Sponsored By

Ahold Delhaize USA builds fresh kitchen in Rhode Island

Retail Business Services arm taps Taylor Farms as partner

Russell Redman

July 18, 2019

2 Min Read
Stop&Shop in-store kitchen_2.PNG
Stop & Shop

This fall, Ahold Delhaize USA’s Retail Business Services (RBS) unit plans to open a fresh food processing facility and culinary innovation center in Rhode Island.

RBS said its Infinity Fresh Kitchen subsidiary acquired the facility, located at 320 Commerce Park Rd. in North Kingstown, R.I., from fresh-cut produce supplier Taylor Farms. Construction is under way to outfit the building for Infinity Fresh Kitchen, and operations are slated to begin in September.

Plans call for the new fresh kitchen to initially serve Hannaford and Stop & Shop supermarkets in the area. The facility will process fresh foods such as cut fruit and vegetables; leaf, grain and pasta salads; sandwiches and wraps; and other items typically found in grocery store deli departments or grab-and-go sections.

“Retail Business Services is charged with finding innovative solutions that enable the local grocery brands we support to focus on serving their customers,” RBS President Roger Wheeler said in a statement. “Infinity Fresh Kitchen is the latest example of this innovation, which will help our retail partners bring the latest fresh, convenient items to their customers.”

Besides boosting capacity for processing fresh food items, the North Kingstown facility will test new fresh and private-brand food concepts in its Culinary Innovation Center.

Related:Ahold Delhaize USA’s RBS arm opens new tech office

“We want to create food items that perfect the expected and delight consumers with the unexpected,” according to Jacqueline Ross, vice president of private-brands innovation for RBS. “We’re excited to allocate a portion of the space in this facility to private-brand product innovation, particularly fresh, nutritious items and preparations.”

RBS has named Taylor Farms as a strategic partner to manage the fresh kitchen and innovation center’s operations and workforce. Once up and running, the facility is expected to initially bring about 250 jobs in the area, with more positions added over time.

“We’re pleased to work with Retail Business Services on this innovative facility,” said Bruce Taylor, CEO of Salinas, Calif.-based Taylor Farms. “We look forward to completing the outfitting of the facility and getting operations under way in the coming months.”

Also in North Kingstown, RBS is building a fresh protein packaging plant. To be operated by subsidiary Infinity Meat Solutions, the 200,000-square-foot facility will handle beef, ground beef, pork and prepared meat for meal items, such as marinated and stuffed meat.

Plans call for the meat packaging plant to initially serve the Peapod online grocery service and Stop & Shop in the Northeast. RBS expects the facility, which will have the capacity to service 500 or more stores, to go into operation in the first half of 2020. Ground was broken for the $100 million project in October.

Related:Ahold Delhaize USA to build new meat packaging plant

Salisbury, N.C.-based RBS provides Ahold Delhaize USA grocery retail brands — Stop & Shop, Giant Food, Giant/Martin’s, Hannaford, Food Lion and Peapod — with services and support in merchandising, marketing, private label, store operations, IT, pharmacy, sourcing, financial, communications, supply chain and other areas.

About the Author

Russell Redman

Senior Editor
Supermarket News

Russell Redman has served as senior editor at Supermarket News since April 2018, his second tour with the publication. In his current role, he handles daily news coverage for the SN website and contributes news and features for the print magazine, as well as participates in special projects, podcasts and webinars and attends industry events. Russ joined SN from Racher Press Inc.’s Chain Drug Review and Mass Market Retailers magazines, where he served as desk/online editor for more than nine years, covering the food/drug/mass retail sector. 

Russell Redman’s more than 30 years of experience in journalism span a range of editorial manager, editor, reporter/writer and digital roles at a variety of publications and websites covering a breadth of industries, including retailing, pharmacy/health care, IT, digital home, financial technology, financial services, real estate/commercial property, pro audio/video and film. He started his career in 1989 as a local news reporter and editor, covering community news and politics in Long Island, N.Y. His background also includes an earlier stint at Supermarket News as center store editor and then financial editor in the mid-1990s. Russ holds a B.A. in journalism (minor in political science) from Hofstra University, where he also earned a certificate in digital/social media marketing in November 2016.

Russell Redman’s experience:

Supermarket News - Informa
Senior Editor 
April 2018 - present

Chain Drug Review/Mass Market Retailers - Racher Press
Desk/Online Editor 
Sept. 2008 - March 2018

CRN magazine - CMP Media
Managing Editor
May 2000 - June 2007

Bank Systems & Technology - Miller Freeman
Executive Editor/Managing Editor
Dec. 1996 - May 2000

Supermarket News - Fairchild Publications
Financial Editor/Associate Editor
April 1995 - Dec. 1996 

Shopping Centers Today Magazine - ICSC 
Desk Editor/Assistant Editor
Dec. 1992 - April 1995

Testa Communications
Assistant Editor/Contributing Editor (Music & Sound Retailer, Post, Producer, Sound & Communications and DJ Times magazines)
Jan. 1991 - Dec. 1992 

American Banker/Bond Buyer
Copy Editor
Oct. 1990 - Jan. 1991 

This Week newspaper - Chanry Communications
Reporter/Editor
May 1989 - July 1990

Stay up-to-date on the latest food retail news and trends
Subscribe to free eNewsletters from Supermarket News

You May Also Like