Christine Blank

Orlando

Writer and Editor at Freelance

Contributing Editor at SeafoodSource.com

Writing & editing is my passion. Contributing Editor for SeaFood Business, http://t.co/ZHvdu3c4Hi, QSR Magazine, Drug Topics. Restaurant & travel blogger.

Articles

C&S Grocers shutters Florida distribution center; Amazon earnings soar

1 week ago | seafoodsource.com | Christine Blank

Keene, New Hampshire, U.S.A.-based wholesale grocery supplier C&S Wholesale Grocers announced it is planning to close one of its distribution centers in Baldwin, Florida, U.S.A., resulting in 490 job cuts, perGrocery Dive. The closure comes after C&S was set to acquire around 600 stores if the merger between grocery chains Kroger and Albertsons came to pass. After the merger failed, C&S said it would lay off at least 76 employees at sites in Hawaii, Vermont, New Jersey, Texas, and New York.
UK food sales soar in April despite increased inflation

1 week ago | seafoodsource.com | Christine Blank

Food inflation increased in April, and overall consumer sentiment is low, but shoppers continued to buy more groceries during the month, in part thanks to the late Easter holiday. Grocery inflation jumped up 3.8 percent in April compared to April 2024, grocery research firm Kantar reported, while the British Retail Consortium and NielsenIQ reported U.K. food inflation rose 2.6 percent in April compared to the previous year, versus a 2.4 percent increase in March.
USDA calls for contract bids on catfish

2 weeks ago | seafoodsource.com | Christine Blank

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) is asking for bids to sell it 232,000 pounds of domestic catfish for national food distribution programs. Bids are due by 6 May on the raw, unbreaded catfish fillets and breaded catfish strips. Suppliers that earn the contracts will make deliveries between July and November 2025. In early March, the USDA awarded USD 29.3 million (EUR 26 million) in domestic catfish contracts.
Lower US restaurant visits reduces Sysco Q3 earnings

2 weeks ago | seafoodsource.com | Christine Blank

A decline in traffic to U.S. restaurants – in part thanks to lower consumer confidence – impacted foodservice distributor Sysco’s fiscal third quarter sales and profits. California wildfires and “significantly adverse weather” also had a negative impact on foot traffic to restaurants, Sysco Chair of the Board and CEO Kevin Hourican said.
Wholesale clubs, Walmart seeing fresh food sales growth amid price-sensitive consumer environment

2 weeks ago | seafoodsource.com | Christine Blank

Sales of perishables have been “on fire” at BJ’s Wholesale Club, which operates 215 stores in 16 U.S. states, Chairman and CEO Bob Eddy said during a recent webinar. Eddy detailed the results of the company’s “Fresh 2.0” transformation during the National Retail Federation’s State of Retail & the Consumer virtual event in early April. Similar wholesale club giants Sam’s Club and Costco are also increasing sales and expanding stores, while Walmart continues to bulk up its grocery sales.
FMI’s 2025 Power of Seafood report highlights market opportunities

2 weeks ago | supermarketperimeter.com | Christine Blank

Despite deflation in seafood throughout the year, fresh seafood volume and sales declined last year, according to FMI’s 2025 Power of Seafood report. Of the major fresh departments, seafood was the only one to see lower dollar sales — a drop of 1.2% to $8.5 billion — while unit sales rose by 1%. Lower prices depressed total dollar sales and did little to impact the shopper perception that seafood is expensive, said Steve Markenson, vice president, Research & Insights, for FMI.
US retailers tell Chinese suppliers to resume shipments; Albertsons said it must approve any tariff price hikes

2 weeks ago | seafoodsource.com | Christine Blank

In the wake of sweeping tariffs ordered by U.S. President Donald Trump, Walmart and Target told some Chinese suppliers to resume shipments to the U.S. after executives met with U.S. President Donald Trump last week – and major grocery chain Albertsons told suppliers it won’t accept tariff-related price hikes.
Chicken of the Sea launches ghost pepper tuna packet amid rise in shelf-stable seafood sales

2 weeks ago | seafoodsource.com | Christine Blank

El Segundo, California, U.S.A.-based Chicken of the Sea is taking advantage of the recent success ambient seafood is having at retail to launch new products, including a limited-time Wild-Caught Light Tuna Packet with Ghost Pepper. U.S. ambient seafood sales climbed 4.4 percent by value in March to USD 276 million (EUR 242 million), while sales by volume soared nearly 11 percent, according to market research firm Circana.
Handy selling Maryland crab plant for USD 1.8 million

2 weeks ago | seafoodsource.com | Christine Blank

Salisbury, Maryland, U.S.A.-based Handy Seafood is selling its crab-processing plant in Crisfield, Maryland, for USD 1.8 million (EUR 1.6 million). The Crisfield plant, which has been processing crab, oysters and other seafood since 1903, will continue operating until its sale. The 59,700-square-foot facility sits on nearly 6 acres, per itsreal estate listing.
US restaurants having mixed success in 2025 as negative trends continue

2 weeks ago | seafoodsource.com | Christine Blank

U.S. restaurant sales and traffic slowed in 2024, and for some individual chains, those negative trends have continued into 2025. Sales among the nation’s 500 largest restaurant chains increased 3.1 percent in 2024, but that was the lowest annual increase in 10 years – excluding the Covid-19-related slowdown in 2020 – according to Technomic’s 2025Top 500 Chain Restaurant Report. The report also found that nearly 40 percent of U.S. restaurants experienced a sales decline last year.