Save-A-Lot CEO Discusses Top Trends on ‘Industry Talk’

A new installment of Progressive Grocer and DemandTec’s exclusive executive interview series, “Industry Talk,” continues this month with Bill Shaner, president and CEO of St. Louis-based Save-A-Lot Food Stores.

Hosted by PG Editor-in-Chief Meg Major, the latest Industry Talk segment with Shaner will be presented in three segments, the first of which will discuss top trends in food retailing today, including the critical role of retail technology; retailers’ increasing reliance on, and accelerated need to showcase, fresh, healthy, affordable foods; and Save-A-Lot’s leadership role in the national dialogue to address the urgent needs of urban food deserts, among other timely industry issues.

Two other installments of Major’s recent interview with Shaner -- who leads the nation's largest small-format/price-impact grocery store chain, with nearly 1,200 stores coast to coast -- will continue in the coming weeks, with discussions in parts two and three centering on the new directions Save-A-Lot is pursuing to expand its brand, “hyper-local” retail marketing, changing consumer dynamics, and the outlook for independent retailers, among other up-to-the-minute topics.

As the first-of-its-kind executive insights video series in the supermarket industry, upcoming installments of Industry Talk set to launch in coming weeks will feature a robust lineup of guests as part of a rotating slate of industry leaders who’ll sit down to discuss top-of-mind issues impacting the supermarket industry.