LOS ANGELES, Feb. 10, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Unified Grocers, the largest wholesale grocery distributor in the western United States, held the first of three regional SMART (Sales, Marketing And Retail Technology) Shows created exclusively for its independent retail customers on Thursday, Feb. 6 at the Double Tree Hotel, Norwalk, Calif.
This new, day-long event showcased the latest in technology and cutting-edge marketing programs that are designed to help Unified's retailers maximize sales and operate more efficiently. More than 50 Southern California retailers attended the event featuring 15 leading retail technology companies and Unified's marketing and technology services departments. The event offered attendees 12 different learning sessions on topics ranging from social media, scan data and mobile payments to retail systems security, loyalty programs and Hispanic marketing. Retailers also had the opportunity to visit the event's various vendor and program booths to explore in detail the benefits of each offering.
"As the rapid pace of technological innovation touches almost every aspect of commercial activity, our retail customers are being impacted by these advancements, as well as consumers changing shopping habits," said Mike Brown, Executive Director, Retail Technology. "Our SMART Shows are designed to address this convergence of marketing and technology and provide a convenient one-stop-shop for our retailers to learn from the experts about the technology and tools that are available and develop strategies for implementing them in their specific stores and businesses."
The vendors that participated in the event included: Accelitec, Inc., Blackhawk Network, BRdata, DecisionPoint Systems, Inc., FMS Solutions, iTEK, Lexmark, Media Solutions, NCR Corporation, Retail Technologies, Inc., Reach Influence, Trustwave, Webstop and Workplace Systems, Ltd.
Unified will be hosting two more SMART Shows for its retailers in Northern California (Feb. 20) and the Pacific Northwest (March 27). Unified's retail customers can register for the event in their region by visiting the Event Registration page on unifiedgrocers.com.
About Unified Grocers, Inc.
Founded in 1922, Unified Grocers is a retailer-owned wholesale grocery distributor that supplies independent retailers throughout the western United States. Unified and its subsidiaries, which generated approximately $3.7 billion in sales during fiscal year 2013, offer independent retailers all the resources they need to compete in the supermarket industry.