National Grocers Association Recognizes Creative Choice Awards Winners for Outstanding Marketing and Merchandising

Las Vegas, NV —The National Grocers Association (NGA), the trade association representing the independent supermarket industry, honored the winners of its annual Creative Choice Awards at The NGA Show, which recognizes outstanding marketing and merchandising programs in independent grocery retailers across the country.

Houchens Food Group was honored with two national awards this year: the Cheez-It Impact Award and the Unilever People Positive Award, recognizing the company’s commitment to people, innovation, and meaningful community impact.

Houchens received the Unilever People Positive Award for its Above and Beyond program, a company-wide recognition initiative designed to celebrate associates who make a difference every day.

The company also earned the Cheez-It Impact Award for its Add Milk!campaign, an innovative initiative focused on improving access to nutritious options for families.

From the category winners, one “Outstanding Marketer” and one “Outstanding Merchandiser” were selected through voting. 

Clark’s Market was voted “Outstanding Marketer” for its Clark’s Perks program. Facing seasonal slowdowns, Clark’s Market built a smarter way to engage local shoppers by transforming a simple promotion into a fully integrated loyalty initiative. By blending rewards, community giveback, and omnichannel marketing, Clark’s Perks generated more than 2,400 new loyalty members in just six weeks and drove a 5 to 12 percent sales lift across stores.

The “Outstanding Merchandising” award was awarded to Fareway for its Truly Yours private label brand. Designed to elevate the private label experience, Truly Yours features premium packaging, better-for-you attributes, and trend-driven limited-time flavors. The launch successfully drove trial, loyalty, and excitement while maintaining brand value without discounting.

Together, this year’s Creative Choice Awards winners reflect the strength of independent retailers and partners who continue to turn purpose into action, innovation into impact, and creativity into measurable results across the grocery industry.

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.

About The NGA Show

As the premier event for the independent grocery industry, The NGA Show brings together grocery retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers, and suppliers from across the country for three days of learning, networking, and product discovery in Las Vegas. For 2026, we’re excited to host the event at the MGM Grand Conference Center – allowing all attendees to gather under one roof for a more connected and convenient experience. Whether you’re launching your first store or leading a multi-generational grocery business, The NGA Show offers the insights, innovations, and relationships that help independent grocers thrive.