Buyer Panel Super Session on Selling Specialty to Multi-Channels: Phil Lempert to Moderate at Summer Fancy Food Show

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May 31, 2017, 14:00 ET

NEW YORK, May 31, 2017 /PRNewswire/ -- The Specialty Food Association (SFA) is pleased to announce the Buyer Panel: Selling Specialty Super Session to be offered at the Summer Fancy Food Show on June 26, 2017. The session, moderated by Phil Lempert, known as "The Supermarket Guru," will feature a panel of leading U.S. buyers from multiple channels discussing consumer disruptions to traditional retail.

The panel will explore various emerging and transitioning channels – e-commerce, natural food, specialty, supermarket – with Lempert leading the conversation on the changing specialty food landscape, what's driving sales in different channels, trending consumer patterns, and what it will take to sell in the future.

Panelists for the "Selling Specialty" Super Session will include:

Monica Schechter, Specialty and International Food Category Manager, Jet.com
Anthony Stallone, Vice President of Merchandising, Peapod
Cathy Strange, Global Executive Coordinator, Specialty and Product Innovation and Development, Whole Foods
Trip Straub, President & CEO, Straub's Market

"Phil Lempert is a leading expert on the retail side of specialty food and we're thrilled to have him lead our buyers' panel at this year's Summer Fancy Food Show," said Phil Kafarakis, president, Specialty Food Association. "Phil's experience and knowledge, coupled with the experience of our expert panelists, promises a very lively review of where buyers see the specialty food industry today – and where they expect us to be in a few years."

"I'm honored to join with the SFA as they move to engage industry buyers so directly and develop new ways to educate attendees at their Summer Fancy Food Show," said Phil Lempert. "Specialty foods are an important and growing category, and understanding the retail landscape and how buyers view the future is going to be critical to success within the industry."

The "Selling Specialty" Super Session will be presented as part of the LevelUP experience – a multi-faceted attraction debuting at the Summer Fancy Food Show in celebration of the SFA's 65^th anniversary. LevelUP will showcase global food innovations, premier industry research, and the future of food and commerce.

For additional information on the Summer Fancy Food Show, LevelUP, or the Specialty Food Association please visit specialtyfood.com

The Summer Fancy Food Show is a trade only event. To register click here.

About the Specialty Food Association
The Specialty Food Association is a thriving community of food artisans, importers, multi-channel retailers, and entrepreneurs. Established in 1952 in New York, the not-for-profit trade association provides its 3,400 members in the U.S. and abroad with resources, knowledge and connections to champion and nurture their companies in an always-evolving marketplace. The Association owns and produces the Winter and Summer Fancy Food Shows, and presents the sofi™ Awards honoring excellence in specialty food. Learn more at specialtyfood.com.

About Phil Lempert
Known as The Supermarket Guru®, Phil Lempert is a distinguished author and speaker who alerts business leaders to impending trends and empowers them to make educated marketing decisions. He is one of America's leading consumer trend-watchers and analyst having served as the Food Trends Editor and Correspondent for NBC News' Today show for over two decades. He is the editor of The Lempert Report and columnist for Forbes.com. Learn more about Phil Lempert at SupermarketGuru.com.

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SOURCE Specialty Food Association