Independent Grocers Alliance Partners with the Watermelon Board to Bring Fresh Innovation and Shopper Engagement to Stores Nationwide

Chicago, IL [July 7, 2025] — The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) is proud to announce a dynamic new partnership with the Watermelon Board to launch a robust second-half 2025 shopper marketing and retailer education campaign designed to boost watermelon awareness, drive in-store engagement, and support IGA retailers in delivering fresh, family-friendly solutions to their customers.

Kicking off in July 2025, the multimedia campaign will leverage IGA’s retail media network, digital circulars, and in-store promotions to feature watermelon as a healthy, fun, and versatile option for summer and holiday meals. The collaboration includes:

• Co-branded Retail Media Display Ads: Targeted ads driving shoppers to digital circulars and store shelves.
• In-store Shelf Tags: Branded tags to highlight Watermelon Board content in participating IGA stores.
• Digital Engagement and Recipe Integration: Featuring IGA’s Family Meals Made Easy recipes on IGA.com and the Watermelon.org website, with national digital circular recipe blocks and newsletter inclusions.
• Holiday “Ugly Sweater” Sweepstakes: Watermelon-themed POS presence in IGA’s popular holiday sweepstakes campaign.
• Retailer Education: Amplified content through The IGA Minute eNewsletter, IGA’s Category Insights Hub, and Shopper Matters podcast promoting Watermelon Board’s Learning Lab, complete with gift card incentives.

"This partnership reflects our ongoing commitment to support independent retailers with best-in-class resources and fresh, engaging content that resonates with today's shoppers," said IGA Vice President, Brand Development Michael La Kier. "By teaming up with the Watermelon Board, we’re adding value both in-store and online—delivering fun, education, and flavor to families across the country."

With an estimated reach of over 500 million impressions annually through IGA’s national digital ad platform and over 20 million impressions through the holiday program alone, this partnership underscores the shared mission of IGA and the Watermelon Board: helping retailers succeed in an increasingly competitive marketplace by connecting with shoppers in meaningful ways.

For more information, visit www.iga.com and www.watermelon.org.

About IGA

The Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) was founded in 1926, bringing together independent grocers across the United States to ensure that the trusted, family-owned local grocery store remained strong in the face of growing chain competition. IGA is the world’s largest voluntary supermarket network with aggregate worldwide retail sales of over $43 billion per year. The Alliance includes more than 7,500 stores globally, with operations in 46 of the United States and over 25 countries.

About the Watermelon Board

The National Watermelon Promotion Board (NWPB), based in Winter Springs, Florida, was established in 1989 as an agricultural promotion group to promote watermelon in the United States and in various markets abroad. Funded through a self-mandated industry assessment paid by nearly 700 watermelon producers, handlers and importers, NWPB mission is to increase consumer demand for watermelon through promotion, research and education programs.

A serving of nutrient-dense watermelon provides an excellent source of Vitamin C (25% DV), a source of Vitamin B6 (8% DV), and a delicious way to stay hydrated (92% water), with only 80 calories per 2-cup serving.Watermelon consumption per capita in the United States was nearly 16.9 pounds in 2023. Watermelon consumption in the United States was nearly5.6 billion pounds in 2023. The United States exported an additional 377 million pounds of watermelon.For additional information, visit www.watermelon.org.