The Independent Grocers Alliance has entered into an agreement to acquire the management consulting service, What Brands Want. As part of that acquisition, owner Michael La Kier will lead IGA’s Red Oval partner relationships as VP of brand development. “After building What Brands Want for the past 10 years, I’m excited for the next phase of […]
Category: National
Posted inMeat/Seafood/Poultry, National
Inflation Pulls January Meat Dollars Below Year Ago Levels
To understand market impact, IRI, 210 Analytics and Hillphoenix have shared a new monthly update to understand the latest meat department trends. The average price per pound in the meat department across all cuts and kinds, both fixed and random weight, stood at $4.49 in January. Prices only increased slightly year-on-year, at 2.6 percent, continuing […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
Expo Hall Opened With Over 300 Exhibitors At 2023 NGA Show
The 2023 NGA Show, the premier tradeshow for the independent supermarket industry, opened Day 2 on Feb. 27 with more than 300 exhibitors and sponsors showcasing products and services in the expo hall at the Caesars Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas. With more than 40 educational sessions and over 100 speakers discussing the most […]
Posted inAsk The Experts, Bakery News, Home Page Latest News, National
Why Brands Are Driving Bakery In 2023
Sponsored content As U.S. shoppers battle inflation, value for money is paramount for retailers competing for custom in a market fiercer than ever before. We sat down with Neil Pittman, director of sales USA for St Pierre Bakery, to talk about why today’s challenges create opportunity for brands able to help retailers balance demand for […]
Posted inAssociation News, Bakery News, Dairy News, Deli News, National
Haaf Named President, CEO Of IDDBA
The International Dairy Deli Bakery Association’s executive committee has appointed David Haaf as its new president and CEO. Haaf brings more than 30 years of retail food service and culinary experience to the association. His most recent position was VP of foodservice and Starbucks operations for Abingdon, Virginia-based K-VA-T Food Stores Inc. “After a nationwide […]
Posted inExceptional Independents, Home Page Latest News, National
Shelby Publishing Honors EIA Recipients During Reception
The 81 recipients of Shelby Publishing’s inaugural Exceptional Independents Awards were recognized Feb. 27 during a reception at the Caesars Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas. Most of the honorees attended in person. Joined by friends and family, they formed a festive crowd that filled the Thought Leadership Theater on the show floor. In her […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
Karli West of Macey’s Crowned Best Bagger Champion At 2023 NGA Show
The National Grocers Association, the trade association representing the independent grocery industry, presented a $10,000 cash prize to Karli West of Macey’s in Utah after being crowned the winner Monday night of the annual Best Bagger Championship. The contest, sponsored by PepsiCo, was held on the second day of The NGA Show, which brings together independent retailers and […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
Isom IGA Owner Christon Honored As WGA Woman Of The Year
Women Grocers of America presented its Woman of the Year Award to Gwen Christon, owner and operator of Isom IGA in Isom, Kentucky. Presented Feb. 27 during the 2023 NGA Show in Las Vegas, the award is given annually to a female grocer who displays strong leadership, a passion for the grocery industry and a commitment […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
NGA, RangeMe Partner To Streamline Product Discovery
The National Grocers Association has partnered with online product discovery platform RangeMe to help independent grocers discover brands and products that are not distributed at national chains. RangeMe has launched a special collection of suppliers, called The NGA Collection of Emerging Brands, that will showcase thousands of suppliers of food and beverage, health and beauty […]
Posted inFeature, National
Mercatus Offers E-Commerce Innovation For Grocery Retailers
Executive: Company’s approach ‘really is a focus on customer service and support’ Research from Mercatus, a provider of digital commerce solutions for grocery retail, has shown that interest in online shopping has declined since the height of COVID-19, although it’s still higher than pre-pandemic levels. Conversely, December saw the second highest monthly total for online […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
The NGA Show Welcomes Independent Grocers To Conference
With attendee registrations exceeding the pre-pandemic 2020 event, the 2023 NGA Show opened Feb. 26, offering about 60 educational sessions and workshops presented by more than 150 speakers during the three-day conference at the Caesars Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas. “A huge thank you goes out to the members of our show planning committee, […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
Brindle, Strack Honored At NGA Show
Ideal Market receives community service award The National Grocers Association, the trade association representing the independent grocery industry, recognized Rick Brindle and Jeff Strack with two of its highest honors at the NGA Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. Ideal Market also was presented with the Peter J. Larkin Community Service Award. Brindle, an NGA board […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
Speaker To WGA: Purpose Can Lead To Transformative Growth
‘People don’t buy what you do, they buy why you do it’ Katie Sandoe encourages grocery executives – or leaders in almost any industry, for that matter – to find their purpose. “Because when you can do that, you attract employees, you retain them and you can get more out of them,” she said. “We […]
Posted inProduce News, National, Organic Natural
OPN Shares ‘State of Organic Produce’ Report
The performance of organic produce categories ranged widely last year, according to the “State of Organic Produce 2022,” a report released Feb. 22 by the Organic Produce Network. The 72-page report provides an overall view of organic produce retail performance in 2022, as well as insights into the top 20 organic produce categories. While total organic […]
Posted inFrozen Food, Association News, National
NFRA Encourages March Frozen Food Month Celebrations
2023 marks the National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association’s 40th celebration of March Frozen Food Month. Murray Lender, founder of Lender’s Bagels, developed the first promotion in 1984 as an initiative to increase frozen food sales. The promotion is now nationally recognized and promotes the benefits and importance of engaging shoppers and encouraging the purchase of […]
Posted inAssociation News, National
NGA Asks White House To Address Lack Of Health Benefits
The National Grocers Association sent a letter to White House officials asking for a convening of stakeholders to address the exclusion of independent grocers and their customers from important health benefit programs funded by health insurance plans. The letter states, “Private health plans, including Medicare Advantage health plans, are increasingly issuing supplemental health benefit cards […]
Posted inAldi, Corporate Store News, National, Supply Chain News
Aldi Expands Grocery Delivery Services With DoorDash
Aldi has announced a new partnership with DoorDash to bring on-demand grocery delivery to almost all Aldi locations across 38 states. With the addition of Aldi, more than 98 percent of DoorDash’s monthly consumers in the U.S. have access to a non-restaurant store on the platform. “By partnering with DoorDash, we can conveniently bring our award-winning, […]
Posted inFeature, Amazon Fresh, National, Whole Foods
XRC Labs Investing In Future Of Grocery
XRC Labs – Accelerated Retail and Consumer Labs – is a venture capital firm and accelerator for the next generation of disruptors in the retail technology, consumer goods and consumerization of healthcare sectors. XRC has three types of funds with different stages and company type priorities, but all are consumer retail related. Al Sambar, general partner, […]
Posted inMerchandising News, National
Product Of The Year USA Names Award Recipients
Product of the Year USA, a consumer-voted awards program centered around product innovation, has announced the winners of the 2023 Product of the Year Awards. The Product of the Year seal is a mark that allows shoppers to identify the top trendsetting products on the market, voted on by 40,000 fellow consumers, while also serving as […]
Posted inFeature, National
Invafresh Offers Technology To Manage Fresh Perimeter
Vancouver, Canada-based Invafresh offers item management technology for the fresh food retail industry. According to Steve Midgley, VP of Invafresh, while e-commerce and the omnichannel approach is here to stay, consumers are “more picky” when it comes to fresh items in the grocery store. “What one person may consider to be a ripe avocado might […]