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GOURMET NEWS JUNE 2017 www.gourmetnews.com Retailer News RETAILER NEWS 1 0 BRIEFS Maple Run Emporium Celebrates Six Years in Potsdam Maple Run Emporium is celebrating its sixth anniversary at 49 Market Street in Potsdam, New York. The shop opened on April Fools Day 2011, and has been ex- panding its offerings ever since. "The original idea was to sell maple candy and maple syrup," said Owner Mary Hilton. "And it just snowballed. We're not only a specialty maple shop, but also a kitchen store, gift shop, art gallery, and gourmet grocery. Ultimately, that's an em- porium!" With more than 2,000 square feet avail- able in the historic brick building, there was room to grow. The shop now features an Artisan Gallery of local artwork includ- ing paintings, pottery, wood-turnings and baskets. The shop's main aisles showcase an impressive array of cookware, knives, cutting boards, utensils, textiles, stemware and books. Maple specialty foods remain the focus of the shop, and there are continually new entries to this niche. "The current trend is bourbon-barrel aged maple syrup," Hilton noted. "We had only one brand a few years ago, and now we have five." She also pointed out the popularity of maple-smoked products. The smoky maple wood flavor is featured not only in syrup, but also cheese, tea and salt. Maple syrup and maple sugar also add flavor to some unexpected products such as sardines, cocktail mixes and soy sauce. Having the opportunity to taste a multitude of maple concoctions led Hilton to introduce the Maple Run Em- porium brand of gourmet foods, which now includes maple teas, maple coffee, maple seasoning peppers, a maple chocolate drink mix and pancake mixes. The most recent introduction is Maple Or- ganic Tea, which was just re- leased this year. The fragrance of maple is also a wonderful addition to scented products, Hilton said. The scent is created with essential oils and essences and added to formula- tions for the Maple Run Empo- rium brand of kitchen and bath products, which includes lo- tions, hand creams, body scrubs, candles, soaps and cleaners. So far this year Maple Run Emporium has introduced two new hand creams – Maple & Lavender and Maple & Rum. "I love finding new maple gourmet foods and new ways to use the fragrance of maple. And I love all things for the kitchen, especially cookware that is so beautiful and well-crafted that it's truly functional art. I've discovered a whole clientele of people who feel the same way," Hilton said. "I'm always excited to find a unique new item and put it on the shelves. When people come in and ask 'What's new?' I am absolutely delighted to show them!" GN BJ's Charitable Foundation Donates $1 Million to Feeding America BJ's Wholesale Club is donating $1 million from its foundation to Feeding America, the nation's largest domestic hunger-relief organization. BJ's donation will support local food banks on the East Coast by pro- viding infrastructure to support growth and resources to handle additional perishable food. This donation supports the BJ's Char- itable Foundation's mission to bring a fresh approach to nourishing communities and helping families thrive. Since 2009, BJ's has provided ongoing support to Feeding America through the BJ's Charitable Foundation and BJ's Feeding Communities ® program, helping local food banks successfully expand their programs to reach wider and more diverse audiences. BJ's $1 million donation to Feeding Amer- ica is the foundation's largest single dona- tion to any organization to date. "BJ's is committed to nourishing our communities and helping families thrive, and we're thrilled to support Feeding America with our foundation's largest do- nation ever," said Chris Baldwin, President and CEO, BJ's Wholesale Club. "Every fam- ily should have access to fresh, nutritious food, and BJ's is proud to partner with Feeding America to help make this a real- ity." In the United States, 72 billion pounds of food is wasted every year in the U.S., ac- cording to ReFED, a nonprofit committed to reducing U.S. food waste. This loss oc- curs at every stage of the food production and distribution system — from farmers to packers and shippers, to manufacturers and retailers. "There is enough food produced in this country to feed every person who struggles with hunger in America, and sadly much of it never makes it to the dinner table," said Andy Wilson, Chief Development Officer of Feeding America. "Unfortunately, many perishables are wasted because an inability or lack of bandwidth to rescue and redis- tribute the massive amount of food that's discarded. Thanks to BJ's Charitable Foun- dation, we can grow our infrastructure and help ensure more families have access to healthy meals before nutritious, fresh food heads to landfills." In addition to capacity building grants from the BJ's Charitable Foundation, BJ's has secured over 50 million pounds of do- nated food, including fresh produce, frozen meats and fish, baked goods and dairy items, and helped deliver 13 million meals to neighbors in need through the BJ's Feed- ing Communities program. To learn more about the BJ's Charitable Foundation and its Feeding Communities Program, visit bjs.com/charity. GN Albertsons Companies Promotes Denningham to President & COO Albertsons Companies has appointed Wayne Denningham, EVP & Chief Operating Officer, to the new role of President and Chief Operating Officer for Albertsons Companies. Bob Miller remains Chairman and CEO, a role he has held since April 2015. Denningham will continue to lead store operations with added oversight of Marketing & Merchandising, Supply Chain, Manufacturing and Integration, all of which will continue under their current leadership. Albertsons Companies Appoints Geoff White President, Own Brands Albertsons Companies has appointed Geoff White to the new position of President of the company's Own Brands organization. In this new role, White will lead the Own Brands team, including the Culinary Kitchen and Technical Center. He will be responsible for furthering the growth, development and innovation of the company's Own Brands products, including O Organics ® , Lucerne ® , Open Nature™ and the extensive line of Signature™ products. Weis Markets Announces 2017 Cap-Ex Investment Weis Markets has announced plans to invest $90 million in its growth in 2017. This budget includes new stores, remodels, supply chain improvements and continued information technology upgrades. The budget includes 14 remodels, a new unit in Brunswick, Maryland, two fuel centers and the continued expansion of Weis' distribution center in Milton, Pennsylvania. The chain also has seven new stores in the active planning stages with most of them expected to open in 2018. Meijer Opens Two New Supercenters in Indiana Meijer opened new 192,000-square-foot supercenters on May 2 in McCordsville and Franklin, Indiana, increasing its total number of stores in Indiana to 38. The new stores will also offer the Shipt home delivery service, which recently launched across Indianapolis and continues to gain popularity with customers looking for another convenient way to shop. The new locations are built to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards and are the latest in a $375 million investment this year that includes the construction of seven new Meijer supercenters and remodel projects for 22 additional stores in Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Kentucky. The chain now operates a total of 204 stores. Natural Grocers Opens in Jonesboro, Arkansas Natural Grocers opened its third Arkansas store on Wednesday, May 10, 2017. The new store is located at 1315 South Caraway Road. The store will anchor the Caraway Plaza shopping center at the corner of Caraway Road and Nettleton Avenue.