Millennials, urbanization, Europe affecting container style trends
It’s been over 40 years since our country has seen a significant generational shift in consumer wants and trends; we are talking about the 1970s here. I’m confident that many of our current floral industry leaders were worried about buying their first car or finding a date to the prom, and not about the seismic shift in trends caused by the buying habits of baby boomers.
TPIE again draws over 6,000 attendees and doesn’t disappoint
FORT LAUDERDALE, FL — Fort Lauderdale is known as “the Venice of America” due to its more than 300 miles of navigable inland waterways and it’s also one of the world’s largest cruise ship ports with 3.6 million people cruising out of Port Everglades each year. But for a few days in January the city is abuzz for another reason, as over 6,000 people flock to the Broward County Convention Center, here, to celebrate the tropical plant industry. For anyone who grows, buys, or sells plants, or supports the people who do, the Tropical Plant Industry Exhibition is the place to be.
Focus Women’s Day marketing themes
Women’s Day is March 8 and is fast approaching. What is your organization doing to benefit from this groundswell movement? Momentum has been building for the last several years and now the holiday is hitting its stride. Here are two themes on which to focus your marketing efforts.
Rice Fruit Co. promoting proprietary ‘KIKU’ apple at SEPC Southern Exposure
Colleagues at Rice Fruit Co. in Gardners, PA, Brenda Briggs, vice president of marketing, and Valerie Ramsburg, sales and marketing representative, will be greeting visitors at Booth No. 308 at the 2015 Southern Exposure Conference & Expo being held at the Caribe Royale All Suite Hotel and Convention Center in Orlando, FL, on Feb. 26-28.
“We will be featuring our proprietary ‘KIKU’ brand apples at the show along with other Eastern apple varieties,” said Briggs. “We have been members of the Southeast Produce Council for four years, and this will be our second year exhibiting.
WP Rawl celebrating 90th anniversary at Southern Exposure
With Jan. 25, 2015 representing WP Rawl’s 90th anniversary, the company is commemorating by hosting a reception for the produce industry at the Southeast Produce Council’s Southern Exposure event in February.
Ashley Rawl, vice president of sales, marketing and product development, and a third-generation family member of the Pelion, SC-based company, said everyone at the company is excited to share the celebration for Southern Exposure guests and colleagues at Booth No. 921.
Haggen outlines plans to convert 146 stores
Pacific Northwest grocery chain Haggen has begun the process of acquiring 146 stores as part of the divestment process brought about by the Federal Trade Commission’s review of the Albertsons LLC and Safeway merger.
With this acquisition, Haggen will expand from 18 stores with 16 pharmacies to 164 stores with 106 pharmacies; from 2,000 employees to more than 10,000 employees; and from a Pacific Northwest company with locations in Oregon and Washington to a major regional grocery chain with locations in Washington, Oregon, California, Nevada and Arizona.
Claims settled in 2011 Listeria outbreak
Frontera Produce Ltd., the Primus Group and The Kroger Co. have settled the vast majority of claims that arose from the 2011 Listeria outbreak from tainted cantaloupe that killed 33 and sickened about 120 people.
Attorney Bill Marler of Marler Clark in Seattle said the outbreak resulted in the filing of lawsuits on behalf of 66 people. With this latest settlement, filed in a Louisiana court the second week in February, he said all but one of the cases has been settled.
Whole Foods adding stores, reshaping produce approach
With 408 stores in operation, Whole Foods plans to cross the 500-store mark by 2017, and Walter Robb, co-chief executive officer, expressed confidence in the chain tripling its store base over the long term. This news comes on the heels of a strong first quarter, with sales up to $4.7 billion, more than a 10 percent increase.
Social responsibility rates high on FPAA agenda
NOGALES, AZ — Lance Jungmeyer speaks without hesitation when asked about his highest professional priority.
“Social responsibility,” said Jungmeyer, the president of the Fresh Produce Association of the Americas. “We want to help our members understand how to communicate the things they are already doing” to benefit their farm workers in a socially-responsible manner.
Jungmeyer noted that December’s Los Angeles Times four-piece exposé “added pressure to show what you’re doing for your employees.”