In April, Whole Foods announced that it was shutting — temporarily for now — a brand new and quite expensive flagship store in downtown San Francisco just a year after it opened the unit to much fanfare.

At about the same time, Walmart announced that it was closing four stores in Chicago, all of them in working- and lower-class neighborhoods of the Windy City. Target got onboard earlier, announcing it was closing units in the Minneapolis and Philadelphia as well as the Washington DC, suburbs.

CalFlowers has announced that the 2024 Fun 'N Sun Floral Convention will be held at the Omni La Costa Resort & Spa on Sept. 4-7, 2024. "The Omni offers a resort experience where our attendees can enjoy catching up with friends and colleagues while attending educational sessions, farm tours and the ever-popular Flower Fair,” said Steve Dionne, executive director of CalFlowers.

Procurant unveiled a new voice-enabled rating feature in its Procurant Inspect application, further streamlining retail produce inspections while providing real-time data to buyers and sellers of fresh produce.

Volm and partner Wyma Solutions were recently afforded the opportunity to work with the Gwillimdale Farms team in achieving equipment production efficiencies while increasing their carrot-production goals as part of a multi-piece installation.

As the fresh produce and floral industries continue enhancing their sustainability and environmental stewardship initiatives, recently the International Fresh Produce Association helped shine a light on the ongoing work of its members and global community to improve the health of the planet during the Agriculture Innovation Mission for Climate Summit held May 8-10 in Washington, DC.

Side Delights is starting grilling season with grill-ready potato products and recipes as consumers continue to value meals at home — indoors and out. Grilling and BBQ season sizzles in the summer, kicking off on the Memorial Day holiday and lasting through Labor Day weekend. According to a recent study on top summer grilling trends, 92 percent of shoppers plan to grill between May and September, and 62 percent of shoppers will grill multiple nights per week during these months.