Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc.

The drive to up the ante on service is evidenced by the increased deployment of customer-facing technology such as information kiosks, digital media displays, and marketing and promotion technology, all in essence dedicated to making more effective connections to shoppers and their needs. This high-touch environment also results in the avoidance of self-checkout technology, though, as the numbers show, most independents realize they'll eventually have to install these units for competitive reasons.

The drive to up the ante on service is evidenced by the increased deployment of customer-facing technology such as information kiosks, digital media displays, and marketing and promotion technology, all in essence dedicated to making more effective connections to shoppers and their needs. This high-touch environment also results in the avoidance of self-checkout technology, though, as the numbers show, most independents realize they'll eventually have to install these units for competitive reasons.

Marketing strategies are simultaneously becoming more high-tech and customer-focused, which might be the perfect formula to reach 21st century shoppers.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- The latest move to stop Wal-Mart from entering the banking business comes from within the supermarket industry. The National Grocers Association has submitted a statement to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), in preparation for testimony to be delivered on April 10 by Thomas F. Wenning, s.v.p. and general counsel of NGA.

Independents at the NGA Convention in Las Vegas were in luck: The meeting bristled with energy and ideas.

KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Price Chopper, based here, will venture beyond its core market here for the first time, with four newly converted stores in Topeka.

LAS VEGAS -- From Wal-Mart's continued onslaught to the national repercussions of the Albertsons' deal, independents in markets across the country will face critical shifts in marketplace power this year and beyond. It's time many of them start seriously considering hitching their wagons to wholesalers' banner programs, to strengthen their own positions as part of "virtual chains," said Steve Dillard, v.p. corporate sales and business development, Associated Wholesale Grocers of Kansas City (AWG), during a workshop at the National Grocers Association convention here this week.

KANSAS CITY, Kansas -- Retailer-owned wholesaler Associated Wholesale Grocers plans to install a new supply chain solution to help streamline its operations across its extensive distribution network.