News Briefs

An unexpectedly strong July jobs report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) is showing good news for the retail trade. Overall, the industry gained more than 22,000 jobs during the month, with job gains of more than 9,000 in food and beverage stores and more than 8,000 in general merchandise stores.

The economy added a total of 528,000 jobs in July, with the unemployment rate decreasing to 3.5%. The number of unemployed people was down to 5.7 million, putting both measures at pre-pandemic levels not seen since February 2020.

Job growth was led by gains in leisure and hospitality, professional and business services, and health care, with food services and drinking places adding more than 74,000 jobs. 

[Read more: "Essential Workers Still Impacted by COVID-19"]

The transportation and warehousing industries added 21,000 jobs in July, and support activities for transportation saw 6,000 additional jobs for the reporting period. Employment in the industries remains 745,000 above February 2020 pre-pandemic levels.

Some 5.9 million Americans are currently seeking employment, a number that has not changed much since last month, and remains above the February 2020 level of 5 million. For those employed, average hourly earnings went up by $0.15, or 0.5%, to $32.27. This marks a 5.2% increase in average hourly earnings over the past 12 months.

To help source its power supply from solar energy, CVS Health has revealed a 15-year agreement with Constellation Energy Corp. to purchase clean, renewable energy equivalent to the energy use of 309 CVS Health locations in Illinois and Ohio.

“Our agreement with Constellation is an important step toward achieving our goal of sourcing 50% renewable energy by 2040,” said CVS Health Corporate Social Responsibility SVP Sheryl Burke. “Investments in renewable energy enable us to help create a more sustainable world for all of us today and for generations to come.”

Through this agreement, CVS Health will receive renewable energy and renewable energy certificates equal to a 42-megawatt share of the Mammoth Central solar facility, the third and final phase of Doral Renewables’ Mammoth Solar project located in Indiana. With an estimated capacity of 1.3 gigawatts, Mammoth Solar will be one of the country’s largest solar farms upon completion. CVS Health will use the Constellation Offsite Renewables (CORe) retail power product to facilitate its renewable energy transaction. This agreement will help CVS Health reduce its carbon footprint by more than 38,000 metric tons each year. This is the equivalent emissions of nearly 7,400 homes’ electricity use in one year, according to U.S. EPA estimates.

“These long-term sustainability commitments are essential to increasing the amount of clean energy on the grid and helping solve the climate crisis,” said Jim McHugh, chief commercial officer at Baltimore-based Constellation.

Investing in renewable energy is part of CVS Health’s commitment to reducing its environmental impact. The company continues to reduce resource consumption across its operations through lighting and transportation upgrades, optimizing digital solutions to reduce paper, alternatives to single-use bags, and offering products that are good for customers and the environment.

With its CVS Pharmacy subsidiary operating almost 10,000 locations nationwide, Woonsocket, R.I.-based CVS Health is No. 7 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

KeHE has expanded the network of its new KeHE Connect Direct program to distributor’s Chino, Calif., distribution center.

Introduced in June 2022, the program offers more assortment options for dry, refrigerated and frozen items, with no order minimums to its retail partners. KeHE Connect Direct offers retailers greater flexibility when ordering through KeHE, offering products not available at their home distribution center and items in smaller quantities, such as eaches, case or cut case. Additionally, the program features fast delivery times, with orders shipped in just one to three days in the contiguous U.S. 

The program’s expansion means that KeHE Connect Direct is now available to its West Coast retail partners for the first time. 

Naperville, Ill.-based KeHE is the largest pure-play distributor of natural and organic, specialty, and fresh products to more than 30,000 natural food stores, chain and independent grocery stores, e-commerce retailers, and other specialty product retailers throughout North America. A Certified B Corporation, the company has more than 6,800 employee-owners. 

Following a competitive review by its marketing team, e-grocer FreshDirect has formed a strategic partnership with digital agency BAM Strategy to create a new loyalty program.

Under the partnership, BAM Strategy will be responsible for creating and launching a best-in-class redesigned loyalty program for FreshDirect customers. This will include conducting dynamic customer research to aid content and analytics strategy, as well as branding for the program. BAM Strategy will also audit FreshDirect’s current programs to better understand where there may be opportunities to expand into loyalty for customers.

“We have been giving our customers a premium shopping experience for 20 years, and as we look to the future, I am excited to work with BAM Strategy to take our engagement with our shoppers to a new level,” said John MacDonald, chief marketing officer at Bronx, N.Y.-based FreshDirect. “BAM is a key partner in helping us develop a new robust value platform which will enable more insightful, rewarding and personal connections for the lives our customers lead.”

The agency is now revamping the program, which is expected to launch in early 2023.

“We all know that groceries are essential to our daily lives, but in the last two-plus years, we learned that access to and delivery of those deliveries are more important than ever,” noted Xavier Picquerey, managing director of Montreal-based BAM Strategy. “When FreshDirect first came to us with this opportunity, we knew it was the right fit because we are committed to serving communities, and loyalty programs ultimately do just that.”

Celebrating its 20^th anniversary this year, FreshDirect delivers directly to customers across seven states, including the New York, Philadelphia and Washington, D.C. metropolitan areas. In January 2021, the company was acquired by Zaandam, Netherlands-based Ahold Delhaize, whose other U.S brands include Stop & Shop, Peapod, Giant, Food Lion and Hannaford. Ahold Delhaize USA operates more than 2,000 stores in 23 states and is No. 10 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. 

The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, is currently accepting entries for its annual Creative Choice Awards, which recognize the top marketing and merchandising programs launched by indies in the past year.

The new lineup of 2023 award categories is as follows:

Marketing

• Connections Through Omnichannel
• Traditional Media: TV Radio and Print
• Community Engagement
• Grand Opening or Remodel

Merchandising

• Local, Specialty or Emerging Products
• Seasonal Event or Campaign
• Center Store/Frozen/GM/HBC
• Fresh Departments

Along with the main categories, two special-recognition categories highlight prominent industry initiatives, with each holding significance for its respective sponsor:

• Kellogg’s Excellence in ESG Award, which recognizes those campaigns that focus on well-being, people, community and sustainability.
• Unilever’s People Positive Award, which honors efforts that promote workplace diversity and inclusion.

“We all witnessed independent community grocers emerge from the pandemic having demonstrated their ability to pivot, innovate and think outside the box,” said Laura Strange, SVP, communications and external affairs at Washington, D.C.-based NGA. “Now it is time to recognize the outstanding innovation, creativity and persistence we’ve seen across our industry through the Creative Choice Awards.” 

Retailers, wholesalers, suppliers, manufacturers and advertising agencies that create marketing and merchandising programs for independent grocery stores may submit entries, but the Creative Choice Awards contest is a retailer competition, so the retailer that implements the campaign will receive the award. Events, campaigns or promotions held between Dec. 1, 2021, and Dec. 1, 2022, are eligible.

All completed entries are due Friday, Dec. 9. Entries will be judged based on creativity, clarity and effectiveness. From the category winners, one Outstanding Marketer and one Outstanding Merchandiser will be chosen by the public via online voting. These will be revealed during the 2023 NGA Show and recognized all year long.

After a record-setting LPGA Classic golf tournament, Meijer is donating $25,000 to Kids' Food Basket in Grand Rapids, Mich. The donation is being made on behalf of tournament champion Jennifer Kupcho, who was able to give the money to the hunger relief program of her choice.

In 2021, tournament winner Nelly Korda also chose to give the $25,000 donation to Kids' Food Basket. Overall this year, the tournament made a record $1.25 million donation to Meijer’s Simply Give program, and the Classic set attendance records with more than 60,000 spectators.

"It speaks volumes to the spectacular community support these players feel during tournament week that two consecutive champions would choose to keep their donation in Grand Rapids," Meijer President and CEO Rick Keyes said. "Our spectators, volunteers and business partners make the tournament experience one of the best on the tour – not just for our community but clearly for the players, as well."

Privately owned Meijer operates more than 260 supercenters and grocery stores in Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. The Grand Rapids, Mich.-based company is No. 20 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food retailers in North America.