Nonfoods

A fellow Nielsen associate recently sent me an article she had received from a client about how private label was receiving high acceptance among even affluent American households.

Wheaties, known for decades as “The Breakfast of Champions®,” has teamed up with an elite group of sports stars -- Peyton Manning, triathlete Hunter Kemper, Kevin Garnett, gold medal-winning decathlete Bryan Clay and Albert Pujols -- to usher in the newest incarnation of the classic cereal brands.

Private label products are anything but cheap imitations of brand-name items, according to a new report. The Chicago-based retail consultancy Mintel GNPD finds that manufacturers of private label food products are staying up on current food trends, including the use of premium and healthy ingredients as well as convenient packaging.

The Great Atlantic & Pacific Tea Company, Inc. said yesterday that the Yucaipa Cos., LLC and partners of Tengelmann Warenhandelsgesellschaft KG would increase their investments in the Montvale, N.J.-based grocer. Yucaipa will invest $115 million and Tengelmann $60 million, for a total purchase of $175 million of convertible preferred stock to be used toward a private offering.

A new leader has been tapped to lead Supervalu’s 195-store New England-based Shaw’s division, in the wake of the news that its current president, Larry Wahlstrom, 57, is retiring after 38 years in the drug and food retailing industry. Mike Witynski, 46, group VP for Supervalu’s Our Own Brands private label unit, has been named to succeed Wahlstrom at the West Bridgewater, Mass.-based chain that runs stores under the nameplates of Shaw;s, Shaw’s Osco, and Star Market. Witynski takes the helm Aug. 10.

A new survey from WorkPlace Media, a Cleveland, Ohio-based marketing solutions firm that specializes in targeting people in the workplace, has found that the economic recession is having a definite impact on workers’ eating habits, and possibly their health.

The Dole Food Co. has launched a campaign to connect with Hispanic consumers in Los Angeles through public entertainment events, and cash and juice prizes. The company said it could be expanded into other markets.

Starting today, Big Y Foods, Inc. will begin offering up to a 14-day supply of free antibiotics to customers from a list of 29 select generic antibiotics, when shoppers present an Express Savings Club Card. The prescription program is in place at all 33 of Big Y’s pharmacies in Massachusetts and Connecticut. For a list of eligible antibiotics, customers can visit the company Web site at www.bigy.com.