Pop Up Grocer is on a summer road trip. As consumers are out and about more and embark on vacations, the discovery destination specializing in curated assortments in temporary sites is co-locating with another retailer.

[Read more: "Contemporary, Sustainable Dental Care Products Win Pop Up Grocer Contest"]

The specialty retail business announced that Pop Up Grocer will welcome shoppers at Nordstrom department stores in eight U.S. cities: New York City; Seattle; Chicago; Costa Mesa, Calif.; Century City, Calif.; San Jose, Calif.; McLean, Va.; and Austin, Texas. All locations will be open by July 7, right around the time when Nordstrom holds its annual anniversary sale, and will purvey a variety of artisan-style snacks and drinks.

Since Pop Up Grocer launched in 2019, the business has set up shop at nine short-term spots around the United States. In March, founder Emily Schildt opened the first 1,500-square-foot permanent store in New York City at 205 Bleecker Street in Manhattan.

Organic industry advisors and specialists Gwendolyn Wyard and Kim Dietz have launched Strengthening Organic Systems LLC (SOS), billed as the only advisory firm focused entirely on organic fraud prevention, supply chain investigations and compliance with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) organic antifraud regulations.

SOS aims to strengthen the resilience and overall integrity of global organic supply chains by advising businesses in developing effective organic fraud prevention plans and compliance practices. Its immediate area of concentration is to support the implementation of USDA's Strengthening Organic Enforcement (SOE) Rule, introduced by the federal government earlier this year to close gaps in current regulations to build consistent certification practices to deter and detect organic fraud.

[Read More: "Organic Food Sales in 2022 Broke Through $60B"]

Wyard and Dietz have worked on numerous organic projects and task forces together since 2005, beginning with the formation of the Materials Working Group that assisted the National Organic Standards Board in the development of guidance on determining National List material classifications.

Most recently Wyard was VP of regulatory and technical affairs for the Washington, D.C.-based Organic Trade Association (OTA), where she was the lead developer and author of the association’s Organic Fraud Prevention Guide, now the industry standard reference for excellence in achieving integrity across complex organic global supply chains. Dietz has directly overseen 13 organic-handling operations, including the management of the successful certification of the first certified-organic handling facility in the United States. She has also led numerous task forces, committees and coalitions, including a stint as president of the OTA board.

Created to serve the organic food, nonfood and retail sectors, SOS has been named a Trusted Advisor for OTA’s Organic Fraud Prevention Solutions program. Trusted Advisors are experts in organic compliance and VACCP (Vulnerability Assessment Critical Control Points). 

Derek Jones has joined Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. (AWG) as EVP, division operations. The 30-year industry veteran will oversee divisions, corporate distribution, sales, support and services at the Kansas City, Kan.-based company.

Prior to joining AWG, Jones was CEO at Super Store Industries. He has also held executive roles at US Foods CHEF’Store, SpartanNash, Unisource Worldwide, Inc. and Office Depot. Jones earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from the University of Arkansas and completed executive education in leadership best practices a Harvard Business School.

[Read more: "AWG Honors Retail Members"]

“We are blessed to have an accomplished leader such as Derek who will take on this critical leadership role at AWG,” said David Smith, president and CEO. “He complements our high-performing culture, and we believe his reputation for remarkable execution and results as a retailer and supplier have prepared him to be a critical member of the future executive team that will further elevate our performance of AWG’s mission of providing our member retailers with all the tools, products, and services they need to compete favorably in all markets served, all at the lowest possible cost.”   

Jones, who officially steps into the role on July 10, will report to President-Elect Dan Funk. As previously announced, Funk will succeed Smith upon his retirement at the end of 2023.

AWG is the nation’s largest cooperative food wholesaler to independently-owned grocers, serving 1,100 member companies and more than 3,400 locations across 31 states. The company also operates subsidiary companies that provide real estate and supermarket development services, health and beauty care, general merchandise, pharmaceutical products, specialty foods and natural and organic products. The company is No. 39 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.

KeHE Distributors LLC has completed its earlier revealed acquisition of DPI Specialty Foods, an Ontario, Calif.-based distributor in key geographic locations across the western United States. 

“Combining KeHE and DPI’s long histories of success and pre-eminent category expertise will enable retailers to respond more quickly to customer demand, offer additional supplier opportunities and deliver enhanced consumer experiences,” said Deb Conklin, president and CEO of Naperville, Ill.-based KeHE. “Both of our organizations share an obsession for our partners, a deep commitment to our people, a focus on serving others, and financial and operational performance. This transaction represents an opportunity to capitalize on the strengths of both organizations and  become an even greater force for good.”

The transaction aims to widen KeHE’s customer base and bolsters its existing warehouse infrastructure. The combined capabilities include more than 31,000 customers, 80,000-plus SKUs, 6,100 suppliers, and 7 million square feet of warehouse space across all temperature zones in 19 distribution centers. Additionally, DPI suppliers and retailers will gain access to KeHE’s business intelligence tools, including the KeHE Connect platform, which provides suppliers with sales-reporting, business analytics and data visualization services to help drive scalable success. KeHE and DPI will continue to operate as separate entities while they work to implement an integration plan. 

BMO Capital Markets Corp. was the exclusive financial advisor to KeHE, while Winston & Strawn LLP was the company’s legal counsel.

A Certified B Corporation and employee-owned company, KeHE distributes fresh, natural and organic, and specialty products to natural food stores, chain and independent grocery stores, e-commerce retailers, and other specialty products retailers throughout North America. 

The Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex is becoming a grocery megaplex with the expansion of yet another retailer. As grocers including H-E-B, The Kroger Co., Costco Wholesale Corp. and Albertsons Cos. are adding new stores in that area, reports surfaced that H Mart – the largest Asian supermarket chain in the U.S. – is planning a new location in Dallas.

Earlier this month, the Dallas City Council passed a $4 million grant and tax incentive package to bring H Mart into Dallas. The store in the Koreatown neighborhood will span more than 74,000 square feet and follows years of discussions and proposals.

"I'm very excited to welcome H Mart to the city of Dallas. H Mart is not just a grocery store, H Mart is an experience," said Omar Narvaez, the deputy mayor of Dallas who represents the Koreatown district. "You name it, they got it inside of their stores."

H Mart currently runs two other stores in Texas, in the cities of Plano and Carrollton.

Based in Lyndhurst, N.J., H Mart operates 97 stores across 14 states. The Asian grocery chain is No. 82 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2023 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America. 

Circana, formerly NPD and IRI, has launched Circana Lift for Snap Inc., creator of Snapchat. Circana Lift enables CPG manufacturers and retailers to accurately measure how their Snapchat advertising campaigns drive offline sales, providing invaluable insights into campaign effectiveness.

Circana Lift offers advertisers the ability to answer key performance questions related to ad campaign efficacy and efficiency and drive tangible business outcomes. With this measurement solution, advertisers can determine whether their campaigns effectively increase incremental purchases, attract new households, and encourage households that viewed the ads to spend more per purchase.

“Marketing to customers is a multifaceted challenge and assessing the success of digital advertising campaigns in driving in-store sales has remained a significant obstacle for advertisers,” said Amy Marentic, president, Global Solutions, Chicago-based Circana. “Our partnership with Snap bridges the gap between online media exposure and offline sales lift, empowering advertisers to unlock the true potential of their advertising efforts and drive measurable results in today's complex and competitive market.”

Circana Lift seamlessly integrates Circana’s extensive point-of-sale, frequent shopper, causal, and media exposure data, empowering marketers to analyze actual in-store sales lift impact in real time throughout a campaign. By leveraging data from loyalty card programs, Circana’s proprietary shopper panel, and various other data assets at the SKU and shopper level, Circana Lift enables advertisers to make data-driven decisions and drive sales in real time.

"We understand how crucial it is for CPG brands to precisely evaluate their advertising campaigns' effectiveness. That's why we're teaming up with Circana, aiding these vital advertisers in optimizing their Snapchat campaigns for more efficient and impactful results," stated Christopher Plambeck, VP of marketing science at Santa Monica, Calif.-based Snap Inc.