The National Grocers Association honored the winners of its annual Creative Choice Awards at The NGA Show on Feb. 1 in Las Vegas, recognizing outstanding marketing and merchandising programs from independent grocery retailers across the country.
Houchens Food Group earned two national awards this year. The Bowling Green, Kentucky-based, 100-percent employee-owned company received the Unilever People Positive Award for its Above and Beyond program, a company-wide recognition initiative designed to celebrate associates who make a difference every day. Houchens also earned the Cheez-It Impact Award for its Add Milk! campaign, an initiative focused on improving access to nutritious options for families.
From the category winners, one Outstanding Marketer and one Outstanding Merchandiser were selected through voting.
Clark’s Market was voted Outstanding Marketer for its Clark’s Perks program. Facing seasonal slowdowns, Clark’s Market built an integrated loyalty initiative by blending rewards, community giveback and omnichannel marketing. The program generated more than 2,400 new loyalty members in six weeks and drove a 5 to 12 percent sales lift across stores.
Fareway received the Outstanding Merchandiser award for its Truly Yours private label brand. Designed to elevate the private label experience, Truly Yours features premium packaging, better-for-you attributes and trend-driven limited-time flavors. The launch drove trial, loyalty and excitement while maintaining brand value without discounting.
The Creative Choice Awards were presented during The NGA Show 2026, which opened Feb. 1 at the MGM Grand Conference Center in Las Vegas and runs through Feb. 3. The event brings together grocery retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and suppliers for three days of education, networking and product discovery, featuring more than 350 exhibitors and expanded educational programming.