Podcast - Trends Affecting the Grocer and Retail Space
Episode #3 - Taufeek Shah of Lola's Fine Hot Sauce: From Farmer's Markets to Supermarkets
RCG Webinar | Where's the Beef?
Beginning in 2020, the advertising world saw an explosion of putative class-actions challenging the use of “vanilla” to describe products where the vanilla flavoring allegedly is not derived exclusively from the vanilla bean...more
U.S. stocks continue to tumble, sinking by “8.1% at the open, triggering a 15-minute trading halt;” “Brent crude sank below $30 a barrel;” treasuries surged despite major moves from the Federal Reserve; and market sentiment...more
Although online shopping is extremely convenient, many consumers still want to touch and test out products before they purchase them. Since 2015, Amazon, with its first brick and mortar Amazon Books store, has made its way...more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - Oregon Sens. Request Changes To USDA Hemp Rule - In a letter to the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), Sens. Ron Wyden (D-Ore.) and Jeff Merkley (D-Ore.) have requested changes...more
Financial giant Capital One, the fifth-largest credit card issuer in the U.S., announced on Monday that a hacker illegally accessed “the personal information of approximately 106 million card customers and applicants, one of...more
Just months after Whole Foods raised prices on certain items after an initial Amazon-pushed lowering, Bezos & Co. are planning cuts on “hundreds of items” as early as this week in an effort to “change the chain’s high-cost...more
The White House strongly hinted yesterday that it will consider delaying the rapidly approaching March 2 deadline to reach a trade deal with China, “saying the United States might not impose higher tariffs on Chinese goods if...more
LEGISLATION, REGULATIONS & STANDARDS - California Bans New Soda Taxes - California Governor Jerry Brown has signed the Keep Groceries Affordable Act, a statute preventing local agencies in the state from imposing taxes...more
Proposal Would Move Food Regulation to USDA - As part of a proposal to reorganize several federal agencies, the Trump administration has recommended that food-safety regulatory oversight be shifted to the U.S. Department...more
The District of Columbia district court added to the growing collection of orders opining on whether and to what extent the Supreme Court’s decision in Bristol-Myers Squibb applies to class actions....more
The White House’s protectionist plan to impose roughly $60 billion in annual tariffs on Chinese imports went over like a lead balloon on Wall Street, sparking fears of a trade war, increased volatility, and unintended ripple...more
Amazon has entered the grocery store space with a bang. From the recent opening of its AmazonGo store, to its acquisition of Whole Foods last August, Amazon has threatened to disrupt the grocery store industry and has jolted...more
As we hold our breaths at the opening bell to see if last week’s volatility continues, we consider the impact of computer-driven index funds on that market rollercoaster....more
A state senator in Pennsylvania has reportedly announced plans to introduce a bill that would bar any municipality in the state from levying a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs). If enacted, the bill could invalidate the...more
In anticipating the next step in the evolution of grocery shopping, it is impossible to ignore the statement-making moves of our neighbor, Amazon. In March of this year, Amazon revealed the first of many AmazonFresh Pickup...more
Drugmaker Gilead has kickstarted a largely quiet period for big pharma deals with the announcement that it’s acquiring Kite for about $11.9 billion. Kite Pharma’s best known for its emerging cancer treatments that focus on...more
Along with this week’s news that Amazon and Whole Foods are putting the finishing touches on their deal and have the government’s stamp of approval came word that as of Monday, the first official day of Amazon control, the...more
The 2d Circuit has upheld by a 2-1 margin the insider-trading conviction of former SAC Capital Advisors portfolio manager Mathew Martoma. Martoma’s counsel had challenged the propriety of the jury instructions in light of the...more
With the recent announcement that Amazon is buying Whole Foods, issues of channel disruption — that is, the ways consumers purchase food — have been on the forefront of people’s minds. On June 1, at DWT’s annual food and...more
Last week, a Rhode Island Congressman published a letter he sent to the Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee requesting that the committee hold a hearing on the recently-announced Amazon-Whole Foods merger. This post...more
In light of the sea change in the current retail landscape, which was punctuated by the recent acquisition of Whole Foods by Amazon, retailers today are forced to ask themselves: How will we combat disruption in our industry...more
On June 1, 2017, the Second Circuit empowered employees with smartphones by affirming the National Labor Relations Board’s (NLRB’s) recent decision that no-recording policies violate Section 8(a)(1) of the National Labor...more
In the opening montage of the American animated series, Pinky and The Brain, Pinky asks his best friend, The Brain: “What do you want to do tonight?” To which The Brain replies: “The same thing we do every night; try to take...more
Barclays and a group of its former execs are facing charges of fraud by false representation by Britain’s Serious Fraud Office over deals they struck with Qatar in 2008 to avoid a government bailout....more
Here we were watching Amazon for a Slack pick-up, and all the while it had its eyes set on Whole Foods. Jeff Bezos added the upscale grocery giant to Amazon’s expanding portfolio for $13.7 billion on Friday (perhaps kicking...more