Mighty Community Markets Grocery Bootcamp returns this May for its sixth iteration, featuring new content and an updated curriculum that reflects industry trends. The program, which has served 200 leaders thus far, is dedicated to supporting small and independent grocery stores, providing essential training and development to help leaders better serve their communities. Led by Jeanie Wells, a nationally recognized consultant and former general manager with more than 25 years of experience in retail operations and leadership development, the program aims to connect grocery leaders, offer education they can apply directly to their stores, and support them through this pivotal moment in the grocery industry.

Why did you initially launch Mighty Community Markets Grocery Bootcamp?

A couple reasons: First, I was really feeling the loss of some key industry leaders, people who were either retiring or leaving the field. Second, the pandemic hit, and suddenly, I wasn’t traveling. I asked myself, ‘How can I still work with people and support these stores if I can’t physically be there? In 2022, I launched the program as a way to reach more people. I could work with 50 grocers at a time and support them during a very challenging moment.

Tell us about the content of the program and goals for students.

The first five sessions are highly content-focused. We cover essential topics like merchandising, building pricing strategies, developing appropriate financial benchmarking, and operational efficiencies. Each week, participants complete homework assignments that require them to analyze their own stores. The final session is an interactive, hands-on approach where participants review all their work, build out their priorities, and create action plans. Sessions are recorded, so participants can revisit the material for up to a month after the program ends.

I love connecting participants in the program with each other. I feel like a librarian, helping people find resources and linking stores across the country that are facing the same challenges.

You’ve updated the curriculum to reflect trends and changing demographics. What are you seeing in the industry?

What people want in their grocery stores is changing. The buying power of people under 30 is growing, and they have different expectations for their grocery stores. They want local, organic, and plant-based options—but they will not pay more for it, because they don’t have as much discretionary income.

The role of tech is also evolving in our stores. Younger consumers are comparing prices in real time. They are often choosing stores based on whether they offer self-checkout. That’s a profound shift. Many small stores that lack the resources to implement new tech solutions risk falling behind. We saw this play out in 2023, when food inflation hit 13 percent. Most of the independent small grocery stores didn’t have the resources or technology to track those price changes effectively. They weren’t able to keep track of the margins, whereas larger stores had the ability to track that in real time and make adjustments.

Despite some of these challenges, there is room for optimism. Younger generations are highly values-driven—they want to support businesses owned by cooperatives, women, and people of color. Independent grocers are locally focused and values-driven and have a unique opportunity to cater to these values and build strong community connections.

How are small and independent grocery stores meeting their community’s needs during these challenging times?

I am constantly surprised and inspired by the seemingly endless new approaches people think of to serve their communities. More and more, I’m seeing grassroots collaboration among stores. In South Central Kansas and other areas, for example, small independent stores are banding together to source goods in ways they couldn’t do alone. We’re also seeing collaboration with groups like the National Black Food Justice Alliance, which is working on developing leadership and technical assistance to build more food sovereignty in rural and urban communities.

There’s a lot of uncertainty in the grocery space. Can you speak to the role of local grocers at this moment?

I am always looking at the trends data, and there are lots of gloomy data broadly, but this business of running an independent grocery store has never been more important. Our communities need to be resilient and band together, and one of the ways we can do that is by running strong stores so that we have some control over the foods we eat. Food insecurity is going to explode, conditions are volatile, and it’s going to hit people at the most fundamental level—how they feed their families.

If we don’t have local ownership of our grocery stores, we lose control over what’s available to us. Some of the safety nets that once existed are disappearing, and grocery stores play a critical role in food security. I see this as vital work. My mission is to help these stores not just survive, but to grow and thrive. I want Mighty Community Markets to be a place that’s a hopeful resource for people.

Learn more about Mighty Community Markets Bootcamp here.