Posts Tagged “Hy-Vee”
Publix and Trader Joe’s for the third year in a row, have been ranked by shoppers as their favorite grocery stores.
A Market Force study of 7,200 shoppers conducted online in April ranked the Monrovia, Calif.-based Trader Joe’s first, the Lakeland, Fla.-based Publix Super Markets Inc., second and the Batavia, Ill.-based Aldi Inc., third, according to a Trader Joe’s news release.
The survey studied consumers’ grocery shopping habits and preferences, rating Trader Joe’s at 78% in consumer satisfaction and Publix at 74%.
Rounding out the top fiver were Aldi, Hy-Vee Food Stores Inc., West Des Moines, Iowa, and H.E.B., San Antonio. Among the top brands were Boise, Idaho-based Albertson’s and WinCo Foods and Bentonville, Ark.-based Sam’s Club who made this year’s list after failing to garner enough mentions in 2014, according to the release.
Publix and Trader Joe’s led in many areas, including cashier courtesy, fast checkouts and cleanliness, while Aldi, WinCo and Costco Wholesale Corp., Issaquah, Wash., took the top spots in the value category.
Shop-Rite Supermarkets, Edison, N.J., scored highest for sales and promotions while H.E.B, Hy-Vee and Kroger Co., Cincinnati, performed well in most areas.
Other study findings: nearly half prefer to buy organic products, 28% are buying prepared foods at least weekly, up 10% from 2014 and 39% have used a grocery app, primarily for coupons.
Louisville, Colo.-based Market Force is a global customer intelligence company that provides information for retailers, restaurants, financial institutions, entertainment studios and consumer packaged goods companies.
Pazazz, a new apple variety will roll out nationally in 2016.
According to a recent article in Progressive Grocer, Minneapolis-based Honeybear Marketing has helped leading retailers across North America and Canada boost sales when seasonal apple sales typically slow sharply .
Des Moines, Iowa-based Hy-Vee has been a key retail participant in Honeybear’s varietal development program for the past three years. Bill Kelley, AVP and director of produce purchasing for the 235-store regional retailer, said that introducing new varieties is fundamental to Hy-Vee’s mission of bringing unique and healthy food items to their customers.
Kelly cites its “great color, firm texture and a burst of flavor that quickly brings customers back into the store for repeat purchases.”
Aside from Hy-Vee, Central Market, Cub Foods and Coborns have also created multi-tier Pazazz apple displays and sampling stations at premium front-of-store locations in order to increase consumer exposure to the new variety.
Pazazz is grown in Minnesota and Washington. Additional orchards in New York, Washington, Wisconsin and Nova Scotia, Canada will generate more volume to expand the scope of the Pazazz program. The variety was originally developed by Doug Shefelbine from Holman, WI;
Harvested shipped in late fall with a careful balance of sugars and starches, Pazazz is available from late December onward as the starches convert to sugars, which gives the apple a blend of high brix with a perfect complement of sweet and tart flavors, exceptional crispness and great texture.