Supermarket & Grocery Industry News

CHICAGO -- A study conducted by research firm Promodata's Price-Trak Group projects a decade-high average promotion allowance of 15 percent by year's end. This high allowance level is being driven by consistent increases across all major product groups, with the exception of refrigerated foods, which peaked in 2002/03, according to the group.

WASHINGTON -- The Grocery Manufacturers Association (GMA) here said yesterday that e.v.p. Mark Baum will resign from the trade association to join consulting firm DiamondCluster International as partner in January 2006.

LONDON, United Kingdom -- A holiday nightmare befell supermarket chain Waitrose, when it was forced to suspend its chip-and-PIN credit card processing system last week because of technical problems. While it is now operating a temporary card payment authorization system, it may be liable for any fraudulent transactions it processes in the meantime.

SALISBURY, N.C. -- In a move to add more high-quality, convenient items to its product mix, Food Lion here has begun offering Bertagni fresh filled pastas from Italy in more than 400 of its stores, via an exclusive partnership with Sterling Foods, Inc.

NATICK, Mass. -- BJ's Wholesale Club here recently unveiled the solar energy system that the retailer has installed on the rooftop of its Saratoga, N.Y. location. Launched last spring, the system, which employs solar panels from Evergreen Solar, Inc., a Marlborough, Mass.-based developer, manufacturer, and marketer of solar power products using the company's proprietary low-cost manufacturing technologies, is BJ's largest North American solar installation.

EDEN PRAIRIE, Minn. -- SUPERVALU, Inc. here and Information Resources, Inc. (IRI) are extending their relationship under a new agreement in which IRI will provide manufacturers and independent grocery retailers with insights and data for both Supervalu's wholesale supply chain and its grocery retail division.

WILMINGTON, Del. -- Leaders from the Produce for Better Health Foundation (PBH) here are hailing a new report released this week by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM), which claimed food and beverage marketing aimed at kids points them to high-calorie, low-nutrient products.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Leading super-natural retailer Whole Foods Market here yesterday opened a new 55,000-square-foot unit in Belmar, Colo., which, in typical Whole Foods fashion, includes a focus on local and regional foods.