NGA Foundation Announces 2026 Student Case Study Competition Topic for The NGA Show

• December 12, 2025

Washington, D.C. - The National Grocers Association Foundation (NGAF), with continued sponsorship from United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) and Fairlife, today announced the official topic for the 2026 NGAF Student Case Study Competition, taking place at The NGA Show: "Keeping Shelves Relevant and Customers Inspired: Converting Direct-to-Consumer Trends into In-Store Activations."

This year's program partners with Nugget Markets, a trendsetting, family-owned grocer with 16 locations across Northern California. Their stores emphasize inspiration, discovery, and exceptional fresh offerings, including premium proteins, vibrant produce, and handcrafted foods from their in-house chefs and bakers.

The 2026 topic challenges participating student teams to explore how independent grocers can translate fast-growing direct-to-consumer (DTC) trends - such as personalization, subscription experiences, online-driven product discovery, and tailored lifestyle assortments - into compelling, high-impact in-store experiences. Students will be asked to transform DTC behaviors into retail strategies that help Nugget Markets keep shelves relevant, energize consumers, and drive sustained loyalty.

"The Student Case Study Competition gives students a powerful platform to analyze real business challenges and propose actionable solutions that reflect the rapidly changing food retail landscape," said Kelly Hanson, NGA Director of Education & Insights. "Nugget Markets' innovative approach provides an ideal environment for students to reimagine how independents can bring DTC inspiration into the store."

Each year, an independent retailer partners with NGAF to provide operational details, budgeting parameters, and strategic context for the case. Student teams then present their recommendations through three rounds of judging conducted by experienced food industry professionals. Winning teams and their schools receive cash prizes in recognition of excellence in research, strategy, and presentation.

Eligibility is open to any four-year institution, university, academic program, or affiliated organization that provides instruction or research related to the food industry. Each school may assemble a research team of any size, but no more than four undergraduate students may present at the competition.

This year's participating schools include:

• University of Findlay

• Niagara University

• Kansas State University

• Fresno State University

• Saint Joseph's University

• Auburn University

• University of Kansas

• Cal Poly San Luis Obispo

• Arizona State University

• Central Michigan University

• Cornell University

• Michigan State University

• Cal Poly Pomona

The NGAF Student Case Study Competition remains one of the most engaging educational experiences at The NGA Show, giving students unique exposure to the independent grocery sector while providing retailers with fresh perspectives from emerging talent. Show attendees can catch preliminary rounds of competition on Monday, February 2 starting at 11:00 AM. The top two teams will compete on the mainstage on Tuesday, February 3 at 7:30 AM.

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About the NGA Foundation
The National Grocers Association Foundation is committed to building a stronger independent grocery industry through education, leadership development, workforce initiatives, and scholarship programs.

About the National Grocers Association

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 UNFI
United Natural Foods, Inc. (UNFI) is the largest publicly traded wholesale distributor of natural, organic, and conventional food in the U.S. and Canada, supporting retailers of all sizes with a broad assortment and industry-leading services.