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Giant Foods Holding Annual ‘Lend a Hand for Hunger’ Food Bank Fundraiser

Giant Food, the leading greater Washington, D.C. regional grocery chain, is holding its annual “Lend a Hand for Hunger” food bank fundraiser campaign to benefit five area Feeding America food banks – Capital Area Food Bank, Maryland Food Bank, Food Bank of Delaware, Fredericksburg Regional Food Bank and Blue Ridge Area Food Bank – and other area nonprofits.

The campaign, running from Oct. 28 to Dec. 31 in all 164 Giant stores, offers customers an opportunity to support their neighbors by rounding up their change to the nearest dollar amount during checkout in-store or selecting a donation of $1, $3 or $5 during checkout in-store or online. The \goal for the food bank fundraiser is to raise over $1 million to support the fight against hunger.

Additionally, in partnership with Shady Brook Farms, Giant Food will be donating 10,000 turkeys to its local Feeding America food banks partners as well as local organizations including Martha’s Table, Manna Food Center, THEARC: Building Bridges Across The River, Greater Washington Urban League and Greater Baltimore Urban League. Since 2011, Giant has donated 52,000 turkeys during Thanksgiving and this year, Shady Brook Farms is generously providing additional turkeys to make an even larger impact.

“We realize many of our neighbors are facing tough choices when it comes to their food dollars, and, as in years past, we want to do our part to make sure our neighbors in need enjoy their holiday celebrations with a traditional turkey meal,” said Ira Kress, president of Giant Food. “We are thrilled to partner with Shady Book Farms to nearly double our annual turkey donation program and are grateful to be able to extend our support to even more families.”

“At Shady Brook Farms, we take great responsibility in not only giving back during the critical holiday season, but also throughout the year to ensure families and local communities have access to delicious and nutritious meals,” said Hannah Kern, Shady Brook Farms marketing manager. “Partnering with a like-minded organization such as Giant Food to provide turkeys to those in need is incredibly meaningful and we’re beyond appreciative of their collaboration on impactful initiatives such as this.”

Giant will be observing normal hours throughout the holiday season to provide convenient shopping times and a one-stop shop for grocery needs in-store. Customers can also safely and efficiently browse aisles, fill their carts, and schedule a contactless Giant Pickup or Giant Delivers order on giantfood.com.

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To Compete With Grocers, Convenience Stores Eye Fresh Food

Convenience retailers are increasingly feeling the pressure from grocery and general merchandise retailers offering a larger assortment of food and essentials through convenient delivery and pick-up options. Incisiva leading industry insights firm that helps retailers and brands navigate the changing retail buying journey, and Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions, a global market share leader in retail store technology and the industry’s first choice for unified commerce solutions, today announced their survey findings, titled State of the Industry: The Future of Convenience Stores.

According to the research, the convenience industry is adopting many new strategies to stay relevant. These include reallocating store space, ramping up fresh offerings, embracing flexible, speedy checkout, and further investing in their advantage – catering to their local communities. But the speed of change remains a problem for most chains, with 74% of respondents dissatisfied with their ability to experiment quickly. In addition, convenience has lagged compared to other segments technologically as it has not moved as fast toward unifying experiences across digital and in-store channels. This will need to be prioritized to compete for shopper’s wallet share.

“There is a significant opportunity for the convenience industry to prioritize unified commerce to gain market share against other segments,” said Fredrik Carlegren, VP Marketing & Communications, Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “While grocery and delivery trends continue to encroach on ‘convenience’ trends unifying in-store, online and delivery, convenience retailers see the need to innovate rapidly to compete and succeed in a competitive market to win consumers.”

Additional key findings of the research include:

  • 82% of c-stores lack a unified architecture across digital and physical commerce, and only 8% offer shoppers a unified eCommerce and in-store basket.
  • 72% of c-store executives say it is important to differentiate on higher quality fresh food, but only 32% are satisfied with their banner’s current offering.
  • 30% of c-stores are planning to increase in-store space for fresh food prep, and 25% for in-store dining.
  • 26% of c-stores plan to reduce space allocated to fixed checkout, and artificial intelligence or machine learning assisted self-checkout is set to outpace traditional self-checkout over the next 12-18 months.
  • 62% of c-store executives consider becoming more relevant to the local community as a critical part of their growth strategy.
  • 61% of c-store executives are satisfied with their banner’s current capabilities around localizing assortment. However, they must become more adept at high-frequency replenishment, quicker inventory turns, and more frequent store layout resets.

“C-stores no longer just compete with the corner shop down the street. Grocery and general merchandise retailers offer a larger assortment of food and home essentials through convenient delivery and pick-up options. Quick Commerce upstarts such as Gopuff offer ultra-fast delivery in urban areas,” said Giri Agarwal, Chief Strategy Officer, Incisiv. “C-stores have the unique opportunity to become a unifying agent for some of the most exciting consumerism trends of the future: health and wellness, electric mobility and sustainability, and the rise of local ecologies. If they can do that successfully, they would have smartly redefined “Convenience 2.0” to be about more than the need for speed.”

Click here to download the complete findings from State of the Industry: The Future of Convenience Stores.

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Beef + Lamb New Zealand Launches Food Truck Sampling Tour in LA

Beef + Lamb New ZealandBeef + Lamb New Zealand, an industry organization representing and supporting New Zealand’s beef and sheep farmers, is launching a food truck sampling tour, in partnership with Atkins Ranch grass-fed lamb and First Light Farms 100% grass-fed Wagyu beef, to bring a taste of New Zealand to Los Angeles-area residents.

From Oct. 27 to Nov. 22, Angelenos can experience the New Zealand grass-fed difference with mouth-watering menu creations from Los Angeles chef Alvin Cailan, host of The Burger Show and the legendary talent behind the Eggslut concept and Amboy Quality Meats & Delicious Burgers.

The food truck sampling tour will enable consumers throughout Los Angeles to try grass-fed beef and lamb from New Zealand and discover what makes it so delicious. Grass-fed year-round, the animals are allowed to roam and graze freely over lush green hills and pastures, just as nature intended. The result is a tender, finely textured and more flavorful meat than anything else you’ll find, with nutritional benefits that are second to none.

“New Zealand animals are sustainably and humanely raised on lush green pastures 365 days a year, resulting in some of the world’s best, most natural-tasting beef and lamb,” said Michael Wan, global manager, Beef + Lamb New Zealand. “We’re excited for Angelenos to discover the taste of New Zealand grass-fed through the delicious menu creations developed by Chef Alvin, which highlight his culinary expertise and passion as well as his love for New Zealand beef and lamb.”

Hand-crafted with Chef Alvin’s personal style, the food truck sampling menu includes perfectly crafted small bites rich with flavor that use only the most premium and highly nutritious grass-fed beef and lamb options, including:

  • Picanha sandwich with beef jus dip and giardiniera, made with First Light Farms 100% grass-fed Wagyu beef that is sweet, nutty, juicy, and tender.
  • Lamb chorizo tostada with bean puree, queso and serrano crema, featuring Atkins Ranch 100% grass-fed lamb that is humanely raised, naturally flavorful, and deliciously versatile.

“I really enjoyed cooking with New Zealand grass-fed wagyu beef and lamb and trying the products in a variety of recipes,” said Chef Alvin Cailan. “I was able to get creative and incorporate some of my favorite ingredients, while still allowing the delicious, natural flavor of the grass-fed meat to shine through.”

Beef + Lamb New ZealandFree samples of the picanha sandwich and lamb tostada will be available to consumers who visit the Beef + Lamb New Zealand food truck at its stops throughout Los Angeles. The stops include The Brig on Abbott Kinney in Venice, Grand Central Market in DTLA and The Rose Bowl Flea Market in Pasadena. Select sampling locations include:

  • The Brig: Saturday, Oct. 29 – Sunday, Oct. 30
  • Santa Monica Farmers Market: Saturday, Nov. 5
  • Canter’s Fairfax: Sunday, Nov.6
  • UCLA Football Fan Zone at the Rose Bowl: Saturday, Nov.12
  • Rose Bowl Flea Market: Sunday, Nov.13
  • Hotel Erwin: Saturday, Nov.19
  • Grand Central Market: Sunday, Nov.20

Atkins Ranch 100% grass-fed lamb is available at Whole Foods Market and First Light Farms 100% grass-fed Wagyu beef is available at Lazy Acres, Ralphs, Bristol Farms and online at firstlight.farm.

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