Feb 29, 2024
By Stephanie Johnson, NGA VP of Government Relations A February 29 commentary published by the American Enterprise Institute offers up a four-point argument claiming industry groups are making false claims about a congressionally proposed pilot program restricting items that can be purchased under the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Author Angela Rachidi of the Center…
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Feb 26, 2024
By Jim Dudlicek / NGA Managing Editor and Content Strategist Have you ever considered how pest movement can impact food safety? We live in a world of movement, and food and food products are no exception, traveling along channels of production, processing, packaging and distribution. Food and ingredients can move thousands of miles from their…
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Feb 12, 2024
By Jim Dudlicek / NGA Managing Editor and Content Strategist Consumers have more choices and information than ever before when it comes to making food purchase decisions that meet their needs and the needs of their families. The retailers who win with these shoppers deliver assortment and service that better meets their needs. Independent retailers…
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Jan 31, 2024
Kansas City barbecue or San Francisco sourdough? This year’s Super Bowl offers an opportunity to feature them both in your store – along with all the other game day favorites as your customers shop in preparation for enjoying the Chiefs-49ers matchup on Sunday, Feb. 11. Three in five consumers plan to watch Super Bowl LVIII,…
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Jan 18, 2024
By Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director, Communications and External Affairs With a labor-friendly National Labor Relations Board in 2024, now is the time for all grocers to stay up to speed on the changes in union rules and labor department regulations, and what they should be doing to train their managers and supervisors on the…
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Dec 21, 2023
By Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director, Communications and External Affairs Christmas is just a few days away and anyone who works in grocery has been crazy busy for weeks now. But with the big day bearing down, the folks at market tracker Numerator this week reminded us who’s buying what this holiday season. There’s good…
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Dec 18, 2023
By Max Wengroff / NGA Manager, Government Relations and Membership This has been a busy year for NGA’s Government Relations team in Washington. We faced a torrent of new regulations from the Biden administration and, despite Congressional chaos, we managed to put some points on the board. We have faced both success and headwinds on…
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Dec 4, 2023
By Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director, Communications and External Affairs NGA, FMI and other association partners have been working together as the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) issues regulations to implement certain provisions of the American Innovation and Manufacturing (AIM) Act. In October 2023, the EPA released the Phasedown of Hydrofluorocarbons: Restrictions on the Use…
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Nov 27, 2023
By Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director, Communications and External Affairs Pending legislation and changes in public policy in the coming year are sure to influence business operations, supply chain management and consumer expectations. In an election year with the White House and control of Congress on the line, interesting times are on the way. In…
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Nov 22, 2023
By Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director, Communications and External Affairs Trying to predict the future is fraught with peril. Trying to say with certainty what the grocery industry will look like years from now – with economic, technological, social and other factors all playing a role – is darn near impossible. To be sure, at…
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Nov 15, 2023
By Chelsea Matzen / Vice President, NGA Foundation Diversity and inclusion is one of the NGA Foundation’s five programmatic pillars and one that will be important to the long-term success of the independent grocery industry. For an industry that can boast its position at the heart of the community, its reflection of that community –…
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Nov 14, 2023
By Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director of Communications and External Affairs As a grocery retailer, are you using artificial intelligence? You probably are and may not realize it. AI is already a part of many of the functions of e-commerce as well as other tech functions that many grocers are using. But what’s the next…
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Oct 16, 2023
By Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director, Communications and External Affairs The fall and winter holidays offer independent grocers an opportunity to leverage the spirit of the season to generate excitement among consumers and the community in their unique and exclusive offerings, as well as drive sales. Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa present opportunities for traditional…
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Oct 3, 2023
By Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director of Communications and External Affairs With year-over-year online channel sales up 17% and vastly outpacing in-store growth, understanding omnichannel shopper behavior is vital for retailers of all sizes. As independent grocers, how can you better understand today’s omni shoppers? In a recent webinar hosted by the National Grocers Association,…
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Sep 25, 2023
By Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director of Communications and External Affairs What trends should independent grocers be leveraging in Q4 to maximize sales and customer satisfaction? Fresh is always a winner, but there are plenty of other bright areas this season, ripe for opportunity throughout the store to give independents an edge with consumers planning…
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Sep 15, 2023
By Jim Dudlicek, NGA Director, Communications and External Affairs September is National Preparedness Month, and many parts of the country are used to being on high alert this time of year as hurricanes and other severe weather events threaten lives and property. While there’s no stopping Mother Nature, there are steps you can take not…
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Sep 8, 2023
By Max Wengroff, Manager of Government Relations & Membership From the anticompetitive tactics of power buyers to rising costs and credit card fees, independent grocers are facing myriad difficulties that impact their operations. To address this, NGA worked with members of Congress and NGA member companies to set up store tours throughout the month of…
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Sep 7, 2023
By Jim Dudlicek / NGA Director of Communications and External Affairs Inflation has dominated headlines and bottom lines over the past year, hurting volume and unit sales for independent grocers, Retailers dealt with increases in expenses much like their shoppers, but savvy margin and expense management resulted in net profits that remained above pre-pandemic levels.…
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Aug 29, 2023
By Josh Anderegg / NGAF TA Center Project Director I was honored to be on hand for the recent rollout of a nutrition incentive pilot program at two Tops Friendly Markets stores in the greater Buffalo, N.Y., area, the culmination of a nearly 3-year effort between the TA Center, Tops, project grantee Field & Fork…
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