for the Future

WASHINGTON REPORT

Independent Partnerships for the Future

GREG FERRARA

PRESIDENT AND CEO NATIONAL GROCERS ASSOCIATION

The 2022 NGA Show, held at the end of February, was another successful gathering that fortified retailers, wholesalers and suppliers with the insights, best practices, and forward-thinking guidance they need to thrive in today’s highly competitive grocery marketplace

This year’s show, held at the Caesars Forum Convention Center in Las Vegas, was also the first showcase for three new initiatives from NGA and its strategic partners. Certainly, one of the most important investments a grocery retailer can make is shopper insights – data that helps operators stay at least one step ahead of the market. Large chain retailers have been devoting significant resources to Big Data, leaving smaller operators at a disadvantage. Now there’s a way for independents to flex their collective analytics muscle. NGA and retail software solutions provider BRdata have teamed up to help independent community grocers leverage data analytics to stay abreast of key market trends and drive sales.

NGA Independent Insights powered by BRdata, an independent-centric cloud-based program, allows users to see item and category trends among independents nationwide to more easily determine what trending items are not selling or underselling, along with underperforming categories. NGA Independent Insights will allow users to drill down on top trends in their region and state, compare trends among stores of similar sizes and in similar areas (i.e., suburban small city, urban and rural), and predict categories that will be trending in the near future. This solution makes reams of important marketplace data digestible and easily accessible to grocery operators of any size.

To that end, NGA has named Ecolab, the global leader in hygiene, water and infection prevention solutions and services, as its food safety partner as part of a new suite of resources available to NGA member companies. Food safety and enhanced sanitation practices have always been paramount for independent community grocers. The training, guidance, and depth of knowledge provided by Ecolab will help ensure our members’ adherence to the highest food safety standards and boost confidence and trust among their consumers. NGA members will be able to access online food safety training that reinforces the fundamentals and introduces the latest innovations. Additionally, operators will find information about how to register for webinars on food safety regulations and opportunities available through Ecolab, including links to Ecolab’s thought leadership, solutions, and services. More information can be found online as it becomes available.

Last but certainly not least, NGA and The Tomorrow Group are working together to deliver new, forward-thinking content and experiences to the independent supermarket industry, with a focus beyond tech on the total store – reimagining layout and design, and innovation in retail outside of the supermarket, as well as emerging technology.

The past two years have revealed a heightened awareness of food safety and overall enhanced sanitation.

Too often, emerging technologies and opportunities bypass independents, even though independent grocers may be the ideal partners for swift and sweeping applications of emerging innovations. Opportunities to catch this forward-thinking educational content in upcoming in-person and virtual events will be announced in the near future.

We’ve already scheduled the next NGA Show: Feb. 26-28, 2023, back at Caesars Forum in Las Vegas.

And we’re relaunching our Executive Conference as a standalone event in Washington, D.C., October 24-26, 2022, when we’ll also celebrate NGA’s 40th anniversary. Registration is now open – find more details on NGA’s website. While NGA’s events are natural places to feature our education initiatives, it’s important that the learning continue beyond them, with year-round guidance on strategies for propelling your business to new levels of success.

These initiatives are designed to do just that – be living, evolving resources for insights and growth. You shouldn’t get caught standing still, and neither should NGA. ■

Visit us at online: www.nationalgrocers.org

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