AUSTRALIA & U.K. - Aldi annouced some major leadership changes to its UK and Australasia divisions, appointing Joint Managing Director of Aldi UK Matthew Barnes to CEO of Aldi UK and Ireland while Group Managing Director of Aldi Australia Tom Daunt will take over as CEO of Aldi Australasia.
In his new position, Barnes will be responsible for overseeing Aldi's ambitious £600 million expansion plan which entails almost doubling its UK store base by the year 2021. The completion of this initiative would increase Aldi's store count from a little over 500 to 1,000, according to the Guardian.
Regarding the appointment of Daunt, there is some speculation that by choosing him Aldi is signaling its intent to expand into New Zealand. At this time, however, the retailer has released a statement saying it has "no immediate plans to enter the New Zealand market,” according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
While the legacy of his term as CEO has yet to be written, it is worth noting that Daunt spoke earlier this year of investing $700 million in order to construct two new distribution centers and stores in Australia. This would bring Aldi's Australian investment to almost $4 billion, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Congratulations on the promotion, Matthew and Tom!
SALINAS, CA - Andrew Smith Company has added 20 year industry veteran Dudley Brinan to its skilled sales team as its new Sales and Outside Procurement Manager. Andrew Smith's partners in the industry can rest assured that orders of fresh produce from the company and its affiliate, Colorful Harvest, will be backed by his wealth of experience as he sources, procures, and consolidates the balance of their loads.
“Maximizing efficiency and minimizing customer logistics is my mission,” said Brinan. “With freight rates going higher, when you can save the customer multiple stops it means a lot.”
“We’re happy that Dudley is part of the team,” agreed Dave Robinson, Andrew Smith Company's General Manager. “He’ll be a real asset in making Andrew Smith Company a one-stop-shop for produce buyers.”
Andrew Smith has also added Steven Garza to its sales division. Prior to this new position, he worked in sales support, logistics, and marketing for Colorful Harvest, according to a press release.
“Steven brings a new energy to the sales team,” Robinson shared.
Congratulations on your new positions, Dudley and Steven.
FRESNO, CA - Baloian Farms is launching a new website in order to further the company's overall mission to grow and solidify its place in the industry as a category leader in pepper production. This total brand positioning effort has been the focus of the last 18 months of the company's business cycle and has included the launch of several new exciting products.
“We’ve been looking for a way to tell consumers our story while showcasing how to prepare and cook our products in healthy and delicious ways,” Jeremy Lane, Sales Manager for Baloian Farms, shared. “The new recipe section helps consumers make a more personal connection with our company especially as a third-generation family farm.”
According to a press release, the intention behind the new website was to display the depth and variety of the products offered at Baloian Farms as well as to showcase many of the company's new offerings in a consumer-friendly format.
In an effort to share the Baloian Farms story and further connect the company's consumers and industry partners, the website will feature:
- Availability charts, category and consumer research, food safety and sustainability information and various other tools for retailers and foodservice managers.
- A new recipe section.
- Information about the Baloian family and the history of the company.
- A new simple, clean design in order to facilitate easy navigation.
Great work on the new website, Baloian Farms!
LOS ALAMITOS, CA – Frieda’s Specialty Produce is offering Green Dragon Apples with labels to distinguish these sweet, juicy and fragrant heirloom apples from other green apples.
“We launched the new stickers last season, and the feedback has been very positive,” said Karen Caplan, President and CEO of Frieda’s, Inc. “Our effort to educate shoppers and produce staff continue beyond just the stickers. We carry on the conversation about how freckles are normal for these delicious apples on our social media channels and website.”
According to a press release, shoppers love the company’s exclusive Green Dragon Apple’s sweet, low acid flavor that has hints of pineapple and pear.
These apples have a lime-green, bruise-resistant skin and are dotted with brown freckles. Frieda’s has seen success with these labels because consumers often mistake them for Golden Delicious or Granny Smith and considered them blemished because of their freckles.
The new labels inform shoppers that the naturally freckled skin of these apples is quite normal to help educate the shopper.
NORTHEAST U.S. - The industry is bracing for impact as an unwelcome Nor’easter is expected to affect millions of travelers this Thanksgiving. Meteorologists anticipate seeing heavy rain, snow, and high winds to hit all major metro areas throughout the Northeast throughout Tuesday and Wednesday, typically known as the busiest travel days of the year.
“Rain is expected for coastal areas, and snow for the Central Appalachians and into inland parts of the Northeast U.S., which should adversely affect travel on Wednesday,” the National Weather Service reports. Winter Storm Watches from the National Weather Service have been posted from central Virginia to eastern Maine, including Philadelphia; Albany, NY; Springfield, MA; Hartford, CT; and Portland, ME, according to USA Today.
“The storm should rapidly strengthen off the coast of New England on Wednesday night, leading to strong and gusty winds, especially near the coast,” said AccuWeather meteorologist Ben Noll. “This would lead to some blowing and drifting of the snow, making travel on Wednesday night very difficult.”
Up to 10 inches of snow is possible in some areas, whereas northeastern Pennsylvania is expected to see the highest amount of snow, alongside the Catskills of upstate New York and into Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine, according to CNBC.
Though transportation delays are inevitable, Allen Lund Company is making adequate preparations in anticipation of the storm.
“While the poor weather conditions will certainly pose a challenge this holiday season, Allen Lund Company is confident we have the personnel and resources to keep freight delivered on time,” Steve Hull, Manager at Allen Lund’s Portland Office, shared with us. “We will be relying on our carriers and our support team to make wise choices this Thanksgiving week. With some of the most skilled drivers and logistics professionals in the industry among our drivers, our shippers and receivers can rest assured Allen Lund is prepared for the challenges ahead.”
While the storm will greatly impact the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions, growers along the East Coast will also be watching the temperatures very closely, especially in Central Florida. Since things are already tight on the supply side with some items like tomatoes, it is imperative that they stay on their toes, one grower tells us. The way it stands and how it’s forecasted now, they are hoping to be in the clear of any significant damage and are hoping for the best.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue tracking the impact of this Nor’easter.
BENTONVILLE, AR - Wal-Mart's Chief Merchandising Officer Duncan Mac Naughton has announced that he will be parting ways with the retailer in order “to pursue new opportunities,” effective immediately.
Although this news is, of course, a loss, CEO Greg Foran said that he sees this departure as an opportunity for Wal-Mart to restructure its U.S. operations so as to stock more products able to attract consumers to its stores, according to the Wall Street Journal. Thus, he will not be naming a new CMO in the immediate future, preferring to have Wal-Mart executives in related departments report to him directly throughout this process.
“I would like to use this opportunity to get closer to the merchandising organization,” Foran shared in a Tuesday memo, according to the Wall Street Journal.
Wal-Mart has also announced that it will be replacing its Head of Grocery, Jack Sinclair. Steve Bratspies, the former head of Wal-Mart's General Merchandise Division, has been named the new EVP of Food, according to the Wall Street Journal. With “a strong focus on fresh,” Sinclair will instead be taking on a new role with Wal-Mart. The nature of this role will be announced at a later date, according to the memo.
Although Wal-Mart will be losing its Chief Merchandising Officer just days before the Thanksgiving holiday, the company says that it is confident the holiday strategy which it has had set for months will allow it to take full advantage of the busy season.
“We feel confident in operators and merchants to execute the holiday plan and take us on to next year,” explained Wal-Mart Spokeswoman Deisha Barnett.
AndNowUKnow would like to wish Duncan Mac Naughton the best as he enters this exciting new phase of his career.
WASHINGTON, D.C. – United Fresh Produce Association has hired Mary Coppola as its new Senior Director, Marketing Communications. Mary will fill the position formerly held by Ray Gilmer and lead the association’s member communications and marketing functions.
“I’m excited to have Mary join our team at United Fresh,” said President and CEO Tom Stenzel. “Mary will bring a fresh approach to our marketing and communications programs, helping us to better connect with and serve our members and constituents across the fresh produce and floral sectors.”
Most recently, Mary worked as Director of Marketing and Creative Services at the Healthcare Distribution Management Association in Arlington, VA. In that role, she oversaw communication and marketing functions relating to event, product, services and membership marketing, according to a press release. She joined HDMA in 2008 as Manager of Creative Services.
Before that, Mary managed a design consultancy offering brand services to clients like Armstrong Atlantic State University in Savannah, GA., CaroLinks, Inc. in Charleston, S.C. and BFG Communications in Bluffton, S.C. among others.
She earned a master’s degree from Savannah College of Art and Design and a bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth. She is a member of the American Marketing Association, the American Institute of Graphic Artists and the American Society of Association Executives and has won numerous awards for creative marketing and advertising programs.
Congratulations on this new position, Mary!
WENATCHEE, WA – Columbia Marketing International (CMI) has completed a social media contest on a Facebook page created for Ambrosia™ apples that has revealed interesting information on QR codes.
2,100 people entered the contest, which launched at the end of October. It offered consumers the opportunities to win a crate of fresh Ambrosia™ apples along with kitchen gadgets for cutting and preparing fresh apples. Additionally, the page featured an optional survey question about QR implementation on packaging.
“Survey respondents were asked whether they actively scan QR codes on packaging when making product selections,” said Steve Lutz, Vice President of Marketing at CMI. “We hoped that the question would provide us with insight on whether consumer trends were climbing with QR code implementation, and whether this was still a worthwhile endeavor for us to pursue.”
According to a press release, the results of the survery indicated that about half of consumers actively scan QR codes on packages, with 49.95% of consumers indicating that they use QR code readers on their handheld devices. 36.3% or respondents said that they have never scanned QR codes and 13.75% were unsure.
“It could be assumed that those respondents unsure about their scanning behavior likely had not scanned a QR code before, thus roughly evening the results between those that actively scan QR codes and those that do not,” said Lutz. “These results surprised us, as it appears through this survey that scan implementation is on the rise."
CMI is planning on continuing consumer surveying through social outlets to better understand and respond to changing consumer behavior.
DALLAS, TX – Avocados from Mexico (AFM) has announced successful results for its “Hungry for Football” promotion.
According to a press release, the campaign, which was launched on September 8, 2014, brought in over 92,000 consumer sweepstakes entries in its first five weeks. Also, retailers ordered about 9,500 promotional pieces and over 9,000 co-branded bins.
“We are pleased to see the success of the campaign thus far,” said Maggie Bezart, Vice President of Trade and Promotions, AFM. “It’s clear that guacamole remains a favorite recipe among consumers and avocados are the perfect produce item to pair with all football celebrations.”
The “Hungry for Football” promotion will run through December 15, 2014 and is a partnership with Ro*Tel®. It has been designed to get customers and consumers excited about the college football season while incorporating Avocados from Mexico in their celebrations.
AFM is celebrating the success of this campaign as it gears up for “Guac Fiesta,” the company’s next campaign, which will position the brand during the prime football season and the Super Bowl. This new campaign will take place December 16, 2014 through February 1, 2015.
The “Guac Fiesta” promotion will partner AFM with Old El Paso® and will include various signage options and a new produce bin to assist retailers in creatively designing displays, according to a press release.
Consumers can also join in on the promotion with in-store and online savings and a change of winning a prize pack to host their own Guac Fiesta prize pack, a $3,500 value. The prize pack will include a $1,000 grocery gift card, $2,500 gift card for fiesta supplies and a bundle of branded materials.
For more information on Avocados from Mexico or more about the “Hungry for Football” and “Guac Fiesta” campaigns, click here.
WASHINGTON - The USDA has lifted PACA reparation sanctions on KSP Enterprise Inc.
The Fullerton, California-based company has met its obligations and is now free to operate in the produce industry, according to a USDA press release. Brian M. Chong was listed as the Officer, Director, and major stockholder of the business and may now be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee.
KSP Enterprise Inc. was formerly restricted from operating in the produce industry in September 2014 after failing to pay a $183,594 award in favor of a Washington seller. Once a reparation order is fully satisfied and it is confirmed that there are not any outstanding unpaid awards, USDA lifts the employment restrictions of the previously named, responsibly connected individuals.
In the past three years, USDA resolved approximately 4,600 claims filed under PACA involving more than $87 million. Individuals, including sole proprietors, partners, members, managers, officers, directors, or major stockholders may not be employed by 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.