Gourmet News

Progressive Grocer Names Outstanding Independent Grocers

Published February 22, 2023

Schnuck Market Inc., St. Louis

Progressive Grocer has unveiled its 2023 class of Outstanding Independents, naming 25 independent grocers. The publication has honored the excellence of America’s independent food retailers for more than a decade.

“It’s always tough to pick our Outstanding Independents honorees, but this year proved particularly difficult,” noted PG Managing Editor Bridget Goldschmidt. “There was so much creativity spotlighted in the submissions, and so many examples of how important these grocers are to their communities.

“Our lineup of honorees for 2023 is especially strong, as these retailers have come out of the other side of a challenging pandemic, trailed by supply chain woes and record-high inflation, with their businesses and loyal customer bases largely intact – incredibly, many were even able to thrive despite the adverse circumstances.”

The 2023 class of Progressive Grocer Outstanding Independents consists of:

Barons Market, San Diego
Bi-Rite Family of Businesses, San Francisco
BriarPatch Food Co-op, Grass Valley, Calif.
Byron’s & Cambridge Village Markets, Schuylerville, N.Y.
Charley Family Shop ’N Save, Greensburg, Pa.
DeCicco & Sons, Pelham, N.Y.
Dom’s Kitchen & Market, Chicago
Dorothy Lane Market, Dayton, Ohio
Fareway Stores Inc., Boone, Iowa
Gristedes/D’Agostino’s, New York
Harvest Market, Hockessin, Del.
Healthy Living, South Burlington, Vt.
Isom IGA, Isom, Ky.
John’s Market, Troy, Kan.
Kudrinko’s Ltd., Westport, Ontario
Little Red Box Grocery, Houston
Mildred Store, Mildred, Kan.
Oryana Community Cooperative, Traverse City, Mich.
Rademacher Cos./Bill’s Superette, Andover, Minn.
Redner’s Markets Inc., Reading, Pa.
River Market Community Co-op, Stillwater, Minn.
Rosauers Supermarkets, Spokane, Wash.
Schnuck Market Inc., St. Louis
Sedano’s Supermarkets, Hialeah, Fla.
Sprankle’s Neighborhood Supermarkets, Saxonburg, Pa.

Progressive Grocer will honor these Outstanding Independents, which are profiled in the magazine’s February issue, with a special awards reception at the NGA Show in Las Vegas on Feb. 27. To learn more about the event or about sponsorships, contact John Schrei at jschrei@ensembleiq.com.

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Seafood Products Debut in Red Lobster Frozen Food Line

Published February 22, 2023

Red Lobster is bringing the heat, and seafood, to the frozen aisle with the launch of its first line of Red Lobster frozen food seafood products available at retail. Inspired by craveable guest favorites, the new Red Lobster frozen food retail entrées include Cheddar Bay Biscuit Shrimp, which combines the Cheddar Bay Biscuit with sweet, succulent shrimp, and Coconut Shrimp Bites, both making it easier than ever to enjoy delicious seafood whenever the craving hits.

A quick and convenient dinner, the perfect party appetizer or a reliable late-night shrimpy snack, the lineup of new seafood products builds on the existing retail line of Cheddar Bay Biscuit offerings and features:

CHEDDAR BAY BISCUIT SHRIMP – What happens when warm, buttery Cheddar Bay Biscuits and tender, crispy shrimp collide? You get NEW Cheddar Bay Biscuit Shrimp. It’s impossible to eat just one!
COCONUT SHRIMP BITES – These bite-sized goodies are slightly sweet, perfectly crunchy and dangerously delicious. The Coconut Shrimp Bites are tossed in real shredded coconut and paired with the Sweet Chili Sauce.
CHEDDAR BAY BISCUIT COD – Wild-caught cod breaded with legendary Cheddar Bay Biscuit seasoning makes this like no other fish you’ll ever get from the sea. It’s so easy to make you’ll want it on the weekly dinner rotation.
PARMESAN CRUSTED GARLIC & HERB STUFFED SHRIMP – Sweet shrimp stuffed with garlic, herbs and cream cheese coated with a parmesan-crusted breading, it’s the perfect bite of shrimp every time. It’s second to yum at every meal.
The new frozen seafood offerings join a lineup of popular biscuit retail products including Red Lobster’s award-winning FROZEN, READY-TO-BAKE CHEDDAR BAY BISCUITS, GLUTEN-FREE CHEDDAR BAY BISCUIT MIX, TRADITIONAL MIX, and HONEY BUTTER BISCUIT MIX. Visit RED LOBSTER AT HOME for recipes and meal inspiration and to find where to catch Red Lobster at Home creations in your local retailer.

Red Lobster is the world’s largest and most-loved seafood restaurant company, headquartered in Orlando, Fla. With a proud heritage and an even brighter future, Red Lobster is focused on serving the highest quality, freshly prepared seafood that is traceable, sustainable and responsibly-sourced. To learn more about Red Lobster’s sourcing standards and where the seafood we serve comes from, please visit WWW.REDLOBSTER.COM/SEAFOODWITHSTANDARDS.

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Toshiba to Showcase ‘YOUnifying Experiences’ at NGA

Published February 22, 2023

Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions will be exhibiting its “YOUnifying Experiences” at The NGA Show 2023 from Feb. 26-28 at Caesars FORUM Convention Center in Las Vegas. The company will showcase its best-in-class portfolio of solutions at booth #1339 demonstrating how retailers can provide personalized interactions with shoppers and improve their operations.

As the grocery landscape continues to evolve, retailers must embrace a “unified commerce” approach to succeed. A study conducted by Incisiv and Toshiba revealed that self-checkout technology is now a staple in the industry with 94 percent of grocers currently offering or planning to offer self-checkout options in stores. Consumer interest in buy online pick up in store continues to grow, requiring retailers to adjust across digital and brick-and-mortar channels to unify experiences and make lasting consumer relationships.

“It is critical for retailers to have the freedom to accelerate and meet the demands of consumers to drive retention and loyalty in an authentic way,” said Rance Poehler, president and CEO of Toshiba Global Commerce Solutions. “We provide a full ecosystem of resources for retailers that includes hardware, self-service and software solutions like our ELERA™ Commerce Platform. Our robust partner network also plays a vital role in connecting us with retailers across various segments to provide tailored technology solutions that meet their unique needs.”

Toshiba’s partner and independent software vendor LOC Software (booth #1725) will showcase first-time demonstrations of their LOC Store Management Suite software integrated with Toshiba’s self-service software running on the Pro-X Hybrid Kiosk. The fully integrated combined solution presents grocery retailers with features that address their unique demands across service and convenience for their shoppers. Both companies will showcase the fully integrated joint solution in their booths during the show.

“We’re excited that LOC Software successfully completed testing with Toshiba’s CHEC software application on the Pro-X Hybrid Kiosk. The new software integration and hardware solution creates new offerings and opportunities to empower retailers to meet the evolving demands of their industry,” said Guy Leger, VP of sales and marketing at LOC Software. “Our joint presence at NGA will show participants how we are partnering to create solutions that enable grocers to deliver a fully connected platform that links stores, customers, and data.”

Toshiba’s NGA booth will feature the technology that empowers retailers with unified commerce solutions to connect with consumers and meet the changing needs of the grocery and retail food industries. The Hardware Bar will feature live demos of Toshiba‘s TCx line of rugged point-of-sale solutions that have been rigorously tested to ensure performance and durability for grocery. The ELERA Commerce Platform and its suite of solutions accelerate digital transformation, supporting the connected store experience in an agile, interconnected, and infinitely adaptable way.

The booth will also spotlight self-service options like Pro-X Hybrid Kiosk and the industry-leading Self Checkout System 7 offering innovative computer-vision based produce recognition, loss prevention features, and more.

The Incisiv research presented key findings and analysis from a study of 135+ retail executives. The study was designed to understand retailers’ outlook and attitude towards Unified Commerce as an enabler of key growth strategies. For more information on Incisiv’s 2022 State of the Industry “Unified Commerce in Food & Grocery,” visit here.

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