58 • November / December 2026• abasto.com • Continues on page 60 John Ross: Curiosity, Family-Owned Stores, and What’s Next BY HERNANDO RAMÍREZ-SANTOS J ohn Ross still remembers when he came home from his first job at a supermarket, at age 16, with a verdict: “This is very, very hard. I never want to work in retail.” He never left. Decades later, the grandson of a West Virginia grocer is president and CEO of the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA), which celebrates its 100th anniversary this fall and opera- tes about 8,000 stores worldwide. In an exclusive interview with Abasto Magazine, Ross spoke less like the leader of a global alliance and more like the store boy he once was. He admitted independent grocers are lagging with younger shoppers, argued that a supermarket should be “the most egalitarian business model there is,” and said the best part of his job is still helping a family-owned store grow. “It’s the coolest job there is,” he said. Interview edited for length and clarity. Your grandfather owned a gro- cery store, and you started as a parking attendant. How did that shape you as a leader? You could say the grocery business is in my DNA. Retail teaches you an IGA Celebrates Its 100th Anniversary: “Our Audience Is Everyone Who Eats” incredible work ethic and discipline. Those who end up loving it see a cus- tomer with a problem—or someone upset—and don’t see it as something to run away from, but rather some- thing to run toward. If you solve that problem, you create a connection that lasts forever. What does the centennial mean for IGA? It’s a great story. In 1926, the first national chains were driving sma- ll businesses out of the market left and right. IGA was formed so that independent stores could band toge- ther and use their collective strength to compete. The competitors have changed, but the need for this busi- ness remains the same. Anyone rea- ding this magazine who inherited the business from their parents and grandparents can rightly tell their fa- mily, “My job is harder than yours.” Think about the skills required to- day: loyalty programs, e-commerce, digital media, and social media. IGA continues to grow. Where is the opportunity? We’ll end this year with about 4,000 stores in the United States alone, and well over 8,000—close to 9,000— worldwide. The company has tripled in size in the United States alone over the past four or five years. But I be- lieve we’re just getting started. There are 30,000 independent stores in the country, and they’re not the same businesses they were 20 or 30 years ago. Hispanic business owners own many or serve Hispanic neighbor- hoods. JJohn Ross, president and CEO of Indepen- dent Grocers Alliance (IGA). • FOOD INDUSTRY / EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW