January / February 2015

Today, there seems to be an app for nearly everything you could ever want. Designed to make life easier, there are even apps for things you didn't know you needed like daily horoscopes. According to Nielsen, the average consumer uses about 27 apps per month.

A Letter from the President and CEO "Consumer thinking appears to be shifting from a mind-set of buying food FROM a retailer and moving into the attitude of buying food WITH a retailer."

January 6 brings the start of a new Congress and a new team in charge of the United States Senate and the largest Republican majority that has existed in the House of Representatives since 1928. What should we expect?

President, Consumer & Shopper Marketing

Only 6.1 percent of the companies responding to an exclusive Retail Leader survey accept mobile payment systems, or "digital wallets," but many of the others are taking a wait-and-see attitude.

Hy-Vee's Edeker: Outstanding Outreach CEO OF THE YEAR Randy Edeker Hy-Vee

The FDA Food Safety Modernization Act (FSMA) was designed to improve and modernize the country's food safety system and provide the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) with the necessary tools and authority to protect our food supply.

Two components of the Dodd–Frank Wall Street Reform and Consumer Protection Act affect c-suite compensation. Shareholder meetings often include advisory "Say on Pay" votes on executive pay.

But that has changed. Private equity has flooded the retail grocery market in the past decade, resulting in deals involving Albertsons, Safeway, Winn-Dixie, Bi-Lo, Jewel and many other well known grocery banners.

Brian Cornell,

Oscar González,