Big Y announced plans to build a new concept Big Y Express Fresh Market in Springfield, MA. This new 10,000-square-foot Big Y Express Fresh Market will be tailored to fit the needs of the city’s downtown community.

Currently, there are workers and area residents who are eager to have access to delicious, nutritious and affordable offerings that are not currently available in a convenient way. Between the UMass classrooms, YMCA daycare, area office workers and downtown residents, many are looking for an option to meet their food needs.

While not a complete supermarket due to its size, this

Ocean Mist Farms, a leading grower and marketer of fresh artichokes in the United States, is celebrating its 98th year of growing the flagship crop in the Castroville, CA, growing region. This nearly century-long commitment to bringing customers and shoppers the very best artichokes available has earned Ocean Mist Farms the reputation for being the gold standard of artichokes.

“While our company’s artichoke farming legacy began in the Mediterranean-like climate of central California over nine decades ago, we are very proud of our ability to successfully expand our proprietary artichoke

Retailers were geared up for warmer weather and springtime celebrations this week. Sweet potatoes, broccoli crowns, yellow squash, grapes and pineapples were advertised alongside hams or grilling meats for Easter get-togethers, according to the USDA Agricultural Marketing Service national retail specialty crops report.

With Passover beginning in just a week, sales on favorites like grape and apple juices, beets, honey and apples were highlighted in many flyers. Some retailers touted tropical fruit coming into season by showcasing mangos, papayas and guavas.

Total ad numbers this week were

Taylor Farms, a leading North American producer of salads and healthy fresh foods, announced the opening of the new Taylor Farms Toronto facility. With production focused on the retail product portfolio, Canadian customers will now have access to an array of the freshest products including the fan favorite Taylor Farms Chopped Salad Kits and Earthbound Farm Organic Salads.  

Kevin Silver, general manager of Taylor Farms Canada, will oversee the operations at the Toronto facility. The opening of this facility brings new opportunity for Taylor Farms to support local growers and customers as

Wakefern Food Corp. announced a pilot with Simbe to deploy the retail technology company’s business intelligence solution, Tally, at stores throughout its trading area.

Tally autonomously roams store aisles up to three times per day, leveraging computer vision technology to collect highly accurate shelf data that ensures products are in-stock, in the correct location, and accurately priced on the sales floor.

“Wakefern Food Corp. is committed to providing our customers best-in-class grocery shopping experiences,” said Charles J. McWeeney, vice president of technology, innovation and strategy

Are consumers trending back toward in-person grocery shopping?  Perhaps. One thing is for sure, online eGrocery sales were down 6 percent for the month of March, according to the most recent Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey.

In March, total online grocery sales were $8.7 billion versus March 2021’s record high of $9.3 billion. Performance across the three eGrocery segments varied as the online grocery market continues to evolve:

• The ship-to-home segment experienced the largest sales contraction, down more than 30 percent in March compared to a year ago, from $2.1 billion