Well, the election madness is finally behind us and hopefully now we can all move forward and work together for the betterment of everyone. During this election season, too many unfounded barbs have been thrown at our industry. Accusations of price gouging have come from several senior level elected officials and TV hosts who have not a clue how our industry functions. (And all for headline grabs and sensationalism) Hopefully it will now be tempered and we can get on with doing what we do best…. serving our customers and neighborhoods.
I had the opportunity to attend the National Grocers Association’s (NGA) Executive Conference and Public Policy Seminar in Washington, DC. and it was a terrific experience.
Hundreds of the independent grocery industry’s top leaders gathered for three days of data-driven planning, education and networking during the Executive Conference and Public Policy Summit and
the focus of the Summit was to prepare grocery leaders for what the future holds for the independent industry including technology, marketing, and policy. C-suite executives and their leadership teams were on hand to gain competitive advantages in the marketplace through in-depth forecasts on the future of the industry, outlooks of emerging economic and business trends, and opportunities to strengthen relationships with trading partners throughout the supply chain. Sessions focused on the future of policy and technology to the state of the independent, this summit pairs high-impact education and networking with the unique opportunity to meet with federal representatives who craft policies affecting your business. And unlike some of the bigger national conferences and trade shows, this one is an intimate affair which lends itself to more networking, conversation and sharing of ideas. Three days of multiple expert panels touching on a variety of topics proved to be very insightful for all of those in attendance. While the event took place just prior to election day, many of those in the audience were curious how the election might affect the industry. And NGA’s president and CEO Greg Ferrara said, “No matter what the outcome of the election, the environment in which businesses will operate will likely change in the coming months. The summit is so incredibly valuable because it’s designed to prepare independent grocers and their trading partners to handle whatever lies ahead.” One of the many panels held was moderated by Michelle Mendoza, vice president-marketing and customer experience at Associated Supermarket Group (ASG). It was titled “Engaging the Hispanic consumer” and focused on the Hispanic demographic which is the fastest-growing and most influential consumer group in the grocery sector. The session highlighted shopping behaviors and cultural influences that shape the buying decisions of Hispanic shoppers and also gave insights into the importance of product assortment, merchandising, and marketing that resonate with the Hispanic community.
Brand loyalty, culturally relevant products and creating a shopping experience were also part of the session which included panelists, Carlos Castro of Todos SuperMarket, Lupe Lopez of Artega’s Food Center, Gladys Marquez of El Rio Grande Latin Market, Melissa Mayfield and Becky Ternet of Colgate-Palmolive. As Ferrara stated at the closing session of the conference, the gathering is meant for collaboration , networking and building relationships. Boy did it ever deliver on that. Credit to the entire team at the NGA for putting on one terrific event.
Congratulations to Stan Barrasso, EVP-eastern US, and his team at Acosta Sales & Marketing as they held the firm’s fourth Annual Acosta/MDA Charity Golf outing at the Glen Ridge Country Club in Glen Ridge, NJ. With Dana Capra, Rebecca Note and Dean Nesto coordinating and leading the way, the spectacular day brought together customers from around the Metro New York/New Jersey market as well as the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic and Acosta principals for a fun-filled day of golf, dinner and networking. Over $170,000 has been raised for MDA and by all accounts the outing was a huge success. Everyone is eagerly looking forward to the fifth annual outing next year!
Alpha 1 Marketing, an affiliate of Krasdale Foods, was named a winner of three awards at the recent National Frozen & Refrigerated Foods Association (NFRA) Convention, held at the Gaylord National Harbor in Maryland. Two golden penguins and one silver penguin were awarded for March Frozen Food Month and June Dairy Month digital marketing campaigns.
“We’re honored to win three NFRA penguins,” said Jenn Vannucci, director of marketing at Alpha 1 Marketing. “This brings my team to a total of seven penguins in the last two years and I’m so proud of the incredible work and results we deliver from our marketing campaigns.”
Alpha 1’s March Frozen Food Month campaign was in partnership with the Unilever ice cream portfolio of products, such as Breyer’s, Klondike, Ben & Jerry’s and Talenti. The June Dairy Month campaign was achieved with collaboration from Upfield and their array of plant-based dairy brands like Violife, Country Crock and I Can’t Believe it’s Not Butter. Combined, the award-winning campaigns generated more than 3 million impressions, boasted an average engagement rate of 32.75 percent (industry standard is 2-3 percent) and delivered significant sales lifts of the promoted products. Well done and congratulations!!
Well, the slate of industry holiday dinners was officially kicked off locally and kudos to the team at Associated Supermarket Group (ASG) as they turned Terrace on the Park in Flushing Meadows into their own version of Studio 54 for the ASG annual holiday dinner. It was probably the best I have seen Terrace on the Park look in many years as “Studio ASG” welcomed more than 350 attendees to celebrate the night away and see Chang Kwan (CK) Choi of Fruit Tree Farm receive the Retailer of the Year and Bumble Bee receive the Partner of the Year. Plenty of networking and dancing rounded out the evening and a great time was had by all!
Congratulations to Ricardo “Ricky” Hernandez on the opening of his eighth store, a Tropical Supermarket on West 7th Street in South Plainfield, NJ. The site was formerly a Bravo supermarket which had been vacant for over a year and Ricky and his team totally transformed the store into a 20,000 square foot marvel. With full-service meat, seafood, bakery and produce departments the crowd of customers seemed very impressed with the offerings at the location. And seriously, have you ever met someone with more energy and affability than Ricky Hernandez? The man is constantly moving, smiling and working. Quite a sight to see and be a part of! Congrats Ricky on the new store!
It is the Thanksgiving season and I wanted to take the time to wish you all a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday and hopefully a day in which you can take the time to enjoy your family and dearest friends as well as the wonderful industry we are all a part of. I truly wish you all the best. I hope to see you in December prior to the Christmas and Hanukkah holidays and be able to toast the year and look forward to the New Year. As always you can reach me at 201.250.2217 or kevin@foodtradenews.com.