Friday Lunch Time One Liners...New CEO for A&P

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A&P Announces new CEO: The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co., Inc. (A&P) has appointed Ron Marshall its president and CEO, effective Feb. 8.

Bloomberg News has more, Ron Marshall sat as the CEO of Borders before taking the A&P job.  Yucapia Investments, who holds a 27% ownership stake in A&P, and Aletheia Research & Management, out of Santa Monica, Calif.,  recently purchased 147 million shares of A&P in a series of purchases between Oct. 15 and Dec. 15, representing an investment of more than $136.5 million.  Aletheia, also last month, revealed it had bought a 10.8% stake in bookseller Barnes & Noble, another company in which Yucaipa has invested this year.

The InstoreMarketer.org gives a Field Report on A&P:
The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Co. plans to scale back on a strategy which presented an array of short-term promotions that left shoppers "confused," its chairman recently told investors. The company had hoped to boost sales through a variety of programs that included both weekly and four-day sales, campaigns for its general loyalty program and distinct pet- and baby-related efforts, and a number of other promotions.

MY UFCW Blog: Whole Foods has a Bright Idea: Fat Tax for Employees.

ABC News wonders if this plan is fair.

Meanwhile John Mackey's pay was valued at $654K in 2009.

Supermarket News: Price Chopper here filed a lawsuit against Penn Traffic Co. this week alleging breach of contract after a bankruptcy judge approved the sale of Penn Traffic to Tops Friendly Markets, Williamsville, N.Y., according to reports.

More: Price Chopper Sues Penn Traffic for Breach of Contract.

Philadelphia-based ShopRite owner Jeff Brown was recognized during President Obama’s first-ever State of the Union address for the strides he has made in bringing supermarkets to impoverished urban areas.

Target & Safeway announce new Sustainable Seafood Initiatives.

Gristedes has told Supermarket News they're switching wholesalers, from White Rose to Wakefern.

Union Spotlights Green Cleaning:
Green cleaning standards, including safer cleaning products, have become a key focus of ongoing negotiations over labor contracts for 650 supermarket janitors working at Save Mart and Safeway stores in Northern California.

The Penn Traffic sale to Tops was approved, the UFCW released a statement on what the sale means for the thousands of Penn Traffic workers: "Thousands of UFCW members are hopeful that today's sale will give them the opportunity to maintain their jobs, their health benefits and pensions. Rebuilding this company is essential to the economic security of our communities and will require a strong partnership between Tops Market and workers."

More:

Buffalo News

Wellsboro Gazette: Said Tops Public Relations Manager Kate McKenna, “Although I cannot tell you which stores will be kept open, I can say that it is Tops’ intention to retain as many of the stores and jobs as possible. Right now, we are evaluating all 79 stores. Our decision as to which to keep open and which to close will also be reviewed by the Federal Trade Commission before any announcement can be made.”

Crain's NY: Labor-law violations seen costly for New York City workers.
Employer violations of minimum wage, overtime and other labor laws across an array of industries costs more than 317,000 low-wage workers in the city $18.4 million per week, according to a new study released Thursday.

FRESH



Recently two Bronx retailers, Foodtown & Western Beef submitted questionnaires that in order to receive NYC incentives from the recently passed Food Retail Expansion to Support Health bill (or F.R.E.S.H.), the city has posted them on the NYC FRESH website,
Western Beef's Questionnaire [pdf]
Foodtown Questionnaire [pdf]


Seeking Alpha looks at the top 6 trends for Supermarkets in 2010.

Wal-Mart Stores said Thursday it is realigning its Walmart US organization to leverage its scale and move closer to the customer, effective Monday.

2,500 Foxwoods dealers now have a tentative contract with the UAW.

Monday News at Noon

A hearing Monday in U.S. Bankruptcy Court should seal the sale of beleaguered Penn Traffic Co. to Tops Markets.

Acme cuts hours of 131 employees
The recession and price deflation are being blamed for cuts in employee hours and positions at Akron-based grocer Acme Fresh Markets.

Walmart has laid off an unspecified number of Sam's Club staffers, say several former employees of the company, a report from Forbes.com.

More:
Business Week: Wal-Mart Stores Inc.’s Sam’s Club chain, the second-largest U.S. warehouse club, will cut about 11,200 jobs in the next month after hiring an outside company to take over in-store product demonstrations.

Wall Street Journal:  Sam's Club, engaged in a tough struggle to stand apart from competitors, is cutting about 11,000 jobs and is turning to an independent marketing firm to handle in-store product demonstrations at its warehouses nationwide.

The Hudson Reporter reports on the new Walmart in Bergen County's impact on other supermarkets throughout New Jersey.

The New York Times reports on Walmart's continued struggles expanding in Chicago.

Walmart is also facing expansion troubles in Ontario.

The Brooklyn Daily Eagle covers the Outer Borough Supermarket Attraction event.

Brooklyn Daily Eagle: Borough Pres calls for more Affordable Units, Supermarket in retail space.

And Elizabeth Benjamin reports Bloomberg says the city will be forced to layoff 18,500 workers if Patterson's "unfair" budget is enacted.

Friday Morning News: Target Grocery is a hit.

Aldi Inc. is being sued by more than 200 current and former store managers in 32 states over unpaid overtime wages, in a lawsuit alleging the discount grocer violated the federal Fair Labor Standards Act, the Wall Street Journal has more.

More at Supermarket News.

Crain's is reporting another big Bronx bakery will be shut down: Old London Foods, a maker of Melba toast and other crispy snacks, will shutter its plant in Morris Park, resulting in the loss of 228 jobs

Union workers at Albertsons, Fred Meyer and Safeway stores here have reached a tentative agreement with the chains on a four-year contract.

A recommendation to permit the sale of wine at grocery, a $1 per pack cigarette tax increase, and a penny per ounce tax on sugared beverages linked to obesity are part of the Executive Budget proposed by New York Governor David Paterson Tuesday.

New Yorkers Against Unfair Taxes, a coalition formed to oppose taxes on food and beverage products, has expressed its “disappointment” regarding New York Gov. David Paterson’s proposal to place a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages of 12 cents per 12-ounce can in the 2010-2011 Executive Budget. According to the group, which includes many of the Empire State’s grocery store operators, as well as convenience stores and industry associations, the tax would be 10 times higher on a 12-pack of nonalcoholic beverages than the state tax on a 12-pack of alcoholic beverages like beer. Paterson proposed the nondiet soft drink tax as part of an effort to close the state’s $7.4 billion budget deficit.

New York City unemployment spikes to 10.6%.  

The Star-Ledger writes another article how Walmart's new supermarket in North Bergen, New Jersey will affect grocery shopping habits:

"When it comes to her weekly grocery shopping, Priscilla Restrepo follows a two-part routine: Pathmark for fresh produce, Target next door for packaged food...But yesterday's two-stop grocery run just might have been her last.  Today, just one mile down the road on Tonnelle Avenue, retail giant Wal-Mart is opening its first grocery supercenter in North Jersey - a sprawling 24-hour store, roughly the size of four football fields, which will offer everything from lawn chairs and game consoles to fresh meat and warm baked goods."

They also report that the early reviews of the store are great.

Meanwhile, Supermarket News reports Target's "P-Fresh" prototype store which carries more grocery items, has lifted shopper frequency “as never before,”

In remodeled stores with the new, expanded P-fresh food departments, sales and traffic are up an average of 6% 12 months after the remodelings, he said, which translates into 1,000 extra trips per store per week, or gains of $4.5 million at minimum per year.

Due to these statistics, The Wall Street Journal reports Target is slamming the brakes on store expansion and will pour $1 billion this year into remodeling its existing shops to accelerate a push into groceries.

More: Forbes.com

John Standley, the former chief executive officer at Pathmark Stores, will take over as CEO of Rite Aid Corp. here effective June 24, the drug retailer said Thursday.

More: Business Week.

The Downtown Express covers our rally at Amish Market last week.

Tops is on track to officially get Penn Traffic.

What does the Mass. Senate change mean for the food industry?

Wednesday News after Noon...

Image by Getty Images via Daylife

The Food Emporium kicked off its second annual "Taste of Australia" event here Friday.

The Blockbuster Express kiosks will be expanded to 35 additional Gristedes stores throughout New York City.

Fairway Market parent company Sterling Investment Partners Thursday said the local food retailer has completed a $114 million debt financing.

As part of its recently revealed reorganization of its American banners’ support operations, Delhaize Group plans to close 15 Food Lion locations and one Bloom store.


Denver: Safeway says it has reached a tentative three-year labor agreement covering about 600 workers represented by Teamsters Local 455.

Investors analyze Supermarkets looking for a fresh start in 2010.

UFCW Local 538 ratifies a new contract with Kraft/Oscar Myer.

Last week UFCW Local 8 began picketing Fresh & Easy stores in California.


Penn Traffic execs to split $1 Million in bonuses.

The Guardian: Walmart: The US retailer taking over the world by stealth; It has beefed up its green credentials, but Wal-Mart's stance on unions and sheer global scale still provoke as much fear as admiration

NJ: Walmart expansion hearing (Upper Deerfield) delayed for a second time.

A Walmart Supercenter has opened in North Bergen County (NJ), Supermarkets prepare for a battle.

"The 217,240-square-foot North Bergen store is designed according to Wal-Mart's new "Project Impact" store prototype, which features farmers'-market-style displays of fruits and vegetables, refrigerated shelves of heat-and-serve prepared foods, and takeout counters for deli dishes and pizzas. The average Wal-Mart supercenter is between 180,000 to 190,000 square feet.
The North Bergen store is stage one of a three-pronged campaign for a share of North Jersey's grocery dollars. A second supermarket, attached to an existing"- Read More.

New York Budget: Update on selling wine in grocery stores; Syracuse.com

Rumors:

Sprint & Walmart teaming up for a nationwide 4G wifi?

A long time rumor circulating in upstate NY is Trader Joe's to the Capital Region [Albany]?  More has surfaced including an email from a reliable source regarding Trader Joe's interest in upstate New York.

Politics:
New York Times, Michael Cooper: GOP Senate Victory Stuns Democrats.

Rally at Noon @ Amish Market Park Place Today!

Union’s Rally for Justice on Martin Luther King Jr.’s Birthday

“An injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere.”

                              - Martin Luther King Jr.

Unions representing thousands of workers at the World Trade Center site and in the immediate area are coming together to support workers at Amish Market Tribeca.

Who: UFCW Local 1500, the Building and Construction Trades Council of New York, the New York Central Labor Council, New York City Council Speaker Christine Quinn

What: Rally in support of workers at Amish Market at 53 Park Place.

When: January 15, 2010 at 12 noon – 1pm

Where: 53 Park Place @ West Broadway, Manhattan

Why:  To highlight Amish Market Tribeca's long standing anti-worker behavior.  Union and community members will pledge not to patronize Amish Market Tribeca until the owners demonstrate a reversal of their stand against workers rights.

Speakers: Speaking at the rally will be City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, Central Labor Council President Jack Ahern, UFCW Local 1500 President Bruce Both as well as a worker from the market.

Performance: Rude Mechanical Orchestra (a 30-odd-piece New York City radical marching band and dance troupe).

Background: On February 26, 2009 New York State Department of Labor announced a $1.5 million enforcement action against Amish Market Park Place and other stores for primarily unpaid wages. To protect themselves from these kinds of abuses, workers have been trying to unite into UFCW Local 1500 but have been met with significant resistance from the store’s management including harassment and intimidation of union supporters.

 

To RSVP, or for more details head to Facebook.