Hy-Vee has expanded its Scan & Go program that runs on FutureProof Retail (FPR)’s Mobile Checkout Platform to even more locations. The Midwestern grocer’s Scan & Go offering rolled out at select Des Moines, Iowa, locations last year and has since been implemented at several dozen Hy-Vee locations, with more in the pipeline.

FPR’s solution enables customers to scan items with their phones, pay in the app and exit the store after scanning a QR code on their way out. Shoppers can also weigh their own produce and scan a barcode on the scale screen. While shopping, customers can view their basket total at any time and bag items at once. The app also applies all deals, promotions, coupons and perks to the shopping basket.

According to Hy-Vee, Scan & Go provides additional convenience for time-pressed customers.

With FPR’s help, the grocer was able to set up the platform and integrate it with its existing systems in just a few months. FPR integrated its scan-and-go solution with Hy-Vee’s existing point-of-sale and promotion systems, permitting customers to amass Hy-Vee Fuel Saver Rewards and use digital coupons while shopping with the app.

“Hy-Vee set a new record in driving adoption at launch, especially in its new flagship stores,” noted Will Hogben, CEO of New York-based FPR. “Hy-Vee is a leading innovator in retail technology and new store formats, and we are thrilled to be their partner for new checkout technologies.” 

Employee-owned Hy-Vee operates more than 285 retail stores across eight Midwestern states and has a team of more than 93,000 employees. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company is No. 30 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

Butter Buds, Inc. is ramping up its R&D efforts with the hiring of David Anderson as applications manager. Working out of the company’s lab and test kitchen facility in Racine, Wis., he will help drive new ideas and innovations using the company’s real dairy ingredient across a variety of applications.

Anderson comes to the dairy and non-dairy concentrate supplier from Robert Half Management Resources. He has also served as president of Brew City Booch, a kombucha brewery in Milwaukee, and as an associate scientist and global product manager at Chr. Hansen/AS. He earned a master of business administration from the University of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, and a bachelor’s degree in molecular biology from the University of Wisconsin, Madison.

[Read more: "Kroger Adds Innovative Dairy Production Line in Ohio"]

“David Anderson has been a welcome addition to the Butter Buds team,” said Michael Ivey, national sales director at Butter Buds. “Not only does David bring a wealth of application expertise, he also has an extensive background in both technical and commercial experience in the food industry. As applications manager, David combines his refined skillset in supporting business growth and new product development with his ability to build and improve upon customer relationships. All of these attributes make him an excellent asset to our team.”

A last-mile delivery platform for ethnic foods has gotten a boost to expand its partnerships with independent grocers. Pleasanton, Calif.-based Bakkal Corp. recently received $3 million seed funding from new and existing vendors as it plans to expand its services, internal teams and marketing efforts.

Bakkal first rolled out its last-mile delivery platform in the Los Angeles area in late 2021 and entered the San Francisco region earlier this year. The company’s goal is to improve access to online grocery orders and deliveries from neighborhood ethnic retailers.

["Read more: "Multicultural Grocers Drive Sales by Catering to Increasingly Diverse America"]

"We believe small grocery stores are a key part of our community and culture. Consumers from diverse ethnic backgrounds have access to healthy and affordable food through these organizations. Ethnic grocery options deserve more than a tiny corner of the grocery store," said Founder and CEO Murat Karslioglu. "We are digitizing the ethnic grocery supply chain and making it easier for small local stores to source inventory. By helping high quality and international brands stock their products reliably at stores, we increase affordable food options."

According to company information, the latest infusion of capital has increased the company’s valuation to $20 million. The company operates offices in the U.S. in California, as well as in Istanbul, Kyrgyzstan and Tel Aviv.

To address the Food Safety Modernization Act and other compliance issues, the National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, has entered into a multiyear agreement with ReposiTrak to serve as NGA’s traceability and supplier compliance partner, in an effort to provide guidance, education and support for the independent wholesale and retail grocery community.

“Food safety is of paramount importance to independent grocers and their supplier partners,” noted Greg Ferrara, president and CEO of Washington, D.C.-based NGA, adding that the organization’s “partnership with ReposiTrak is the latest in a series of ongoing initiatives to enhance value for our members by sharing best practices in an area that’s crucial to safeguarding the hard-earned trust that retailers and manufacturers have with consumers.”

[Read more: "Southeastern Grocers Expands its Diverse Supplier Program with ReposiTrak"]

Under the partnership, NGA will host online thought leadership content and share it across various platforms, including website, newsletters and email blasts, as well as through a webinar series. Additionally, ReposiTrak will take part in NGA events and offer a special rate for its services to NGA member companies.

The organization has committed to offering resources as indies adopt new technology and change processes to fully implement end-to-end traceability.

“NGA’s strategic partnership and support of the ReposiTrak Traceability Network is the first step toward industry-wide adoption of our easy and inexpensive solution that will improve food safety, enable faster and more precise recalls, and even usher in the potential for food waste reduction and better transparency for consumers,” said Randy Fields, chairman and CEO of Murray, Utah-based ReposiTrak, which is part of the Park City Group. “Through our more than two decades of work in the grocery supply chain, we’ve come to understand that traceability will be inherently good for the industry.”

NGA members interested in the ReposiTrak program can contact Derek Hannum at [email protected] or Jonathan Downey at [email protected].

On the heels of a successful curbside pickup program for groceries, Publix is launching that kind of service for prescriptions. Shoppers at select Publix pharmacies in Florida, Georgia, Alabama and Virginia can now order their medications and healthcare items and pick them up outside the store location.

The free service is available on the Publix app and online at publixpharmacy.com. Customers who order and pay in advance park in designated spaces, call the number on the line and let staff know that they have arrived.

“Our customers enjoy the convenience of curbside pickup for their grocery orders, so we are excited to add prescriptions to that offering,” said Dain Rusk, VP of pharmacy for Publix. “Whether customers choose to shop in our stores or from the comfort of their cars, we are committed to providing the same great service from our pharmacies.”

Some items are not eligible for curbside pickup, including controlled substances, purchases through Medicare Part B and age-restricted medications.

Employee-owned and -operated Publix has close to 1,300 supermarkets in Florida, Georgia, Alabama, South Carolina, Tennessee, North Carolina and Virginia. Publix is No. 12 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

Grace Puma, former PepsiCo EVP and COO, has been appointed to the Target Corp. board of directors, effective immediately. Puma is set to serve on the retailer’s Audit & Risk and Infrastructure & Finance Committees.

Puma retired from PepsiCo after 12 years with the company, and most recently led its global operations, global procurement, employee health and safety, global security and holistic cost management. Before that, she served as SVP and global chief procurement officer at United Airlines, and also held various leadership roles at Kraft Foods.

“Grace brings a deep understanding of the complexities of the global operating environment, the consumer landscape and the guests we serve. Her knowledge of supply chain, procurement and operations will provide valuable insights that complement current board strengths, and her leadership acumen and perspective will further position Target for growth and success in the evolving marketplace,” said Brian Cornell, chairman and CEO of Target. “I’m pleased to welcome Grace to Target and am confident in the expertise she will bring to our board.”

Puma also currently serves on the board of directors of global women’s healthcare company Organon & Co., and previously served as a board member for Williams-Sonoma, Inc. and Marietta Corp. She was ranked on the Most Powerful Latina list by Fortune magazine in 2017, 2018 and 2019, and was named to the inaugural Most Powerful Latinas Hall of Fame by the Association of Latino Professionals in 2021.

Minneapolis-based Target Corp. is No. 6 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, with nearly 2,000 locations.