Progressive Grocer- Find Supermarket Industry News & Grocery Store News

Brands Finding Barriers to Social Networking

Many large brands are still struggling to become part of the social networking universe, according to a new study by Cleveland, Ohio-based WorkPlace Media. More >>

Value-Seeking Consumers Look More Often to Web

When it comes to grocery-related content, U.S. consumers are turning more to the Web as an information source. According to the comScore Media Metrix in May 2009, total unique visitors for the coupons category have increased 19 percent year over year. How leading food retailers are responding to this shift is the subject of a white paper by Willard Bishop, LLC “What the Competition Doesn’t Want You to Know About How Grocery Shoppers Are Using the Web.” More >>

Study: Parents Postponing Purchases

Shoppers with kids or in lower-income brackets are the most likely groups to postpone or cut out purchases, according to a new study from Information Resources, Inc. More >>

Lucky Supermarkets Offers Chance to Win King Tut Exhibit Getaway

Lucky Supermarkets, a banner of Modesto, Calif.-based Save Mart Supermarkets, has teamed up with the de Young Museum to offer customers a chance to win a getaway to view the King Tut exhibition -- “Tutankhamun and the Golden Age of the Pharaohs” -- in San Francisco. More >>

PROGRESSIVE GROCER EXCLUSIVE: Fresh Bakery Trends: Bakery Bucks up

After several consecutive years of flat sales and stale performance, in-store bakery department performance is on the rise, but there still remains ample room for continued improvement, according to the latest insights revealed in Progressive Grocer’s 2009 annual Bakery Operations Review. More >>

TGR to Host Specialty Grocer Conference

With more than 700,000 independent retailers across the United States all looking for an edge in a challenging economy, The Gourmet Retailer, the leading voice for specialty food and kitchenware retailers as well as a sister publication of Progressive Grocer, is hosting “Retail 2020: Surging Ahead in Challenging Times” next month. More >>

Whole Foods Ranked Most ‘Humane’ Grocery Store

The results are in, and Whole Foods Market ranks first in a list of the most “humane” grocers from among the top 25 U.S. supermarket chains by annual sales. The second annual survey of 200 stores in 34 states by the Boston-based World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA), the world’s largest alliance of animal welfare organizations, additionally found that from 2008 to 2009, the number of humanely produced food offerings rose 23 percent. More >>

Contract Deadline Date Dawns for Acme Markets Pa., Union Workers

While unionized workers at 40 of Supervalu’s Acme Markets subsidiary in the five-county Philadelphia area saw their extended contract expire at 12:01 a.m. this morning, no plans for a strike or a lockout had been announced at presstime, although what happens next remains to be seen. More >>

Nielsen: Consumers Trust Online Opinions

When it comes to trust, personal recommendations and consumer opinions posted online are most valued by consumers worldwide. More >>

Study: Americans Less Worried about Wasteful Packaging

Sustainable packaging is not as high a concern to Americans as it is to many others around the world, according to new Datamonitor report. More >>

Americans Still Not Doing it for Their Hearts

Despite numerous warnings about the risks posed by cardiovascular diseases, Americans are still not doing enough to improve their heart health, says Datamonitor consumer markets analyst Mark Whalley, author of the report “Opportunities in Heart Health: Consumer Attitudes & Behaviors.” More >>

Starbucks, Unilever Offer Free Ice Cream to Facebook Users

To introduce consumers to its new ice cream line, Starbucks and Unilever are offering free pints to Facebook users. More >>

Retail-Led Consumer Product Safety Effort Grows

The Retail Industry Leaders Association (RILA) said yesterday that Intertek, an international provider of quality and safety solutions, has joined RILA and the British Retail Consortium (BRC) as a sponsor in the development and rollout of a worldwide manufacturing standard for consumer goods. More >>

MOM’s Organic Market to Expand

MOM’s Organic Market will open a store at the newly renovated Hilltop Plaza in Bowie, Md., marking the organic grocery chain’s sixth location. More >>

Sunflower Farmers Market Opening 3rd Albuquerque Store

Natural and organic foods retailer Sunflower Farmers Markets plans to open its 26th store in Albuquerque, N.M., on July 29, joining two existing locations already in the city. More >>

AG of Maine Names Retailers, Vendors of the Year

At its recent 56th Annual Stockholders Meeting and Banquet dinner in Bangor, full-service wholesaler Associated Grocers (AG) of Maine, Inc. presented several “Retailer of the Year” awards to independent grocers who have demonstrated leadership and innovation. More >>

HEB Chief Merchant Named

HEB has appointed Martin Otto its Chief Merchant, effective Jan. 1, 2010. An 18-year veteran of the San Antonio-based company, Otto is currently CFO, a position that he will continue to hold. More >>

Jackson, Tripp Departing Supervalu; Herkert Becomes Prez, Realigns Retail Operations

Supervalu’s new CEO -- and soon-to-be president -- is shaking things up, as evidenced by the pending departures of two longtime executives and a realigned customer-focused leadership and operating structure alongside the creation of a new health-and-wellness division to facilitate stronger alignment between the Minneapolis-based company’s pharmacy and health and beauty operations. More >>

Study: Food Sales Increasingly Driven by Convenience and Health

Feeling hard-pressed to squeeze regular meals into your busy schedule? Well, it turns out that you’re not the only one reaching for on-the-go solutions, according to recent research. More >>

Will the Bubbles Rise Again?

Sales in the long-established carbonated drinks segment have been flat to slightly down over the past five years, according to Mintel, a leading market research company. During 2003-08, Mintel estimates the regular soda segment lost 15.6 million consumers aged 18 and over, and the diet soda segment only added half as many, or 7.8 million adult consumers. More >>

Frugality Is the New Black

Parents and families are shifting to a new value system where keeping up with the Joneses is out and teaching the kids about responsible spending is in. Also in, according to a recent report from Starcom and Nickelodeon: putting brands’ feet to the fire and demanding they prove their worth to consumers who increasingly buy generic products in a hunt for deals. More >>

Doritos Bags Blink-182, Big Boi

Instead of a concert ticket, Doritos is asking consumers to buy a bag of its Late Night chips in order to check out exclusive blink-182 and Big Boi concert footage. More >>

Duane Reade, HP Team on Photo-Publishing Solution

Drug store chain Duane Reade, Inc. is installing HP Retail Publishing Solutions throughout its stores, following a successful 2008 pilot program in key locations. More >>

Fresh & Easy Exclusive Wines Win 29 Awards

Tesco-owned Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market won 29 awards for its exclusive wines at two recent events, bringing the grocer’s total for the category to more than 80. More >>

Brookshire’s Fires up ‘Summer Backyard Barbecue Giveaway’ Online Sweeps

Brookshire’s Food & Pharmacy is promoting its Brookshire’s Best Angus Beef in the “Summer Backyard Barbecue Giveaway,” for which one customer will win a $10,000 backyard makeover grand prize package that includes a year’s supply of beef. More >>