Presence News - Presence Marketing
Transcription
Presence News - Presence Marketing
June, 2016 Volume 13, Issue 06 Presence News West Inside this issue: 365 by Whole Foods Market Makes its Debut The first 365 by Whole Foods Market made its debut on May 25th in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Los Angeles. It is located at the corner of Glendale and Fletcher Avenues, in a space formerly housed by Ralph’s. The store offers selections from Whole Foods Market’s 365 Everyday Value brand products, as well as local and branded items, all of which comply with their industry leading quality standards. The chain’s goal is to create a “quality-meets-value shopping experience,” and is designed to cater to 18-to-34-year-olds. The introduction of the 365 concept is an effort to compete in an increasingly competitive marketplace, and Silver Lake’s opening comes on the heels of the implementation of price cuts at Trader Joe’s nationwide. The store saves on costs by reducing the number of employees needed as well as the variety of products offered as compared to a traditional Whole Foods Market. They have also created a more efficient store layout that is easily replicable at other locations. The store features a craft brew bar by Allegro Coffee which serves coffee, beer, and food items; self-serve automated kiosks by tea BOT that allow customers to mix up to three of 18 different tea and herbal ingredients on their own; a vegan restaurant called CHLOE with a menu that includes an array of plant-based foods such as black bean guacamole burgers, quinoa tacos, pastas and desserts; and online grocery shopping and delivery options. Two more 365 by Whole Foods Market stores are expected to open in Oregon and Washington by the end of 2016 with an additional 10 locations scheduled for 2017. West 1 4 7 10 12 14 16 19 20 22 22 22 23 Southwest Rocky Mountains East Northwest Midwest Distributor News Data Update GMO News Expo East In Memoriam Milestones Help Wanted Special points of interest: 365 Debuts – Page 1 Whole Foods Market Reports Slow Second Quarter – Page 4 Fresh Market Set to Close 13 Stores – Page 4 Whole Foods Market Confirms Six New 365 Locations – Page 6 Sprouts Releases More New Locations – Page 7 Wild Oats Brand Sunsetting at Walmart – Page 7 Lucky’s Market Expansion in Sunshine State Continues – Page 10 Kroger’s Main & Vine a Concept to Watch – Page 12 Roundy’s Looking to Refresh and Realign – Page 15 UNFI Purchase of Haddon House Finalized – Page 16 KeHE Reorganizes Teams – Page 16 U.S. Sales of Organic Production Grow 11% to 43.3B in 2015 – Page 20 Remembering Kathleen Wilson – Page 22 © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 1 Sprouts Opens Its Doors Eagle Rock On May 11th, Sprouts opened a 25,000 square foot store on Eagle Rock Boulevard in Los Angeles. It replaces a former Super A Foods market which closed last year after 25 years in business. With Fresh & Easy recently shuttering their windows, the area has been without a major grocery store and has by and large welcomed the arrival of the new Sprouts. It is estimated that there are approximately 127,500 residents within two miles of the new Sprouts store with a median income of $56,712. Co-tenants include CVS, Subway, Verizon Wireless, and various restaurants. “Eagle Rock has become a highly desired location for people to live, and we’ve seen a strong demand for fresh, natural and organic foods at great prices from the neighborhood,” said spokesman Diego Romero. “Super awesome store,” said customer Daniel L. “I came on opening day and there was a positive buzz with lots of people. This will be my new place to shop given the variety, healthy options, and great service. This is like the Trader Joe's up the street on steroids. Amazing.” – Daniel L. The grand opening celebration included food samples, discounts and other giveaways. The $1 specials offered were so popular, that they ended up offering them for an entire week. Sprouts Comes to San Clemente Sprouts opened its first store in San Clemente bringing its Orange County total to 19 locations. It’s 36,000 square feet and is located at 550 Camino de Estrella. It has employed approximately 100 full and part-time team members. Trader Joe’s, Stater Bros, and Ralph’s are a few of the stores contending with the new Sprouts. Customers were treated to special values on the grand opening day that are rare to find at other retail stores. As usual, the first 200 shoppers received 20% off of their purchase and a booklet for five free sandwiches, numerous $1 specials were found throughout the store, and every 15th shopper received a coupon book. “Super exciting to have another great market just off the 5 freeway near Camino de Estrella. We're really spoiled,” said Jessica B, a happy customer. “I've had to go wheatfree and it's wonderful (but dangerous) to have a plethora of yummies I can buy so conveniently (and in copious amounts). For example, found Almond/rice crackers that taste delicious. Great products for a great price. I'm a fan!” New Earth Market Chico Now Open New Earth Market, a recent inductee to INFRA, opened a second location in Chico, California, about 70 miles north of Sacramento. It is located off Mangrove on Cohasset, and at 16,000 square feet, is smaller in size than the Yuba City store. However, the Chico store is not a franchise. It’s a standalone business with a licensing agreement to use the same name and will largely model the Yuba City store. Still, the second store increases buying power – which means lower prices – and makes is more feasible to offer discounts to seniors and those in the military. Local competition includes S&S produce and Chico natural Foods. It serves as the anchor tenant to the existing shopping center which also includes Walgreens. The city hopes to modernize with the addition of other unique businesses in the available spaces. The new store has a full deli with outdoor seating, coffee bar, meat and seafood department, wine, beer, produce, grocery and supplements/body care. New Earth has a list of 200 banned ingredients that are not allowed to be sold on their shelves, including artificial colors, MSG, and aspartame, so customers can count on excellent quality when they shop there. The store pledges to source as much food as possible within a 10 mile radius of Chico. Co-owner Kevin Cotter, a Chico resident, said, “We are really excited about [the new] location. The Chico demographic is great. It’s a granola town, it’s outdoorsy. I’m even thinking about re-locating there.” He continued, “We have an interesting following from Chico. People drive to our store in Yuba City to shop. We’ve been hearing for a long time, ‘Why don’t you build one of these in Chico?’” We are wishing New Earth much success as they embark on their journey of servicing the Chico community. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 2 Oliver’s Market Opens New Store in Windsor Oliver’s Market opened the doors to its fourth store on May 18th, a new 35,000 square foot location in Windsor. It has been two years in the making and is designed to cater to residents, workers, and visitors in the northern part of Sonoma County, one of the most competitive food markets in the country. Whole Foods Market, Nugget Markets (which recently purchased Sonoma Market and Glen Ellen Village Market), Safeway, Lucky’s, Big John’s Market, G &G Supermarket, Trader Joe’s, Andy’s Produce Market, and Community Market all vie for the patronage of local residents. However, Oliver’s chain is in a good position to compete. Same-store sales in the chain increased by 6.5% last year to $114 million, and with almost 1,000 full-time and part-time employees, it is one of Sonoma County’s largest private employers. They know it is no longer viable to be a standard supermarket – it is necessary to have a variety of options. In addition to a diverse array of grocery offerings, the new Oliver’s store has its first ever tap room, called “Tavern Off the Green”, a sushi stand, taqueria, gelato counter, a deli with a prime rib carving station, a bar area, and free Wi-Fi. More than 17% pf Oliver’s Markets’ business is grab-and-go meals that are ready to eat. They also have a strong focus on local suppliers which make up about 25% of the chain’s revenues. The walls at the Windsor store showcase large banners showing their products sources. There are even plans to have their local producers make appearances at the store. “Oliver’s is well-known in Cotati and Santa Rosa where our other stores are located, but we know that Oliver’s will be new to many people in this area. For us, since Windsor is both a great community and the gateway to Wine Country, we are customizing our offerings to serve both groups and hope they will appreciate what we have to offer,” said Tom Scott, Oliver’s CEO. “We are passionate about food and quality without being fancy, and we do everything we can to support the communities where we do business. We are excited to become a part of Windsor and northern Sonoma County Wine Country.” Lassen’s Opens 10th Location As of late April, Lassen’s Natural Foods is the anchor tenant at the University Square shopping center in San Luis Obispo, in a space formerly occupied by New Frontiers. This is the chain’s 10th overall and most northern location with two additional stores planned for Southern California. At 15,000 square feet, it features a deli section that includes a 100% organic salad bar, hot food and vegan options, fresh smoothies and juices, and kombucha on tap. The store is situated close to California Polytechnic State University, so students now have access to high quality food options outside of campus. “Today was my first visit to the SLO store and I'm so happy they are finally in town!” said new customer Mary G. “The hot and cold food buffet is amazing. It's available for breakfast, lunch and dinner and has a new theme every day! The grocery store section carries raw food products: milk, cheese, garlic spreads, desserts, etc. The service is great! Everyone is very helpful. They will order a product for you if they don't carry it. I look forward to shopping here from now on!” Lassen’s was founded in 1971 by Oda Lassen, who saw the need in her community for minimally processed, natural, whole foods and supplements. Forty years later, her family and the Lassen’s team continues to be driven by Oda’s commitment to bringing organic produce and wholesome products to the communities they serve. Sunshine Health Food Expands Sunshine Health Foods opened in 1973 in Shreveport and has provided healthy alternatives to the people of the central coast for over 40 years. Since 2006, Sunshine has doubled its size and transformed into a full service natural foods market providing fresh organic local produce and Shine Cafe's gourmet vegan menu. The produce is sourced from local farmer's markets weekly, offering customers the highest quality and also helping local farmers. Their newest project has been the expansion into a neighboring building to exclusively house vitamins and supplements. They hired a new full time employee, Tim Vaughn, who brings over 30 years of vitamin experience to the team in the new location. This expansion will allow them to bring in more grocery and body care options into the store, resulting in more variety for their customers. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 3 Slow Second Quarter Results for Whole Foods Market Southwest Whole Foods Market released reduced sales and comps guidance for the year following the release of its second quarter earnings. Quarterly results ending April 10th showed comparable store sales down 3%, which marks the third straight quarter of declining comps. As a result, Whole Foods Market reduced its projection for the year to a 2% decline in comps – down from the previously projected range of -2% to flat growth. Whole Foods Market expects the 365 stores will net positive returns, but the uptick in earnings won’t be immediate, according to Co-CEO John Mackey. He acknowledged the new format would need to get up and running before evaluating its success. “We‘re expecting them to have very good returns on invested capital and to be very profitable for us. But we have to open them up and see actual results,” he noted. Mackey anticipates the company will have a preliminary idea of results within six months. Additionally, the company updated sales projections from 5% down to 3% growth at best – with growth attributed mainly to new store openings. Sales increased by 1.3% to a record $3.7 billion, while net income fell 10.1% to $142 million. The increase in sales are offset by recent investments in price and promotions including a reduction of nearly 1% in operating margins over the quarter. A further 0.7% drop in operating margins is expected over the fiscal year. The recent investments in price have resulted in more frequent trips and larger baskets for core customers, Co-CEO Walter Robb noted. However, there’s been a slight downturn among more occasional shoppers whose visits and purchases are more varied, he said, “though a comeback will happen.” Additional strategies are in the works, according to Robb, “We’ve got something up our sleeves but nothing to announce yet. We want to get some pieces in place, and then we will launch a more broad-based marketing strategy – something we’ll talk about in the fourth quarter.” However, the company has confirmed the expansion of its Affinity program to Dallas this summer, followed by a national rollout. The company expects these investments in price will improve comps over the course of the year as the initiatives gain traction. The Fresh Market Closes 13 Locations, Leaves Texas Market North Carolina-based The Fresh Market announced the closure of 13 locations last month. All eight stores in Texas, two in Iowa, one in Missouri, and two in Kansas officially closed on May 18th. “The decision to close these stores is a difficult, but necessary step, with the end goal of producing a stronger, more agile company,” said The Fresh Market’s President and CEO, Rick Anicetti. “This shift also allows us to focus our energy and resources on the growth of our remaining stores, as well as new stores we have planned for the future.” The Fresh Market has been a standard in high-end and organic fare since its opening in 1982 and managed to reach an impressive 175 operating stores in 23 states before being acquired by Apollo Global Management in April. The private equity firm bought The Fresh Market for $1.36 billion in an all cash deal shortly after the retailer announced its interest in selling. The acquisition sets a promising tone for the company’s future after a stint of stagnant sales and decreased store openings. Apollo Global, who experienced great success with the procurement of both Sprouts Farmers Market and Smart & Final previously, is actively implementing changes focused on growth and sustainability in the hypercompetitive health food market. The leadership at The Fresh Market has already announced new initiatives to solidify the store’s position, including redefining the value equation, improving margin, and re-defining how they differentiate themselves in the market. Tom Thumb to Anchor Upscale Fort Worth Urban Market Tom Thumb announced plans to anchor a new $300 million development project in downtown Fort Worth. It will be Tom Thumb’s first urban format store. The store will occupy 53,000 square feet of about 110,000 square feet of retail space and will be surrounded by high-end stores, as well as a 600 unit residential complex and a 200 room ultra-luxury Valencia Hotel. The property will also feature a public square and a promenade along the river levee for residents and visitors to enjoy. The 34 acre project, set for completion by the end of 2016 or early 2017, is considered the ‘last piece of the puzzle’ in the West 7th Street corridor and is expected to generate about $10 million in tax revenue. Tom Thumb’s patrons can expect to find expanded offerings including: a bakery, large natural and organic selections, wine, seafood, meat, produce, grocery, floral, and an extensive deli and prepared food department serving items such as sushi, Asian foods, pizza, hamburgers, sandwiches and Tom Thumb’s popular fried chicken. Unusual offerings include a full-service pharmacy with homeopathic items, a Starbucks cafe, and specialty shops featuring local sports teams. “This is going to be great for the Fort Worth community… but it’s also going to be really great for our company," said Albertsons Southern Division President, Dennis Bassler. “I can’t remember the last time we built in Fort Worth.” Fort Worth has been cited as one of the fastest growing cities in the U.S. with 42.3% growth between 2000 and 2013. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 4 H-E-B Posts In-Store ‘Yellow’ Coupons Online H-E-B has started posting 100% of the in-store yellow paper coupons to the H-E-B.com digital site in addition to hanging them at shelf-level. Previously, customers had to be in-store to know which yellow coupons were being offered that week. Not only will this benefit shoppers who plan their grocery trips around promotions, it also means more exposure for vendors whose coupons are now reaching more shoppers than ever. This should help customers manage their offers better and will certainly accelerate the use of the new digital coupon system. For H-E-B, this is a step along the path of eventually converting all offers to digital. Natural Grocers is Golden Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has plans to open a store in the landmark Gold Dome at the corner of Northwest 23rd Street and Classen Boulevard in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The dome was built in 1958 as Citizens State Bank, and was the fifth geodesic dome ever constructed, as designed by Buckminster Fuller. The building fell on hard times, but community protests kept it from being demolished and replaced. Now, it has an opportunity to rise again. The redevelopment of the store would work to restore the exterior, and add an additional 10,000 square feet of retail space and a loading dock. Aisles would be arranged like spokes inside the round building. The second floor will likely house offices and community kitchen. A timeline for opening has not yet been announced. Whole Foods Market Opens Sixth Louisiana Location in Mandeville Whole Foods Market opened a new store in Mandeville, Louisiana on May 18th. The new store, located in the Premier Centre at 3450 U.S. Highway 190, is the company's first North Shore location and its sixth in Louisiana. There are currently stores in Metairie, Baton Rouge, Lafayette and two locations in New Orleans. The Mandeville store was designed with a ceiling full of skylights, mint colored walls and open spaces. In-store features include a sushi bar, wood-fired pizza oven, hot food bar, salad bar and sandwich station. At the grand opening bread breaking event, shoppers enjoyed live music, coffee and pastries. Speakers included the president of the St. Tammany Parish and the Mandeville Mayor. The first 200 guests in line received gift cards ranging in value from $10 to $150, and the first 500 to enter received a Whole Foods Market reusable bag. At 40,000 square feet, the new store is of an average size and occupies only part of the building previously occupied by an Albertsons grocery store. Whole Foods Market shares the remaining space with a Forever 21 clothing store. The existing shopping center, built in 1998, also features a number of national retailers like Bed Bath & Beyond, Old Navy and Barnes & Noble, among others. H-E-B Announces San Antonio Partnership with Shipt and Instacart H-E-B is working rapidly to expand its online presence in the community. Last year, the company launched HEB.com and accompanying app, making 50,000 products available for delivery to the U.S. and U.S. military bases worldwide. This month, H-E-B announced a new partnership with online grocery delivery companies Instacart and Shipt for its headquarter city of San Antonio, Texas. Customers can place orders online or via phone app and receive a delivery within the hour. Instacart and Shipt will also partner with H-E-B’s upscale natural banner, Central Market, to provide grocery delivery in San Antonio. Both companies will operate within the city and may overlap coverage in some areas. Shipt’s coverage area will span downtown and most neardowntown neighborhoods, as well as nearly all of the North Side, with plans to expand coverage in the future if demand is high. Instacart will offer service to large swaths of the central North Side and the Northeast Side, but not in downtown or farther south. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 5 H-E-B Announces San Antonio Partnership with Shipt and Instacart cont’d Shipt currently services 25 metropolitan areas across the country, but none in the Lone Star State. Following the launch in San Antonio, the company expects to expand into Houston, Austin, Dallas and more within the year. Instacart already has a relationship with H-E-B – it came to Houston and Austin in 2014. Terms for each company vary: Instacart requires a $5.99 fee per delivery. Shipt requires a one-time $99 membership fee for unlimited grocery delivery for a year. Additionally, last month the company announced it will now offer curbside pickup at select H-E-B locations. Customers register on HEBtoyou.com, enter their list and schedule a pick‑up for the same day. Currently, the only active locations are the H-E-B at Bunker Hill in Houston and the H‑E‑B Plus! located at Bandera and Loop 1604 in San Antonio. Whole Foods Market Confirms Six New Locations for 365 Banner Whole Foods Market announced six new locations for its 365 banner – Akron and Toledo, Ohio; North Hollywood and Long Beach, California; Bloomington, Indiana; and Decatur, Georgia – for a total of 19 confirmed locations. The two stores in Ohio and one in Bloomington were originally slated to be traditional Whole Foods Market stores, but have been reassigned to the 365 banner. The first 365 store opened May 25th in Los Angeles, and will be followed by Lake Oswego, Oregon, on July 14th and Bellevue, Washington, this fall. Whole Foods Market Co-CEO Walter Robb says the first three locations will be used as testing grounds for new stores to come. “We are excited to learn from the first three stores and evolve from there,” Robb stated. The goal is to open Whole Foods Market up to a new segment of the market it is not currently capitalizing on – primarily millennials and other shoppers concerned with value. The company is banking on the success of both banners. "As a second growth vehicle, 365 allows us to attack the value-quality proposition in a new way while maintaining the integrity the Whole Foods Market brand represents,” Robb said of the new 365 banner. New H-E-B Opens in Clear Lake in Houston Area H-E-B Clear Lake Marketplace opened recently, adding to the already booming footprint it has in the greater Houston area. Located at 3501 Clear Lake City Boulevard. The opening marks the 92nd store under an H-E-B banner within the roughly 8,900 square mile metropolitan area. The 106,000 square foot store employees 350 people and comes packed with all the H-E-B familiar favorites: bakery and tortilleria, cheese shop, deli, fresh meat market, seafood market, produce department, sushi bar, and of course, healthy living. “We continue to invest in Houston in spite of what's happening with the economy softening a little bit. We're very bullish on Houston.” said Richard Castillo, H-E-B's Houston Regional Vice President. H-E-B plans to continue its Houston expansion this year with three more stores already planned for Magnolia, Kingwood, and master-planned Aliana. Sprouts Farmers Market Opens Fourth Oklahoma City Location On May 25th, Sprouts Farmers Market opened a new store in northwest Oklahoma in the Oak Grove Plaza Shopping Center. It is situated in a growing and upscale market area of the state’s largest city. Architecturally, the store represents the latest in the evolving storefronts that enhance the communities the chain serves. The store is the anchor for the shopping center, with a Corner Bakery and CVS Pharmacy adding to the current tenant base. Features common to all new Sprouts stores in Oklahoma include a salad bar, coffee bar, and a protein drink bar. The customer friendly seating area is enhanced with streaming sunlight from windows on three sides and includes amenities such as 12 USB outlets for charging phones or tablets. Rubin Gamino, a 27-year veteran of Sprouts and the Oak Grove store manager said his Team of 125 employees are eager to serve the northwest Oklahoma community. The new 30,000 square foot store will be the grocer’s fourth in the Oklahoma City metro area. The company also has four stores in the Tulsa area. Another store is planned for Yukon, a western suburb of Oklahoma City, which is scheduled to open in July, and a new store to the north central area of the state in Stillwater in August. Central Market Category Breakouts Central Market has undergone a number of changes in the Non-Perishable Procurement Team. David Leuthold is temporarily covering the dairy/frozen foods department until a replacement for Kathleen Stellema is appointed. Central Market is in the process of posting for her position as well as a Specialty Grocery Business Development Manager. Mark Phillips and Rex Howell-Smith have split responsibility for the Dry Grocery categories in the interim, with the exception of Bulk, Candy, General Merchandise, Coffee and Tea, which will be covered by Cedric Chastenet. For more info, please contact your Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence’s Bill Wilson at [email protected] or Peggy Simms-Watley at [email protected] with any questions. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 6 New UNFI Account Manager Assigned to Green Acres Market UNFI has hired a new account manager working with GreenAcres Market, Emily Johnson. Emily comes to UNFI with several years of experience in food related industries including production, sales, and marketing. She’s currently based in Oklahoma City, where she lives with her husband and daughter. Sprouts Releases Additional Locations Rocky Mountains Sprouts Farmers Market has announced additional locations coming this year: - Simi Valley, California, 2800 Cochran Street, opening July 13th, 2016 - Yukon, Oklahoma, 1105 Garth Brooks Boulevard, opening July 14th, 2016 - Goleta, California, 175 North Fairview Avenue, opening July 27th, 2016 - San Diego, California, 16415 Paseo Del Sur, opening August 10th, 2016 - Los Angeles, California, 8985 Venice Boulevard, opening August 24th, 2016 - Pinole, California, 1580 Pinole Valley and Interstate 80, opening August 31st, 2016 Wild Oats Brand Sunsetting at Walmart Two years after Walmart introduced a line of organic products under the Wild Oats brand, the chain is phasing out the brand. The brand reportedly was not as successful as Walmart had hoped, and the chain will instead add some organic products to its private label Great Value brand, increase organic fresh produce offerings, and bring in more small organic brands. Walmart Chief Merchandising Officer Steve Bratspies said adding food perceived as healthier is “not our affluent-customer strategy, its broad-based strategy, but it’s a key piece to being relevant with that customer base.” Investor Ron Burkle’s Yucaipa Companies bought the Wild Oats brand in 2012, some years after the Boulder-based chain sold to Whole Foods Market Stores. The brand was licensed to Walmart in a partnership to quickly launch a low-cost organic line at the country’s largest grocer. The Wild Oats brand was also used at Burkle’s Fresh & Easy stores before that chain went under late last year. Chandler Welcomes Another Sprouts Chandler, Arizona is now home to three Sprouts Farmers Markets with the opening of their new store at 4065 South Gilbert Road on April 27 th. Chandler shoppers were still excited about the arrival of the store, as judging by the long line waiting for the doors to open at 7:00 A.M. The store anchors a new mixed-use development called The Plant. “Hungry Girl” Lisa Lillien helped celebrate the opening of the store with a book signing on April 30th. Table Mesa Lucky’s Opening Set Work is underway on the new Lucky’s Market at the Table Mesa Shopping Center at 695 South Broadway in Boulder, Colorado. While it was originally scheduled to open early this year, delays have pushed back the opening, which is now expected to be in late July or early August. The shopping center is also undergoing a $3.5 million update of its landscaping, lighting, and parking surfaces, as well as adding more outdoor seating and parking for almost 300 bicycles. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 7 Natural Grocers Announces RiNo Location After searching for over a year, Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has named the location for a new store in the RiNo (River North) neighborhood of Denver. The store will be at the western corner of 38th Street and Brighton Boulevard, across from the Pepsi bottling plant and south of the future location of the Blue Moon Brewery. The historically industrial area north of downtown has seen an influx of residential and commercial development in recent years. Construction of the 15,000 square foot store will begin this summer and should be completed by early 2017. “RiNo doesn’t have a grocery store at the moment and there certainly is a lot of new residential development in the area,” said CEO Kemper Isely. “And they particularly don’t have a grocery store that sells all-natural and organic products.” Due to its urban location, the store will feature plenty of bike racks and a charging station for electric cars. King Soopers Marketplace for Fort Collins King Soopers Hiring 1,000 King Soopers has plans to build a 123,419 square foot Marketplace store in Midtown Fort Collins, Colorado. The store will be built at the site of a Kmart that recently closed on the northwest corner of South College Avenue and West Drake Street. It will replace the current 50,000 square foot King Soopers store just north of the site. Fort Collins already has another King Soopers Marketplace format store on North College Avenue. The Marketplace stores include clothing, home goods, and other merchandise and amenities in addition to the usual grocery and pharmacy selection. Kroger banner Kings Soopers is hiring about 1,000 people across the state of Colorado as a part of Kroger’s plan to hire 14,000 people nationwide. Positions being filled include baggers, night stockers, produce clerks, deli clerks, bakers and cake decorators. Many stores were conducting hiring events with tables staffed to take applications. The redevelopment will include pedestrian-friendly features, plaza and patio areas, and possibly a shared parking lot for the MAX rapid transit bus route that runs behind the store. An opening date has not yet been set. Albertsons Remodels Fort Collins Store The Albertsons store on 731 South Lemay Avenue will begin remodeling in the coming month. The renovation is estimated at $1.1 million dollars and will take several months to complete. This will be a major overhaul for the store that will include tearing down walls, building new walls, changing up the refrigerator cases, and painting the exterior. Building permits were submitted last week by the owners of the Riverside Shopping Center. This remodel is a long time coming for this location and will bring the much needed upgrades to this location. Albertsons has two locations in Fort Collins today and is looking forward to the re-grand opening of this location once complete. The store will remain open for normal hours during the remodel. Summit County Natural Grocers Makes a Move Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage relocated its store in Dillon, Colorado to the neighboring town of Frisco. Shoppers lined up out the door for their chance to check out the new store on opening day and enjoyed the sounds of the band Jakarta, a funk and R&B group from Denver. The first 50 shoppers received mystery gift cards, and there were plenty of samples, demos, classes and giveaways. The new store is larger and reflects the chain’s newer format, including a demo kitchen, and was designed in the spirit of the area’s mining aesthetic. The new location is near the Whole Foods Market that opened in Frisco in 2014. The new Natural Grocers is 15,600 square feet, compared to the 10,000 square feet of the Dillon store that operated at that location for about 10 years. The new store is adding 15 employees. The new development includes a Starbucks and room for two additional retail sites. “Every department is much bigger,” Marketing Coordinator Jen Pacher said. “And being nearby Starbucks is great. We’re thinking people will go and get their coffee…they can come here and sit outside.” She added that residents of the surrounding mountain counties make monthly trips to stock up at their store. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 8 Platte Street Natural Grocers Redevelopment Natural Grocers Partners with Hip Hop Artist The Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage at 2373 15th Street in the rapidly-redeveloping Platte Street neighborhood in Denver is being redeveloped into a five-story, 150,000 square foot office and retail building called Platte Fifteen. It is scheduled to begin construction in mid-2017 and be completed near the end of 2018. Discussions are still underway as to whether Natural Grocers will remain at the site. Many other parcels along the street are being redeveloped into multi-story office space, as the area has grown in appeal with the opening of nearby Union Station as a new transit hub for downtown Denver. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage has partnered eco hip-hop artist DJ Cavem Moetavation and vegan chef Alkemia Earth in an effort to promote nutrition education for millennial shoppers. “Nutrition education is one of our founding principles, so when we learned about DJ Cavem and their commitment to educating our youth, we knew they would be an excellent advocate to help us educate and empower the millennial generation,” said EVP Heather Isely. DJ Cavem is conducting educational performances at high schools, universities and Natural Grocers stores. Natural Grocers released a song on May 28th produced by the partnership. A video of the performers can be seen here: https://vimeo.com/130815131 Sprouts Queen Creek Comes Online The new Sprouts Farmers Market at 21181 South Ellsworth Loop Road in Queen Creek southeast of Phoenix opened its doors bright and early on May 4th to an eager waiting crowd. Grand opening shoppers enjoyed bountiful one dollar deals throughout the store, free reusable shopping bags, and the first 200 shoppers received 20 percent off their purchase. The celebration continued over the weekend with a Taste of Arizona sampling fair showcasing local products. Sprouts is headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona and operates more than 220 stores in 13 states. Pharmaca Vendor Expo The second annual Pharmaca Vendor Expo took place at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs, Colorado on May 4th. Originally scheduled for March, but postponed due to a massive Colorado spring blizzard, almost everyone was still able to attend the re-scheduled date. Approximately 75 vendors and more than 120 Pharmaca team members, including store managers, lead practitioners, and pharmacy managers, attended the event. The day began with an overview presentation from Pharmaca’s VP of Merchandising, Dave Janowicz, and then the expo began. The expo was a spacious tabletop style format in which every team member was given a passport that they had to get validated at each table. Not only did this encourage interaction and conversation with each and every vendor who was participating, but by turning in their completed passports at the end of the day they also had a chance to win a variety of prizes. Most team members spent a quality three to five minutes at every table and everyone seemed very happy and in great spirits throughout the day and after the event! Pharmaca is looking forward to growing this expo next year and fostering other events with the vendor partners. Curry Shop Opens in Boulder Whole Foods Market Shoppers at the Whole Foods Market on Pearl Street in Boulder, Colorado can now enjoy some of Denver’s favorite Indian food. Biju’s Little Curry Shop, with two locations in the hip Denver neighborhoods of RiNo and Tennyson, has opened a counter inside of this busy Boulder store. Whole Foods Market has been experimenting with such partnerships with local companies and has promised more such partnerships inside their new 365 concept stores. A pop-up of the popular food truck Orange Crunch in the Bradburn Whole Foods Market in Westminster, Colorado, was also a great hit. “We want guests to have cool, hyper-local food experiences,” said spokesperson Heather Larrabee. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 9 Coral Springs Lucky’s A Hit East Lucky’s Market celebrated the grand opening of their new Coral Springs, Florida store on March 23rd. After the ceremonial slab of bacon was cut with a ninja knife, shoppers enjoyed exploring the exciting, bright new market, and lots of samples and giveaways. The 32,000 square foot store is at 9200 Wiles Road in the Royal Eagle Plaza. The store features a juice bar, in-house bakery, and ongoing free wellness activities. As a part of the grand opening, checks were presented to two local organizations, Scentsability and LifeNet4Families. The store is Lucky’s third in Florida, and their first in the Southeastern part of the state. Lucky’s Market Continues Florida Expansion Colorado-based natural and organic foods chain Lucky’s Market will open its first store in the Orlando, Florida metro area in late June or early July 2016, according to multiple reports. The retailer’s push in the Sunshine State continues with plans calling for a new 35,000 square foot store in Disney’s hometown. The anticipated opening would be Lucky’s fourth in the state and is part of the growing retailer’s ongoing Florida expansion, which also includes new stores in Plantation, Neptune Beach, Melbourne and Tallahassee. Founded in 2003, Lucky’s Market currently has 24 stores either opened or with signed lease agreements throughout 11 states. The Orlando store will be located at 11750 East Colonial Drive. It was also recently announced that grocery giant Kroger has formed a strategic partnership with Lucky’s Market. Vestavia Hills Sprouts Springs Up On April 6th, Sprouts Farmers Market opened its doors at 1031 Montgomery Highway in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, to over a hundred waiting customers who were cheered by the staff as they poured into the store. Some shoppers arrived at 4:00 A.M. to get in line for their chance at a first peek of the new store. The 7:00 A.M. ribbon cutting ceremony welcomed shoppers to the new 28,000 square foot store, and shoppers were treated to coupons, dollar deals throughout the store, and free reusable bags. The store is the third Sprouts in the Birmingham area and the fourth store in the state. Connecticut Based New Morning Market Turns 45 Since 1971, New Morning Market has been a pillar of natural goodness for Northwestern Connecticut. Started by John Pittari – a leader in the organic and natural food movement – the store has stood the test of time by providing high quality goods, deep education and stellar customer service, as well as a high level of consumer engagement with classes and events. They boast the largest selection of organic produce, humanely raised local meats and dairy products in all of Connecticut. The Provender, their aptly named prepared foods and deli department, sets the standard for those departments in the region. Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence congratulates New Morning Market and Pittari on 45 years in business! © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. Owner John Pittari in the early days of New Morning Market 10 Kroger Hitting High Notes in Nashville Retail giant Kroger will invest more than $250 million in the Nashville, Tennessee metro area over the next two years, according to recent reports. The retailer is currently building a new 100,000 square foot store in Nashville’s Madison neighborhood. The opening is scheduled for late 2016 or early 2017 and essentially will replace another existing location nearby. By late 2017, Kroger expects to have opened, remodeled or expanded more than 40% of its Nashville based stores. In addition, news reports have confirmed that construction will begin this fall on a 123,000 square foot Marketplace store in Huntsville, Alabama. That store is expected to open in late summer or early fall 2017. Kroger’s first under the banner in northern Alabama. Kroger is also in the process of renovating its Oakwood Avenue store in the metro area, on the heels of a recently completed remodel of its Drake Avenue store. In other news, Kroger promoted Bill Green, Director of Regional Operations for the Atlanta Division, to VP of Operations for the Columbus Division. Kroger’s Atlanta division includes 186 stores in Georgia, eastern Alabama and South Carolina; the Columbus division is comprised of 122 stores in Ohio, Michigan and West Virginia. Weis Investing in Pennsylvania At its annual shareholders meeting Pennsylvania-based Weis Markets announced it plans to spend $140 million this year on capital projects. A portion of that funding includes three new stores in Enola, Pennsylvania, three new Gas N’ Go units, 20 store remodels, and “record technology investments,” according to reports. Planned for 14 of the 20 remodeled stores are beer cafes. Currently, 41 of the retailer’s 162 stores have beer cafes. Also announced at the annual meeting was the closing of a store in Scranton, Pennsylvania this August. Weis will not renew their lease at that location. Jim Fluett Chad Calloway Chris Lind Category Manager Category Manager In other related news, Weis Markets appointed Wendy Oliver as a Regional Vice President, overseeing the operations of 58 storesCategory in centralManager and Snacks Carbonated Beverages Vegetables Can / Jar southeastern Pennsylvania. Oliver previously served as VP of Operations for Albertsons’ Southern California division. Crackers Non-Carbonated Beverages Juices / Drinks Shelf Stable Bottled Water Nuts Cocktail Mixers Candy Cookies Harris Teeter Organizational Changes Announced Rice Grains & Beans Fruit Can / Jar Pasta / Pasta Sauces Hispanic / Asian Prep Foods Salad Dressing / Spices / Seasonings / Specialty Ethnic Foods Mayonnaise Extracts Condiments / OilSenior Director Soup of NonHarris Teeter announced several organizational changes to their non-perishable merchandising structure.Shortening Chuck Munn, / Olives /Matt Relishes Supplies Canned Perishables, now has supervisory responsibilities for Jon Gardner (Director ofPickles Procurement), ZaharisBaking (Director of Non Foods),Seafood and Rory Snavely Prepared Foods – will (Director of General Merchandise). Mike Hargrove will transition to Director of Fresh Foods Operations Sugar and will report to Leo Beggen. Joey Bates Local / Substitutes transition to Director of Grocery, Dairy, and Frozen. Bates will now report to Munn. Charles Brame has been promoted to DirectorRTS/Dinners of Private Brands Prepared Foods – Dry Baking MixesTeeter. Jim Fluett will transition to and will report to Chuck Thompson. Andrea Brewer has decided to go part time after 33 years of service to Harris Mixes the Family Favorites desk and will report to Bates. Kyle Fragakis will transition to Grocery Category Manager and will report to Bates as well moving Flour forward. Two new associates, Chad Calloway and Matthew Gagnon joined the Harris Teeter team in April as Category Managers. Calloway will Packaged Milk & report to Bates and Matthew Gagnon will report to Zaharis. Please see below the effected category changes: Modifiers Desserts / Gels / Syrups Jim Fluett Chad Calloway Chris Lind Kyle Fragakis Mike Sigurdson Matt Gagnon Category Manager Category Manager Category Manager Category Manager Category Manager Category Manager Snacks Carbonated Beverages Vegetables Can / Jar Personal Soap / Bath Cereal / Breakfast Foods Baby Accessory Non-Carbonated Additives Candy Rice Grains & Beans Beverages Coffee/Tea Paper / Plastic Products Baby HBC Juices / Drinks Shelf Wrapping Materials & Cookies Fruit Can / Jar Cocoa/Creamers/Syrups Cough/Cold/Sinus Stable Bags Crackers Bottled Water Pasta / Pasta Sauces Disposable Diapers Detergents Diet Hispanic / Asian Prep Baby Food Laundry Supplies Eye/Ear Care Nuts Cocktail Mixers Foods Household Cleaners / Diet Foods Family Planning Salad Dressing / Spices / Seasonings / Supplies Specialty Ethnic Foods Mayonnaise Extracts Fruit/Dried Fresheners / Deodorizers Stomach Remedies Condiments Shortening / Oil Soup Insecticides / Pesticides Table Syrups Vitamins Pickles / Olives / Relishes Baking Supplies Seafood Canned Rodent Prepared Foods – Jams / Jellies / Spreads Pet Foods / Supplies Feminine Hygiene Local Sugar / Substitutes RTS/Dinners Gluten Free Stand Alone Charcoal / Logs Food Care Prepared Foods – Dry Sections Accessories Baking Mixes Mixes Canning Incontinence Flour Pain Relief Packaged Milk & Sports Nutrition Modifiers Desserts / Gels / Syrups Kyle Fragakis Mike Sigurdson Matt Gagnon Manager contactCategory Category ManagerRichard Meadows at [email protected]. ForCategory more information PresenceManager Marketing/Dynamic Presence’s Personal Soap / Bath Cereal / Breakfast Foods Baby Accessory Additives Coffee/Tea Paper / Plastic Products Baby HBC Wrapping Materials & Cocoa/Creamers/Syrups Cough/Cold/Sinus © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 11 Bags Disposable Diapers Detergents Diet A New Addition to the NCG in the Northwest – Orcas Food Co-op Northwest The list of NCG co-ops in the Northwest just got one co-op bigger and better. Orcas Food Co-op on 138 North Beach Road recently received approval from the NCG review committee and is now a fully participating member. This was an important step for the future of this fairly new co-op located on Orcas Island in the beautiful San Juan Islands. With a group of dedicated members and over 100 volunteers helping with construction, this co-op opened in June of 2014, that’s right, 2014, only two years ago. Since then, the Orcas Food Coop has seen memberships continue to grow along with the variety of Organic, Non-GMO, and especially Local items that they carry. Leading the charge at Orcas is founder and General Manager Learner Limbach. Learner has played a big part in the success of the co-op along with his co-founders, board members, and co-op managers. He is also an integral part of educating around the food, farming, and sustainability culture on the Island through his work within the community, the high school, and on nearly a dozen committees over the last several years. It really goes to show you that even one person can make a positive impact on the future of a community. Congratulations Orcas Food Co-op, here’s to generations of health and wellness and good food of course! For more store information visit www.orcasfood.coop. 365 by Whole Foods Market to Open July 14th in Lake Oswego Whole Foods Market announced a July 14th opening date for its new 365 concept store in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Similar to Trader Joe’s strategy, 365 by Whole Foods Market is a smaller format store with a focus on value and its private label brand. There will be fewer choices, but the same standards of Whole Foods Market stores. The Lake Oswego location will occupy a former 32,000 square feet Albertsons location and will be joined by a plant based burger chain called Next Level Burger and the café/juice bar Canteen. This store will also offer shoppers the convenience of online ordering and delivery with Instacart, through its long standing relationship with Whole Foods Market. 99 Ranch Market to Open in Beaverton A California-based supermarket chain specializing in Asian groceries plans to open it first location in Oregon after successfully bidding to take over Beaverton’s failed Haggen store at the corner of Greenway and Southwest Hall. Haggen had only operated about seven months at the Hall Boulevard site after opening in April. The location was a longtime Albertsons prior to Haggen. Tawa Supermarket, Inc. operates 99 Ranch Markets. They have more than 30 stores primarily in California with other stores Washington, Nevada and Texas. This chain was founded by Roger Chen in 1984. This Beaverton location is expected to be open by fall of 2016. Kroger’s New Fresh Concept: Main & Vine At the former QFC supermarket in Gig Harbor, Kroger put their stamp on a new fresh concept and opened the world’s first Main & Vine at 5010 Point Fosdick Dr. N.W. This experimental concept is developed by Cincinnati-based Kroger, parent to both QFC and Fred Meyer. A number of former QFC employees have returned to the store. At affordable prices, the 27,000 square foot store will offer bulk items, fresh, organic, local and sustainable foods in addition to an assortment of go-to-big brand staples. During designated times in the day, the store will feature coffee, wine and beer bar along with a two-level café. In the middle of Main & Vine highlights an Event Center where they will host cooking demos, food and beverage tastings, and new recipes and ingredients as part of a "What's for Dinner Tonight" program. To learn more about the Main & Vine gatherings, special offers and more, visit www.mainandvineshop.com. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 12 Dry Grocery Aisles at New Seasons Market Sellwood Location Get a Makeover During the month of May, the Sellwood New Seasons Market location dry grocery aisles received a makeover. This location is nestled into the SellwoodMoreland neighborhood of Southeast Portland in Oregon. This is also New Seasons smallest location of their 18 stores. The purpose of the dry grocery aisle refresh was twofold. The first being that categories and sets were moved around to better ensure the flow of the aisles made sense from both a customer and store personnel perspective. The second reason, was to give top performing categories and products adequate set space to better drive sales and maximize on current market trends. For instance, the nutrition and chocolate bar sets increased in size, while other slower performing sets decreased in size. Some of the highlights of the store reset included separating the nutrition and chocolate bar sets into different aisles, while increasing the size of both these sets from eight to sixteen feet. In addition, slat wall space was increased for candy and snack items. The sets for tomato, pasta, broth and paper goods all expanded by four feet. The salad dressing, canned vegetable, ethnic and pet food sets were subsequently condensed. In April, this location also received new dairy coolers with energy efficient doors. By the end of the May resets every dry grocery aisle set in the store was touched and rearranged to ensure the best product mix with the highest performing items are being properly highlighted. This latest refresh and reset is sure to bring fresh life to the aisles of this New Seasons Market location. Market of Choice #10 Completes Kitchen Enhancements – Part II Kitchen department enhancements has wrapped up at Market of Choice #10 on Franklin Boulevard. With a healthier mindset in the Eugene area, this was exactly what the consumers have been waiting for. This features a much more enjoyable shopping experience with a much larger footprint. They added new hot cases to service more breakfast items as well as a homemade burrito and hamburger section. There will be a selection of beverages and snacks located near these cases for customer convenience as well. Market of Choice is a Eugene based company and recognizes the competition that they are up against and will continue to make all necessary enhancements to be on the cutting edge. Amazon Fast Grocery Delivery from Uwajimaya and PCC Amazon’s Prime Now delivery service has begun to deliver grocery’s in real time to the Northwest for two local retailers PCC and Uwajimaya. Two hour grocery delivery is now free to Amazon Prime members enabling them to make their regular grocery purchases from these local retailers online and receive them same day. Delivery time can be cut down to one hour for a small fee to upgrade Prime membership. Teams of Amazon shoppers are situated on site at PCC and Uwajimaya locations ready to fill orders from the store and pass them off to delivery drivers so the product comes directly from the retailer not from the Amazon fulfillment center. This service is particularly valuable to customers who enjoy the unique product selection these two chains carry, but live an inconvenient distance from brick and mortar stores. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 13 Pacific Northwest Health and Fitness Events and Opportunities The Pacific Northwest is home to many health and fitness enthusiasts benefiting consumers and businesses alike. In the greater Seattle area there are a number of events and marketing opportunities that hone in on the everlasting draw for health and fitness. The root of the participation may vary based on the intent and nature of the participant. For example, many of these events are directly benefiting charitable organizations while at the same time, provide exposure for brands sponsoring the events. Additionally, the nature of the event indirectly helps to improve the health of fitness of the attendees. This is a win-win, full circle benefitting all involved. June is the official month of summer, and there are many of these events in and around Seattle to kick off the season. The month starts off with the Fremont 5k on June 3rd. This is a fun run supporting Family Works, a local family resource center and food bank. PCC Natural Markets, a local Seattle natural food retail chain, is the official fresh fruit sponsor for this event. Vendors are welcome to sponsor the event and feature their products at a purchased booth. On June 18th, the annual Rock ‘n Roll Marathon makes its mark in Seattle again with thousands of runners and walkers participating in this event that features live music to keep the marathoners going strong to the end! This popular event also brings a Health and Fitness Expo prior to the event, which is free and open to the public, giving the participating vendors exposure to the masses. This expo focuses on the latest in running technologies, fitness apparel, health and nutrition products and information, as well as interactive displays. These are just a couple examples of the many available events offered in and around the Pacifica Northwest. Recently, Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence introduced a National Wellness Challenge called Live Life Well. It is a program that inspires and encourages all employees to live a healthier life. Through this program, the Pacific Northwest team is building in more physical fitness on a daily basis. The office team is encouraging each other to walk more on breaks and they are inspiring each other to participate in some of the available area events. It is great to see how something so small can make such a great impact on the lives of so many. A simple walk around the block can gain those steps needed to get those 10,000 steps. An unassuming event can gain an unmentionable amount of new customers in an afternoon. Discover Northwest Trading Co. Stores The Trading Co. Stores started in 1994 when Paul Matejovsky and Gary Morgan first joined forces and bought the Bargain Giant in Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho. Before buying their first store together both had a wealth of grocery experience. Paul Matejovsky was working for Super Valu grocery supplier and Gary was working for Steins IGA. Eventually, they decided they could combine their expertise and create a store designed to respond more quickly to customer needs than larger national chains. The two owners are in each of the stores weekly to interact with the customers and employees. They feel that this gives them a leg up on the larger chain stores that surround them. The first thing they did after buying their first store was to change the name to Boundary Trading Company Store. Five years later, they bought an Excel store in Cheney, Washington which they renamed Cheney Trading Company Store. In 2006 they purchased three Tidyman’s stores. One in Post Falls, Idaho and two in Spokane, Washington. At this point they shortened there name to Trading Co. They have since sold the store in Bonner’s Ferry, Idaho to Safeway leaving them with four stores. At first, the stores had just traditional grocery items. They are now starting to work in natural and organic items in to their stores. Rather than going with the store with in the store format they have chosen to have the items integrated into the main sets. They have added frozen, cereal, chips, baking, juice, soup, gluten free, chocolate bars and nutrition bars. Just this last week they added in a snack set. We look forward to working with the Trading Co. stores as they expand their reach into the natural and organic market. Whole Foods Market Opens Sixth Michigan Location Midwest Whole Foods Market opened its latest Michigan store on April 13th making it their sixth location in the state. This contemporary 44,853 square foot store is located conveniently at 2750 E. Grand River Ave in East Lansing, Michigan near the campus of Michigan State University. On opening day, Whole Foods Market hosted a “bread breaking ceremony” at 8:45 A.M. and doors then opened at 9:00 A.M. The first 500 customers received a mystery value gift card which ranged anywhere between $5 and $50, with one lucky customer receiving a $500 gift card. This store boasts an extensive prepared foods section, a coffee bar that offers espressos and cappuccinos, plus the "Green State Bar and Grill" that has 16 rotating taps with local and hard-to-find beers for shoppers. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 14 Roundy’s Looking to Refresh and Align Roundy’s Supermarkets, Inc. opened the 37th Mariano’s Fresh Market on May 9th in Naperville, Illinois. Additionally, the chain is preparing to refresh/re-set 56 of the 119 Wisconsin banner stores. Formal announcements have not been released, but store layout and flow are to change and it is possible that some banners will convert to the Kroger name. There are also store closings anticipated with the year-end closing of the Kimberly, Wisconsin Pick N’Save most recently confirmed in mid-April. With the much anticipated merger with Kroger beginning to advance, all Roundy’s planogram schematics have been “locked” pending the store refresh period through at least August. At present, the category managers are working only on item maintenance and conversions with no new item presentations or category reviews available. Anticipate a renewal of these activities sometime in September or October. Currently, Roundy’s has successfully incorporated the Kroger Calendar year into their promotions scheduling. Through the summer further alignment to Kroger’s systems and schedules is expected to be completed. For more information contact Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence’s Ben Birkett at [email protected]. Lee’s Summit Sprouts Celebrates Opening Sprouts Farmers Market opened the doors in the early morning light to a long line of eager shoppers in Lee’s Summit, Missouri, on March 23rd. The 27,000 square foot store at 800 Northeast Missouri 291 Highway is the sixth Sprouts store in the Kansas City area. Wichita Sprouts Opening Delayed The Sprouts Farmers Market in Wichita, Kansas in Piccadilly Square at Central and Rock Road plans to open in early 2017. Delays have pushed back the opening that was originally projected to be late this year. The 30,000 square foot store will replace the former Piccadilly Market & Grill. Natural Grocers Entering Eastern Iowa Grand Forks Getting Natural Grocers Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage is planning a strong expansion in the state of Iowa. After opening a store in Clive in February of this year, the chain now has plans to open locations in Cedar Rapids and Cedar Falls, and is also looking at Iowa City. The Cedar Rapids store will be located at 931 Blairs Ferry Road Northeast. The Cedar Falls store will be located at 5410 University Avenue. Both stores will be around 15,000 square feet and will open in the first quarter of next year. Exact details of an Iowa City store are still being finalized for a potential location at the southeast corner of South Gilbert Street and Highway 6 East. Natural Grocers by Vitamin Cottage will open in Grand Forks, North Dakota in late August of this year. The store will be located in the current Lumber Mart location at 1901 32nd Avenue South. “We don’t believe the retail market for natural and organic foods is being well-enough served in those markets. We believe there is a welleducated population in those cities that will appreciate the offerings we have,” said company co-president Kemper Isely. “We think (Grand Forks) is really underserved in natural and organic sector of grocery selection," said co-president Kemper Isley. "We do well in communities with a highly educated population that's underserved in natural and organic product selection.” It will become the second Natural Grocers in the state, joining a store in Fargo that opened last year. Giant Eagle COO to Retire After 42 Years of Service Giant Eagle president COO John Lucot will be retiring after 42 years with the company on June 30th. CEO Laura Karet will assume the COO responsibilities, but no additional changes are planned. Lucot, who started with the Pittsburgh based company in 1974 as a clerk, stated, “The fact that I have spent my entire career with Giant Eagle is a testament to the compassionate spirit and commitment to the personal growth of others that is at the core of our wonderful organization.” Lucot has held his current role since 2012 and has been instrumental in the “Get-Go” expansion, real estate and independent operations businesses, while investing hundreds of millions of dollars in capital expenditures to ensure that the company’s 9.5 billion dollar in annual sales continues to grow. Giant Eagle is ranked #16 in Progressive Grocer’s Top 50 super ranking for 2016. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 15 UNFI Purchase of Haddon House Completed Distributor News United Natural Foods completed its acquisition of all of the outstanding equity interests of Haddon House Food Products for $217.5 million in cash. Haddon House is now a wholly owned subsidiary of UNFI and will continue to operate as Haddon House Food Products. What does this mean for suppliers? • The UNFI and Haddon House integration is expected to take a year to eighteen months. • If you are a supplier for both UNFI and Haddon House at this time, please operate as you do now. UNFI will let you know when/if the items you supply will be impacted by the integration. • If you are interested in becoming a supplier for either UNFI or Haddon House and you are not already, please follow the normal process by contacting UNFI or Haddon House directly. • Questions can be e-mailed to [email protected] • Updates will be sent out on the UNFI Supplier Blog. KeHE Organizational Update The former Vendor Management and Customer Excellence Teams are now called Merchandising Solutions, led by Scott Weber. Below is the leadership team. • Laura McCord leads the Category Management team. In this capacity, Laura is responsible for ensuring that categories remain on trend by synthesizing multiple data sources through the category review process, which ultimately results in the generation of a compelling product assortment. Additionally, Laura partners with vendors to develop their go-to-market strategy in an effort to help partners meet their overall business goals. • Jennifer Fabbri oversees Supplier Development. She manages the business relationship with vendor partners. She is responsible for the execution of the Policies & Procedures with vendor partners to ensure all are aligned on how to most efficiently and effectively conduct business with KeHE. • Mark Kroencke leads Sales Enablement. Mark is responsible for providing the Sales team with the tools necessary to influence assortment decisions at the shelf. Mark is also responsible for developing and implementing their promotional vehicle strategy with the goal of driving incremental sales for vendors, brokers, and customers. • Matt Bennett oversees Enterprise Data and Analytics. His responsibilities include providing brand management and score carding tools that help enable KeHE to market the most productive brands for customers, vendors, and brokers. He is also responsible for brand and item administration within the Enterprise Data system. Below is the latest roster showing the KeHE Category Management and Supplier Development Teams. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 16 KeHE Connect Update KSolve functionality is now available in KeHE CONNECT effective Friday, May 13th. Through KeHE CONNECT, users will continue to be able to search for backup documentation for transactions and submit disputes using the efficient KeHE CONNECT user interface. As KSolve is the last piece of core functionality to move off the OAK RC Supplier Portal, OAK RC will be shut down in June 2016. KeHE Central Team Members See below for a current rosters of KeHE Central (Midwest and Southwest) team members. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 17 Threshold Tabletop Opportunity Stanford, Connecticut will host the Threshold Tabletop Show on June 24th, and this show will be different from past shows. It's the first show they’re doing since the opening of their East Coast Distribution Center. A team of Threshold reps will attend and products featured include the popular Planetary Herbals Stone Free and Triphala both now in liquid form, as well as Source Naturals Telomeron, Top Ten Healers and Theracumin. For more information contact Tradeshow Coordinator Danny Ortega, at [email protected] or (831)461-6334. Threshold Enterprises Vendor Contact List Ad booking: If you would like to book any ads in their pricelists or monthly newsletter, please contact them at [email protected]. Please note that if you would like ad space for 2016 (monthly newsletters as well as volume 1 and 2 of the pricelist) they advise you to book as early as possible as space does fill up quickly. New product submission: If you would like to add new products, please email those requests to [email protected]. Promo setup: If you would like to set up MCB’s, they can also be sent to the same email address as OI promotions. Alicia Eddy will be the contact for MCB’s and John Keenan will be the contact for OI promotions. Please send all promotion emails to [email protected]. Turnover orders: Turnover orders can be sent to [email protected]. Vendor velocity reports: These are free monthly reports offered by Threshold Enterprises. For the Vendor Velocity Report, you can email LaWanna Taylor at [email protected], and she will help sign your company up for this report. At the beginning of each month they will send you a personalized Velocity Report. They will send the report to one single contact within your company only. They do not keep archives on these reports so please make sure your contact information is always up to date. For all pricing changes or questions e-mail: [email protected] For all UPC changes or questions e-mail: [email protected] For all PO questions e-mail: [email protected] For all trainings e-mail: [email protected] A Call to Action for Threshold Pet Care Vendors Threshold is seeking the experts behind the pet care lines they distribute. Sign up now to be a featured guest speaker during a special educational web-event coming this fall. Threshold will be co-hosting this natural pet care event. The pet webinar will also be co-hosted by the non-profit organization WeDOG: https://www.facebook.com/wedog.ngo and http://www.wedog.us/ During this special webinar our guest speakers will be talking about a variety of subjects such as natural care for allergies, behavioral issues and anxiety. Threshold pet care vendors that would like to participate please contact Julie Dennis, National Science Educator, at [email protected] or (831) 331-7706. C&S Acquires The Davidson Company On May 4th, C&S Wholesale Grocers, headquartered in Keene, New Hampshire, announced that they would purchase Davidson Specialty Foods. Davidson Specialty Foods, in Newington Connecticut, supplies a direct store delivery service to customers across the New England and metro New York area. The acquisition offers Davidson the opportunity to grow and expand their product and service offerings. Davidson will operate as a separate organization within C&S. The Sale is expected to close in June 2016. 2016 UNFI Foxwoods Tabletop Show Recap UNFI’s Northeast Show took place once again in the amazing Foxwoods Casino Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut, May 11th to 12th. The weather was beautiful and the sun was shining each day! For many, the UNFI Foxwoods Show was the culmination of a very busy and successful first half of the year for industry tradeshows. The show included more than 1,500 customers, totaling at about 2,800 attendees with exhibitors, brokers, and customers. Continuing on the path of record-breaking numbers, Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence was impressively represented by nearly 130 brands and about 60 employees. Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence as well as manufacturer partners were beautifully represented as sponsors on the UNFI bags distributed to retailers at check-in for all three of the 2016 UNFI Tabletop Shows. Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence also sponsored the “Hole in One Sponsorship” for the 11th Annual Foxwoods Charity Golf Tournament that was held on Tuesday May 10th! The golf event was a huge hit! © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 18 2016 UNFI Foxwoods Tabletop Show Recap cont’d On Wednesday night, UNFI held a beautiful welcome reception in the Grand Pequot Ballroom. Although it wasn’t held at The Shrine like usual, we were able to experience karaoke night with our very own Chris Leonard making headlines! The 2017 UNFI Foxwoods Tabletop Show is set to take place May 17th to 18th, 2017 at the Foxwoods Casino Resort in Mashantucket, Connecticut. For more information regarding this upcoming show, please visit their website at www.unfi.com/shows-events or reach out to Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence’s Kailyn Rogers at [email protected]. 2016 Palko Food Show Recap The 2016 Palko Show took place at the Radisson Hotel in Merrillville, Indiana, on May 1st, 2016! Palko hosts over 150 retailers every year, offering over 160 brands with show deals. There were fun opportunities to win some raffle prizes as well as sample bags full of product! The show included many of our Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence vendors and was a huge success with a very busy show floor! For more information regarding the Palko Shows, please visit their website at www.palkoservices.com/aboutpalko or reach out to Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence’s Kailyn Rogers at [email protected]. UNFI Golf Tournament UNFI is pleased to announce their fifth Annual Charity Golf Tournament. The tournament will take place on Monday, September 12th, 2016, at Ledgemont Country Club in Seekonk, Massachusetts and Pawtucket Country Club in Pawtucket, Rhode Island. The link for sign ups is www.cvent.com/events/5th-annual-unfi-charity-golf-tournament/event-summary-ec0ea800dbec418b99d229d6cdab13b8.aspx. If you have any questions please contact UNFI at [email protected]. Black Rice Once the “Forbidden Rice” Now a “Superfood” Data Update In ancient times, black rice was considered the forbidden rice in China. Every grain was reserved for only the royal or very wealthy and banned from commoners to consume or even grow. It was believed to be very beneficial for your liver, kidneys and stomach. The crops were closely watched and only grown in limited quantities, hence the name “forbidden”. It wasn’t until the 1990’s that it was introduced to the United States. Today, black rice is harvested only in China and India, but can be found in natural and ethnic food stores here in the U.S. Primarily found in Asian dishes such as sushi and with its sweeter flavor, in desserts as well. It is dark black in color, but when cooked, turns purple due to its rich content of the antioxidant anthocyanins, similar to blackberries and blueberries. Truly adding a beautiful color to your plate! Still, not as popular as brown rice or wild rice, black rice is gaining popularity because of its abundant health benefits and becoming better known as the new cancer fighting superfood. Of all the rice varieties, black rice has the lowest content of glucose, as well as an excellent source of iron and plant based protein. The benefits don’t end there; this superfood also contains the highest amounts of dietary fiber and antioxidants. The outside hull of the black rice grain can boast to containing one of the highest levels of anthocyanin antioxidants of any food! It’s also naturally gluten free. Black rice is no longer “forbidden” and now reigns as the new superfood! © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 19 Natural Product Growth Review Natural product sales continue to be a strong driver of growth for consumer packaged goods sold across the United States. In the 52 weeks ending April 17th, 2016, the natural food channel, as measured by SPINS, saw dollar sales increase by +8.1% vs. prior year. The strong dollar growth continues when looking at natural product sales within conventional grocery. For the 52 weeks ending April 17th, 2016, natural product sales in conventional grocery increased by +11.3% vs. prior year. What makes both of these numbers more significant is the fact that conventional grocery only saw sales increase by +1.2% during the same 52 week time period (much of which can be directly attributed to the growth of the natural products). Natural remains a strong catalyst for growth and appears to be a trend that will not be going away in the foreseeable future. The share of natural product dollars being delivered by conventional grocery now exceeds $26.3B annually. This accounts for a dollar share of 77% when the conventional grocery and natural food supermarkets are combined. While natural product growth is strong in both conventional and natural food stores performance varies greatly by product group and channel. If you’re interested in learning more about SPINS or their current products and services please reach out directly to Emily Temkin at [email protected] from the SPINS Sale Operations team. Food News, Policy and Research Update – By Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural Marketing GMO News Consumer Demand Driving Record Growth of Organic: U.S. Sales of Organic Products Grew 11% to $43.3 Billion in 2015 Driven by a groundswell of steadily rising consumer demand for healthy, environmentally friendly food produced without the use of toxic, synthetic pesticides and fertilizers, antibiotics and growth hormones, irradiation, genetic engineering, and often inhumane treatment of animals, sales of organic products in the United States hit a record high in 2015, posting 11% growth to reach $43.3 billion in sales, according to the Organic Trade Association’s (OTA) newly released 2016 Organic Industry Survey. The 11% growth rate for organic products is significantly ahead of the 3% growth figure reported for the overall food industry, reports Food Navigator USA, something major multinational food companies are certainly noticing as they continue to enter the organic market through product launches or, as is proving to be more often the case, acquisitions. (Justin’s Nut Butter, maker of organic and natural snack products, is the latest example, announcing on May 18th its sale to Hormel, owner of the Skippy peanut butter brand, for $286 million. Hormel, maker of SPAM, also purchased organic meat brand Applegate Farms for $775 million in May 2015.) © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 20 Food News, Policy and Research Update – By Steven Hoffman, Compass Natural Marketing cont’d Organic Produce Now Accounts for 13% of All Produce Sales While organic produce continues to dominate all organic product categories with sales of $14.4 billion (up 10.6%) in 2015, other segments showed impressive growth, including organic fresh juices and drinks and organic eggs, with sales increases of more than 30% recorded over the previous year. Of note, reports OTA, is that nearly 13% of all produce now sold in the U.S. is organic. Dairy, the second largest organic food category, grew 10% to $6 billion in sales, accounting for 15% of total organic food sales. “Farm fresh foods – produce and dairy – are driving the market. Together, they account for more than half of total organic food sales. The organic market looks like a healthy plate,” said Laura Batcha, CEO of OTA. That said, the organic snack food category posted $2.3 billion in sales, up nearly 14%, she observed. Growth in the non-food segment also showed great promise, including organic fiber and clothing and organic dietary supplements. With sales of $3.6 billion and growth averaging 13%, the non-food sector outpaced the overall organic market in 2015. Nearly 5% of all food sold in the U.S. is now organic, the survey reported. Supply Chain, Production Still Behind Consumer Demand To satisfy the double-digit demand for all things organic, the number of certified organic producers in the U.S. hit a record high in 2014, reported the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) in April 2016. According to market data released by the National Organic Program (NOP), there are now 21,781 certified organic operations in the U.S., and 31,160 certified organic operations worldwide. The number of domestic certified organic operations increased by almost 12% between 2014 and 2015, representing the highest growth rate since 2008, says NOP. Additionally, 43.7 million hectares (108 million acres) of worldwide agricultural land was in organic production at the end of 2014 – a record high, says the Swiss-based Research Institute of Organic Agriculture (FiBL) in its 2016 state of the global industry report, produced in partnership with IFOAM Organics International, the world’s leading organic producer association. Global sales of organic products are estimated at $75 to 80 billion. However, growth in the organic market has presented continued challenges to the supply chain, and production still lags consumption. “Dairy and grains were two areas where growth could have been even more robust in 2015 if greater supply had been available, said OTA. “There is an industry-wide understanding of the need to build a secure supply chain that can support demand. This goes hand-in-hand with securing more organic acreage, developing programs to help farmers transition to organic, and encouraging new farmers to farm organically.” Price Differential Still an Issue When asked about concerns over the price difference between conventional and organic food at a recent food industry conference, Batcha said, “I’m not sure you’ll ever see price parity until the food policy system around organic changes. There is a reason why cheap food is cheap, but that said, we’re seeing increased accessibility to organic food. But we all need to care about organic farmers having a livelihood. There is a premium at which if you go below it might not make sense for farmers to participate. Data suggests it’s around 10%.” Or, as teen presenter Birke Baehr observed in a November 2010 TED talk on why he wants to become an organic farmer, “With all the things I’ve been learning about the food system, it seems to me that we can either pay the farmer, or we can pay the hospital. Now I know definitely which one I would choose. So next time you’re at the grocery store, think local, choose organic, know your farmer and know your food.” Based on the stats, more and more consumers are doing just that. Steven Hoffman is Managing Director of Compass Natural, providing brand marketing, PR, social media, and strategic business development services to natural, organic and sustainable products businesses. He served as Marketing Director for the Arrowhead Mills organic brand, is the former Editorial Director of Natural Foods Merchandiser Magazine, former Education Director of Natural Products Expo East and West, and co-founder of LOHAS Journal. Contact [email protected]. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 21 Expo East 2016 Expo East Over 1,400 companies plan to exhibit in Baltimore; will you be there to see the newest products? The natural products industry continues to grow and as a result, Expo East is growing too! We're expanding the Hot Products Pavilion to include level 400 AND level 300 at the Baltimore Convention Center. This means more exhibits and more new products than ever before! Register now to take advantage of early bird savings on exhibit hall admission and Super Passes. Exhibit Hall passes are FREE for qualified retailers, distributors (broker and importer/exporter) and health practitioners through August 12th, 2016 and Super Passes are just $95. In Memoriam Remembering Kathleen Wilson Kathleen Wilson, a Dynamic Presence sales representative from the New York City metro area, passed away on May 1st due to complications from pneumonia and congestive heart failure. Wilson joined the Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence family in 2009 calling on accounts in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Long Island, Queens, Connecticut, and the Hudson Valley region. Wilson, originally from Ohio, moved to Long Island, New York, in August of 2008 to be with her now-husband, Doug Hildemann, who also works for Dynamic Presence. The duo were inseparable at trade shows and sales meetings. They brought out the best in each other. Their connection was obvious to all those who had the opportunity to work with the pair. Wilson was known for her infectious smile and friendly personality. She was liked by everyone who met her and loved by everyone who knew her. She was an animal lover and an avid reader – combining both of those passions in “Moose on the Loose,” a children’s book she was working on prior to her passing in May. Although a small-town girl from Ohio, Wilson quickly learned to love New York. From her first taste of New York pizza to her love of the Mets, she became a true New Yorker, according to friends and family. She will truly be missed. Wilson is survived by her husband, Doug, her daughters Nichole and Melanie Wilson, her stepdaughter Amanda Melendez, father Charles and siblings Charlie, Paula, Karen, Terry, Rick, and John. Kathleen Wilson 1960-2016 “Kathleen was only 55 years old and left us much too soon. May I ask one thing from everyone – please go grab those you love, tell them you love them, and hug them until it hurts. You cannot possibly do it enough,” said Hildemann. New Arrivals New Hires Congratulations to Presence Marketing/Dynamic Presence – Northwest Administrator Assistant Tonja Otey and her husband as they welcome Stephen Neumann Pugyao II to the world on April 30th, 2016. Weighing 9 pounds 2 ounces and 21inches long. Everyone is happy and doing well! Presence Marketing Milestones East Cory Cloutier Tasha Goodell Merchandiser Distributor Account Executive Midwest Laura Hausman Sales Representative Southwest Sandra Marshall © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. Merchandiser 22 May Anniversaries Lorraine Kayser Dynamic Presence - Southwest 24 Years Jill Whitehill Dynamic Presence - Midwest 17 Years Tracy Sloyer Dynamic Presence - Midwest 10 Years Cindy Huffman Dynamic Presence - East 9 Years Diana Sank Dynamic Presence - East 9 Years Erin Wietecha Presence Marketing - Rocky Mountains 9 Years Gladys Schild Presence Marketing - East 9 Years James Garfield Presence Marketing - East 9 Years Joanne Maurer Presence Marketing - East 9 Years Mike Seina Presence Marketing - East 9 Years Dynamic Presence - Rocky Mountains 8 Years Cheryl Edwards Chris Miles Presence Marketing - Northwest 6 Years Kayla Soibelman Presence Marketing - Rocky Mountains 6 Years Tadd Overstreet Presence Marketing - Rocky Mountains 6 Years Ashley Yohn Dynamic Presence - Northwest 5 Years Errol Bennett Dynamic Presence - East 5 Years Ayn Quan Presence Marketing - Northwest 4 Years Jeremy Brown Presence Marketing - Southwest 4 Years Shannon Armstrong Presence Marketing - West 4 Years Sherri Garewal Presence Marketing - West 3 Years Tobi Heroux Presence Marketing - East 3 Years Adam Yomtov Presence Marketing - East 2 Years Candi Hagar Presence Marketing - East 2 Years Daniel Hyatt Presence Marketing - Northwest 2 Years Kate LaBrosse Presence Marketing - Midwest 2 Years Leah Miskimon Presence Marketing - East 2 Years Martin Newell Presence Marketing - East 2 Years Roe Bales Presence Marketing - Midwest 2 Years Ayaan Ali Presence Marketing - Southwest 1 Year Brian McElhaney Presence Marketing - Southwest 1 Year Brooks Marsh Presence Marketing - Midwest 1 Year John Hagedorn Presence Marketing - Midwest 1 Year Lauren Burk Presence Marketing - Midwest 1 Year Dynamic Presence - Rocky Mountains 1 Year Presence Marketing - Midwest 1 Year Dynamic Presence - East 1 Year Presence Marketing - Southwest 1 Year Marie Grunbeck Rachel Jarmolinski Robert Carlson-Moeller Shannon O'Shea Help Wanted Help Wanted Location Department Job Title East East East East Midwest Midwest Midwest Southwest Southwest Southwest Rocky Mountains Rocky Mountains Sales Sales Sales Sales Sales Data Sales Sales Sales Sales Sales Sales Sales Representative Sales Representative Merchandiser Merchandiser Account Executive Assistant Data Analyst Merchandiser Account Executive Account Executive Account Executive Assistant Sales Representative Merchandiser For more information regarding job opportunities visit http://www.pmidpi.com/careers/ or email [email protected]. © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 23 Presence News Staff Editor – Milton Zimmerman Associate Editor – Christine Tzumas Associate Editor – Asher Aronovich Contributing Editors: East – Jacob Cook Midwest – Milton Zimmerman Southwest – Crystal Stauffer Northwest – Kari Dodson Rocky Mountains – Monika Heinbaugh West – Kaela Waldstein Distributor News – Pete Psaledas Data/SPINS – Jerry Stroobosscher © 2016 Presence Marketing, Inc. 24