Topco Recognizes Member-Owners For Outstanding Own Brand Commitment

Elk Grove Village, Ill., April 12, 2019 – Topco Associates, LLC honored members who demonstrated exceptional program partnership and commitment in 2018 during its recent Annual membership conference and 75th anniversary celebration. Topco is proud to announce the following 2018 award winners: 

Hy-Vee, Inc. – Greatest Purchase Volume 

Topco honored Hy-Vee with one of its highest awards. In 2018 Hy-Vee led all members in overall purchases. This is the 14th consecutive year in which Hy-Vee has achieved this honor, demonstrating an outstanding commitment to growth and driving best-in-class results. 

K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. – Greatest Purchase Penetration  

Topco also presented K-VA-T Food Stores with one of its highest achievement awards: Greatest Purchase Penetration. In 2018, K-VA-T achieved outstanding engagement in Topco programs, surpassing all members in overall purchase penetration. In addition to their 2018 accomplishment, K-VA-T has achieved this impressive designation for the 15th year in a row, demonstrating an unparalleled commitment to partnering for growth across Topco’s membership. 

Associated Food Stores, Inc. – Greatest Dollar Growth, All Programs  

In 2018 Associated Food Stores continued their expansion within Pharmacy, Dairy and Indirect Spend. This is the second year in a row that AFS has received this award.  

Schnuck Markets, Inc. – Greatest Percentage Growth, All Programs  

Schnucks showed impressive growth across the Topco Brand portfolio including Fresh Meat, Produce, Grocery, National Brands and especially the Simply Done brand. They have also demonstrated a strong commitment to new product development. 

SpartanNash Company – Greatest Dollar Growth, Center Store 

In addition to transitioning their SpartanNash brand to the Our Family Brand, SpartanNash achieved greatest dollar growth in Center Store through continued growth with DeCA through their military division, MDV. 

SpartanNash Company – Greatest Dollar Growth, Center Store 

From left: Marc Kurkiewicz, VP Member Development, Topco Associates; Christine Heffernan, SVP Center Store, Topco Associates; Francis Wong, VP Operations & Finance, SpartanNash Company; Larry Pierce, EVP Merchandising & Marketing, SpartanNash Company 

Weis Markets, Inc. – Greatest Percentage Growth, Center Store 

In 2018, Weis Markets named 2018 “The Year of Private Brands,” instilling merchandising disciplines and promoting associate engagement by recognizing stores and employees for achieving the highest levels of own brand penetration. 

Stater Bros. Markets – Greatest Dollar Growth, Fresh 

Stater Bros. grew their Fresh Dollar purchases through strategic collaboration between Topco and Stater Bros.’ Fresh Meat, Branded Meat and Produce teams. They also aligned themselves around strong promotional strategies to win in specific markets. 

Brookshire Holdings, Inc. – Greatest Percentage Growth, Fresh  

Brookshire grew their total fresh purchases by leveraging Topco’s Produce program for avocados, along with growth in lettuce, mandarins and celery, in addition to continued increases in their Fresh Meat program.   

Coborn’s, Inc. – Greatest Dollar Growth, Value-Add  

In 2018, Coborn’s expanded participation in Topco’s Indirect Spend in Indirect Spend, Fuel and Pharmacy. They also grew their participation in packaging by leveraging Topco’s existing programs and vendor relationships. 

Alex Lee, Inc./Lowes – Greatest Percentage Growth, Value-Add 

The team from Alex Lee achieved best in class percentage growth across the Value-Add programs through their participation in Topco’s Indirect Spend and TopFuel programs. 

In addition, the following members were honored for their milestone Topco anniversaries: 

Certco, Inc.  – 55 years 

The Fred W. Albrecht Grocery Company – 50 years 

Associated Grocers, Inc.  – 45 years 

Mitchell Grocery Corporation – 25 years 

Raley’s – 20 years 

SpartanNash Company – 15 years 

W. Lee Flowers and Company, Inc. – 15 years 

King Kullen Grocery Co., Inc. – 10 years 

Wakefern Food Corp. – 5 years 

Award Photos and Captions 

 
Associated Food Stores, Inc. – Greatest Dollar Growth, All Programs 

From left: Marc Kurkiewicz, VP Member Development, Topco Associates; Neal Berube, President & CEO, Associated Food Stores; Randy Skoda, President & CEO, Topco Associates. 

Schnuck Markets, Inc. – Greatest Percentage Growth, All Programs 

From left: Marc Kurkiewicz, VP Member Development, Topco Associates; Steve Mayer, Chief Merchant, Schnuck Markets; Jason Ulichnie, Vice President Own Brands, Schnuck Markets; Randy Skoda, President & CEO, Topco Associates. 

Weis Markets, Inc. – Greatest Percentage Growth, Center Store 

From left: Christine Heffernan, SVP Center Store, Topco Associates; Marc Kurkiewicz, VP Member Development, Topco Associates; Richard Gunn, SVP Merchandising & Marketing, Weis Markets; Kurt Schertle, COO, Weis Markets. 

Stater Bros. Markets – Greatest Dollar Growth, Fresh 

From left: Dennis McIntyre, Executive Vice President Marketing, Stater Bros. Markets; Marc Kurkiewicz, VP Member Development, Topco Associates; Pete Van Helden, CEO, Stater Bros. Markets. 

Brookshire Holdings, Inc. – Greatest Percentage Growth, Fresh  

From left: Marc Kurkiewicz, VP Member Development, Topco Associates; Trent Brookshire, COO, Brookshire Holdings; Brad Brookshire, Chairman and CEO, Brookshire Holdings. 

Coborn’s Incorporated – Greatest Dollar Growth, Value-Add  

From left: Tom Frey, EVP & CFO, Topco Associates; Marc Kurkiewicz, VP Member Development, Topco Associates; Emily Coborn, VP, Fresh Merchandising, Coborn’s Inc.; Chris Coborn, Chairman, President & CEO, Coborn’s Inc.  

Alex Lee, Inc./Lowes – Greatest Percentage Growth, Value-Add 

From left: Tom Frey, EVP & CFO, Topco Associates; Marc Kurkiewicz, VP Member Development, Topco Associates; Tim Lowe, President Lowes Foods, LLC; Brian George, Chairman and CEO, Alex Lee. 

K-VA-T Food Stores, Inc. – Greatest Purchase Penetration  

From left: Randy Skoda, President & CEO, Topco Associates; Steve Smith, President & CEO, K-VA-T Food Stores; Chris Coborn, Chairman, President & CEO, Coborn’s Inc.; Dan Glei, EVP Merchandising & Marketing, K-VA-T Food Stores; Greg Sparks, SVP & COO, K-VA-T Food Stores.  

Hy-Vee, Inc. – Greatest Purchase Volume 

From left: Randy Skoda, President & CEO, Topco Associates; Randy Edeker, Chairman, CEO & President, Hy-Vee, Inc.; Brett Bremser, EVP & CMO, Hy-Vee, Inc.; Jay Marshall, EVP & COO, Hy-Vee Subsidiaries and Commissaries, Hy-Vee, Inc.; Chris Coborn, Chairman, President & CEO, Coborn’s Inc.  

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About Topco Associates LLC 

Topco Associates LLC is a $14 billion, privately held, member-owned company that provides aggregation, innovation and knowledge management solutions for its leading food industry member-owners and customers, including grocery retailers, wholesalers and food service companies. Topco leverages the collective volume, knowledge and commitment of these companies to create a competitive advantage in the marketplace by reducing costs and offering winning business-building capabilities. For more information, please visit www.topco.com.