Best Practice Center Store Strategies for Today's Shopper

The global pandemic of 2020 shook the world and the grocery industry was not immune to it. It turned shopping patterns, customer behaviors, supply security and general management of a grocery store on its head. Now that we have emerged on the “other side” of the pandemic, it is a prime opportunity to take a hard look at center store strategies and the way forward. 

Rebecca Lupfer is Vice President, Center Store Merchandising of The GIANT Company, an omni-channel grocer known to customers as GIANT, MARTIN’S, GIANT Heirloom Market, GIANT Direct and MARTIN’S Direct that has been proudly serving families across Pennsylvania, Maryland, Virginia, and West Virginia since 1923.

At The GIANT Company, Lupfer leads the center store categories including grocery, dairy, frozen, non-foods, beer and wine and direct store delivery, including ongoing transformation efforts of the company’s in-store experience to increase sales and improve labor efficiencies. 

Lupfer joined The GIANT Company in 2018 as director of merchandising planning and was promoted to her current role in 2019. Previously she was portfolio lead seasonal merchandising with Ahold USA and held various audit positions of increasing responsibility with Ahold. Lupfer began her career as a business process analyst with Highmark Blue Shield. 

She earned an MBA at Lebanon Valley College and a bachelor’s degree in accounting at Pennsylvania State University. Lupfer currently serves as Treasurer for Pennsylvania Krunch 10u softball organization and is executive sponsor of the women’s LINC business resource group at The GIANT Company. She is also a member of the Network of Executive Women. In 2021 she received the prestigious Progressive Grocer’s Top Women in Grocery award.