JACKSONVILLE, FL - Retail eyes seem to be honed in on Florida real estate. Latest to expand its Sunshine State presence is Southeastern Grocers’ (SEG), which announced that it is continuing its rapid expansion plans with new Fresco y Más stores and Harveys Supermarkets opening next month.
“The unprecedented success we have witnessed over the past year at our Fresco y Más and Harveys Supermarket banners is a clear indicator that we are providing localized shopping experiences that resonate with our customers,” Anthony Hucker, President and CEO, said. “Rather than relying on one store model, we are entrenching ourselves in the communities we serve to better understand each unique landscape, and our customers’ shopping habits.”
SEG will welcome five new Fresco y Más stores in South Florida, opening on November 2, and three new Harveys Supermarkets, opening November 8, in West Florida. The move makes the banners the fastest growing in the company, according to a press release, which is the parent of Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie as well.
All 23 Fresco y Más locations will offer fresh, Hispanic favorites in produce, as well as meat and bakery, plus over 3,000 items lowered in price across the store. The new Harveys Supermarkets will open with its continued commitment to great value and great prices, offering over 3,200 items lower in price across all 80 stores.
SEG noted that its strategic conversion of Winn-Dixie stores to Fresco y Más and Harveys Supermarket locations emphasize the multi-format approach to its diverse retail footprint.
“More than ever, we are committed to providing our customers with quality, service, and value, and the overwhelming positive response from shoppers indicates we are earning their trust as we continue to unveil new Fresco y Más and Harveys Supermarket stores,” Hucker added.
The news breaks on the heels of an announcement from Sprouts for its own expansion that includes eastern stores, with an updated number of new locations in Florida as well.
As the dynamic buy-side continues to turn up the heat, AndNowUKnow will be sure to bring you the latest.
WATSONVILLE, CA – The start of autumn brings the start of school, and California Giant Berry Farms already considers this school year a success. After launching its first ever Back-to-School campaign back in August–a campaign set to entice college age students with an e-book chock full of easy-to-make food ideas and hacks, and offer a sweepstakes giveaway of two $150 and one $500 Visa gift cards–California Giant was overwhelmed by participation and feedback exceeded expectations.
“This program was really based on feedback received in a brief survey conducted on social media along with real world experiences from our Marketing Coordinator, Morgan Maitoza, a recent college graduate,” said Cindy Jewell, VP of Marketing, in a press release. “Timing of this type of promotion also hits home with many families here at Cal Giant with kids and grandkids going to college this year for the first time.”
By the end of the six-week campaign, California Giant Berry Farms received over 120,000 entries in the sweepstakes, 20,000 downloads of the e-book, and over 4,000 new contacts that opted in to the company database as new customers. Facilitated solely through social media channels and database contacts, these results showed the company that this audience is hungry for fresh solutions and wants a lot more information in the future.
The new Fresh Start: College Edition is just the beginning of a conversation between California Giant and young adults between 18-25 who are trying to find solutions on how to stay healthy on a budget and learn to shop on their own. The company plans to continue to engage this valuable consumer to better support their future shopping behavior and win their brand loyalty.
We look forward to seeing new California Giant campaigns, in the future. For more produce industry news, AndNowUKnow will keep you updated.
BARCELONA, SPAIN & KINGSVILLE, ON - Mastronardi Produce has announced a new partnership that will allow it to exclusively distribute Monterosa tomatoes in North America. This strategic partnership between Semillas Fitó, S.A. and Mastronardi Produce Ltd will be long-term, and will be key in Fito’s international brand sales strategy by bringing its proprietary Monterosa tomatoes to North American consumers.
“We’re thrilled to bring such a unique and flavorful tomato to North American consumers,” shared President Paul Mastronardi. “Our company is built on flavor and innovation, and I’m certain that Monterosa will be an incredible new addition to our offering.”
Monterosa is a cross between a pear tomato from Spain and a Costoluto Genovese from Italy, according to a press release, and has been obtaining excellent results in the national market (distributed through Gavà Group company) and in Europe (distributed through BelOrta in Belgium, Savéol in France and Cedior in Italy) since its commercial release two years ago.
The Monterosa tomato is characterized by its intense pink color, sweet taste, soft meat, and fine skin, making it a tomato with worldwide consumer appeal. Mastronardi, a fourth-generation family business, will now be the key driving force behind Fito’s new North American footprint, the company says.
Attendees of next week’s PMA Fresh Summit will be able to try the Monterosa for themselves for the first time, so check out SUNSET® booth #533 to sample and learn even more about what could be North America’s next big tomato craze.
YUMA, AZ – As the weather begins to cool down in the San Joaquin Valley, Legend Produce’s transition to its Arizona fall melon crop is starting to heat up. The company continues to ship good volume of high-quality melons out of Mendota, CA as the Westside winds down, before all the focus switches to Arizona’s October 10th start date.
“Looking ahead, we will have an excellent fall season over the next 6 weeks from Yuma, Arizona, with exceptional quality and flavor,” says Barry Zwillinger of Legend Produce. He also tells me that the company’s projections for the season are right on target, with the forecasts predicting perfect weather conditions for the final leg of the domestic cantaloupe season. With experience farming in Yuma for over twenty years, Barry says Legend Produce is once again expecting the fall season to produce the same excellent melons as seen in seasons past. “We will have good volume on larger sizes out of the desert that will showcase the high-quality, sweet flavors, and fragrant aromas which our varieties are best known for,” says Barry.
Throughout all four seasons–whether it’s domestic or import–Legend Produce says its focus always remains on the customer. The goal is to build loyalty by consistently sending the best eating fruit on every order to ensure the end consumer gets something they enjoy. “A satisfied customer is a returning customer,” says Barry. “Customers know good fruit, and if they eat a sweet, juicy, flavorful cantaloupe, they will come back to buy more. If we as a company remain focused on the end customer by growing and choosing only the best seed varieties, everyone wins."
With plans to finish off the fall season strong, get your orders in for Legend’s excellent quality melons by contacting the sales office at 623-298-3782. As the company's slogan says, “The Legend Continues.”
WENATCHEE, WA – Encouraging kids to eat their fruit doesn’t have to be a challenge with Stemilt Grower’s tiny fruit for tiny mouths. The central Washington company who grows, packs, and ships apples, pears, and other tree fruits turned small fruit into a branding success through its distinguished kid-sized fruit program, Lil Snappers®.
“Lil Snappers’ creation back in 2011 was to help elevate consumer demand for smaller fruit,” said Brianna Shales, Communications Manager. “And now, here we are, six years later and the program has grown tremendously. We offer multiple varieties in high-quality grades which is helping retailers drive sales and target a specific and important shopper group both today and in the future–parents and kids.”
With a variety of flavors, high quality fruit, and convenient pouches, each Lil Snappers 3lb apple or 2lb pear bag holds ten pieces of fruit, which means that a household with two children can pack a serving of fruit every day for a week with Lil Snappers.
Stemilt offers Lil Snappers in multiple conventional and organic apple varieties, including Braeburn, Fuji, Gala, Granny Smith, Honeycrisp Piñata®, and Pink Lady®. “The varieties offered are the flavors that kids actually want to eat,” stated Shales, in a recent press release. “Today, our consumers are parents of children, but those children are the fruit consumers of tomorrow, so we need to learn what they like and keep offering those varieties.”
Stemilt also offers multiple pear varieties including Bartlett, Bosc, Concorde, d’Anjou, Red Pears, and Tosca in both conventional and organic options. “Organic pears are a niche item, but Stemilt is passionate about offering a full line-up of Lil Snappers through our Artisan Organics™ program. The 2lb offering for organic pears allows retailers to offer a lower retail price and drive sales to both the organic and pear categories,” Shales added.
The Lil Snappers program is also selling well online. “Retailers have seen a great deal of success when selling the Lil Snappers brand online,” reported Shales. “The biggest challenge retailers will face when it comes to e-commerce will be the consumer trusting someone to pick out their fresh produce. This will not be an issue for Lil Snappers brand. The consumer understands what they are getting when they decide to purchase our brand–high-quality, flavorful fruit the whole family will benefit from.”
This trust has been evident the last six years as the Lil Snappers program has grown tremendously in both sales dollars and varieties. In 2016, the year over year volume for the brand was up 131.1 percent and dollars up 123 percent, and Shales is confident that the small fruit success will keep coming.
“We expect to see a continual climb of success for this program,” stated Shales. “At the peak of the season, we will see smaller fruit sizes, making this year’s crop a perfect time to build the Lil Snappers brand at your store. Plus, Stemilt is expanding their organic availability with multiple varieties, so we will see an increase across the board with our organics category. Not only does this open more doors for organic consumers, it gives retailers more opportunity for success with the Lil Snappers program.”
While parents and their kids tend to be the driving force behind the brand, Shales confirms the grab-and-go style of the pouch bag is designed to catch the eye of any consumer who doesn’t have time to buy fruit in bulk and who prefer a smaller piece of fruit.
For more produce industry news, AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
INDIANAPOLIS, IN - Always an advocate to the fresh produce industry, not to mention a friendly face, Produce Mom® Lori Taylor is making an exciting new announcement ahead of this year’s PMA Fresh Summit. After five years of growing her blog, starting once as the consumer brand of the Indianapolis Fruit Company, Lori Taylor has announced she will be rebranding The Produce Mom to The Produce Moms™.
“I believe that if we are going to change the way America eats and establish a preference for fresh produce, we have to start at the source and build a community of moms, children, and school professionals that want to see positive change,” said Lori, CEO of The Produce Moms. “This community of Produce Moms will be comprised of the people that will ultimately lead and shape change in their local homes, schools, and communities.”
Now further solidifying its place as an important educational media brand for the produce industry, Lori and her team have grown the company’s aim to serve three specific audiences: moms, children, and school professionals, providing inspirational content and action-oriented materials for each audience that is geared towards increasing the consumption of fresh produce in America.
“We intend to provide our community of Produce Moms with access to educative content on a regular basis, as we have done for the past two years,” Lori added. “In addition, it is my goal to provide tools and turnkey solutions that The Produce Moms’ army can access and use to shape change in their own communities around the country.”
Over the past two years, The Produce Mom has been working as the sole-source provider of a grant awarded to the state of Indiana by the USDA Team Nutrition program. Over this time period, The Produce Mom has hosted special events at schools geared to introduce students to fresh produce varieties and encourage foodservice professionals to provide fresh fruits and vegetables. The grant project continues for the next year, according to a press release, and includes the publication of a national digital curriculum and continuing education program for school foodservice professionals in all fifty states.
“The work that Lori and her team have conducted in K12 schools over the past two years has been transformational. I’m grateful to be a part of this movement as we’ve witnessed first-hand how children react positively to healthier food choices by making it exciting, available, and delicious,” shared Chef Todd Fisher, a culinary veteran and spokesperson for Duda Farm Fresh Foods.“Through public-private partnership between the USDA and Duda Farm Fresh Foods, I had the great opportunity to collaborate with The Produce Moms and educate over 200 school foodservice professionals.”
Duda, The Produce Moms, and the USDA have had a strong working relationship, supporting a three-day live culinary skills training program earlier this year. The training included Smarter Lunchrooms strategies and recipe development to promote the under-consumed vegetable subcategories and impacted over 1 billion annual school meals.
The Produce Moms has worked with many fresh produce brands across the industry, which have been partners, supporters, and advocates of Lori’s work since the company’s inception. Through these collaborations, fresh produce brands have had the opportunity to reach consumers in a way that is purposeful and puts fresh fruit and vegetable products at the forefront.
“The Produce Moms provides Wada Farms with an engaged and evolving resource for on-trend marketing discussions, both with The Produce Moms consumer community, and the other well-respected brands of The Produce Moms’ Family of Partners,” said Kevin Stanger, President of Wada Farms. “Wada Farms believes in The Produce Moms and has benefitted greatly from our two-year association with the brand.”
If you’d like to learn more information about how to join the fresh produce fight with Lori and The Produce Moms, visit http://www.theproducemoms.com/. Lori will also be in attendance at this year’s Fresh Summit, and will be available to meet with brands and enthusiasts seeking to connect to the cause and the consumer.
OXNARD, CA - Over the years as Mission Produce has continued on its goal of leading the ripe avocado revolution, the company has picked up a few unique tricks of the trade when it comes to handling the creamy, chartreuse fruit. Now, with thirty-five years of experience under its belt and eleven ripe centers globally, Mission Produce is ready to share those tips with you, launching a best practices avocado guide, AvocaDOs and DON’Ts.
“AvocaDOs and DON’Ts addresses the things people have wondered but haven’t asked or talked about,” Brent Scattini, VP of Sales and Marketing told ANUK. “We are aware of where this category is going, and by pulling the curtain back on sizing, seasonality, and data-driven category insights we’re helping our customers not only keep up, but get ahead.”
According to a press release, Mission will be rolling out two versions of the guide simultaneously—one geared toward Retail, with helpful handling practices, merchandising tips, and consumption data, and the other for Foodservice, containing food safety practices, cutting and storing recommendations, and menu insights.
“Ripe avocados have grown to be one of the top five items in the produce department, and we want our retailers to fully capitalize on the trend. Our best practices guide, AvocaDOs and DON’Ts, equips them with additional tools to make that happen,” said Patrick Cortes, Director of Sales. “We also want to make sure we are providing the same type of insights to our foodservice operators, who have their own set of avocado handling challenges. Mission’s avocado best practices guides provide all of our customers the information they need to manage their avocado category.”
Denise Junquiero, the company’s Director of Marketing, added that with the new guides, Mission sought to provide solutions to people across the avocado supply chain.
“Our goal was to design AvocaDOs and DON’Ts to be relevant to all levels, from a Vice President, Buyer, Store Produce Manager, or Chef. We want everyone to find it useful,” she said.
For those attending PMA in New Orleans in the coming weeks, Mission Produce will have the AvocaDOs and DON’Ts guidebooks on hand at its booth #644, as well as complementary assets, including backroom posters and infographics. The guidebooks can also be mailed upon request, as well as found online at www.worldsfinestavocados.com/
CINCINNATI, OH – Kroger started today with aplomb, announcing plans to create value for shareholders and focus on redefining the food and customer experience through digital and technology, expanding partnerships to create customer value, developing talent, and creating social impact. Perhaps the most compelling part of the company’s plan, though, may be the reevaluation and potential sale of Kroger’s various c-store banners.
"We know that when we serve America through food inspiration and uplift, we create value for our shareholders, customers, and associates," said Rodney McMullen, Chairman and CEO, in a press release. "We understand that today's marketplace is shifting rapidly. Kroger's success has always depended on our ability to proactively address changes by focusing relentlessly on our customers…Restock Kroger builds on our strengths and strategically repositions Kroger to accelerate our customer-centered efforts in order to create shareholder value."
With a new plan called the “Restock Kroger Plan,” the company outlined a slate of propositions fueled by capital investments, cost savings, and free cash flow.
The Restock Kroger plan is expected to generate $400 million in incremental operating margin by 2020, the company noted, and Kroger is purportedly planning to outline how it will prioritize its estimated $9 billion in capital investments to support Restock Kroger over the next three years. The company also noted that it expects to generate more than $4 billion of free cash flow over the next three years—nearly double what was generated over the previous three years
One major source of cash may be the sale of Kroger’s c-store division. In a section entitled “Exploring Strategic Alternatives for Convenience Store Business,” the company outlined plans that could result in the sale of 768 c-stores across 18 states and a variety of banners, including: Turkey Hill Minit Markets, Loaf 'N Jug, KwikShop, Tom Thumb, and QuickStop.
"Our convenience stores are strong, successful and growing with the potential to grow even more. We want to look at all options to ensure this part of the business is meeting its full potential. Considering the current premium multiples for convenience stores, we feel it is our obligation as a management team to undertake this review," said Mike Schlotman, Kroger's EVP and CFO. "Our convenience store management and associates are an important part of our success. They put our customer first every day. We value what they do and thank them for what they will continue to do as we conduct this evaluation."
Including fuel, the company noted, Kroger's convenience store business generated $4 billion in total sales last year.
Bloomberg and other financial news sources reported that Kroger’s stock jumped this morning, buoyed by the news of a c-store sale. Bloomberg also speculated that potential suitors for Kroger’s c-store division could include 7-Eleven Quebec-based Alimentation Couche-Tard, two of the largest North American c-store operators.
In addition, Kroger reaffirmed its 2017 guidance, including:
- Identical supermarket sales growth of 0.5 to 1.0%, excluding fuel, for the remainder of 2017
- Net earnings of $1.74 to $1.79 per diluted share, including an estimated $.09 for the 53rd week
- Adjusted net earnings of $2.00 to $2.05 per diluted share, including the 53rd week and excluding charges related to the withdrawal liability for certain multi-employer pension funds and a voluntary retirement offering (the "2017 adjustment items")
To view the entirety of the Restock Kroger Plan, click here.
Will a c-store sale bring ballast to the Ohio-based retailer as it vies with an Amazon-owned Whole Foods, a resurgent Walmart, and others? AndNowUKnow will continue to report.
BENTONVILLE, AR - Retail giant Walmart is predicting strong turnaround from the significant moves it has made to counteract Amazon on the e-commerce terf, having set a prediction of 40% growth in online sales next year. Shortly after, the stock market responded in kind with as much as a 4.5% boost, according to Reuters.
In the leadup to an annual investor meeting we reported on the unveiled intentions Walmart released about the growth projection, as well as plans to invest $11 billion in capital expenditures and add 1,000 online grocery locations.
“We are going to lean into places like technology, e-commerce, international stores,” Chief Financial Officer Brett Biggs said in the webcast of the meeting, Reuters noted.
Growth is also forecasted for overall net sales, according to the retailer. The meeting touched on a boost of at least 3% in the year ending January 2019, adding it would buy back $20 billion of its shares over the next two years.
Its shares rose 4.5 percent to close at $84.13, reported as the top driver of gains in the Dow Jones Industrial Average and S&P 500 index. As of this morning, shares were still up as the last week reflected the strong climb.
With reported growth of about 62% for the first half of fiscal 2018, up from 12% from a year ago, AndNowUKnow will continue to eye this and other big players in the dynamic buy-side market.
PHOENIX, AZ – Sprouts Farmers Market continues to spread its roots, this time expanding into new markets in the Sunshine State. The presses have barely cooled since the retailer announced that it was expanding Eastward amongst some of the nine new locations planned for 2018. Now, the chain has confirmed it will expand its Florida footprint by adding stores in Orlando, Naples, and the Tampa area.
“We knew residents’ interest in health and value would make Sprouts a natural fit for Floridians,” said Ted Frumkin, Chief Development Officer, in a press release. “We’re ramping up expansion efforts based on the strong performance of our Tampa and Sarasota stores, and positive customer response to the affordable fresh and natural products across the entire store.”
The Orlando area store will be its first in that market, set to open in Winter Park. Naples, too, will be a first for Sprouts, opening near the intersection of Immokalee Road and Logan Boulevard. Tampa is a market the brand has an increasing presence in; in addition to recently announced plans of opening a store in Valrico during the first quarter of 2018, the retailer opened three stores in Tampa and one in Sarasota earlier this year.
Sprouts attributed its rapid southeast expansion’s anchoring to a distribution center that opened in Atlanta last year.
Additional details, including opening dates for these sites, are said to be announced at a later date. You can see a full list of stores by region, or others coming soon, at sprouts.com/stores/search.