Mar 11, 2019
The NGA Show wrapped up its 2019 event in San Diego last week with a wide range of takeaways for attendees. Here are some insights from the sessions, workshops, and award presentations. Retaining Talent: The NGA Show included several workshops aimed at attracting millennials to the supermarket industry, and this topic was the focus of…
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Feb 6, 2019
President Trump delivered his second State of the Union address last night, a speech that featured both divisive rhetoric and calls for bipartisan action and unity. In discussing his economic record and agenda, the President highlighted several areas of interest to the independent supermarket industry. The President started by boasting his economic policy successes noting…
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Feb 1, 2019
By: Cindy Sorensen, CEO, The Grocery Group I’m a 35 year-career veteran of the grocery industry. I started my career as a retail sales representative for Nestle Foods in 1983. During the thirty-five years which followed, I held several positions of increasing responsibility on the vendor side of the industry. Just like any career,…
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Feb 1, 2019
By: Molly Pfaffenroth, NGA Director of Government Relations Last week, President Trump reached a deal with Congress to reopen and fund the federal government through February 15, 2019. This is a continuing resolution (CR), which is a type of appropriations bill that offers stopgap funding when a regular, annual appropriations bill is not passed. The…
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Jan 17, 2019
As we enter the 27th day of the partial government shutdown, there is still no end in sight. Both the Senate and the House adjourned last week making this the longest shutdown in U.S. history. This week, a bipartisan Senate effort to end the shutdown failed. Below is a brief overview the shutdown and its…
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Jan 2, 2019
The NGA Show is almost upon us, and with over 60 education sessions, 8 special events and more than 400 exhibitors on the EXPO floor, we’re ready for an incredible first year gathering independents in San Diego, CA! As you set your meetings, prepare your schedule, and scout the sessions that best suit your needs,…
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Dec 31, 2018
This column originally ran in The Shelby Report Food retail is transforming. Disruption is changing the landscape. However, that doesn’t mean everything changes. Retailers still need to engage customers and provide exceptional products and services. No one understands this better than independent supermarket operators. They go the extra mile to engage customers, especially as…
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Dec 26, 2018
With the holiday season coming to an end, many Americans will be making New Year’s resolutions. Frequently, resolutions take the form of a commitment to diet to lose weight and improve health. However, there is confusion among consumers about what dietary decisions need to be made to achieve their goals. Since 80% of New Year’s…
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Nov 27, 2018
#GivingTuesday is more than one day in November, it’s the perfect opportunity to support the next generation of the grocery industry. No matter your tenure or time available, there are lots of ways to help advance the mission of the NGA Foundation. –Donate financially to the NGA Foundation to help support programs for the next generation…
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Nov 26, 2018
While Thanksgiving is a holiday to remind us to be grateful, especially for chance to gather as friends and family to break bread, it is also a time where we are confronted with more food than we can eat; resulting in an astonishing amount of food that is wasted. According to the National Turkey Federation,…
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Nov 23, 2018
It is because of financial assistance from the NGA Foundation that I’m able to focus on this important educational programming and make an impact locally. 2017 NGA Foundation scholarship recipient Denise Malkoon is no stranger to the food industry. While studying psychology at Arizona State University, Malkoon helped her brother run PB Americano, a…
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Nov 20, 2018
With Thanksgiving just two days away, grocers throughout the country are getting ready for increased customer traffic by stocking shelves and preparing employees to handle customer requests. While the holiday has time honored-elements that are unlikely to change any time soon, new trends are introduced every few years that make slight changes to one of…
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Nov 16, 2018
Nov 16, 2018 The NGA Creative Choice Awards are the perfect opportunity to showcase your store’s successes on a national stage and with one more month to submit entries, there’s no time like the present to start crafting your submissions. With hundreds of marketing campaigns and merchandising events submitted across ten categories, it’s imperative…
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Nov 15, 2018
By: Chris Jones NGA Vice President of Government Relations & Counsel The mixed election results mean a mixed bag of opportunities and challenges for NGA in the days and months ahead. Before we look to the 116th Congress, there are a number of outstanding items on the to-do list that this Congress must address during the…
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Oct 31, 2018
By: David Orgel, originally appeared in Drug Store News America’s summer sport, baseball, has collided with fall’s chill. Football is now top-of-mind. However, there’s one baseball story worth recapping, at least for retailers. It was easy to miss. This wasn’t about box scores, but marketing. Sports teams tend to market very well, and there are retail…
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Oct 30, 2018
Traditionally speaking, Fall has been a time where comfort foods, such as meatloaf and mac and cheese, are staples on our tables. But American’s palates are expanding and as consumers gain access and greater exposure to more global products, interest in ethnic foods has increased among a range of races and cultures. The cultural…
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Oct 10, 2018
The right to petition the government was a bedrock principle of the Founding Fathers. Over many generations, political engagement, including grassroots advocacy has become a sophisticated activity for political parties, corporations, unions, nonprofits – just about anyone who is impacted by government. The independent grocery industry has a huge impact on America’s economy with $131…
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Sep 12, 2018
Hurricane Florence is on track to be one of the strongest storms on the Eastern Seaboard in decades. “This will likely be the storm of a lifetime for portions of the Carolina coast, and that’s saying a lot given the impacts we’ve seen from Hurricanes Diana, Hugo, Fran, Bonnie, Floyd and Matthew,” the National Weather Service…
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Sep 6, 2018
One of the first steps to ensuring independent supermarkets have their choice of top candidates is to provide opportunities to students with a demonstrated interest in grocery. Workforce development doesn’t solely consist of hiring and training the right people, but also supporting them as they obtain the tools they need to thrive. Preparing today’s students…
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Sep 5, 2018
Independent grocers wear multiple different hats. Staying ahead of the curve can mean many things, especially to independent supermarket operators, who have a unique set of challenges and opportunities in the food retail industry. It’s widely accepted that senior retail executives must have broad experience in marketing, finance, and operations – while maintaining strong relationships…
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