Washington, D.C. – The Nationwide Grocers Affiliation Basis (NGAF), with continued sponsorship from United Pure Meals, Inc. (UNFI) and Fairlife, in the present day introduced the official matter for the 2026 NGAF Pupil Case Examine Competitors, going down at The NGA Present: “Holding Cabinets Related and Clients Impressed: Changing Direct-to-Client Developments into In-Retailer Activations.”
This 12 months’s program companions with Nugget Markets, a trendsetting, family-owned grocer with 16 areas throughout Northern California. Their shops emphasize inspiration, discovery, and distinctive recent choices, together with premium proteins, vibrant produce, and handcrafted meals from their in-house cooks and bakers.
The 2026 matter challenges taking part scholar groups to discover how impartial grocers can translate fast-growing direct-to-consumer (DTC) tendencies – comparable to personalization, subscription experiences, online-driven product discovery, and tailor-made life-style assortments – into compelling, high-impact in-store experiences. College students shall be requested to remodel DTC behaviors into retail methods that assist Nugget Markets preserve cabinets related, energize shoppers, and drive sustained loyalty.
“The Pupil Case Examine Competitors offers college students a strong platform to investigate actual enterprise challenges and suggest actionable options that mirror the quickly altering meals retail panorama,” mentioned Kelly Hanson, NGA Director of Schooling & Insights. “Nugget Markets’ modern method offers a great setting for college kids to reimagine how independents can carry DTC inspiration into the shop.”
Annually, an impartial retailer companions with NGAF to supply operational particulars, budgeting parameters, and strategic context for the case. Pupil groups then current their suggestions by three rounds of judging performed by skilled meals {industry} professionals. Profitable groups and their colleges obtain money prizes in recognition of excellence in analysis, technique, and presentation.
Eligibility is open to any four-year establishment, college, tutorial program, or affiliated group that gives instruction or analysis associated to the meals {industry}. Every faculty could assemble a analysis group of any dimension, however not more than 4 undergraduate college students could current at the competitors.
This 12 months’s taking part colleges embrace:
- Kansas State College
- Fresno State College
- Saint Joseph’s College
- Cal Poly San Luis Obispo
- Arizona State College
- Central Michigan College
- Michigan State College
The NGAF Pupil Case Examine Competitors stays one of the partaking instructional experiences at The NGA Present, giving college students distinctive publicity to the impartial grocery sector whereas offering retailers with recent views from rising expertise. Present attendees can catch preliminary rounds of competitors on Monday, February 2 beginning at 11:00 AM. The highest two groups will compete on the mainstage on Tuesday, February 3 at 7:30 AM.
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In regards to the NGA Basis
The Nationwide Grocers Affiliation Basis is dedicated to constructing a stronger impartial grocery {industry} by schooling, management improvement, workforce initiatives, and scholarship packages.
In regards to the Nationwide Grocers Affiliation
NGA is the nationwide commerce affiliation representing the retail and wholesale neighborhood grocers that comprise the impartial sector of the meals distribution {industry}. An impartial retailer is a privately owned or managed meals retail firm working quite a lot of codecs. The impartial grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 p.c of the nation’s general financial system and is answerable for producing greater than $250 billion in gross sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members embrace retail and wholesale grocers situated in each congressional district throughout the nation, in addition to state grocers’ associations, producers and repair suppliers. For extra details about NGA, go to www.nationalgrocers.org.
About UNFI
United Pure Meals, Inc. (UNFI) is the biggest publicly traded wholesale distributor of pure, natural, and traditional meals within the U.S. and Canada, supporting retailers of all sizes with a broad assortment and industry-leading providers.
