Supermarket & Grocery Industry News

SAN ANTONIO -- HEB here plans to work with Chiago-based market information provider Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) to create a customized market information portal and collaboration platform that will be made commercially available to the rateiler's manufacturing partners.

LONG ISLAND CITY, N.Y. -- Online food retailer FreshDirect here said yesterday that it's teaming with local developers to launch a program to streamline delivery services to select buildings within its largely urban marketing area.

FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. -- The boards of the Associated Food Dealers of Michigan (AFD) here, and the Great Lakes Petroleum Retailers and Allied Trades Association have voted to merge the two trade groups into a single association representing more than 3,900 small business locations in Michigan and Ohio.

SPRINGDALE, Ark. -- The chief executive of Tyson Foods, Inc. based here said the company's "Powered by Tyson" marketing campaign has raised consumer awareness of its branded products.

BOISE, Idaho -- Albertsons, Inc., based here, Chandler, Ariz.-based Bashas', and Walnut Creek, Calif.-based Longs Drugs Stores will install in-store photo kiosks from Hewlett-Packard Co. (HP), as part of the Palo Alto, Calif.-based computer and digital photo printer manufacturer's aggressive foray into the $35 billion-plus retail photo-printing market.

NEW YORK -- Featuring workshops and roundtable sessions to foster knowledge-sharing among attendees and an emphasis on best practices, the second annual Hispanic Retail 360 Summit promises to be the premier educational event for retailers looking to maximize their business with the growing Latino consumer market in the U.S., said organizers at the Retail Group of VNU Business Media.

CAMDEN, N.J. -- Campbell Soup Co., the world's largest soup company here, yesterday unveiled a major initiative to cut sodium in its soups and beverages. The company will offer new versions of its top-selling soups and reformulate some of its existing soups and beverages with less sodium.

DES PLAINES, Ill. -- Executives from Ahold USA and General Mills will lead an interactive discussion about Sarbanes-Oxley compliance, at the first annual Coupon Industry Conference, to be held March 27-29 in Washington, DC.