Supermarket/Grocery

The nonprofit charity arm of Stater Bros. Markets has promoted Nancy Negrette to executive director.
 
In her new position, Negrette will work with Stater Bros. Charities CEO Sally Atkinson to oversee the nonprofit’s efforts in the areas the company’s employees work.
 

Sobeys is leveraging social media to drive Canadian shoppers to its stores. The operator of retail banners that include Sobeys, Safeway, IGA, Foodland, FreshCo, Thrifty Foods and Lawton's Drug Stores has enlisted Chef Jamie Oliver for the campaign.

The company’s next #BetterFoodForAll challenge asks Canadians to share their favorite side dish this summer for a chance to win a cooking lesson with Oliver in Toronto. Sides can include coleslaw, corn on the cob, grilled vegetables and fresh salads.

Mumbai, India – In a move that may have implications for Wal-Mart, French retailer Carrefour S.A. will reportedly shutter its five Indian wholesale stores by the end of September 2014. According to Reuters, Carrefour is in advanced talks to sell its Indian assets to an unspecified buyer.

New York -- Crumbs Bake Shops on Monday closed its 48 stores. The cupcake store chain has been struggling for some time. In a May filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission, it warned that it "may be forced to curtail or cease its activities" if its operations didn't generate enough cash flow.

Last week, Nasdaq suspended the trading of Crumbs shares on the grounds that the company no longer had at least $2.5 million in shareholder equity, or met benchmarks for an annual net profit.

Washington, D.C. - Shop.org is adding two new members to its board of directors and welcoming back eight members that currently serve on the board. Each member will serve a two-year term.

New Shop.org Board members:

• Bryon Colby, senior VP of digital commerce, Cornerstone Brands/HSNi; and
• Deepika Pandey, group VP, customer experience, direct and digital marketing, Walgreen Co.

Salt Lake City - The Howard Hughes Corporation (HHC) and Smith’s Food & Drug are planning a 78,000-sq.-ft.food and drug store in Holladay, Utah. The 57-acre mixed-use Cottonwood development, located eight miles from downtown Salt Lake Cit, will feature upscale shopping, dining, entertainment and offices in a “Town Square” style setting as well as multi-family residences when complete.

Free Standing Insert (FSI) coupon activity increased 3.4% based on Coupons Dropped during the first six months of 2014 versus the same time period in 2013, according to Marx, a Kantar Media solution.

FSI Coupons Dropped within non-food categories increased 8.2% to represent 65% of the 158 billion FSI coupons distributed during this period.

South American citrus, grapes and blueberries will arrive sooner and last longer for consumers in the Southeastern U.S. thanks to the Georgia Ports Authority’s participation in a USDA pilot program.

“South American fresh fruit destined to the Southeast market has traditionally been shipped to Northern U.S. ports,” said GPA executive director Curtis Foltz. “Delivery to Savannah means fruits won’t have to be trucked as far to reach Southeastern markets, allowing fresher offerings for stores and longer shelf life for consumers.”

Five hundred suppliers, 200 merchants and 800 meetings equaled made in U.S.A. magic for Walmart as the retailer looked to accelerate domestic sourcing with a first ever event dubbed Open Call.

Walmart held the event at its Bentonville, Ark., headquarters on Tuesday, July 8, to discover domestically sourced products from new and existing suppliers that can help the company meet its goal of buying an additional $250 billion in American-made products in the next 10 years.

New York -- The heat is on — in more ways than one. While Target’s search for a new chief executive has been much in the news, the discounter is not the only big retailer on the hunt for a chief executive. Here’s a brief review (all dates are 2014 except where noted):