ARLINGTON, VA – FMI – The Food Industry Association (FMI) today announces that members of the Retailer Owned Food Distributors & Associates (ROFDA) – Affiliated Foods, AG Northeast, Certco, and Piggly Wiggly Alabama Distribution Company – have joined FMI, strengthening opportunities to serve its community through greater collaboration and shared insights. These members join existing FMI-ROFDA members, Associated Food Stores, Associated Grocers (LA), Associated Wholesale Grocers, Brookshire Bros. and URM Stores.
The addition of these ROFDA members comes as FMI and its wholesale leaders have examined five key strategies to strengthen transparency, collaborative planning, manufacturer return on investment, product innovation and technology investment across the grocery wholesale value chain – creating new opportunities to drive growth and efficiency for independent retailers and their partners.
“Independent operators represent nearly 60% of our membership base, and their success depends on strong partnerships throughout the supply chain,” said Leslie G. Sarasin, president and CEO of FMI. “As we examined leading wholesale models across multiple industries, one theme was clear: the most successful wholesalers go beyond distribution to become strategic growth partners. They work alongside retailers to align investments, share insights, leverage technology and create mutual value.”
“The challenges and opportunities facing independent operators today require stronger industry alignment than ever before,” said ROFDA President and CEO Mark Deuschle. “By joining FMI, ROFDA’s members are expanding their ability to connect around common goals – from improving supply chain visibility and planning to accelerating innovation and technology adoption. We believe this partnership will create meaningful value for our members and the entire grocery ecosystem.”
“The ROFDA Board believes that greater industry engagement and collaboration are essential to helping independent retailers remain competitive and relevant,” said Amy Niemetscheck, president and CEO of Certco and chair of ROFDA. “By becoming more actively engaged with FMI, our members gain access to broader industry perspectives, resources and relationships that can strengthen their individual organizations and enhance ROFDA’s collective contribution to the food industry.”
Sarasin continued, “Our work with ROFDA’s members strengthens our ability to advance these kinds of collaborative strategies, helping independent operators compete, innovate and thrive in a rapidly evolving marketplace.”
Along those lines, in partnership with The Dialogic Group, Oliver Wyman and Dunhumby, FMI recently released The Whole Picture: What's Next for Wholesalers and Their Retailer and Manufacturer Partners. The report is based on nine months of research and insights from more than 120 stakeholders, including wholesalers, CPG manufacturers, independent retailers, and technology providers and identifies opportunities to strengthen performance and partnership across the grocery wholesale value chain. This is in keeping with FMI’s commitment to and support for a healthy, viable, competitive, independent retail sector.
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