The Shelby Report

What The Shelby Report does

The Shelby Report, operated by Shelby Publishing Co., Inc. (a Georgia-incorporated, privately held company headquartered in Gainesville, GA), is a trade publication serving the U.S. grocery and supermarket industry since 1967. The company's core product consists of five monthly regional editions — Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, West, and Northeast — distributed in both print and digital formats, covering store openings, executive changes, supply chain developments, sustainability, technology, and category-specific news across grocery retail, convenience stores, independents, and wholesalers/distributors. The product portfolio is augmented by digital issues, daily email newsletters, and a content website (theshelbyreport.com) that hosts an archive of thousands of stories, original columns (Ask The Experts, Industry Leaders Speak), market profiles, and sponsored research reports.

The business model is predominantly advertising- and sponsorship-driven. Revenue is generated through display advertising, sponsored content sections (e.g., 'Ask The Experts'), award-program sponsorships, and sponsored research reports such as 'The State of AP Maturity 2026: Grocery Edition.' A secondary revenue stream comes from print and digital subscriptions and circulation. The company also operates six recurring award and recognition programs — Retailer of the Year, Sustainability in the Food Industry Award, Women of Influence, Emerging Leaders, Exceptional Independents, and Food Industry Hall of Fame — which serve both as engagement vehicles for the grocery community and as advertiser/brand-visibility channels. Distribution is multi-channel: physical regional print editions, a national digital platform, daily newsletters, and active social media presence on Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, and Instagram.

Operationally, The Shelby Report is a small organization of 11-50 employees led by Chairman and CEO Dathan L. Mitchell, with editorial content produced by a team that includes a Senior Content Creator with three decades of newspaper industry experience. The company has remained independently owned since 1967, with no disclosed parent company, funding rounds, or acquisition activity. There is no evidence of proprietary technology platforms, APIs, SDKs, or AI/ML capabilities in the source material; the business is positioned as a relationship-driven, content-led trade media franchise rather than a technology company.

Name

The Shelby Report

Legal name

Shelby Publishing Co., Inc d/b/a The Shelby Report

Website

https://theshelbyreport.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1967

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Shelby Report is a privately held U.S. grocery industry trade publication founded in 1967, producing five regional monthly print and digital editions (Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, West, Northeast), daily newsletters, award programs, and sponsored research for grocery retailers, wholesalers, suppliers, and industry associations.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Grocery Industry Trade Publication

NAICS

Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131), Directory and Mailing List Publishers (51314)

akta.pro primary industry

B2B / Industrial Market Research (MPAAALAA)

Keywords

• Trade publication
• Grocery industry news
• Supermarket publishing
• B2B media
• Retail news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Gainesville

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Advertising and Sponsorship: The publication generates revenue through advertising placements, sponsored content sections, and branded partnership opportunities visible throughout the website and print editions. Examples include sponsored 'Ask The Experts' sections and special issue advertorials.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

The Shelby Report is a B2B trade publication that delivers grocery industry news, supermarket insights, and retail trends through five monthly regional print and digital editions (Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, West, Northeast). The company distributes daily email newsletters, maintains a digital news archive, and operates multiple industry award programs. Revenue is generated primarily through advertising placements, sponsored content, and subscriptions targeting grocery retailers, wholesalers, and food industry suppliers.

Product overview

The Shelby Report is a grocery industry news publication consisting of five regional editions (Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, West, and Northeast) distributed in both print and digital formats. The publication provides comprehensive coverage of grocery industry news, retail trends, store openings, executive changes, supply chain developments, and technology news. The company also offers digital issues, daily newsletters, and hosts several award programs including the Sustainability in the Food Industry Award, Women of Influence, Retailer of the Year, and Emerging Leaders. The portfolio is distributed through physical print editions and digital platforms, serving the retail food trade since 1967.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• The Shelby Report Regional Editions Five monthly regional print and digital editions (Southeast, Midwest, Southwest, West, Northeast) of a B2B grocery industry trade publication covering store news, executive changes, acquisitions, technology trends, sustainability initiatives, category updates, and retail market insights for grocery retailers, wholesalers, and food industry suppliers across the United States.
• Digital Issues Online digital magazine format providing readers access to The Shelby Report editions with enhanced navigation and multimedia capabilities through theshelbyreport.com.
• Newsletter Subscriptions Daily email newsletters delivering the latest grocery industry news, retail trends, executive appointments, and market insights directly to subscribers' inboxes.

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Five partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Food CitycoreOthers · 1 January 2026The Shelby Report of the Southeast named Food City its 2026 Retailer of the Year, featuring extensive coverage of the company's 164 retail outlets, growth strategy, and community initiatives across five states.
• GrubMarketminorOthers · 3 November 2025GrubMarket received the 2025 'Sustainability in the Food Industry Award' from The Shelby Report for its environmental and social initiatives in California's food supply chain through the Sustainable California initiative.
• ecoATMminorOthers · 10 October 2025ecoATM was recognized with the Sustainability in the Food Industry Award by The Shelby Report for its electronics recycling efforts, having collected over 50 million devices in 2024.
• K-VA-T Food Stores Inc.coreOthersParent company of Food City, featured as the subject of extensive news coverage and recipient of Retailer of the Year recognition. Headquartered in Abingdon, Virginia with operations across Alabama, Georgia, Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia.
• OttimateminorOthersSponsored content partnership featuring 'The State of AP Maturity 2026: Grocery Edition' report on The Shelby Report website, providing research about accounts payable automation in the grocery industry.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Progressive Grocer: Long-established B2B trade publication covering the U.S. grocery retail industry with news, research, and awards — directly comparable in audience, advertiser base, and editorial focus to The Shelby Report.
• Supermarket News: Major grocery industry trade publication delivering news, analysis, and events to supermarket executives. Directly comparable to Shelby as a B2B grocery media brand serving retailers and suppliers.
• Winsight Grocery Business: B2B media brand covering grocery and convenience retail, combining digital content, events, and research. Closely comparable to Shelby's multi-channel grocery trade media model.
• Grocery Dive: Digital-first B2B news publication serving grocery industry executives. Competes with Shelby for the same advertiser and reader base, differentiated by a pure-play digital and newsletter model.
• Food Industry Executive: B2B media brand covering food manufacturing, grocery, and foodservice. Comparable to Shelby as a trade media outlet targeting food industry decision-makers with digital content.

Emerging players

• Store Brands: Trade publication focused on private label and store brand products in grocery retail. Partial overlap with Shelby's Private Label category coverage, with a more specialized buyer audience.
• The Produce News: Trade publication serving the fresh produce industry, including grocery produce buyers. Comparable to Shelby as a category-specific grocery trade media brand, narrower in scope.
• CSP Daily News (Winsight): B2B media outlet covering the convenience store industry, with overlap into grocery. Comparable to Shelby's C-Store coverage line, but more specialized in c-store retail.

Others

• Food Logistics: B2B publication covering the food supply chain, including cold chain, logistics, and distribution. Adjacent to Shelby's Supply Chain/Logistics coverage, serving a different but overlapping audience.
• Refrigerated & Frozen Foods: Trade media brand covering the refrigerated and frozen food sectors. Thematically adjacent to Shelby's Frozen and Center Store grocery coverage, serving suppliers and retailers.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/theshelbyreport
• Facebookfacebook.com/theshelbyreport
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/shelby-publishing
• Instagraminstagram.com/theshelbyreport

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about The Shelby Report