Category: Guest Contributors

Cultivating a new generation of leaders is key to the ongoing success of any business, and independent community grocers are certainly no exception. Innovative thinking and diverse perspectives that reflect a multifaceted consumer base are necessary to meet and exceed the dynamic expectations of the communities we serve. NGA is committed to career-enhancement initiatives through […]

Winston Churchill once said, “A politician needs the ability to foretell what is going to happen tomorrow, next week, next month and next year. And to have the ability afterwards to explain why it didn’t happen.” The same could very well be said of grocery market analysts. Who could have predicted a global pandemic, war […]

The period between Thanksgiving and New Year’s is one of the busiest times for grocers. The late fall and winter holidays bring a rush of shoppers eager to please family and friends at their seasonal gatherings. The traditional hectic holiday pace would be a whirlwind for grocers without the added pressures of inflation and supply […]

By the time most of you read this, the midterm elections will be over, most (if not all) races will be determined and the balance of power in Congress may be shifting.  Regardless of the midterm results and how the partisan winds shift, those in the U.S. House and Senate need to be aware of […]

I hear it all the time, “Eventually people have to come back to work, right?” Everywhere I go in the U.S. and other countries – as I talk to retailers, manufacturers, service providers and wholesalers – managers are wondering when workers will actually start working.  During the pandemic, millions of workers worldwide lost their jobs or […]

As NGA’s president and CEO, I’ve had the opportunity to travel the country to visit our members, tour their stores and learn firsthand about the challenges the grocers face in serving their communities. NGA makes a point of saying it’s an association of independent community grocers. We talk quite a lot about the independent part […]

The COVID-19 pandemic has been one of the most challenging business environments that independent community grocers have had to face – and it’s not over yet. The sudden shift in retail spending behavior during the second quarter of 2020 drove record supermarket sales. Grocers moved mountains to keep shelves stocked while contending with operational challenges, […]