Supermarket & Grocery Industry News

WASHINGTON - Ann Veneman, the United States' first female Agriculture Secretary, resigned after four years on a job during which she earned high marks for the handling of the first reported case of mad cow disease on American soil last winter.

SALISBURY, N.C. - Food Lion yesterday joined the ONE Retail Network -- an Internet-based supply network with many-to-many connectivity developed by Dallas-based One Network Enterprises, Inc. (ONE).

CHICAGO - The Wm. Wrigley Jr. Co., the world's largest chewing gum maker, is poised to acquire Kraft Foods, Inc.'s sugar confectionery business -- which includes the large manufacturer's popular Life Savers, Creme Savers, and Altoids brands and comprises roughly 1.5 percent of Kraft's global revenues -- for $1.48 billion.

DENVER - Greenmont Capital Partners, a new private equity fund established by well-known natural and organic food industry leaders, together with prominent Colorado-based investors, yesterday said it has raised more than $15 million to begin operations. Greenmont will focus on emerging companies in the fast-growing natural and organic food, as well as related products, industries.

With access to accurate data improving in some quarters, the fresh industry is making real progress in applying category management.

For smaller retailers especially, the discipline can still be somewhat of a mystery.

More retailers are taking a leading category management role to drive some growth once again into the center store.

Call it aisle management, trip management, store optimization -- the future of merchandising will be built not around products, but around consumers.