BOISE, ID - Samuel Zell, the billionaire investor and Founder and Chairman of Equity Group Investments, has publically confirmed his interest in the over 100 soon-to-be divested Albertsons locations.
“Obviously, like every deal it starts with price,” Zell explained during an interview with Fox News' Maria Bartiromo. “In this particular case, this is a $9 billion or $10 billion merger of Safeway and Albertsons with about 140 stores that they were forced to divest. Their focus is on getting the big deal done which creates a more opportunistic environment for taking care of the remnants.”
“We have a lot of confidence in the supermarket business,” he continued. “We've been in it before very successfully and we think this is an interesting opportunity and a good deployment of capital.”
Zell and his partner, Stuart Sloan, the former Chairman of Quality Food Centers, will be pitting themselves against Capital Management and Comvest Partners in this bidding race. So far, no actual bid amounts have been disclosed to the public.
Could Zell be on his way to becoming a big time player in the North American retail game? For now, it sounds like his interest is largely limited to this particular transaction, according to Zell.
“It's a one-off situation like most everything else that we're currently doing,” he shared.
It is nonethess interesting to see his focus honed in on our industry. It will be fascinating to see what role he could play going into the future.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow for future updates on this bidding war as they develop.
WENATCHEE, WA - Together with FruitTracker, Stemilt is releasing its first Stemilt-O-Graphic apple category report. This info-graphic reports on apple category performance across the U.S. for the month of October 2014 by comparing Nielsen scan data to its counterpart from the previous year, according to a press release. In doing so, it offers the industry a high-level look at apple category performance across the U.S.
Check it out for yourself below:
“The first issue of our Stemilt-O-Graphic shows that apples were once again a big part of the produce department in October 2014,” Roger Pepperl, Stemilt's Marketing Director shared. “On average, apples accounted for 8.1% of total department dollars in October, with Gala, Honeycrisp, and Red Delicious leading the way among varietals.”
“Additionally, more than two-thirds of apples were sold as bulk in October,” he continued. “This is an important sign of overall category health as bulk sales historically drive more dollars to the department than bags because of their higher retail price.”
Great work on the release of this first issue, Stemilt!
NICARAGUA – Construction will begin December 22 on a giant canal in Nicaragua that will join the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans.
The International Business Times is reporting that executives from the Chinese contractor tasked with building the canal have announced the groundbreaking.
The $50 billion project is projected to be built within five years with the target of becoming operational by 2020, according to Global Construction.
This new canal, which will span 278 kilometers (172 miles), will be longer, deeper and wider than the Panama Canal.
According to the International Business Times, government officials have hailed the canal as a way to lift millions of Nicaraguans from poverty. Opponents to the canal have voiced concern with the impact on that country’s largest freshwater source, Lake Cocibolca, also known as Lake Nicaragua.
The construction will begin with the building of a port on the Pacific, which will eventually pass through Lake Nicaragua on its way to the Atlantic.
The project is expected to include two ports, an airport, a resort and an economic zone for electricity and other companies, according to Global Construction. There will also be a 600-meter bridge that will cross over the canal.
Opponents are currently campaigning in the Parliament to invalidate the law that gave the canal concession to start. To repeal the law, they would need a majority vote in the National Assembly.
Stay tuned to AndNowUKnow as we continue to track this ongoing story.
LOS ANGELES, CA - Ölens Technology has a new tool for foodservice professionals and aspiring chefs which the company promises will make cooking the perfect artichoke a breeze. AndNowUKnow's staff was able to see Ölens' “Perfect Artichoke” in action at PMA Fresh Summit 2014 and witness its impact potential in the industry first hand. The Perfect Artichoke works by using the relationship between an artichoke's size and its proper cooking time to ensure that every artichoke is cooked to perfection.
“We've had the Perfect Artichoke in development for over a decade,” Co-Founder Ron Meritt explained to me. “It took hundreds of trips to the Farmer's Market and many more hundreds of artichokes cooked, but we were able to pin down the exact relationship between size and cooking time for the perfect artichoke. Our Perfect Artichoke conveys this to the user in a visual way which is immediately understandable and easy to use.”
To see how the Perfect Artichoke works in action, check out this video below from Ölens Technology:
Ölens Technology sees the Perfect Artichoke someday being widely used in home kitchens and foodservice establishments where speed, accuracy and ease of use are at a premium.
“One of the best things about the Perfect Artichoke is how it helps foodservice professionals plan their meals,” Co-Founder Paul McCloskey explained. “With it there's no longer a question about when to put in the pasta or take your sauce of the stove. The Perfect Artichoke reduces cooking time into a science.”
What could this product mean for overall category growth? Paul certainly believes the Perfect Artichoke could mean big things for artichoke consumption.
“I think some people get intimidated by the artichoke to be perfectly honest,” Paul explained to me. “We don't want anyone to miss out on the great taste of artichokes because they don't understand how to cook them. This was our motivation behind creating the Perfect Artichoke, which we envision as a potential big time driver of growth for the category.”
In addition to its Perfect Artichoke, Ölens Technology is also working on several other cooking aid products front-lined by the Perfect Potato. With a full range of products under its belt, Ölens Technology is looking to market its Perfect line as the place to turn to for cooking solutions. I know I'll certainly keep my eyes peeled on Ölens Technology for what this enterprising company comes up with next.
LEAMINGTON, ON – With family celebrations focused on food this time of year, Nature Fresh Farms™ is looking to help increase produce consumption with innovative recipe ideas that incorporate fresh produce to give new life to old family favorites.
“National campaigns created by PMA, United Fresh, CPMA, and the Produce For Better Health Foundation encourage increasing fresh produce consumption in your daily diet. We are reinforcing their message this holiday season by promoting unique recipe ideas online to help our customers make healthier choices,” said Andrea Quiring, Marketing & Social Media Coordinator.
The Nature Fresh Farms™ marketing team has been active on all of its social channels Wednesday and Thursday and will continue today to encourage its #VeryVeggieThanksgiving theme.
“We love seeing the innovative recipe ideas that people post online, it shows that they care about what they are cooking,” said Henry Furtado, Corporate Chef.
According to a press release, Furtado prepares over 150 meals for Nature Fresh Farms™ employees on a daily basis in the company’s state of the art restaurant-style industrial kitchen. His recipes use Nature Fresh Farms™ greenhouse grown peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers and have been developed with a variety of taste buds and food preferences in mind.
“We develop recipes that anyone & everyone can prepare; from snacks to simple hors d’oeuvres, appetizers, and desserts that are out of this world like our Roasted Pepper No-Bake Cheesecake,” commented Furtado.
Check out a selection of Nature Fresh Farms'™ recipes by clicking here.
Nature Fresh Farms™ is currently shipping bell peppers, tomatoes and cucumbers from its Leamington, Ontario greenhouses.
SAN FANCISCO, CA - Fresh & Easy has announced a new partnership with the San Francisco-based startup Instacart. Now Fresh & Easy shoppers in the Bay Area and Los Angeles will have access to online grocery delivery, the first time the retailer has offered its customers such a convenience, according to a press release.
“We’re excited to work with Fresh & Easy to deliver groceries in LA and the Bay Area,” shared Heather Wake, General Manager at Instacart. “Our customers are always looking for healthy and fast meal options, and Fresh & Easy, renowned for its prepared meals, is an excellent partner to help meet that demand.”
“Partnering with Instacart is a win-win for everyone – our existing customers will now have a convenient and reliable delivery option for their favorite products, and we will be able to extend our reach to new customers who may not have had access to one of our stores,” agreed Mike Evans, Vice President of Marketing at Fresh & Easy. “Online ordering and product delivery have been major priorities for Fresh & Easy this year and we are glad we are able to launch with such a strong partner in Instacart.”
Instacart shared that there are plans in place to eventually expand this partnership into other areas where Fresh & Easy has a retail presence. Considering that Fresh & Easy has 167 stores across Arizona, California and Nevada, there could be considerable growth potential for this partnership.
Instacart has been on the rise in recent months, announcing new partnerships with other leading retailers, including Whole Foods.
Congratulations on this new partnership, Fresh & Easy and Instacart!
WASHINGTON D.C. - The USDA has filed an administrative action against Snokist Growers, a Yakima, Washington-based company, for failing to pay for produce under the Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act (PACA).
The company allegedly failed to pay eight sellers for 402 lots of produce valued at $696,853, according to a USDA press release.
Because of these violations, Snokist Growers will not be permitted to operate in the produce industry until July 25th, 2016. After this date, it will again be eligible to reapply for a PACA license.
Snokist Growers' principals, Belinda Cole, Jim Davis, Kailan Dunn, and Dave Olsen, may not be employed by or affiliated with any PACA licensee until July 25th, 2015. After this time, a company may once again employ these individuals, provided it posts a USDA-approved surety bond.
In the past three years, the 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.
LOS ANGELES, CA – Chicago-based Farmer’s Fridge is bringing its salad vending machine to Los Angeles, California next year.
Luke Saunders, Founder of Farmer’s Fridge, tells the Los Angeles Times that he is on a mission to make healthful food accessible to people on the go. We previously covered Farmer's Fridge's debut in Chicago. Check out that article by clicking here.
“I was traveling a lot for work and really couldn’t find healthy food,” Luke said. “I started thinking about ways to make it more accessible and how I could change the model of how healthy food gets distributed.”
According to its website, Farmer’s Fridge gets fresh, locally sourced produce every morning. At 5 am, the team makes everything from scratch every day in its local, fully licensed, shared kitchen. The salads are then delivered to the machine at 10 am. Any unsold salads are removed and donated to a local food pantry.
For the actual machine, it uses touch screens, bar code scanners for coupons and email receipts. The product images, nutrition and ingredient information is available in a large, easy to read format.
"The response generally from people has been that they have really embraced it," Saunders tells the LA Times. "Right now we are trying to convince the next level of consumer – the ones who are still skeptical about getting their lunch out of a vending machine."
The company is also interested in helping the environment. The jars and lids are 100% recyclable and the bags, utensils, salad dressing containers and packaging are all biodegradable corn-based PLA packaging. Also, the company states that power consumption for each kiosk is under $25 worth of electricity a month.
A lunch that is good for you and good for the environment? I can get behind that. Next time I’m in Los Angeles, I’m going to give it a try.
PORTERVILLE, CA - Welcome to What's in Store. Business is booming this year for Homegrown Organic Farms' winter citrus program. With increased volume on the company’s full line citrus program, retailers need look no further than Homegrown Organic Farms for all their citrus needs this winter season.
Homegrown Organic Farms offers a wide variety of premium citrus products throughout the winter months. Navels, Cara Caras, Mandarins, including Satsumas, Clementines, W. Murcotts and Gold Nuggets, Pummelos, Grapefruit, and Lemons are all grown on Homegrown's Southern California and San Joaquin Valley farms.
Navels and organic lemons are available now for distribution. The same is true for Satsuma and Clementine mandarins. Homegrown Organic Farms has also begun its harvest of Organic Pummelos. This will be Homegrown Organic's second season offering this variety and the grower is excited to build on the positive impression the fruit established last year with shoppers.
Bulk and bagged packaging options, as well as a new line of pouch bags designed for in-store displays, are available for select items of Homegrown's diverse citrus varieties. These new pouch bags can hold 2 or 3 pounds of premium citrus and are designed to give consumers a premium view of the fruit while maintaining the familiar Homegrown look and feel which have become staples in the produce aisle. Thank you for watching What's In Store.
SANTIAGO, CHILE – The inaugural Produce Marketing Association (PMA) Fruittrade Latin America, which took place in Santiago, Chile on November 12-13, hosted over 2,100 attendees from across the fresh produce supply chain.
According to a press release, this first-of-its-kind event for South America featured 100 exhibitors along with 98 speakers from 11 countries across 5 continents for a series of educational workshops.
Nancy Tucker, Vice President of PMA’s Global Business Development said, “The number and quality of the attendees, the strength of the trade show, the excellent educational sessions and the unique business roundtable made this event a great value for all."
Sam’s Club Senior Director of Produce and Floral, Russell Mounce, spoke on the event saying, “This event in Santiago, aside from providing a great excuse to do business in such great weather, gave suppliers a time and place at the start of the season to finalize plans with retailers for now, and for next year.”
The event’s inaugural session kicked off with Chile’s Minister of Agriculture Carlos Furche, Sam’s Club Senior Director of Produce and Floral Russell Mounce, ProChile’s Director Roberto Paiva and Fedefruta President Juan Carolus Brown.
“Here, it has been pointed out that the international demand for fruit continues to be very consistent, and, as demographic data shows, the world population will keep growing," said the Chilean Agriculture Minister, Carlos Furche, in the session. He added that he valued the creation of the PMA Fruittrade Latin America to facilitate the supply of fresh food to the main world markets.
In the same session, Gustavo Yentzen, Yentzen Group’s CEO, added, “Today was the launch of a dream, a dream that is not just ours but shared by many who looked to accomplish a global trade fair in Latin America. And here we are, creating a new way to connect the Latin American horticultural industry with the rest of the world.”
Roberto Paiva, the Director of ProChile, was also present. He celebrated the fact that PMA Fruittrade Latin America brought producers and exporters from Chile and all South America together, to meet global buyers and increase their business opportunities.
"After years successfully promoting the direct trade between producers and importers, with business roundtables that have stimulated the growth of fruit producers in the commercial chain, we firmly believe that the alliance with PMA has definitely internationalized this event. The incorporation of educational conferences gave industry members the tools to make good business decisions,” noted Fedefruta President Juan Carolus Brown Bauzá.
At the event, about 100 buyers were able to meet with producers and exporters from Chile, Argentina, Peru and Colombia in an international business roundtable.
Congratulations on the successful event!