News Briefs

If the sky is big in Texas, so is the grocery landscape. One new addition is an Albertsons location set to open by the end of the year in the Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) metroplex.

According to officials in Irving, Texas, the latest Albertsons grocery store will be housed in a shopping center at 2200 West Shady Grove Road in the south part of that city. After a Fiesta Mart closed at the 50,000-square-foot site a couple of years ago, local residents lobbied community leaders to bring in another banner to improve access to groceries and household supplies.

Based on a report on the City of Irving website, at least $250,000 will be spent to upgrade the interior and exterior of the location. The project marks Albertsons’ return to Irving after 15 years; the chain currently operates 32 stores in the greater DFW market.

That market is getting hot for food retailers. H-E-B is in the process of building new stores in nearby Frisco, Plano and McKinney that will open later this year and into 2023, and Whole Foods is adding a location at a new mixed-use development in McKinney.

Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons operates more than 2,200 retail stores with 1,700-plus pharmacies, 400 associated fuel centers, 22 distribution centers and 20 manufacturing facilities. It has stores across 34 states and the District of Columbia under more than 20 banners. Albertsons is No. 8 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. With approximately 400 stores in Texas and Mexico, San Antonio-based H-E-B is No. 13 on The PG 100. Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods has more than 500 stores in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom, and is No. 26 on The PG 100.

Carol Jenkins Barnett, the philanthropist, educational advocate and daughter of Publix founder George W. Jenkins who passed away last year, is being remembered with an award in her name. Publix announced that a new Carol Jenkins Barnett and Publix Community Service Scholarship will be given to company associates who demonstrate Barnett’s passion for serving others.

Beginning in fall 2023, the scholarships will be bestowed annually to two associates who are starting their freshman year at college. The awards are worth $5,000 each.

“Whether it was advocating to improve education, especially for young children, or serving the less fortunate, Carol made a lasting impact on so many,” said Publix CEO Todd Jones. “As a company, this scholarship is a way to remember Carol’s life and legacy of service.”

A longtime chair and president of Publix Super Markets Charities, Barnett was active in several other causes, including United Way, Florida Partnerships for School Readiness and Family Fundamentals, among others. Her name also lives on at the Carol Jenkins Barnett Pavilion for Women and Children and at the Bonnet Springs Park in Lakeland, Fla., that was made possible by her generosity.  

More information about the scholarship, including application details, will be released early next year. 

Employee-owned and -operated, Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix has more than 1,200 stores in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, Tennessee, South Carolina, North Carolina and Virginia. The grocer is No. 11 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. 

C&S Wholesale Grocers Inc. has chosen NielsenIQ Brandbank as its sole provider of digital product content to power planogram solutions, mid-aisle product ordering and digital and print production, among other use cases.

Through NielsenIQ Brandbank’s product imagery and trusted product attribution, C&S will have the ability to support its customers with product identification, interaction and ordering. Contracted NielsenIQ Brandbank suppliers can also have their approved digital product content syndicated to C&S Wholesale and its retail partners at no additional cost.

“C&S Wholesale Grocers are an industry leader and an innovator in the CPG industry, and we are proud that NielsenIQ Brandbank’s trusted product content will be a foundation of their digital strategy,” said Roy Woodhouse, North America commercial lead at NielsenIQ Brandbank. “Building their retailer portal into a shop window for their product assortment will only support wider distribution and, ultimately, shopper engagement, for more products; this is really exciting.”

Founded in 1918 as a supplier to independent grocery stores, Keene, N.H.-based C&S Wholesale Grocers now services customers of all sizes, supplying more than 7,500 independent supermarkets, chain stores, military bases and institutions with 100,000-plus products. The company is No. 16 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top retailers of food and consumables in North America.

Big Y Foods has revealed plans to build a new-concept Big Y Express Fresh Market at 1500 Main Street as part of the Tower Square development in the grocer’s hometown of Springfield, Mass. The 10,000-square-foot location will be tailored to fit the needs of the city’s downtown area, where workers and area residents have not previously had access to convenient options that are nutritious and affordable.

The small-format market will carry an assortment of items from each grocery store department. Offerings will include high-quality prepared meals and sandwiches, as well as natural and organic products and everyday staples. There will also be an in-house sushi chef preparing fresh items daily.

“We are excited to bring an entirely new concept to downtown Springfield,” Colin D’Amour, senior director Big Y Express, the company’s gas and convenience division. “We know that there has been an appetite for Big Y’s fresh and local foods for many years now. We are confident that customers will enjoy our many offerings. We are working diligently with our contractors to establish a timeline for opening and are excited to be a part of the downtown community.”

A company spokesman told Progressive Grocer that Big Y would begin construction on the new store in either the third or fourth quarter of this year, with the goal of an opening sometime in 2023.

The grocer also recently wrapped up renovations of its Big Y at Fresh Acres in Springfield. Since it opened in 2006, Fresh Acres has served as Big Y’s testing site for innovative concepts that are then rolled out across the entire supermarket chain.

Big Y operates 85 locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, including 71 supermarkets, Table & Vine Fine Wines and Liquors, and 13 Big Y Express gas and convenience locations, with almost 12,000 employees. The company is No. 76 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America

Experience-first grocery store Pop Up Grocer will come to Washington, D.C., this spring. 

From May 6 through June 5, the retailer will host in-person shopping at the city’s Union Market, on 1262 5th Street NE, with more than 120 emerging brands and 400 better-for-you products to discover and experience. Among the offerings, spanning food, beverages and personal care, will be nationally available and direct-to-consumer brands such as Bonbuz, Opopop and Nowadays, as well as local suppliers like District Snacks, Amazi and Phil’s Finest.

“We’re excited to return to the East Coast and to open in the Union Market District, specifically,” said Emily Schildt, founder of New York-based Pop Up Grocer, which, since it began in 2019, has also set up temporary operations in the Big Apple; Chicago; Los Angeles; Austin, Texas; and Miami. “Anchored by what is arguably the culinary destination in D.C., the neighborhood is alive with creativity. D.C.’s food scene has become a national treasure. Over the past decade, there’s been a wave of risk-taking chefs opening new concepts, alongside tenured fine dining and real-deal ethnic restaurants. It’s an honor to contribute to D.C.’s innovative spirit, if only for a brief period of time.” 

The temporary store will be open seven days a week, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Last December, the roving grocery business tracked trends on the horizon and in the rear-view mirror in its “2022 Food Trend Report.” 

In a nod to the waning bug population, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage, Inc. has rolled out its fifth annual Ladybug Love campaign. The retailer is partnering with nonprofit organization Beyond Pesticides to spread the word about protecting the insects that are vital to the stability of the food supply and the necessary transition to nontoxic pesticide use.

Natural Grocers is aiming to raise $25,000 with Beyond Pesticides throughout the month of April to benefit the Organic Parks Project. The organizations are asking shoppers to pledge not to use pesticides that harm ladybugs at home while also supporting 100% organic produce.

The grocer will donate $1 to Beyond Pesticides for each Ladybug Love pledge signed, and donate $2 for each Ladybug Zip Pouch purchase. Shoppers will also have the opportunity to donate $1, $5 or $10 to Beyond Pesticides during checkout at all 161 store locations.

A series of discounts, sweepstakes and educational opportunities will also accompany the campaign.

With over 160 stores in 20 states, Lakewood, Colo.-based Natural Grocers is No. 95 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer's 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.