September / October 2015

The 2015 Retail Leader/Category Management Association Best Practices Awards were created to honor best practices in collaboration across various categories. Award winners were honored at the CMA Leadership Meeting, Sept. 29, in Orlando, Fla.

Well, Kroger has been roaring down the middle of the road for years, setting speed records and bowling over the competition. And it shows no signs of stopping.

The German discount chain has ambitious plans to expand in the U.S. It is now in year two of a five-year plan to build 650 new stores on top of the approximately 1,300 existing ones, at an investment of about $3 billion.

This year, the grocer celebrated its 85th anniversary and credits its founder, George Jenkins (or "Mr. George" as he's known), with the unique customer-oriented culture that persists today. In fact, one of Mr. George's lessons teaches associates to "treat customers like royalty."

The value of working together for a greater outcome than either participant could achieve on its own might not be a line item on a balance sheet, but success stories abound in the grocery retail space.