Retailers, suppliers and industry leaders gathered for the 2026 IFPA Retail Conference at Wildhorse Pass Resort in Chandler, AZ. A day full of informational sessions proved insightful, and as is often the case some of the best connections happened outside the meeting room. The golf tournament delivered that perfect mix of competition, conversation and connection. Between swings, attendees had time to discuss the state of the industry and the year ahead.

Tops Friendly Markets has a high-energy race weekend celebration at its Watkins Glen, NY, location featuring NASCAR driver Ross Chastain, and special appearances by the national and Florida watermelon queens.

The festivities will kick off on Friday, May 8, when Chastain makes a special appearance at the Tops Watkins Glen store. Fans will have the opportunity to see the iconic vehicle up close and get into the racing spirit ahead of the weekend.

It’s time for a reset in how we think about digital metrics.

For years, companies leaned heavily on impressions and reach as the primary indicators of performance. While those numbers are easy to report, they rarely tell the full story, because visibility alone doesn’t drive behavior.

Today’s consumer isn’t passively scrolling. They’re making decisions in real time, saving ideas for later, clicking through for solutions and ultimately choosing what makes it onto their grocery list.

For the past four years, Classic Fruit and Westside Produce (TRI label) have worked together as a melon alliance, combining their offshore and domestic operations, alongside their sales teams, to be a year-round supplier. The two have now reached an agreement to officially merge together and unite the two melon companies under Classic Fruit, securing their 52-week year promise.

Georgia’s produce industry continues to play a vital role in the Southeast supply chain, offering a diverse mix of fruits and vegetables supported by favorable growing conditions, geographic proximity to key markets and strong relationships between growers and distributors.

There’s a lot moving right now, and not much of it is easing up. We’ve got weather, disease pressure and transition gaps all hitting at once. Supply is tight, markets are elevated and flexibility is going to matter over the next few weeks.