Education

Celebrating Supermarket Employee Day

On February 22, 2021, I will be celebrating the hard-working heroes of the supermarket by joining with the industry to proclaim it Supermarket Employee Day. The supermarket has long been acknowledged as the backbone of our communities, but its role ...

Lessons Learned and Insights from Albertsons Companies

Susan Morris, executive vice president and COO at Albertsons Companies, is the 2021 Midwinter Executive Conference chairperson and she has proven to be an admirable guide in helping us plan our first-ever virtual Midwinter experience. Susan’s ...

Who Will Be In The First-Ever Supper Bowl Finals?

The road to the Supper Bowl is getting a bit more intense with the voting now open to determine which two of the eight semi-finalists proceed to the championship round. Go to FMI.org/SupperBowl for a snazzy video describing the remaining eight ...

Resolutions Re: Solutions for 2021

I found it refreshing to read David Orgel’s recent article How to Be Ready for Anything in 2021 in Drug Store News. It isn’t so much a piece about predictions and resolutions for a new year. It’s more of a preparedness “how-to” for retailers as they ...

Five Midwinter 2021 Events You May Not Have Been Aware Of

As we continue to shape our industry’s strategic future, I hope you consider one of FMI’s shining member benefits—the Midwinter Executive Conference. And yes, we’re bringing the event to the comfort of your office, ...

2020: The Year of the Food Industry

From the cashiers and stockers to the store managers and executives, the drivers and food processors and pharmacist and nutritionists, to the data analysts, delivery experts and farmers, our industry is filled with true Food Industry Heroes who have ...

Tackling the Tough Topic of Race Relations

Just because something is difficult does not excuse us from tackling it. In fact, FMI believes the tougher the topic is, the deeper the need to address it. Consequently, FMI is partnering with the Center for Food Integrity (CFI) in an initiative to ...

Witnessing the Food Industry

Recently, I was able to share insights gleaned from my experience by speaking at the Retailing Summit hosted by FMI’s newest university member, Texas A&M and the Mays School of Business Center for Retailing Studies. My talk at the virtual event was ...

Four Common Misconceptions About Food Prices

A number of misconceptions regarding grocery prices regularly permeate both the news and our water cooler conversations. These are due to a combination of outdated ideas that should have been put to rest long ago and high profile “examples” that are ...

A Tale of Two Years: A Look at The Food Retail Industry in 2019 and Early 2020

The most recent The Food Retailing Industry Speaks report identifies a striking similarity between ”A Tale of Two Cities” and a tale of two years, 2019 and 2020, for the food industry. Both relay the story of how stark change and challenging times ...

A Fly on The Wall: A Look at The Food Industry’s Performance

FMI is about to release our 71st annual The Food Retailing Industry Speaks report, which tracks operations and strategic initiatives of the food retail industry. This year’s Speaks report reviews performance for 2019, but it also incorporates ...

Future Leaders eXperience by the Numbers

The Future Leaders eXperience addresses one of the food industry's most challenging emerging issues—the workforce. Here are some fast facts that offer a sneak peek into who’s attending and what the program entails....

Embrace Education as a Cornerstone of Social Justice

Our essential industry has a responsibility to ensure that our practices foster economic opportunity and racial equity. We need equitable programs that catalyze a stronger, more sustainable future for everyone. One program that meets this criteria ...

It’s Time to Better Connect the Fresh Supply Chain

Improved data, analytics and visibility are essential to better connect the industry and make us more prepared for whatever lies ahead. That was a key message from speakers at FMI FreshForward....

Why Do Shoppers “Shop Around?”

What is it that drives grocery shoppers to “shop around?” For many grocery shoppers it is private or store brands. Private brands, according to Trends, are a key driver of perceptions that the store meets a shopper’s needs. Grocery stores that ...