Center Store

BOISE, Idaho — Albertsons has tapped Geoff White as president of the company's own brands organization. In this newly created role, White will lead the own brands team, including the culinary kitchen and technical center. He will be charged with furthering the growth, development and innovation of the company's own brand products, including O Organics, Lucerne, Open Nature and the extensive line of Signature products.

Freshly prepared foods, nutritional drinks/supplements, cosmetics and frozen foods are the best opportunities for drug store retailers looking to cash in on customer impulse purchases at brick-and-mortar locations. For example, consumers are 9.4% more likely to purchase frozen foods on impulse in stores compared with online, Nielsen revealed in its inaugural “Understanding Today’s Omnishopper” report released last month.

ENGLEWOOD CLIFFS, N.J. — Unilever on Wednesday announced that it had struck an agreement to acquire New York-based condiment company Sir Kensington’s. The brand is a leader in condiments sold in the natural and organic space, Unilever said.

The Sir Kensington’s product line has grown since its launch in 2010 to include mustard, ketchup, mayonnaise and a vegan mayonnaise made from aquafaba called Fabanaise.

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As Mother’s Day approaches, Hallmark is rolling out its latest greeting card innovation, as well as new designs for its Signature line of cards. The company notes that in the U.S., 113 million cards are exchanged for Mother’s Day, with data from the National Retail Federation showing that the day is second only to Christmas in participation.

NEW YORK — CVS Health on April 19 officially debuted a new store design to enhance the retail customer experience with a new assortment of healthier food, health-focused products and expanded beauty selections, paired with informational signage throughout the store to help customers discover new offerings. 

The company’s front of store today will clearly not be its front of store tomorrow. According to CVS, combined with its innovative digital programs, these changes represent the “next evolution of the customer experience at CVS Pharmacy.”

VANCOUVER, British Columbia — Shoppers Drug Mart will be unveiling its first Enhanced Convenience Food section here on April 22, the company announced Wednesday.  Aiming to provide customers with an experience that combines convenience with quality foods, the improved offering includes approximately 750 new fresh items.

NEW YORK — CVS Pharmacy continues to make a concerted effort to transform its stores, with the goal of fostering a better customer experience.

One of the biggest trends in food and beverage in the past several years has been in better-for-you offerings — something that’s expected to continue to influence new products as consumers remain focused on what’s in their favorite snacks and beverages. When IRI published its 2017 New Product Pacesetters report in early April, the firm noted that one of the drivers of category growth has been healthier innovation. Of IRI’s 100 New Product Pacesetters in the food and beverage category, 47 of them featured healthier-for-you-attributes.