Market Basket, Aldi, Winco Rank Highest in Grocery Index
Customer data science consultant dunnhumby released a special edition of its Retailer Preference Index, a comprehensive nationwide study of the $1 trillion U.S. grocery market, examining which grocers are winning customers as the economy falters. Market Basket bested Aldi and third-placed Winco as the top-ranked grocer during inflationary times.
Grocery Outlet and Save A Lot rounded out the top five due to their superior ability to save customers money at a time when this matters more than ever. The next five retailers in the top ten are Lidl (6), Dollar General (7), Food4LessFoodsCo (8), Family Dollar (9), and Military Commissaries (10). The dunnhumby RPI: Special Inflation Edition was released today as part of The dunnhumby Quarterly: a strategic market analysis of key retail themes, with the latest edition focused on consumers’ reaction to rising grocery prices.
While Amazon is better positioned than any retailer for long-term success in grocery, their value proposition for inflationary times is no better than the average grocer. As a result, Amazon dropped out of the first quartile as their web traffic declined -6.5% so far this year. H-E-B, the top-ranked eCommerce retailer in the dunnhumby eCommerce RPI, finished 12th.
“Market Basket has shown itself to be the best performing retailer in these times of economic uncertainty, by being the best in the country at saving customers money while simultaneously building stronger emotional connections with their shoppers and thereby increasing their shopper visits faster than most other retailers,” said Grant Steadman, president, North America, for dunnhumby. “Retailers who are focusing their customer value proposition on saving customers money are best positioned to meet the challenges of this prolonged period of inflation and economic uncertainty.”
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Honest Tea Founders Return With Just Ice Tea
Seth Goldman and Barry Nalebuff, co-founders of Honest Tea, have returned to the bottled tea business alongside celebrity Chef Spike Mendelsohn with the launch of Just Ice Tea, a ready-to-drink organic iced tea brand focused on sourcing simple ingredients and Fair Trade Certified teas and sweeteners. The organic tea line will hit shelves nationwide beginning September 2022 and is the latest addition to Eat the Change, the planet-friendly snack (and now beverage) company founded by Goldman and Mendelsohn in 2020.
The news for Eat the Change’s expansion into the bottle tea space follows Coca-Cola’s May 2022 announcement that it would discontinue Honest Tea this fall. Goldman and Nalebuff founded Honest Tea in Bethesda, Md., in 1998.
“Just Ice Tea is picking up where Honest Tea left off, but we are tripling down on our commitments to our core values – Fair Trade Certified, organic and just sweet enough,” said Goldman “We are thrilled to have the opportunity to once again serve, and hopefully expand, the community of tea growers and retailers we assembled who were abandoned by the discontinuation of Honest Tea.”
The brand is named Just Ice Tea because “Just Ice” refers to the set of working standards and environmental principles the team aims to support through Fair Trade premiums and working standards. The brand is also committed to supporting our planet through organic certification, which uses a third-party verified approach to avoid the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fertilizers. Honest Tea was the first bottled tea brand to offer organic (1999) and Fair Trade certified varieties (2003).
“We didn’t want to leave our loyal customers high and dry, either,” Nalebuff said. “Challenging the line from F. Scott Fitzgerald, he predicted ‘We think act two will be even better’.”
Honest Tea fans will recognize new renditions of crowd favorites with Just Ice Tea. While similar, some key differentiators to note are: no cane sugar (Fair Trade Certified Organic agave and/or honey are used for sweeteners), glass bottles only, a bit less sweet and chef-crafted by Mendelsohn, who leads innovation at Eat the Change.
“Teaming up with mission-driven leaders and innovators, like Seth and Barry, to launch the next generation of bottled tea is truly a milestone moment for me,” Mendelsohn said. “Innovation is my favorite part of being a chef, and we’re excited to introduce this new line of chef-crafted teas made with responsibly sourced ingredients from our trusted partners.”
Just Ice Tea will launch with six SKUs with a SRP of $2.69-$2.89. Flavor names and varieties include:
● Berry Hibiscus Herbal Tea: Organic herbal hibiscus and blackberry leaves are brewed and blended with blackberry juice for a fruity caffeine-free blend.
● Honey Green Tea: Real-brewed green tea leaves and a “just sweet enough” taste of agave and honey offers a classic taste of this popular blend.
● Moroccan Mint Tea: Blend of real brewed green tea and mint makes for a refreshing taste with a hint of honey at only 35 calories for the whole bottle.
● Original Green Tea: Smooth, unsweetened green tea is as simple as it
gets. No flavoring (except from real-brewed tea leaves) and no sweetener – just the clean taste of real brewed green tea.
● Peach Oolong Tea: Real-brewed oolong and black tea leaves blend with the flavor of fragrant sweet peaches at just 60 calories per bottle.
● ½ Tea ½ Lemonade: Real-brewed black tea leaves blend with the sweet, citrus taste of classic lemonade. Two favorites, one bottle.
Just Ice Tea will be distributed nationwide and begins to hit shelves September 2022. Just Ice Tea is available first at Sprouts Farmers Market nationally and PLNT Burger locations in New York City. Other retailers set to carry Just Ice Tea include, but are not limited to: Whole Foods Markets, Hy-vee, Town & Country, Central Market, New Seasons Market, Erewhon, MOM’s, Roots, Yes! Natural Markets, Giant Foods, PCC, Dawson’s, Market of Choice, ION Group, Oliver’s, Rainbow Grocery, The Food Bin, Ellwood Thompson’s and The Common Market.
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Publix Vice Presidents to Retire; New Vice President Announced
Publix Super Markets CEO Todd Jones announced the retirement of two officers and promotion of a new officer.
After 30 years of dedicated service, Vice President of Finance Gino DiGrazia will retire at the end of this year.
DiGrazia, 60, began his Publix career in 1992 as manager of business analysis and reporting in Lakeland, Fla. In 1997, he was promoted to director and to vice president & controller in 2002. In 2012, he was named vice president of finance.
“Gino’s dedication to helping our retail and support business units understand their operations has made us a better company,” said Jones. “He’s helped our managers make more informed decisions for three decades while sharing his knowledge and passion for finance with those around him. We are grateful for his years of dedicated service and wish him well in his retirement.”
DiGrazia and his wife, Kim, will remain in Apollo Beach, Fla., and are looking forward to spending more time with family and friends, and traveling.
With DiGrazia’s retirement, his areas of responsibility will be divided between Chris Mesa and Doug Stalbaum, both promoted earlier this year and currently serving as vice president & controller.
Additionally, after 28 years of dedicated service, Vice President of Benefits Administration and Assistant Secretary Linda Kane has announced her decision to retire Feb. 28, 2023.
Kane, 57, began her Publix career in 1994 as a treasury analyst in Lakeland. She was promoted to manager of business analysis in 1997 and director of benefits administration in 1998. In 2000, she was promoted to assistant secretary and to her current role in 2002.
“Linda’s passion for providing premier service and benefits to our associates for almost three decades has continued to help make Publix a great place to work,” said Jones. “She’s committed her career to providing a comprehensive and affordable benefits package for our associates and their families. We are grateful for her years of dedicated service and wish her well in her retirement.”
Kane and her husband, Patrick, will remain in Plant City, Fla., and are looking forward to spending more time with family and friends, while enjoying the beach and boating.
With Kane’s retirement, Publix is pleased to announce the promotion of Monica Allman to vice president of benefits administration.
Allman, 49, began her Publix career in 2001 as a project manager in benefits administration in Lakeland. After working in various capacities within that department, in 2004, she was promoted to manager of stock programs and to her current role of director of stock programs in 2012.
“Monica is a seasoned leader with extensive experience in stockholder services and associate benefit plans,” said Jones. “Her ability to collaborate across teams, along with her passion for modernizing and improving systems, will be instrumental as she continues to enhance the experience for our associates and stockholders. We are excited to see the contributions she’ll continue to make in her new role.”
Allman will continue to reside in Lithia, Fla.
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