Supermarket & Grocery Industry News

NEW YORK -- Supermarkets are getting an extra competitive edge in their efforts to protect the pet category against other channels in the form of an exclusive offer from a pet products supplier.

WHITE SULPHUR SPRINGS, W. Va. -- The Grocery Manufacturers Association's board of directors gave the green light over the weekend to the trade association's proposed merger with another trade group, the Food Products Association.

RICHMOND, B.C. -- Dag Felck, organic program manager at Nature's Path Foods here, has been appointed to the Organic Trade Association's board of directors. Falck came to Nature's Path in May 2003.

ATLANTA -- The Coca-Cola Co. here implied in a court filing that Wal-Mart used its size and market power to pressure the soft drink supplier to switch its delivery terms.

WASHINGTON -- Jim Kendzel, a long-time leader and executive in the public health field, has been named managing director of the Safe Quality Food Institute (SQFI), a division of The Food Marketing Institute here.

COLUMBIA, Md. -- Rhode Island resident Brady Schofield, owner of Seafood Marketing Specialists, which supplied Ahold-owned U.S. Foodservice here, yesterday pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in New York to six counts of insider trading and one count of conspiracy to falsify records, according to published reports. After entering his plea, Schofield expressed remorse for his actions.

PITTSBURGH -- Giant Eagle here is beginning a four-week test today of a program that will award additional fuel discounts to shoppers at 81 of its Pennsylvania stores. The new gas discount pilot, Bonus fuelperks, will be layered on top of the regional market leader's existing self-funded fuelperks! rewards program, which gives Advantage loyalty cardholders 10 cents off a gallon gas at Giant Eagle's GetGo c-stores for every $50 spent.

NASHVILLE, Tenn. -- Supervalu is now successfully synchronizing supply chain data with 500 suppliers using the Global Data Synchronization Network (GDSN)-certified 1SYNC Data Pool solution, the company said at the U Connect Conference here yesterday.