Meal kit company Blue Apron has filed a prospectus supplement to its existing shelf registration statement on Form S-3 with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC), under which it may offer and sell shares of its Class A common stock having an aggregate offering price of up to $70 million through an “at-the-market” equity offering program.

This program is intended to provide the company with access to capital from time to time. The aggregate offering price of up to $70 million represents the remaining amount available for issuance under the company’s shelf registration statement declared effective by the SEC on Nov. 10, 2022. The number of shares to be sold, if any, under the at-the-market program will depend on, among other factors, market conditions, the company’s capital needs, and the anticipated benefits to the company and its shareholders.  

Blue Apron intends to use the net proceeds from any sales of shares under the at-the-market program for general corporate purposes, including to:

• Fund working capital, operating expenses and capital expenditures;
• Potentially pay down some or all of its debt; and
• Provide the company with greater flexibility to pursue, evaluate and potentially execute upon other financing opportunities, a potential business combination or other strategic transaction.

The shares will be offered through Canaccord Genuity as sales agent.

Blue Apron will release its fourth-quarter and full-year 2022 financial results on March 16. In reporting its third-quarter earnings on Nov. 7, the New York-based company withdrew its previously reported revenue growth target of 7% to 13% for fiscal 2022 as pandemic-related demand for its meal kits keeps cooling off. Blue Apron’s number of customers fell by 7.7% in the third quarter. Additionally, in December, Blue Apron revealed that it was cutting about 10% of its corporate workforce as part of a plan to drastically reduce expenses amid stagnant sales.

Big Y Foods Inc. has formed an educational corporate partnership with the Fisher College Graduate Professional Studies (GPS) department. Through its Corporate Advantage Program (CAP), Boston-based Fisher College will offer online courses to Big Y Foods employees. The program will also offer discounted tuition rates for Big Y employees and their immediate family members, and identify courses and develop programs that fit the grocer’s needs.

“We are excited to partner with Fisher College and offer our employees a tremendous opportunity to further their education,” said Aimee Diliberto, Big Y’s manager of employee experiences. “We strive to offer various benefits to our employees and look forward to sharing this newest collaboration.”

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“Big Y is one of the biggest and most respected companies in the Commonwealth [of Massachusetts], and we welcome their employees and their families to Fisher College and look forward to helping them expand upon their educational and professional goals,” said Steve Rich, the college’s president.

Founded in 1903, Fisher College is a private not-for-profit institution offering 30-plus bachelor and graduate-level programs, both on campus and online. The core offerings at Fisher reflect liberal arts, but the majors and graduate programs provide expertise in such fields as management, accounting, fashion merchandising, criminal justice, biology, information technology, cybersecurity and a cutting-edge e-sports industry program. Educational resources include small group classrooms and meeting with industry and business leaders through internships, guest lectures, and site visits in Boston.

Springfield, Mass.-based Big Y operates locations throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut, encompassing more than 70 supermarkets, Table & Vine Fine Wines and Liquors, and Big Y Express gas and convenience locations, with more than 10,000 employees. The company is No. 75 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of thetop food and consumables retailers in North America. 

E-commerce tech company Rokt, which provides personally relevant messages to shoppers before transactions, is adding seasoned tech executives to its leadership team. The New York City-based company appointed Noel Curtis as SVP of engineering and tapped John Walzer to lead its new development center in Seattle.

Curtis joins Rokt from Grubhub, where he was VP of technology. He will apply his machine learning experience at that organization to spearhead Rokt’s ML-based engineering efforts, which include demand-side systems and machine learning, reporting infrastructure, campaign management solutions, upsell systems, the experimentation platform and user research and design.

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Walzer is a 20-year industry veteran in the e-comm, telecom and multimedia industries. Most recently, he was a senior software development manager at Amazon. At Rokt, he will focus on high-performing, innovative solutions as he opens the company’s West Coast tech center.

Both Curtis and Walzer will report directly to Bill Barton, chief product and engineering officer. "Noel Curtis and John Walzer are two notable leaders in technology and Rokt is excited to welcome them both to our team as we look ahead to a year full of new opportunities and growth," said Barton. "We look forward to seeing Noel accelerate progress in our New York office and for John to usher in a new stage of growth for Rokt in Seattle, an incredible tech hub where we'll be able to access a whole new pool of talent."

Rokt also announced the hiring of Google vet Reuben Kan as a distinguished engineer. The Sydney, Australia-based Kan will help lead projects focused on system architecture, subsystem design, performance optimization and client-facing APIs and SDKs. He previously served as principal engineer and engineering director of Google Maps and principal engineer for Google Apps.

Tiffanie Burkhalter will join The Raley’s Companies as CFO on Feb. 16. In her new role, Burkhalter will guide all enterprise financial functions, real estate and risk management.

Burkhalter started her career with Ernst and Young in the assurance and advisory services practice. While there she led a broad portfolio of public and private client engagements. She joined VSP Vision in 2011 as a member of the finance team and held roles with increasing levels of leadership responsibility, among them retail financial controller, VP of e-commerce, COO of VSP Ventures and ultimately president of VSP Ventures.

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“We took great care and diligence to find an executive who aligns with our purpose, values and culture while also bringing outstanding and proven technical expertise and leadership,” said Raley’s President and CEO Keith Knopf. “We have found this leader in Tiffanie.”  

Added Mike Teel, Raley’s owner and chairman of the board: “We have confidence that Tiffanie will bolster an already strong leadership team and build on our already strong financial success.”

“I am excited to join The Raley’s Companies and support their expanded portfolio of brands,” noted Burkhalter. “I look forward to working alongside the impressive leadership team and bringing my experience and passion for leading high-performing teams and driving transformational results.”

Last September, the grocer’s previous CFO, Kenneth Mueller, and its chief pilot, Richard Conte, were both killed when the twin-engine plane they were traveling in crashed less than 20 minutes after takeoff.

With more than 230 locations across four states and four Tribal Nations under eight well-known banners, West Sacramento, Calif.-based Raley’s is No. 48 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of thetop food and consumables retailers in North America.

Target Corp. is expanding its presence in the self-care and health-and-wellness space with the addition of thousands of new brands and products to its shelves. A majority of the new items are under $10, and the retailer is putting a spotlight on clean products, as well as Black-owned and inclusive brands.

According to Cassandra Jones, SVP of merch essentials and beauty at Target, the self-care category is seeing massive growth, and the idea of beauty products is expanding to include those self-care, self-expression and health items. Jones’ team curates a mix of owned, exclusive-to-Target and national brands in an effort to create a one-of-a-kind experience for guests.

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“Clean beauty is a big deal for our guests and for Target,” Jones said. “Our guests are paying close attention to what they put in and on their bodies, from bath and skin care to vitamins and supplements.”

As such, the retailer is bringing in luxury-inspired perfumes; organic, biodegradable period care; and personalized skincare, with other specialized products on the way. New Black-owned and inclusive brands coming in 2023 include LilyAna Naturals, AfroPick, YGN and Everyday By Unsun, as well as Saltair and Gainful, two Asian American and Pacific Islander owned brands.

Additionally, Target will stock skincare products from Latina-owned Vamigas, which was part of the Target Takeoff accelerator program that supports up-and-coming brands and creators. 

Minneapolis-based Target Corp. is No. 6 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, with nearly 2,000 locations.

Venerable CPG The J.M. Smucker Co. is spinning off several of its pet food businesses. The company announced that it is selling nationally-distributed pet brands to CPG holding company Post Holdings, Inc.

As part of the $1.2 billion deal, J.M. Smucker will offload brands including Rachael Ray, Nutrish, 9Lives, Kibbles ‘n Bits, Nature’s Recipe and Gravy Train. The company’s private label products will also go to the St. Louis-based Post Holdings.

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The move is part of a broader brand reorganization at J.M. Smucker, which oversees a host of other product lines for people and pets, including Smucker’s, Folgers, Dunkin’, Jif, Milk-Bone and Meow Mix. "This divestiture supports our strategy to prioritize investments and resources in the areas of our business that offer the strongest growth and profit potential. In our pet business this is reflected in our focus on dog snacks and cat food, anchored by our Milk-Boneand Meow Mix brands, respectively," explained Mark Smucker, chair of the board, president and CEO. "Portfolio optimization and strategic resource allocation remain key drivers of our long-term growth. The execution of this proven strategy has helped us streamline our business, improve margin mix, and position the Company to deliver continued shareholder value."

According to the company, some employees will transition to Post Holdings. The deal is expected to close during the fourth quarter of its current fiscal year ending April 30.

Last September, J.M. Smucker shared that it formed a transformation office to focus on continuous improvement strategies aimed at sustaining productivity initiatives and profit growth.