Blog

How Congress’s Decision to Protect Swipe Fee Reform Impacts Independent Grocers

The independent supermarket industry and entire retail community recently scored a major victory after House Republican leadership announced lawmakers would no longer include a provision in the Financial CHOICE Act (H.R. 10) that would have repealed debit swipe fee reform. The legislation was introduced by Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), chair of the House Financial Services…
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SNAP Shot: White House Releases First Full Budget

              The White House recently released its Fiscal Year 2018 budget that would boost spending for the military and border security while cutting social safety net programs, including the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). The President’s budget request officially kicks off the formal process and lays out many of…
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NGA Research Key Insight: Driving a Winning Strategy in Prepared Foods

Green Valley Drives Winning Strategy in Prepared Foods Freshness is essential when it comes to prepared foods. That’s a guiding principle in the successful prepared foods business of Baltimore-based independent retailer Green Valley Marketplace, whose approach underscores findings of a recent National Grocers Association study. NGA produced a research piece that details shoppers’ needs and…
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More than 200 Supermarket Executives Rally on Capitol Hill

Two weeks ago, nearly 200 grocers from across the country descended on Capitol Hill for the annual Day in Washington, the supermarket industry’s annual fly-in cohosted by the National Grocers Association (NGA), Food Marketing Institute (FMI), and Food Industry Executive Association (FIAE). The lobby day included over 300 meetings with lawmakers to discuss the issues…
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Durbin Amendment Repeal Could Double Swipe Fees

Chairman of the House Financial Services Committee Jeb Hensarling (R-TX) is expected to officially introduce the so-called “Financial CHOICE Act” this week, undoing one of most important legislative victories independent grocers have had in the payments space in recent years. The bill includes a repeal provision for the Durbin Amendment, which lowered debit swipe fees,…
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Common-Sense is Key Ingredient for Menu Labeling Regs

In less than three weeks, a 400-page menu labeling rule is set to take effect, subjecting independent grocers to an onerous, one-size-fits all law that was originally intended to cover chain restaurants with standard menu items. This law, which was wrapped up within the Affordable Care Act, threatens to impose burdensome and costly regulations on…
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Wellness in the Workplace

Alex Lee Inc., parent company of supermarket chain Lowes Food and wholesaler Merchants Distributors LLC, recently launched a new worksite wellness program designed to improve employees’ health and fitness. As we recognize National Nutrition Month this March, we’d like to give a hat tip to the NGA members for their efforts bring wellness initiatives to…
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Grocers Optimism Shines Through at NGA Show

Once again, The NGA Show witnessed its largest attendance—nearly 3,400 independent retailers and wholesalers, food retail industry executives, food/CPG manufacturers, and service providers—all sharing ideas and best practices on how independents are meeting today’s challenges head on. As I participated in the education sessions and walked the EXPO floor, I was struck by a sense…
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CART Reflections from The NGA Show

CART Reflections from The NGA Show The following blog originally ran on the CART blog HERE By: Gary Hawkins, Founder and CEO, CART Congratulations to NGA for another great show in Las Vegas this past week featuring record attendance, meaningful workshops, and a busy exhibit floor! The success of The NGA Show shows the resilience of independent retailers…
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Best of the Best Baggers

While speed at the checkout lane is essential, other aspects, such as proper bag-building method, weight distribution in the bag, as well as style, attitude and appearance are what lead to superior bagging techniques.  Grocery bagging, especially done well, is an important part of the operation of a successful retail grocery business. NGA is proud…
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The Only Show Created Exclusively for the Independent Grocer

For over 30 years, The NGA Show has been the place where independents gather, connecting grocery retailers and wholesalers, food manufacturers and service providers from around the world to share innovative solutions and best practices that support and strengthen the independent supermarket channel. And we are excited to once again join forces with IGA to…
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New Year, New Congress, New Administration

This month saw the swearing in of a new President and a new Republican controlled 115th Congress. Given the control of all three branches of government, Congress has set an aggressive tone for 2017 with House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy scheduling this session for 145 legislative days-including five, five-day work weeks. In comparison, the House…
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A Growing Community: NGA’s Year in Review

By: Peter J. Larkin, NGA president and CEO When I joined NGA as President and CEO in 2010 we launched the Member Value Proposition (MVP) Project to learn from our members what their association was doing well, where we needed to improve and what they wanted in the future. We listened to that feedback and…
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Top 10 Technology Predictions for 2017

CART’s Top 10 Predictions for 2017 The following blog originally ran on the CART blog HERE As we quickly approach the end of the year its time again to look forward to what 2017 will bring. Using CART’s unique perspective into retail industry interest and new innovation rushing into the industry, here are our thoughts on…
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Decoding DC: Part Two

This time next week will be Election Day! With the elections just days away, today’s “Decoding DC” post brings you terms that are often thrown around during election season. Jungle Primary A jungle primary is a primary election where all of the candidates for a particular office run against each other, regardless of party affiliations.…
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Decoding DC: Part One

Washington, DC has long been criticized of speaking its own language – this “Decoding DC” blog series, brought to you by the NGA Government Relations team, is here to help you cut through all the political jargon and get to the core of the issues that matter to you! We’ll be providing definitions and insight…
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Innovative Independents

The supermarket business is not for the faint of heart. Low profit margins and constantly changing consumer preferences make it challenging even for the best operators. Uncertain economic conditions and an explosion of new store formats have caused many to speculate about the demise of the supermarket as we know it. Yet despite challenges and…
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EMV 1-year Anniversary

As we transition from summer into fall, independent grocers continue to face challenges as they attempt to complete the transition to EMV (Europay, MasterCard, and Visa) chip readers at the point of sale (POS). October 1 marks the one-year anniversary of the liability shift that was forced upon retailers who were unable to meet the…
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Independent Grocers Step Up When Their Community Needed Them Most

By: Greg Ferrara Senior Vice President of Government Relations and Public Affairs, NGA The Great Flood of 2016 devastated more than 20 parishes in Louisiana, inundating thousands of houses, local businesses, churches, and more with putrid flood waters.  While the flood waters washed away homes and memories, it also brought out the best in communities,…
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