For the fifth year, customers have let Aldi know which of the German discount grocer’s products are their favorite, as well as the grocery trends that are reshaping how they shop. “Our loyal shoppers are always vocal about their love for Aldi products and over 70,000 of them sang praises in the 2023 Aldi Fan […]
Category: National
Posted inAssociation News, National
NGA Student Case Study Competition: Leveraging Emerging Leaders
by Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director, Communications and External Affairs Employee recruitment and retention remains a top issue facing the independent retail industry. According to many industry and academic research studies, at least 58 percent of U.S. retailers said that over the past two years, they have experienced hiring challenges that have negatively impacted their […]
Posted in, National
ProducePay, Four Star Fruit Partner On Supply Chain Program
ProducePay and Four Star Fruit have launched the fresh produce industry’s first-of-its-kind direct-to-retail supply chain program. Using the ProducePay platform and Four Star Fruit’s expertise in table grapes, this initiative helps U.S. national retailers meet year-round demand for high quality fresh produce while also keeping prices stable for consumers. ProducePay believes the success of this industry-first […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
FMI Endorses Senate Legislation Banning SNAP Processing Fees
FMI – The Food Industry Association welcomed the introduction of the Ensuring Fee-Free Benefit Transactions Act (S. 2449) by Sens. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) and Peter Welch (D-VT), members of the Senate Agriculture Committee, to prevent the levying of processing and other related fees on grocers for purchases made with Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) […]
Posted inSnacks Brands, Feature, National
Mars Wrigley Using Insights, Innovation To Deliver For Consumers
Mars Wrigley is “consumer obsessed,” according to Mike Gilroy, VP of trade development and sponsorship. The company is “all about the consumer and delivering value and quality to the consumer.” Gilroy said if the 100-plus-year-old company is going to continue to be successful, it needs to “continue to listen to what the consumer is telling […]
Posted inAssociation News, Albertsons, National
NGA Pleased With Proposed Merger Guidelines On Buyer Power
The Federal Trade Commission and Department of Justice has released a much-anticipated proposed update to merger enforcement guidelines that marks a significant shift to incorporate concerns the NGA has raised with federal enforcers. The proposed draft rewrites merger enforcement standards to include new considerations for those that enhance buyer power. Specifically, one of the 13 proposed […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, National
Report: Strategic Fulfillment Can Drive Digital Profitability
Recent research by Incisiv, conducted in collaboration with FMI – The Food Industry Association and in partnership with RELEX, highlights the importance of strategic fulfillment in achieving digital profitability. With 69 percent of grocery sales in 2023 being digitally influenced, the grocery shopping experience has become firmly omnichannel. However, despite this boom, profitability […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, National
June Online Grocery Sales Slip From Last Year
The U.S. online grocery market finished June with $7.1 billion in total sales, down 1.2 percent compared to last year’s $7.2 billion, according to the latest monthly Brick Meets Click/Mercatus Grocery Shopping Survey. Although more households bought groceries online in June than last year, these users completed fewer orders during the month and average order […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
NGA Encouraged By Bipartisan Focus On Grocery Competition
The National Grocers Association welcomed bipartisan discussion on competition policy and the bottom-line impact on independent grocers during a recent House Judiciary Committee hearing. When Federal Trade Commissioner Chair Lina Khan testified July 13 during an oversight hearing before the House Judiciary Committee, key Republicans and Democrats found some common ground in their lines of […]
Posted inMarketing News, National
C.A. Fortune Boosts West Coast Presence With Navigator Sales & Marketing
C.A. Fortune, a consumer brands agency headquartered in Chicago, has announced the addition of Navigator Sales & Marketing to enhance its West Coast customer connectivity and retail activation capabilities. Founded in 2012, Navigator Sales & Marketing is a regional sales and marketing agency based in Southern California. The transaction closed July 17. Navigator has aimed to […]
Posted inSnacks Brands, Feature, National, Northeast
The Hershey Company Investing In Innovation
The Hershey Company has been building a “snacking powerhouse” over the last few years, featuring both sweet and salty options, and innovation will continue to be a focus for the company in 2024. Allison Mason, Hershey’s strategic communications manager, talked with The Griffin Report of the Northeast’s Maggie Kaeppel during the recent Sweets & Snacks […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, National
Research Reveals Changes In Online Shopper Behavior
Palo Alto, California-based SymphonyAI Retail CPG has released new global shopper research that highlights a rapid decline in online grocery shopping behavior. The analysis of more than 58 million shopper baskets of purchase data across the U.S. and Europe found that 52 percent of e-commerce grocery shoppers left the online channel over the last year. […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
Foundation Awareness Week Highlights NGAF’s Offerings
As part of Foundation Awareness Week, the National Grocers Association Foundation highlighted its initiatives to advance diversity, leadership development and careers in the independent grocery industry. The campaign July 10-14 focused on a different pillar of foundation priorities each day, with targeted content shared though member communications and social media posts, including testimonials by key […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
NGA Honors DeMarco With Spirit Of America Award
The National Grocers Association has presented Paul DeMarco with its Spirit of America Award, recognizing his commitment to the independent grocery industry. DeMarco, general counsel to the Alabama Grocers Association and a former member of the Alabama House of Representatives, received the award July 11 during AGA’s annual show at the Sandestin Golf and Beach […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
Accepting Medicare Advantage Healthy Benefit Cards: Payment Technology Considerations For Independent Grocers
by Ted Mason / Retail Technology Consultant Medicare Advantage healthy benefit cards offer a convenient way for eligible individuals to access their healthcare benefits, such as monthly allotments for the purchase of groceries and health-related products. More than 30 million Americans are now enrolled in Medicare Advantage programs, and at least 5 million participants are […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
The Evolving Landscape Of SNAP
by Pat Jones / Project Coordinator, NGAF TA Center The National Grocers Association Foundation Technical Assistance Center (NGAF TA Center) and the SNAP EBT Modernization Technical Assistance Center (SEMTAC, also administered by the NGA Foundation), partnered with Miriam Seidel, a food systems and nutrition expert, to host a recent webinar, “The Evolving Landscape of SNAP.” […]
Posted inPackaging News, National
Resource Label Group Acquires TQL Packaging Solutions
Franklin, Tennessee-based Resource Label Group LLC, a full-service provider of label and packaging solutions, has acquired Dallas, Texas-based TQL Packaging Solutions. “I am proud to welcome the talented team at TQL Packaging Solutions to the Resource Label Group family,” Mike Apperson, president and CEO of Resource Label Group, said in a statement. “Their focus on innovation […]
Posted inAssociation News, Feature, National
FMI Report: Firms Investing To Future-Proof Business
How are food retailers and suppliers reacting to inflation, as well as a myriad other challenges in this post-pandemic era? FMI–The Food Industry Association’s 74th annual The Food Retailing Industry Speaks report looks at what’s happening in the industry to better understand the issues, challenges and goals of its member companies in the industry as […]
Posted inMarketing News, Merchandising News, National
Study: Regional Grocers Face Mounting Online Competition From Walmart
New research from Mercatus illustrates how much Walmart will continue to challenge regional grocers’ e-grocery business. The retail giant enjoys on average a 15 percent price advantage online based on a large basket of groceries in the U.S. In addition, Walmart relies little on service fees to support the cost of pickup operations, and it […]
Posted inPackaging News, National
Imperial Dade Acquires Atlantis Packaging
Imperial Dade, a Jersey City, New Jersey-based distributor of foodservice packaging and janitorial supplies, has announced the acquisition of Chino, California-based Atlantis Packaging. The transaction is the 67th for Imperial Dade under the leadership of Chairman Robert Tillis and CEO Jason Tillis. Financial terms of the private transaction were not disclosed. Owned and operated by Eric Rodriguez, […]