Visa data shows cross-border transactions rose nearly 20 percent in World Cup host cities, with both dining and food merchants benefiting.
Category: National
Posted inAssociation News, Featured News, National, News, Store News
FMI Reveals 2026 Store Manager Award Winners
Four category winners – and the People’s Pick recipient from among them – were revealed during a live-streamed ceremony July 23.
Posted inGrocery Research, Center Store, Featured News, Marketing News, National, News
Acosta Tracker: Stock-Up Trip Costs $366, Up 27% From 2020
A typical grocery stock-up trip now costs more than $366, roughly 27 percent above a comparable 2020 basket, according to the inaugural Acosta Group Affordability Tracker released July 23. The Jacksonville, Florida-based firm measures affordability by comparing the cost of an 84-item basket of commonly purchased grocery and household essentials against median hourly earnings in […]
Posted inIndependent Store News, Association News, Featured News, National, News
NGA Foundation Creates New Award To Honor Industry Mentors
The new honor was created for independent grocery leaders who develop and promote the next generation of leaders.
Posted inGuest Contributors, National, News
Leadership: 3 Words More Important Than ‘I Love You’ …
The core leadership lesson here is that three simple words – “I appreciate you” – are more powerful and transformative than “I love you” when it comes to building trust, safety and performance in relationships and teams. In a 2026 grocery world shaped by tight margins, omnichannel shopping, AI tools and value‑seeking customers, making “I […]
Posted inNational, Association News, Feature, Finance News, Marketing News, News, West
Brand Builders, Investors Agree On What Separates Winning CPG Brands
Two panels, two very different rooms, but one message. At the CPG Convergence Conference, hosted June 25 by the Navigator Lighthouse Foundation and Mission Matters at Verizon’s 5G Labs in Playa Vista, California, a panel of brand strategists and a panel of investors took the stage hours apart. They never coordinated, but they arrived at […]
Posted inCorporate Store News, Albertsons, Center Store, Featured News, National, News, West
Albertsons ID Sales Down in Q1, Restructuring Operations
The changes are designed to speed decision-making, strengthen accountability and improve the customer experience, the Boise-based grocer said.
Posted inCorporate Store News, Featured News, National, News
Sprouts’ New Phoenix Flagship, 3 Others To Open By End Of July
Sprouts Farmers Market will open three stores on Friday, July 24 – a flagship location in Phoenix, a store in Buckeye, Arizona, and its newest Delaware store in Bear – followed by a fourth opening July 31 in Weatherford, Texas. Each store will hold a ribbon-cutting at 6:45 a.m. and open to the public at […]
Posted inGuest Contributors, National, News
Crossroads: Capital Investment – Building A Stronger Future
by Darryl Miller Founder | AislePoint Consulting Independent grocery retailers are operating in one of the most competitive environments in the history of food retail. Customers today have more choices, while retailers face increasing pressure from inflation, labor shortages, rising operating expenses, aging infrastructure and changing consumer expectations. In this environment, one reality has become […]
Posted inGrocery Research, Featured News, Meat/Seafood/Poultry, National, News
Survey: 55 Percent Of Consumers Are Buying Less Beef
Fifty-five percent of U.S. consumers are buying less beef or have stopped entirely amid rising prices, the New World screwworm outbreak and global trade disruptions, according to the 2026 Consumer Grocery and Protein Trends survey released July 21 by Blue Yonder. At the same time, one-third of consumers have increased their overall protein purchases in […]
Posted inProduce News, Association News, National, News
IFPA Calls For Stronger Traceability As Cyclospora Outbreak Grows
IFPA is calling for end-to-end traceability and stronger FDA food safety programs as the 2026 Cyclospora outbreak grows and a lettuce recall reaches retail shelves.
Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, National, News, West
Pacific Seafood, Ocean Beauty Seafoods Merge Distribution Businesses
Pacific Seafood and Ocean Beauty Seafoods have merged their distribution businesses, combining two family-owned seafood companies across six western facilities.
Posted inWholesaler/Distributor News, Association News, Featured News, National, News
All ROFDA Wholesalers Now Have Joint FMI Membership
Retailer Owned Food Distributors & Associates members Affiliated Foods, AG Northeast, Certco and Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distributing Company have joined the FMI – The Food Industry Association. With these additions, all of ROFDA’s current wholesaler members now are FMI members. Associated Food Stores, Associated Grocers Baton Rouge, Associated Wholesale Grocers, Brookshire Bros. and URM Stores […]
Posted inAssociation News, Featured News, Independent Store News, National, News
NGA Asks NJ Gov. To Amend Fair Price Protection Act Before Signing
The National Grocers Association is urging New Jersey Gov. Mikie Sherrill to make “targeted, common-sense changes” to the Fair Price Protection Act (A4085) before signing it into law. In a July 17 letter to Sherrill, NGA outlined revisions it says would preserve the bill’s consumer transparency goals while avoiding unintended consequences for independent grocers. The […]
Posted inGrocery Research, Featured News, National, News, Online Grocery Technology
Delivery Leads As Online Grocery Growing Again, Coresight Finds
Online grocery shopping returned to growth in 2026, with 56.3 percent of U.S. consumers purchasing groceries online in the past 12 months, up from 53.6 percent in 2025, according to Coresight Research‘s ninth annual US Online Grocery Survey. The increase reverses two consecutive years of decline, and 58.7 percent of respondents said they expect to […]
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Finance News, National
Logile Launches Enterprise Productivity Simulator For Retail Workforce Planning
Logile has launched its Enterprise Productivity Simulator, letting retailers model workforce and operational decisions across an entire chain before execution begins.
Posted inHealth & Wellness, Featured News, Grocery Research, National, News
Survey: Convenience Bigger Concern Than Health For U.S. Shoppers
For the first time in the 21-year history of the IFIC Food & Health Survey, convenience has overtaken healthfulness as a driver of what Americans put in their carts, according to new research from the International Food Information Council. Taste (88 percent) and price (78 percent) remain the top two factors shaping food and beverage […]
Posted inGrocery Research, Featured News, National, News
Bain: U.S. Grocery Slowdown Enters New Phase As Consumers Buy Fewer Items
The US grocery slowdown has entered a new phase of falling unit sales as stretched consumers buy fewer items, according to a Bain & Company and NielsenIQ analysis.
Posted inNews, Association News, National, Produce News
IFPA’s 20 Retail Produce Manager Award Winners Span U.S.
Honorees represent a range of retailers nationwide, all credited with connecting consumers to fresh fruits and vegetables.
Posted inOnline Grocery Technology, Featured News, National, News
Instacart Acquires Arpalus To Boost Shelf Intelligence
The computer vision company’s technology can turn a video scan of a store shelf into a real-time picture of inventory.