Costco emerged atop 5WPR’s 2026 U.S. Grocery Retail AI Visibility Index, the first to rank U.S. grocers by how frequently they are cited inside artificial intelligence-generated answers. The warehouse club retailer was cited most often when American shoppers ask ChatGPT, Claude, Perplexity or Google AI Overviews where to buy their groceries. Trader Joe’s ranked second, […]
Category: National
Posted inFinance News, Featured News, Grocery Research, National, News
Upside Report Reveals A Growing Income Divide In Consumer Spending
Upside’s new report “The Income Divide” reveals that high- and low-income consumers are making fundamentally different decisions about where and how much to spend. The findings, drawn from more than 10 billion transactions and surveys of 3,500-plus shoppers, show consumer behavior splits sharply at $75,000 in household income. Above that threshold, consumers report increased spending […]
Posted inOrganic Natural, Featured News, National, News
Independent Natural Food Co-op INFRA Tops 400 Members
The Independent Natural Food Retailers Association (INFRA) has surpassed 400 member stores in more than 650 communities nationwide. In addition, the association reached $3.4 billion in representative sales in 2025 and continues to lead the natural channel in dollar sales growth, at 8 percent year over year from 2024-25. Pat Sheridan, INFRA president and CEO, […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, Featured News, National, News
Leadership: Be The Leader People Want To Work For
People do not follow titles for long. They follow credibility. They follow consistency. They follow leaders whose behavior makes trust possible. In an age when culture is tested daily, the enduring leadership principle is surprisingly simple: do your job, live your values, and give people something worth following. There is a leadership lesson that never […]
Posted inAssociation News, Featured News, National, News
NGA Welcomes USDA’s Final SNAP Stocking Standards
The National Grocers Association (NGA) released a statement welcoming the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s final stocking standards for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program. Stephanie Johnson, NGA head of government affairs, emphasized the role of independent grocers in delivering nutritious food access across the country. “[The standards] reinforce the importance of access to a broad range […]
Posted inExecutive News, Ahold Delhaize, Corporate Store News, National, News
Ahold Delhaize Names Garnier As CEO Nominee, Muller To Retire In 2027
Ahold Delhaize has nominated Thierry Garnier for appointment as a member of the management board and to serve as president and CEO. Garnier is expected to succeed Frans Muller around the Annual General Meeting of Shareholders in April 2027. Muller will retire after leading the company since July 2018. The appointment is subject to shareholder […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Corporate Store News, Featured News, National, News
Grocers Roll Out Mother’s Day Specials, Events, Savings
Mother’s Day is shaping up to be one of the biggest shopping moments of the year for the grocery industry. According to Instacart data, Mother’s Day was the No. 1 day for gift orders on its platform in 2025, with customers placing gift orders 18 times more often than average — enough to edge out […]
Posted inExecutive News, Featured News, National, News, Private Label Brands
Ahold Delhaize USA Names Cook SVP Of Own Brands
Ahold Delhaize USA has appointed Abby Cook as SVP, Own Brands In the role, Cook will lead the company’s Own Brands portfolio, overseeing strategy, innovation and execution to drive growth and differentiation across the U.S. businesses. She will report to Chief Commercial and Digital Officer Keith Nicks. Growing Together component Own Brands are a critical […]
Posted inInternational Foods, C&S Wholesale Grocers, Featured News, National, News, Private Label Brands
C&S Wholesale Grocers Introduces Sol Select Private Label Brand
C&S Wholesale Grocers LLC has launched a new Hispanic private label brand, Sol Select, that includes more than 250 frozen, center store, household and dairy products. The collection is C&S’s latest offering in its OurBrands portfolio, which also includes Best Yet and Our Family. “Sol Select is the perfect addition to C&S’s private label portfolio – […]
Posted inGrocery Research, Featured News, National, News
Whole Foods Leads Newsweek’s Most Trustworthy Grocery Companies List
Newsweek released its 2026 Most Trustworthy Companies in America rankings, with Whole Foods Market topping the grocery and convenience store category, followed by The Kroger Co. at second. The list recognizes 31 grocery and convenience store operators across the country and reflects a mix of national chains, regional players and independent operators that have built […]
Posted inProduce News, Association News, National, News
IFPA Names Second Cohort For Packaging Innovation Program
The International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) and The Foundation for Fresh Produce have announced the second cohort of the Packaging Innovation Program, which includes seven companies developing packaging technologies for U.S. specialty crop exports. Powered by a $5 million investment from the U.S. Department of Agriculture Foreign Agricultural Service, the program is being implemented in partnership […]
Posted inExecutive News, Association News, National, News
NGA Promotes Johnson, Strange To Senior Leadership Roles
The National Grocers Association (NGA) has promoted Stephanie Johnson and Laura Strange to new senior leadership roles, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to advancing its advocacy, communications and government affairs strategy. Johnson has been named SVP, head of government affairs, while Strange has been appointed chief public affairs and advocacy officer, expanding her previous role as […]
Posted inMarketing News, Featured News, National, News
Dear Marketers: There’s No ‘Average’ Grocery Shopper Today
These days, there is no such thing as the average grocery shopper. That’s according to three research reports released April 30 by media agency Schaefer that separate shoppers into social-first, TV-first and streaming-first food and beverage buyers. “These three categories of buyers are not a spectrum. They are three structurally different advertising problems, each one […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Ahold Delhaize, Featured News, National, News
Ahold Delhaize USA Expands Grocery Delivery With Uber Eats
Ahold Delhaize USA has expanded its partnership with Uber Eats to bring enhanced on-demand grocery delivery to customers in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic, with nearly 2,000 stores now available on the marketplace. The stores are operated by Food Lion, Giant Food, The Giant Co. – encompassing Giant and Martin’s – Hannaford and Stop & Shop. […]
Posted inAssociation News, Featured News, National, News
NGA, FMI Welcome House Passage Of Farm Bill
The National Grocers Association and FMI – The Food Industry Association welcomed the U.S. House of Representatives’ passage of the Farm Bill, with both organizations citing provisions that protect retailers from fees and expand access to nutritious food. The bill includes a permanent ban on EBT processing fees for retailers, makes the SNAP online purchasing […]
Expert Article
Performance Driven And The Power Of One
Q&A with Jill Blanchard, President of OSMG What has “national coverage” traditionally meant for grocery brands? This can mean different things depending on the size and distribution of a brand. If you’re an emerging brand, national coverage is viewed as getting that initial distribution and then having the ability to scale that nationally. Typically national […]
Posted inFinance News, Featured News, Grocery Research, National, News
Ibotta Outlook: Shoppers Reallocate Spend Heading Into Summer 2026
A new 2026 Summer Outlook from Ibotta finds that the summer shopping season is starting weeks before Memorial Day, with shoppers reallocating spend away from convenience and discretionary categories toward staples and at-home consumption. The report draws on Ibotta receipt data across millions of purchases, supplemented by a survey of 500 consumers about their plans […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Association News, National, News
FMI Condemns Federal Regulatory Action On State Swipe Fee Reform
FMI – The Food Industry Association condemned action April 24 by the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency, banking regulators under the U.S. Treasury Department, to issue two interim final rules that override Illinois swipe fee reform and prohibit other states from enacting similar measures. Leslie G. Sarasin, FMI president and CEO, framed the […]
Posted inExecutive News, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Featured News, National, News
Breez AI Appoints Former AWG CEO Smith Board Chairman
Breez AI Corp., a white-label artificial intelligence platform powering personalized grocery experiences for regional and independent retailers, has appointed David Smith, former president and CEO of Associated Wholesale Grocers, as chairman of its board of directors. The appointment comes as Breez AI has moved from pilot into commercial scale, with the company’s consumer-facing assistant now […]
Posted inAssociation News, Featured News, National, News
NGA Urges Congress To Reject New SNAP Restrictions In Farm Bill
The National Grocers Association (NGA) joined a coalition of leading retail associations April 28 in opposing any amendment to the Farm, Food, and National Security Act of 2026 that would impose new federal restrictions on foods eligible for purchase under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). In a letter sent to congressional leaders, NGA – […]