Mar 26, 2020
By: Anne-Marie Roerink, President, 210 Analytics LLC Week ending March 8 saw a fast acceleration of meat sales in dollars, units and volume. As the number of school closures, social distancing guidelines and other COVID-19 related measures significantly sharpened the subsequent week, sales surged along with it. Thanks to the heroic efforts of everyone in…
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Mar 18, 2020
COVID-19: Lessons Learned from Italy By: Jonathan M. Downey, CAE, NGA Senior Vice President, Industry Relations As many in U.S have entered the “containment” phase which includes self-quarantines, social distancing, an increase in working from home and large group events cancellations, many industry thought leaders are looking to Italy for insights into what could be…
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Mar 13, 2020
Independent Grocers Helping to Ensure the Resilience of our Nation’s Food Supply Chain By: Greg Ferrara, NGA President & CEO Local, independent supermarkets are stepping up their efforts to support their communities during this time of need. During this COVID-19 public health emergency, supermarkets across the country are experiencing unprecedented demands throughout stores and…
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Jan 24, 2020
The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) recently launched an inquiry into Visa and Mastercard’s debit transaction routing processes, likely stemming from the effect that contactless and mobile payments have had on Durbin amendment compliance. This is the first time the FTC has raised questions about PIN debit routing since 2016 when Visa addressed how EMV debit network routing…
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Jan 21, 2020
By Tom Jackson, Tom Jackson Resources, Speaker/Facilitator/Coach 2020, it’s a new year and a new decade which lends itself to create big ambitions big goals and lots of priorities. But perhaps a more effective thing to do is to take a step back and ensure that we have mastered the basics. The grocery business does…
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Dec 6, 2019
By: Robert Yeakel, NGA Director of Government Relations Today, the Secure Payments Partnership – a coalition of payment stakeholders in which NGA is a founding member of – released a report conducted by Retail Payments Global Consulting which highlights a major flaw in the card payments industry. Entitled Payment Insecurity: How Visa and MasterCard use…
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Oct 24, 2019
With the 2020 NGA Show in sunny San Dieo quickly approaching, it’s time to start gearing up for the great events scheduled, including the Creative Choice Awards. The annual contest, presented by Kellogg’s and Unilever, recognizes the best marketing and merchandising programs in the grocery industry. One area in which supermarkets are strong marketers is…
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Oct 15, 2019
A recent report entitled The Power of Frozen by the American Frozen Food Institute (AFFI) and the Food Marketing Institute examines drivers for growth in frozen foods. The report features opportunities to help manufacturers and retailers further align innovative product offerings, merchandising, marketing and branding with how consumers, live, shop and cook. This comprehensive report…
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Sep 9, 2019
The 2020 NGA Show is headed back to sunny San Diego once again, and registration is now open for grocery retailers, wholesalers, food manufactures, and service providers. Each year, The NGA Show brings together independent retailers and wholesalers and other food industry executives to network, learn and engage with one another to share strategies and…
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Sep 3, 2019
Summer vacations have come to an end, children are off to school, and daily routines have become more rigid. Fall often serves as a reminder that change is around us, and here at the NGA change has been notable as Peter Larkin – only the second president and CEO of the organization – and mentor…
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Aug 30, 2019
With the NFL season only a few days away and college football already underway, shoppers will be stocking up on groceries for tailgating or watching a game at home. Fans are looking for quick, tasty, and healthy meals that will make their game day celebration a success. Here are some healthy recipes that can get…
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Aug 28, 2019
The NGA Foundation has once again announced this year’s round of scholarships that will be awarded to various students throughout the country that either work or have an interest in the supermarket industry. Preparing today’s students for the challenges of tomorrow is essential to ensuring the supermarket industry continues to prosper. These students represent the…
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Jul 25, 2019
Following the United Fresh Retail Produce Manager Awards announcement this spring, industry magazine Produce Retailer reached out to five industry veterans on the question of what makes a great produce manager. Produce Retailer spoke with Rob Ybarra, director of produce and floral for St. Cloud, Minn.-based Coborn’s; Jeff Cady, director of produce and floral for…
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Jul 12, 2019
Supermarkets are on the front lines of emergency response both in preparation for an impending disaster such as a hurricane, and as one of the primary operations that must be up and running for a community to be able to recover after a disaster strikes. Federal, state, and local governmental entities have partnered with local…
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May 24, 2019
As the President and CEO of Strack & Van Til, a family owned supermarket chain serving Northwest Indiana, I had the honor of hosting my newest U.S. Senator, Mike Braun, for a Congressional store tour in April. Having recently bought back the chain of grocery stores that my family helped found in 1959, I know…
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Apr 22, 2019
With the ever-changing landscape of grocery, independents must be nimble to not only survive, but to thrive. To aid store operators and their associates to better navigate the challenges facing our industry, NGA and the NGA Foundation have worked to create numerous opportunities to help independents stay one step ahead of the competition. As you…
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Mar 27, 2019
An issue dubbed as the “retail glitch” has been put back in the spotlight this month. The glitch resulted from a drafting error in the Tax Cuts and Jobs Act that caused the tax burden on a category of business investment called Qualified Improvement Property (QIP) to be increased. Because of this error, interior improvements…
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Mar 25, 2019
On Wednesday, March 20, Molly Pfaffenroth, NGA Director of Government Relations, advocated for independent grocers and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)-Education program to Congressional offices and the Administration. Joined by colleagues from The Food Trust, Feeding America, and Share Our Strength, Molly met with staff from Representative Dusty Johnson (R-SD), Ranking Member of the…
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Mar 22, 2019
Yesterday, Chris Jones, NGA’s VP of Government Relations & Counsel testified in a listening session at the USDA focused on Research, Education, and Economics programs. USDA hosted the listening session to give the public input on the Department’s work to implement the 2018 Farm Bill. The 2018 Farm Bill invested significantly more resources into…
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Mar 22, 2019
Earlier this week Chris Jones, NGA’s Vice President of Government Relations & Counsel, participated in a listening session with the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Food and Nutrition Service (USDA FNS) on implementation of the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) provisions in the 2018 Farm Bill. Chris provided verbal comments on several Farm Bill provisions impacting…
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