Calling All Brand Innovators: Category Captains Contest Now Open

Are you a supplier whose brand is winning when it comes to staying ahead of consumer insights, demand forecasts, replenishment, data-driven pricing and promotion decisions?

Then the team at Progressive Grocer encourages you to submit an entry for our 26th annual Category Captains program. This program recognizes leadership among supplier companies that serve America’s retailers of food and consumables and is the longest-running program of its type.

Global market forces today have pushed the discipline of category management to favor attributes such as speed, agility and resourcefulness. But these are just a few of the broad attributes that make a supplier worthy of the distinction of a Progressive Grocer Category Captain. 

As you complete your entry below, we would ask you to consider the following:

• What was the most important shopper insight or innovation you brought to your retail partners between June 15, 2021, and June 15, 2022?
• How did your organization address pandemic-driven supply chain challenges to ensure retailers of all types had adequate product quantities?
• Which new methods of collaborating with retailers were especially innovative or creative?
• Which new operational challenges did your organization overcome as COVID-19 lingered?
• How did the new insights or innovations your company developed build total category volume?
• How did your initiative promote connectivity between complementary store departments?
• How did your initiative boost basket size, trips or overall store sales?
• Were you able to leverage artificial intelligence to optimize assortments or optimize pricing decisions?
• Did your initiative invigorate a dormant or declining category, or create a new one to address an unmet consumer need?
• How were digital methods such as social media or retail media leveraged?
• How did your platform address the unique needs or issues of your retail customers?
• What are your retail partners saying about your category management efforts?

Here’s what to do next….