Retailer Partnerships

FNS knows that retailers play an important role in the Food Stamp Program. That is why we are working hard to build active partnerships with retailers and retailer associations at the national, regional and local level. By meeting with retailers, face-to-face, we can gain a better understanding of the needs and concerns of retailers in the Food Stamp Program. Our hope is to listen to retailers and develop appropriate policies and rules which address retailer issues. We also want to work with retailers to help them support FNS's recipient outreach initiative (link to: http://www.fns.usda.gov/fsp/info.htm).

To foster partnerships with retailers, FNS will continue to meet with retailers and associations; attend national and local trade shows; draft informative articles which can be published in retailer newsletters and listservs; and develop materials which address the unique concerns of participating retailers such as EBT implementation and the business advantages of participating in the Food Stamp Program.

In FY 2004: 

• We will make a special effort to reach out to chain stores.
  
• We will attend four national trade shows.
     -- National Association of Convenience Stores (NACS) Show, 10/11-10/14/03 (Chicago)
     -- EBT Next Generation Conference, 11/9-11/12/03 (Tucson)
     -- NGA Annual Convention 2/9-2/12/2004 (Las Vegas)
     -- Food Marketing Institute’s (FMI) Show, 5/2-5/4/04 (Chicago)
        We will be co-exhibiting with USDA’s Agricultural Marketing Service at this show.
  
• We will send an informative mailer called Food Stamp Notes out to all authorized retailers in the Program. The mailer provides updates on policy changes and hot topics in the Program.

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