FEATURE | SN POWER LIST
2026 POWER LIST Here are the impact players in the grocery industry
he led operations, merchandising and market - ing for more than 450 stores in the U.K. But it was Sinclair’s leadership at Sprouts during the early days of the pandemic that positioned the grocer for the growth it’s seeing today. With Americans more worried than ever about their health, the specialty grocer lev - eraged its focus on a curated selection of better-for-you products for a variety of spe - cific diets to drive rapid sales growth. At the same time, the chain seized on its customers’ sudden interest in e-commerce. Sinclair led a revamp of the chain’s website and forged partnerships with Instacart and DoorDash, as ecommerce sales continued to grow in double digits. – Heather Lalley Chris Rogers has not been Instacart’s head chief for a year yet and he already has the grocery delivery company pointed in a new direction. When he accepted the CEO position in mid- 2025, Rogers already had his eye on the big competitors, including Amazon and Walmart. Instacart’s last two earnings reports have featured double-digit profit gains. Key partnerships have also been galva - nized. In November, Kroger and Instacart announced they were adding new AI-driven features designed to make digital grocery trips faster and more personalized. One of the most visible additions for customers is Cart Assistant, an AI shopping tool from Instacart that uses conversational prompts to help users find recipes, build carts based on past purchases and plan meals more efficiently. The grocery delivery company runs the first retail media network to offer advertisers end-to-end capabilities directly on TikTok, an announcement that was also made late last year. —Bill Wilson New Instacart CEO Chris Rogers lifts the delivery company to a higher level
BY SN STAFF
Atty McGrath will steer Aldi’s fast-moving future Few grocery chains have cap - tured the cultural zeitgeist like
driving sales. That’s where Liz Roche comes in. Since the end of 2024, Roche has served as vice presi - dent of Media & Measurement for Albertsons Media Collective, the grocer’s retail media arm. At Albertsons, Roche is focused on trans - parent measurement products and advanced audience targeting with the singular goal of helping brands see their impact on shopper behavior. Roche helped launch Albertsons’ in-store digital display network in June during the Cannes Lions International Festival of Cre - ativity in France. The fleet of digital screens is designed to enhance customer engagement and also features advanced measurement capabilities for brands. Early this year, Albertsons Media Collec - tive debuted a measurement system designed to track the incremental sales impact of in-store advertising. The innovative system compares sales performance of products with in-store ads versus those in control stores without advertising. “For too long, in-store media has been mea - sured with tools that confuse correlation for impact,” Roche said in announcing the new tool. The in-store digital display network is expected to expand to 800 more stores this year. – Heather Lalley Grocery veteran Jack Sinclair drives innovation at Sprouts Farmers Market By the time Jack Sinclair became CEO of health-focused Sprouts Farmers Market in 2019, he’d already had a lengthy grocery career, one that included an eight-year stint as EVP of Grocery for Walmart. Sinclair also spent 14 years at Safeway in London, where
Batavia, Ill.-based Aldi, with its low prices, pri - vate-label finds and “Aisle of Shame” treasure hunt. Atty McGrath is steeped in that culture, after more than 23 years with the fast-growing grocer. McGrath began her career with the chain in 2003 as a district manager in suburban Mil - waukee, working her way up to president in 2021 and COO by early 2025. Before the year ended, McGrath was named CEO, taking the helm from Jason Hart, who was named group chief operating officer of Aldi South. McGrath will continue the growth focus driven by Hart for the past decade, a push that earned Aldi the title of fastest-growing gro - cery chain in America. By the end of 2025, the grocer had more than 2,600 stores nationwide and set a record by celebrating 18 store open - ings in one day. “I’m excited to build upon our momentum, expand our footprint and continue adapting to serve our customers,” McGrath said upon her promotion. Indeed, in early January, McGrath announced that Aldi would mark its 50th anniversary with plans to open 180 new stores across 31 states in 2026. Plus, the grocer said it plans to plant its flag in Colorado with a debut there in the next five years. – Heather Lalley Liz Roche is leading the way in retail media metrics Plenty of chains have jumped on the retail media bandwagon in recent years. But retail media programs are only as successful as their metrics. Retailers need to be able to show brands that their ad dollars are
UNFI makes it through a challenging 2025 behind the leadership of Sandy Douglas
Last year was one filled with crisis and dra - matic change for United Natural Foods Inc., and CEO Sandy Douglas navigated through both to keep the wholesaler’s momentum strong.
WINTER 2026 SUPERMARKETNEWS.COM 19
Powered by FlippingBook