PG’s Top 25 Stories of 2016: 25-21

As 2016 comes to a close, Progressive Grocer takes a look back at the most popular stories on our website during 2016 through the end of November. Our story countdown will be presented in inverted order, beginning with 25 and culminating in the year’s top-trending news story.

#25. Associated Wholesale Grocers, Affiliated Foods Midwest to Merge

The merger between Associated Wholesale Grocers Inc. (AWG) and Affiliated Foods Midwest Cooperative Inc. (AFM) checked in at #25. AFM brought a solid base of retailer-owner members with more than 800 stores in 15 states to AWG, also a cooperative, which supplied more than 3,000 stores in 30 states. The co-op now operates solely as AWG, whose operations cover a majority of the United States, excluding the Northeast and West Coast.

#24. Canadian Investor Bids Highest for Save-A-Lot

After a lengthy process to spin off Earth City, Mo.-based Save-A-Lot, the deep-discounter branch of Eden Prairie, Minn.-based wholesaler and grocer Supervalu, news that a Canadian private equity firm, Onex, was the highest bidder, landed at #24 in our top-story countdown.

#23. FMI Pulls Plug on FMI Connect

After much deliberation and guidance from its executive committee and board of directors, FMI’s move to cancel its annual June show in favor of creating “new occasions more appropriate to the faster-paced rhythms of food retail,” checked in as the 23th most widely read story on our website.

#22. Ahold, Delhaize Divest 86 Stores in Piecemeal Deals

Nabbing the 22nd slot on our year’s top news story countdown was Ahold and Delhaize Group's American subsidiaries’ piecemeal deal to divest 86 stores, or 4 percent of the since merged retailers' total store count, to seven regional grocery companies, in accord with the U.S. Federal Trade Commission’s (FTC) mandated requirement to approve the deal.

#21. Anne Dament Leaving Target

Nearly two years after she joined Target Corp. as SVP of merchandising to lead its grocery business, the news of Anne Dament’s departure from the Minneapolis-based company, amid the continuing lackluster performance in her division, landed at #21 on our top-story leaderboard.

Our 2016 countdown continues with 20-11 up next. Stay tuned!