The core Personal Consumption Expenditures Price Index, an inflation gauge closely watched by the Federal Reserve, increased 0.4% in January, in line with expectations and up from a revised rate of 0.1% in December. Core CPE rose 2.8% year-on-year in January, slightly lower than the 2.9% rate recorded the month before.

Hy-Vee is seeing success with a strong foodservice partnership with Wahlburgers, in-store beauty shops and its private label-- which remains a "driving force" for the retailer, according to Jeremy Gosch who took the reins as CEO this year. The grocer also is adding a "massive toy aisle and housewares department" to many of its stores, Gosch said, in addition to sports shops featuring area high school, college and NFL gear.

The Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City's manufacturing survey composite index for the central US was minus 4 in February, better than minus 9 the month before as price pressures ease, but analysts expect the coming months to be more challenging. Input costs for selling prices and raw materials eased while shipments, new orders and backlogs improved from December.

FDA officials have announced that wrapping and grease-proofing materials containing per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances will no longer be allowed in US food packaging. The decision covers materials such as fast-food wrappers, microwave popcorn bags, paperboard containers for takeout food, and pet food bags. The agency noted that PFAS exposure has been associated with serious health effects.

Flexibility and resilience have usurped cost controls as the primary supply chain consideration and have become a "CEO-level problem and opportunity," according to a Bain & Co. report. Leaders are applying lessons learned during recent supply chain upheavals, grappling with labor challenges, pressure to decarbonize and advance sustainability, embracing AI and other transformative technologies and those that master trade-offs will solidify positions, yield new business opportunities and "leapfrog the competition," the report suggests.

Wholesale distributors can unlock the full potential of their sales teams by first thoroughly understanding their customers and markets through surveys, interviews, focus groups and analytics to collect quantitative and qualitative data, writes Mike Kunkle, vice president of sales effectiveness services for SPARXiQ. Distributors should then adopt a buyer-centric sales strategy using insights gleaned from research, build a full-cycle sales methodology, measure sales performance over time, hire and retain motivated salespeople and overcome any resistance to change, Kunkle writes.

Salespeople will see more success if they seek to connect with customers to discern their needs, set up a structure to keep track of lead sheets for better conversions and track all of their activity, writes Jordan French. "The only way to fully understand where your lead conversion may be faltering is by looking at every piece of the process and how many minutes are truly being utilized in a day to bring in revenue," French notes.

Many organizations operate within certain strategic and operational paradigms, and when changes need to be made, solutions are often expressed through tactical improvements that do not address whether the paradigm itself needs to be altered, writes Jonathan Byrnes, chairman of Profit Isle. Real systemic solutions can emerge from a four-step process that includes thoughtful consideration of the real problem at hand, leveraging historical context, building key relationships with counterparts and creating showcase projects to demonstrate new approaches.

Instead of adding new policies, rules or projects when things go sideways, try subtraction and remove barriers that are hindering your team's success, writes Jim Clemmer. Create a Listen-Feedback-Action process to identify issues, convene focus groups to test new management ideas and streamline and simplify processes to improve efficiency for customers and employees, Clemmer suggests.

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