UNFI Honors Top Retailers for Innovation, Community Impact
United Natural Foods Inc. has honored 11 high-performing retailers the company said are raising the bar with innovative products, programs, and experiences. The awards were handed out as part of UNFI's annual Customer Circle of Excellence Awards held during its Holiday and Winter Selling Show.
"At UNFI, we're proud to serve a diverse and dynamic network of 30,000 retail stores that are the heartbeat of their communities," said Mark Bushway, president of Natural, Organic, Specialty & Fresh Products and UNFI chief supply chain officer. "We're honored to shine a light on a few of the many outstanding retailers who are driving growth through unique product offerings, high-impact merchandising strategies, and differentiated shopping experiences that keep everyone in grocery at the top of their game."
During the ceremony at the Las Vegas show, UNFI named Harmons Neighborhood Grocer the Local Independent of the Year and Vallarta Supermarkets the National Chain of the Year. UNFI also honored the following retailers by both region and size for driving exceptional business performance and meaningful community impact:
Central Region
- Local Independent Performance Award – Marohn's Marketplace
- Local Independent Impact Award – Plum Market
- Regional Chain Performance Award – Dave's Supermarkets and Lucky's Markets of Ohio
- Regional Chain Impact Award – Dierbergs
West Region
- Local Independent Performance Award – Market of Choice
- Local Independent Impact Award – Jimbo's
- Regional Chain Performance Award – Good Food Holdings
- Regional Chain Impact Award – Raley's
National
- National Chain Impact Award - National Co+op Grocers (NCG)
"It's an incredible honor to be recognized by UNFI as part of their Circle of Excellence Awards. This recognition is a reflection of the entire Vallarta team and the passion they bring to every part of our business — from merchandising and marketing to customer experience and community impact," said David Hinojosa, chief operating officer, Vallarta Supermarkets. "We're proud to serve our communities, and this award inspires us to keep striving for excellence. Thank you to UNFI for celebrating the work we do, and to our entire Vallarta family for making it possible."
The Holiday and Winter Selling Show brought together more than 5,300 attendees, including nearly 2,200 UNFI retail customer representatives and more than 900 supplier brands across the natural, organic, fresh, specialty, and conventional grocery product categories.
