Daily Industry Digest — Sunday, October 25, 2026
RNDC told a Texas bankruptcy court it resolved creditor objections to its Chapter 11 liquidation plan, clearing the way for plan confirmation as the distributor's markets keep moving to rivals.
- RNDC told a Texas bankruptcy court it resolved creditor objections to its Chapter 11 liquidation plan, clearing the way for plan confirmation as the distributor's markets keep moving to rivals.
- Southern Glazer's added another beyond-alcohol brand, agreeing to distribute Mac Brands' spirits-based RTD VDKLYTE across 12 states.
- Aldi's 180-store 2026 build-out kept rolling with fresh U.S. grand openings, while Dollar General and Dollar Tree shares each fell ~6% in a discount-retail sell-off.
- Coca-Cola reports Q3 Tuesday (Oct. 27) with consensus near $0.88 EPS on ~$12.9B revenue; the read on volume vs. price/mix is the watch item.
- General Mills, Archer and Conagra all pushed deeper into meat snacks as protein-forward snacking keeps outgrowing the center store.
- Trade press framed functional drinks — GLP-1 companions, protein, gut health — as food's durable growth engine; JAMBAR added 1,200+ doors behind an organic protein-bar launch.
- Power Corp.'s Power Sustainable Lios bought frozen-foods maker Fine Choice Foods, and Great Lakes Wine & Spirits agreed to absorb RNDC's remaining Michigan spirits operations (both terms undisclosed).
- Coca-Cola handed its North America media account to Omnicom while keeping WPP globally — a marquee realignment of CPG agency spend.
- AI agents moved toward checkout: Sam Altman's World launched proof-of-human tools to verify shopping agents, and Bloomreach opened its Loomi platform to agentic workflows.
UPDATE: RNDC resolved creditor objections to its Chapter 11 liquidation plan
Counsel for Republic National Distributing Co. told the Houston bankruptcy court on Oct.
Southern Glazer's will distribute Mac Brands' VDKLYTE spirits-based RTD in 12 states
The agreement covers Texas, Oklahoma, Florida, Louisiana, South Carolina, California, Nevada, Missouri, Kansas, Nebraska, Illinois and Colorado, extending the distributor's push beyond traditional wine and spirits.
UNFI filed its FY2026 proxy ahead of a Dec. 15 shareholder meeting
The wholesaler's filing details a network of 46 distribution centers spanning roughly 26 million square feet serving more than 30,000 customer locations, and flags continued customer consolidation and self-distribution…
Aldi's 180-store 2026 expansion continued with new U.S. grand openings
The discounter held sneak peeks and grand-opening events in markets including Mesa, Arizona and Poughkeepsie, New York, with additional openings in Arkansas and Connecticut queued for late October. (Rochester First)
Dollar General and Dollar Tree shares each fell about 6% in a discount-retail sell-off
The Oct. 23 drop hit both chains as investors turned cautious on discount retail; neither company had issued a press release since late September. (24/7 Wall St.)
Coca-Cola reports Q3 2026 on Tuesday, Oct. 27
Consensus sits near $0.88 adjusted EPS on roughly $12.9 billion in revenue, with analysts focused on whether Q2's ~5% unit-case volume growth held against tougher comparisons and how price/mix is trending. (Hudson Labs)
General Mills, Archer and Conagra all expanded their meat-snack portfolios
General Mills rolled out Epic-brand meat sticks and Conagra showcased new Slim Jim items as the companies chase a protein-snacking segment cited as up nearly 12% year over year. (FoodNavigator)
Holiday and wellness drink launches landed across the beverage aisle
A mid-week roundup flagged seasonal and lower-sugar entries including Remedy's limited-edition "Merry Cherry" kombucha alongside premium and spirits launches. (BeverageDaily)
Trade analysis framed functional drinks as food's enduring growth engine
The piece argued beverages are the easiest format for consumers to adopt functional benefits, pointing to GLP-1-companion and high-protein products such as Danone's Oikos Fusion (23g protein, 5g prebiotic fiber) and…
JAMBAR added more than 1,200 retail doors behind a Certified Organic Minis launch
The protein-energy bar brand said the new mini format drove the door expansion and listed KeHE, UNFI and Chex Finer Foods among its distribution partners. (NOSH)
Power Sustainable Lios acquired frozen-foods maker Fine Choice Foods from a U.S. private-equity owner
The Power Corp. subsidiary bought the Richmond, B.C. maker of the SUMM! brand with co-investment from Farm Credit Canada and Bonnefield Financial; terms were undisclosed. (Energetic City)
Great Lakes Wine & Spirits agreed to buy RNDC's remaining Michigan spirits operations
The deal, with terms undisclosed, is expected to close by about Nov. 15 subject to approvals, another piece of RNDC's market-by-market wind-down. (Shanken News Daily)
Coca-Cola named Omnicom its North America media partner and retained WPP globally
Omnicom replaces Publicis on U.S. and Canada media planning and buying, while WPP Open X keeps global media (ex–North America, Japan, South Korea) and global creative; the new structure phases in from Dec. 1.
Klaviyo and Shopify launched Locale Aware Catalogs for Shopify Markets merchants
The integration unifies cross-border product data for marketing and feeds Klaviyo's AI tools such as Smart Translations and Personalized Send Time; the companies cited IDC data showing 73% three-year revenue growth for…
World launched proof-of-human tools aimed at verifying AI shopping agents
The Sam Altman–co-founded startup, which scans irises to confirm a person is human, introduced tools letting people link that verification to an AI agent so sites can admit trusted agents while blocking bad bots.
Bloomreach opened its Loomi Connect platform to agentic workflows
The commerce-personalization vendor extended Loomi so external AI agents can act within its platform, part of a wave of martech tools retrofitting for agent-driven commerce. (MarTech)
- Coca-Cola's prebiotic-fiber pilot (Coke Zero, Sprite Zero, Fresca with 6g fiber) is slated to go live in parts of NY/NJ/PA at the end of October — watch for confirmation and early read-through.
- Sen. Elizabeth Warren's Oct. 6 letter urging antitrust scrutiny of Sysco's ~$29.1B Restaurant Depot deal (plus Kroger–Giant Eagle and McCormick–Unilever) keeps regulatory risk on three large consumer deals.
- Mondelez reports Q3 on Oct. 29; Coca-Cola on Oct. 27 — fresh big-CPG volume/pricing data imminent.
- RNDC's state-by-state unwind continues; track which regional distributors pick up remaining territories after Michigan.
- Pepsi (Vanilla & Cream) vs. Coca-Cola holiday colas set up a head-to-head seasonal shelf battle into Q4.
Republic National Scores Creditor Deal On Ch. 11 PlanLaw360
News Briefs for October 22, 2026 (VDKLYTE; Great Lakes–RNDC Michigan)Shanken News Daily
United Natural Foods Inc — Form PRE 14A FY2026SEC
Aldi planned 180 new stores for 2026. The newest are about to openRochester First
Dollar Store Stocks Slide as Selling Hits Discount Retail24/7 Wall St.
Coca-Cola (KO) — Q3 2026 Earnings PreviewHudson Labs
General Mills, Archer and Conagra beef up their meat snack portfoliosFoodNavigator
New beverage launches: Festive flavours meet premiumisationBeverageDaily
JAMBAR Adds More Than 1,200 Retail Doors Following Launch of Certified Organic MinisNOSH
Power Corp. subsidiary buys Fine Choice Foods from U.S. private equity firmEnergetic City
Inside Coca-Cola's marketing transformation amid agency roster shake-upMarketing Dive
Klaviyo and Shopify Deepen Integration to Boost Global Commerce GrowthMarTech Cube
AI startup World launches proof-of-human tools aimed at agentic commerceSemafor
The latest AI-powered martech news and releases (Bloomreach Loomi Connect)MarTech