Retail & FoodService

Fred's Inc. announced that Craig Barnes and Kelly Ma have joined the Company and will lead its new sourcing team. Barnes assumes the role of Senior Vice President, Global Sourcing and Hardlines, bringing more than 20 years of progressive retail merchandising/sourcing experience to the Company. Ma, with eight years of experience in sourcing, product procurement, development, vendor selection, and financial planning, joins as Vice President, International and Domestic Sourcing. …

Scout Logistics Corporation, North America's leading perishable logistics specialist, is pleased to announce the promotion of Mr. Ryan Kern to Vice President of Sales for West Coast – US Logistics. Ryan, a 15+ year veteran in the business, will be responsible for building sales with a focus on loads transitioning from the Western US to major international produce hubs throughout North America. …

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is seeking public input concerning a proposal to provide more information to the public about the amount of Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits used by participants at individual grocery stores and retailers. USDA's goal is to provide as much transparency as possible on retailer data within the limits of the law. …

For the fourth year in a row, ALDI was named the top low-price grocery store chain in America, according to a new survey conducted by independent research firm Market Force. ALDI, which has its United States headquarters in Batavia, IL., ranked ahead of familiar discount grocers such as Costco, Walmart and Trader Joe's in the low-price category. …

Leading online fresh food grocer FreshDirect and Foodily, the world's largest social recipe network, announced today the launch of Popcart, the first web technology in the U.S. that instantly turns any online recipe into deliverable groceries. Developed and powered by Foodily, Popcart allows consumers to browse any recipe – across more than 150+ million food websites and blogs – and seamlessly integrates the ingredients right into a shopping cart. FreshDirect is the first food business to launch this new technology. …