NGA and NIQ Announce Strategic Partnership Focused on Insights, Education and Next-Generation Grocery Leaders

• October 15, 2026

Collaboration will develop practical, data-driven resources for independent grocers to apply to their businesses. The organizations will also develop educational resources for NGA members and introduce a student competition focused on challenges facing independent retailers.

Washington, DC - The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, today announced a new strategic partnership with NielsenIQ (NIQ), a global leader in consumer intelligence. The agreement will bring curated market insights and industry perspectives, educational resources, and thought leadership to independent grocers, helping them better understand and compete in a rapidly changing marketplace.

The collaboration combines NIQ's consumer intelligence and data expertise with NGA's deep connection to the independent grocery community and will help translate complex data and consumer trends into practical insights for independent retailers while introducing the next generation of business leaders to the grocery industry.

"Independent grocers make important business decisions every day about their customers, their products and their communities, and having access to the right insights can make a meaningful difference," said Greg Ferrara, president and CEO of NGA. "This strategic partnership with NIQ is about making data more understandable and actionable for our members while also creating new opportunities to bring fresh thinking and emerging talent into our industry."

Together, NGA and NIQ will develop ongoing educational resources, including an event guide leading up to the 2027 annual NGA Show, as well as a forthcoming toolkit on the NGA website to further highlight how independent grocers can turn consumer insights into smarter business decisions.

The toolkit will also connect NGA members with NIQ subject matter experts and serve as a resource for retailers interested in learning more about data, analytics, and evolving consumer trends.

The collaboration will also launch a new student solution competition that gives university students immersive grocery industry exposure while challenging them to develop solutions to real-world business issues facing independent retailers. The launch of this program will be previewed at the upcoming NGA Executive Conference, held October 20-22, 2026, in Chicago, IL.

"Independent grocers are navigating rapidly changing consumer behaviors and an increasingly complex marketplace. We're passionate about working with these retailers to understand their needs and make insights more accessible and useful to their businesses," said Nicole Collida Davis, Managing Director, US Retail & Agencies, NIQ. "Through our work with NGA, we also have an opportunity to give the next generation of leaders hands-on experience using data to identify new opportunities for independent grocers."

Through this collaboration, NGA and NIQ will establish an ongoing platform for translating data into practical insights, generating new ideas, and connecting independent grocers with expertise and emerging talent.

"This collaboration allows us to connect three important pieces: data, education, and people," Ferrara said. "We can help our members better understand the insights available to them today while continuing to create opportunities for the next generation to see firsthand just how innovative and dynamic the independent grocery industry is."

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About NGA

NGA is the national trade association representing the retail and wholesale community grocers that comprise the independent sector of the food distribution industry. An independent retailer is a privately owned or controlled food retail company operating a variety of formats. The independent grocery sector is accountable for about 1.2 percent of the nation's overall economy and is responsible for generating more than $250 billion in sales, 1.1 million jobs, $39 billion in wages and $36 billion in taxes. NGA members include retail and wholesale grocers located in every congressional district across the country, as well as state grocers' associations, manufacturers and service suppliers. For more information about NGA, visit www.nationalgrocers.org.

About NIQ

NielsenIQ (NYSE: NIQ) is a leading consumer intelligence company, delivering the most complete and trusted understanding of consumer buying behavior and revealing new pathways to growth. By combining an unmatched global data footprint and granular consumer and retail measurement with decades of AI modeling expertise, NIQ builds decision systems that help companies turn complex data into confident action.

With operations in more than 90 countries, NIQ covers approximately 82% of the world's population and more than $7.4 trillion in global consumer spend. Through cloud-based platforms, advanced analytics and AI-driven insights, NIQ delivers The Full View™-helping brands and retailers understand what consumers buy, why they buy it, and what to do next.

For more information, please visit www.niq.com.

Disclaimer: NGA and NIQ are independent organizations, and references to this collaboration as a 'partnership' describe a business relationship and are not intended to create a legal partnership, joint venture, or agency relationship between the parties.