LAS VEGAS —The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, honored the winners of its annual Creative Choice Awards at The NGA Show, which recognizes outstanding marketing and merchandising programs in independent grocery retailers across the country.
Houchens Food Group was honored with two national awards this year: the Cheez-It Impact Award and the Unilever People Positive Award, recognizing the company’s commitment to people, innovation, and meaningful community impact.
Houchens received the Unilever People Positive Award for its Above and Beyond program, a company-wide recognition initiative that celebrates associates who make a difference every day.
The company also earned the Cheez-It Impact Award for its Add Milk! campaign, an innovative initiative focused on improving access to nutritious options for families.
From the category winners, one “Outstanding Marketer” and one “Outstanding Merchandiser” were selected through voting.
Clark’s Market was voted “Outstanding Marketer” for its Clark’s Perks program. Facing seasonal slowdowns, Clark’s Market built a smarter way to engage local shoppers by transforming a simple promotion into a fully integrated loyalty initiative. By blending rewards, community giveback, and omnichannel marketing, Clark’s Perks generated more than 2,400 new loyalty members in just six weeks and drove a 5 to 12 percent sales lift across stores.
The "Outstanding Merchandising" award was awarded to Fareway for its Truly Yours private label brand. Designed to elevate the private label experience, Truly Yours features premium packaging, better-for-you attributes, and trend-driven limited-time flavors. The launch successfully drove trial, loyalty, and excitement while maintaining brand value without discounting.
Together, this year’s Creative Choice Awards winners reflect the strength of independent retailers and partners who continue to turn purpose into action, innovation into impact, and creativity into measurable results across the grocery industry.
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