Topco Associates LLC

On Tuesday night, Food City / KVAT Foods Inc. held a grand opening for community leaders for a new store in Huntsville, Alabama, marking the first of what will be a series of store openings in the region. K-VA-T Food City President and CEO and Topco Chairman of the Board Steve Smith was on hand for the ribbon ceremony. To show support, Topco’s executive leadership team turned out for the festivities, which also included an official store opening the following morning. The new store promises an array of modern grocery amenities including a hot food bar, café seating area, various themed food stations and more. It’s exciting to see a member break into a new area of the country and expand their brand to additional communities. Topco is excited to support K-VA-T with goods and services that help meet the needs of these new shoppers! Congrats! #Topco #FoodCity

We are excited to share that our final office move is now complete as our Quincy, Massachusetts, office has relocated to its newly remodeled space this week! Associates are acclimating to the new opportunities for collaboration amongst their teams as well as the upgraded technology featured within the office. This updated space will allow Topco to continue to foster a high-performing culture while providing best-in-class service to Topco members. #topco 

In an effort to raise awareness of the value and opportunity Own Brands can provide suppliers and prospective suppliers, Topco senior leaders will be participating in this week's installment of PLMA - Private Label Manufacturers Association's Meet the Retailer Lunch & Learn Series. Today, October 17, at 11:30 a.m. CDT, Topco Senior Vice Presidents Mike Ferguson and Christine Heffernan and Vice President Katie Waeltz will lead a webinar discussion on the Topco business and the essential role Own Brands and Private Labels play in our cooperative.   The series was designed to provide the industry with insights on how organizations operate and the avenues they go down towards success. If you'd like to watch the lunch & learn webinar, click the link below to register. https://lnkd.in/eM5KGtj8 #topco #plma

With Topco's recent move to Itasca and DuPage County, several volunteers with Topco's associate-led Green Team recently spent an afternoon cleaning up Itasca's Songbird Slough as part of the Forest Preserve District of DuPage County's Adopt A Stream program. The team proposed and participated in the initiative to demonstrate our membership's commitment to supporting local communities. #topco

Several Topco associates recently attended the Women Impacting Storebrand Excellence's Dynamic Night of Networking at The Lizzadro Museum of Lapidary Art in Oak Brook, Illinois. As a premier partner of WISE , we were happy to support this event and continue to support inclusion within the store brand industry. #topco #WISE

We're excited to share that Topco is celebrating its 80th anniversary on Saturday, September 28! A grocery retail-wholesale cooperative, Topco was founded in Chicago, Illinois during wartime efforts in 1944 to provide independent grocers the ability to gain scale to enable them to compete against the national chains and provide their shoppers with alternative grocery solutions to the industry’s major players. Today, the cooperative is comprised of 46 member-owners from across the country that collectively provide perspective on the cooperative’s approach, including the direction of an ever-evolving portfolio consisting of 20 brands. Topco Associates is among the largest privately held organizations in Illinois. Throughout the year, we've celebrated with Topco members and in September, Topco's offices have been hosting celebrations to honor this milestone. #topco #80years 

We're excited to share Crav'n Flavor, a store brand procured by Topco to support member-owners, is teaming up with DGM Racing and driver Kyle Weatherman's No. 91 team at both the Bristol Motor Speedway on September 20 and the Kansas Speedway on September 28 as part of the NASCAR Xfinity Series. The Food City 300 will be televised starting at 6:30 p.m. CDT tonight on the CW. The Kansas Lottery 300 will be televised at 3 p.m. CDT. September 28 on CW. This is a great opportunity to showcase our members' shoppers' favorite brand on a national scale. #Topco #CravnFlavor #NASCAR

Congratulations to Topco member-owners as 10 own brand products were selected as part of Progressive Grocer's 2024 Editors' Picks which highlight the most impactful consumer products of the year. Own brands with winning products included Basket & Bushel, Crav'n Flavor, Food Club, Full Circle Market, Simply Done, Sweet P's Bake Shop and TopCare. These innovative items are just one way members support the needs and wants of their shoppers. https://lnkd.in/g_BhBgXQ #topco #editorspicks

We're excited to share Crav'n Flavor is continuing to build on its connection with live music by partnering with multi-platinum selling artist Chris Janson through March 2025. The partnership includes the country music singer-songwriter featuring Crav’n Flavor products monthly on his Instagram page as well as in-store and digital marketing assets with Janson’s likeness in Topco member stores where Crav’n Flavor products are sold. Shoppers will also have a chance to see Chris Janson live by entering two concert ticket giveaways on the Crav'n Flavor social media channels. #Topco #CravnFlavor #ChrisJanson

On National Hunger Action Day, we're excited to share the Food Club brand recently announced its donation of 5 million meals in the coming year as part of its partnership with Feeding America to help improve food security in communities across the U.S. The Feeding America network consists of food banks, pantries, meal programs and the Feeding America national organization working together alongside communities to end hunger in America. Established in 1945, the Food Club brand brings its grassroots focus of family, community, quality, service, and value to the forefront for today and tomorrow’s shoppers. Shoppers will find new Food Club brand packaging designs rolled out across stores over the next year beginning this month. September also marks Hunger Action Month, a nationwide effort to raise awareness about hunger in America. In every community in America, people are working hard to provide for themselves and their families; yet in 2022, 1 in 7 people experienced food insecurity in the U.S. Now is the time to take action to improve food security across the nation. #Topco #FoodClub #FeedingAmerica