CANADA - Wal-Mart has provided the amount it will cost for the announced growth it has planned for Canada, and it’s a healthy investment to our northern neighbor's economy and job market.
The 11 stores we previously reported that Wal-Mart has determined to open just one month after Target’s decision to pull out of the country was just the beginning. The company has now announced another 29 stores it plans to have open within the next year, all of them supercenters, totaling 40 new locations. The total estimation for the additional growth will cost the discount retailer about $270.1 million (C$340 million).
“Our mission is to provide multiple access points for customers to save money,” said Dirk Van den Berghe, President and CEO of Walmart Canada. “We will deliver on this commitment through a range of channels including our expanding network of supercentres, our accelerating e-commerce business, and our in-store pick up services.”
Here's a breakdown:
- Nearly C$230 million on new stores and remodeling
- C$75 million in distribution centers
- C$35 million to boost e-commerce initiatives
Wal-Mart expects the project to create nearly 5,000 construction, store and distribution center jobs, and add about 230,000 square feet of retail space, according to a press release.
While the company’s shares were at less than 1% down in light premarket trading, its overall shares are up about 11% in the past three months, putting the company in a promising position as it continues its growth outside of the continental U.S.
BERLIN – The trade visitors at FRUIT LOGISTICA in Berlin named the “Aurora Seedless Papaya” from Aviv Flowers Packing House Ltd. in Israel as the winner of the FRUIT LOGISTICA Innovation Award 2015.
“We are pleased and very thankful that Asaf Adizoar spent ten long years patiently developing this wonderfully tasty, seedless papaya. We are planning to do everything we can to promote the Aurora Papaya and sell it on global markets,” said Or Amos, Marketing Manager for Aviv Flowers Packing House Ltd.
This fruit is completely seedless and is characterized by its delicate fragrance and firm, full-flavored pulp. According to a press release, the fruit maintains its consistency for a long time after slicing.
The papaya, which weighs between 200 and 1000 grams, is the product of natural selection and crossing different varieties. Its target markets include the European Union, Switzerland and Canada.
The second place winner was the “Lemoncherry” tomato, developed by BelOrta in Belgium, and third place went to “DIY Fresh Packs” produced by Bakker Barendrecht in the Netherlands.
WENATCHEE, WA - Stemilt’s Pink Lady® brand apples and Sunkist Cara Cara™ Navel oranges are coming together in a new combo pack tickled pink.
The duo’s Lil Snappers™ line will be featured in a new 3 lb. bag featuring a bright pink stripe that both companies are confident will catch eyes in retail.
“Our pink combo bag brings exciting flavors and high-quality fruit from Stemilt and Sunkist in a smaller size profile that’s perfect for kids,” Brianna Shales, Stemilt Communications Manager, said. “It’s a great grab-and-go item that today’s busy parents want to find in their journey to feeding their kids healthy and tasty snacks.”
The packaging has a press-to-close, resealable zipper and a sturdy handle, while the bag itself is designed to stand up easily in the hopes of making the item convenient both in-store and the private homes, according to a press release..
Both fruits also feature the pink theme, with the Pink Lady® brand’s identifiable pink skin and the Cara Cara™ Navel orange split open to reveal a pink center.
“It’s peak season for both Pink Lady apples and Cara Cara navel oranges,” Joan Wickham, Sunkist’s Advertising and Public Relations Manager, said. “Parents rave about Lil Snappers™ and how convenient they make it to get their kids to eat more servings of fruit. This vibrant and fun combo pack is a great new item to introduce in stores in the final months of winter and first months of spring in order to boost sales in two of the produce department’s most important categories.”
The newly packaged items are already available in cartons containing nine 3 pound bags per carton, which the companies assure are easy and ready for retail display.
COACHELLA, CA – Prime Time International and Pacific Gold Farms are joining forces this year to grow, pack, and market the Pacific Gold pepper crop in Southern California.
“We have elected to move on from our long term marketing arrangement, which served us so well for many years. We could think of no better marketing team than our friends at Prime Time,” says Peter Orr, President of Pacific Gold Farms.
He added, “Their ability to orderly market significant volumes of peppers all year round make Prime Time our ideal new marketing partner.”
Jeff Taylor, Managing Member of Prime Time, agreed. He said, “The Pacific Gold label is one which has continuously produced outstanding quality and carries a terrific reputation in our industry.”
According to a press release, Pacific Gold will continue to grow, harvest, and pack the crop, and Prime Time will then take over the sales and marketing. The peppers will be packed with the Prime Time label and Prime Time’s southern California shipping location will give customers another option, in addition to Prime Time’s new facility in Somis.
The Pacific Gold season consists of field grown red and yellow peppers beginning in mid-July and lasting into November. The growing region is staggered over several hundred acres in Southern California.
UNITED STATES – It’s still a tight mango market, but the Mexican season is underway, and strong volumes are on the horizon.
I spoke with Freska’s Gary Clevenger about the season and its potential impact on the market.
Freska is currently harvesting Yellow Ataulfo in Mexico, with Reds coming soon. Speaking on quality and volume, Gary tells me, “We have been working with Ataulfo for a few weeks and are seeing good quality there. We will start Reds next week and expect strong and steady volume by mid-March.”
When that time comes, Freska has marketing plans ready. The company is starting with the kickoff of its Disney program for retail around late March to early April to correspond with the rise in volumes.
The weather in Mexico has been positive for growers, which is good news after the weather last year in Peru that delayed harvest and led to the decreased volume throughout December and January, which is driving prices.
Currently, Gary is seeing prices for all sizes around $7 - $8 for the East Coast and $9 - $11 for the West Coast. That difference in prices between the coasts is partly due to the West Coast port slowdowns, which has created a vacuum in the West Coast market and is causing millions of dollars of damages to both importers and exporters of not only mangos but other product that are having problems getting in or out.
Gary tells me that as a result of this, lots of product is being diverted to the East Coast from Peru and then trucked to the west.
Luckily, increased volumes from Mexico should help add some relief in terms of mangos. Until then, however, the market is expected to stay firm. “Prices will stay elevated through mid March until volumes increase from Mexico,” Gary tells me.
For now, it appears that the market will remain tight for just a bit longer. Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for the latest updates on the mango market.
GRAND RAPIDS, MI – SpartanNash is closing its Rapid City, South Dakota food-distribution warehouse on April 4.
SpartanNash VP for Corporate Affairs and Communications, Meredith Gremel, tells the Rapid City Journal that the operations at the warehouse will be consolidated in distribution centers in Fargo, N.D. and Omaha, NE.
The Rapid City distribution center was the smallest of those three. It covers 179,000 square feet of space, the center in Fargo covers 271,000 square feet and the one in Omaha covers 673,000 square feet.
Gremel said that the consolidation will save money, but it is also a strategic decision to better serve the company’s customers.
As of now, SpartanNash has not made a decision on whether to sell or lease the building.
Allen Bildner, industry pioneer of over 50 years, passed away on Feb. 5th at age 88.
Allen was born in Maseph, NY in 1926 and shared 64 years with his late wife, Joan Lebson Bildner. He was the former CEO and Chair of the then family-owned Kings Super Markets, which has since been sold to Marks and Spencer, the former Chair of the Food Marketing Institute, as well as a past Chair and Founder of the New Jersey Food Council.
A respected leader in the Jewish and secular communities, Allen served on for-profit boards such as the New Jersey Performing Arts Center, the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, the Maltz Jupiter Theatre in Florida, Yankee Sports and Entertainment Network (YES), New Jersey Bell and Seton Hall University, and more.
He received numerous awards from his alma mater Dartmouth College, where he graduated with his MBA, among which included the Dartmouth Alumni Award, the Martin Luther King, Jr. Social Justice Lifetime Achievement Award of Dartmouth College, honorary doctorates, and several others.
Allen co-founded of the Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life at Rutgers with his wife, Joan, who attended Rowan University and Bloomfield College.
Mourned by family, friends, and communities in New Jersey and Florida where he lived and served, Allen is survived by his loving children, sons Rob and Jim, daughters-in-law Elisa and Nancy, grandchildren Elana, Lizzie, Ari, Eli and Rafi, as well as by his sister, Phyllis Schechter. He is predeceased by a grandson, Peter.
Funeral services will be held at 1:30 pm on Sunday, February 8th at Temple Sharey Tefilo-Israel, 432 Scotland Rd, South Orange, NJ 07079. The family requests that in lieu of flowers donations may be made in his memory to the Joan and Allen Bildner Center for the Study of Jewish Life, Rutgers University, 12 College Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, 100 Raoul Wallenberg Place, SW, Washington, DC 20024 and the Maltz Theater, 1001 E. Indiantown Rd., Jupiter, FL 33477.
AndNowUKnow would also like to extend our heartfelt condolences to the Bildner family and friends during this difficult time.
CANADA – Fruit and vegetable prices are set to rise in Canada as that country’s dollar, the loonie, continues its downward slide.
The Food Price Report 2015, a report from the Food Institute of the University of Guelph, has been updated to show forecasts for food prices based on the loonie’s latest decline.
At the time of the first report, the loonie was worth U.S. $0.88. It has since fallen to its current level of $0.80. This sudden fall has been credited in part to Canada’s lowest crude oil price, coupled with lower interest rates. This is Canada’s largest 2-year drop ever.
In the initial report, the prices for vegetables were forecasted to increase 3% - 5%. Now with this new update, they are forecasted to increase 5.5% - 7.5%. Similarly, the increases for fruits and nuts have been raised from 1% - 3% to 3% - 5%.
There are, however, no changes forecasted for Meats, Fish & Seafood, Dairy Products and Eggs, Grains and Hospitality.
“Edible vegetables, fruits and nuts are likely to see significant price increases. Fruits, nuts and vegetables represent anywhere from 15% to 25% of the average Canadian household’s food expenditures, clearly making it an important component of consumers’ nutritional diets,” the report says, adding that a lack of substitution makes these commodities especially vulnerable to currency fluctuation.
Overall, food price forecasts for Canada have been increased from 0.3% - 2.4% up to 0.7% - 3.0%.
With further interest cuts by the Bank of Canada looming and rate increases by the American Federal Reserve expected, several analysts predict that the Canadian dollar could fall to $0.75 or lower.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we track the decline in the Canadian dollar and its effect on produce prices.
LA CAÑADA FLINTRIDGE, CA - The Allen Lund Company is promoting Kelly Miller to Operations Manager in the Los Angeles office, dry van division.
Tracey Lewin, Manager at the Los Angeles office, praised Miller for her determination and resourcefulness, noting, “In the thirteen years that I have had the pleasure to know and work with Kelly, she has always exhibited innovative ideas, supported by an unrelenting tenacity and a tireless work ethic. She is someone who has a passion to see things through, and with her great vision and leadership, the LA Dry division is poised to grow and prosper. I am very proud of Kelly and I am very excited for what’s to come.”
Miller started her career as a Transportation Broker, according to a press release. Over the span of her thirteen years with the Allen Lund Company, she has demonstrated a wealth of knowledge in both dry van and Intermodal freight.
“Kelly has a great energy level, which aids well to her excellent customer service, dedication to the company, and customers,” said David Lund, Vice President of Sales and Branch Operations. “Along with a strong attention to detail, I know that she will prosper in her new role.”
On her new position, Miller said that she looks forward to continuing to build the Los Angeles office with the support of a great team.
CHARLOTTE, NC - Chiquita is on the move out of its current headquarters in Charlotte. As we have previously reported, the company announced last month that they would be moving out of North Carolina in the next 12 to 18 months, but it seems the company is shooting for closer to twelve, according to the Charlotte Observer.
Chiquita has already begun the process of withdrawing, having filed a Notice of Closing form on Feb. 5 that states that it is aiming to begin shutdowns on April 17.
"The planned closure of the facility is expected to be permanent in nature," the notice states. "We expect that the job eliminations resulting from the closure will begin on or about April 17, 2015, with job eliminations continuing on or about June 1, 2015, on or about October 1, 2015, and with all job eliminations complete by December 31, 2015."
After being purchased by two Brazilian companies, Chiquita released its intention to move its headquarters to a location closer to currently existing facilities of the new owners, but details of that location have not yet been released.
The company still intends, however, to fulfill its financial obligations to the capital and state as was previously agreed upon as a condition of its pulling out of its current location before the end of its 10-year lease.