Tips for Store Leaders by Stan Phelps

Invest in employee development through training programs to enhance their skills and show you value their growth.

Wegman’s, the grocery store chain that started in upstate New York, offers employees two to three times more training than other grocery stores. In turn, turnover at the chain is only seven percent compared to 19 percent industry-wide.

Tip: Provide regular opportunities for learning and growth to nurture a motivated and capable workforce.

Tips for Store Leaders by Stan Phelps

Empower your team by granting them decision-making authority. When employees have ownership, they contribute innovative ideas and take pride in their work.

Command and Control or Carrot and Stick thinking is outdated. Employees do not enjoy or appreciate being controlled or coerced.

The best managers figure out how to get great outcomes by setting the appropriate context rather than by trying to control their people.

According to Ken and Scott Blanchard, “We are finding that giving people a chance to succeed in their job and setting them free to a certain degree is the key to motivation, as opposed to trying to direct and control people’s energy. It’s really about letting go and connecting people to their work—and each other—rather than channeling, organizing, orchestrating, and focusing behavior.”

Tip: Encourage employees to take initiative and trust their judgment.

Tips for Store Leaders

Foster trust by openly sharing company updates and decisions with employees.

Informed employees are more engaged and committed to store goals.

Vineet Nayar, CEO of HCL Technologies touched on trust in his bestselling book, Employees First, Customers Second. In the book, he outlined three ways that transparency builds trust:

1. Transparency ensures that every stakeholder knows the company’s vision and understands how their contribution assists the organization in achieving its goals. Working in an environment without transparency is like trying to solve a jigsaw puzzle without knowing what the finished picture is supposed to look like.
2. It ensures that every stakeholder has a deep personal commitment to the aims of the organization.
3. Gen Y expects transparency as a given. They post their life stories in public domains; they expect nothing less in their workplaces.

Tip: Holds monthly business update meetings. Share financials with all employees in the spirit of transparency. Prioritize transparent communication to build a cohesive and trusting work environment.

With the end of the legislative session and an election year around the corner, now is the perfect time to regroup and reset agendas ahead of the new year. Join us in Los Angeles on November 9 for the CGA In-Person GR Day as we sum up 2023’s trends, update you on priority policies, and plot the path ahead.

In the morning, we’ll review the 2023 legislative year and takeaways going into the new year. Then, we’ll discuss labor’s impact at the Capitol and project possible mandates on the horizon for employers. We’ll then switch gears to discuss the pending rewrite of the carryout bag state law, and dissect environmental issues including CRV, recycling, and packaging.

Following lunch and a public affairs update, we’ll have the opportunity to meet and greet with 2024 candidates. After, we’ll tackle retail theft and employee safety and chart strategic next steps in the theft and safety arena. Finally, we’ll explore the bipartisan California Problem Solvers Caucus.

Location + Accommodations

The CGA In-Person GR Day will begin with breakfast at 8:30 a.m., followed by our program from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the historic Coca-Cola Bottling Company, located in Downtown Los Angeles.

Coca-Cola Bottling Company
1334 S Central Ave.
Los Angeles, CA 90021

We recommend reserving accommodations at the Sheraton Grand Los Angeles.

Sheraton Grand Los Angeles
711 South Hope Street 
Los Angeles, CA, 9001

In late September the California Grocers Association hosted the Golden State’s grocery industry for its annual convention in Palm Springs. The Strategic Conference is where California’s grocery community comes together to make lasting connections and get inspired. We hope all who attended came away from our event with stronger industry bonds and new business leads.

This year we uncovered the grocery industry’s shifting priorities and explored fresh solutions and emerging opportunities for businesses, with help from our inspiring lineup of speakers and moderators.

On Sunday afternoon in partnership with Navigator Lighthouse Foundation, CGA hosted its second Emerging Brands Pitch Contest, where up-and-coming CPG contestants made connections with retail leaders for a chance to grow their business in California. Our event officially opened with a thought-provoking presentation by chef and Social Impact Entrepreneur Mark Brand who inspired attendees with his journey to building business beyond the bottom line. The Opening Experience flowed right into a lively reception where attendees had the opportunity to make connections with top retail executives in attendance.

Monday morning rolled around, and CGA President Ron Fong, Chair Dennis Darling, and Headline of The Illuminators Greg Siegel took the stage for their opening remarks to reflect on the Association’s 125 year anniversary and longstanding partnership with The Illuminators. Afterwards, we were joined by state legislators Senator Rosalicie Ochoa Bough and Assemblymember Blanca Pacheco for a fireside chat with CGA Board Member Michel LeClerc on the latest legislative happenings and hot topics like retail theft. General Session Keynote speaker Rohit Bhargava taught the audience the top five habits of non-obvious thinkers to help you see opportunities that others miss, and practice resilience.

The rest of the day consisted hundreds of pre-scheduled business meetings, plus the Enterprise Risk Protection Executive Summit and the Independent Operators Forum, featuring IGA President John Ross. Attendees unwound from the day at the Illuminators hosted happy hour. Retail expert Michael Klein helped us kick off Tuesday morning with a presentation on keeping up with shifting consumer behaviors. Then, grocery veteran Tom Furphy joined Klein onstage for a fireside chat to give his take on digital, customer-centricity, and other disruptions. Busy business meetings resumed and our final conference speaker left the audience with plenty of laughs. Comedian and entrepreneur Dena Blizzard delivered her stand up routine with relatable tales of motherhood, entrepreneurship, and her own evolving relationship with the grocery store through different phases of her life.

With the Strategic Conference in the rear view, we hope you feel more connected than ever to California’s grocery community and equipped to take on shifting priorities and new opportunities on the horizon. To all of our speakers, sponsors, partners, and attendees, thank you for contributing to the success of this year’s conference. View photos from the event below.

Mark your calendars for next year’s Strategic Conference on September 29 — October 1, 2024 in Palm Springs!