Just in time for this year’s NGA convention, SN has released its first-ever ranking of The Top 50 Independents. This is a companion piece to our popular annual ranking of the Top 75 retailers and wholesalers. This new ranking makes independent retailers more visible because it mostly spotlights companies that are too small to make the Top 75 roster. These companies’ volumes each fall below $1 billion, and they range in size from single-store operators to chains with more than 100 locations.
There’s a big reason why this year’s version of the National Grocers Association Convention (again in Las Vegas) is special. The association will pay tribute to Tom Zaucha, its founder and longtime leader, who will be retiring June 30 after 28 years at the helm. Supermarket News just published a special report about Tom’s legacy, and I wrote a related Viewpoint column about Tom. I’ll just excerpt a few parts of that column here:
“His [Tom’s] tenure is a lesson to today’s leaders about the benefits of a focused agenda and persistence in the face of daunting odds. His willingness to battle entrenched interests led to a wide range of victories on issues ranging from price discrimination to burdensome regulations…
Tom was one of the first industry leaders I met in the early 1990s when I joined SN. I quickly learned that despite his reputation for debate and persistence, Tom had a congenial personality and winning smile. He has completely enjoyed being part of this industry and helping to mentor new entrants…
Tom’s advocacy will be missed, but his years of work ensures that the mission will go on at NGA.”
Meanwhile, there are lots of other things to look forward to at this year’s NGA event, including an opening keynote speech by former President George W. Bush and the release of a number of new NGA surveys.
