Trading Partners

In an historic departure from its traditional Retailer of the Year format that pays tribute to the accomplishments of a specific supermarket organization, Progressive Grocer, a leading voice of the grocery industry for more than 80 years, has named Jeff Noddle, executive chairman of Supervalu, Inc., its 2009 Retailer of the Year.

Regional wholesaler Unified Grocers, Inc. is offering a next-generation Web-based software service to its retailer members to improve customer retention and store profitability.

Wada Farms Marketing Group, LLC, the exclusive marketer of potatoes, sweet potatoes and onions for Dole Fresh Vegetables, Inc., has expanded its sweet potato program to promote sales and consumption of the vegetable.

Midwestern regional banner Russ’s Market is launching a new Platte River Ranch Natural Angus Beef program that features cuts from Greater Omaha Packing Co., Inc., a local supplier of steaks to a number of top area restaurants.

Regional independent Save Mart Supermarkets is deploying a new promotional marketing system that turns the belts of checkstands into advertisements at its Save Mart, S-Mart Foods, Lucky and FoodMaxx bannered stores.

Supervalu’s Chicago-based Jewel-Osco food and drug subsidiary is teaming up with a local Fox news affiliate during September’s “Hunger Action Month” to help generate awareness and raise much-needed food and funds for food banks across Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana.

For the more than 350 attendees, the Hispanic Retail 360 Summit offered an opportunity to tour four stores that target Latino customers, hear major retailers including Best Buy, Ace Hardware and SuperValu discuss the development of their Hispanic initiatives, and participate in smaller concurrent sessions featuring leading authors, consultants and researchers on multicultural markets. This news report and video feed brings you insights from retailers and vendors into the market, including a store tour of Mariana’s Supermarket and interviews with vendors.

Coupon enthusiasts are the driving force behind exploding redemption rates, according to new findings from Homescan, a service of The Nielsen Company.