The deadline for USDA’s “Strengthening Organic Enforcement” (SOE) final rule is barely a month away. More robust recordkeeping, audits and traceability of organic certifications will be required of more businesses throughout the food supply. The National Grocers Association, as part of its traceability partnership with ReposiTrak, hosted a recent webinar that explained what the rule […]
Category: Guest Contributors
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
Education Will Drive Your Experience At 2024 NGA Show
For many independent grocers, the NGA Show is a beacon. It’s a signal that spring is almost here, after an exhausting holiday selling season and many dreary weeks of winter. The show is a chance to work on your business, and it’s also an opportunity to recharge and get inspired by the many expert-driven educational […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Association News, Guest Contributors, National
Post-Pandemic Holiday Presents Opportunity For Independent Grocers
Humans are social animals. As a species, we crave interaction with others. And the absence of connection is so emotionally crippling, we use solitary confinement as a severe criminal punishment. Children born in isolation fail to develop emotionally and physically and often are so scared they can never integrate into society as adults. And primates […]
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
By The Numbers, An Advocacy Review And Policy Outlook For Independent Grocers
With an election on the horizon in which the White House and control of Congress are on the line, 2024 is shaping up to be an interesting year. Pending legislation and regulatory changes in the coming year are sure to influence business operations, supply chain management and consumer expectations – and indeed, they’re influencing NGA’s […]
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
Success May Lie Outside Your Comfort Zone – Find Out At NGA Show
I’ve said many times that the events hosted by the National Grocers Association are opportunities to take time away from your business – as busy as I know you all to be – in order to spend some time working on your business. But perhaps it’s also an opportunity to step outside your comfort zone […]
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
Truly Inspirational: BIPOC Independent Grocers Virtual Roundtable
By Chelsea Matzen / VP, NGA Foundation Diversity and inclusion is one of the NGA Foundation’s five programmatic pillars and one that will be important to the long-term success of the independent grocery industry. For an industry that can boast its position at the heart of the community, its reflection of that community – through […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Association News, National
Help Consumers Better Understand Grocery Business, Full Impact Of Inflation
Independent grocers are more in tune than most businesses with the communities they serve. Grocers see folks every week – sometimes every day – to help them with their families’ needs. Grocers engage, communicate and commiserate, offering ideas and solutions amid challenging economic times. So, it may come as a surprise that, according to recent […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Association News, National
Reality Of U.S. Economy – Inflation, Stagflation, Disinflation, Economic Pessimism
How’s that for a headline? Or better yet, how’s that for a description of the current economic situation in the U.S.? Confused? You are in good company. American consumers may not know one “-flation” phase from the next. But they don’t have to be economists to know that the economy seems to be a lot […]
Posted inAssociation News, Amazon Fresh, Guest Contributors, National, Whole Foods
What Grocers Need To Know About Omnichannel For 2024
With year-over-year online channel sales up 17 percent and vastly outpacing in-store growth, understanding omnichannel shopper behavior is vital for retailers of all sizes. As independent grocers, how can you better understand today’s omni shoppers? In a recent webinar hosted by the National Grocers Association, experts from Nielsen IQ offered valuable insights along with a […]
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
5 Questions For Daniel Nazario
The regional vice president for wholesale at Kellanova shares his thoughts about the state of the industry for independent grocers and his outlook for the coming months. Challenges of the past year continue to linger into 2023, and despite a gradual easing of inflation, operators as well as consumers are still feeling the pressure. What […]
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
Consumers Deserve Hassle-Free Healthy Benefits At All Grocery Stores
Imagine for a moment seeing some neighbors shopping for groceries. Their cart is filled with all the products they need to prepare meals for their family during the coming week. Up at the check stand, they unload their cart and the checker rings them up. Then they present a payment card that promised to cover […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Association News, Independent Store News, National
Retailer Perspective On The Economic Outlook For Independent Grocers
Record inflation has been putting pressure on independent grocers as well as their customers, stretching folks’ spending power and retailers’ ability to deliver value. There are signs that things are easing up, but is anyone feeling it yet? The National Grocers Association hosted a recent webinar exploring current economic conditions driving the marketplace, what independent […]
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
At NGA’s Executive Conference, Future Belongs To Independent Grocers
The COVID-19 pandemic threw the nation for a loop, dropping us all into a new world that’s still reeling from record inflation, supply chain pressures, political turmoil and global conflict. Through it all, independent grocers have delivered sustenance, stability and support to their communities. As the post-pandemic landscape unfolds, NGA continues to offer guidance to […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Association News, Guest Contributors, National
Exploring How Retail Grocery Can Tap Into Coming Benefits Of AI
Remember when the buzz was all about category management? E-commerce? Block chain? Big data? Well, the new chatter is all about artificial intelligence, or AI. But this time the breakthrough tech is traveling through everything – business, consumers, governments and even artists. Unlike those other transformative technology waves, AI is something we can experience and […]
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
New Fees, Restrictions On SNAP Would Stifle Efforts To Help Food Insecure
The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, commonly known as SNAP, is a public-private program that works as it was designed – to help feed the food insecure. And in many rural and urban areas, where independent community grocers often are the only convenient source of fresh groceries and other essential goods, SNAP has been an effective […]
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
Celebrating Foundation Awareness Week Means Recognizing Impact Of Our Industry
The support upon which something rests. Justification or reason. An underlying basis or principle. These are among the dictionary definitions of “foundation.” And they’re all appropriate descriptions for the NGA Foundation, the nonprofit arm of the National Grocers Association that supports recruiting, retention and leadership development efforts for the future of the independent community grocer. […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Association News, National
FMI Leader Lays Out Six Imperatives Facing The Food Industry Today
By Janet Jones Kendall, FMI Smartbrief After the pandemic forced years of shortened vision and focus on constantly changing issues within the food and other industries, it is now time for leaders to focus on bigger-picture issues facing the industry today, said FMI — The Food Industry Association — President and CEO Leslie G. Sarasin in a State […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Association News, National
Inflation, Recession, Obsession – How Retailers Can Navigate An Unpredictable Market
Were you a math kid or a reading kid? Right brain or left? As retailers, manufacturers, wholesalers and technology partners, we clearly need a hearty dose of right brain creativity to be successful in the grocery business. Just as important, we also need some good math chops. We wouldn’t survive long if we couldn’t count […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Association News, National
Never Too Busy To Make Time For Boosting Store Operations
It’s no secret that being an independent community grocer is hard work. Grocers aren’t strangers to long days on the job, fulfilling their commitment to ensure customers are not just satisfied but surprised and delighted every time they visit. As such, opportunities to spend time away from the store can be few and far between. […]
Posted inThe Kroger Co., Albertsons, Association News, Guest Contributors, National
Exploring Possible Deal Thesis Behind Proposed Albertsons/Kroger Merger
I’ve been asked a lot lately about the Albertsons/Kroger merger and what it means for our industry. Every time I think, “What is the deal thesis behind the merger? What can they do together they can’t already do separately?” For example, would combining them save a bunch of costs? They won’t need two CFOs or […]