PROGRESSIVE_GROCER_SEPT_2025 by ensembleiq

The Bear Necessities.

Wild is preferred 4:1 over farmed, and 82% of consumers are more likely to purchase seafood when they see the Alaska Seafood logo. Wildly preferred.

For more Wild information, Visit: alaskaseafood.org

THE NEXT ORDER OF BUSINESS

Walmart leans into tech, innovation

EVOLVING RETAIL MEDIA

P2PI probes tech’s development at grocery

REMAINING RELEVANT AMID VOLATILITY

Placer.ai’s research shows how

Whole Foods Market is rede ning responsible sourcing by nurturing the communities, craftsmanship and care behind Alaska’s sockeye salmon industry.

Walmart Embraces the Future of Retail

The company highlighted tech and innovation at its recent 2025 Associates Week event.

20 SPECIAL REPORT Store of the Future

What’s to come hinges on balancing the traditional elements of food with innovations poised to make operations more ef cient and tailored.

Gen Z in the Door With Novel Product Drops

The Path to Purchase Institute explains how limitededition products help brands such as Dove and Oreo bolster retailer relationships and appeal to new shoppers.

Grocery Retail Media

Networks: A Journey ‘From Side Hustles to Strategic Engines’ Leaders from top companies weigh in on retail media’s evolution, ongoing priorities for both retailers and CPG brands, and what’s holding the industry back.

46 RESEARCH

Why Grocers Remain Relevant in a Volatile Environment

Progressive Grocer talks with Placer.ai’s research director about how store visits reveal key market trends.

48 FRESH FOOD

Produce at a Premium

Even in a price-conscious era, shoppers are willing to buy produce they deem intriguing, flavorful, healthier and convenient.

52 SPECIAL SECTION

Grocery Co-ops Evolve to Meet Growing Private Label Demand

The expanded effort is helping independent grocers scale up their store-brand portfolios and stay competitive with national retailers.

58 SOLUTIONS

Drink to Their Health

Functional beverages are staking their claim at a broad swath of grocery retailers as the segment sees increased interest from wellness-seeking shoppers.

62 EQUIPMENT & DESIGN

Play It Safe

How retailers can better address store safety to keep shoppers and associates from getting injured.

8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Ste. 225, Chicago, IL 60631 Phone: 773-992-4450 Fax: 773-992-4455 www.ensembleiq.com

BRAND MANAGEMENT

SENIOR VICE PRESIDENT, GROUP BRAND DIRECTOR Eric Savitch esavitch@ensembleiq.com

EDITORIAL

EDITORIAL DIRECTOR & ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER Gina Acosta gacosta@ensembleiq.com

MANAGING EDITOR Bridget Goldschmidt bgoldschmidt@ensembleiq.com

SENIOR DIGITAL & TECHNOLOGY EDITOR Marian Zboraj mzboraj@ensembleiq.com

SENIOR EDITOR Lynn Petrak lpetrak@ensembleiq.com

MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Emily Crowe ecrowe@ensembleiq.com

CONTRIBUTING EDITORS Mike Duff, Cyndi Loza and Greg Sleter

ADVERTISING SALES & BUSINESS

ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER, REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Tammy Rokowski (INTERNATIONAL, SOUTHWEST, MI) 248-514-9500 trokowski@ensembleiq.com

REGIONAL SALES MANAGER Theresa Kossack (MIDWEST, GA, FL) 214-226-6468 tkossack@ensembleiq.com

SENIOR ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE Johanna Lupardus (CT, DE, MA, ME, RI, SC, TN, NH, VT, MD, VA, KY) 330-990-4635 jlupardus@ensembleiq.com

PROJECT MANAGEMENT/PRODUCTION/ART

PRINT DESIGNER Catalina Carrasco cgonzalezcarrasco@ensembleiq.com

ADVERTISING/PRODUCTION MANAGER Maria del Mar Rubio mrubio@ensembleiq.com

SENIOR DIRECTOR OF MARKETING Nicola Tidbury ntidbury@ensembleiq.com

SUBSCRIPTION SERVICES LIST RENTAL mbriganti@anteriad.com

SUBSCRIPTION QUESTIONS contact@progressivegrocer.com

CORPORATE OFFICERS

CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER Jennifer Litterick

CHIEF FINANCIAL OFFICER Jane Volland

CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER Derek Estey

CHIEF PEOPLE OFFICER Ann Jadown

PROGRESSIVE GROCER (ISSN 0033-0787, USPS 920-600) is published monthly, except for July/August and November/December, which are double issues, by EnsembleIQ, 8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Ste. 225, Chicago, IL 60631. Single copy price $18.20, except selected special issues. Foreign single copy price $21.80, except selected special issues. Subscription: $134 a year; $246 for a two year supscription; Canada/Mexico $182 for a one year supscription; $249.90 for a two year supscription (Canada Post Publications Mail Agreement No. 40031729. Foreign $182 a one year supscription; $249.90 for a two year supscription (call for air mail rates). Digital Subscription: $78 one year supscription; $144 two year supscription. Periodicals postage paid at Chicago, IL 60631 and additional mailing of ces. Printed in USA. POSTMASTER: Send all address changes to brand, 8550 W. Bryn Mawr Ave. Ste. 225, Chicago, IL 60631. Copyright ©2024 EnsembleIQ All rights reserved, including the rights to reproduce in whole or in part. All letters to the editors of this magazine will be treated as having been submitted for publication. The magazine reserves the right to edit and abridge them. The publication is available in microform from University Micro lms International, 300 North Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the consent of the publisher. The publisher is not responsible for product claims and representations.

By Gina Acosta

Progressive Grocer’s Year of Recognition

WE’VE RECEIVED FIVE RECORD-BREAKING NOMINATIONS FROM THE EDDIE & OZZIE AWARDS.

For 103 years, Progressive Grocer has always aimed to deliver reporting and storytelling that illuminates the grocery industry in fresh, meaningful ways. This year, that commitment has been signifi cantly recognized: We’ve been named fi nalists for five Eddie & Ozzie Awards, including three editorial categories. These awards, presented annually by Folio, recognize excellence in editorial and design across media. To have our work singled out is both an honor and a reminder of the responsibility we hold to our readers.

The ﬁ nalist in the Single Article category, “What I Did on My Summer Internship” by Lynn Petrak, gave readers an authentic, ﬁ rst-hand perspective on the grocery industry through the eyes of a new generation. It blended curiosity with candor, showing how much insight a fresh set of eyes can bring to an industry that touches every household. With observations that were both personal and universally relevant, the article captured the intersection of grocery, culture and career-building, reminding us that thoughtful voices can come from anywhere, and that PG is a platform for them.

Another ﬁ nalist, this time in the Column/ Blog category, “Making Indigenous Cuisines More Widely Accessible,” by Bridget Goldschmidt, explored e orts by Native entrepreneurs and chefs to bring Indigenous ingredients, recipes and traditions into the mainstream. One chef quoted in the story explained: “For us, this is about visibility. Food is culture, and sharing it means we are here, we are thriving.” That powerful message drew attention to both the barriers and the opportunities purveyors face when embracing underrepresented cuisines.

Finally, in the Long-Form Feature Content category, “Wegmans Holds the Future of Food,” written by me, spotlighted how Wegmans Food Markets continues to innovate and shape consumer expectations through investments in sustainability, fresh food leadership and technology. As noted in the story, Wegmans’ success comes not just from operational excellence, but also from its vision. “The future of food isn’t only about what’s on the shelf,” one executive observed, “it’s about anticipating what customers want tomorrow and building the systems to deliver it.”

Additionally, Progressive Grocer and BrandLab, the full-service strategic marketing and creative agency owned by PG parent EnsembleIQ, were honored in the Visual Storytelling and Data Visualization categories. Kudos to our talented team of multiplatform editors, writers and futurists who bring these stories to life, and to our readers, whose engagement pushes us to aim higher. Here’s to continuing to tell the stories that matter most in grocery, and staying ahead of what’s next.

Gina Acosta Editorial Director and Associate Publisher gacosta@ensembleiq.com

Daylight Saving Time ends. Fall back, everyone.

Eleven09 Day. Make the recent military vets among your customers and workforce aware of services that can help them adjust to civilian life.

International Day for Tolerance. Always treat others the way you want to be treated, and counsel others to do the same.

For Eat a Cranberry Day, suggest that customers make a whole sauce out of these nutrient-packed fruits in preparation for a certain upcoming holiday.

National Mississippi Day. Spotlight the singular foods and beverages originating from the Magnolia State.

National Sandwich Day. Come up with some inventive examples of this lunchtime stalwart.

10 International Accounting Day. This is the time to give a shout-out to those dedicated professionals who handle your nancial matters.

Odd Socks Day. Yes, we know, you have another pair just like it at home.

National Sardines Day. These often overlooked tinned sh can be part of a quick and tasty meal.

Roast Dinner Day. Ask home cooks to share their enticingly plated meals on social media.

11 Metal Day. Headbangers unite!

National Princess Day. Encourage shoppers and associates of all ages to embrace their inner royalty.

National Play Day With Dad. Provide the old man with some no-fuss recipes to make lunch and a snack for the kids.

American Football Day. It’s not autumn in America without it.

National Nacho Day. To dip or not to dip? We say go for it.

Grace Kelly’s Birthday. Despite her elegant image, the favorite food of this movie star turned real-life princess was reportedly cheeseburgers.

World Toilet Day. This observance aims to raise awareness of the global sanitation crisis and what can be done to solve it.

World Kindness Day. It’s nice to be nice.

Universal Children’s Day. Offer family-friendly discounts on some kid favorites

What Do You Love About America Day. Run an essay contest for your younger customers, with a shopping spree as the top prize.

Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. Remind shoppers to have a few nibbles handy for viewers, ahead of the turkey and all of the trimmings.

Joni Mitchell’s Birthday. Fill your store(s) with the unique sounds of this groundbreaking musical artist.

National Pâté Day. Get more Americans interested in this rich French paste usually made with nely minced or ground meat, poultry, seafood or veggies.

Cook Something Bold and Pungent Day. Many cuisines can supply the perfect dish for this occasion.

National Family PJ Day. Recommend the right snacks for this momentous occasion – we’re big on popcorn with various toppings during a cozy, at-home movie marathon.

World Fisheries Day. Pro le the sources of your sustainable seafood in your monthly magazine.

National Day of Listening Let workers and customers know that you care what they think.

Steve Irwin Day. Remember Australia’s late, lamented “Crocodile Hunter” by enabling customers to donate to the cause of wildlife conservation.

Family Volunteer Day. List some charitable events in your area that allow everyone to pitch in, regardless of age.

Small-Business Saturday. If this describes your business, welcome shoppers with tastings, contests and other fun activities.

Smooth. Rich. DELICIOUS.

From our velvety GOYA® Coconut Milk to our rich GOYA® Cream of Coconut , each offers an authentic tropical flavor and ideal consistency for any dish. Whether your customers are making family favorites, crafting sweet or savory dishes, or embracing a plant-based lifestyle, Goya® provides the trusted coconut products they depend on. Stock the brand that consistently meets—and drives—demand.

Contact your GOYA representative or email salesinfo@goya.com | GoyaTrade.com

Value Per Occasion

What

Desserts

What You Need to Know

 Although Gen Z and Millennials are often seen as adventurous when it comes to exploring new avors, their dessert and confection consumption remains within a narrower range of options. This indicates that while they’re open to experimenting with avors within familiar categories, they’re less likely to venture beyond core types.

 Flavor innovation doesn’t always have to steal the spotlight. Find the balance between the comfort of familiarity and the thrill of novelty. This approach bridges the gap between consumer hesitation and purchase, appealing to those who crave new experiences but prefer not to stray too far from the avors they know and love.

 Sales in the dessert and confectionery categories have experienced slow but steady growth since 2023, likely due to in ation. However, consumers are indulging in sweet treats less than in previous years as higher costs encourage them to rethink discretionary spending and stick with familiar sweet repertoires.

What Consumers Want and Why

 Consumers connect innovative desserts with avors tied to their cultural heritage. As the United States becomes more diverse, traditional avors like chocolate are joined by global favorites like horchata and ube. Inclusivity doesn’t alienate other consumers. Younger generations in particular are eager to explore and embrace global avors.

 For younger consumers, there’s no one-size- ts-all approach to innovation. This generation is more eager to explore the category, drawn to creative and unconventional elements in desserts and confections. Flavor is important, but so are emotional and sensorial factors like texture, color and aesthetics.

 Consumers are drawn to desserts and confections that build on familiar avor pro les, yet approachable twists, such as caramelization or bolder takes on classics, can be a gateway to more adventurous pro les. Consumers look for innovative desserts that are different enough to stand out but still rooted in the comfort of the recognizable.

Combining classic flavors, brands and formats with innovative twists helps ease the hesitation consumers often feel when trying something new, especially when budgets are tight. Reimagining flavors and brands in new formats o ers consumers a way to explore a category without straying too far from the familiar. This approach not only satisfies the demand for unique textures and experiences, but also keeps the essence of the product relatable. Collaborations of well-known brands to merge flavors and formats can create a stronger connection with consumers, often proving more e ective than attempting to reinvent the wheel entirely.

In a rapidly changing world, nostalgic ﬂavors serve as a comforting bridge to the past, o ering familiarity and a sense of stability in times when both feel increasingly rare. Brands can blur the barriers between formats and ﬂavors to evoke the nostalgia of cherished childhood treats while captivating consumers with a fresh sense of novelty.

Brands can also stack ﬂavor with texture, appearance and experience to create a multisensory journey that elevates indulgence and appeases more than just the taste buds. The next wave of “little treat” culture will stem from a deeper emotional need for comfort, escape and moments of respite from everyday life.

By Barbara Ruhs, MS, RDN

Fair Trade: Nutrition and Ethics in the Grocery Aisles

GROCERY STORES CAN WIN GREATER TRUST FROM SHOPPERS WITH THIS OPPORTUNITY TO MEET THE RISING DEMAND FOR VALUES-DRIVEN SHOPPING.

Shoppers are scanning labels more closely than ever. They want to know what’s in their food, where it comes from and how it was grown. Behind every banana, chocolate bar and bag of coffee, there’s a story – and too often, those stories include poverty wages, child labor and unsustainable farming practices.

Fair trade isn’t just a feel-good label on a package. It’s a proven system that ensures farmers and workers in developing countries have fair wages, safe working conditions, and the ability to invest in their families and communities. For grocery retailers, it’s an opportunity to meet the rising demand for values-driven shopping while also strengthening long-term supply chain resilience.

Consumers Want More Than Food

According to recent consumer insights, more than 60% of shoppers say that they’re more likely to purchase products with ethical sourcing claims. Younger generations, especially Millennials and Gen Z, are leading the charge. These consumers are not only more socially conscious, they’re also more loyal to brands and retailers that re ect their values.

A Win-Win for Retailers

Just as organic, gluten-free and plant-based claims started as niche categories that are now mainstream, fair trade is quickly becoming a “must-have” claim that drives purchasing decisions.

Just as organic, gluten-free and plant-based claims started as niche categories that are now mainstream, fair trade is quickly becoming a “must-have” claim that drives purchasing decisions. Retailers that highlight fair trade items are well positioned to capture this growing demand.

Food is about nourishment, but it’s also about stories. According to Paul Rice, the founder of Fair Trade USA and author of “Every Purchase Matters,” “We each have the power to change the world through the products we buy.” Choosing fair trade means that those farmers earn a fair wage, can send their children to school, and can reinvest in sustainable farming practices that protect soil, water and future harvests.

Take bananas, for example. They’re the most popular fruit in the United States, with Americans consuming an average of 27 pounds per year. But banana farmers earn less than $6 a day – far below a living wage. By choosing Fair Trade Certi ed bananas, shoppers aren’t just getting a potassium-rich snack, they’re also supporting families, healthier communities, and farming practices that sustain our planet and that will allow bananas to remain plentiful for generations to come.

Retailers that stock and promote fair trade items bene t from more than just sales. They earn trust. Shoppers today want retailers to take a stand on social issues, and fair trade is one area where the impact is measurable and meaningful. Adding more fair trade products to the assortment – coffee, tea, chocolate, sugar, wine, bananas, avocados, rice, quinoa, spices and even owers –creates new opportunities for storytelling to educate shoppers about how their purchases are making an impact. When shoppers understand that their everyday purchases can help ght poverty, reduce child labor and promote environmental stewardship, they feel empowered. And empowered shoppers come back.

Fair trade isn’t a trend — it’s smart, sustainable business that supports farmers, strengthens supply chains, and aligns with consumer demand for transparency and values-driven shopping. Retail dietitians recognize the power of taking small steps toward healthier living. Choosing fair trade is one of those small but powerful decisions that creates a healthier world for everyone, from farm to fork.

Walmart Embraces the Future of Retail

THE COMPANY HIGHLIGHTED TECH AND INNOVATION AT ITS RECENT 2025 ASSOCIATES WEEK EVENT.

By Emily Crowe

It’s no secret that today’s consumers expect more than ever before from their shopping journeys – be it seamless online shopping, an exciting brick-and-mortar experience or ultra-personalized offers. While many grocery retailers are taking a cautious approach to the innovation and operational transformation expected by these consumers, Walmart is leaning into future-facing technology and next-level solutions to make life easier – and more convenient – for both its customers and its associates.

During its annual Associates Week, held June 4-6 in its hometown of Bentonville, Ark., Walmart showed off its recently opened state-of-the-art corporate campus while also sharing news of its most recent employeeand customer-facing initiatives. The legacy retailer

Walmart recently became the rst retailer to scale its drone delivery to ve states.

also took the opportunity to launch its latest marketing campaign, dubbed “Walmart. Who knew?” and starring popular actors Walton Goggins and Stephanie Beatriz.

In a nod to its ever-evolving business strategy, Walmart said that the campaign is built around the idea that “the biggest surprise isn’t what’s changed, it’s how many people don’t know it’s already here.”

A Sweeping Tech-Forward Approach

As for what’s already changed, Walmart has jumped head rst into technology and arti cial intelligence (AI) solutions to transform its operations. The company said that it has embraced the fact that the future won’t be de ned by AI for its own sake, but by how well AI serves its customers’ needs.

In its “Retail Rewired” report, Walmart revealed growing consumer trust in AI-based shopping recommendations, with a surprising gap between trust in AI-based recommendations and those given by an in uencer – some 27% of respondents said that they preferred AI suggestions. SVP Tech Strategy and Emerging Tech

Desiree Gosby believes that this is a profound shift happening because AI is helping shoppers with a deeply personal experience.

As such, Walmart is embracing agentic AI, which can take actions on behalf of the customers using it. The retailer is focused on using the technology to solve for speci c use cases tailored to its business needs, including tasks such as item comparison and shopping journey completion, all within its GenAI-powered shopping assistant.

Additionally, the company unveiled a new suite of employee-facing AI tools that can be accessed through its associate app and are designed to eliminate friction, simplify actions, and make work more ef cient and intuitive. AI-driven task management, for example, helps associates decide where to focus their efforts. Team leads and store managers have estimated that the tool has reduced the time that they spend planning shifts from 90 minutes to only 30.

“AI is a key enabler in improving how we work, and we believe its full potential is unlocked only when paired with the strengths of our people,” said Greg Cathey, SVP, transformation and innovation. “When you put intuitive, accessible technology into the hands of millions of associates, the impact isn’t incremental — it’s transformational.”

In other tech-forward moves, Walmart recently became the rst retailer to scale its drone delivery to ve states with its service expansion in Atlanta; Charlotte, N.C.; Houston; and Orlando and Tampa, Fla. The new service has launched at 100 stores throughout Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, North Carolina and Texas, in addition to current operations in northwest Arkansas and the Dallas-Fort Worth area.

“As we look ahead, drone delivery will remain a key part of our commitment to rede ning retail,” Cathey said. “We’re pushing the boundaries of convenience to better serve our customers, making shopping faster and easier than ever before.”

In June, Walmart launched its latest marketing campaign, “Walmart. Who Knew?”

Catering to a Changing Demographic

In a tech move aimed at helping busy families answer the age-old “What’s for dinner?” question, Walmart in June unveiled its Dinner Tonight initiative, a one-stop platform on the retailer’s website and app that encompasses a total meal solution for shoppers. They can simply type in “Dinner Tonight,” “easy dinner” or “easy meals” to be routed to a landing page that features shoppable one-click baskets and a recipe hub.

Evan Gaetano, senior manager of grocery e-commerce, told Progressive Grocer that the wider use of e-commerce isn’t just about convenience, but it’s actually also shaping the future of how Americans eat. “Most

“AI is a key enabler in improving how we work, and we believe its full potential is unlocked only when paired with the strengths of our people. When you put intuitive, accessible technology into the hands of millions of associates, the impact isn’t incremental — it’s transformational.”

—Greg Cathey, SVP, Transformation and Innovation, Walmart

A new suite of employee-facing AI tools helps Walmart associates be more productive and ef cient.

“We’re pushing the boundaries of convenience to better serve our customers, making shopping faster and easier than ever before.”

—Greg Cathey, SVP, Transformation and Innovation, Walmart

people still don’t know what’s for dinner by 4 p.m. — and that’s not a problem; it’s a chance to lead,” he explained. “With Dinner Tonight, we’re reimagining what grocery can be in a digital world: faster, smarter and centered around real-life customer moments.”

The retailer is also reimagining the way that it appeals to the next generation of shoppers through its new private label tween fashion brand Weekend Academy. The assortment was designed with today’s younger generation in mind and offers a wide selection of on-trend items, most of which are available for under $15.

Overall, Walmart’s innovative moves are paying off, as evidenced by strong revenue growth in its second scal quarter and punctuated by a 25% increase in e-commerce, led by store-ful lled pickup and delivery.

“The top-line momentum we have in our business comes from how we’re innovating and executing,” noted Walmart President and CEO Doug McMillon. “Connecting with our customers and members through digital experiences is helping to drive our business, and the way we’re deploying AI will make these experiences even better. We’re people-led and tech-powered, and I love how our associates continue to drive change and results for our company.”

Walmart is reimagining its business through technology.

reTail

T he ART OF M erchandising ®

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion Fixtures

Cold Front Forecast Air F low Baffle

For Grab-and-Go Beverage Sales

Zip Track® Beverage System

The forecast is a cold cooler front when you use Trion’s Air Flow Baffle in coolers. Product temperature can be difficult to maintain at the front of a cooler. This Air Flow Baffle ensures that cold air is forced forward to keep items at their ideal temperature. Use as part of your cooler outfitting strategy, along with WonderBar ® Bar Merchandisers and hooks, EWTTM Expandable Wire Tray System, and cooler capable Clear Scan® label holders.

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

offers a wide range of adjustability for this ever-evolving beverage category

Containers Well Contained

Cooler Capable AMT®

Neatly and effectively display cooler and freezer items, including yogurt, dips, puddings, ice cream, single-serve foods, and more. Our small Adjustable Merchandising Tray (AMT) fits a range of 4- to 6-ounce cups; the medium AMT organizes mid-range offerings; and the large AMT gives ice cream lovers pause to browse and choose a pint of their favorite flavor (hmmm why not get both Cherry Vanilla and Rocky Road?). This manual-feed tray ensures that products remain faced and accessible. Time to re-stock? Just lift out and refill. Add Clear Scan® Label Holder, and you’re finished! Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

For Storewide and Grocery Sales

Zip Track® Merchandiser

It’s not just for coolers or beverages. Use ZIP Track® in multiple categories to showcase many different types of product. This is the most versatile system, of its kind available on the market. Manufactured from durable, modern plastics, it provides extended merchandising life. ZIP Track® offers a wide range of adjustability. Custom spring tensions and lane depths are available to fit any and all shelf and product needs.

Clip It! Installs in an Instant Zip Track® Components

If you think the WonderBar EWT is great, wait till you meet its big brother! Oversized just like some of your products, this weightlifter stays strong on both metal and open wire shelves and bar. One-piece installation means you can drop this bad boy right into place, adjust as needed, and watch the revenue increase. The EWT takes over from there, automatically feeding product to the front and billboarding merchandise for maximum visibility. Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

ZIP Track ® components clip on the front rail allowing easy adjustment. Lanes can slide on the rail even when full or to add additional facings. Zip It! Setting Width is a Breeze Fill It! With a Wide Range of Products Zip Track® Sells it All

WonderBar® Displays are the versatile heroes of the Trion product family, coming to the rescue when you need muscle and good looks to merchandise items of all sizes. These Bar Hooks can lift heavy loads in their capable arms. Display or Scan, Saddle Mount or Plug in, there are Trion WonderBar Hooks for every need.

Fill it with product. ZIP Track® maintains its width accurately for the entire depth of facing without the need for a rear anchor system.

reTail

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G ®

T he ART OF M erchandising ®

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G ®

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion® Fixtures

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G ®

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion Fixtures

Cold Front Forecast Air F low Baffle

See More, Sell More WonderBar® Trays

Grab Pouches by the Scruff pouch Hook™

Grab Pouches by the Scruff

Hook

Food for Thought Z ip Track ® Merchandiser

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Trion delivers your merchandising solutions on a platter actually, more of a tray. WonderBar® Trays solve the problem of how to stock, display, and sell an unlimited variety of products, including hardware, soft goods, coffee, dry goods, pet treats, and more. Adjust the tray from 51⁄2 " to 8 " wide, creating customized widths that accommodate boxes, bags, pillow packs, gusseted bags, bottles, clam shells, blister packs, and various tub shapes. Depths range from 13 " to 24 ", and trays feature integrated label holders. You’ll sell more when customers can see more! After the sale, simply lift out the tray

It’s not just for coolers or beverages. Use ZIP Track® in grocery to arrange and organize peanut butter & jelly, salad dressings, condiments, and more. The most versatile system of its kind on the market and in the supermarket. Easy to install, ZIP Track® components clip on a front rail allowing lanes to adjust quickly, even when full or to add additional facings. Use actual product to set lane width from 2" up to 3 3/4" Slide product front-to-back to “ZIP”

Grab Pouches by the Scruff Pouch Hook

What’s better than a pouch hook that automatically positions products for purchasing? A pouch hook that allows for easy restocking and is compatible with existing bar merchandising systems, that’s what! Need more reasons? They are available in 4 lengths to accommodate varied depths; feature a rear-loading design; include flip-front label holder, and tool-free installation on gondola, on pegboard, and in coolers. Of course, standard pouch hooks are available in case you are not a believer in gravity feed or gravity itself.

Containers Well Contained Cooler Capable AMT®

Cross Sell Adjacencies Dual Lane Trays

After one item is removed from our auto-feed, adjustable dual lane trays, the next product moves right into position. Each lane can be individually adjusted to a range of widths to maximize cross-sell opportunities. In addition, you can choose the push strength for either lightweight or heavy items. Dual Lane Trays give you the ability to customize displays to suit your inventory offerings.

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

A Clear Solution Dividers & Pushers

Dividers & Pushers

Let’s be clear. These are the best systems to display colorful items that draw the customers’ eyes... and their dollars. Sturdy enough for busy retail environments, these dividers let products promote themselves keeping packaging visible. Trion pushers keep items forwarded and faced for best visibility. Deploy Trion’s acrylic options for items including cosmetics, vitamins and supplements, crafts, party supplies, and more.

Trion delivers your merchandising actually, more of a tray. WonderBar Trays solve the problem of how to stock, display, and sell an unlimited variety of products, including hardware, soft goods, coffee, dry goods, pet treats, and more. Adjust the tray from 51⁄2 " to 8 " wide, creating customized widths that accommodate boxes, bags, pillow packs, gusseted bags, bottles, clam shells, blister packs, and various tub shapes. Depths range from 13 " to 24 ", and trays feature integrated label holders. You’ll sell more when customers can see more! After the sale, simply lift out the tray for convenient rear restocking. Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Grab Pouches by the Scruff Pouch

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faced. Feature items of

widths via asymmetric lane configurations. Cross merchandise a variety of products with ease. Trays install without tools and lift out for quick restocking or product rotation. Full line includes standard and oversize trays, and display, scan and pusher hooks. Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN

1 ⁄4 . Each lane features a separate pusher paddle to keep products forwarded and faced. Feature items of different widths via asymmetric lane configurations. Cross merchandise a variety of products with ease. Trays install without tools and lift out for quick restocking or product rotation. Full line includes standard and oversize trays, and display, scan and pusher hooks. Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion® Fixtures

T he ART OF M erchandising ®

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G ®

This cross-selling approach makes shopping easier for the customer and more profitable for you. Select from a range of other Trion outfitting to maximize selling space from the base deck to the top shelf and beyond. Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

the display space and create unique presentations of similar or related items. This cross-selling approach makes shopping easier for the customer and more profitable for you. Select from a range of other Trion outfitting to maximize selling space from the base deck to the top shelf and beyond.

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion Fixtures

Cold Front Forecast Air F low Baffle

Over 450 Profiles Clear Scan® Label Holders

Exciting Cross Sells Mini Dual Lane Trays

Flip-Scan Hooks

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

For Easy Selection and Fast Sales Z ip

Track ® Merchandiser

This mini tray leads to maximum revenue, because it allows complimentary items to be featured together. Dual lanes adjust to fit narrow merchandise sizes as small as 1 3⁄4 ". Each lane features a separate pusher paddle to keep products forwarded and faced. Feature items of different widths via asymmetric lane configurations. Cross merchandise a variety of products with ease. Trays install without tools and lift out for quick restocking or product rotation. Full line includes standard and oversize trays, and display, scan and pusher hooks.

Storewide solutions for any labeling need. Available in a variety of profiles (shapes), these bright, clear label holders are easily positioned in all standard C-channel configurations, as well as displays incorporating metal, glass, wood, wire baskets, wire shelving, wire fencing, and scanning hooks. Plain paper labels drop in behind a clear flexible PVC front, allowing labels to be changed quickly and inexpensively without messy adhesive backing. Adhesive label holders and strips also available if that is your need. Save time, increase visibility, and boost sales with this storewide labeling system.

Use ZIP Track® in multiple categories to showcase many different types of product. It’s not just for coolers or beverages. This is the most versatile system of its kind on the market. Easy to install, ZIP Track® components clip on a front rail allowing lanes to adjust quickly, even when full or to add additional facings. Use actual product to set lane width from 2" up to 3 3/4 " Slide product front-to-back to “ZIP” each track together. Custom spring tensions and lane depths are available to fit any and all shelf and product needs. The sturdy plastic is durable, with an extended merchandising life.

Cooler Capable AMT®

Over 450 Profiles Clear Scan® Label Holders

For the Bulky Stuff Base Deck Fencing

Flip-Scan® hooks are an open and shut case for ease of use. The articulated label holder lifts up and out of the way for easy product access, then falls back to vertical for viewing product and price info. Our unique label holder flexes open so plain paper labels can be inserted effortlessly. Available with short label holders or full length label strips and constructed of long-life materials, these durable, attractive scan hooks can outfit all display surfaces, including pegboard, slatwall, grid, crossbar, and corrugated. Fully compatible with the Clear Scan® Label Holder System for C-channel, shelf edge, wire basket, and refrigerated areas storewide.

This bottom is tops for displaying heavy, bulky, or hard-to-fit items. Display them attractively and neatly using front fencing and dividers to customize the display space and create unique presentations of similar or related items. This cross-selling approach makes shopping easier for the customer and more profitable for you. Select from a range of other Trion outfitting to maximize selling space from the base deck to the top shelf and beyond. Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Exciting Cross Sells Mini Dual Lane Trays

Flip-Scan® Hooks

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THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G ®

T he ART OF M erchandising ®

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion® Fixtures

Unlimited configuration

Expandable Wire TrayTM

Cold Front Forecast Air F low Baffle

Unlimited Configuration Expandable Wire Tray™

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Product offerings come in different sizes, so it makes sense that displays should come in different sizes, too. That’s why Trion created the WonderBar ® Expandable Wire Tray System. We included every feature you would want if you created it yourself: powder-coated galvanized wire that stands up to harsh environments; adjustable width; easy custom configuration; rail mount and freestanding units; wire or clear acrylic product stops. EWT mounts on pegboard, slatwall, gondola shelf, table top and cooler.

Product offerings come in different sizes, so it makes sense that displays should come in different sizes, too. That’s why Trion created the WonderBar® Expandable Wire Tray System, aka EWT. We included every feature you would want if you created it yourself: powdercoated galvanized wire that stands up to harsh environments; adjustable width; easy custom configuration; rail mount and freestanding units; wire or clear acrylic product stops. EWT mounts on pegboard, slatwall, gondola shelf, table top and cooler.

TrionOnline.com

Make an Appearance Z ip Track ® Merchandiser

Finish the Job Base Deck Fencing

Bin there, organized that! Trion’s deck fencing helps you bin small, large, bulk or packaged items while keeping them accessible to customers. Customize your display to create closed-front or open-front compartments using straight or offset front fence, then add our convenient labeling systems to finish the job right.

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Use ZIP Track ® storewide for neat and tidy health, beauty and wellness displays. This is the most versatile system of its kind on the market. Easy to install, ZIP Track® components clip on a front rail allowing lanes to adjust quickly, even when full or to add additional facings. Use actual product to set lane width from 2" up to 3 3/4 " Slide product front-to-back to “ZIP” each track together. Custom spring tensions and lane depths are available to fit any and all shelf and product needs. Manufactured from durable, modern plastics, ZIP Track® provides an extended merchandising life.

Announce Product Presence

Containers Well Contained Cooler Capable AMT®

Extruded Sign Holders

Think of these extruded signs as a GPS for your retail setting. Quickly guide customers to the products they want and need with these versatile sign holders. Plan your customer’s routes, then slide in signs when you’re ready. Creative merchandisers might also use these sign holders for monthly or weekly specials, buy-one-get-one offers, specialized category definition (think gluten free, organic, fair trade, etc.), or promotion of in-store loyalty cards. A variety of mounting options are available including hooks, push pin, and foam tape. The opportunities for use are endless. Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Super Hooks! WonderBar® Hooks

Slatwall Hooks

Yeah, We’ve Got That Slatwall Hooks

Let’s review your wish list of slatwall hook features: flat back plate base? Trion’s got it. Even load distribution? Check. Customizable with Clear Scan Labels? Yep. Flip-front or metal plate Label Holder, gotcha. Like your varied products, Trion’s Slatwall Hooks are offered in a range of standard, medium, heavy, and extra heavy gauges. Our hooks fit all industry standard slatwall slots, and many work with slot inserts. Call for a sample to check the fit with your design.

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THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G

T he ART OF M

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G ®

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion Fixtures

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G ®

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion Fixtures

Cold Front Forecast Air F low Baffle

Clean as a Whistle

Oversize? No Problem! WonderBar® EWTTM Large

Endless Baskets

The Problem Solver Endless Baskets

Z ip Track ® Merchandiser

the length and uses. Mount level or in gravity-feed mode from pegboard or slatwall, or place on shelves or table tops. Pair the baskets with hang tags, efficiently displaying both products and prices. Customize your baskets with handy dividers to create exactly the compartmentalization you need.

effectively, attractively merchandise in these baskets is, well, endless, as is the length and uses. Mount level or in gravity-feed mode from pegboard or slatwall, or place on shelves or table tops. Pair the baskets with hang tags, efficiently displaying both products and prices. Customize your baskets with handy dividers to create exactly the compartmentalization you need.

When Visibility is Your Goal Clear Acrylic Dividers

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Use ZIP Track® storewide to organize various types of cleaning products, insect repellent and various other household items. It is the most versatile system of its kind on the market. Easy to install, ZIP Track® components clip on a front rail allowing lanes to adjust quickly, even when full or to add additional facings. Use actual product to set lane width from 2" up to 3 3/4 " Slide product front-to-back to “ZIP” offers a wide range of adjustability for

The number of products you can effectively, attractively merchandise in these baskets is, well, endless, as is the length and uses. Mount level or in gravity-feed mode from pegboard or slatwall, or place on shelves or table tops. Pair the baskets with hang tags, efficiently displaying both products and prices. Customize your baskets with handy dividers to create exactly the

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Containers Well Contained Cooler Capable AMT®

Fast and Easy Attached-Back HooksTM

When Visibility is Your Goal Clear Acrylic Dividers

customers can spot and browse neatly displayed, upscale merchandise. Adjustable, multi-functional dividers allow you to customize depth and change the width of displays just as fast as new products are delivered. Sturdy, clear presentation keeps products looking their best, highlighting the colors, options, sizes, quality, and billboarding brands. Trion’s Clear Acrylic Divider Systems are among the best looking and adaptable merchandising systems. Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

The way to profits is clear when customers can spot and browse neatly displayed, upscale merchandise. Adjustable, multi-functional dividers allow you to customize depth and change the width of displays just as fast as new products are delivered. Sturdy, clear presentation keeps products looking their best, highlighting the colors, options, sizes, quality, and billboarding brands. Trion’s Clear Acrylic Divider Systems are among the best looking and adaptable merchandising systems. Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Super Hooks! WonderBar® Hooks

Fast and Easy Attached-Back HooksTM

assembled – a dream come true for speeding labor intensive projects. Because the hooks are already assembled, you can display merchandise as quickly as you can say “profits.” Once installed, these hooks come apart easily, making merchandising changes in tight displays fast and easy. Reinforced to host even heavy items, these hooks are available in standard, medium and heavy gauge frontwires with engineering grade plastic backplates to provide durable and attractive ways to keep your merchandise accessible.

straight-entry hooks arrive already assembled – a dream come true for speeding labor intensive projects. Because the hooks are already assembled, you can display merchandise as quickly as you can say “profits.” Once installed, these hooks come apart easily, making merchandising changes in tight displays fast and easy. Reinforced to host even heavy items, these hooks are available in standard, medium and heavy gauge frontwires with engineering grade plastic backplates to provide durable and attractive ways to keep your merchandise accessible.

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

You read that right. These two-piece straight-entry hooks arrive already assembled – a dream come true for speeding labor intensive projects. Because the hooks are already assembled, you can display merchandise as quickly as you can say “profits.” Once installed, these hooks come apart easily, making merchandising changes in tight displays fast and easy. Reinforced to host even heavy items, these hooks are available in standard, medium and heavy gauge frontwires with engineering grade plastic backplates to provide durable and attractive ways to keep your merchandise accessible. Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Pegboard Extenders

Extend Your Revenue Pegboard Extenders

pegboard extenders. Use them to layer display surfaces so you can simultaneously show tall and short items. Commonly used to merchandise mops, brooms, long handled tools and more, with cross sells and accessories directly in front. Pegboard extenders extend your merchandising reach.

layer display surfaces so you can simultaneously show tall and short items. Commonly used to merchandise mops, brooms, long handled tools and more, with cross sells and accessories directly in front. Pegboard extenders extend your merchandising reach.

Extend your opportunities to increase revenue with Trion’s pegboard extenders. Use them to layer display surfaces so you can simultaneously show tall and short items. Commonly used to merchandise mops, brooms, long handled tools and more, with cross sells and accessories directly in front. Pegboard extenders extend your merchandising reach.

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THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G ®

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion® Fixtures

Cold Front Forecast Air F low Baffle

Think Beyond the Obvious Literature Holder

Paint the Town Red Z ip Track ® Merchandiser

Literature Holder

Clear Dividers & Stops

Oversize? No Problem! WonderBar® EWTTM Large

For Base Deck and More Clear Dividers & Stops

Don’t judge a literature holder by its cover these coated-wire multi-taskers can be used to accommodate anything that is best displayed upright. Rather than stacking that merchandise flat on shelves, show off features and benefits where customers can fully view the entire item. Creatively deploy these to sell almost anything, including games, mirrors, frames, clocks, puzzles, life vests, baking sheets, and — for traditionalists —even product literature. Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

For Base Deck and More Clear Dividers & Stops

Dividers & Stops

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Use ZIP Track ® storewide for a wellorganized display of spray paint cans, and other craft items. Works well with caulking tubes in hardware too. This is the most versatile system of its kind on the market. Easy to install, ZIP Track® components clip on a front rail allowing lanes to adjust quickly, even when full or to add additional facings. Use actual product to set lane width from 2" up to 3 3/4 ". Slide product front-to-back to “ZIP” each offers a wide range of adjustability for changing

Containers Well Contained

Strips

Cooler Capable AMT®

Best Selection Guaranteed Holders & Strips on Hooks

You’ll be hooked on these Clear Scan® Label Holders when you see how easily they accommodate drop-in plain paper labels. Promote product and price or features and benefits so customers can choose easily .. . and so can you! Make your selection of Clear Scan Label Holders from a variety of profiles, colors and lengths, then add them to hooks with flip-front or FISH-TipTM mounts. Skip the mess of sticky adhesive labels and trade up to easy-to-use plain paper label holder systems.

Truth or dare? The truth is that Trion’s ShelfWorks® Clear Dividers and Product Stops are up to any dare. Choose straight, reversible, or interlocking-front clear dividers to align, stack, divide, and organize almost any product you want to sell. Another truth is Trion’s products are durable, high-quality items that will work as hard as you do. Try to find better merchandising solutions. We double-dog dare you.

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Inventory Control

Super Hooks! WonderBar® Hooks

ICC’s and Shams

Best Selection Guaranteed Holders & Strips on Hooks

ICC’s and Shams Inventory Control

Inventory Control

ICC’s and Shams Inventory Control

You’ll be hooked on these Clear Scan® Label Holders when you see how easily they accommodate drop-in plain paper labels. Promote product and price or features and benefits so customers can choose easily and so can you! Make your selection of Clear Scan Label Holders from a variety of profiles, colors and lengths, then add them to hooks with flip-front or FISH-TipTM mounts. Skip the mess of sticky adhesive labels and trade up to easy-to-use plain paper label holder systems.

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

You’ll be hooked on these Clear Scan® Label Holders when you see how easily they accommodate drop-in plain paper labels. Promote product and price or features and benefits so customers can choose easily and so can you! Make your selection of Clear Scan Label Holders from a variety of profiles, colors and lengths, then add them to hooks with flip-front or FISH-TipTM mounts. Skip the mess of sticky adhesive labels and trade up to easy-to-use plain paper label holder systems.

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Keep those carded products tidy and easy to see when you add inventory control clips (ICCs) to your standard, medium, heavy or extra heavy wire hook displays. These handy clips keep merchandise faced and double as a marker to let you know when it’s time to reorder or re-stock products. Available in Rabbit Ear ICC and circular Sham configurations. Or order with half-moon ATICC Inventory control clips already pre-mounted on the hook for you.

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

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THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G ®

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion Fixtures

Pin-Stop Waterfall Hooks

you use Trion’s Air Flow Baffle in coolers. Product temperature can be difficult to maintain at the front of a cooler. This Air Flow Baffle ensures that cold air is forced forward to keep items at their ideal temperature. Use as part of your cooler outfitting strategy, along with WonderBar ® Bar Merchandisers and hooks, EWTTM Expandable Wire Tray System, and cooler capable Clear Scan® label holders.

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

These strong, downward-canted waterfall hooks lift more weights than a personal trainer. Ready for a workout, Trion Industries’ hooks display heavy products, like free weights in multiple sizes, with both sales and safety in mind. Your customers can easily browse the merchandise, which is held in place by built-in pins to keep product from shifting or falling. Exercise your opportunity to cross-sell related products and keep your bottom line in shape! Of course these waterfall utility

Zip Track® Beverage System

Merchandise all size drinks from mini Red Bull® cans to oversized Gatorade® bottles. ZIP Track® is the most versatile and cost-effective Grab-and-Go system available on the market. Use actual product to set lane width from 2" to 3 3/4 " Reset lane width on set-up in less than 30 seconds. Shelf-based and coolerready, this anchored system billboards product for easy selection and fast sale. ZIP Track® forwards and faces product at all times. Quickly add lanes with this easy to install and adjust system. ZIP Track® offers a wide range of adjustability for this ever-evolving beverage category and changing package designs.

For the Bulky Stuff Base Deck Fencing

Holder

Mirror, mirror on the wall. You can be the most difficult item to display of all. Clever merchandisers use large literature holders for three-dimensional, awkwardly sized items like mirrors, framed art, clocks, and more. Available in a range of sizes, gauges, and weights, Trion’s large literature holders can be spaced horizontally to accommodate all manner of product sizes.

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN

Create Your Own

Clear Scan

Containers Well Contained

Flip-Scan

Staging Areas Built In Pin-Stop Waterfall Hooks

Sign Up!

Versatile Wall Tags

Staging Areas Built In Pin-Stop Waterfall Hooks

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

What do you want your customers to know? Want to promote great prices or unique product features? Add wall tags to your displays faster than you can say “sign up!” Wall tags allow you to mount your product and price separately on vertical display surfaces, for cleaner overall presentation.

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

heroes of the Trion product family, coming to the rescue when you need muscle and good looks to merchandise items of all sizes. These Bar Hooks can lift heavy loads in their capable arms. Display or Scan, Saddle Mount or Plug in, there are Trion WonderBar Hooks for every need.

| TrionOnline.com

make it easy to label and price products, regardless of plan-o-gram fixture layout, unusual product shape, or tightly spaced displays. When you need a flexible aid to label and price items quickly and conveniently, turn to this Swiss Army knife of outfitting. Scan-ItTM is available in a range of back plate sizes and label holder configurations.

case for ease of use. The articulated label holder lifts up and out of the way for easy product access, then falls back to vertical for viewing product and price info. Our unique label holder flexes open so plain paper labels can be inserted effortlessly. Available with short label holders or full length label strips and constructed of long-life materials, these durable, attractive scan hooks can outfit all display surfaces, including pegboard, slatwall, grid, crossbar, and corrugated. Fully compatible with the Clear Scan® Label Holder System for C-channel, shelf edge, wire basket, and refrigerated areas storewide.

| TrionOnline.com

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T he ART OF M erchandising

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G ®

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion Fixtures

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion® Fixtures

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion Fixtures

THE ART OF MERCHANDISIN G

Create Your Own Merchandising Masterpiece with Trion Fixtures

Extruded Sign Holders

Sign Up!

Cold Front Forecast Air F low Baffle

Sign Up! Extruded Sign Holders

Sign Up!

Extruded Sign Holders

Check out the benefits of our promotional products, and you’ll want to sign up!

Extruded sign holders are multi-purpose fit your fixture needs. Use plastic pushbuttons to attach signs to pegboard. FISH Tip TM hooks to position outboard on pegboard, slatwall and more. These sign holders make it easy to define product categories update price specials, highlight product features, and offer special deals to your customers. Extruded holders are offered in 4 heights and almost any length. Staggered rear mounts allow positioning at 4 different heights. 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Check out the benefits of our promotional products, and you’ll want to sign up! Extruded sign holders are multi-purpose to fit your fixture needs. Use plastic pushbuttons to attach signs to pegboard. Use FISH Tip TM hooks to position outboard on pegboard, slatwall and more. These sign holders make it easy to define product categories update price specials, highlight product features, and offer special deals to your customers. Extruded sign holders are offered in 4 heights and almost any length. Staggered rear mounts allow positioning at 4 different heights.

Tool Displayers

Hard Working Tool Displayers

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

ScanLock® Hook Locks

ScanLock Hook Locks

Verdict: Guilty!

ScanLock® Hook Locks

Containers Well Contained Cooler Capable AMT®

ScanLock® Hook Locks

Verdict: Guilty!

ScanLock® Hook Locks

Stop! Thief! Send your loss prevention team for a long lunch when Scanlock® Scan Hook Locks are on the job. The great price is a steal in itself, but don’t let the fool you. These locks secure most common scan hooks and can retrofit existing hooks. Choose your preferred lock-up: purchase the locks alone or choose full lock-and-hook combinations. Open hooks when customers request, replace items and re-lock without need for the key. Even the lock itself is secure, as it stays in place while items are accessed by staff. These locks have been rightly accused of protecting merchandise of all types while protecting profits. Verdict: guilty!

Stop! Thief! Send your loss prevention team for a long lunch when Scanlock® Scan Hook Locks are on the job. The great price is a steal in itself, but don’t let the deal fool you. These locks secure most common scan hooks and can retrofit existing hooks. Choose your preferred lock-up: purchase the locks alone or choose full lock-and-hook combinations. Open hooks when customers request, then replace items and re-lock without the need for the key. Even the lock itself is secure, as it stays in place while items are accessed by staff. These locks have been rightly accused of protecting merchandise of all types while protecting your profits. Verdict: guilty!

Hard Working Tool Displayers

Oversize? No Problem! WonderBar® EWTTM Large

Hammer sales when home and garden tools are attractively merchandised. Trion specialty hooks are designed to work as hard as the items they hold. Sort, angle, hang, and sell all types of hand tools using a pegboard display, then nail down the details with accessories like our FlipScan® Label Holders and Strips, Scan ItTM Sign Holders, wall tags, and more.

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Scan Hooks for Grid

Super Hooks! WonderBar® Hooks

Best Selection

Best Selection Scan Hooks for Grid

Scan Hooks for Grid

Best Selection

Scan Hooks for Grid

Call 800-444-4665 | TrionOnline.com

Slat or flat! Trion Industries makes slatgrid or flatgrid scan hooks for that. Flip or clip, you get your choice of label holder styles. Choose from flatback metal, or open wire backplates in single prong, loop, or scan hook fronts. You then have a choice of label holder styles. The entire range of 1 " , 3 " and 4 " grid surfaces are supported. If slatwire or gridwall is your display surface, your hook choice should be Trion.

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RETAIL REVOLUTION: HOW DECICCO & SONS AND SCHWEITZER ARE

SHAPING THE FUTURE OF RETAIL

Raising the standards of the grocery shopping experience

A new era in retail is taking shape as two industry leaders, DeCicco & Sons and Schweitzer, join forces. In this Q&A, John DeCicco and Matthäus Streitberger discuss their partnership, which aims to redeﬁne the grocery shopping experience.

What challenges do you see in today‘s grocery retail?

John DeCicco: Grocery shopping is shifting from a routine errand to an experience. While others are just now raising their standards, this has been in our DNA for decades. It‘s about staying ahead, surprising our guests, and offering an experience they can‘t ﬁnd anywhere else.

Why did you choose Schweitzer and Interstore as partners?

JD: We only partner with the best. We sought a team that shared our commitment to sustainability, community, and an exceptional customer experience. Schweitzer and Interstore‘s expertise and values made them the clear choice.

”We continuously look for ways to surprise and delight our customersreimagining what a grocery visit can be.”

JOHN DECICCO CEO at DeCicco & Sons

How was it to work with an external partner on store design?

JD: Our family has always been deeply hands-on. Partnering with Schweitzer was a new step, but we embraced it. We found we could remain just as involved, blending our family’s touch with their innovative ideas to unlock new possibilities for our brand.

How satisﬁed are you with Schweitzer’s refrigeration cases?

JD: Sustainability is a top priority for us. Schweitzer delivered technologically advanced and beautifully integrated refrigeration solutions that perfectly align with our mission to reduce our environmental impact. We‘re proud to take another signiﬁcant step toward a greener future.

What is your approach to a customized store concept?

Matthäus Streitberger: We believe in creating an experience, not just a store. Our approach is to deeply understand the partner‘s brand identity and customer base. For DeCicco & Sons, this meant elevating

their fresh food departments with a „market hall“ feel, combining global design expertise with high-quality shopﬁtting to reﬂect their unique, family-focused values.

What does your Design + Build approach imply?

MS: Our Design + Build approach uniﬁes design and construction under one roof. This ensures a seamless, efficient process, reduces complexity, and allows us to handle the entire project from initial idea to ﬁnal realization.

How do you believe these new DeCicco & Sons stores will impact the local communities they serve?

MS: The new DeCicco & Sons stores are designed to be a hub for the community. By offering a welcoming space focused on high-quality, fresh products and prepared foods, they become a destination for connection, thus fostering local pride.

READ THE FULL ARTICLE AND GET IN TOUCH

Matthäus Streitberger Head of Operations North America, Schweitzer matthaeus.streitberger@schweitzerproject.com +1 647 217 2083

Store of the Future

OMNICHANNEL RETAILING

TRUE HARMONY, NOT JUST TOUCHPOINTS

There has been a lot of talk in recent years – rightly –about why physical and digital stores shouldn’t be siloed operations. Although many agree on the “why,” the “how” of effective execution in an omnichannel marketplace is a bit open to interpretation.

In setting out on the path to a successful omnichannel future, it’s helpful to recognize that the various lanes lead to the same direction. “We have a tendency to look at omnichannel retail as a checklist of touchpoints and to consider those retailers with the most touchpoints as leading the pack,” notes Ethan Chernofsky, chief marketing of cer at Tel Aviv-based location analytics rm Placer.ai. “This is a fundamentally awed approach.”

“The true north star for great omnichannel retail [is] to ask how retailers can best utilize each channel for its strength, and this doesn’t need to be a copy-and-paste approach.”

—Ethan Chernofsky, Placer.ai

Expanding Reach: Sprouts and Trader Joe’s See Rising Share of Visits from Farther Away

Share of Visits by Distance Traveled to the Store | 7+ Miles

Instead, Chernofsky suggests a harmonized approach based on the understanding that certain channels are better positioned to provide certain bene ts. “Stores are more oriented to product discovery, for engaging with products like fresh produce, and for the ability of an in-store journey to enable excitement, brand or product awareness and impulse purchases,” he points out. “Online grocery has an advantage in the convenience it enables and the fact that our phones are always with us, creating powerful opportunities to engage customers on an ongoing basis.”

Recognizing and focusing on the strengths of each channel is key to both maximizing retailers’ respective operations and staying true to their respective identities. “The true north star for great omnichannel retail [is] to ask how retailers can best utilize each channel for its strength, and this doesn’t need to be a copy-andpaste approach,” Chernofsky says. “For example, a retailer oriented to fresh produce and high-quality items might lean less on online delivery, while a value-oriented retailer more aligned with packaged items might lean heavier into online ordering.”

Having a single strategy for online and of ine improves store experiences for customers wherever they shop. For example, Chernofsky notes that retailers can tout packaged items that demand replenishment delivery and offer incentives at delivery that encourage customers to return to the physical store for items like fresh produce.

Several retailers are nding success with this approach. Bentonville, Ark.-based Walmart, for its part, continues to post digital sales gains and ful lls many of those orders from stores through buy-online, pick-up-in-store (BOPIS) and store delivery methods. Many regional grocers are likewise creating programs with the understanding that there are ways to leverage both channels. More of these mindsets will be in play in a future that’s likely to bring even more omnichannel competition. As Chernofsky puts it, “The key is to ensure strategies that leverage both for the greater outcome and don’t pit channels against each other.”

CONNECTED STORES

PHYSICAL LOCATIONS AS DIGITAL ASSETS

If seamless omnichannel operations will be hallmarks of future grocery stores, so will connected stores. Although the terms may sound related, there are notable nuances: Connected stores unify physical operations with digital channels.

These connections include innovative, integrated technologies as well as strong interpersonal relationships. On the tech side, innovations will continue to accelerate, making it a dynamic time to be in the food retailing business.

“A connected store is a fully digitized environment where IoT devices, sensors and software systems integrate smoothly to deliver real-time data, operational agility and enhanced shopper experiences,” explains Jim Norred, chief commercial of cer at Nanterre, France-based tech solutions provider VusionGroup. “It blends electronic shelf labels, computer vision, digital signage, asset monitoring and back-end analytics.”

Sprouts Farmers Market

Trader Joe’s

Per Placer.ai, fresh format stores’ popularity can be enhanced by a harmonized omnichannel strategy.

“Human-centered design rooted in sustainability creates tech that drives performance and ampliﬁes positive social and environmental impact.”

—Jim Norred, Vusion Group

Norred projects that a new paradigm will emerge from connected stores that offer price accuracy at the shelf, automated inventory tracking and replenishment, and streamed store operations. “We see physical stores as digital assets, where every element, from shelving to refrigeration, is part of an intelligent, data-driven ecosystem,” he says. “Retailers can also deploy generative AI and real-time intelligence – leveraging AI for pricing, assortment, promotions and layout based on live in-store conditions, sales and customer behavior.”

Stores that are true digital assets will also be set up for stronger business performance. For instance, automation has been shown to cut costs, minimize errors and speed up work ows, while tools like computer vision and AI intelligence power data-backed, actionable decisions. Retailers planning for the future can also employ platforms that allow for scaling, thereby future-proo ng their investments and simplifying expansion.

Even with advancing technologies that link and optimize store operations, the time-honored tradition of personal connections and support are crucial in the execution. “Human-centered design rooted in sustainability creates tech that drives performance and ampli es positive social and environmental impact,” Norred asserts.

Ultimately, human-centered commerce results in an improved associate experience. Associates can then focus on customer interactions instead of manual tasks like price tagging or inventory checks. Shoppers, too, will bene t from experiences that re ect their personal needs and interests, such as dynamic promotions and accurate information that reduce their frustration and boost their loyalty.

Connected stores offer price accuracy at the shelf, automated tracking and replenishment, and streamed store operations, according to Vusion Group.

On a broader level, connected-store technologies will enhance sustainability and corporate responsibility efforts. “Intelligent, data-driven automation cuts waste, improves operational ef ciencies and enriches staff contributions – all while delivering measurable performance gains and ROI,” Norred concludes.

INTELLIGENT MANAGEMENT

THE SINGLE-CORE ADVANTAGE FOR REGIONAL AND MIDSIZED GROCERS

Grocers, especially independent and regional operators, will continue to face competitive pressures as they strive to maintain already narrow margins in the years ahead. In this environment, food retailers will increasingly rely on partnerships with solution providers that can help them maximize their nancial and human resources.

One case in point is software that provides intelligent management for grocers. Although retailers have deployed different software programs for years, if not decades, newer versions are smarter, more secure and easily accessible for retailers.

“I’ve been in and around the independent grocery business since the ’90s and can testify to the blood, sweat and tears that go into their work,” observes René Stai, head of marketing at Laval, Quebec-based retail software provider LOC Software. “It’s not an easy job, especially with the increasing mergers and acquisitions we’ve been seeing.”

LOC Software is an example of a provider that helps grocers optimize their point-of-sale operations. Its Multi-Tenant software, for example, is a exible cloud solution that enables enterprises to run all stores from a single core, with real-time reporting data available from any device or location. Compared with legacy networks, this future-forward solution eliminates the need for a store’s own back-of ce server and is a single source for maintaining items, managing receiving, monitoring inventory, handling costing and setting pricing across the business. Individual store managers have full access to the system for day-to-day management.

“If your network happens to go down, it doesn’t impact your payments or your customers going through the lines,” Stai notes. “Additionally, your managers at the store level can have the autonomy to make changes and pivot quickly.”

By eliminating store servers, retailers won’t have to worry as much about security updates, hardware failures or the need to hire

“You have all your data sitting in one secure location in the cloud. It doesn’t matter if it’s one, ﬁve or 200 stores.”

—René Stai, LOC Software

Innovative technologies are empowering grocers with more ways to optimize operations, lower costs and enhance experiences. Supporting advancements like these requires secure, reliable solutions that will help you continue to adapt.

That’s where Spectrum Business® can help.

Ready to optimize your operations and enhance the shopper experience? Our technology can bring it all to life.

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Personalized in-store and mobile experiences enable targeted promotions and ads to attract new customers. Improve application performance and reduce the burden on your IT team with our full range of managed solutions.

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Alternative fulfillment models like curbside pickup and e-commerce operations are here to stay. Meet evolving customer demand with scalable internet and networking solutions that can support your current and future bandwidth requirements.

Call 1-877-919-3043 or visit enterprise.spectrum.com/proggrocer to explore our solutions for grocers.

SPECIAL REPORT Store of the Future

“There should always be a human element, people helping people.”

—Faizan Sheikh, Avidbots

Where Avidbots distinguishes itself is in its philosophy of “cobotics”: robots designed to work alongside people rather than replace them. “Today, we’re very focused on the cobotics piece in the Store of the Future, meaning robots co-existing with humans,” Sheikh explains. “There should always be a human element, people helping people. Contrary to popular opinion, a lot of people still immerse themselves in public to be amongst others.”

That vision comes to life in Avidbots’ two agship machines. Kas, built speci cally for grocery, is compact enough to navigate tight aisles, equipped with advanced obstacle avoidance to adapt to changing layouts and powerful enough to clean up to 100,000 square feet on a single charge. Neo, by contrast, has traditionally served warehouses and club stores, where larger formats require “more aggressive cleaning schedules under tighter time constraints,” Sheikh notes.

The return on investment is immediate. “Our clients have thrown around the term ‘no-brainer’ when it comes to the ROI for introducing Avidbots to clean their stores,” Sheikh says. “It is common we see ROI above 50% in the rst month. We’ve recently worked with a grocer touting 60%-plus monthly ROI.”

Importantly, the robots are designed to operate seamlessly in crowded environments. “Our robots have been described as friendly-looking, so right away, shoppers aren’t intimidated by them,” Sheikh observes. “Our autonomy algorithms will always nd the most ef cient way to clean in a certain time frame, avoiding shoppers when doable or navigating around those that are idle.”

Deployment is fast – usually just two to three days –and includes a full store-mapping and training process.

For Avidbots, however, onboarding is about mindset as much as mechanics. “Best results follow the stores whose operators are excited about the idea of being the stewards of their robots – it is a mindset thing,” Sheikh emphasizes.

Looking forward, Avidbots is advancing features such as autoreturn-to-home and scheduled start while also building integrations with other in-store systems. As Sheikh puts it, “Our mission is to enable robots to complete monotonous tasks, with the goal to expand humanity’s potential.”

SUSTAINABILITY

A CULTURE OF WASTE REDUCTION

In the Store of the Future, sustainability won’t be an afterthought – it will be core to how grocers operate. That vision is at the heart of Too Good To Go, whose mission is to “inspire and empower everyone to ght food waste together.” As Chris MacAulay, VP of operations for North America at Copenhagen-based Too Good To Go, explains: “By adopting smarter, more sustainable and more transparent practices, our retail partners not only reduce shrink, but also strengthen trust and loyalty with today’s value- and purpose-driven shoppers.”

The company works with retailers of all sizes to manage and redistribute surplus food that would otherwise go to waste. Its signature Surprise Bags – bundles of products nearing expiration but still perfectly good – allow grocers to protect margins and reduce shrink while giving shoppers access to high-quality food at a discount. “By helping retailers reduce shrink, we protect margins while boosting ESG, turning surplus into both revenue and impact,” MacAulay says.

Consumers, he adds, are increasingly demanding this kind of action. “We’ve seen that even small daily actions, like saving one Surprise Bag, can have a big collective impact,” MacAulay notes. With 120 million registered users worldwide and 3.6 million new U.S. users joining the app this year alone, Too Good To Go is tapping into a groundswell of demand for climate-conscious, affordable solutions.

On the technology side, the Too Good To Go Platform integrates directly with grocers’ existing point-of-sale and inventory systems. Store associates use the Surprise Bag Builder to ag short-dated items before they expire, ensuring that surplus is diverted ef ciently. “The tool provides employees with clear instructions on what to include in each bag, optimizing value while minimizing waste,” MacAulay says.

“The tool provides employees with clear instructions on what to include in each bag, optimizing value while minimizing waste.”

—Chris MacAulay, Too Good To Go

That impact is measurable: In the United States alone, the company has helped save more than 26 million meals, equivalent to roughly 57 million pounds of food and more than 71,000 tonnes of CO2e avoided. “When it’s made simple and affordable, everyone can win,” MacAulay observes.

Looking ahead, Too Good To Go envisions food waste management as an integral part of store operations. “We imagine a store where expiry tracking is automated, surplus is intelligently diverted to multiple end points, employees understand the value of waste reduction, and customers routinely participate by buying Surprise Bags,” MacAulay predicts. “Both behind the scenes and in the front of house, Too Good To Go aims to be the core infrastructure helping food move ef ciently, sustainably and with purpose.”

Shoppers aren’t intimidated by Avidbots’ friendly-looking robots.

ACTIONABLE INSIGHTS & CONNECTIONS POWERING BUSINESS GROWTH

EnsembleIQ is the premier resource of actionable insights and connections powering business growth throughout the path to purchase. We help retail, technology, consumer goods, healthcare and hospitality professionals make informed decisions and gain a competitive advantage.

EnsembleIQ delivers the most trusted business intelligence from leading industry experts, creative marketing solutions and impactful event experiences that connect best-in-class suppliers and service providers with our vibrant business-building communities.

Getting Gen Z in the Door With Novel Product Drops

THE PATH TO PURCHASE INSTITUTE EXPLAINS HOW LIMITED-EDITION PRODUCTS HELP BRANDS SUCH AS DOVE AND OREO BOLSTER RETAILER RELATIONSHIPS AND APPEAL TO NEW SHOPPERS.

By the Path to Purchase Institute

Brands have traditionally used limited-edition products and collections to test formulas for larger investment, capture holiday purchases and/or tap into big entertainment releases.

But the frequency of these rollouts has increased in the past few years as brands seek new ways to bolster their relationships with retailers and to appeal to Gen Z shoppers. In fact, two in ve CPG marketers surveyed for the Path to Purchase Trends report said that retailer-speci c programs deliver the best results on revenue impact, ROI, and acquisition and retention.

Tapping Into Social Media Trends

Retailers often seek exclusive products from brands as a way to drive trips and distinguish themselves from the competition. Limited-edition exclusives provide a greater sense of urgency in these collaborations than an exclusive launch window before a product is released at the retailer’s competitors.

Unilever’s Dove has become a leader in this tactic, working with Walmart and Target on limited-edition collections. A Garden Tea Party collection running exclusively at Target from June 30 through Sept. 13 was inspired by this year’s scent trends and the prominence of rococo fashion and regency romance on TikTok.

The brand enlisted in uencers to promote the line on Instagram and used an email and carousel ad to direct consumers to a brand showcase at Target.com.

Novel Scents and Flavors

In December 2024, Dove rolled out a limited-edition assortment of personal care items at Walmart that were inspired by bakery franchise Crumbl’s most popular dessert avors. The collection was showcased in PDQs on free-standing displays.

The Crumbl collaboration is part of another trend driving limited-edition launches: Brands are nding that new product avors aren’t always enough to maintain consumer loyalty. As preferences quickly shift, companies are looking for innovation through cross-category collaborations.

A high-pro le example of this includes Mondelez International’s Oreo and Coca-Cola Co.’s agship brand partnership last summer

to try to reach Gen Z shoppers, who enjoy surprising avors. They declared themselves “Besties” and launched limited-edition Oreo- avored Coke Zero Sugar and a Coca-Cola- avored Oreo cookie.

Oreo is also seeking collaborations with celebrities who can bring a fresh audience as well as a novel avor. Singer and actor Selena Gomez designed a horchata-inspired chocolate and cinnamon avor that rolled out to retailers in June with huge fanfare, including massive headphone-shaped displays spotted at Zehrs, oorstands at Kroger and Sobeys, and shelf blockers at Target.

The cookies are imprinted with music-themed designs like headphones and a heart-shaped vinyl record. Oreo inspired shoppers to pick up multiple SKUs by including a cookie with Gomez’s signature in one in three packs. That design could also be used with a mobile website to unlock an exclusive remix.

Limited-edition exclusives have solidi ed into powerful, high-stakes tools for driving retailer partnerships, sparking shopper excitement and keeping pace with consumers whose tastes change as quickly as the trends they follow.

Oreo leveraged singer Selena Gomez for a limited-edition cookie avor that was promoted with massive headphoneshaped displays at Canadian retailer Zehrs and elsewhere.

From Bristol Bay to Basket

WHOLE FOODS MARKET IS REDEFINING RESPONSIBLE SOURCING BY NURTURING THE COMMUNITIES, CRAFTSMANSHIP AND CARE BEHIND ALASKA’S SOCKEYE SALMON INDUSTRY.

By Gina Acosta

Alaska Peninsula, Alaska – At the edge of the world, close to heaven, you might ﬁ nd a man named Jason Hedlund staring at ﬁ sh.

On a July afternoon, Hedlund – who is the principal category merchant of seafood for Austin, Texas-based Whole Foods Market – is watching brown bears plucking sockeye salmon out of the Brooks River, a familiar current of memory ﬂowing before him.

For 11 summers, Hedlund ﬁ shed the breathtaking waters near here, along the Alaska Peninsula and around Bristol Bay, the easternmost arm of the Bering Sea – one of the remotest places in the United States. Today, he is part of a passionate and dedicated team at Whole Foods tasked not just with procuring salmon, but also with protecting a pristine wild food system that, quite simply, must be seen in person to be believed.

“This is one of the last abundant, nutritious and sustainable wild protein food sources on the planet,” Hedlund says, “and it’s done by hand, not by machines.”

Progressive Grocer had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to travel to some of the most secluded spots in Alaska and see one of the grocery

industry’s most overlooked and sustainable supply chain marvels: the journey of wild-caught Alaska sockeye salmon from burbling rivers and glassy lakes, to the murky shallows of Bristol Bay, to the nearest seafood department, where salmon continues to be the American shopper’s ﬁ nﬁ sh of choice.

It is, in Hedlund’s words, “the greatest untold food story of our time.”

That story begins here, in the so-called Last Frontier, a corner of the world so quiet you can hear the tens of millions of sockeye thrashing in the waters. This place, remote and raw, is the most productive salmon stronghold on Earth, returning an average of 40 million wild sockeye salmon every year, producing more than 50% of the world’s sockeye salmon supply and driving a $2.2 billion salmon ﬁ shery that supports tens of thousands of jobs.

It’s also where Whole Foods and its team members are leading on what responsible sourcing truly means, not just as policy, but also as practice.

Seafood as Story

To understand how Whole Foods developed its rigorous standards to nurture a more sustainable seafood supply, we have to go back to where it began for Hedlund: on the deck of a boat.

Before he worked in procurement, Hedlund hauled nets.

“There was a summer in the early 2000s when I earned less than the price of my airfare,” he remembers, “but I couldn’t wait to come back. I was hooked.”

His love for the sockeye ﬁ shery began on the decks of Bristol Bay vessels, where rough hands and long hours forged his understanding of the labor, precision and devotion required

Brown bears pluck sockeye salmon out of the Brooks River, on the Alaska Peninsula.

to land wild salmon. He worked with, and learned from, generational ﬁ shing families, many of whom still operate in the bay today. That experience deeply informs his work as a buyer.

“There’s a cadence to the ﬁ shery,” Hedlund explains. “You learn to read the water, the wind, and the quiet tension before a run hits. When I talk to a supplier now, I know what’s going on behind the scenes, in their plants, on their boats. That changes everything.”

Today, that ﬁ rsthand knowledge helps Whole Foods form long-term supplier partnerships, many of which stretch across decades and weather unpredictable market and environmental changes. The retailer’s aim is to bring transparency and traceability to the seafood aisle while honoring the culture, heritage and knowledge of those who harvest it.

“It’s not just about securing inventory; it’s about building equity into every part of the supply chain,” Hedlund says. “We want every stakeholder, from ﬁ shers to ﬁ nal consumers, to feel seen in this process.”

For much of the grocery industry, seafood is simply a SKU: a source of revenue within a larger protein set. For Whole Foods, however, sockeye salmon has become something more: an emblem of purpose, a product of place and a special way to tell the sustainability story to the consumer. Yet that story is only as good as its preservation throughout the supply chain.

The Bristol Bay sockeye salmon season typically runs for six weeks – maybe eight if the ﬁ shers are lucky – from June to July. A tour of the stateof-the-art E & E Foods and Trident

Seafood processing plants in Co ee Point and Naknek reveals how fi sh are graded, bled, iced, fl ash-frozen, or trimmed into pristine fi lets. Many plants now use refrigerated seawater tanks and nano-ice slush systems to

chill ﬁ sh within minutes of harvest, preserving peak texture and ﬂ avor.

Hedlund walks every line he buys from. He watches for how gently the ﬁ sh is handled, how many transition points exist in the layout and whether crews follow protocols that align with Whole Foods’ seafood quality standards.

“Speed matters. Cleanliness matters. How many hands touch the ﬁ sh matters,” he asserts. “That’s what customers don’t see, but they taste it.”

Hedlund’s on-the-ground experience in Alaska gives him what he calls a “deeper resonance” with suppliers. “It drives a more focused partnership in our sourcing relationships,” he says. “We only do business with certain salmon suppliers and processing plants who we trust for how they handle ﬁ sh at catch, transport and processing, with a high degree of craftsmanship and quality.”

He begins working with forecasts well before the season starts, consulting trusted collaborators in Alaska.

“During the season, I follow ﬁ shery activity daily and coordinate buys based on peak moments to bring the highest-quality wild salmon to our customers,” Hedlund says.

Whole Foods buys fi sh in several forms: fresh H&G (headed and gutted), frozen whole, frozen fi lets, and value-added formats such as pre-marinated portions. While some grocery retailers chase lowest cost per pound, Whole Foods focuses on best value: a blend of ethical handling, freshness, sustainability certifi cation and community investment. In some years, Whole Foods will expand or reduce purchases based on the size class of fi sh. Two-ocean sockeye (sockeye that spend two years in the ocean before returning to fresh water to spawn) are typically smaller than threeocean fi sh. Each has its place in the assortment.

“It’s not just about securing inventory; it’s about building equity into every part of the supply chain. We want every stakeholder, from ﬁshers to ﬁnal consumers, to feel seen in this process.”

—Jason Hedland, Principal Category Merchant of Seafood, Whole Foods Market

Whole Foods buys sh in several forms, including frozen whole.

Hedlund often refers to Bristol Bay as more than a ﬁ shery: It’s a “breadbasket of the wild.” He’s not being poetic. In a typical year, Bristol Bay supplies markets from Seattle to Singapore, from Austin to Antwerp. This year, the Bristol Bay sockeye salmon run is forecast to be 51.38 million ﬁ sh, which is 38% greater than the long-term average.

But the scale of production masks the intimacy of the process. Bristol Bay’s sockeye salmon fi shery is managed to ensure sustainable harvesting, with a focus on achieving spawning escapement goals while maximizing the harvest, which is brought in by many small-scale fi shers. “This isn’t industrial trawling,” Hedlund says. “This is one fi sh at a time, picked out of nets by hand, by people whose names I often know.”

“We’re known for having some of the toughest seafood standards in the industry, but for me, it’s also about respect. Respect for the ﬁsh, for the ﬁsher, for the process.”

—Wes Rose, SVP of Perishables, Whole Foods Market

A Community Bound by Salmon

This model of community-rooted fi shing stands in stark contrast to many of the world’s large protein supply chains. There are no factory ships here. Instead, independent fi shers, many of them operating family-run set-net sites, head into the waters seasonally, working with tidal patterns and regulations that are fi nely tuned to ecological conditions.

Wes Rose, Whole Foods’ SVP of perishables, is also on this trip to stunning Bristol Bay, along with Hedlund and other leaders from Whole Foods, the Alaska Seafood Marketing Institute and the Bristol Bay Regional Seafood Development Association.

Rose has been in the grocery business long enough to have seen trends rise and fall, he says. But he admits that nothing quite prepared him for the profound simplicity – and complexity – of what’s happening in Bristol Bay.

“I’ve been around seafood my whole career, but standing on that beach, watching families ﬁ sh with their kids, seeing that multigenerational commitment, it hit me hard,” Rose notes. “It reminded me why we do what we do.”

Rose emphasizes that Whole Foods doesn’t just talk about quality standards, it also lives them. “We’re known for having some of the toughest seafood standards in the industry,” he says, “but for me, it’s also about respect. Respect for the ﬁ sh, for the ﬁ sher, for the process.”

Indeed, in addition to the unforgettable landscapes, what makes Bristol Bay truly rare isn’t just the seafood. It’s the people.

“At headquarters, we talk about ‘values’ and ‘purpose,’ and it can start to feel like branding language,” Rose observes. “But when you see how these ﬁ shers live, how hard they work and how proud they are of what they do,

you understand: This isn’t branding. This is their life. And we have a responsibility to do right by them.”

Therein lies the beauty and fragility of this ﬁ shery, Hedlund adds.

“It is resilient because of the community stewardship and biodiversity,” he says, “but it’s also delicate. It depends on balance, on science, on care.”

Hedlund describes the sockeye itself as a kind of miracle.

“This animal travels thousands of miles out into the ocean, turns that ocean bounty into muscle, then brings it all back here, to this exact watershed, so we can harvest that energy and return it to the food system,” he marvels. “It’s hard to think of a more elegant or generous biological loop.”

Fisher families such as Tyga Villelli’s have worked these shores for three generations. Her 5-year-old son, Odin, already knows how to untangle a net. Each summer, her mother ﬂ ies up to babysit the next generation while Villelli and her cousin ﬁ sh together in rafts just yards from shore.

“It’s not a job; it’s our life,” Villelli asserts. “We don’t ﬁsh for Wall Street. We ﬁ sh for our families and our future.”

Set-netting (in which stationary nets are anchored or fi xed to the seabed to catch fi sh) is hard, physical work. In many operations, there’s no refrigeration on the ski to get to the net, no onboard tech, just experience, grit and respect for the tides. Each fi sh is picked by hand, bled on-site, and hauled ashore in slings or 5-gallon buckets, or, as in Villelli’s operation, hand-pitched into a trailer for immediate delivery.

Fisher families such as the Villellis have worked in Alaska for three generations.

The area around Bristol Bay is home to some unforgettable landscapes.

Hedlund sees that labor as sacred. “These aren’t anonymous industrial boats,” he says. “They’re families. They know every rock, every bend in the current. That knowledge is irreplaceable.”

There’s also concern, however. Some years, the run is less than expected. The average age of a Bristol Bay ﬁ sher is creeping upward. Access to permits is expensive. Boats and gear require capital. Younger ﬁ shers often start as deckhands, hoping to work their way toward a permit.

“We talk about the graying of the fl eet,” Hedlund says, “but you can still see the spark in the greenhorns. That gives me hope. As new opportunities open up for permits and vessels, I believe the fi shery will continue to thrive. That’s why it’s key to keep fair-value costs in mind across all stakeholders, so value is shared equitably for all involved in harvesting and producing this fi sh.”

Whole Foods’ commitment includes buying from both large operations and small set-netters who meet the brand’s rigorous standards. It also means advocating for policies that support access and fairness across the industry.

Lifting Up Industries

Whole Foods’ leadership in the category isn’t just deﬁ ned by sustainable sourcing. It’s also measured by standing up when it matters.

In 2023, the company publicly backed Clean Water Act protections for Bristol Bay, joining tribal leaders, local ﬁ shers and conservationists in opposing the Pebble Mine project, a proposed open-pit mine that opponents say will pose a catastrophic threat to the watershed.

Hedlund represented Whole Foods at the White House when the announcement was made regarding the legislation. “We’re not just buying salmon,” he said at the time. “We’re investing in the ecosystems and people that make it possible.”

On July 17 of this year, the Trump administration revealed that it will defend both a 2020 decision by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to reject a key Pebble Mine permit and the Environmental Protection Agency’s subsequent decision to protect Alaska’s Bristol Bay from future versions of Pebble Mine, under the Clean Water Act.

“President Trump stands with Alaskans and with ﬁ shing communities nationwide today,” Wild Salmon Center President and CEO Guido Rahr said at the time. “We applaud this decision to protect America’s greatest salmon stronghold, a place that supports tens of thousands of American ﬁ shing jobs and is revered by sportsmen and -women across the nation.”

Meanwhile, Whole Foods is making investments that show up not just in policy, but also in purchasing and product development.

The retailer’s Seafood Code of Conduct now addresses human rights aboard vessels. All wild seafood must meet Marine Stewardship Council or the Monterey Bay Aquarium’s Seafood Watch certiﬁ cation

standards. Additionally, the retailer’s category innovation continues in frozen formats, convenience items and packaging that helps reduce waste.

“We’re setting a bar,” Rose adds, “and we will keep raising it.”

A Final Catch

Beyond the sustainable ﬁ sheries of Bristol Bay, and the certiﬁ cations, policies and innovations regarding seafood at Whole Foods, the heartbeat of this story is loudest when it’s time to say goodbye to this magical land of auroras, fjords and glaciers.

The light in Alaska seems to stretch on forever, and so does the tundra, with its millions of lakes and thousands of rivers. If you look closely, you can see bear, moose, otters, seals and whales. There are islands with walrus. And if you listen attentively, you can hear, well, absolutely nothing, the silence and solitude of the remote wilderness they call the Last Frontier.

But the processors are still gutting. The ﬁ shers are still pulling. And those of us visiting for a little while will carry something that we will cherish forever.

“We talk a lot about values in grocery,” Rose says. “This trip reminded me that values are lived. Out here, you see what that means.”

What that means is that the future of food isn’t just in innovation labs or boardroom pledges. Sometimes, it’s barefoot on a ski , covered in sand and mud, hauling nets in the midnight sun of an Alaskan summer.

Catching sockeye. One by one.

There’s more! Read Progressive Grocer’s exclusive Bristol Bay 4-part series at:

https://progressivegrocer.com/bristol-bay-basket

All wild seafood must adhere to Whole Foods’ stringent standards.

WHY LEADING RETAILERS CHOOSE CHILEAN SALMON

Retailers across the U.S. choose Chilean Salmon to meet growing demand for seafood that’s nutritious, responsibly raised, and versatile — anchored by a trusted origin.

Raised in the cold, pure waters of southern Chile, between the Andes and the Pacific, our salmon thrives in ideal conditions shaped by fjords, glaciers, and natural currents. Chile is a world leader in salmon farming , uniting geography and innovation with strict safety and environmental standards. The result is a high-integrity, traceable product. Rich in Omega-3s (EPA and DHA), Chilean Salmon supports heart, brain, and immune health. With its mild flavor, consistent quality, and year-round availability, it’s a smart choice for health-conscious shoppers.

From fillets to smoked portions, fresh or frozen, Chilean Salmon brings reliability, flexibility, and a powerful origin story to your seafood category.

Looking to expend your premium seafood offer?

Ask for us. Ask for Chilean Salmon.

Grocery Retail Media Networks: A Journey ‘From Side Hustles to Strategic Engines’

LEADERS FROM TOP COMPANIES WEIGH IN ON RETAIL MEDIA’S EVOLUTION, ONGOING PRIORITIES FOR BOTH RETAILERS AND CPG BRANDS, AND WHAT’S HOLDING THE INDUSTRY BACK.

By Cyndi Loza

Retail media networks (RMNs) have matured and evolved rapidly these past few years, and their growth shows no signs of relenting: eMarketer projects that U.S. retail media ad spend will jump from $51.9 billion in 2024 to $97.9 billion by 2028.

Amazon accounts for a majority of U.S. retail media digital ad spend – 77.3%, according to eMarketer – followed by Walmart, a distant second, at 6.9%. This leaves RMNs from grocers, including Albertsons Media Collective, Kroger Precision Marketing and AD Retail Media (Ahold Delhaize’s retail media arm), to vie for a smaller slice of the pie.

While the retail media landscape is competitive and crowded, RMNs have evolved to be far more than just alternative revenue streams for retailers.

“What started as a monetization play is evolving into a more integrated business function focused on full-funnel impact,” says Angela Myers, SVP, retail media at New York-based advertising agency Goodway Group.

Retailers now recognize the value of their rst-party data and media inventory — not just as a way to drive ad revenue, but also to fuel smarter, data-led growth, according to Adam Skinner, managing director, global uni ed retail media at Epsilon, an Irving, Texas-based retail marketing platform.

“Grocery RMNs have evolved from side hustles to strategic engines,” Skinner asserts.

RMNs have matured from an opportunity with limited niche tactics that let brands tap into a retailer’s rst-party data to reach a relevant shopper, to a more strategic priority within retailer organizations, agrees Andy Howard, senior commerce media director at South eld, Mich.-based Mars United Commerce.

“What was once seen as a bolt-on to traditional

marketing is now a central pillar that delivers both a healthy revenue stream as well as retailer-brand collaboration,” Howard notes. “While still in the infancy stages, RMNs in uence things like joint business plans to merchandising strategy in many scenarios, with dedicated leadership, teams, analytics and technology investments to scale the impact.”

From Siloed Entities to Retail Business Extensions

The most successful grocery RMNs today are integrated across merchandising, loyalty and store operations, Myers says: “They’re treated as business accelerators, not just ad units, especially as measurement and data infrastructure become more intertwined with overall retail growth strategy.”

RMNs were not initially as integrated into their organizations, though; instead, they were often siloed or treated like stand-alone P&Ls.

“In the initial years of the retail media evolution, retail media networks operated more as separate units, often building campaigns in silos, with limited involvement from the broader organization — especially merchandising,” Howard recounts. “This lack of integration made it dif cult for CPGs to create cohesive strategies, and in many cases merchant teams were unaware of the media campaigns being run, or didn’t see their relevance.”

Although RMNs are still trying to gure out the right path forward, Howard says that they’ve evolved into extensions of the retail business, embedding themselves into the broader commercial strategy in some cases. “While still in development, they are actively training internal teams on the value of retail media and using performance results to drive buy-in across departments,” he adds.

Elizabeth Perryman, head of marketing and partner experience at Boise, Idaho-based Albertsons Media Collective, agrees that

retail media shouldn’t live in a silo, and her organization is focused on breaking down barriers to deliver the grocer’s full power to the market.

Having merchandise, e-commerce, digital and media under one roof is a bene t, according to Perryman: “We are one team, focused on one clear vision — making the shopping experience better for our shoppers and bringing value to our CPG and agency partners.”

Grocery RMN Priorities

Current priorities for Albertsons Media Collective are rooted in enhancing the full retail experience for its customers and delivering meaningful results for brand partners, Perryman says.

“As a retailer rst, we view retail media not just as ad inventory, but as a powerful tool to create more relevant, actionable and personalized experiences for our shoppers — which in turn drives outcomes that move the needle for our CPG partners,” she explains. “We focus on collaborative solutions that deliver mutual value, tapping into our unique shopper insights and closed-loop measurement capabilities to create smarter, more effective media that drives real value across the entire retail journey.”

Expanding off-site capabilities, strengthening in-store media alignment, standardizing measurement, and developing AI-enabled targeting and product discovery are also priorities for grocery RMNs, Myers notes.

In speaking with the larger, more established RMNs, Howard shares that Mars United Commerce is seeing a consistent trend of RMNs focusing on three key areas to strengthen their value proposition and win brand investment:

Successful RMNs span merchandising, loyalty and store operations.

A sponsored carousel ad from Kraft Heinz on Albertsons.com touts Kraft Caesar with Bacon Dressing.

“One of the biggest opportunities we’re seeing with in-store media — particularly digital screens and signage — is the ability to close the loop between inspiration and action at the point of purchase.”

—Elizabeth Perryman, Albertsons Media Collective

 Enhancing operational ef ciency with self-serve capabilities and AI tools: Many networks are prioritizing ways to make work ows smoother by giving users direct control through self-service platforms, reporting dashboards and automated systems. These tools cut down on bottlenecks, lower expenses, boost results and speed up time to market.

 Expanding reach and capabilities across channels: Retail media is moving beyond digital-only into a full omnichannel approach, with growing investments in in-store activations and physical retail presence. “This positions grocery retail media as one of the most powerful platforms for scale and full-funnel engagement,” Howard says.

 Proving performance through enhanced measurement: RMNs are advancing past closed-loop reporting and providing richer and more transparent metrics that resonate with an entire brand organization instead of just the media team, to demonstrate measurable business impact and media effectiveness across the full funnel.

Performance is a Priority for CPG Brands

As far as retail media priorities go, CPG brand marketers are laser-focused on performance, according to Skinner. “They’re investing in retail media to drive incremental sales, unlock shopper insights, and activate omnichannel campaigns that blend awareness with real ROI,” he says. While closed-loop reporting is standard today, brands want to be able to evaluate the impact of retail media and audiences on their overall marketing effectiveness, shares Mark Rose, senior director of market strategy at TransUnion, a Chicago-based credit bureau and information and insights company.

“This means evolving from ROI within the retail media channel to incrementality within the retail media channel, and then to a comprehensive view on how retail media compares to other digital channels on a performance basis, including the impact of purchase-derived custom audiences,” Rose explains. “Today, brands can use [marketing mix modeling] methodology and panel data for a total market view, but they want to increase the deterministic nature of their analytics by ingesting retailer transaction and

shopper data to better understand incrementality.”

Brands have also started incorporating their third-party measurement partners to link shopper, purchase and media data to anonymous IDs, protecting consumer privacy, he adds.

Understanding incrementality, as well as how retail media is driving velocity in-store, is especially important for Niccoló Gloazzo, director of media and omnichannel of Austin, Texas-based broth and soup brand Kettle & Fire.

As a member of the marketing team, Gloazzo emphasizes that it’s important to understand how many units he can move with advertising spend to seek incremental budget and reach revenue targets. “It is just math sometimes, and if you can prove that your marketing investment in RMNs or other tactics actually moves the needle, it is a way to request more money from the CFO and invest more in the long term, as well as in brand awareness,” he says.

Avocados From Mexico’s retail media priorities are grounded in building deeper collaboration with its top grocery retailers to align on shared values and business objectives.

“We’re focused on activating around our company’s strategic pillars — health and wellness, avocado education, and culturally relevant tentpole moments like football season,” says Dianne Le, director, omni shopper marketing at the Irving, Texas-based organization. “These areas not only re ect our brand strategy, but also resonate with the avocado shopper. By aligning our retail media investments with what matters most to both our brand and the shopper, we’re able to drive relevance, engagement and conversion across the entire path to purchase.”

Retail media can be a powerful tool to create more relevant, actionable and personalized experiences for shoppers.

The In-Store Media Renaissance

One area that is receiving signi cant attention, especially within the grocery channel, is in-store retail media. This summer alone, Kroger Precision Marketing expanded its offerings with a new in-store digital advertising solution — digital screens built into integrated xtures such as end caps, ceiling signs and standees — built by Barrows Connected Store, while Albertsons Media Collective partnered with Stratacache to unveil its own in-store digital display network.

“One of the biggest opportunities we’re seeing with in-store media — particularly digital screens and signage — is the ability to close the loop between inspiration and action at the point of purchase,” Albertsons’ Perryman says. “These assets give us the chance to extend digital precision into the physical world, creating personalized experiences where decisions are being made in real time.”

Kroger launched an in-store digital advertising solution this past summer, built by Barrows Connected Store.

When it comes to the overall challenge hindering the growth of in-store, Ameet Srivastava, VP of CPG sales at Sussex, Wis.-based marketing solutions company Quad, highlighted expensive hardware and content management at the device level, adding that some retailers are building their own solutions while many more are looking at buying outof-the-box solutions.

Adoption poses a further challenge for retailers, as in-store RMN adoption requires alignment across marketing, merchandising, operations and the C-suite, which can slow decision-making as well as scale, Srivastava notes.

“For CPGs, reach is critical, and they shouldn’t have to buy 50 different campaigns from 50 different RMNs,” Srivastava says. “We’re building a network to allow national programming, but getting there takes time and collaboration. It’s a classic chicken-and-egg dilemma: The bigger the network, the easier it is to attract CPG dollars. The good news is that the momentum is real, and brands are leaning in because they understand the bene ts.”

For Le, bridging the digital and physical experience through digital screens and signage can elevate the shopper experience, especially when integrated with broader campaigns. When it comes to in-store media, however, she points to another challenge: measurement.

“For CPGs, reach is critical, and they shouldn’t have to buy 50 di erent campaigns from 50 di erent RMNs.”

—Ameet Srivastava, Quad

CPG brands have long leveraged in-store marketing and merchandising for incremental real estate, boosting brand awareness and conversion, and capturing consumers in the shopping mindset. The in-store space has progressed in recent years.

“It’s evolved from static signage, in-and-out corrugated displays — that often never reached the store oor — and basic price promotions to a fully measured, connected media ecosystem, where digital screens, smart carts, audio ads and shelf-edge displays create an immersive path-to-purchase environment,” explains Brian DeCoveny, managing director, North America at Barrows Connected Store, a New York-based retail design, media and tech company. “What was once considered the ‘last 3 feet’ is now the rst frontier of omni-commerce strategy, capturing the majority of high-intent shoppers at the point of decision.”

“While the technology and creativity are advancing, we still need greater transparency and consistency in performance metrics and reporting, especially for produce,” Le contends. “As we continue investing in this space, we’d like to see clearer attribution and better visibility into how it [affects] shopper behavior and sales.”

Overall, brands are pushing for stronger, more transparent measurement from their RMN partners, Howard says.

“They are starting to set clearer expectations around performance metrics tied to their KPIs and are far less tolerant of networks that can’t provide this level of visibility,” he points out, going on to note, “Actionable insights and transparent data are now table stakes for future investment.”

We partnered with frozen pizza powerhouse DiGiorno, delivering notable lifts across major metrics.

One size never really �its all. Why should your in-store digital media presence be any diﬀerent? Creating an authentic shopping x with understanding the speci�ics of your stores.

One size never really �its all. Why should your in-store media presence be any diﬀerent? an authentic x with the of your stores.

We audit your environment, plan the solution and install and

We audit your environment, the solution and install and

Quad is leading the next major media channel in retail — the physical store — where over 92%* of grocery purchases take place.

Q&A with Placer.ai

Why Grocers Remain Relevant in a Volatile Environment

PROGRESSIVE GROCER TALKS WITH PLACER.AI’S

ABOUT HOW STORE VISITS REVEAL KEY MARKET

By Lynn Petrak

HRESEARCH DIRECTOR

TRENDS.

eading into nal stretch of the year, as retailers ramp up for the holidays and continue to plan for 2026, they’re demonstrating a resilience similar to that of their customers. At a time of increased competition across the omnichannel and challenging operational realities, grocers of many sizes and types are working to hold their own and even gain ground by focusing on what their respective businesses do best.

To be sure, retailers are working to serve customers at a time of swirling headwinds. At the mid-point of the decade, location analytics rm Placer.ai found that many COVID-19-era conditions continue to affect both consumers and grocers. In July 2025, the Tel Aviv-based company released a report showing that the retail marketplace is outpacing the away-from-home dining sector ve years after the global outbreak upended lifestyles, supply chains and business operations. Other pandemic-era shifts, like the move to value grocery stores and dollar stores, also continue to show up in current patterns, according to Placer.ai’s report.

the U.S. grocery landscape in 2025, with a preview of the industry’s short-term future.

Progressive Grocer: First, from a 1,000-foot-view perspective, what is your data telling you about overall visits to grocery stores this year?

“Grocery has beneﬁted from the rise of value-oriented consumers as well as consumers looking for unique and exclusive product o erings.”

—Elizabeth Lafontaine, Director of Research, Placer.ai

These and other trends are being played out at the store level, where Placer.ai regularly keeps tabs on shopper behaviors. Progressive Grocer recently spoke with Elizabeth Lafontaine, director of research at Placer.ai, about some of the most noteworthy happenings across

Elizabeth Lafontaine: Overall, we’ve seen visitation to the grocery industry remain relatively stable throughout 2025, especially compared to the volatility of other sectors. Grocery has bene ted from the rise of value-oriented consumers as well as consumers looking for unique and exclusive product offerings. Some grocery categories are experiencing more growth in traf c compared to conventional chains, but it’s clear that grocers continue to stay relevant with shoppers at a time when choices appear endless.

PG: From a regional perspective, what are some areas of the country that are experiencing upticks in grocery store traf c?

Fresh

EL: Regional grocery performance has shown a few different trends. Regions that are seeing population growth across the country are growing grocery visitation, which could be due to more locations opening or increased demand for the category. Other areas with a strong regional banner presence with high levels of loyalty, or with higher counts of growing store format types, also have been able to offset some of the economic headwinds.

PG: Certainly, we see simultaneous pressures in this increasingly competitive marketplace. What store formats — and speci c banners — have been doing especially well over the past several months? To what do you attribute this success?

EL: Value-based grocers, ethnic grocers and fresh format grocers all have seen overall growth in traf c in 2025, outpacing traditional grocery retail. Each of these formats has something unique to offer to shoppers: built-in value, exclusive brands and assortments, or fresh and prepared food offerings. Consumers are more in tune with their wallets and their nutritional needs than in previous years, and those needs have been better served by fresh format and value-based chains. Ethnic grocers continue to grow as consumers expand their palates and learn more about unique cuisines through social media.

shoppers beyond price and assortment mix, where their competitors may excel. Focusing on local communities and service components may be the key to success in this space.

“National and major regional chains need to generate that ‘must-visit’ reason for shoppers beyond price and assortment mix, where their competitors may excel. Focusing on local communities and service components may be the key to success in this space.”

—Elizabeth Lafontaine, Director of Research, Placer.ai

PG: In contrast, are some formats and stores experiencing more challenges, and, if so, how how should they be doing to drive traf c and stand out?

EL: The truth is that we’re seeing visit growth across store formats, even with traditional grocery chains, although their growth is slowest among the different grocery categories we analyze. Traditional grocers are seeing steeper competition from the up-and-coming store formats and also from other outside channels like dollar and discount chains, and warehouse clubs.

National and major regional chains need to generate that “must-visit” reason for

PG: What are some big-box chains that have experienced notable resilience as shoppers remain concerned about prices and overall economic uncertainty?

EL: Warehouse clubs continue to be one of the fastest-growing channels in terms of traf c in 2025, across all three major banners. The club channel has found the right intersection of value and quality that shoppers are looking for, while also excelling in their private label branded offerings. Shoppers are ocking to stores to offset increased prices by buying in bulk more often.

We’ve also observed growth in visits to clubs by younger consumers, speci cally younger families, who may be joining warehouse clubs for the rst time.

PG: Heading into the busy holiday season, do you have any previews of possible traf c trends and opportunities? Can big sales promotions move the needle and jumpstart the holidays, perhaps earlier this year as consumers are seeking to stick to budgets?

EL: Placer.ai’s data has continued to indicate consumer resilience throughout 2025, despite economic uncertainty. Consumers are cautious but still engaging across the retail landscape; however, that engagement tends to favor promotional events. Shoppers are de nitely prioritizing needs over wants, and that’s likely to continue during the remainder of the year, which could impact traf c during the holiday season. Value continues to be the key driver for retail activity, so it’s likely that early and frequent promotions will be the norm during holiday 2025.

Value chains and fresh formats have performed strongly of late.

Produce at a Premium

EVEN IN A PRICE-CONSCIOUS ERA, SHOPPERS ARE WILLING TO BUY PRODUCE THEY DEEM INTRIGUING, FLAVORFUL, HEALTHIER AND CONVENIENT.

By Lynn Petrak

Despite consumers’ ongoing concerns about price, grocers have an opportunity to boost produce sales by stocking and showcasing premium fruits and vegetables. There are many examples of how broadening assortments and leveraging promotions can entice customers into making room in their carts for something a little more elevated.

Take, for instance, the humble apple. Classic varieties like Red Delicious and Golden may be staples, but the popularity of Honeycrisp, Cosmic Crisp and Pink Lady apples show that people are willing to shell out a bit more for what they deem to be an especially satisfying eating experience.

If shoppers eagerly await Honeycrisp season, they’re downright giddy about nding other, newer varieties of favorite fruits and vegetables that have become culinary and retail darlings in recent years. Think Sumo oranges, Cotton Candy grapes, rainbow carrots and Hatch chiles. Grocers around the county even create events to promote Hatch chile season.

According to Rick Stein, VP of fresh foods at Arlington, Va. based FMI – The Food Industry Association, consumers have demonstrated a willingness to indulge a bit in products that are tasty and comparatively more affordable than, say, a ribeye steak from the butcher counter, or a night out on the town.

“It’s true that grocery shoppers are price-conscious, but they also feel in control of their budgets and still enjoy grocery shopping,” Stein points out. “We’re seeing more price-conscious consumers replicate a restaurant experience at home by maybe having a date night or celebrating a special occasion at home with a special meal. Premium produce items support this elevated in-home dining by allowing consumers to take their meal up a notch.”

Anne-Marie Roerink, principal at insights rm 210 Analytics, in San Antonio, agrees. “Drawing from the lessons emerging from the sales patterns happening

Rainbow carrots have become darlings of the produce department.

in center store, there are growth opportunities across the pricing spectrum, regardless of the pressure on Americans’ incomes,” Roerink explains. “On the one end of the pricing continuum, private-brand items are outgrowing the average, but on the other end, ultra-premium products also drive growth. There are several reasons for this that all go back to creating special moments and experiences. It could be a premium chocolate to enjoy with a glass of wine at home, instead of going to a bar. It could be a premium pasta instead of going to a nice Italian restaurant. These same patterns hold up in the produce department, and brands are playing into this.”

Premium by Deﬁnition

Like the term “value” connotes affordability, versatility and availability, the de nition of “premium” includes different attributes of fruits, vegetables and other items that fall under the general produce category, including microgreens, or decorative gourds and greens for the fall holidays.

Key Takeaways

“Premium produce items support … elevated in-home dining by allowing consumers to take their meal up a notch.”

—Rick Stein, FMI

 Despite consumers’ ongoing concerns about price, grocers have an opportunity to boost produce sales by stocking and showcasing premium fruits and vegetables.

 Uniqueness, seasonal availability and added value are key attributes of premium produce.

 In addition to in-store merchandising and marketing efforts, grocers should keep an eye on social media to see what’s resonating among consumers.

Uniqueness is one attribute of premium produce. Bill Duesenberg, director of national buying for produce at Batavia, Ill.-based ALDI US, tells Progressive Grocer that even value-oriented shoppers like the idea of trying something novel that they deem an affordable indulgence.

“Product discovery is a priority for us, and we approach it the ALDI way: intentional, ef cient and value-led,” Duesenberg notes. “While our produce assortment averages around 120 SKUs, we leave room for exciting seasonal innovations and new offerings that catch shopper attention. One great example is our Perfect Pairing grapes. We know shoppers are often hesitant to purchase a red and green grape variety separately, so we developed an innovative solution that features both premium varieties available during the green and red grape season in one convenient package. It’s the perfect pairing.”

“While our produce assortment averages around 120 SKUs, we leave room for exciting seasonal innovations and new o erings that catch shopper attention.”

—Bill Duesenberg, ALDI US

Seasonal availability is another aspect of premium produce at retail. Duesenberg underscores seasonal opportunities to engage consumers with more produce options. “We’ve also introduced new premium varietals like Autumn Crisp Grapes, which are large and have the crunch of an apple with a sweet muscat avor,” he says. “Our Cara Cara oranges are a favorite during the California growing season, with a pink, sweet appearance, and are high in vitamin C and lycopene. We’re also currently leaning into the development of enhanced varieties of blueberries, featuring Jumbo Blueberries and a special blackberry called Erandy. Both items are large in size with a super-sweet avor, enhancing the experience for our consumers. It’s all part of how we continue delivering value and fresh options for our shoppers every time they visit our aisles.”

The premium description likewise encompasses organic fruits, vegetables, herbs and other produce items that tend to be a bit more costly due to growing methods. FMI’s 2025 “Power of Produce” report reveals that organic products now comprise 12.4% of total produce department sales, and organic product had the highest year-over-year growth rate – 5.1% – in the overall produce category last year. According to the report, organic shoppers tend to fall in higher income brackets.

Value-added produce is under this premium umbrella as well. Per the “Power of Produce” report, value-added sales grew year over year to generate $14.6 billion in 2024.

Here, too, there are opportunities to provide more valuable experiences for shoppers. “We’ve seen the emergence of ‘chef mixes’ in mushrooms, for instance, where specialty varieties are combined much like you would see in a ne-dining restaurant,” Roerink observes.

Virtual Varieties

While grocers can tout their different produce offerings via merchandising and marketing, they can also keep an eye on social media to see what’s resonating among consumers.

“Last year, we saw dragon fruit become a TikTok sensation,” Stein notes. “Many consumers had never heard of it and didn’t know how to eat it, but the social media spotlight on this premium produce meant it had a great year.”

He goes on to cite another example: “Long-stem strawberries took center stage during Valentine’s Day as a way for shoppers to share a special, unique treat.”

Market research supports the importance of social media platforms like TikTok, YouTube, Instagram and others to in uence produce-buying behaviors. According to the 2025 “Power of Produce” report, 94% of produce shoppers actively use social media, and more than a third (36%) say that it’s become an important way for them to discover new fruits and vegetables. Grocers regularly use other tools to entice customers with premium produce. Meet-and-greets with local farmers are one way to raise awareness of these items. Events centered on seasonal or unique varieties are another way to garner attention. Rochester, N.Y.-based Wegmans Food Markets, for instance, has organized events like Hatch chile festivals and tastings of seasonal melons and berries.

Underscoring the cachet of its produce selection, ALDI hosted an inaugural farmers market in downtown Chicago last summer. “We even featured an ALDI produce demo to prove fresh, quality smoothies don’t need to cost $20,” recalls Duesenberg.

Engaging consumers in the produce department can boost sales and engender loyalty among shoppers who are particularly choosy about fresh food. According to a recent report from 210 Analytics, produce department sales topped $7.9 billion in July 2025, making it the second- largest grocery department, behind meat.

“The produce department has certainly become a ‘go to’ destination across all of our stores, because shoppers know they can nd the fresh, in-season produce they want at prices that don’t break the bank,” asserts Duesenberg.

There’s room for more creativity and growth, however, according to Roerink. “This all boils down to ample opportunity for the produce department to leverage permissibility to spend a little more,” she goes on to explain, “whether [that reason is] convenience, health and nutrition; mood; TikTok fame; replacing a restaurant meal; or simply doing something nice for yourself or your family.”

The United Family holds Hatch chile festivals with onsite roastings and special displays.

Flavor You Can Trust

GROCERY CO-OPS EVOLVE TO MEET GROWING PRIVATE LABEL DEMAND

THE EXPANDED EFFORT IS HELPING INDEPENDENT GROCERS SCALE UP THEIR STORE-BRAND PORTFOLIOS AND STAY COMPETITIVE WITH NATIONAL RETAILERS.

By Greg Sleter

Developing private label products is nothing new for the nation’s largest grocery cooperatives, but their task has grown in size and importance in recent years as more consumers turn to store brands as quality products that o er moneysaving solutions.

From a consumer standpoint, the role of cooperatives is largely unknown. But to regional grocers, the co-ops are vital to staying competitive with the likes of Amazon, Walmart, Costco and Kroger, all of which continue to expand their respective private label assortments. Companies such as Associated Wholesale Grocers, Topco Associates and Wakefern Food Corp. provide smaller grocers access to selections of own-brand products that they otherwise may not be able to o er their shoppers.

“The scale component that Topco o ers its members has become even more critical for retailers and wholesalers,” says Randy Skoda, president and CEO of Itasca, Ill.-based Topco. “With consolidation on the retail side, some retailers have gotten bigger and bigger, and this makes it more di cult for the regionals and independents to compete. Without scale, [retailers] are at a pricing disadvantage, and we have seen our members embrace Topco and the collective more than they ever have.”

Emily Detwiler, VP of AWG Brands with Kansas City, Kan.based Associated Wholesale Grocers.

“The role of the co-op has become even more important, as we can put together strong private-brand programs for independent grocers and help overcome the increased minimums set by suppliers,” Detwiler says. “This is also important now as we work to deal with tighter supplies and tari s. The ability for an independent grocer to navigate those waters on their own is next to impossible.”

With consolidation on the retail side, some retailers have gotten bigger and bigger, and this makes it more difficult for the regionals and independents to compete. Without scale, [retailers] are at a pricing disadvantage.

—Randy Skoda, Topco

The ability to bring together multiple retailers and o er scale that’s more in line with larger national chains helps overcome the higher minimum-order quantities that a growing number of product suppliers are seeking, according to

Pamela Ofri, director of product development and operations, Own Brands at Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern, notes that the co-op’s collective purchasing power allows the company to develop and source high-quality private label products at competitive price points. This, along with strong vendor relationships, gives Wakefern greater control over product details and quality standards, as well as the opportunity to customize products to better suit its members and market needs.

“When product sales volumes increase, we can negotiate even better terms with our suppliers,” Ofri says. “This often means we can pass those savings along to consumers by o ering more a ordable, high-quality products. It’s a win-win cycle that helps us grow and better serve our communities.”

Finding Solutions

Strong vendor relationships, coupled with the scale o ered by the co-ops, can also provide solutions to potential problems. Skoda recalls a challenge that Topco was presented with by its longtime frozen pizza supplier that was about to end a 50-year relationship over the issue of manufacturing e ciency.

“If a supplier is stopping their production lines every ﬁve minutes to switch out another label, they aren’t running very e ciently, and many [vendors] will no longer do this,” he notes. “Our supplier told us we weren’t e cient enough and that he needed his machines to run for hours and not minutes. But if we could get the product under one brand, the supplier told us we would be his favorite customer.”

Topco’s development of its Crav’n Flavor brand was the solution. Today, the nearly $200 million brand is found on frozen pizza, along with several other products, including frozen appetizers, frozen entrées, cookie dough, cookies, crackers and salty snacks.

“With Crav’n Flavor, we now have innovation and access to other product categories beyond frozen pizza,” Skoda says. “It also allows the brand to be much more innovative, because

you need scale to experiment with your suppliers.”

Similar to Topco, AWG and Wakefern have also evolved their respective product development e orts in recent years to meet the growing consumer demand for private label products that are of higher quality and o er enhanced features and beneﬁts. The strengthening relationships between co-ops and their members are also providing cooperatives with greater insights into what shoppers in di erent parts of the United States want from products in terms of quality and price.

Heeding the Voice of the Consumer

Ofri notes that the family-owned supermarket banners that work with Wakefern hear directly from shoppers about products, packaging, sustainability and new ﬂ avors. That information is then passed to Wakefern, which allows Ofri and her team to take the voice of the consumer to the next level.

“We leverage our deep understanding of shoppers’ needs to innovate and develop on-trend products through our private label brands, Bowl & Basket, Wholesome Pantry, and Paperbird,” she says.

With insights from shoppers as part of its arsenal, Wakefern’s product developers also fi nd inspiration for new products at trade events in the United States and abroad. For example, a recent trip to Italy served to inspire her team to develop a line of refrigerated pastas, pizzas and wood-fi red fl atbreads that include the Bowl & Basket Specialty Wood-Fired Pecorino Cheese Flatbread.

The role of the co-op has become even more important, as we can put together strong private-brand programs for independent grocers and help overcome the increased minimums set by suppliers. This is also important now as we work to deal with tighter supplies and tariffs.

—Emily Detwiler, Associated Wholesale Grocers

Wakefern’s Bowl & Basket brand’s Woodfired Pecorino Cheese Flatbread

SPECIAL SECTION: STOREBRANDS

Before those products roll out broadly, however, Wakefern seeks input from customers.

“We want to see which recipes hit the spot, and [we] listen to suggestions to develop products they are looking for,” Ofri observes.

Marketing Moments

As cooperatives have ramped up their product development e orts in response to growing consumer demand, they’ve also expanded their marketing e orts, which include developing promotional materials that highlight their own brands and the features and beneﬁts of new products.

According to Detwiler, AWG has a team dedicated to developing marketing success kits that include several tools, among them social media copy, recipes and blog posts. The kits are designed to allow its retail members to easily implement this information across their social media accounts and websites. AWG’s team will also assist with such in-store marketing efforts as grocers hosting product demonstrations.

“Many retailers may not be able to execute [marketing programs] on their own,” she says. “Our in-house team works to keep things as cost-e ective as possible for our retailers while making sure they have access to the promotional items they need.”

Topco’s marketing strategy has seen the company work to raise the proﬁ le of its own brands through sponsorships of NASCAR race cars, major events in Nashville like the city’s New Year’s Eve and Fourth of July celebrations, and working with the Tennis Channel on its coverage of the annual Cincinnati Open tournament.

Perhaps the most notable partnership for Topco is with DreamWorks and its “Gabby’s Dollhouse” animated series. The co-op’s Sweet P’s Bake Shop in-store bakery brand has had a multi-year partnership with “Gabby’s Dollhouse” on a back-to-school promotion allowing youngsters to interact with the popular TV show.

The partnership includes the “Gabby’s Dollhouse” Meowmazing Road Trip Tour this year, which allows families to meet the Gabby costume character and get a photo.

“We were able to go into smaller markets that otherwise would not have had the opportunity to meet Gabby,” Skoda notes. “We had crowds lining up around the block to come and see her. This has a big impact on those communities but also provides a signiﬁ cant lift in product sales.”

Challenges and Opportunities

While major events such as the COVID-19 pandemic and inﬂ ation have provided a boost to private label product sales, most observers feel that there’s additional runway for own brands to grow as more consumers seek quality products that o er a good value.

When product sales volumes increase, we can negotiate even better terms with our suppliers. This often means we can pass those savings along to consumers by offering more affordable, high-quality products. It’s a win-win cycle that helps us grow and better serve our communities.

—Pamela Ofri, Wakefern

“We have a signiﬁ cant opportunity to develop products that align with the needs, preferences and cultural backgrounds of the communities we serve,” Ofri says. “Rather than o ering a uniform selection across all international aisles in our stores, our focus is on creating a curated assortment that reﬂ ects each neighborhood.”

Noting the evolution of private label over the past several years, she notes that Wakefern is not only

Topco’s Sweet P’s Frosted Sugar Cookies featuring Gabby from “Gabby’s Dollhouse”

WHEN LIFE GIVES

SPECIAL SECTION: STOREBRANDS

developing products that are national-brand equivalents, but also driving innovation to attract customers to stores.

“This is a huge opportunity for us,” Ofri adds. “We need to emphasize sustainability and chemical-free options to o er distinctive products on the shelf.”

Topco’s Skoda believes that there’s an opportunity for its members to further educate shoppers about the private label products on the shelf, and the beneﬁ ts that those items o er in terms of quality and value. The advantage that regionals and independents have with this endeavor over national retailers is the strong connections to their communities and the high level of trust they have built with their shoppers over the years.

AWG’s Detwiler feels that the changing retail landscape will lead to more independent retailers linking with cooperatives to take advantage of their various programs.

“I see our private-brand portfolio continuing to grow,” she says. “This is one of the advantages of being a member of AWG, as retailers will have access to even more private-brand opportunities that o er shoppers great-quality products at a good value.”

Beyond product development and marketing, Detwiler notes that AWG also provides smaller retailers with services that help longtime retailers to retire or sell their business.

“It’s not easy being an independent retailer today,” she points out. “One of the beneﬁts of being a member of a co-op is that we provide assistance when someone is ready to move on and ﬁ nd a new owner for their business.”

Associated Wholesale Grocers’ new Pure Wonder pet products brand

There is no limit to what we can do together with your label on our products. We have grown into one of the largest private label household paper manufacturers in the U.S.A. by customizing and packaging products exactly to your specs and delivering them how, when, and where you need them.

• Paper towels, bath tissue, napkins, and facial tissues.

• Full range of ultra, premium, FSC® Certiﬁed, 100% recycled, and traditional paper grades.

• Flexible, customized manufacturing, packaging and displays to your specs.

• Pre-packaged Azure® Ultra Premium, Daisy®, Delicate Touch®, and Earth One™ control brands for lower volume requirements.

Drink to Their Health

FUNCTIONAL BEVERAGES ARE STAKING THEIR CLAIM AT A BROAD SWATH OF GROCERY RETAILERS AS THE SEGMENT SEES INCREASED INTEREST FROM WELLNESS-SEEKING SHOPPERS.

By Mike Duff

Functional beverages that promise to provide consumers with health and nutritional advantages are rapidly emerging from niche to mainstream products as producers promote both wellness and avor to help them win over more traditional beverage drinkers, with avor a key part of the proposition.

Although demand for functional beverages is broad, Lella Rafferty, chief marketing of cer at Boulder, Colo.-based GoodBelly, says: “The fastest growth is in proactive health seekers who want everyday solutions, not occasional xes. Younger consumers have led this, with a recent survey showing roughly 72% of Gen Z and Millennial consumers purchasing food or beverage products with packaging mentioning a health bene t in the last year. But adoption is now spanning all age groups. Gut health is a top bene t consumers are seeking in a functional beverage as people understand its connection to immunity, energy and even mood.”

Rafferty points out that GoodBelly has recently launched reformulated 2-ounce wellness shots, which consumers can nd at Whole Foods Market. Available in such avors as Mango and Strawberry Banana, the shots provide prebiotics, vitamins and clinically studied DE111 probiotics for gut and immune health.

Släcka offers consumers appetite suppression to curb between-meal snacking.

Meanwhile, Fort Lauderdale, Fla.-based Släcka produces a beverage line developed to help people who drink it feel good throughout the day without snacking. Introduced earlier this summer, the product is now rolling out to more than a dozen retail locations across New York City, including Fairway Market, Gourmet Garage, Westerly Market and Brooklyn Fare.

Developed as a clean-label, sugar-free, low-calorie beverage, Släcka also includes electrolytes for hydration as well as naturally derived paraxanthine for sustained energy, and 5-hydroxytryptophan to promote satiation. Additionally, Släcka products come in such lively avors as Sparkling Strawberry Lemonade, Sparkling Grapefruit and Sparkling Watermelon Margarita. Together, those characteristics can provide various bene ts, but a core consideration is their ability to reduce snacking urges, especially in the mid-morning and mid-afternoon.

Co-founder David Allred says that, in the company’s market research, Släcka products appealed across gender lines and suited consumers with different but often

Key Takeaways

 Producers are promoting both wellness and avor to help them win over more traditional beverage drinkers, with avor a key part of the proposition.

 Education is key, both on the shelf and in marketing, through clear labeling, in-store placement near other better-for-you beverages, simple shelf talkers highlighting functionality, and sampling.

 Broad outreach encompassing social media can promote wider enthusiasm among beverage consumers increasingly seeking a higher state of wellness.

The formulation of S ē kwl includes signi cant nutritional elements but puts a lot of emphasis on avor and refreshment.

busy lifestyles who “want to put something better in their bodies. One of the things I thought would resonate, and it’s borne out for the most part, is letting people take back control of what they’re putting in their bodies.”

For his part, Dallas Vasquez, CEO and co-founder of Fort Meyers, Fla.-based Mitra9, promotes the ef cacy and well-being offered by kava and kratom leaf extract. He sees the product line in lifestyle terms, so the company offers 12-ounce Mitra9 cans in such avors as Black Cherry and Raspberry Lime, smaller shots, and powdered drink additions, all of them compatible with relaxing at home and having fun with friends.

Vasquez points out that women have turned to functional beverages more than men, citing market research from Chicagobased SPINS indicating that 60% of functional beverage purchases are made by female consumers. Functional beverages, in general, align with more of the lifestyle and health-and-wellness goals that women have today.

“Younger consumers, especially women 25 to 40, are choosing drinks that t busy routines but also deliver a social, enjoyable experience,” he notes. “Gen Z and Millennials overall are leading the shift toward functional, clean-label beverages, valuing transparency and experiences. That’s Mitra9’s sweet spot: avor, function and lifestyle together, so no one has to choose between wellness and enjoyment.”

Wellness-minded and sober-curious consumers are also among the early adopters, Vasquez asserts.

How to Stand Out

Los Angeles-based HOPWTR views the market in a similar way. HOPWTR CEO Jordan Bass says: “Our lineup offers more fruit-forward avors like Blood Orange and Grapefruit, which are perfect for those who want a seltzer with some hoppy notes, but we also have our Double Hopped SKU, created for drinkers who want the avor of an IPA without the alcohol. We also launched a hopped tea, which was made with the modern-day hard-tea drinker in mind. While they each tap into speci c avor preferences, the goal is the

Functional Beverage Performance at Retail

MORTON WILLIAMS, TARGET REPORT SEGMENT GAINS

According to Marc Goldman, produce director at Bronx, N.Y.-based Morton Williams, a 17-supermarket New York metro-area chain that’s being acquired by Wakefern Food Corp., consumer demand for convenience and health is prompting a change in his operations. Goldman notes that produce departments have yielded traditional fruit and vegetable territory to such products as plant-based meat substitutes, nuts and functional beverages, all of which take up substantial portions of his shelf space.

On a larger scale, functional beverages gave Minneapolis-based Target Corp. a boost in its second quarter, helping drive shopper frequency along with other segments boasting similar attributes, the mass retailer’s EVP and chief commercial of cer, Rick Gomez, noted in a recent conference call. “Our beverage business saw a six-and-a-half point comp driven by prebiotic sodas, new energy drinks [and] new seasonal avors,” Gomez observed.

“Traditional soft drinks and energy drinks are all about gratiﬁcation, while functional drinks focus on beneﬁting the body.”

—Matthew Eaton,

Sēkwl Beverage House

same: to offer great-tasting, functional beverages for anyone looking to drink more intentionally.”

The company has just launched nationally at Sprouts, so what happens on store shelves is a big consideration.

In weighing how to approach the consumer interested in functional beverages, it’s important to consider what bene t a product provides, but also that most shoppers are looking for something that’s refreshing even when they want something healthier.

“Younger consumers, especially women 25 to 40, are choosing drinks that ﬁt busy routines but also deliver a social, enjoyable experience. Gen Z and Millennials overall are leading the shift toward functional, clean-label beverages, valuing transparency and experiences.”

—Dallas Vasquez, Mitra9

Matthew Eaton, chief beverage of cer and founder of Arvada, Colo.-based Sē kwl Beverage House, believes that it’s a question of standing out in the realms of nutrition and avor.

“Traditional soft drinks and energy drinks are all about grati cation, while functional drinks focus on bene ting the body,” Eaton explains. “Our niche is a subset within the functional category. Each can of Sē kwl contains 1,000 milligrams of functional mushrooms, plus botanicals and other adaptogens. There is crossover in that we still want the drink to be delicious and refreshing.”

Functional Beverages

Sē kwl has launched as a line of organic sparkling waters that blend functional mushrooms with crafted avors in an adaptogenic formulation that uses natural substances to help bodies cope with stress. In its outreach, the brand wants consumers to understand both the beverage’s functional and avor bene ts.

“Education is key, both on the shelf and in marketing,” Eaton says. “We make it clear right on the can that our clean, botanical-infused sparkling waters offer real bene ts. In stores, placement near other better-for-you beverages works best, along with simple shelf talkers that highlight the function – Focus. Calm. Immunity. –in plain language. Sampling is also huge for us.”

Mushroom Java

Over in Seattle, Bulletproof has introduced ready-tobrew Cold Brew blends of smooth functional coffee for home preparation. Among other products the company offers, The High Achiever, a coarse grind of Arabica beans, incorporates lion’s mane mushrooms, a full day’s B vitamins and coffeeberry, a natural caffeine source.

“At Bulletproof, we’ve seen rsthand that the demand for functional beverages now extends well beyond a niche wellness audience,” says Andy Van Ark, the company’s chief commercial of cer. “Today’s shoppers, whether a busy parent, a working professional or a student, are seeking drinks that do more than refresh. Different consumers are drawn to different bene ts: Some prioritize sustained energy and focus without the sugar crash; others look for clean, high-quality ingredients that align with their lifestyle goals.”

producers convert consumers with various combinations of nutrition and avor. “The two pieces of education and experience have pushed it over,” Opela observes.

At the same time, Laird has been concerned with value, as consumers making decisions about shifting from more traditional products still look at prices in making purchase choices.

“We try to make sure that we’re still providing a great value to the consumer, so it’s not completely out of anybody’s reach,” she says.

Factors such as marketing and merchandising support are critical as functional beverage producers carve out a space amid established products in the beverage sector. Opela believes that store presence combined with social media can best reach across demographics and distances.

“It’s this interesting melding of digital and physical,” she says. “Going into groceries is extremely important, and people seeing it on shelves. But often now, when before it might have been print ads or radio ads, they’ve seen something on social media.”

Laird is focusing on shelf and other traditional communications, as broad outreach can promote wider enthusiasm among consumers increasingly seeking a higher state of wellness.

As Rosa Li, CEO and founder of South San Francisco-based wildwonder, a sparkling pre-/probiotic beverage brand, asserts, “Just as kombucha went from health food stores to national chains, functional beverages that balance ef cacy with approachability are positioned to become household essentials.”

Consumer outreach and in-store presentation can help consumers move to functional beverages from established favorites central to daily rituals, according to Van Ark.

“Functional beverages perform best on shelf when merchandising clearly reinforces their bene ts, whether through placement in high-traf c grab-and-go zones or in-store displays that spotlight their functional value,” he observes.

This past July, Boulder, Colo.-based Laird Superfood expanded its coffee portfolio with Perform, which offers a mushroom blend featuring lion’s mane, cordyceps, chaga and maitake meant to support energy, focus and balance, and help prevent a caffeine crash. A month later, the company revealed that Issaquah, Wash.-based warehouse retailer Costco would carry Perform Superfood Coffee for a limited time in Los Angeles and Hawaii.

As functional beverages become more mainstream, retailers outside the health food segment grow interested in what they offer.

Martha Opela, head of marketing at Laird, says that functional beverages have reached beyond early adopters to a broader public as

Bulletproof adds increasingly popular functional mushrooms to boost its coffee’s nutritional value.

Laird Superfood offers avor, function and value to make it a healthy, affordable choice.

FLAVORED SALTS Turn Produce Into Profit

Play It Safe

HOW RETAILERS CAN BETTER ADDRESS STORE SAFETY TO KEEP SHOPPERS AND ASSOCIATES FROM GETTING INJURED.

By Bridget Goldschmidt

With all that grocery retailers have to worry about, store safety sometimes runs the risk of taking a back seat – but it should always take top priority to ensure that customers and associates don’t incur any preventable injuries. To that end, there are certain aspects of store safety that grocers should be devoting more time to.

“They need to be paying more attention to the restrooms, refrigerated cases, entryways, spills, areas where contamination lurks,” asserts Allen Randolph, SVP of customer solutions at Hamilton, Ohio-based Kaivac. “There are vulnerabilities throughout stores where customers can be exposed to harmful contamination. COVID reminded us how important store safety is for shoppers, and it forced stores to ensure safety. That expectation continued, and shoppers accept nothing less. The fear of a dirty restroom can cause shopping cart abandonment, and multiple studies show cleanliness impacts customer loyalty, especially restroom cleanliness.”

“I always tell retailers that safety starts with the basics,” notes Erik Stephens, VP of product management at Framingham, Mass.-based DTiQ. “A clean store, proper food temperatures and well-trained staff are the foundation. What often gets missed are things like emergency preparedness and equipment upkeep,

DTiQ offers solutions that help grocers detect such potential safety hazards as spills or leaks causing slippery oors.

which can make the difference in preventing bigger issues. Even simple steps like clear layouts and good lighting go a long way in keeping both customers and employees safe.”

For Alison Hainsey, who’s on the new business development team at Tipton, Pa.-based New Pig, the focus should be on “identifying areas of slip, trip and fall risks, and having the correct products to control liquids or provide safe ooring.” This means using the proper absorbents and diverting roof leaks away from the aisles, staying on top of weather-related risks, removing or repairing trip hazards, and putting out clear and visible signage when cleaning is in progress or to call out oor damage.

Of course, beyond all of these issues, there’s the potential danger of other people.

“Retail stores should be safe spaces for both shoppers and staff,” says Matt Redwood, VP, retail technology solutions at Diebold Nixdorf, whose U.S. headquarters is in Canton, Ohio. “While much attention is placed on protecting customers, retailers need to focus equally on safeguarding their store associates. Rising in-store hostility and violence toward employees are pressing concerns. Situations such as self-service checkout disputes, random checks at the door or age-veri cation requests often

Key Takeaways

 Store safety starts with the basics, and even simple steps can go a long way toward keeping shoppers and associates safe.

 Reaching out to established solution providers can help minimize or even prevent store safety risks.

 The best way to keep everyone in a store safe is to take a proactive stance with regard to safety.

All Under One Roof: Commerce, Concepts, Connections

• Tens of thousands of food and nonfood products

• 1,900 exhibitors

• 3,100 booths

• 65 countries

• 15,000 attendees

Store Safety Solutions

put associates in uncomfortable or even dangerous positions. A strong store safety strategy should prioritize the early detection of incidents and the right processes and tools that enable associates to quickly assess and resolve situations while minimizing risk to themselves and others.”

Finding E ective Solutions

With those risks laid out, how can retailers do a better job of minimizing or even preventing them? Reaching out to established solution providers is a good start.

“We approach risk as the combination of hazard and exposure — it begins when an exposure event occurs, and the hazard is how long the result of the event exists,” explains Randolph. “Kaivac’s Solution Architects work speci cally with each brand to create custom cleaning systems to reduce risks.”

He adds: “Store safety is a series of connected systems. Reviewing all systems, seeing how they connect and their individual integrity – that’s where we start our approach and how we have become successful at leveling up a brand’s store safety and cleaning program. Analyzing current systems is an integral part of identifying and advancing cleaning programs. We believe that 94% of the problem is systems and only 6% of a cleaning challenge is the worker, so we take each system, identify areas of opportunities and create plans for system improvement.”

“Our role is to help retailers stay ahead of problems before they become costly,” says Stephens. “With video and analytics, we can spot theft, identify unsafe behaviors, and conduct both remote and in-person audits to make sure standards are being met. ... The value is not just in the technology, but in how we partner with operators. We work with their teams to integrate the tools, provide training and deliver insights they can actually act on.”

when an error occurs. Associates receive short video clips of detected anomalies, giving them valuable context to decide whether intervention is necessary –distinguishing between a customer who needs help and someone attempting fraud.”

As for age-related transactions, “our AI-driven age estimation solution can cut interventions by 80% –90%,” he says. “Using a consumer-facing camera, the system estimates age in under 10 seconds without storing any personal data. Only customers agged under the age threshold or those opting out require staff involvement, signi cantly reducing potential ashpoints.”

Those aren’t the only uses for Diebold Nixdorf’s smart vision technology, though. It “can also detect hazards like spills or clutter in aisles, and even recognize high-risk scenarios such as armed robberies,” observes Redwood. “In those cases, for example, our ‘hands-up’ solution can silently trigger pre-de ned security measures when raised hands are detected – helping to protect staff and customers without escalating the situation.”

“We approach risk as the combination of hazard and exposure — it begins when an exposure event occurs, and the hazard is how long the result of the event exists.”

—Allen Randolph, Kaivac

“New Pig has a variety of innovative solutions for stores to address oor safety concerns as well as control liquids,” observes Hainsey, pointing to the company’s mats, absorbent socks and roof leak diverters in particular. “Our mission is not only to improve safety and reduce liability, but to change the way stores approach spills, with more effective and innovative products. A growing trend we are hearing is stores want a more attractive and effective solution to spill cleanup, products that control the spills before they become a safety issue.”

According to Hainsey, the company listens to store concerns and assists in identifying high-risk zones such as produce areas, freezer aisles and entryways. “We help retailers evaluate how foot traf c patterns, climate and store layout are critical for determining the proper layout for matting to effectively control water, dust and dirt,” she continues.

“Our AI-powered Vynamic Smart Vision Platform helps retailers address multiple aspects of store safety,” notes Redwood. “For example, it reduces the need for staff interventions by ‘nudging’ customers at self-checkouts and providing self-correction options

When it comes to solution deployment, “[w]e always start with the ‘why’ – understanding what speci c challenge or goal the retailer wants to address,” he notes. “That insight shapes the right concept, which then drives the processes, technologies and training required. Success depends on balancing these elements: technology, operations and people.”

What’s more, according to Redwood, the company’s “AI-powered solutions integrate seamlessly into existing in-store systems, ensuring minimal disruption and making it easy to scale across the business.”

Kaivac creates custom cleaning systems for grocers to minimize risks.

Diebold Nixdorf notes that certain types of personal interactions may be dangerous for store associates.

“When retailers combine strong processes with good data, they not only reduce risk, but also create a shopping experience customers can trust.”

—Erik Stephens, DTiQ

Be Proactive

The best way to keep everyone in a store safe is to take a proactive stance with regard to safety.

“Retailers can help improve safety by making it part of their daily operations and having a proactive safety plan in place,” advises Hainsey. “They should have both active and passive solutions to attack any leak, drip or spill incident.” She de nes active products as quick-deploy items like absorbents, spill kits, signage and mops, while passive products, including mats, roof leak diverters and socks, are kept in areas of known concern. Hainsey also recommends that stores conduct regular training on hazard identi cation and response plans.

“The best operators take a proactive approach,” agrees Stephens. “That means consistent training, regular audits and using technology to monitor issues in real time. Just as important, it is about creating a culture where safety is part of everyday operations, from the supply chain all the way to the checkout. When retailers combine strong processes with good data, they not only

reduce risk, but also create a shopping experience customers can trust.”

Expanding on the idea of proactive safety measures, Redwood counsels: “The rst step is to thoroughly evaluate your current safety approach to identify gaps. From there, update processes, adopt supportive technologies and collaborate with trusted partners who can provide expertise where needed. Most importantly, view safety as a continuous-improvement journey –staying agile and ready to adapt to emerging risks and new innovations.”

FLOOR SAFETY SOLUTIONS

New Pig’s mats help address oor safety concerns in grocery stores.

Food, Beverage & Nonfood Products



Culinary Upgrade

Swanson has expanded its broth portfolio with bold Swanson Ramen Chicken Broth, which was created to meet rising consumer demand for convenient, globally inspired avors. Made with real chicken stock and no added MSG, the restaurant-quality savory broth is infused with garlic, ginger and soy for an authentic umami pro le, making the product an appropriate choice for shoppers looking to upgrade weeknight meals or experiment with dishes. A 32- uid-ounce carton of Swanson Ramen Chicken Broth retails for a suggested $3.29. Swanson is a brand of Campbell’s Co. https://www.campbells.com/swanson/; https://www.campbells.com/



Ready-to-Eat Tofu

Hodo has introduced a line of ready-to-eat Lightly Fried Tofu in three on-trend Asian avors – ery Chili Crisp, with notes of garlic and onion; earthy, warm Golden Turmeric, offering a hint of ginger and black pepper; and Korean-inspired Gochujang, delivering a balance of spiciness, sweetness and savoriness. Each block of tofu, made from fermented soybeans, is scored, lightly fried and then marinated, allowing the zesty sauces to coat the surface for maximum avor. Packed with plant-based protein – 36 grams or more per package – all three varieties are made with organic, non-GMO, gluten-free tofu. The versatile product can be eaten hot or cold and used in salads, grain bowls, stir-fries, wraps and more. The suggested retail price for an 8-ounce package of any avor is $5.99 at select retailers. https://www.hodofoods.com/sales

 Soup From the Grill

The iconic Progresso brand is bringing the taste of a backyard cookout to the kitchen with the launch of Progresso Pitmaster, a bold line of barbecue-inspired soups packed with juicy meats, roasted vegetables, and at least 14 grams of protein per can. Ready in a mere ve minutes, the no-fuss, no- ame format comes in ve varieties: BBQ-Style: Grilled Chicken & Fire Roasted Corn (19 ounces), with 20 grams of protein per can; Hearty Smokehouse-Style: Steak & Potatoes with Roasted Vegetables (18.5 ounces), with 16 grams of protein per can; pub-style Sausage & Beer Cheese with Potatoes (18 ounces), with 14 grams of protein per can; Smokehouse-Style: Grilled Chicken & Potato with Roasted Vegetables (19 ounces), with 16 grams of protein per can and a signature smoky avor; and Steakhouse-Style: Steak & Bean (18.5 ounces), with 20 grams of protein per can. The soups are available at major retailers nationwide at a suggested retail price of $2.73. Progresso is a brand of General Mills. https://www.progresso.com/; https://www.generalmills.com/

 Healthier Nuggets

The Real Good Foods Co. Inc., a health-and-wellness frozen and refrigerated food company, has now introduced its rst product created speci cally for kids: Lightly Breaded Dino Nuggets. Made with real ingredients and no arti cial additives, the dino-shaped bites provide 13 grams of protein per ve-piece serving, making them a more nutritious option than leading competitors, according to Real Good Foods. They’re also gluten- and grain-free, with none of the highly re ned ours commonly found in kids’ frozen foods. Dino Nuggets is rolling out to around 4,700 stores, with further distribution expected soon. A 20-ounce bag retails for a suggested $9.99, although the price varies by retailer. The company also urges consumers to follow @realgoodfoods on Instagram and TikTok for recipes, mealtime hacks and dino-sized fun. Real Good Foods’ family of low-sugar, low-carb and high-protein products spans breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks, and is available in more than 16,000 stores nationwide. https://realgoodfoods.com/

Bridget Goldschmidt

New York State of Play

LIDL US RAMPS UP ITS PRESENCE IN THE BIG APPLE AS PART OF ITS OVERALL GROWTH STRATEGY.

Since it opened its rst U.S. stores in 2017, German discount grocer Lidl has become a familiar place for many bargain-seeking Americans, but the company is eager to expand its presence within its core markets, including the New York metro area.

To that end, Lidl US debuted a store at 408 Grand Street on Manhattan’s Lower East Side this past August.

Having visited one of the grocer’s New York-area stores in the Queens neighborhood of Fresh Meadows last year – which coincided with the company’s move to “Americanize” its operations, I admit to being curious about how that strategy is progressing as Lidl US continues to open new stores – as well as whether shoppers might see some distinctly “New York-ized” locations.

“Manhattan is a natural t within our broader growth strategy in key markets like New York City; Washington, D.C.; and Atlanta,” explains Alan Barry, EVP real estate and operations at the grocer, whose U.S. headquarters is in Arlington, Va. “When it comes to choosing new store locations, we look for convenient locations for our customers that can support high traf c volume daily.”

Reaching New Shoppers

Adds Barry: “This year, Lidl US is opening more new stores across New York to bring even more shoppers the high-quality, low-priced products they know and love. The goal of our expansion is to reach new shoppers, and our new stores are driving people to try Lidl US so they can experience rsthand our unbeatable products at the lowest prices. Our business model allows us to expand without compromising on the value or experience we offer.”

Asked how the Grand Street store would cater to the vibrant urban community it serves, he replies, “While our stores follow a consistent format designed for ef ciency and value, the new Lower Manhattan location is tailored to t the fast-paced, on-the-go lifestyle of NYC shoppers.” This customization includes the “incredible promotions” featured in the new store’s yer, he notes.

Strategic Tailored Assortment

Beyond individual locations’ offerings, Barry notes that the grocer’s items are “continually tailored to meet the demands of U.S. shoppers and ensure we’re providing the highest-quality products at the ‘Lidlest’ prices. Our strategic assortment means we’re not overwhelming customers with options, but still offering unique ‘surprise and delight’ items customers can’t get anywhere else. For example, we offer American favorites like muf ns, doughnuts and New York bagels while keeping our fan favorites, like our 49-cent croissant.”

“While our stores follow a consistent format designed for e ciency and value, the new Lower Manhattan location is tailored to ﬁt the fast-paced, on-the-go lifestyle of NYC shoppers.”

—Alan Barry, EVP Real Estate and Operations, Lidl US

While Barry is tight-lipped regarding future store openings in the New York metro area or elsewhere, he emphasizes that the company is making the growth of its store base a top priority. As for locations beyond Lidl’s core markets, he asserts that the company is committed to “exploring expansion opportunities so more Americans can experience our unbeatable quality at [value] prices.”

This push to open more stores is a key part of the food retailer’s drive to keep its present and future shoppers satis ed. As Barry says, “At Lidl US, we’re always looking for ways to improve and evolve with our customers’ needs.”