Albertsons is launching a wine Advent calendar for the holiday season, joining other grocers doing so including ALDI, Kroger and Southeastern Grocers. Albertsons also rolled out a website to offer backgrounds and pairings for the featured wines, and added a send-up of "'Twas the Night Before Christmas" that references the pandemic and includes such lines as "the grown-ups were pent-up for far, far too long/And wanted to end 2020 with a proper swan song."

As part of its overall plan to move into a self-managed distribution network by 2023, Ahold Delhaize USA will transition six facilities to a self-distribution model in 2021. The grocer currently runs 17 such facilities in the US.

News of preparations for a safe Halloween and talk of plant-based interest from the CEO of Nestle brought many clicks from food-and-beverage readers this week. New product releases from Danone, Kellogg and Pillsbury, as well as Amazon's Prime Day grocery discounts, also made the Top 10.

The digital meal planning service eMeals will expand its online ordering service to 2,250 Albertsons and Safeway stores as the company's e-commerce growth continues. The eMeals service lets subscribers send shopping lists directly to local stores for pickup or, at many stores, home delivery.

Connecticut grocer LaBonne's Markets has adopted rigid safety steps, such as temperature checks for everyone entering its stores, to help fight the spread of COVID-19, an effort that has paid off so far. Owner Bob LaBonne Jr. decided to celebrate the recent opening of a new store with an old-fashioned gathering featuring food trucks and live music, along with face coverings and social distancing reminders.