Supermarket & Grocery Industry News

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- As one of the first M&A deals in what is expected to be an active year for M&A activity in the retail food sector in the coming year, Fresh Brands, Inc. has signed a definitive agreement to be acquired by an affiliate of the Chicago-based grocery wholesale cooperative, Certified Grocers Midwest, Inc. in a transaction valued at approximately $100 million.

SCHAUMBURG, Ill.--ACNielsen U.S. said yesterday it had completed the expansion of its Homescan consumer panel, the end of a two-year initiative that has more than doubled the size of the consumer packaged goods (CPG) industry's leading source of consumer and shopper insights.

WASHINGTON -- A new report released yesterday by the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies (IOM) here claimed food and beverage marketing aimed at kids points them to high-calorie, low-nutrient products. In the industry's defense, GMA, meanwhile, claimed its members were already doing many things to offer kids healthy choices.

SCARBOROUGH, Maine -- Hannaford Brothers Co. has successfully implemented the IBM System z9 mainframe as the nerve center of its on-demand supply chain for over 300 retail stores and five major distribution centers. The new system is the culmination of a three-year, $1.2-billion development effort involving 5,000 IBM engineers, software developers, and security experts worldwide.

PARIS -- Carrefour Group, the world's second-largest retailer, with annual revenues of more than $110 billion, plans to deploy an enterprisewide data management suite for strategic corporate and operating company data management across its four largest markets, called the G4 Group.

NEW YORK -- Although organic and functional foods have generated a healthy amount of interest in the United States in recent years, these categories still have a lot of room to grow -- especially when compared to other markets around the globe. That's the conclusion of global consumer and marketplace information provider ACNielsen, which released results from a new global online survey yesterday.

SUNBURY, Pa. -- Weis Markets, based here, celebrated the opening of a new superstore in Boonsboro, Md. over the weekend. Earlier this fall the 158-store chain broke ground for a new superstore in nearby Thurmont, Md.

SHEBOYGAN, Wis. -- Piggly Wiggly and Fresh Brands here have pledged 1million pounds of food donations to the Hunger Task Force through a new yearlong "Stomp Out Hunger" campaign.