Retailer Owned Food Distributors & Associates (ROFDA) soon will open applications and registration for its fall 2026 conference, set for Nov. 3-7 at the Renaissance Esmeralda Resort in Indian Wells, California, part of the Palm Desert area. The announcement follows a sold-out spring event that drew record attendance, with ROFDA citing strong early demand for […]
Category: Association News
Posted inCenter Store, Association News, Featured News, National, News, West
Grocery Buyers To Emerging Brands: Come Ready And Be Willing To Listen
Editor’s note: The CPG Convergence Conference was dedicated to the memory of Navigator Lighthouse Foundation co-founder Allen Pierce, who died unexpectedly the week before the event. Read our remembrance here. Getting a product onto a grocery shelf is hard. Keeping it there is harder. That was the throughline as a group of Southern California retail […]
Posted inCenter Store, Association News, West
Remembering Allen Pierce, a Driving Force Behind the CPG Convergence Conference
PLAYA VISTA, Calif. — Allen McKnight Pierce, Jr., co-founder of the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation and a driving force behind the CPG Convergence Conference, died June 18, one week before the June 25 event. He never saw it come to life, but it did, filling the room with the founders, retailers and investors he had worked […]
Posted inAssociation News, Bakery News, Dairy News, Deli News, National, News
What Grocers Should Be Focusing On Post-IDDBA
The trends from IDDBA 2026 point to several opportunities for independent grocers from expanded offerings to permissible indulgence.
Posted inExecutive News, Association News, Frozen Food, National, News
AFFI Adds Blake As SVP Of Communications
The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) has named Carol Blake as SVP of communications, effective June 15. In this role, Blake will lead AFFI’s integrated communications strategy, including public affairs, media relations, stakeholder engagement, member communications, and brand positioning. Blake brings more than 30 years of public affairs experience to the position. She previously served […]
Posted inFinance News, Association News, Featured News, National, News
NGA Adds 2 VPs To Government, Finance Leadership Teams
The National Grocers Association (NGA) has appointed Macy Lemon as VP of state government affairs and Mark McLaughlin as VP of finance and administration. Macy Lemon Lemon will lead NGA’s state government affairs strategy, working with state legislatures, governors’ offices, coalitions and state partners to advance policies that support independent supermarkets and the communities they […]
Posted inAssociation News, Executive News, National, News
FMI Announces 5 Staff Promotions Across Key Business Areas
The promotions reflect FMI’s continued investment in the expertise and leadership needed to support its members and deliver greater value to the food industry.
Posted inAssociation News, Featured News, National, News
NGA Welcomes House Passage Of Main Street Competes Act
The National Grocers Association has welcomed House passage of the Main Street Competes Act, bipartisan legislation that would strengthen the Small Business Administration’s focus on promoting competitive markets, expanding consumer choice and supporting small business growth and ownership. According to a Congressional Research Service summary, the bill requires the Department of Justice and the Federal […]