Food City officials have broken ground on a new store located at 514 Main Street, in Kimball, Tenn. The 49,000-square-foot retail supermarket is expected to open late summer or early fall of 2023.

The location will include an in-store bakery and deli, complete with a hot-food bar, large café seating area, fireplace, Asian wok and fresh-food bar. Full-service meat and seafood departments will offer pre-marinated, seasoned oven-ready products and top-quality meats, including Certified Angus Beef. In-house butchers will be available to hand-cut steaks and fresh meat to order.

“We are excited to be joining the Kimball retail community. We look forward to constructing a state-of-the-art supermarket that will create quality jobs and tax revenue for the citizens of Marion County,” said Steven C. Smith, Food City president and CEO.

The Food City Floral Boutique will be staffed with a designer seven days per week. Rapid checkout service will be provided by five traditional checkout lanes and seven self-checkouts. GoCart curbside pickup and home delivery will be offered. The store will also include a Food City Pharmacy, equipped with a drive-thru; a Food City Gas N’ Go featuring top-quality fuel and diesel; and a Starbucks cafe.

Several energy-saving concepts range from energy-efficient glass cooler doors, parking lot lights and refrigeration systems to motion sensors and 100% LED lighting, as well as an open-rafter ceiling design. 

“Our customers can expect to find exceptional customer service and top-quality products at the lowest possible prices, along with great variety/selection and some exciting new services,” said Smith. 

Abingdon, Va.-based K-VA-T Food Stores, Food City’s parent company, operates 148 retail outlets throughout southeast Kentucky, southwest Virginia, east Tennessee, north Georgia and Alabama. K-VA-T is No. 68 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. 

HAC, Inc., parent company of Homeland Grocery Stores, announced that David Criscione is its new president and CEO.

Criscione comes to HAC from Walmart International, where he held executive management roles in finance, strategy and technology and reorganized its business to fuel greater growth. His 30-year industry career also includes a role as general manager of Amazon Go and leadership positions for the Food Lion and Hannaford banners at Delhaize Group.

“We were focused on finding an individual whose values align with our employee owners’ values, has deep grocery industry experience, and has a record of developing and successfully implementing strategic thinking,” said Richard May, chair of HAC’s board of directors. “David clearly distinguished himself from a strong field of candidates and we feel fortunate to have his leadership onboard as HAC embarks on building its exciting and challenging next chapter of growth.”

Criscione said he is ready to hit the ground running. “I am thrilled to be joining the HAC team. I see so much potential for the organization and I look forward to leading a dedicated group of employee-owners and serving the communities where we are located,” he remarked.

The main banner of HAC, Inc., Homeland Stores operates 34 locations in Oklahoma and one in Texas. HAC's other banners include Food World, Piggly Wiggly, Country Mart, United and Cash Saver.  The company’s roots date back to 1916 and the opening of the first United Supermarket.

Following National Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, Winn-Dixie announced that its customers and associates raised $366,000 for the cause. The monies from a recent promotional campaign at stores in Alabama, Mississippi and the Florida Panhandle will go towards the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer program.

The funds will support the American Cancer Society’s critical need for research, educational support and supplemental resources to help with early detection and risk reduction of breast cancer, which accounts for about 30% of all female cancers diagnosed annually.

“Whether a family member, friend, colleague – or as a survivor themselves – we all know someone who has felt the effects of breast cancer. That’s why Winn-Dixie continues to stand with the American Cancer Society’s Making Strides Against Breast Cancer for more than a decade, and we are humbled to continue cultivating a future free from the threat of breast cancer,” said Lynn Rushing, regional VP of Winn-Dixie.

Jacksonville, Fla.-based Southeastern Grocers is one of the largest conventional supermarket companies in the United States, with grocery stores, liquor stores and in-store pharmacies serving communities throughout Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. Its banners include Fresco y Más, Harveys Supermarket, and Winn-Dixie grocery stores. The company is No. 39 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

AI software development company Boom Interactive Inc. has teamed with the Basha family (pictured), former owners of Bashas’ Supermarkets, to bring its 3D design technology to the grocery and retail industries. 

After selling Bashas’ to Raley’s in 2021, brothers Preston, Dalton and Brandon Basha created Tortuga Trading Co. with their two other siblings to invest in companies like Boom Interactive, with the aim of revitalizing the grocery industry. Tortuga is now building out the retail version of Boom Interactive’s flagship product, Bubbles, which is known as R3D, and will offer the software to its portfolio of retail partners. 

“Boom Interactive’s technology is changing the way commercial developers construct and design their spaces and how brands display their goods,” said Brandon Basha. “We are honored to get our hands dirty to help this revolutionary platform blossom.” 

Boom Interactive recently revealed a $5.5M SAFE Note investment as a precursor to a Series A round, to aid the company in building sales and marketing teams and launching more products that showcase the same technology as Bubbles. 

”It wouldn’t have been possible to develop R3D so quickly if it wasn’t for the Bashas’ commitment and dedication to the technology and to the potential the software has in so many verticals, even beyond grocery and retail,” said Timber Barker, CEO and founder of Salt Lake City-based Boom Interactive. “When I met the Basha family, they made me feel like the fifth brother, and it was then I knew that this partnership was going to be paramount to the success of our collective vision for Boom.” 

“Eventually, Boom’s technology will be able to create AI experiences for shoppers where they can shop from anywhere in the world through the metaverse,” noted Dalton Basha.

Hy-Vee Inc. has kicked off its month-long campaign to honor military veterans and active-duty service members in their communities, as well as to boost awareness of and support for organizations that serve vets, active-duty military and their families.

Every November, the grocer runs the Hy-Vee Homefront initiative, which includes various company efforts. This year, the Hy-Vee Homefront Round Up checkout fundraising program runs through Nov. 13 at all Hy-Vee and Dollar Fresh Market stores across the company’s market area. Hy-Vee will match all customer donations up to $100,000, and Coca-Cola will additionally match up to $50,000 with all proceeds going to Hope for the Warriors, Operation First Response, American Red Cross and the Puppy Jake Foundation.

A buffet-style Veterans Breakfast will take place onFriday, Nov. 11 from 6 a.m. to 10 a.m. at Hy-Vee stores, with free doughnuts and coffee available for all veterans and active-duty military members at all Dollar Fresh Market locations on the same day. Vets and active-duty military will also receive 15% off their grocery purchases on Veterans Day at Hy-Vee stores, through Hy-Vee Aisles Online or at Dollar Fresh Market locations, using promo code HOMEFRONT15.

The company’s recruiting program, Hiring Heroes,features special events throughout the year for veterans and service members returning to civilian life to learn about career opportunities. The company provides such benefits for veterans as a paid day off on Veterans Day, relocation assistance and hiring bonuses based on eligibility.

Employee-owned Hy-Vee operates more than 285 retail stores across eight Midwestern states and has a team of more than 80,000 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.

Customers of the 67,000-square-foot Schnucks store in Crestwood, Mo., can soon expect a new grocery experience, as Schnuck Markets Inc. has started to work on a total store remodel.

Located at 9540 Watson Road, the remodeled store will include a Fresh Pour drink area specializing in coffee and draft beer and wine, along with an expanded and relocated wine, beer and liquor area. On the fresh side of the store, customers will experience a renovated deli that will serve hot pizza and a new Cheese Shoppe, as well as a remodeled bakery and upgraded seafood department featuring fresh sushi. In addition to an abundance of fresh fruits and vegetables, the renovated produce department will offer self-service nut butters.

The Crestwood renovation will also include Schnucks’ food hall concept featuring Salt + Smoke’s Oh Hey! Barbeque, Seoul Taco, and Schnucks Burgers + Bites. Each restaurant partner will operate a small service counter and share a common seating area. The concept was introduced last year in the Kirkwood, Mo., store remodel.

In addition to a new decor package throughout the location, the store will offer a new LiveWell natural-living department. The remodel is expected to be completed in late spring or early summer 2023.

“It’s because of our shoppers’ loyalty and patronage over the years that we are able to make this investment in our store and in our community,” said Schnucks Crestwood Manager Don Quante. 

During and after the remodel, customers can continue to use Schnucks Delivers and Curbside Pickup through Instacart.

St. Louis-based Schnucks employs 12,000 associates and operates 114 stores. It is No. 64 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.