Retail Beat

A&P expects $130M from real estate sales
A&P says it will "unlock substantial real estate value" as it sells noncore properties. The 300-store chain, which emerged from bankruptcy in March 2012, will generate $130 million or more through "a combination of leasehold sales and sale-leaseback transactions," according to the company. Progressive Grocer (3/12)

Basha III takes helm at family grocer
Edward Basha III has been named chairman, president and CEO of Bashas' Supermarkets. His father, Eddie, will go from being chairman to chairman emeritus. Darl Andersen, president and CEO since 2009, will serve as executive adviser to the chairman and president. Supermarket News (free registration) (3/12)

Mignola becomes Weis' senior VP of store operations
Mike Mignola, Weis Markets' vice president of store operations since 2011, has been promoted to senior vice president of store operations. He joined the Pennsylvania-based chain in 2008 as general manager for West Virginia and Maryland. Progressive Grocer (3/12)

April 11 is deemed Read Your Labels Day
Nonprofit consumer-advocacy group Citizens for Health is making April 11 Read Your Labels Day to encourage consumers to read and understand nutrition labels. "The majority of us don't check the list of ingredients on food-package labels," Chairman Jim Turner said. The group also released the list Top 10 Ingredients to Avoid. Progressive Grocer (3/12)

Private Brands

Publix ammonia is recalled amid mislabel concern
Publix Super Markets has recalled private-label lemon ammonia because supplier KIK International might have mistakenly labeled it as bleach. Consumers will receive a full refund if they return the product. American City Business Journals/Atlanta (3/12)

Health, Nutrition & Pharmacy

Study links cocoa extract to better insulin pathways
Taking the cocoa extract epicatechin was associated with improvements in insulin pathways and receptors, according to a study in Molecular Nutrition and Food Research. However, experts said increasing dark-chocolate consumption may not have any benefits due in part to added sugar, calories and fat. Diabetes.co.uk (U.K.) (3/12)

Supplier News

Hostess bidder eyes Hollywood-worthy comeback
Evan Metropoulos says his team, which is offering to buy Hostess Brands for $410 million, might tap celebrities including Zach Galifianakis for a quirky digital ad campaign to revive the bankrupt company. "With some TLC and some good management fundamentals, [I believe] that these brands will flourish with a new audience and an audience that grew up with them," said Metropoulos, whose family owns Pabst Brewing. The Wall Street Journal (3/12)

Post climbs on with debut of Grape-Nuts Fit
Post Foods has launched Grape-Nuts Fit, a cereal with 6 grams of protein and 42 grams of whole grains. An ad campaign features a tie-in with the American Himalayan Foundation, whose board includes Peter Hillary, son of Edmund Hillary, who ate Grape-Nuts during his historic ascent of Mount Everest in 1953. Drug Store News (3/12)

Technology Solutions

MOM's store in Md. installs solar panels
A MOM's Organic Market store in Waldorf, Md., is the first in the nine-store chain to add solar panels, which are expected to provide 15% or more of the energy used. "The Waldorf solar array is the first of many," founder and CEO Scott Nash said. "We plan to install solar panels on every store that we can in the future." Progressive Grocer (3/12)

Government Affairs

FMI pushes back on proposed COOL change
An FDA proposal to revise country-of-origin labeling would "impose significant, additional costs" without meeting World Trade Organization requirements, said Erik Lieberman, regulatory counsel for FMI. "The USDA's revised, proposed rule on COOL adds additional paperwork burdens to a needlessly onerous regulation that is already costing retailers hundreds of millions of dollars each year, resulting in higher food prices," he said. GroceryHeadquarters.com (3/12)

FMI Spotlight

Tomorrow: Webinar on increasing employee engagement with technology
At 2 p.m. Eastern on Thursday, the Future Connect webinar series will continue with the session "Using Technology to Engage Your Employees." Presented by Jason Averbook of Appirio, the webinar will discuss expectations of employees and technology to support the future workforce. Learn more and register to attend for free on FMI.org.

Daily Quote

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