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GourmET nEWS oCTobEr 2016 www.gourmetnews.com Retailer News rETAilEr nEWS 1 2 BRIEFS TASTE to Relocate Corporate Headquarters Virginia leading family-owned specialty food retailer TASTE will relocate its corpo- rate headquarters to Virginia Beach. The company, originally founded as a single wine and cheese shop in 1973, has grown to seven locations throughout the Hamp- ton Roads region. The company has purchased 1391 Air Rail Avenue in Virginia Beach for its new corporate headquarters, which is scheduled to open by November 2016. The building comprises 27,766 square feet of light indus- trial space that will be used for the corpo- rate headquarter offices, catering kitchen and warehouse. The new location will support the seven existing TASTE locations at Bayville Farms, Hilltop and the Oceanfront in Virginia Beach, Greenbrier in Chesapeake, City Center in Newport News, Harbour View in Suffolk and Larchmont in Norfolk, where the company also operates Borjo Coffee- house in the Old Dominion University Vil- lage. New TASTE locations are planned for 21st Street in Norfolk in the spring of 2017 and at Libbie & Grove in Richmond in the spring of 2018. "TASTE is an iconic business in the re- gion, and we are proud to be home to its new corporate headquarters," said Vir- ginia Beach Economic Development Di- rector Warren D. Harris. "This business, which has been around for decades, has been reimagined by the Pruden family, and now is an example of a stellar brand with consistently fresh and innovative products." TASTE President Jon Pruden added, "Peter Coe founded our company In Vir- ginia Beach in 1973, so this really feels like coming home again. The new headquarters location offers us much needed room for growth and a location that is central to our existing footprint. We're excited about all the opportunities this brings for our busi- ness and employees." A locals' favorite, TASTE is part specialty foods market and part upscale café that of- fers made to order salads, sandwiches and soups; small batch, from scratch house- made prepared and packaged foods; bou- tique wines and craft beers; distinctive specialty food and gift items; culinary events; and catering. The TASTE Family of Businesses has grown to include the TASTE.online marketplace as well as Nor- folk's Borjo Coffeehouse. TASTE's mission is to "Cultivate Com- munity through a Taste of the Good Life," with an unmatched guest experience of- fered in authentically local spaces that serve as community gathering spots to in- spire the good life every day. The relocation of TASTE's corporate of- fices, catering kitchen, warehouse and e- commerce function will bring approximately 40 jobs to the city of Vir- ginia Beach, at least eight of which will be new, including company executives and a highly trained culinary staff with approxi- mately $1.25 million-plus payroll. The Virginia Beach Development Au- thority has approved an Economic Devel- opment Investment Program grant in the amount of $85,000 based on the company's capital investment of $4.1 million that in- cludes real estate, improvements and busi- ness property. The capital investment will allow TASTE the infrastructure and capacity to embark on a seven-year growth plan that includes nearly doubling the number of existing store locations, including two more stores in Virginia Beach, doubling company revenues and increasing the company's total number of employees to nearly 500. GN Murray's Cheese and Kroger Team Members Earn CCP Twenty nine team members from Murray's Cheese and the Kroger Co. have been named Certified Cheese Professionals ® by the American Cheese Society (ACS). They are part of an elite group of 155 individuals who passed the sixth ACS Certified Cheese Professional Exam on July 27, 2016 in Des Moines, Iowa. ACS CCPs now total 740 in- dividuals in the United States, Canada, and Europe. The ACS Certified Cheese Professional Exam is the first and only exam of its kind. It was launched by the ACS in 2012 to en- courage high standards of comprehensive cheese knowledge and service for all areas of the industry. Testing encompasses a broad range of topics, including raw ingre- dients, the cheesemaking process, storing and handling cheese, marketing and com- munications, nutrition, regulations and sanitation. "We congratulate these individuals on this tremendous professional accomplish- ment. We are incredibly proud of the cheese professionals who have earned the designation of Certified Cheese Profes- sional," said Nora Weiser, Executive Direc- tor of the American Cheese Society. "The level of understanding and professionalism that ACS CCPs bring to the industry bene- fits everyone from the cheesemaker to the consumer, and elevates an already thriving artisan cheese industry to an entirely new level." "I'm so proud of our new CCPs for their dedication and thankful to Kroger for their support of our team members across the country," said Rob Kaufelt, Murray's Cheese Owner and President. "The ACS has taken tremendous steps to create op- portunities for growth and enhancement among cheese professionals. It's truly re- warding and we're all grateful for this recognition." To learn more about the Certified Cheese Professional Exam and to view a complete list of current holders of CCP certification, visit www.certifiedcheeseprofessional.org. GN Weis Markets Converting 38 Food Lion Locations Mid-Atlantic retailer Weis Markets, Inc. is converting 38 Food Lion supermarket lo- cations to Weis Markets stores following the purchase of the locations in Maryland, Virginia and Delaware. "Once the conver- sions are completed over the next two months, we will have nearly doubled our Maryland store count and expanded into Virginia and Delaware," said Kurt Scher- tle, Weis Markets' Chief Operating Offi- cer. "Our goal is to build on our advantages as a locally focused retailer that offers a strong combination of qual- ity, value and service. As part of this com- mitment, we plan to expand variety in every department." Weis Markets is planning to hire more than 2,000 current Food Lion employees. "We are reaching out to the Food Lion as- sociates who work in these stores and look forward to hiring and ultimately welcoming them to our company," Scher- tle said. "It's an exciting time for our company as we grow and expand into new territories, and we're grateful to our associates and loyal customers for their continued support." The newly converted stores will offer a variety of local products in addition to the more than 3,000 Weis brand products, which offer brand name quality at an af- fordable price. Weis Markets has a long- standing history with local farmers and will continue to partner with local growers to provide shoppers with fresh and affordable food, including a wide selection of organic produce, baked goods, quality meats and fresh dairy items. This is the company's second major ac- quisition in 2016. In August, it completed the conversion of five Mars Super Markets in Baltimore County, Maryland. Once the deals are complete, Weis Markets will have increased the number of its operating stores by more than 25 percent and will operate 204 stores in seven states: Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, New York, New Jersey, Delaware and West Virginia. GN meijer opens new Supercenter in Flat rock, michigan Meijer opened a new 150,000-square-foot supercenter in Flat Rock, Michigan, on August 11. The new store is the last of nine new Meijer supercenters to open this year, creating 3,000 new jobs. The new store is built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and will be open 24 hours a day. The grocery options that Meijer offers include more than 600 varieties of farm-fresh produce and a full-service meat department that features fresh seafood, Certified Angus Beef and custom cuts of meat. The bakery specializes in custom-decorated cakes and fresh bread baked four times daily. mother's market Honored Mother's Market is one of two Orange County, California, businesses to be honored by Youth Employment Service (YES) for their ongoing commitment to hire YES graduates and support young adults as they transition into the workforce. The recognition event, a fundraiser for the organization, will be held on October 6. Call the YES office at 949.642.0474 for tickets or sponsorship opportunities. mom's opens in Cherry Hill, n.J. Maryland-based, MOM's Organic Market opened a new store in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, over Labor Day weekend. The new store features 100 percent certified organic produce; Naked Lunch, an all organic, vegetarian eatery; free car charging stations; sustainable seafood and insect proteins as well as a recycling center for wine corks, eyeglasses, plastic bags, cell phones, household batteries, and shoes and information about backyard beekeeping. MOM's does not sell products that use licensed cartoon characters to market to children. natural Grocers brings 18 new Jobs to liberty, missouri Natural Grocers will open a new Liberty, Missouri, store this fall, bringing 18 jobs to the community. Natural Grocers employs more than 3,000 people and operates 122 stores in 19 states. The Liberty store is located at 114 S Stewart Road. ralphs introduces online Grocery Shopping in Carlsbad, California Ralphs' store in Carlsbad, California debuted the online grocery shopping service, ClickList, on August 5, making it the first Ralphs in California to offer the service. ClickList, which is exclusive to Ralphs' parent company, the Cincinnati-based Kroger Co, allows customers to shop online and pick up and pay for their order curbside. Ralphs' Carlsbad location is the first of 12 Ralphs stores scheduled to offer the online shopping service by the end of the year. Nationally, Kroger has been testing online shopping and collecting customers' feedback about the service since November 2014. Currently, ClickList is featured in more than 120 stores in seven Kroger divisions across the country.

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