Trading Partners

WASHINGTON -- Two leading U.S. food and beverage trade groups are exploring whether a merger would best serve their purposes. The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) and the Food Products Association (FPA) released a joint statement on Friday about the current status of their discussions.

CHICAGO, Nov. 18, 2005 -- Traditional grocers might be in danger of losing another weapon they have against supercenters, mass merchandisers, and club stores; the element of differentiation they gain from their private label franchises, according to a recent study by marketing information company Information Resources, Inc. (IRI).

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- Declaring it an "important step" toward ensuring its imported shrimp is farmed with environmental sustainability in mind, Wal-Mart here said it will now certify that all its foreign shrimp suppliers adhere to Best Aquaculture Practices (BAP) standards.

NAPA, Calif. -- Another small manufacturer in the booming organic/natural foods industry has been snatched up by a larger player. Homegrown Naturals, Inc. here said yesterday it has acquired Annie's Naturals, the leading maker of all-natural and organic salad dressings and condiments.

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- As part of its push to up the quality of its offerings, Wal-Mart has begun to carry certified Wild American Shrimp in nearly 900 locations.

COLORDAO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Growth in the multicultural marketplace will be enormous over the next couple of years, and since these consumers are among the biggest purchasers of general merchandise and health and beauty care products, retailers would do well to prepare for this growth, according to a new report by the General Merchandise Distributors Council Educational Foundation.

LUFKIN, Texas -- Brookshire Brothers staged its first-ever cooking show yesterday at the civic center in its headquarters town here, drawing in hundreds of would-be gourmands, and building recognition of its new Fresh Harvest banner. The company plans to hold the event annually, and eventually take it on the road to some of its 70 stores, Bruce Bryant, the chain's advertising director, told Progressive Grocer.

MATOSINHOS, Portugal -- Modelo Continente SGPS, the Portuguese retail arm of the Sonae Group, which operates a total of 480 stores, including hypermarkets, supermarkets and specialty retail stores in Portugal and Brazil, is installing self-checkout systems at its hypermarket locations.