NGA president and CEO Peter Larkin, who is retiring at the end of the year, receives a standing ovation during an address at the 2019 NGA Show. (Photo by Ashley Nickle)
SAN DIEGO, Calif. — Independent retailers looking for fresh produce insights at the National Grocers Association Show had the chance to hear about organics, varieties seeing growth, incremental produce sales opportunities specifically for small retailers, and the Double Up Food Bucks program.
The Produce Marketing Association partnered with NGA on the produce-specific programming.
Sally Lyons-Wyatt, executive vice president and practice leader for Chicago-based analytics firm IRI Worldwide, identified and discussed four different consumer segments that she said represent $200 million in potential incremental produce sales for smaller grocers. She mentioned high-income multi-generational households, diverse middle-class families, rural working-class couples and small urban households, and she suggested ways grocers could reach each group.
Attendees then heard from Dan Funk, executive vice president of sales and marketing for Kansas City, Kan.-based Associated Wholesale Grocers, and Peter Vail, vice president of merchandising and procurement for Pembroke, N.H.-based Associated Grocers of New England, about how stores they supply have been differentiating themselves in the marketplace.
Adam Brohimer, president of Idaho Falls, Idaho-based Category Partners, led another data-rich session. He used the apple category as an example of how newer varieties — Honeycrisp, Ambrosia and Envy in particular — are gaining traction at retail while some of the traditional items, including red delicious and gala, are seeing sales decline.
Anthony Barbieri, vice president of global sales, events and programs for PMA, said delivering action items is the goal of the programming.
For produce suppliers, the show is a chance to meet with a group of grocers they might not normally get to engage.
“The really cool thing for our exhibitors is having conversations with the independent retailers, understanding what keeps them up at night,” Barbieri said. “It could be training, it could be collateral, it could be information for them on the sales floor to help speak (for) different items with the consumers.”
In addition, when independent retailers see products they want, they bring those items up to their wholesalers.
“You see a lot of guys that are store owners and then they get supplied by AWG or Supervalu, so you’re hoping that they’ll go back and say, ‘Hey, how come my store doesn’t have this?’” said Mac Riggan, director of marketing for Chelan, Wash.-based Chelan Fresh, who was talking with retailers about the proprietary Koru, Rockit and SugarBee apple varieties.
Ross Pantoja, senior sales manager for Reedley, Calif.-based Farm to Table Berries, said the company came to the event looking to broaden its customer base, and he also mentioned wholesalers as the key piece of the puzzle.
“A lot of these grocery stores here, they all go through wholesalers, so we’re finding out which wholesalers to focus in on,” Pantoja said.
More than 400 companies exhibited at the show, making it the largest in at least a decade, said Laura Strange, senior vice president of communications and external affairs for NGA. Attendance was more than 3,400.
Strange said the energy of the show was high, with connections being established as independents from across the country brainstormed with each other about ways to remain relevant in the quickly changing retail landscape. She noted that, as usual with the event, the camaraderie between attendees was noticeable.
“You feel that with a lot of people, retailers are talking to each other, and wholesalers, and everybody’s just trying to get new ideas to take back to their stores,” Strange said.
The show was the last for NGA president Peter Larkin in his current capacity, as he plans to retire from the organization at the end of the year.
“I’ve had a great career but no job better than this one,” Larkin said during one of the evening sessions.
The NGA recognized Larkin with the creation of a new award, the Peter J. Larkin Award for Community Service.