The NGA Foundation student case study competition brings students from across the country to the NGA Show where they present solutions to an issue currently impacting the independent grocery industry.
The program allows student teams to interact with an independent grocer and ground their education with real-life experience. Participants move through three rounds of judging from food industry professionals. The winners and their schools receive a cash prize.
Each year an independent retailer is selected as the subject of the competition, providing a budget and relevant details to aid in the students’ presentation.
Any four-year institution, university, academic institution, or affiliate organization which currently provides teaching or research focused on the food industry may compile a team for competition. School teams may have no more than four undergraduate students present the solution at the competition. Other students may assist with the research or development phases.
Schools will submit their intent to compete in January prior to the competition. Schools must also submit a current list of program faculty and board members. This will be used to determine potential conflict of interest when filling the judge rosters.
NGAF considers funding, room availability, and staff capacity when admitting school teams into the competition schedule.
Launch Webinar - TBD
School Intent to Compete form Due - Dec. 1, 2026
Final Slide Decks & executive summary due - Jan. 15, 2027
Competition schedule shared - Jan. 18, 2027
Competition at the NGA Show - Jan. 31- Feb. 2, 2027
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2027 Case Study Topic
Building Loyalty Beyond Transactions: Creating the Next Generation Customer Relationship
Featured Retail Partner
Case Study Background:
Big Y Foods is one of the largest independently owned supermarket chains in the Northeast, serving communities throughout Massachusetts and Connecticut. Founded in 1936 and still family-owned today, Big Y has built its reputation on exceptional customer service, community involvement, quality fresh foods, and a commitment to helping families live healthier, happier lives.
As competition for grocery shoppers intensifies, customers have more choices than ever when deciding where and how to shop. Traditional loyalty programs focused primarily on discounts and rewards points are becoming less effective as retailers seek new ways to create meaningful, long-term customer relationships…..
Past Case Study Topics
Year | Topic | Winning Team |
| 2025 | A Path to Sustainable Success | Arizona State University |
| 2024 | Maintaining a Competitive Edge | Cornell University |
| 2023 | Employee Recruitment & Retention | Auburn |
| 2022 | Navigating Omnichannel Sales for Today and in the Future | Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo |
| 2021 | Remaining Competitive under Covid-19 Economic & Supply Chain Challenges | Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo |
| 2020 | Communicating SNAP Point of Sale Incentives | Western Michigan University |
| 2019 | Hiring and retaining millennials or multicultural associates | Saint Joe’s University |
| 2018 | Inspiring healthy living among employees and shoppers | Saint Joe’s University |
| 2017 | How to attract millennial consumers | Saint Joe’s University & Western Michigan University |
| 2016 | What is a successful e-commerce model for a 4-store independent? | Saint Joe’s University |
| 2015 | What will be the next generation of retail circulars? | Western Michigan University |
| 2014 | Address the challenges and opportunities “Local” offers independent grocers | Arizona State University |
| 2013 | Growing Market Share in a Mature Industry and Increasingly Competitive Environment | Saint Joe’s University |
Thank you to some of our previous Retail Partners
