Scott Moses is a managing director and head of grocery, pharmacy and restaurants investment banking at Solomon Partners, a New York-based M&A investment banking advisory firm. He writes a quarterly column for Supermarket News about sector trends, including operating, valuation and strategic dynamics
It is hard to believe it has been nearly three years since the rise of the Dante-esque Covid inferno that shook the world. This year, as we’ve collectively strived for a new sense of normalcy, war in Europe has further shaken our industry, and horrific shootings in numerous grocery stores and many other formerly safe spaces have shaken our souls. Amid the anguish and seemingly incessant challenges, I am humbled by and grateful for our resilient, reliable and so very essential grocery family, still a foundational pillar of thousands of American communities.
How fortunate we are to be a part of this extraordinary grocery family, which rises each day to do the critically important work of nourishing America while feeding the spirit of the nation.
Our grocery family rises to relieve the pangs of the hungry, to soothe the loss of the grieving and to renew the sanctity of stores that vicious, lost nihilists have sought to destroy.
Through these billions of acts of service and kindness by the millions of indomitable, hardworking grocery teammates around the country, our grocery family leads by example, embodying the Golden Rule at a time when too many have forgotten this most basic of tenets.
After all, our grocery family doesn’t just feed and lift communities in crisis; it offers warmth and facilitates the joy of togetherness for all of us.
Our grocery family reflects the goodness that makes America so exceptional, so indispensable for humanity, reinforcing our place as the “shining city on the hill.”
As we look forward to a new year, I remain inspired and defiantly hopeful for the possibilities ahead, our innumerable opportunities to unite and help lift the country.
Wishing you and your family health, happiness and renewed hope for better tomorrows together in the new year.
