Have you ever thought that what you see is sometimes different from what you are really seeing?
The famous Arcimboldo's "Vegetables In A Bowl Or The Gardener" painting is a clear example ....
Aldi Nord-owned Trader Joe’s in the US is to open its first store in New Hampshire sometime next year, the Union Leader reports. The outlet will be located in Nashua, replacing an existing nearby store, just across the state border in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. The new store will offer a range of alcoholic beverages while the existing outlet is not licensed to do so. Trader Joe’s currently operates 366 stores across the US. Sister company Aldi Süd is expected to open its first New Hampshire outlet in the coming months. The Aldi-bannered discount store is planned for Salem, on the border of Massachusetts.Source: Planet Retail
by Helena Bottemiller - Food Safety NewsFederal and state budget cuts are taking a measurable toll on the food safety system, according to a new analysis by the Trust for America's Health and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. Economic slowdown and widening deficits have led to scaling back programs that respond to foodborne illness outbreaks, bioterrorism, and other incidents, and, unfortunately, disasters tend to not discriminate between good times and bad. The authors of the ninth annual report, Ready or Not? Protecting the Public from Diseases, Disasters, and Bioterrorism, are concerned the trend towards fiscal austerity is having a negative impact on public health.
"We're seeing a decade's worth of progress eroding in front of our eyes," said Jeff Levi, PhD, executive director of Trust for America's Health (TFAH). "Preparedness had been on an upward trajectory, but now some of the most elementary capabilities - including the ability to identify and contain outbreaks, provide vaccines and medications during emergencies, and treat people during mass traumas - are experiencing cuts in every state across the country."
Since 2008, just under 50,000 state and local public health department jobs have been lost to layoff and attrition, according to the most recent data released by the National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO) and the Association of State and Territorial Health Officials (ASTHO). NACCHO's July 2011 survey data also showed that between July 2010 and June 2011, more than half -- 55 percent -- of all local health departments reduced or eliminated at least one program. Emergency preparedness ranked second on the list of programs experiencing significant reductions.
According to NACCHO, the Bay County Health Department in Bay City, Michigan illustrates the tough position many health departments are in. The Bay County HD workforce is 20 percent smaller than it was when H1N1 broke out and 40 percent smaller than it was six years ago. Between 2010 and 2011 the HD's budget shrank 10 percent, and there are more cuts on the horizon.
Bay County Health Director Barbara MacGregor worries the county won't be prepared if a disaster or emergency situation strikes.
"We're prepared as best we can be, but you have to have human beings," said MacGregor. "You can have all the equipment you want in the world, but if you don't have the people on the ground doing the work, you're not going to be successful. With continued federal cuts to emergency preparedness and local health department funding in general, we are being set up to fail."
When it comes to food safety, the report warns that 24 states are at risk of losing Career Epidemiology Field Officers -- from Arizona to Maine to Florida. The report also lists weaknesses in biosurveillance as an ongoing gap in preparedness, an issue that has been raised by food safety experts for many years.
"There is no standardized, interoperable system using up-to-date technology," notes the report. "Currently, there are major differences in states' ability to collect and report data, which hampers bioterrorism and disease outbreak identification and control efforts."
The Food Safety Modernization Act was a positive step towards greater coordination and oversight, according to the report, but some state and local public health officials will be forced to balance fewer resources with the new responsibilities required under the law. Rebuilding a system based on prevention and better detection will take investments, and the report expresses concerns about properly funding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to implement the measure.
Though the agency received a boost in the final appropriations bill for the next fiscal year --when most other agencies faced caps or cuts -- the report notes that future funding is uncertain and suggests creating a more stable source of funding for food safety, such as a registration fee for food facilities.
The report is meant to be a wakeup call to policymakers.
"During the anthrax attacks and Hurricane Katrina, we witnessed what happens when public health doesn't have the technology, resources, workforce or training needed to respond to emergencies," said James S. Marks, senior vice president and director of the Health Group of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. "The old adage is that it's better to be safe than sorry. Unfortunately if we ignore preparedness now, we'll be sorry later when the next emergency strikes."
Source: Food Safety News
Discounters Aldi and Lidl have beaten many of their larger rivals to come close to topping an annual UK supermarket satisfaction survey, carried out by consumer association ‘Which?’ In its ‘Best and Worst Supermarkets’ report, Which? found that Aldi had overtaken mainstream retailer Marks & Spencer to take second place in its survey with a 72% positive rating, following only Waitrose.The 11,000 members of the Which? Connect online panel, who were surveyed in October 2011, judged that Aldi was one of the few retailers to improve on its 2010 performance, rating it strongly for its “value and special offers”.However, the German-owned discounter was also given a four star rating for the quality of its own-brand goods and fresh produce.Third-placed Lidl also improved on its rating from 2010, scoring 68%, although panelists judged that the gap had widened between the company and rival discounter Aldi.Despite this, Lidl was given four stars for its discounts and multibuys, while the quality of its fresh and own-brand produce also scored highly.Topping the chart was Waitrose, which achieved a satisfaction rating of 83%, scoring five stars for its fresh produce, own-brand food and its perceived support for local food producers. UK grocery retail market leader Tesco came joint bottom of the survey with the Co-operative, with a satisfaction rating of 46% and only two stars for its value and special offers. Tesco was also judged by panelists as being the retailer they were “least likely to associate with trustworthiness”.
Source: Fruitnet
Kraft Foods plans to introduce 70 products, including a Fresh Take line with six varieties of seasoned bread crumbs and cheese. Also new will be Kraft Sizzling Salads and refrigerated MilkBite Milk and Granola Bars. European products debuting in the U.S. include belVita Breakfast biscuits.
US discount retailer Family Dollar has announced the appointment of Paul White as Executive Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer. White will report to Chief Operating Officer Michael Bloom. He previously held the role of Senior Vice President of Apparel, Home and Seasonal for the company, to which he was appointed in 2011.
Bloom said: "Through Paul's leadership and strategic vision, Family Dollar has created a compelling mix of discretionary merchandise which has led to a more fun place to shop for our customers. Paul's promotion will help us continue to broaden our appeal and deliver greater value to our customers."Source: Planet Retail
UK grocery retailer Morrisons plans to open hundreds of convenience M Local stores in upmarket areas over the next few years. The company is looking to attract wealthier consumers than those that typically visit its city centre or out of town stores. “They [convenient stores] are a format that we are looking to build on over the next couple of years and we will continue to keep you updated as we have further news,” said a spokesperson.Richard Hodgson, Morrisons Commercial Director, is understood to have told a Sunday newspaper: “We’re pursuing an aggressive space strategy and convenience stores is at the heart of this. We want to open several hundred in the next few years and continue growing our market share.”Source: Planet Retail
US regional retailer Bi-Lo is to acquire local peer Winn-Dixie Stores, in a deal that will create a company operating 690 stores across eight states.Bi-Lo has tabled a bid worth $9.50 a share for Winn-Dixie, which has recommended the offer to its shareholders. Winn-Dixie said the bid was a 75% premium on the price at which its shares closed on Friday.Bi-Lo chairman Randall Onstead said the retailer was "very excited" about the deal. It operates 207 supermarkets across four US states; Winn-Dixie has around 480 outlets in five states but Onstead said there was "no overlap" between the two retailers' operations."The combined company will have a perfect geographic fit that will create a stronger platform from which to provide our customers great products at a great value, while continuing to offer exceptional service," Onstead said.In August, Winn-Dixie reported annual losses of over $70m and a fall in sales. Chairman, CEO and president Peter Lynch said the deal was "in the best interest of our shareholders". He added the combination of Bi-Lo and Winn-Dixie would build a company "that is stronger than our individual businesses". Both banners will remain in place after the deal goes through.The acquisition is subject to the approval of Winn-Dixe shareholders but is expected to close within the next four months.
Walmart Stores in a strongly worded statement rebuked a report from the Manhattan Borough president’s office concluding that a Wal-Mart store in New York City would put dozens of other food stores out of business.“A new report from Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer that predicts that a Walmart in Harlem would hurt small businesses is nothing but a repackaging of a flawed Loyola University Chicago survey that tried unsuccessfully to make the same point,” the statement said. “In fact, one of the Chicago study’s authors was forced to conclude that his study contained no evidence of a net job loss in the Chicago neighborhood after Walmart moved in and admitted the company actually created jobs in Chicago.”Stringer’s report estimated that between 41 and 66 businesses selling food in a one-mile radius of a Wal-Mart store in New York’s Harlem neighborhood would go out of business within two years of the retailer’s opening, reducing access to fresh food and running counter to initiatives to bring more such stores to the city. With Walmart reportedly looking at sites for a new stores in the city, Stringer advocated that city officials “take measures to protect small-scale, fresh-food retailers and the residents who rely on these stores to help maintain their health.”Walmart defended its record in providing additional access to food in places like Chicago, and pointed out Stringer had previously supported the arrival of big-box rivals Target and Costco to New York. It said city residents were on pace to increase their spending at Wal-Mart stores outside of the city by 26% this year.Source: Supermarket News
A new study, described as the largest of its kind in the US fresh produce industry, has been unveiled by the US Department of Agriculture (USDA), bringing together a number of organizations to back food safety standards in the leafy greens and tomato industries.The $9.4 million study, to last over three years, brings together the USDA, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), seven universities – led by the University of Maryland – and the fresh produce industry, The Packer reported.A $5.4 million grant has been released by the USDA for the study, which is being supplemented by $4 million from tomato and lettuce-grower-shippers in the country.The goal of the project is to use science to provide practical food safety solutions across the leafy green and tomato supply chains, with University of Maryland's Robert Buchanan hoping that the study's findings will be used in the implementation of the National Leafy Greens Marketing Agreement.Source: Fruitnet
Restaurant industry same-store sales remained flat in November, mainly because guest traffic tapered off from prior months, but operators remained bullish on sales outlooks for the next six months, according to the latest NRN-MillerPulse survey.The December survey found that industrywide same-store sales rose 2.5% in November, in line with the 2.5-percent increase in October. However, sales did slow slightly on a two-year basis, rising 5.3% in November versus a 6.3-percent increase in October.MillerPulse, an operator survey exclusive to Nation’s Restaurant News, polled around 70 restaurant operators in December regarding November sales, profit trends, performance and outlooks. Respondents cover all regions of the country and represent the quick-service, casual-dining, fine-dining and fast-casual segments. Those surveyed in December represented restaurants that booked about 17 percent of industry sales.Same-store sales for quick-service restaurants, which include both fast-food and fast-casual brands, increased 3.4% in November, compared with 3.6% in October, and sales for full-service restaurants, which include both fine-dining and casual-dining brands, remained consistent with a 1.6-percent increase in November, compared with a 1.4-percent uptick in the prior month.The modest same-store sales numbers are a reflection of a dip in guest traffic, which increased just 0.1 percent during the Thanksgiving month, compared with a 1.4-percent increase in October. The biggest concern was a traffic decline in the full-service category, said Larry Miller, restaurant securities analyst at RBC Capital Markets in Atlanta and creator of the monthly MillerPulse surveys and research.Source: Nation's Restaurant News
According to a report from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, “VULNERABILITIES IN FDA’S OVER SIGHT OF STATE FOOD FACILITY INSPECTIONS,” although FDA has increasingly relied on States to inspect food facilities, our report identified significant weaknesses in FDA’s oversight of these inspections. Notably, in eight States, FDA failed to ensure that the required number of inspections was completed. Moreover, FDA paid for many inspections that were incomplete.In addition, FDA did not ensure that all inspections were properly classified or that all inspection violations were remedied. Based on the violations found during an inspection, FDA assigns each inspection a classification; an official action indicated (OAI) classification is generally assigned when the most serious violations are identified. We found that FDA officials were often unclear about how to properly classify contract inspections. Specifically, officials responsible for 11 States reported that they would not assign OAI classifications to State inspections under any circumstances, contrary to FDA guidance. Additionally, FDA officials reported that when States are responsible for correcting violations, FDA was not always informed about actions taken by the States. As a result, FDA was unable to ensure that all inspection violations were remedied.Finally, FDA failed to complete the required number of audits in one-third of the States with inspection contracts. FDA guidance requires that a minimum of 7 percent of a State’s contract inspections be audited each year. However, FDA failed to complete the required number of audits in 14 of 41 States. Additionally, the audits in 10 States revealed systemic problems that needed to be corrected; however, FDA initiated corrective action in only 4 of these 10 States."We recommend that FDA:(1) Ensure that all contract inspections are completed, properly documented, and appropriately paid for;(2) Ensure that contract inspections are properly classified in accordance with FDA guidance;(3) Ensure that all inspection violations are remedied by routinely tracking all actions taken to correct violations;(4) Ensure that the minimum audit rate is met in all States; and(5) Address any systemic problems identified by audits."
FDA concurred with four of our recommendations and agreed in part with the fifth.Read more here
German discounter Aldi has revealed plans to build a 500,000 sq ft regional distribution centre in Royal Palm Beach to support its expansion into South Florida.According to Planet Retail, the company expects to invest about $50 million in the facility, which will take around 15 months to build, and spend $182 million in growing its store presence in the region.
The nutritionally balanced quadrants of the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) MyPlate - the new federal dietary guidelines that depict a healthful daily diet - look quite different from what’s actually on the plates of most Americans, according to new research from The NPD Group. Using its National Eating Trends (NET) research, which has continually tracked the eating and drinking habits of U.S. consumers for more than 30 years, Port Washington, N.Y.-based NPD calculated MyPlate days based on consumers who, on the same day, achieved at least 70 percent of the daily recommended intake for dairy, fruit, grains, proteins and vegetables.
For the average consumer, only 2% of their days (about seven days a year) come close to resembling the USDA’s MyPlate dietary guidelines, the research showed.When a MyPlate day is achieved, consumers are highly likely to consume more than three meals a day.“We know through our ongoing research that consumers are more aware of what constitutes a healthy diet, but we also know what they say and what they do when it comes to eating are often different,” said Darren Seifer, NPD’s food and beverage industry analyst who analyzed the NET information in comparison to the MyPlate guidelines. “Since the MyPlate program was just released last year, time will tell if it will have an effect on the way consumers eat, but it’s likely to be an uphill battle.”Source: Progressive Grocer
Independent research undertaken by the Breast Cancer Fund in Australia has uncovered harmful levels of Bisphenol A - or BPA - in a range of popular canned goods. Conducting the study using tinned foods commonly consumed throughout the festive season, including cranberry sauce, corn, green beans and evaporated milk, scientists found significant doses of the potentially dangerous chemical, which has been linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. A common component of polycarbonate plastic used to make food containers, microwave ovenware, kitchen utensils and some baby bottles, BPA is also used in the epoxy-resin linings of tin cans to form a barrier between the metal and the food and prevent bacterial contamination.However, the toxic chemical can leach from the resin and make its way into food. Conditions connected to regular consumption are varied and range from breast and prostate cancer, infertility and early puberty in girls to type-2 diabetes, obesity and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. "The tests showed that single servings of almost half of the products had levels of BPA comparable to levels that laboratory studies have linked to adverse health effects," reported Shannon Coughlin of the Breast Cancer Fund. "When combined in a meal with other canned foods - even those with lower BPA content - the result could be a holiday meal that delivers a very concerning amount of BPA.”Just one plate of your holiday favorites could deliver a potentially harmful dose of BPA. Then you get seconds. Then there's the leftovers. And then there's the rest of the year – most of us eat canned foods daily or weekly. Even if we don't use them much at home, canned foods are used in a lot of restaurant and cafeteria food. When you think of this daily exposure, you start to see the urgency of getting this chemical out of food cans."Though this particular study was conducted in the US, Australian watchdogs have long been lobbying for change. Last year, a similar study by consumer group Choice found that 33 out of the 38 products they tested contained BPA. And just one serving of 29 of them delivered a dose that exceeded a safe daily level of exposure for a 70kg adult. Caving to international pressure to ban the use of BPA, the Australian Government has implemented voluntary deal with major retailers. From last July, a gradual phase out of baby bottles and tinned baby food containing the chemical has been in effect. But the program was not extended to other products, citing the fact that Food Standards Australia New Zealand said existing levels were low and of no public threat. This view is disputed by researchers, with both the Choice and Breast Cancer Fund studies finding varying levels of BPA in the same brand of food after multiple tests."We tested four cans each of seven different products. We found a tremendous variability in BPA levels in the canned foods we tested, even among cans of the same product made by the same company, which means that consumers have no way of knowing how much BPA is in the canned food they're buying and consuming," said Coughlin. "These findings point to a troubling fact: consumers are being exposed to BPA through eating canned foods, and have absolutely no way of knowing what their levels of exposure might be." Though some in the scientific community discount the links between BPA and an increased risk of breast cancer and other illnesses as junk science, clinical studies have proven the chemical's detrimental effects in both mice and human cell cultures. The European Union, Canada and China have banned the use of BPA in the production of baby bottles and France is on the verge of banning it in all food applications. The Endocrine Society, the world's oldest, largest and most active organization devoted to research on hormones, issued its first-ever scientific statement on BPA in 2009, saying that it can interfere with human hormone systems even at acutely low doses."In regard to breast cancer, lab studies have shown that BPA alters mammary gland development in rats and mice. Prenatal exposures of rats and mice to BPA have also been shown to result in precancerous and mammary tumors," said Coughlin. "Furthermore, when scientists have exposed human cell cultures to BPA, they have seen increased breast cancer cell proliferation and damage to DNA.” Recent research found that when pregnant mice drank water laced with BPA at environmentally relevant doses, it altered the long-term hormone response of their offspring in ways that could increase the offspring's risk for developing breast cancer. Even more worrying, recent evidence demonstrates that BPA exposure may reduce the efficacy of chemotherapeutic and hormonal treatments for breast cancer."Recommending that the chemical be removed from all food packaging and ensuring that any replacement is proved to be safe, experts suggest that until that happens shoppers should opt for fresh or frozen foods and buy products in glass or Tetra Pak packaging wherever possible in order to avoid exposure and possible related health problems. "Consumers have no way of assessing BPA levels just by looking at cans on supermarket shelves," added Coughlin. "The findings of this report highlight the urgent need to remove BPA from food packaging so that shoppers can be confident that the food they are purchasing is safe for their families, not only at Christmas, but every day." The chemical is also found in soft drink and beer cans, with The Coca-Cola Company rejecting a move to ban it from their products in April this year. This comes after a 2009 Washington Post investigation that uncovered internal company memos which discussed plans to “devise a public relations and lobbying strategy to block government bans” of BPA in can linings.Source: smh.com.au
Supermarket produce dollar sales rose nearly 6% since this time last year, driven by higher average retail prices. The increase in dollar sales was fueled by higher average retail prices this period, according to the latest edition of FreshFacts® on Retail, the quarterly retail research report of the United Fresh Foundation.While overall volume experienced a slight decline due to higher prices, the decrease was only 3%, continuing the trend established in previous quarters, which saw consumers willing to pay a premium for their fresh produce preferences.Highlights of this quarter’s report include:- Eight of the top 10 fruits and nine of the top 10 vegetables posted sales that exceeded Q3 2010;- Cherries saw true growth in sales and volume, both up more than 20%, as did mushrooms with more than 6% increase in volume and dollar sales;- Dollars and volume for value-added fruits grew during Q3 2011, up 8.3% and 5.3%, and value-added vegetables saw dollar sales rise 6.8% and volume 7.1%;- Organic fruits and vegetables both saw growth in weekly volume, despite increases in retail price;- Produce based deli-salads and sides posted dollar growth.Each FreshFacts® report also features a Quarterly Spotlight on one industry segment in particular.
This quarter, the report looks at the primary factors driving consumer purchasing in the fresh produce department. This spotlight focuses on the consumer’s desire for convenience and unique flavors, as well as consumer willingness to trade up to value-added and gourmet varieties when prices rise for basic staple commodities.
The facility near Los Angeles airport could support the influx of perishable imports and boost the region's share of the business Apollo Freight has opened a 16,000 sq ft refrigerated warehouse just east of Los Angeles international airport in California, the US, according to a report by the Los Angeles Times.The facility, which can handle 100 tons a day and bring in US$90m annually in revenue, was apparently unveiled on November 28 by Apollo's parent company Mercury Air Group.Apollo has seen its capacity more than double, providing more space to handle California produce headed to Asia and the Middle East, as well as for processing imported goods and those on the way from Central and South America to Europe and Asia. While southern California dominates maritime imports, currently most airfreighted perishable items enter the US through Miami’s international airport and then trucked onto destination markets.This new coldstore however could help southern California expand its perishable import trade.“There is ample room for Los Angeles to grow in moving perishables," said David A. Herbst, executive vice-president of Mercury Air Group.Miami International handled 73% of the more than 181,000 tons of fruit and vegetables imported to the US by air last year, according to Los Angeles World Airports, the city department that operates LAX.LAX, meanwhile, came in third position for fruit and vegetable imports, behind Miami and New York’s John F. Kennedy international airport, with a 5% share.The opening of the new coldstore has increased the area’s refrigerated warehouse space for airfreighted goods by 35.5%, according Victor J. Adducie, general manager for Apollo Freight.Source: www.fruitnet.com
US authorities have awarded over $10m in food safety grants to universities across the country with the aim of boosting research and education and reducing concern.The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) has issued 17 grants, ranging from $100,000 to nearly $2 million, to universities across 13 states.
Showcasing its strong commitment to energy efficiency, Whole Foods is partnering with EnergySmart Jobs and PECI to achieve measurable savings through high-efficiency refrigeration retrofits. Unique to this project is Whole Food’s openness to participate in a comprehensive technical evaluation of the upgrades the grocer has made with the help of the EnergySmart Jobs Program.EnergySmart Jobs works with grocers, supermarkets and other commercial retail businesses throughout California to lower their operating costs by reducing the amount of energy they use. Whole Foods was drawn to the program not only for the potential energy savings, but also for the opportunity to improve the environmental impact of their stores. On top of that, EnergySmart Jobs is giving California a boost by creating hundreds of new sustainable jobs in the fast-growing energy efficiency industry.EnergySmart Jobs and PECI are partnering with Whole Foods – Franklin and Whole Foods – Palo Alto, two Northern California stores, to quantify the actual amount of energy that each individual store is saving.“Whole Foods Market has been fortunate to work with PECI for several years in our Northern California region, and significant energy efficiency improvements have been made, resulting in substantial cost savings as well,” said Kathy Loftus, Global Leader of Sustainable Engineering at Whole Foods. “When the opportunity to participate in the EnergySmart Jobs program came up, we enthusiastically agreed, as it not only helps grow the local economy, but also helps us prove the benefits of these improvements across our company and the industry.”These two stores are part of six Whole Foods stores participating in the EnergySmart Jobs Program and each of them will be installing new energy management systems (EMS), programmed to float head and suction pressure to improve the refrigeration system efficiency. Rebates from EnergySmart Jobs cover a portion of the upfront investment costs. Together with applicable utility incentives, these rebates make it easy and affordable for grocers like Whole Foods to adopt new energy-efficient technologies.Data loggers installed at several of these Whole Foods locations will monitor the amount of energy used by the refrigeration system condenser and compressor fans, offering a clear before-and-after picture. This is a rare and exciting opportunity, as the information collected from this study will enable PECI and EnergySmart Jobs to provide more accurate and detailed energy-use estimates for future projects.The measurement and verification effort represents a strong commitment by Whole Foods to energy conservation. It also demonstrates the high level of expertise and thoroughness provided by EnergySmart Jobs and PECI in helping participating businesses reach their energy efficiency goals.
The Indian government has suspended its decision to allow 51% foreign direct investment (FDI) in multi-brand retail until a consensus is reached through consultations with various stakeholders, finance minister Pranab Mukherjee announced last week.Ruling Congress party allies and opposition parties have disrupted parliament for two weeks in protest against the government's retail policy, which would have allowed foreign supermarket chains like Wal-Mart and Tesco to set up shop in India. The government hoped these supermarkets' arrival would ease high inflation, improve supply-chain infrastructure and create jobs. Opponents to the reform feared job losses for millions of small local shopkeepers. A senior industry source told news agency Reuters the suspension also applied to foreign investment in the single-brand retail sector, which was to be raised to 100 per cent from 51 per cent.According to Reuters, the Indian government gave no timeframe for reviving the retail reform. And analysts claim deep political divisions over the issue could keep it on the back-burner for some time."The decision has certainly delayed creating new economic activity," Kishore Biyani, CEO and managing director of Future Group, the parent company of local retailer Pantaloon, told Reuters. "We are convinced that good sense will prevail at some point and a consensus will emerge in some form, maybe not in the initially proposed form." One senior government source told Reuters it was "premature" to say the retail plan would be watered down in future. Source: www.fruitnet.com
Smart & Final Holdings Corp. on Friday said that David G. Hirz, president and chief operating officer, will be named chief executive officer effective Jan. 1, 2012 and will also become a member of the company’s board of directors.Smart & Final’s current chairman and chief executive officer, George Golleher, will remain executive chairman of the board and continue to work closely with Hirz and the senior management team on strategic issues, the company said.Golleher joined Smart & Final in May 2007 in conjunction with the company’s acquisition by Apollo Management L.P.Hirz joined Smart & Final as president in April 2010. He is a former president of Food 4 Less and Ralphs Grocery Co., which are both divisions of Cincinnati-based Kroger Co. He had joined Food 4 Less in 1991 and previously held posts with The Boys Markets.Source: Supermarket News
Fresh & Easy Neighborhood Market today introduced a new reusable bag featuring the winning design from its second annual Design-A-Bag contest. This new limited-edition reusable bag retails for only 99 cents and joins several other reusable bags introduced by Fresh & Easy in recent weeks. The bag's colorful design of fresh produce was hand-painted by Las Vegas resident Tonya Jacobsen, who received a year's worth of free groceries for winning the contest.*"I am so excited that my bag is coming out this week!" said Design-A-Bag contest winner Tonya Jacobsen. "My friends and family are excited to see it too, so I decided I'm going to 'wrap' all of the gifts I give this year in the new bag. It's great that it is coming out during the holiday season and I hope people enjoy it."The Design-A-Bag contest generated more than 800 submissions from customers and 30,000 votes by "Friends of fresh&easy" -- customers who have signed up for the company's rewards program. Fresh & Easy's Design-A-Bag contest and expansion of its reusable bag range are part of a continued effort to encourage customers to use reusable bags. Over the past several weeks, Fresh & Easy has introduced a striped pocket tote for $1.79, a bag that keeps fresh food cool for $2.49, and a bag with colorful sunbursts for 99 cents."Our last customer-designed bag was a huge hit with customers and we're sure this new design will prove to be just as popular," said Fresh & Easy Chief Customer Officer John Burry. "By offering more attractive and useful reusable bags, we hope customers will be encouraged to use them more and in turn, join us in helping the environment."*Valued at $5,000
Costco Wholesale Corp. posted a 2.6% increase in first-quarter profit that trailed analysts’ estimates amid risings costs that reduced margins.
Net income advanced to $320 million in the quarter ended November 20, from $312 million a year earlier.
Net sales gained 13% to $21.18 billion with membership fees advancing 7.5% to $447 million.
Total revenue rose to $21.6 billion.
The retailer’s in-store gross margin, or the percentage of sales left after subtracting the cost of goods sold, narrowed to 10.62% from 10.97% a year earlier.
Tesco's Fresh & Easy stores in the United States posted a 12% sales gain on a comparable stores basis, which excludes sales from stores opened since last year. Total U.S. sales rose by 29%, driven by larger customer numbers and higher average spend, the company said.New store performance is understood to be improving, reflecting changes made to the offer in recent months.
Aldi Nord-owned Trader Joe’s in the US is to open its first store in New Hampshire sometime next year, the Union Leader reports. The outlet will be located in Nashua, replacing an existing nearby store, just across the state border in Tyngsborough, Massachusetts. The new store will offer a range of alcoholic beverages while the existing outlet is not licensed to do so. Trader Joe’s currently operates 366 stores across the US. Sister company Aldi Süd is expected to open its first New Hampshire outlet in the coming months. The Aldi-bannered discount store is planned for Salem, on the border of Massachusetts.
