the store or near checkout,” said Kate Reeb, Director of Marketing, in a press release. “We want to help retailers capture more impulse buys and keep Cuties top of mind with shoppers for their snack purchases.”
The in-store Cuties Snacking Station is designed to be fun, convenient, and to help retailers meet the needs of parents looking for healthy snacks that are affordable, properly proportioned, healthy and convenient to give their kids and themselves.
According to the company’s press release, 94 pecent of Americans today enjoy a daily snack and view snacking as a healthy part of their lifestyle, according to Mintel. Sun Pacific noted that millennials snack up to five times a day, and millennial parents, in particular, are actively looking for healthy snacks that are convenient and portable while still being healthy. Cuties® mandarins are an ideal on-the-go snacking solution for kids and parents alike. Cuties Snacking Stations can be strategically placed in secondary locations outside of the produce department to help retailers earn more of shoppers’ snacking spend and capitalize on shopper interest in fresh and healthy foods.
For more fresh-focused new on in-store merchandising advice and solutions, retail support, and more, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
VANCOUVER, BC - There’s no slowing apple season down, and as we continue to head into the heart of it, Oppy is extending a helping hand toward retailers by pointing to four of the highest valued premium apples that are sure to drive sales this winter season. With the best in flavor, crunch, and eating experience, the BC Ambrosia, and Washington-grown JAZZ™, Envy™, and Pacific Rose™ are four of the top 10 best-performing in volume premium varieties that retailers won’t want to miss stocking up on.
“Premium varieties now represent over a third of all apples on the shelf,” David Nelley, Vice President of Oppy’s Apple, Pear, and Cherry Categories, said. “It’s no secret that consumers are demanding more from the apples they buy. Now our customers have the task of selecting the combination of varieties that most excite their shoppers and contribute to the category. With so many good apples to choose from, we’re pleased to see Ambrosia, JAZZ, Envy, and Pacific Rose allow retailers to be regionally right depending on the flavor profile down to store level.”
Nelley also noted that growing conditions throughout the summer have yielded a crop of high quality and preferred size profile.
“The BC Ambrosia is absolutely stunning this year,” said Nelley. “Growing in volume in BC, Ambrosia rightly holds the number three spot on the premium apple sales performance list. It’s well-established with consumers and offers a color break, with BC Tree Fruits rebranding in 2017 to segregate their superior quality standards over other Ambrosia grown around the province.”
Following Ambrosia is JAZZ, the “always refreshing” apple that began shipping in late October out of Washington. Tangy-sweet JAZZ is sizing larger this year than last, and Oppy is offering greater volumes of organic JAZZ than ever before, according to a press release.
The JAZZ, Pacific Rose, and popular Envy brands are owned by Oppy’s partner T&G Global, based out of Auckland, NZ.
“With the Washington crop showing awesome color, this is the first time we’ve been able to offer Envy™ over a 12-month supply window,” Nelley continued. “Growing by 24 percent in category sales contribution in the last year, we continue to be very excited by Envy™. Naturally non-browning, bright red and sweet, Envy’s wide appeal makes it the best apple to originate out of NZ since the Royal Gala when I started out in this business."
Looking to keep consumers with a preference for delicate, sweet flavors satisfied this winter? Nelley points to the Pacific Rose, which has fulfilled an important niche with older shoppers with higher household incomes, ethnic retailers, and in the stores of mainstream chains that serve Asian and Hispanic neighborhoods.
“Pacific Rose has long enjoyed popularity with customers in Asia,” Nelly concluded. “We’ve also built the market for it domestically in recent years and have collaborated with T&G to develop a new brand and brand positioning for the apple which we believe will enhance its appeal in North America when it launches in December. Most of the Pacific Rose we offer is produced by the Crane Family Orchards in Brewster, Washington, whose perfect growing conditions and commitment make its quality exceptional.”
What are you waiting for? There are apples to be enjoyed! To keep up with fresh fruit and veg, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
UNITED STATES - The grocery games aren't just a Food Network show I occasionally binge watch on Sundays. They’re a very real phenomenon, and they involve some retail and e-tail heavy hitters, namely Walmart and Amazon. And this time, one has passed ahead of the other in a very important arena: online grocery shopping.
In a research survey led by Retail Feedback Group, Walmart surpassed Amazon in online food shopping. More shoppers said they most recently visited Walmart’s site to fill their grocery needs. Local supermarkets came in third place, which Bloomberg reported stemmed from the help of Instacart, which handles orders for Kroger and other retailers.
But just how has Walmart moved ahead? The answer lies in the development of its curbside grocery pickup service, which is currently available in nearly 2,000 stores. At an investor conference, Walmart said that this number would soon go up by another 1,000 by the end of 2019.
Will Walmart continue to ride the grocery wave? Or does Amazon have a trick up its sleeve? AndNowUKnow will continue to report on the latest in the grocery sector.
BOULDER, CO - Lucky’s Market is diving deeper into the Sunshine and Centennial States, signing leases for new stores in Boca Raton (two locations), Kendall, Bradenton, and Clearwater, Florida. The natural and organic foods grocer also reported solid growth in-line with its expanding brick-and-mortar footprint.
In addition to the aforementioned stores, Lucky’s Market also recently announced new stores in the following Florida locations: Hunters Creek, Winter Park, Oakleaf, Bonita Springs, Cape Coral, Naples, Fort Myers, Port Charlotte, Venice, Dania Beach, Downtown Orlando, Vineland, Colonial Landing, Lake Mary, Port St. Lucie, Pensacola and Ormond Beach.
Beyond the southeast, the retailer is also slating two new stores in its home state of Colorado.
According to a press release, Lucky’s Market currently operates 15 stores in Florida and 33 stores in total. The newly announced store locations are scheduled to open in the next 18 to 24 months.
For more of the latest in retail expansions, acquisitions, and happenings, stick with us at AndNowUKnow.
BOISE, ID - Albertsons Companies announced a spate of ways in which the retailer was working to improve sustainability practices this week. The company’s 2018 Sustainability Update highlights successful efforts to reduce waste, expand organic offerings, lead in seafood sustainability, and support the causes customers care about. The centerpiece of the report involves the purchase of 10 all-electric Tesla trucks for its Southern California fleet.
“Our employee promise is to Make Every Day a Better Day,” said President and CEO Jim Donald, in a press release. “That means being a good community partner and a committed steward of the environment. We take that obligation seriously because our company is growing and innovating at lightning speed. And when we move forward, we leave a trail behind.”
Albertsons noted, in that press release, that it plans to use these 10 Tesla all-electric semi-trucks to service Albertsons, Vons, and Pavilions stores in Southern California. The trucks will be able to travel from 300 miles to upwards of 500 miles on a single charge while fully loaded, and the trucks use less than two kilowatt hours of energy per mile.
“Advancing supply chain efficiency and sustainability is an important goal for our company,” said Tom Nartker, VP of Transportation. “We’re excited to pilot this expansion of our transportation program with trucks that help us limit our overall carbon footprint.”
Other hallmarks Albertsons noted in the company’s Sustainability Update include:
- Having surpassed $1 billion in sales for the O Organics® line of USDA-certified organic products. O Organics is now one of the nation's largest private-label USDA-certified organic brands
- Having Won the 2017 Environmental Protection Agency Safer (EPA) Choice Partner of the Year Award for promoting safer products such as Open Nature™ household cleaning supplies
- The company trained 3,000 pharmacists to administer NARCAN® Nasal Spray, a life-saving drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose
- Albertsons donated more than $250 million in food donations to local food banks
- The company raised and distributed $44.6 million to support causes that impact customers’ lives, including wildfire and hurricane disaster relief, veterans’ charities, childhood hunger, and cancer research and treatment
- Albertsons was named an EPA Green Power Partner for the fourth consecutive year for procuring and using renewable energy
For more on forward-thinking companies in the fresh produce space, keep reading AndNowUKnow.
IRVINE, CA - With an eye on the future of our industry and what entities will help us get there more efficiently, Western Growers’ AgSharks™ Competition saw a $250,000 equity investment offer awarded to robot-building start-up Augean Robotics.
“If we are going to continue providing safe and healthy food to a growing population, there needs to be a systemic transformation of the way we cultivate our food. That’s where technology comes in,” said Tom Nassif, President and CEO at Western Growers. “Providing growth opportunities for cutting-edge companies such as Augean Robotics will play a significant role in improving how we farm so we can dramatically increase food production. Also, investing in these innovations will be crucial to minimizing our need for manual laborers through automation and reducing our environmental footprint through efficient water use.”
Augean looks to build robots to help farm workers work more productively, with the long-term objective of automating all of the tedious work performed on the farms and outdoors, according to a press release. Its product, Burro, follows workers, moves cargo autonomously, and captures the data needed to further automate farm work.
In addition to the investment, Augean Robotics walked away with access to farm acreage for pilot testing to take its collaborative robotic platform from development to market. The seed funding was awarded by S2G (Seed 2 Growth) Ventures after competing against four other start-up companies who also are inventing new technology solutions to solve agriculture’s most pressing issues.
“We continue to value this partnership with Western Growers and their members,” said Sanjeev Krishnan, Chief Investment Officer and Managing Director at S2G Ventures. “By providing capital to the entrepreneurs at Augean Robotics and WG’s market knowledge, we can feed the changing consumer and generate increased profits for the producers.”
Krishnan was among the judges panel of six experts in venture capitalism and the ag industry. The panel also included:
- Vic Smith, President & CEO of JV Smith Companies
- Kevin Andrew, Chief Farming Officer at Vanguard International
- Cristina Rohr, Vice President at S2G Ventures
- Matthew Walker, Managing Director at S2G Ventures.
- Robby Barkley, President & CEO of Barkley Ag Enterprise
During the competition, the agtech startups pitched to the judges and a live audience, being evaluated on the strength of their solution and potential to scale, among other assessment categories, according to a press release. The panel of judges provided feedback to each startup and advanced Augean Robotics to earn the investment offer.
“In S2G and Western Growers, we see a group with boots on the ground and eyes on the horizon—keenly aware of the day-to-day needs of farmers and the incredible potential for robots in agriculture over the coming decade,” said Charles Andersen, CEO of Augean Robotics. “We are honored to have their support and look forward to working together as we bring collaborative robots to the industry that needs it most.”
AgSharks premiered last October, where two agtech startups—Hazel Technologies and AgVoice—received a $2.25 million total investment offer from S2G Ventures. It is the latest WGA effort to identify key innovations in the fresh produce industry and support agtech startups in bringing their technology to market. Previous efforts include opening an agtech incubator—the WG Center for Innovation & Technology—in December 2015, and launching the AgTechx Summit series, which brings new ag technologies to major farming regions.
MISSION, TX - Texas Agriculture Commissioner Sid Miller visited Lone Star Citrus Growers to discuss key industry issues and tour the company’s facilities. He was accompanied by a delegation from The Texas Department of Agriculture. Previously, in July of 2018, Commissioner Miller’s office, along with the Texas Department of Agriculture, sponsored a delegation to South Korea which included VP of Sales, Trent Bishop.
“The purpose of the trip was to explore the South Korean market’s viability for importing Texas red grapefruit, and we were pleasantly surprised by both the hospitality of the South Koreans and their interest in our product,” said Bishop in a company press release.
The delegation met with the U.S. Embassy’s Agricultural Trade Office, Office of Agricultural Affairs, APHIS, and the three largest importers of U.S. grapefruit. The company noted that import/export negotiations are currently underway, and APHIS plans to address the project at the upcoming IPPC in Rome. During the visit to Lone Star Citrus, Commissioner Miller again reiterated his support of the project.
While there, Commissioner Miller enjoyed a tour of the packing and juice plants given by Bishop, VP of Operations T.J. Flowers, and Warehouse General Manager Gustavo Serrano.
“The Texas citrus industry is a vital part of the Texas economy, and I appreciate the opportunity to tour Lone Star Citrus and their state-of-the art-facility,” said Commissioner Miller.
Lone Star Citrus noted in its press release that it was grateful to Commissioner Miller for his leadership in the installation of TDA signage along Texas state borders, warning travelers that it is “unlawful to enter Texas with citrus plants.” The signage is a key strategy in the fight against citrus greening and other diseases. During his visit, Commissioner Miller shared that he is working toward the installation of four new produce inspection stations that will further protect the Texas grapefruit crop.
The Lone Star Citrus team stated that it appreciates the support of Commissioner Miller and the TDA, and looks forward to introducing Texas red grapefruit to new markets in the coming season.
For the latest in produce news, stick with us at AndNowUKnow.