Fireside chat with Gina Acosta on celebrating 90 years as a privately-owned retailer that is willing to change with the times and encourages people to bring their authentic selves to their roles.

How community outreach, ranging from hunger relief to crisis donations to special events, has evolved and taken on greater even importance.

Beyond TikTok, how should grocers be paying attention to food- and value-centric younger consumers in the Gen Z and Gen Alpha demographics? Hear directly from young industry professionals about strategies for success now and in the not-so-distant future.

Creating customer loyalty is difficult with grocery prices and shopper demands on the rise. How do you reach and engage shoppers with relevant messaging in our fast paced world? How do you create experiences that matter to build a meaningful relationship that lasts? The panel will dive into the art and science of customer loyalty to retain your customers.

Sponsored by Inmar Intelligence

Sponsored by Skinny Mixes

In this fireside chat, Progressive Grocer Editor in Chief Gina Acosta talks to Kroger SVP of Operations Mary Ellen Adcock about her leadership style, career trajectory, and operational excellence vision for America’s largest supermarket retailer.

Magic is not real they say. You can't create something out of nothing. Really? But what if the nay sayers are wrong? What if it is real? What if there was a way for you NOT to participate in the ordinary, but to create a new normal that is anything but ordinary? What if.....Magic is real! Come and find out!

Sponsored by Inmar Intelligence

Join Progressive Grocer’s Editor-in-Chief, Gina Acosta, and Matt Redwood, Diebold Nixdorf’s VP of Retail Technology Solutions, as they reveal real-world insights and game-changing strategies used by global retail leaders. Learn how advanced checkout technologies and AI-powered self-service solutions are cutting shrink by 70%, empowering store staff, and revolutionizing the in-store experience. This is your chance to learn firsthand from one of the industry’s top innovators—don’t miss out!

Sponsored by Diebold Nixdorf

Enhance your resilience, expand your leadership capabilities, and learn the key elements to consider when carving out your path to success. Women leaders in the grocery industry share their top skills for unlocking your potential and maximizing emotional intelligence at work.

Uncommitted customers, often referred to as secondary or occasional shoppers, are an increasingly vital segment for grocery retailers. Using insights from Upside's inaugural Consumer Spend Report, which analyzes 1.1 billion transactions and national surveys, this session will offer a comprehensive look at the challenges and opportunities these customers present. Alex Kinnier and Jennifer Hopper will also provide actionable strategies to turn uncommitted shoppers into loyal, repeat customers.

Sponsored by Upside

Sam’s Club Chief Growth Officer Diana Marshall sits down for a fireside chat with Progressive Grocer Editor-in-Chief Gina Acosta to discuss her leadership journey and why readiness for change is the bedrock of disruptive and adaptive organizations.

PG takes part in a conversation with the lead buyer at e-grocer Martie and the VP of retail sales at specialty waste and environmental services company Denali to discuss the companies’ respective journeys to becoming food waste champions, and what other companies in the food industry can do in this area.

Sponsored by Denali

Today, retail stores rely heavily on manual processes. Associates are responsible for stocking shelves, managing inventory, updating price tags, maintaining cleanliness, and assisting customers. However, with a shrinking workforce, retailers are finding it increasingly difficult to manage these responsibilities efficiently. Behind the scenes, leading technology suppliers are working together to build better experiences for store associates and shoppers by combining the powers of their solutions. Two of these companies are JRTech Solutions, the #1 supplier of Pricer Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs) in North America, and Brain Corp, a leading autonomous technology company with over 35,000 robots deployed around the world. In this session, attendees will learn from JRTech Solutions and Brain Corp about how ESLs and robots are freeing associates from time-consuming tasks, and the significant impact these technologies are having on retail operations. The session will also highlight how integrating ESLs with robots represents the next step in store digitization, unlocking new experiences that will help retailers retain associates and attract more customers to their stores.

Sponsored by BrainCorp

Current and former TWIG trailblazers discuss future of the industry and lessons learned.

Taking the ‘Homegrown’ approach at Lidl US: CEO Joel Rampoldt discusses in an engaging presentation how the international limited-assortment chain is tailoring its offering to American consumers and positioning itself to win in the U.S. market.

How Whole Foods works closely with suppliers around the world to make a positive impact on people, communities, the marketplace and the planet.

What stands in the way of an elevated store experience? Waste. Wasted food, wasted tasks, wasted effort, wasted time. We’re all in a constant battle to eliminate waste and elevate the shopper experience. But the real job to be done is to make sure our teams our bought in to the impact and feel the empowered in the role they play in stores to help us to solve the food waste opportunity. Learn how organizations such as Big Y, SEG, and others are making their teams feel like owners as they play a role in eliminating waste on daily basis.

Sponsored by Upshop