Melissa Tinklepaugh

Albertsons Inc. became a national supermarket operator through its 1999 merger with American Stores, gaining a significant presence in the Midwest and Northeast with the Jewel-Osco and Acme banners.

The chart shows the dollar sales of top vendors of flavored spreads for the 52 weeks ending Dec. 2, 2012, compared with the 52 weeks ending Jan. 1, 2012.

The NGA Show, Feb. 10–13 in Las Vegas, Nev., features six educational tracks, two super breakfast sessions and two general sessions. Each track — Store Leadership, Connecting With Customers, Store Operations, Creative Merchandising, Fresh and Healthy and Technology Tools — contains four workshops presenting ideas that independents can easily put into practice.

This beverage segment remains on the fast track with double-digit sales growth and new releases.

SN asked 10 experts to make predictions about developments that will have a significant impact on food retailing in 2013. Predictions ranged from the increasing use of environmentally friendly coolants to improved merchandising in the cheese category. View the gallery to see all 10 predictions, and click the related stories to read more about each prediction.

ATLANTA ­— Coca-Cola Co. takes the retailer-supplier relationship to a new level with its Shopper Experience Innovation Center (SEIC) here, where it tests cross-category and category-driving marketing strategies.