Market Trends

A ShopRite in store New London, Conn., is enabling the fish and invertebrates at the nearby Mystic Aquarium & Institute for Exploration in the same state to consume a varied diet of fruit and vegetables at a considerably lower cost than last year, as a result of an unusual partnership between the aquarium and ShopRite that benefits both parties, as well as the animals and environment.

1SYNC this week launched a Brand Identity solution to allow users at every level of the supply chain to exchange accurate, consistent item information for multi-sourced, private label product brands safely and securely, through the Global Data Synchronization Network.

Consumers in the Sacramento, Calif., area will have to wait a bit longer for the debut of Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Markets.

For Easter, The Food Emporium is offering upscale chocolate items, including Chocolat Schonenberger exclusively at its Manhattan stores, as well as high-end products from Fritz Knipschildt and Joseph Schmidt.

Mann Packing is pouring on the flavor in a new promotion with Star Olive Oil that’s perfect for spring cooking. Beginning April 1, shoppers can save $1 on purchases of Star Olive Oil when they purchase packages of Mann’s Broccolini or Simply Singles whole-leaf lettuce leaves.

B&G Foods, Inc., a manufacturer and distributor of high-quality, shelf-stable foods, has entered a new phase in its strategic rebuilding of the Cream of Wheat brand with the rollout of Cream of Wheat Healthy Grain Instant Hot Cereal. Parsippany, N.J.-based B&G acquired the iconic brand in 2007.

Despite difficult economic conditions, more than half of retailers (51 percent) expect their IT budget as a percent of sales to stay the same for next year, while 26 percent believe their IT budget will actually increase to address projects already underway, according to a recent study by retail industry research specialists Martec International and sponsored by global retail-wholesale software provider Aldata Solution, Inc and IBM.

While per-store produce department weekly sales during the fourth quarter of 2008 rose 2.3 percent over the previous year, most likely due to retail prices of 6 percent above the prior year, volume of produce movement dipped 3.6 percent during the fourth quarter vs. the previous year, according to the United Fresh Research & Education Foundation’s latest quarterly research report.