Retail
The Packer’s annual consumer survey takes a deep dive into commodities, exploring shopper habits, preferences and more to offer actionable insights that grow businesses.
Canada’s retail market is mature, consolidated and full of demand for produce, according to a USDA analysis of the country’s retail market.
From the moment shoppers enter the 87,500-square-foot Astor Place Wegmans — the Rochester, N.Y.-based grocer’s newest store — the fresh produce storytelling begins.
The company plans to double its United Kingdom footprint by adding stores across various London neighborhoods, introducing its smaller Daily Shop format to the international market.
General Manager Justin McGregor explains how a fair trade partnership with Equifruit is trading customers up and proving that storytelling sells in the produce aisle.
The company is shuttering underperforming locations and launching a business optimization plan to stabilize its finances after noncash impairment charges led to a $218.2 million quarterly net loss.
Driven by a convenience economy, the fresh produce industry is pivoting toward high-velocity, value-added products that eliminate prep time while delivering restaurant-quality experiences.
According to PRS In Vivo Sensory Room lab research, frustration-free packaging is more than just a nice perk because it gives a competitive edge to brands that support neurodivergent shoppers, making life easier for all shoppers as a result.
New research shows produce maintaining volume strength in a tighter food economy, even as GLP-1 usage, declining calorie intake and generational differences reshape how consumers define and shop for health.
New research reveals that grocery retailers can increase profits by 6% and slash food waste by over 21% by simply optimizing shelf placement and discount timing for perishable goods.
“The Power of Produce” presentation at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure event reveals why retailers must bridge the education gap for bulk vegetables while leveraging beef’s resurgence to drive fresh sales.
By replacing manual processes with Relex AI, Associated Wholesale Grocers plans to optimize its supply chain to improve in-stock levels and deliver fresher products to its 33-state retail network.
The company has reached an agreement to purchase Everett Foodliner and Saxton Market from the Appleby family, with plans to remodel and reopen both locations under the Giant or Martin’s banner later this year.
In The Packer’s executive series, Perkins discusses leading The Save Mart Cos.’ 2026 growth strategy, centering the brand’s digital and physical transformation around a non-negotiable commitment to produce quality.
Organic fair trade bananas will be available in Save-On-Foods, PriceSmart Foods, Urban Fare, Buy-Low Foods, Quality Foods and Nesters Market.
Aldi’s disciplined value model shows how clear positioning, tight assortments and affordable staples can help shoppers reach 30 plants a week without overspending.
A Circana webinar details that even as economic strain modifies grocery behavior, produce remains a cross-income staple, with value-driven households fueling much of the category’s recent growth.
Fresh Del Monte recently showed retailers how an AI-powered robot can help inspire produce gift-giving for the holiday as well as every day, based on trials at three Chicago-area Jewel stores.
Recognized as a Top Retail Expert for 2026, Marc Oshima shares how differentiation, trust and smarter retail alignment can help produce departments drive relevance and consumption.
The rollout includes nearly 200 stores in California and Nevada, while Upside says its national platform reaches more than 35 million consumers.
In Week 2 of “The 30 Different Plants Per Week Challenge, Retail Edition,” simple meal-prep habits and Hy-Vee’s usage-focused produce guidance show how plant variety becomes sustainable when it’s built into foods shoppers already know and love.
Melissa’s Produce says it is providing retailers with customizable product mixes and marketing tools to engage both core Asian shoppers and curious mainstream consumers.
The Washington, D.C., regional grocery chain marks the milestone with $990,000 in donations to food banks and an in-store campaign to raise that same amount for local nonprofits.
The grocer is transforming its produce departments into competitive arenas this month, blending artistic grocery displays with high-stakes teamwork.
Amid a Midwest snowstorm, the 30 Different Plants Per Week Challenge, Retail Edition, begins with a lesson in resilience, highlighting how diverse merchandising and flavor-focused signage can turn a routine grocery run into a hunt for plant variety.
A strategic partnership with Agrolibano aims to revitalize the melon category through premium Kiss varieties and fresh-cut opportunities starting this February.
The Packer’s retail editor Jill Dutton launches a new weekly column exploring the science and strategy of the 30-plants challenge, bridging the gap between personal nutrition and professional retail insights. This piece introduces the series and explains the “why” behind writing a column that turns a personal quest to eat more plants into actionable data for the produce industry.
Stater Bros. Markets is expanding its partnership with Afresh to link store-level demand directly to warehouse buying, a move Afresh CEO Matt Schwartz explains will replace manual guesswork with a unified AI “brain” built specifically for the volatility of fresh food.
Amazon is shuttering its Amazon Fresh and Amazon Go physical locations to focus resources on a major expansion of Whole Foods Market and its rapidly growing same-day grocery delivery service.
Following a historic 182,000-pound week and a 2025 surplus, the food recovery leader is leveraging wholesale partnerships and route efficiencies to scale its impact across New England.
The Packer recently connected with Danny Dumas, senior vice president of sales, marketing and product management for Fresh Del Monte, to learn how the Florida-based company sees the new food pyramid influencing the fresh produce department at retail and what the company’s pending acquisition of Del Monte assets means for its future.
Circana’s vice president of the fresh foods group says the fresh produce industry is poised for a record-breaking dollar growth in 2026 but cautions the industry must move away from a commodity mindset toward data-driven consumer insights.
The grocer says the free, monthly interactive events help customers shop with confidence.