News Briefs

The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, opened its 2022 NGA Executive Conference and Public Policy Summit, taking place Oct. 24-26 at the JW Marriott in Washington, D.C., with more than 200 grocery executives from retailer, wholesaler and supplier companies in attendance. Nearly 20 educational sessions with industry experts and analysts are planned.

The event began with a panel on the state of independent grocery, featuring Leon Bergmann, CEO of Earth City, Mo.-based Save A Lot; Garrett Piklapp, president of Boone, Iowa-based Fareway Stores Inc.; and Daniel Nazario, regional VP, wholesale accounts at Battle Creek, Mich.-based Kellogg Co., moderated by Anne-Marie Roerink, principal at 210 San Antonio-based 210 Analytics. The session discussed the current health of independent community grocers, and the impact of the post-pandemic economy, inflation, the supply chain and consumer habits on merchants. 

“The summit brings together retail and wholesale leaders in the independent supermarket industry and their trading partners for important insights, conversations and engagement, to position their companies for strategic growth” noted Greg Ferrara, president and CEO of Washington, D.C.-based NGA. “Our industry continues to experience disruption, with more to come next year.  The important insights and conversations that will take place during the summit will position our members to embrace the challenges and opportunities and set their companies up for continued success.” 

The event will also include NGA’s 40th anniversary celebration, with a special evening planned to mark the milestone.

Ahead of the conference and summit, the Women Grocers of America held its first convening of the Executive Female Leaders Network in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 23-24.

Save A Lot, with more than 850 stores in 32 states, is No. 60 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America, while family-owned Fareway, which  employs more than 12,000 associates in its 130-plus stores in Iowa, Illinois, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska and South Dakota, is No. 77 on PG’s list.

A maker of paper grocery bags and sacks is upping its efforts to help grocers signal their sustainable store practices to shoppers. The Duro brand’s line of Dubl Life bagging products recently received certification from the New York-based Biodegradable Products Institute, one of the first products of its kind to do so.

Going forward, Duro’s bags also will feature special How2Compost and How2Recycle labels that let consumers know how to dispose of the packages after use. Those labels are independently verified as well, through the Charlottesville, Va.-based Sustainable Packaging Coalition. Products with the label must meet rigorous standards and must be tested by the Biodegradable Products Institute.

Duro offers a variety of Dubl Life bags and sacks that include the new designation, including self-opening bags, handle sacks and liquor bags. The products are made from 100% recycled materials, with a minimum of 60% post-consumer recycled paper, and are already FSC Chain of Command-certified, as managed by the Bonn, Germany-based Forest Stewardship Council, which has its U.S. headquarters in Minneapolis.

"At Novolex, our goal is to minimize the environmental footprint of packaging and maximize our production of sustainable products," said Adrianne Tipton, Ph.D., chief technology officer at Hartsville, S.C,-based Novolex, maker of the Duro brand. "Earning these important certifications again demonstrates our support of the circular economy, and reaffirms our corporate commitment to sustainability."

Walmart is joining Premium Payback, the real-time rewards redemption network of financial services technology company FIS. The addition of the retailer to the network will give millions of consumers the chance to redeem their credit card rewards points for real-time discounts at more than 4,700 Walmart stores across the country. Walmart customers using eligible cards will be prompted at checkout with the option to turn their card rewards currency into discounts, which will be deducted from their purchase amount.

“Walmart’s mission is to help customers save money so that they can live better, and FIS Premium Payback allows customers to enjoy the benefits of their rewards in real-time at checkout,” explained Mike Cook, SVP and assistant treasurer at Walmart. “Today’s busy consumer is looking for a frictionless shopping experience, and our partnership with FIS makes paying with points as simple as a single prompt at the point of sale.”

“More than ever, credit card rewards are a driving motivator for how and where consumers make purchases,” noted John Durrant, president of banking and payment solutions at Jacksonville, Fla.-based FIS.  “We are excited to partner with Walmart and card issuers to bring Premium Payback to consumers who can benefit from this new way to pay for their purchases. Major players like Walmart come to FIS because we have the innovative technology solutions to enable these experiences that deliver significant value and savings to consumers across the U.S.” 

Each week, approximately 230 million customers and members visit Walmart’s more than 10,500 stores and numerous e-commerce websites under 46 banners in 24 countries. The Bentonville, Ark.-based company employs approximately 2.3 million associates worldwide. Walmart U.S. is No. 1 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2022 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America

The Women Grocers of America (WGA) will hold its first convening of the new Executive Female Leaders Network (EXFL), a professional peer group designed for female executives in the independent grocery sector, in Washington, D.C., on Oct. 23-24, ahead of the NGA Executive Conference & Public Policy Summit on Oct. 24-26. 

Created by WGA and supported by the NGA Foundation, the EXFL Network provides the opportunity for women in the retail, wholesale, supplier, manufacturer and vendor communities to meet in person, share ideas and experiences, and discuss complex issues in the independent grocery industry. 

The network’s inaugural meeting will offer an interactive leadership development workshop, high-level analysis of key trends affecting the industry, and an exclusive members-only education and networking event. The speaker lineup includes a female executive panel with Katie Hotze, founder and CEO of Charlotte, N.C.-based Grocery Shopii; Amy Nemetschek, president and CEO of Madison, Wis.-based Certco Inc.; and Stephanie Becker, SVP, general counsel and chief legal officer at Kansas City, Kan.-based Associated Wholesale Grocers.  

Additionally, Natalie Johnson, co-founder of Lakewood Ranch, Fla.-based ViDL Solutions, will guide participants through a Dare to Lead training, an empirically based courage-building program designed for future leaders and developed by researcher and author Brené Brown. 

Sponsors of the event are The Kellogg Co., The Coca-Cola Co., Fiserv, Rosie – An Instacart Company, Nestle-Purina PetCare, Badger Technologies and BRData.  

Washington, D.C.-based NGA is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. 

Topco Associates is bringing on retail veteran Jacqueline Lyons to serve as its new VP of meat and seafood programs. In the role, Lyons will oversee the company’s fresh meat, packaged meat and seafood departments.

Lyons worked at Walmart for 27 years prior to joining Topco, most recently as a divisional merchandise manager of seafood and seasonal meat. Lyons also has experience in dry grocery, snacks, beverages, produce and floral categories.

“We’re excited for Jacqui to join the team, adding an experienced perspective to a critical strategic part of our business,” said Topco President and CEO Randy Skoda. “She arrives with a proven track record and I am confident she will be able to partner with our members to drive value by bringing innovative opportunities and solutions that drive value and help Topco’s members meet the growing needs of their shoppers.”

“Jacqui’s subject-matter knowledge, extensive experience and leadership will be integral as Topco builds solutions in collaboration with our members that exceed shoppers' expectations in Meat and Seafood,” said Topco SVP of Fresh Mike Ferguson. “Providing unparalleled freshness, value, and product transparency in the supply chain has never been more important. Jacqui will expertly guide our team in this pursuit.”

Topco Associates is a $16.1 billion, privately held, member-owned company that provides aggregation, innovation and knowledge management solutions for its food industry member-owners and customers, including grocery retailers, wholesalers, and foodservice and pharmacy companies. Topco leverages the collective volume, knowledge and commitment of these companies to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace by reducing costs and offering winning business-building capabilities.

In time for prime apple season, FirstFruit Farms has picked more team members to expand its apple and cherry business. The Yakima, Wash.-based grower announced several recent promotions and appointments.

Employees elevated to new positions include the following:

• Lon Hudson, promoted to sales director
• Aleisha Loveluck, promoted to data science architect
• Emily Autrey, promoted to marketing manager

New hires include the following:

• Justin Bos, senior sales account manage
• Andy Zhu, post-harvest manager
• Melissa Hunter, data analyst

Loveluck, for her part, said that the changes will bolster the company at a pivotal time. “FirstFruits Farms finds it crucial to continuously invest in and prepare its teams,” she asserted. “Through the combined experience and skills our sales, data analytics, and marketing teams bring together, we can comprehend the mass amount of data in the market and glean insights to present in an easy-to-read format for our retail partners. We pride ourselves on our ability to marry insights with solutions to grow the apple category. “

FirstFruits Farms grows more than 10 varieties of apples and cherries across 6,000 acres in the eastern region of Washington. Its fruit is grown, stored and packed at the same site.