Grocery Guys

What's happening with security at grocery stores? Hackers leave shelves bare at Whole Foods 

Grocery Guys are back at it this week with a robust conversation about Oreos, Wheat Thins, Nutter Butters, and a lot of other products that Aldi replicates with its so-called “dupe” products. Well, it’s gotten them in hot water before, but Aldi remains steadfast in its replication of popular products. Does it confuse consumers? Is it intellectual property theft? Supermarket studs Bill and Tim take a deep dive on the trademark topic.Also in this week’s episode:Bill gives a recap of the annual IDDBA conference.What’s all the hubbub with protein?On the flipside of the trademark wars is Aldi’s cousin Trader Joe’s. What’s up with that?

Bill reads a story about chaos at the DG while Tim shows off his math skills by dividing $1 in half.

Tim promises to stop talking about his obsession with branded gear, and Bill gives his prediction on what a post-lawsuit Kroger might look like.

In Episode 2 of Grocery Guys, Supermarket News Senior Editor Bill Wilson and Associate Editor Tim Inklebarger take a crack at coming up with merch for Aldi and talk about the problems DEI withdrawal has caused for retailers like Amazon and Target.  In addition to the Aldi merch DEI talk, “Grocery Guys” also talk about:Tim’s plea for the Costco beatElon Musk’s fall from trillionaire statusWalmart’s immunity from DEI withdrawal *Love what you hear? Email us at contactus@supermarketnews.com and let us know! Hate what you hear? Please don’t email us at contactus@supermarketnews.com.

In the first-ever Grocery Guys podcast, Supermarket News Senior Editor Bill Wilson and Editor Tim Inklebarger talk about vending machines and what is going on with the leadership at Kroger and Albertsons.

SN editors break down the trends

The plant-based food industry is experiencing mixed results at the grocery retail level. Some products, like dairy, continue to flourish while other areas, like plant-based meat, are struggling. In this episode of SN of the Shelf, Supermarket News Senior Editor Bill Wilson talks with Douglas Brown, senior retail reporter with New Hope Network. Brown talks about the state of the industry and some of the emerging trends with plant-based products. 

SN sat down with Upshop VP of Customer Success Lauren Kennedy to talk about why sustainability efforts for grocers are more important than ever

Supermarket News Executive Editor Chloe Riley sat down with Alex Kinnier, the co-founder and CEO of Upside, to talk about a new report Upside has about consumer spending behavior — and how grocers can be thinking differently about courting shoppers who are less inclined towards loyalty than ever before.

Regenerative farming has been gaining momentum for a while now, and a prime example as to how far it has come is to look at Burroughs Family Farms in California’s Central Valley. Benina Montes, who is a managing partner, grew up on the farm and saw the transition to regenerative practices. She talks about what they do at Burroughs Family Farms and what the future holds for the practice. 

Newtopia Now has certainly made a name for itself. Formerly Natural Products Expo East, the show held in Denver last month had an all-natural buzz to it and served as a springboard to successful events moving forward. The show had over 550 exhibitors, with 180 exhibiting for the first time at any trade show, and over 7,000 attendees, according to show officials. Heavy hitters in the natural and organic food industry like Whole Foods, Target, and Sprouts Farmers Market were also in attendance. The core goal of Newtopia Now is to create a meeting place for CPGs and retailers in the natural and organic market, according to New Hope. The show was divided up into four sections or “neighborhoods”: “Thrive,” “Glow,” “Regenerate,” and “Represent.” Newtopia Now also had a kitchen area where natural and organic dishes were being created, a café, and a Tasting Bar located right off the show floor where attendees could sample various products of the show. There is a lot of work that goes into show planning, and with the new name the effort took on more importance. Supermarket News sat down with Jessica Rubino, vice president of content for New Hope Network, at the show to talk about what went into the name change, the energy during the first day of the event, and some of the features.  

Electronic Shelf Labels (ESL) are taking off. Walmart recently announced that it plans to switch over to 100% electronic shelf labels by 2026, citing a need for increased productivity and reduced walking time as well as simplified stock replenishment and faster order picking and fulfillment. ESL is transitioning past the early adopter phase — the tech is now becoming more and more a necessity that gives retailers a leg up.The cost on electronic shelf labels has also been dropping in recent years and, simultaneously, labor costs have been rising. All of which has industry analysts speculating that ESL tech is going to begin to quickly scale.On this special tech edition of our podcast, “SN Techwire,” Supermarket News editor Chloe Riley sat down with Tighe Renner, senior manager, new business development with Aperion (a retail technology arm of the Hussmann Corporation) whose primary product is ESL offerings from digital store solutions company Hanshow.

Whether they have the local benefits of an independent or the scale of a chain, supermarket operators need as much information as they can take in about their guests’ buying patterns, preferences, and demographics. But which sources help them the most?Supermarket News Intelligence recently investigated where more than 100 retailers turn to collect data on customers and their spending habits in our 2023 Tech Market Leader Report.“It’s still an AI story,” Perrier told SN recently at the FMI Midwinter Conference in Marco Island, Fla. “ I think the big difference is…years ago we were talking about personalization and targeting…now we’re actually seeing real use cases, real demos. Large scale language models are being used to help retailers generate revenue and it’s quite powerful.”In this special edition of our SN Off the Shelf podcast — SN TechWire — SN spoke with Sylvain Perrier, president and COO of grocery ecommerce software company Mercatus, about how grocers can smartly use personalization to drive loyalty and customer retention.On today’s TechWire podcast, you’ll learn:How can grocers can be leveraging personalization to get the whole basketWhat’s more important today: ecommerce or engagement?Why AI isn’t going anywhere anytime soon (and how you can best leverage it)Take a listen.

When given the chance, those opposing the Kroger, Albertsons merger have let themselves be heard. It happened again in Colorado, where a number of people stood up during a meeting attended by Federal Trade Commission Chair Lina Khan and urged the agency not to approve the deal.Grocery price increases and job security are the two top concerns expressed by consumers, workers, and unions.But what if grocery prices remained competitive after the merger and a minimal number of jobs were lost? It most likely will happen, according to Eric Fruits, senior scholar at the International Center for Law and Economics. Fruits is the co-author of the white paper titled, “Food-Retail Competition, Antitrust Law, and the Kroger/Albertsons Merger.”In the latest episode of SN Off the Shelf, Supermarket News Senior Editor Bill Wilson talks with Fruits about the Kroger, Albertsons merger which, according to Fruits, enough has been done to satisfy the parameters of a fair deal.Take a listen.**Have a pitch for the podcast? Reach out at contactus@supermarketnews.com. And thanks for listening.