According to a recent economic impact study conducted by John Dunham & Associates for the National Grocers Association (NGA), independent community grocers play a pivotal role in the nation’s economy. According to the report, “Grocers Impact America,” independent community grocers are responsible for more than 1.1 million jobs (up from 944,200 in the previous study) with earning wages approaching $39 billion. They also represent 1.2 percent of the 2020 U.S. gross domestic product of $20.93 trillion, with a total output exceeding $255 billion. Wholesalers serving independent grocers provide more than 44,000 jobs that earn wages of nearly $3.3 billion. Additionally, the independent grocery industry is directly or indirectly responsible for nearly 860,000 jobs across other industries including agriculture, manufacturing and transportation. They also generate federal, state and local tax revenues surpassing $36 billion and their grocery sales account for 33 percent of total grocery sales, up from 25 percent a decade ago.
“Not only are independent community grocers at the heart of the community, they are also at the heart of the U.S. economy, responsible for more than 1.1 American million jobs across thousands of communities,” said NGA president and CEO Greg Ferrara. “The continued strength and growth of the independent supermarket industry shows consumers are supporting local, community grocers who continue to innovate and bring value to the communities they serve.” Ferrara continued, “Through strategic investment and planning, independent community grocers found themselves well positioned to meet the intense demand placed on them by consumers during the pandemic, and have proved themselves to be indispensable partners in their communities and local economies,” Ferrara said. “Despite this growth over the past decade, independents appear to be losing a foothold in rural and inner-city low-income areas. NGA is working to reverse this trend through a comprehensive antitrust advocacy approach that would rein in growing power-buyer influence and encourage grocery investment in disadvantaged communities.”
For more information on the data collected in this study or to see its methodology, visit www.grocersimpactamerica.com.
It’s officially summer and with school dismissed until fall, many families like to take vacation time over the course of the summer months. For some, what better way to spend some extended time off than to take a cross-country tour of the United States? While not everyone has the luxury of being able to take the full amount of days off necessary to do so and with COVID still making some hesitant to travel, The Giant Company (TGC) has a fun at-home alternative to this idea. The Carlisle, PA-based division of Ahold Delhaize USA has created a fun and engaging virtual foodie U.S. road trip to last all summer long with online classes highlighting food favorites and foods inspired by spots from across the nation. The live Zoom classes, which were put together by TGC’s nutritionists, are open to chefs of all ages throughout June, July, and August and will feature a different state for inspiration during each class. For mini chefs ages 6 and under, every Friday morning at 10:30 a.m. will consist of snack crafting. For the junior chefs ages 7 to 18, every Wednesday at 4pm will be an afternoon of quick cooking. For the more advanced home chefs, Tuesday nights at 5pm will be a dinner cooking lesson. And on select Saturdays at 10:00 a.m., the classes will be a morning of creating and baking.
“Gather around the table and join us on our culinary adventure this summer as we explore regions across the country through our mini chef, junior chef, family meals and Saturday baking classes,” said Shanna Shultz, RD, LDN, regional nutritionist at TGC. “These fun meal and snack ideas, for both kids and adults, will inspire your family to not only try some new foods, but to also spend more time cooking together in the kitchen.”
All classes are free to attend, but advanced registration is required for each class at thegiantcompanynutritionists.eventbrite.com. A complete listing of ingredients needed for each virtual class is also available on the event page. Additionally, customers can earn 50 CHOICE Rewards points for each class they attend when they provide their card number upon registration and attend the entire class. I think this program is a wonderful idea that will not only encourage more at home cooking but it’s also a very creative way to engage the current and future generation of shoppers. I look forward to checking out some of the classes myself!
TGC also announced this month that it will be rolling out the food waste reduction app, Flashfood, to all of its Giant and Martin’s stores this fall. This move follows a successful pilot that the retailer implemented in May 2020 at four Giant stores in Lancaster, PA., The app is now currently available at 30 of its stores and the chainwide rollout will begin with stores in Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery, and Philadelphia, PA counties, with additional stores joining each month. The way the app works is Flashfood partners with grocery stores to help reduce food waste while at the same time offering consumers savings. Perishable food items that might otherwise go to waste are listed on the app for significant discounts and shoppers can click on them and then pick them up at participating stores, with the list of discounted items changing every day. It allows consumers to purchase fresh food, including produce, meat, deli, and bakery products, nearing its best before date at significantly reduced prices.
“Our ongoing partnership with Flashfood is two-fold, providing our customers with access to fresh foods, while also helping to divert more than 250,000 pounds of additional food waste away from landfills,” said Glennis Harris, SVP of customer experience for TGC. “We’ve received great feedback over the past year from our customers, many of whom have told us they can eat more fresh food because of the program. We can’t wait to offer this program at all of our stores and to all of our customers this summer.”
The move is just another step in the grocery chain’s proactive sustainability efforts, which also include its EPA-recognized food rescue program, Meat the Needs, plastic bag recycling and plastic reduction, a solar field and bee pollinator habitat at its Carlisle corporate headquarters, reducing emissions through tree-planting with GreenPrint, installing energy-efficient fixtures and reducing refrigerant emissions in all stores, and sustainable product offerings such as coffee, tea and seafood in-store for purchase. Great job, TGC!
Also stepping up its game in its company-wide efforts to encourage and practice sustainability is sister banner, Giant Food. In partnership with the Maryland Energy Administration (MEA) and Volta Industries, Inc. (Volta Charging), an industry leader in commerce-centric electric vehicle (EV) charging networks, the Landover, MD based retailer now has complimentary charging stations situated at several of its retail locations across Maryland. By incorporating marketing messaging on the charging station’s screens, the public is able to utilize the chargers at no cost. This milestone in Maryland illustrates how state and local governments can successfully work with private entities to support the networked charging infrastructure necessary to enable the growing adoption of EVs.
“We now have 74 Volta kiosks installed at Giant Food locations across our market area,” said Ira Kress, president of Giant Food. “As part of our continued sustainability commitments, we are furthering our actions to reduce carbon emissions through our business practices and key partnerships. We are happy to partner with Volta to provide on-site charging options for our EV customers, and a quick, convenient, and complimentary service that supports their personal efforts to live more sustainably.”
“This public-private partnership with Volta Charging and Giant is yet another testament to Maryland’s standing as a national leader in transportation electrification,” stated Maryland Governor Larry Hogan. “Expanding access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure is critical to achieving both our emissions reduction and EV deployment goals, while serving the needs of Marylander’s and visitors alike.”
And, while as Alice Cooper sang, “School’s out for summer,” Harris Teeter works year-round to help support its area school systems. The Matthews, NC-based grocer announced a donation of $596,845to local schools participating in its Together in Education (TIE) program, the fundraising program for schools within its communities. This is the program’s third of three payouts for the current school year, bringing the year’s total payout to more than $1 million. During this payout, 3,811 schools will receive a check from Harris Teeter. Active participation by both TIE schools and loyal Harris Teeter shoppers is integral to the success of the program, allowing schools to earn funds through shopper purchases. Shoppers are encouraged to link their VIC card to the school or schools of their choice (up to five schools), so schools can earn funds based on purchases of select Harris Teeter brands. There are no limits to how much a school can earn. The program which was founded in 1998, has allowed the company to donate more than$31 million to participating schools.
The Kroger Co. subsidiary also announced the launch of its “Backpack Boosters Round Up” campaign this month to help provide nutritious meals and school supplies to children-in-need. From June 16 through August 24, shoppers are invited to round up their transaction to the nearest whole dollar to support this effort. The funds collected through the fundraiser will benefit one of two causes: either local food bank backpack programs which provide nutritious meals and snacks to families-in-need across Harris Teeter’s operating area or Charlotte, NC’s own Classroom Central, which equips students-in-need to effectively learn by collecting and distributing free school supplies to teachers across six school districts and nearly 200 schools.
“While many families look forward to weekends, there are many children who leave school on Friday afternoon not knowing when they’ll receive their next meal,” said Danna Robinson, communication manager for Harris Teeter. “With generous contributions from our associates and shoppers to support our local food bank partners’ backpack programs, we can help those children and their families who are facing food insecurity.” Robinson continued, “The inclusion of Classroom Central is essential to round out our Backpack Boosters program. This partnership will provide teachers and students access to free school supplies to ensure they are equipped with the resources needed to be successful throughout the school year.”
Kudos to HT for putting the emphasis on schools and their needs not just when they are in session, but throughout the entire year.
Until next month…
Karen can be contacted via email at karen@foodtradenews.com.
