Food & Beverage

GroceryNEXT 2026

This edition has ended

GroceryNEXT 2026 ran Aug 24–26, 2026 at The Westin Chicago Lombard in Lombard, United States. It is a Food & Beverage conference. ConferenceGrid lists 25 speakers, 30 sponsors and 11 sessions. Dates for the next edition are not announced yet.

Lineup updated Jun 15, 2026 · dates verified May 4, 2026

GroceryNEXT brings together grocery operators, brands, and technology solution providers to explore how the evolving grocery landscape is creating new opportunities. This exclusive event delivers actionable insights on omnichannel commerce, agentic commerce, retail media, loyalty programs, and more to expand grocery offerings and maximize ROI. Designed for g…

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25Speakers
30Sponsors
11Sessions
41Companies · in total

Speakers

Programmed at GroceryNEXT, in alphabetical order.

Amanda Buehner
Executive Vice President, Retail · Informa Connect
Amy McClellan
EVP, Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer, Retail Grocery & Food Distribution · C&S Wholesale Grocers
Art Sebastian
Founder & CEO of NexChapter and Chairman of the C-StoreTEC Advisory Board · NexChapter
Caleb Carr
Director of Data Science & Engineering · Schnuck Markets
Chad Petersen
Senior Vice President, of Digital Commerce · Lowes Foods
Charlie McWeeney
Vice President of Digital IT · Wakefern
Chloe Riley
Executive Editor · Supermarket News
Dan Bonert
SVP Retail Media, Merchandising Analytics and Collaboration · NielsenIQ
Emily Turner
Chief Marketing Officer · The Fresh Market
Hasham Younas
Director of RMN Product Innovation · Albertsons
Jeanie Hornung
VP, Tech Partnerships · Informa
Jeff Baskin
Chief Revenue Officer · Eagle Eye
Jen Fitting
VP of eCommerce · Ferrara Candy Company
Jonathan Mancuso
Director of Retail Media · Giant Eagle
Justin Weinstein
EVP, Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer · Giant Eagle
Maria Gallegos
Chief Marketing Officer · Local Express
Marisa Perez
SVP, Digital Commerce Sales · PepsiCo
Matt Riezman
Partner · NexChapter
Matt Van Gilder
Vice President & Principal, Omnichannel · NexChapter
Mike Templeton
Partner · NexChapter
Prabash Coswatte
COO · Heritage Grocers
Rick Miller
Partner · Big Chalk

Sponsors

The companies behind the program. Tiers as disclosed.

Associated Wholesale Grocers
Auto Mercado
Broadsign
Cub
Delectable AI
Eagle Eye
Giant Eagle
Independent Grocers Alliance
InMarket
Instacart
koddi
Lidl US
Local Express
Lowes Foods
Mercatus
NielsenIQ
PriceSmart
Rippl Retail Media Network
Schnuck Markets
SMG
Softtek
Southeastern Grocers
SpartanNash
Stratix Corp
The Fresh Market
Upside
VTEX
Wakefern Food Corp.
Wegmans Food Markets
XCCommerce

Agenda

Selected from 11 sessions.

  • 11:00am - 1:30pm

    Tabletop Sponsor Setup

  • 2:00pm - 2:15pm

    Welcome and Opening

    Amanda Buehner and Jeanie Hornung kicks off GroceryNEXT by introducing Informa Connect, the powerhouse behind industry-leading events and media brands, Supermarket News, the truste…

  • 2:15pm - 2:45pm

    Redefining Customer Experience in the Age of Intelligent Retail

    Retail is changing fast, and winning means rethinking how we connect with customers. In this session, Art Sebastian, CEO of NexChapter, will break down what’s next in loyalty, reta…

  • 2:45pm - 3:30pm

    Giant Eagle’s Journey to Total Experience

    At Giant Eagle, putting the customer first is a company-wide commitment. From grocery and pharmacy to loyalty, retail media, and tech, every part of the business is designed around…

  • 3:30pm - 3:45pm

    Networking Break

  • 3:45pm - 4:30pm

    Building Loyalty Through Integrated Customer Journeys

    Shoppers today expect a seamless experience across in-store and digital channels. Emily Turner and Zac Wilson will share how The Fresh Market and Raley’s are redefining customer ex…

  • 4:30pm - 5:15pm

    How CPGs Are Rethinking Advertising in the Retail Media Era

    Retail media is changing the game, and not just for national brands. As consumer behavior shifts and media and commerce continue to blur, CPGs are being forced to rethink everythin…

  • 5:15pm - 5:30pm

    Closing Discussion

  • 5:30pm - 6:15pm

    Welcome Reception

Quick answers

When is GroceryNEXT 2026?
GroceryNEXT 2026 ran Aug 24–26, 2026 at The Westin Chicago Lombard in Lombard, United States.
Where is GroceryNEXT 2026 held?
GroceryNEXT 2026 was held at The Westin Chicago Lombard in Lombard, United States.
Who is speaking at GroceryNEXT 2026?
ConferenceGrid lists 25 speakers, including Amanda Buehner (Executive Vice President, Retail, Informa Connect), Amy McClellan (EVP, Chief Merchandising & Marketing Officer, Retail Grocery & Food Distribution, C&S Wholesale Grocers) and Art Sebastian (Founder & CEO of NexChapter and Chairman of the C-StoreTEC Advisory Board, NexChapter).
Who sponsors GroceryNEXT 2026?
ConferenceGrid lists 30 sponsors, including Associated Wholesale Grocers, Auto Mercado, Broadsign, Cub and Delectable AI.
Company intelligence

What does it mean when 41 companies show up, and 9 bet on three roles at once?

41 companies. nine are betting more than once.

The numbers below are derived from the speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors on this page, cross-referenced into one ledger. They are the only thing here that 10times.com cannot tell you.

Who's in the room
9All threespeak · spons · exh
21Sponsoringsponsor only
11Speakingspeaker only

In all three roles

Giant Eagle·Eagle Eye·Lidl US·Local Express·Lowes Foods·NielsenIQ·PriceSmart·Schnuck Markets·The Fresh Market

Speakers by seniority

96% of the speakers carry senior titles: C-suite, Founder, VP, or Director-level.

  • C-suite832%
  • Founder / Owner312%
  • VP-level1040%
  • Director / Head of312%
  • Other roles14%

Of 25 speakers · classified by free-text title

Most-represented companies
#CompanyRolesSpeakers
1Giant EagleSponsor2
2Eagle EyeSponsor1
3Lidl USSponsor1
4Local ExpressSponsor1
5Lowes FoodsSponsor1
6NexChapter4
7NielsenIQSponsor1
8PriceSmartSponsor1
9Schnuck MarketsSponsor1
10The Fresh MarketSponsor1
11Associated Wholesale GrocersSponsor-
12Auto MercadoSponsor-
13BroadsignSponsor-
14CubSponsor-
Sponsors by tier
unspecified30
100% of 30
At peer events but not here

These companies sponsored two or more peer events recently, but aren't on this program. For an organizer, that's a list of warm prospects.

Related events · by shared sponsors
ConferenceDateCityShared sponsors
GroceryshopSeptember 13, 2027Las Vegas5
NRF Big Show 2027January 10, 2027New York2