Nominations are CLOSING SOON for Shelby Publishing’s Emerging Leaders awards program, which will recognize the next generation of leaders in the retail food industry – including retailers, wholesalers, distributors, suppliers/vendors and solutions providers. This awards program will also honor all leaders in diversity and inclusion under the human resources umbrella. Shelby will recognize all emerging […]
Category: National
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, National
Online Grocery Sales Total $8B, Flat Versus Last Year
The overall U.S. online grocery market ended March with total monthly sales of $8 billion, holding steady compared to a year ago, according to the most recent Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopper Survey, fielded March 29-30. These monthly results are an improvement over March 2023, when total monthly online sales had fallen 8 percent on a […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
IDDBA Speaker Lineup Includes Chip, Joanna Gaines
The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association (IDDBA) has announced Chip and Joanna Gaines will be a part of the speaker lineup for IDDBA 2024, which is set for June 9-11 in Houston. This year marks the 60th anniversary of the association, which makes IDDBA 2024 one of the biggest shows in its history. “Having Chip […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Corporate Store News, National
Report: Shoppers Blame Government For Higher Grocery Prices
New findings from national research by The Feedback Group reveal that shoppers hold government policies and actions most responsible for higher food and grocery prices at supermarkets. In the study, 1,150 consumers rated a variety of entities and factors on a five-point scale, where five is “highly responsible” and one “not at all responsible”, as […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Albertsons, National, The Kroger Co.
Insite AI Adds Industry Vets To Executive Advisory Council
Insite AI, an AI-enabled category and revenue growth partner for consumer brands, has selected five retail industry veterans to join the company’s executive advisory council. Each member has spent decades at leading retailers and brands, including Walmart, Sam’s Club and Albertsons, as well as top brands like Procter & Gamble, Nabisco and Clorox. The advisory […]
Posted inProduce News, National
FMI, IFPA Welcome WIC Food Package Updates
FMI – The Food Industry Association and the International Fresh Produce Association (IFPA) each welcomed provisions in the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) final rule updating package sizes and increasing fruits and vegetables in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC). FMI Chief Public Policy Officer and SVP of Government and […]
Posted inGrocery Store Equipment, National
LOC Software Introduces ThriVersA
LOC Software, with a history spanning 35 years in the retail technology industry, has launched ThriVersA, the newest evolution of its back-office and point of sale solutions. ThriVersA represents a new chapter in LOC Software’s journey, building on its foundation in LOC’s previous generation product, Store Management Suite (SMS). The name highlights LOC Software’s mission of […]
Posted inPackaging News, National, Sustainability News
Coca‑Cola Co. Debuts Lightweight PET Bottle Designs
As part of a commitment to create a circular economy for its packaging, The Coca‑Cola Co. is rolling out redesigned, lighter-weight PET bottles for its sparkling beverage portfolio across the U.S. and Canada this year. For the first time in a decade, 12-, 16.9- and 20-ounce bottles of Coca‑Cola, Sprite and Fanta – as well […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
De-Escalation Best Practices For Grocers
Ensuring the safety of customers and associates is a primary concern for grocery retailers. From retail theft to active shooters, it’s essential that grocery operators have procedures in place for dealing with potentially harmful scenarios. NGA hosted a recent webinar to help grocers identify and navigate concerning behavior, suspicious activity or potentially escalating situations in […]
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor News, National
Unilever Advances Decarbonization Project At 4 Factories
Unilever’s decarbonization project to significantly reduce carbon emissions at its ice cream business group’s four U.S. factories has been selected by the U.S. Department of Energy for award negotiations of up to $20.9 million of support. The proposed project would cut 14,000 metric tons of carbon emissions per year, a major step in moving toward […]
Posted inSnacks Brands, Association News, National
NCA Calls For FDA Action On Proposed Food Additive Bans
The National Confectioners Association is taking a stand against a rash of pending state-level proposals aimed at banning several FDA-approved food additives. There has been widespread media attention given to this topic, but there has been no accountability or fact-checking happening among legislators, non-governmental organizations, nonprofit advocacy groups, activists and members of the media. Unfortunately, […]
Posted inAssociation News, Merchandising News, National
FMI: Consumers View Value In Terms of Quality, Experience
Value is the name of the game for consumers today. Rick Stein, VP of fresh foods for FMI – The Food Industry Association, recently spoke about trends in fresh with The Griffin Report’s Maggie Kaeppel. Stein said FMI research shows that “value isn’t just what it used to be.” Instead of solely a price point, consumers […]
Posted inAssociation News, Executive News, National
FPSA Names Ott As Incoming President, CEO
The Food Production Solutions Association (FPSA) has hired Matthew R. Ott as its new president and CEO. This announcement was made by Brian Perkins, FPSA chair and president of Provisur Technologies, during the association’s Executive Exchange and Conference held in Indian Wells, California. As part of this announcement, Perkins shared, “The boards of both FPSA […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Corporate Store News, National, Wholesaler/Distributor News
Topco Shares Changes To Board, Operations Team
Topco Associates recently celebrated its 80th anniversary with its member-owners at its 2024 Annual Membership Conference. While at the conference, the cooperative announced its 2024-26 board of directors while also notifying the membership of changes taking place on its operations team. K-VA-T Food Stores Inc. President and CEO Steve Smith has been named Topco’s chairman of the board. […]
Posted inFrozen Food, Association News, National
FMI, AFFI Begin 2024 Frozen IQ Partnership
The American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and FMI – The Food Industry Association have begun a partnership on Frozen IQ, a convergence of industry leaders among food retail and manufacturing, with the goal of driving innovation, addressing a transformative regulatory environment and optimizing consumer engagement in the vital frozen food sector. According to the 2023 […]
Posted inAssociation News, Guest Contributors, National
Fly-in For Fair Competition Puts Face On Issues Important To Independents
An association is only as strong as its members. That’s why NGA is blessed to have members who are so generous with their time and effort that they put toward advocating for our industry in the halls of government. There is strength in numbers, and even with as many as we have, there’s always room […]
Posted inAsk The Experts, National, Produce News
The Future Of Retail Ripening
Sponsored content We all know the importance of having ripe bananas on display. They are the most visible, popular and profitable item in the produce department, if not the entire store and play a pivotal role in customer satisfaction and loyalty. That’s why nearly all of today’s leading grocery retailers have banana ripening rooms in […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
NGA Show Among Trade Show Executive’s Fastest 50
The NGA Show has been selected as a member of the Fastest 50 Class of 2023, which recognizes rapidly growing trade shows that took place in the U.S. last year, by trade show industry journal Trade Show Executive. The Fastest 50 are ranked in three categories: net square feet, exhibiting companies and total attendance. “This […]
Posted inExecutive News, Association News, National
NGA Welcomes Sar As Marketing Manager, Promotes Wengroff
The National Grocers Association has welcomed Caroline Sar as its manager of marketing and member engagement and has promoted Max Wengroff to senior manager of government relations. Sar joins the NGA communications team in the Washington, D.C., office. She brings experience as a project manager, operations analyst and digital marketing analyst. Her duties will include […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Marketing News, National
Instacart Introduces Developer Platform For Digital Experiences
Instacart has launched its Instacart Developer Platform, a publicly available API program which uses the company’s online grocery platform to supercharge third-party digital experiences across food, health, wellness and other spaces. Instacart Developer Platform will enable third parties to integrate the functionality of Instacart inside their websites and apps. Over time, it will unlock: Same-day […]