Gourmet News

The Fresh Market Presents Gourmet Easter Meals

Published February 28, 2024

The Fresh Market is helping its guests celebrate the joy of spring and create an Easter to remember this year. With a focus on fresh, gourmet food, The Fresh Market is the perfect one-stop-shop for everything guests need to host a beautiful, stress-free meal and celebration. The specialty fresh food retailer’s prepared meals, sides, and desserts, which include several new options this year, make entertaining effortless, offering incredible flavor without all the fuss.

The Fresh Market’s variety of ready to heat and ready to cook meals are available to pre-order online in advance through Mar. 27 at 2 p.m., with pickup in store Mar. 28-31:

Easter Ham Meal (Serves 8-10): Ready to heat. $99.99 – Note that members of our Ultimate Loyalty Experience save $10 ($89.99 for members)! Includes:
- Spiral Sliced Bone-In Honey Ham (9 lb)
- Fresh Pineapple Slices (16 oz)
- Green Beans with Sea Salt and Black Pepper Butter Steamer Bag (2 lb)
- White Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes (2.5 lb)
- Soft Golden Dinner Rolls (12 ct)
- Deluxe White Cake (7 in)
- The Fresh Market Reusable Thermal Tote
Easter Ham Meal for 4: Ready to heat. $64.99. Includes:
- Spiral Sliced Bone-In Honey Ham (3.5 lb)
- Fresh Pineapple Slices (16 oz)
- Green Beans with Sea Salt and Black Pepper Butter Steamer Bag (2 lb)
- White Cheddar Scalloped Potatoes (2.5 lb)
- Soft Golden Dinner Rolls (4 ct)
- Strawberry Bar Cake (18 oz)
- The Fresh Market Reusable Thermal Tote
Herb Gremolata Lamb Market Meal Kit for Two. $19.99. Includes:
- Premium Lamb Steak
- Asparagus
- Herb Gremolata
- Gnocchi
- Olive Oil and Seasoning Packets
Easter Rack of Lamb Meal for 2: Ready to cook. $49.99. Includes:
- Your Choice of French Cut Rack of Lamb – Seasoned or Unseasoned (1.5 lb)
- Seasoned Asparagus (1 lb)
- Mascarpone Whipped Potatoes with Rosemary (1 lb)
- Hand Dipped Chocolate Strawberries (8 ct)
- The Fresh Market Reusable Shopping Bag
Easter Prime Rib Meal for 2: Ready to heat. $54.99. Includes:
- Fully Cooked Prime Rib (1 lb)
- Seasoned Green Beans (1 lb)
- Mascarpone Whipped Potatoes with Rosemary (1 lb)
- The Fresh Market Rosemary Horseradish Aioli (4 oz)
- The Fresh Market Reusable Thermal Tote
Easter Brunch Meal for 4: Ready to heat. $19.99. Includes:
- Choice of: Quiche Lorraine, Broccoli Cheddar Quiche, or Spinach Tomato Quiche
- Tropical Fruit (24 oz)
- Blueberry Muffins (4 ct)
- The Fresh Market Reusable Shopping Bag

The Fresh Market is also offering several a la carte mains, sides and desserts (including the new Italian rum cake and Lemon Cheesecake) for purchase through the Easter holiday.

In addition, no Easter would be complete without beautiful spring flowers and the perfect Easter basket. The Fresh Market has festive treats to make those baskets extra special for guests of all ages. The retailer’s extensive floral department has everything from tulip bunches to fresh roses to spring lilies and rose lilies. For inspiration on making Easter even more special, The Fresh Market will host an Easter shoppable livestream on March 7 at noon featuring Chef Anna Rossi.

Voted as the “Best Grocery Store in America” by USA Today’s 10 Best Readers’ Choice Awards in 2023, 2022 and 2021, “America’s Best Customer Service 2021” by Newsweek and Statista and a top 5 most trusted grocery retail brand for specialty and natural/organic foods in the 2022 BrandSpark Most Trusted Awards, The Fresh Market helps guests discover the best with time-saving meal solutions, unique ingredients, and delicious food for any occasion. From fresh produce and exceptional meat and seafood to signature baked goods and thousands of organic options, the specialty grocer has something to please every palate. The Fresh Market operates 161 stores in 22 states across the United States, inspiring guests to discover new flavors and cook with confidence. For more information, please visit www.thefreshmarket.com or follow the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and Pinterest.

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KNAPP, Takeoff Team to Grow eGrocery Fulfillment Innovation

Published February 28, 2024

Takeoff and KNAPP announced an evolved and integrated partnership to accelerate hardware and software innovation for eGrocery fulfillment through:

A new network-strategy oriented product suite: Rollout of a comprehensive product portfolio designed to meet evolving industry needs

1. A joint voice in the industry: Further integration of key functions from commercial to technical teams to streamline delivery of seamless End-to-End eGrocery fulfillment solutions

Coordinated technology roadmap: Additional R&D collaboration for continued innovation at the cutting edge of eGrocery fulfillment

Takeoff and KNAPP have expanded their partnership to offer a modular product portfolio to provide food retailers with right sized automation and unique capabilities for their operation. With profit-driving fulfillment models for high-, mid- and low-volume operations, retailers can choose different technologies and solutions to realize their eGrocery strategy and fulfill their promises to the end customer. Retailers are now empowered to construct an intelligent, interconnected fulfillment network without being constrained to a single solution, having to engage with different hardware and software providers, or compromising on operational excellence.

“After operating alongside and growing with our retail partners over the past 7 years, we are excited to offer our retail grocery partners new solution modularity with our partner KNAPP,” commented Takeoff co-founder Jose Aguerrevere.

KNAPP Group VP of Food Retail Solutions Rudolf Hansl added, “Automation remains foundational in addressing rising labor costs and offering an optimal customer experience at the lowest cost to serve. Through Takeoff’s expertise we were able to further develop our modular solution for micro fulfillment. In addition, we will enhance our existing portfolio within this new, intensified partnership to make it easier than ever to deploy rightsized automation for any retailer, anywhere.”

In the next phase of their partnership, Takeoff and KNAPP are bringing their sales, solutions engineering and technical product teams closer together. Together, this will provide retailers with a unified, streamlined experience and access to the industry’s largest dedicated team enhancing eGrocery fulfillment.

Seven years ago, Takeoff created the hyperlocal fulfillment category with a custom, grocery-native platform – Micro Fulfillment Centers were born. After extensive technology evaluation, Takeoff partnered with KNAPP, a globally recognized leader in intelligent automation and specialized software solutions. Together, Takeoff and KNAPP offer an unmatched experience, global reach, flexible architecture, industry-leading operator productivity and ultimately, eGrocery profitability. The future of eGrocery fulfillment is led by Takeoff and KNAPP.

Takeoff Technologies offers eGrocery solutions that empower grocers to thrive online using hyperlocal fulfillment. Founded in 2016, Takeoff’s solutions range from fully manual fulfillment technology to highly automated Micro Fulfillment Centers powered by a seamless integration with global automation leader KNAPP. Takeoff Technologies is driven by a mission to transform the grocery industry by making online grocery operations as efficient and cost effective as traditional brick-and-mortar stores. With over 180 employees and approximately $1 billion in sales processed through Takeoff fulfillment centers, Takeoff is building on a meaningful track record to continue driving innovation in a rapidly growing eGrocery industry.

KNAPP is the technology partner for intelligent value chain management. Headquartered in Austria, the KNAPP group provides all-in-one solutions for automation and digitalization, from production and distribution to the point of sale. Excellent service and long-term collaboration make KNAPP the strong partner behind the success of their customers in the sectors healthcare, retail, food retail, fashion, wholesale and industry. The solution portfolio for grocery comprises innovative automation concepts for both online and brick-and-mortar food retail.

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NGA Praises FTC for Challenge to Kroger, Albertsons Merger

Published February 28, 2024

The National Grocers Association issued a response to the Federal Trade Commission’s decision to challenge the merger between Kroger and Albertsons:

“Every day, America’s local independent supermarkets face economic challenges due to the influence of massive power buyer chains who use their leverage over suppliers at the expense of smaller rivals in the marketplace,” said Greg Ferrara, NGA president and CEO. “NGA appreciates the FTC’s commitment to preserving competition in the grocery sector.”

The challenge underscores the importance of mitigating substantial buyer power wielded by the nation’s largest supermarket chains, which have been unchecked by federal regulators for decades. According to one study, four big food retailers now control 69 percent of the nation’s supermarket shelves, utilizing this dominance to exert pressure on suppliers, farmers and ranchers resulting in deals that shift higher prices onto smaller stores. This corporate marriage of two supermarket giants is engineered to enhance the largest conventional grocery chain’s leverage over suppliers at the expense of smaller rivals and grocery shoppers.

The risks associated with excessive buyer power have been on full display since COVID-era supply chain disruptions and the emergence of historic food price inflation. In the early part of the pandemic, dominant chains leveraged their influence to coercively squeeze food suppliers to meet specific trade demands. As the big box stores remained stocked, consumers in urban and rural areas who largely shop at independent grocery stores bore the brunt of these marketplace abuses and in many cases were left without household necessities. Independent grocers and their customers have also faced higher inflationary price increases as dominant national grocers used their dominant position to force higher inflationary burdens on their smaller competitors.

“NGA appreciates the FTC’s commitment to a competitive grocery industry, and we look forward to the FTC taking further action to level the playing field, including enforcing antitrust laws like the Robinson-Patman Act that prohibit economic discrimination against independent grocers and their customers,” said Chris Jones, NGA’s chief government relations officer and counsel.

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