United Natural Foods Honors Top Grocery Retailers at 2025 Holiday & Winter Selling Show
United Natural Foods, Inc. (NYSE: UNFI), the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor delivering a comprehensive range of natural, organic, specialty, and conventional grocery and wellness products, successfully hosted its first Holiday and Winter Selling Show of 2025. The highly anticipated event brought together thousands of grocery industry professionals for a multi-day showcase centered on holiday merchandising strategies, innovation, and retail excellence.
This year’s event drew a record-breaking attendance of more than 5,300 participants, including nearly 2,200 representatives from UNFI’s vast network of independent and chain retailers, and over 900 supplier brands. These suppliers came from across product categories—ranging from fresh and organic to specialty and conventional grocery—to present thousands of products tailored to the peak holiday shopping season. Among the featured items were exclusive, on-trend seasonal offerings and over 50 innovative, new-to-market products making their debut.
Honoring Retail Excellence Through the Customer Circle of Excellence Awards
A central highlight of the show was the second annual UNFI Customer Circle of Excellence Awards, which recognizes standout retailers for their exemplary business performance, innovation, and impact on their communities. The awards aim to celebrate and elevate the work of retail partners who are not only succeeding in a competitive grocery environment but also bringing unique and meaningful experiences to the customers they serve.
“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 Chief Supply Chain Officer at UNFI. “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.”
The awards ceremony, held live during the event, named Harmons Neighborhood Grocer as Local Independent of the Year and Vallarta Supermarkets as National Chain of the Year. These top honors recognized the outstanding leadership and innovation shown by these retailers, who have demonstrated a relentless commitment to quality, community, and operational excellence.
In addition to the top national winners, UNFI also recognized exceptional retailers by region and store size:
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)
Retailers praised the recognition, with many expressing gratitude for the partnership and shared commitment to excellence. David Hinojosa, Chief Operating Officer of Vallarta Supermarkets, reflected on the award saying, “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. We’re proud to serve our communities, and this award inspires us to keep striving for excellence.”
Winners from the East region were previously honored at UNFI’s Spring and Summer Selling Show held earlier this year in Orlando, Florida.
Spotlight on Innovation: UpNext Pitch Slam Competition
As part of its ongoing mission to foster innovation and elevate emerging brands, UNFI hosted its signature Pitch Slam competition during the event. A key feature of the Company’s UpNext program, the competition gives emerging suppliers the opportunity to pitch their product innovations directly to a live audience of retail buyers, peers, and industry experts.
One of this year’s standout participants was Huxley, an emerging clean-energy beverage brand. “When we created Huxley, we set out to make an energy drink that consumers would feel good about drinking—something as natural and balanced as it is delicious,” said Simon Solis-Cohen, founder of Huxley. “UNFI’s UpNext program has helped us broaden our visibility and reach more consumers in their favorite stores. We’re grateful for the partnership and look forward to continuing to grow together.”
The Pitch Slam serves as a launchpad for smaller brands seeking to build national momentum, helping them secure critical shelf space and brand recognition during one of the most competitive times of year in the grocery sector.
Empowering Retailers with Tools for Differentiation
UNFI executives also used the event to address one of the most pressing challenges and opportunities for grocers today: differentiation. As the grocery landscape continues to evolve with increased consumer expectations and digital disruption, retailers must identify new ways to stand out.
With online grocery sales projected to grow by 18% over the next two years, UNFI showcased several data-driven services designed to give retailers a competitive edge during the high-traffic holiday season. Among the tools highlighted were:
- UNFI Media Network’s Audience Optimizer: This advanced digital marketing solution helps retailers fine-tune their advertising efforts for greater reach and efficiency. By targeting promotions based on shopper behavior and product preference data, retailers can drive traffic, lift sales, and boost return on advertising spend (ROAS).
- AI-Powered Loss Prevention: Designed to help stores combat shrink and theft, this integrated surveillance and analytics solution has shown success in helping some retailers reduce shrink by as much as 60%. With the holiday season typically bringing an increase in in-store traffic—and often, theft—this tool offers timely and actionable insights for store managers and operators.
UNFI reaffirmed its role not only as a distributor but also as a strategic partner committed to supporting its retail customers through technology, insights, and forward-thinking collaborations.
