1. Trends & External Forces

KC/In Conversation: Thom Blischok on “The Future of Independent Grocery” (Part 1)

Written by Posted on Less than 0 min read

A Note from the Content Guy:  MNB is previewing some the speakers appearing at the National Grocers Association (NGA) Show in Las Vegas, February 1-3.  (These speakers include Michael Sansolo, Tom Furphy and me – once again in 2026, we’ll be facilitating the various sessions that make up the Technology/Innovation track.)

Today, the first of a two-part conversation with Thom Blischok, Chairman & CEO of The Dialogic Group, who will be moderating a general session entitled “The Future of Independent Grocery: Fresh Thinking, Smart Tech, and Strong Partnerships.”  The session will bring together three industry leaders, who Blischok will challenge to address issues of retailer-wholesaler relationships, “fresh as a differentiator,” and the opportunities offered by technology innovation and robotics.

Which is the subject of our conversation, in which Blischok is his usual (and welcome) provocative self.

Part one:

If you’d like to listen to this conversation as an audio podcast, click and download below.

For more information about NGA 2026, click here.

The post KC/In Conversation: Thom Blischok on “The Future of Independent Grocery” (Part 1) appeared first on MNB.

View Original Article
Post Views: 25
Member since
For more than 30 years, Kevin Coupe has been bringing to readers and audiences a wealth of experience, sharp storytelling skills, provocative and contextual insights, unique worldview and serious levity about the world of business and consumers. https://morningnewsbeat.com
Do you like MorningNewsBeat's articles? Follow on social!

More from MorningNewsBeat

  1. Channel: Restaurants

A Story Fit For the Christmas Season

The Washington Post had a story the other day in its “The Optimist” column that is totally worth reading, because it reflects not just the best of human nature, but also how a business can play a critical and nurturing role in customers’ lives. Here’s a synopsis: Charlie Hicks is a 78-year-old retired military veteran […]
3 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Your Views:  “If You Aren’t Learning, You’re Dying”

Michael Sansolo wrote a column this week about the awful Colorado Rockies, a baseball team that refuses to invest in the kind of technology and analytics that help other teams succeed.  Michael used that as a metaphor for what every business needs to do, and MNB reader James Kines, Jr responded: Always enjoy a great sports analogy.  […]
3 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

Sansolo Speaks:  Keep The Change

By Michael Sansolo A while back, small sign in a quick serve restaurant caught my eye. It read, “If you fear change, leave it here.”  It was, of course, a tip jar. Both creative and insightful I thought, and an enterprising way to get some gratuities.  Which has to be a challenge these days, when […]
2 min read
0
  1. Technology & Innovation

The Innovation Conversation:  Tom Furphy, From The Cannes Lions Festival of Creativity

Tom Furphy is on location on the French Riviera, attending the Cannes Lions International Festival of Creativity.  This is where creative marketing types traditionally have come together to celebrate the best and most innovative achievements, but these days there is an expanding focus on how technology intersects with creativity.  Everybody, it seems, wants to be […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Stores & Formats

Cognitive Dissonance In the City-Owned-Grocery-Store-Delusion Space

The Atlantic  has an excellent piece in which it points out some basic inconsistencies in the proposals being put forth by New York City mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani – a self-described Democratic socialist – to open “five city-owned stores that will be ‘focused on keeping prices low’ rather than making a profit – what he […]
4 min read
0
  1. Department: Beverage

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Life Is Too Short To Drink Cheap Wine

A wonderful op-ed piece in the Wall Street Journal by a write named David K. Israel teaches an important lesson about acquisition, loss, and the singular power of the moment.  And, there’s even a little business lesson in there. The post FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Life Is Too Short To Drink Cheap Wine appeared […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

FaceTime with the Content Guy: “The Next Five”

A brief report on how my first Open Mic night went when I did a standup set at a local comedy club, but mostly a sharing of a business lesson that came out of a question that my son Brian asked me afterward. The post FaceTime with the Content Guy: “The Next Five” appeared first […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Department: Adult Beverage

Hart & Soul: Another Example Of How To Talk To Shoppers

On Monday in this space, we offered yet another excellent example of how Stew Leonard’s effectively communicated with customers about the tariffs and economic volatility that are affecting prices – something that MNB believes is more important than ever at this point in time. Well, here’s another example, submitted by an MNB reader.  The retailer […]
3 min read
0
  1. Media & Marketing

OffBeat:  Born To Run

Not much to report on this week in the movies-television-books department.  It has been a little busy. But I would like to share this trailer, which just dropped yesterday – for “Springsteen: Deliver Me From Nowhere,” a biopic about our great modern American poet. It is from Scott Cooper, who also wrote and directed the […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Channel: Grocery

Has Wegmans Lost A Step?

In Rochester, New York, WHEC-TV News has a story suggesting that “Wegmans shoppers may be seeing a drop in satisfaction, according to an annual report from the American Customer Satisfaction Index. “The index measures customer satisfaction on a scale of 0 to 100. Wegmans got a score of 78 — a 6% drop from the […]
3 min read
0
  1. Media & Marketing

FaceTime with the Content Guy: Transitioning To A Retail Tomorrow, Today

This week I had the opportunity to participate in a retail Tomorrow Immersion in Los Angeles, sponsored by the California Grocers Association (CGA).  This is a really smart thing for CGA to do – creating an opportunity for member companies to take a day away from their day-to-day businesses to engage with the possibilities and […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Department: Food

Your Views:  Alphabetical Order

Responding to my criticisms of Target yesterday, MNB reader Anne Maas wrote:  I have been a Target loyalist for the vast majority of my life and it pains me to write this email. I grew up in the Minneapolis area and have fond memories of my mom and I grabbing our free bag of popcorn, […]
11 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

Sansolo Speaks:  Rinse and Repeat

by Michael Sansolo With good reason, it is accepted wisdom that repeat customers are beyond value.  As endlessly documented, the effort required to retain a customer is a fraction of the cost of attracting a new one. So, to borrow from an old song, it pays to show them a little tenderness. We had a […]
2 min read
0
  1. Media & Marketing

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Lights Out At “The Late Show”

MNB readers won’t be surprised that I want to weigh in on last week’s announcement that CBS is cancelling “The Late Show with Stephen Colbert,” effective next May.  The move has generated a lot of discussion, but I don’t want to talk about the politics that may or may not have gone into the decision.  […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Shopper & Customer

The 39 Steps, & Other Consumer Revelations

Circana is out with its “A Day in the Life of the Complete Consumer” report, and among the tidbits is the revelation that “the average household now shops at 39 unique retailers a year.” The report – which Circana says “digs into where, how, and why Americans are spending their money across retail and foodservice, […]
2 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  A GLP-1 Update

The Wall Street Journal reported over the weekend that a number of companies are working on what essentially would be pill versions of Ozempic, potentially making the weight loss medications more available to more people (at least if the insurance companies get their collective heads out of their collective rear ends on the reimbursement issue).  […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Media & Marketing

FaceTime with the Content Guy:  Break Points For Businesses

Mrs. Content Guy and I made our annual trek to the US Open, out at the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, earlier this week.  It got me thinking about how businesses handle the tension between maximizing immediate sales and making a business accessible to future customers. The post FaceTime with the Content Guy:  […]
< 1 min read
0
  1. Trends & External Forces

White House Is Making A List, Checking It Twice – Why It Is Relevant To You

Axios is reporting that the White House “has created a scorecard that rates 553 companies and trade associations on how hard they worked to support and promote President Trump’s ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’.” According to the story, “Trump works transactionally, and companies have rushed to pay demonstrative homage. Now, senior aides will have data to […]
4 min read
0
  1. Department & Category

On The Road With Tomorrow’s Customers

Got this email from Waymo – the autonomous ride-hailing service – yesterday, promoting a service it is offering in Phoenix to parents who want to give their kids a little independence via self-driving cars that can shuttle them around the city. KC’s View: I think this is smart of Waymo – it builds trust with […]
2 min read
0
  1. Department & Category

FDA Considers Delegating Food Safety Inspections To States

CBS News reported over the weekend that “the Food and Drug Administration is drawing up plans that would end most of its routine food safety inspections work … and effectively outsource this oversight to state and local authorities,” according to multiple federal health officials.  According to the story, “The plans have not been finalized and […]
3 min read
0
Next