View photos from the event here. 

Leaders from New Jersey’s food retail and distribution businesses gathered in Atlantic City on March 28 to address critical issues of inflation, labor shortages and lingering supply chain disruptions, following the pandemic that put the neighborhood supermarket on the front lines of “beyond essential” services.

“Local food stores remain the cornerstone of our communities and their supplier partners continue to overcome obstacles to provide consumers with the products that they need for their families,” said New Jersey Food Council (NJFC) President Linda Doherty.

“Our members are facing a new wave of constraints and unpredictable challenges such as increasing food costs, skyrocketing fuel and energy prices, an irradicate workforce, transportation and port outages, disruptions in supply chains and growing labor and operational expenses,” she explained. “These obstacles have triggered this record inflationary period and fear of a recession. But throughout it, our members remain steadfast, resilient and beyond essential.”

Doherty noted the stubborn inflation has been hard on every facet of business and customers, adding the NJFC 2023 Trade Relations Conference was ideally timed for NJFC members to discuss how to “tackle these unchartered waters head-on, making operational adjustments and helping shoppers manage their food budgets.”

The conference featured a keynote presentation by Jim Dorey, president and Chief Operating Officer of Inserra Supermarkets, based in Mahwah. Recently, Dorey joined Inserra, which operates 22 ShopRite stores and two Price Rite locations in New Jersey and New York.

NJFC Chairman Andrew Kent, of Glass Gardens ShopRite, said trade relations is at the heart of the Food Council, as the trade association nurtures business relationships between retailer, supplier, broker, co-op, and wholesaler members that drives the “beyond essential” $136 billion food distribution industry in New Jersey.

“We are committed to encouraging trade partnerships and providing a better understanding of supplier and retailer business models to strengthen and grow our businesses both in the good and bad times of business, which we encountered this past year,” Kent said.

“Since we gathered last year, the food business has been defined by relentless price increases, evolving consumer behavior and questions about how historic shifts unleashed by the pandemic will affect the industry’s performance as the economy plows ahead,” he added. “The unprecedented inflation we and our customers face pose an especially tough challenge for our industry, but we remain hopeful that the pace of price increases will slow considerably as 2023 progresses.”

In navigating this era of high prices, Kent said, NJFC members are introducing more discounts and promotions, creating more private label merchandising, adapting to the adjustment in benefits for SNAP customers and keeping up with consumers’ buying habits. The trade relations conference focused on the key, nagging concern: overcoming inflation.

NJFC featured a panel of industry leaders who discussed emerging “beyond essential” trends in a post-COVID world and what it means to the business model. Lawrence Inserra, III, of Price Rite, served as the panel moderator, leading a lively conversation.

Panelists included:

• Bryce Daigle, Senior Director of Market Strategy & Planning for Instacart, where he drives go-to-market strategy for Instacart’s retail enablement business, including marketplace, enterprise ecommerce, fulfillment, and in-store solutions.
• Don Leech, Divisional Vice President in charge of operations at QuickChek. He handles center store merchandising, marketing and advertising for 165 convenience and gas facilities in New Jersey and New York.
• Paul Westra, Co-Head of Restaurant Investments at Capital One, where he brings a wealth of investment and operations experience to Capital One’s lending activities within the food space.
• Donna Zambo, Vice President and Chief Marketing Officer for Allegiance Retail Services, where she is charged with oversight of IT, marketing, digital commerce and analytics.

As part of the annual event, the Jimmy Ostling Trade Relations Award was bestowed. This 2023 honoree is Mike Tarloff, Vice President & General Manager of C&S Wholesale Grocers.

“Mike is a leader in both in the food industry as a whole and at the Food Council, where he serves as a board member as well as serving on the Trade Relations Committee,” said Christine Curtis, Senior Vice President and General Manager, C&S Wholesale Grocers. “Mike consistently engages in the important conversations and activities that the Food Council hosts. He is always providing support for the betterment of food industry in New Jersey.”

The conference concluded with a “curtain closer” golf outing, held March 29 at Galloway National Golf Club in Galloway Township.