Market Trends

Ring Bros Marketplace is introducing its first-ever Kids’ Cooking Classes, which will take place Tuesday, Feb. 16 and Thursday, Feb. 18 from 2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

An exciting lineup of beef promotions for 2010 will build upon the success of last year’s beef sales at retail, according to members of the marketing team of the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association (NCBA), which contracts to manage retail programs for the beef checkoff.

Upscale grocer Kings Super Markets, Inc. is rolling out the good-better-best nutrition rating system “Guiding Stars” in all 24 of its grocery stores, which are located in New Jersey and Long Island, N.Y.

For the first time in its 119-year history, Hormel Foods will market its extensive portfolio of Hormel-branded products in a single campaign.

Ahold’s Giant-Carlisle division said yesterday it has completed its acquisition of 25 Ukrop’s Super Markets in the greater Richmond and Williamsburg, Va., area, adding that the locations will begin operating under the Martin’s banner this spring.

As the Vancouver 2010 Olympic Winter Games hurtle down the chute this month, consumer packaged goods industry behemoths Coca-Cola — the exclusive nonalcoholic beverage provider to the Olympic Games through 2020 — and Procter & Gamble are debuting programs involving fans and athletes alike.

What will tomorrow’s dairy section look like? Thanks to the combined efforts of Dairy Management, Inc., the Dannon Co. and Kraft Foods, grocers have the chance to find out.

Research shows that shoppers lack emotional engagement in many retail dairy aisles. They frequently have difficulty finding items and hurry through the aisle to replenish planned purchases. In other words, the dairy department can quickly become uninviting to shoppers.