Register Today: Annual Government Relations Meeting

Posted on November 1, 2024November 1, 2024 by Grace Becker

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Join CGA’s Government Relations Team in Los Angeles

The grocery industry had a banner year at the Capitol in 2024, and the Association is gearing up for even bolder actions in 2025.

Join CGA’s government relations team in Los Angeles for its annual in-person meeting to strategize priorities for the year ahead and discuss key initiatives. Together, we’ll explore next steps for CRV recycling, unpack SB 54 and its implications for the industry, and recap outcomes from 2024.

We hope you’ll join us at 1 p.m. on November 14 at the West Hollywood Aquatics and Recreation Center. Afterwards, stick around for drinks and bites at one of West Hollywood’s hottest spots, Catch LA to celebrate the year’s wins.

Don’t wait to save your spot! Click the link below to register.

Please direct your questions to Daniel Conway.

CGA Explores AI at 2024 Strategic Conference

Posted on October 8, 2024October 8, 2024 by Grace Becker

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Each year, CGA brings the California grocery industry together for three days of networking and education to strengthen business connections and explore timely topics and challenges facing the industry. In late September, the grocery community reunited in Palm Springs for the 2024 CGA Strategic Conference: Accelerating Impact. With emerging technologies transforming retail and the way we do business, this year’s conference centered on the impacts of artificial intelligence and new technology to help the grocery industry prepare.

A high-powered panel of AI and supply chain experts took the main stage to break down the implications of AI for the value chain. MIT professor Vivek Farias led a deep dive presentation on AI, then joined a panel discussion featuring Mario Adamy (UNFI), Miguel Paredes (Silicon Foundry), and Craig Rosenblum (Columbus Consulting).

In addition to our signature retailer-supplier business meetings and networking opportunities, this year’s event featured several new sessions and social events. Comedian Jake Johanssen kicked off the event with a hilarious stand-up routine, and attendees decompressed after a day of meetings and education at the CGA Silent Disco. To help attendees navigate California’s unique customers and retail environment, we introduced the first Golden State Summit. Led by subject experts, these TED-talk style presentations unpacked the state’s population and demographic shifts (Hans Johnson, PPIC), the evolving retail environment and store formats (Caroline Wu, Placer.ai), attitudes toward new technology (Jeremy S. Thompson, Edelman Global Advisory), and emerging consumer trends and preferences (Dan Frommer, The New Consumer).

The popular Emerging Brands Pitch Contest was back this year and bigger than ever. Six hand-selected emerging companies took the main stafe to pitch their product to a panel of judges representing Bristol Farms, Gelson’s Markets, Safeway Northern California, Costco Wholesale, and Sprouts Farmers Market. Myles Comfort Food took home first place and the people’s choice award, followed Top Fox Snacks in second place and Fresh Fizz Sodas in third.

Thank you to our speakers, sponsors, partners, and attendees, for contributing to the success of this year’s conference. We hope you left our event with strong connections and valuable takeaways to accelerate your business into the food industry’s fast-paced future.

Save the date for next year’s Strategic Conference on September 21—23, 2025 at The Westin Mission Hills, Rancho Mirage.

CGAEF Reaches $10 Million Scholarship Milestone

Posted on September 5, 2024September 5, 2024 by Grace Becker

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The California Grocers Association Educational Foundation (CGAEF) is thrilled to announce it has reached a significant milestone of awarding $10 million in college scholarships to grocery industry employees and their dependents.

Thanks to the grocery industry’s incredible generosity and commitment to education, CGAEF has awarded 6,571 scholarships to California Grocers Association member company employees and their dependents since the Foundation’s inception in 1998. This exciting achievement reflects the grocery industry’s investment in the future of its workforce.

Through our scholarship program, CGAEF helps nurture and retain industry talent to shape the next generation of grocery leaders. This $10 million landmark has already made a lasting impact on thousands of industry employees striving to achieve their dreams.

On behalf of the CGAEF Board of Trustees and staff, we extend our gratitude to the hundreds of individuals and companies who have contributed to this milestone. Your support has made all the difference in molding our industry’s future leadership. CGAEF is proud to support the personal and professional ambitions of hardworking grocery employees.

CGAEF scholarships are open to high school seniors, college undergraduate and graduate students who are employees of, or the dependent sons or daughters of employees of, a CGA member company. For more information on the CGAEF scholarship program, click here.

Newsom Signs Retail Theft Bill Package

Posted on August 16, 2024August 16, 2024 by Nate Rose

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On Friday morning CGA President and CEO Ron Fong joined Gov. Gavin Newsom, legislative leaders, and law enforcement in San Jose as the Governor signed the Legislature’s signature retail theft bill package into law.

Totaling 10 bills, the retail theft package is notable for its focus on aggregation, multi-jurisdictional prosecution, and re-sellers running stolen goods storefronts. Here are the bills included:

AB 2943 allows felony charges on the third theft offense, aggregates dollar amounts and expands drug diversion programs.

AB 3209 allows a court to impose a restraining order for up to two years against a person who has stolen, vandalized or committed battery against an employee. It would also require the court to consider whether a person lives in a “food desert” and whether the store is the only location for necessities.

AB 1779 allows prosecutors to charge several offenses that took place across counties and handle them in a single court.

AB 1802 makes permanent the California Highway Patrol property crimes task force.

AB 1972 expands the California Highway Patrol’s property crimes task force program to include cargo theft and railroad police.

SB 905 creates two new “wobbler” offenses that can be charged as felonies or misdemeanors: breaking into a car with the intent to steal, and possessing property stolen from a car worth at least $950 with the intent to sell it.

SB 1242 gives a stiffer sentence to people convicted of setting a fire on a retailer’s property to commit organized theft.

SB 1416 creates a sentencing enhancement for selling, exchanging, or returning for value an item acquired through shoplifting, burglary, or theft.

SB 1144 requires online marketplaces to collect information from high-volume third-party sellers and grants authority to district attorneys to bring civil actions to enforce violations.

SB 982 eliminates an end date on the crime of organized retail theft, allowing prosecution to occur indefinitely.

The New Food Frontier: California Grocer Magazine

Posted on August 13, 2024August 13, 2024 by Grace Becker

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How Will GLP-1 Drugs Impact the Grocery Industry?

According to recent projections from FMI, nearly a third of U.S. consumers could begin using GLP-1 drugs like Ozempic and Wegovy, reshaping the food landscape as we know it. In the latest issue of California Grocer magazine, CGA explores what’s in store for “The New Food Frontier” amid the rise of GLP-1 drugs and health-conscious consumers.

This issue takes a holistic view of health and wellness to unpack implications for the grocery industry and consumers. In a state that drives national standards, Tim Townsend delves into California food safety laws that shape the grocery industry beyond the state’s borders. As inflation strains shoppers’ wallets, our “Consumer Financial Health Report” projects what lies ahead for grocery spending and prices. Spend “15 Minutes With” Julie Chapon, co-founder of Yuka, an app that analyzes products for impacts on health and the environment. Nutritionist and wellness expert Katie Bressack discusses the grocery store as a destination for personalized wellness, and Kevin Coupe muses about the wellness paradox.

Don’t miss the following must-read sections from Issue 2:

GLP-1 Drugs and the Rise of Health-Conscious Consumers
- Pg 16 | Michele Fuller
The California Consumers’ Financial Health
- Pg 26 | Nate Rose
The California Health Laws that Shape the Landscape for Grocers
- Pg 22 | Tim Townsend
The Wellness Paradox
- Pg 8 | Kevin Coupe

READ ISSUE 2

Feeding Our Communities

Posted on July 30, 2024July 30, 2024 by Lynn Melillo

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The following Chair Column appeared in Issue 2 of California Grocer magazine.

When I was elected Chair of the CGA Board, I shared a few priorities and passions that I was eager to work on during my tenure. The year started off strong as I had the opportunity to draw from my background in loss prevention to address the Little Hoover Commission on behalf of CGA regarding retail theft reform, as I discussed in my first Chair column. Now halfway through my term, I feel like I’ve struck gold as CGA sponsors a piece of legislation addressing an area close to my heart: food access.

Let me share with you some staggering figures around food insecurity. As of October 2023, over 3 million households in California – including over 1 million households with children – face food insecurity. Although California produces nearly half of the nation’s fruits and vegetables, more than 1 in 5 Californians — about 8.8 million — currently struggle with food insecurity according to the California Association of Food Banks.

As we consider many angles of wellness through the pages of this issue, having access to nutritious and wholesome foods lays the foundation. This year, CGA has partnered with Sen. Susan Rubio to introduce the California Food Desert Elimination Act, SB 1419, which seeks to provide financial assistance to grocery stores operators who wish to establish a store within a delineated food desert or areas at risk of becoming food deserts.

Despite it being a tight fiscal year due to the state’s tremendous budget deficit, as Louie Brown covers in the Capitol Insider column, it gives me hope to see SB 1419 advance through the legislature. At the time of this writing, SB 1419 passed through the Senate and is headed to the next house. It’s encouraging to see our lawmakers show commitment in this area.

Coretta Scott King once said, “The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.”

Working in the food industry, I, and so many of my peers, feel a personal sense of responsibility to do our part to recover unsaleable goods that can create wholesome meals for those in need within our communities. Through my own company, the Bristol Farms banner, we’re proud to partner with local food banks and organizations including FoodCycle LA, Food Finders, Second Hand Harvest Food Bank of Orange County, and San Diego Food Bank, and others to put to use wholesome goods that would be otherwise wasted.

I’m so proud of the work the Association is doing to help address food insecurity in our communities and make it more feasible for grocery stores to serve food deserts. If you would like to help the effort, urge your legislators to support the Food Desert Elimination Act on CGA’s website.

Grocery Store Leaders Grow Their Skills

Posted on July 30, 2024July 30, 2024 by Grace Becker

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CGA Store Leader Training Seminars

Grocery store leaders from across the state sharpened their leadership skills with CGA and the CGA Educational Foundation at our Store Leader Training Seminars in Costa Mesa and Concord, California.

These one-day seminars are customized for store-level supervisors interested in growing their management skills and developing their careers. The agenda offered a blend of inspiring keynote presentations and hands-on, retail-specific training that provided the inspiration, practical tips, and relevant examples to develop leadership acumen and techniques to succeed with today’s employees.

Keynote speaker Steve Black enlightened store leaders with his signature “5 Rules” to unlock your team’s potential and transform culture in the workplace. Special guest Dave Davlin shared his ingredients for developing a purpose-driven mentality for work and life.

Check out event photos below.

CGA Store Leader Training Seminars

Posted on July 8, 2024July 8, 2024 by Grace Becker

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Empower Your Store Leaders

Help your store leaders unlock the next level of leadership. CGA and the CGA Educational Foundation are hosting one-day Store Leader Training Seminars in Northern and Southern California this summer to enable your team’s growth and professional development. Our seminars are an affordable way to build effective leaders who empower their teams and excel in service.

What to Expect

Grocery veteran and leadership expert Steve Black will share his signature 5 Rules to unlock your team’s potential and transform culture in the workplace. Special guest Dave Davlin will discuss three essential ingredients for developing a purpose-driven mentality to achieve a fulfilling career and balanced life. Learn more about our speakers below.

Sessions + Speakers

Who Should Attend

Store Directors
Assistant Directors
Department Managers

Seminar Dates

Southern California

Tuesday, July 23, 2024
Hilton Costa Mesa

Northern California

Thursday, July 25, 2024
Hilton Concord

Recruiting

Posted on June 20, 2024June 20, 2024 by Nate Rose

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Tips for Store Leaders by Stan Phelps

Involve current employees in the recruiting process to gain valuable insights and

referrals for candidates who fit the company culture.

Intel’s new hires have dedicated greeters and gifts waiting for them when they arrive on their first days as a part of their hands-on new employee orientation.

Tip: Leverage your team’s network to attract top talent.

Independent Grocers Practice Their Swing

Posted on June 7, 2024June 7, 2024 by Grace Becker

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The independent grocery community soaked up the sun and connected on the golf course at the 2024 Independent Grocers Golf Tournament on June 5 in Rohnert Park, CA.

This annual tournament allows independent grocers, wholesalers, and suppliers to network while practicing their swing for a productive day of golf, sampling product from sponsors, and strengthening business relationships. After a day of play, attendees gathered back at the clubhouse for a raffle and silent auction. Grand Prize winner Darin Austin took home a week’s stay in Mexico.

CGA thanks our 2024 sponsors for supporting the event, and our attendees for spending their day with us! Check out our winners and event photos below.

First Place:

Elliot Stone

Aaron Stone

Sean Corey

Don Moresco

Second Place:

Dennis Albrecht

Jeremy Markus

Bennie Tiappon

Tim Albrecht

Longest Drive:

Darin Austin