The 2024 Paris Olympic Games brought in nearly 31 billion viewers, up 82% from the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, and the memories continue to live on. Last summer, the Independent Grocers Alliance (IGA) and Coca-Cola hosted a store display contest for an opportunity to win an Olympic torch, signed basketballs and volleyballs, and donations to community sports-related organizations.
"We have two great, global brands partnering for a first-ever event just for the Independent Grocers Alliance and its members," Coca-Cola Senior Director of Global Accounts Brad Morris said.
The winning stores featured sport-themed displays with top brands like Coca-Cola, Powerade, Minute Maid, smartwater, and Core Power, engaging with their Coca-Cola bottlers for great teamwork.
See Brad Morris' visit to Greenwood Marketplace, along with the Olympic torch, in the above video.
In December, Morris visited the contest's medal winners to honor their efforts and present them with an Olympic torch:
🏅 Gold Medal | Wright's Market and Coca-Cola Bottling Company United in Opelika, Alabama
🥈 Silver Medal | Greenwood Marketplace and Clark Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Greenwood, Mississippi
🥉 Bronze Medal | Owensboro IGA #20 and Reyes Coca-Cola Bottling Company in Owensboro, Kentucky
Greenwood Marketplace | Greenwood, Mississippi
Greenwood Marketplace hosted an Olympic-sized celebration when presented with the award, with local media invited to share the moment with the community.
"I'm honoring a great partnership between Greenwood Marketplace and Clark Coca Cola Bottling Company," Morris said. "We ran a promotion over the course of the Olympics across five continents and over 10,000 stores. And Greenwood was one of the three stores chosen as a winner here in the United States for a Olympic torch."
Greenwood Marketplace Manager Derrick Simpson expressed pride in displaying the awards for the community, crediting his team.
"It was a such a great honor to receive the award," Simpson said. "We're gonna display them here at the store for everyone in the community to see because we wanna share with them what we've won today."
Morris was thrilled with Simpson and his team's work, noting their collaboration with Clark Coca-Cola Bottling Company.
"I couldn't have asked for more in a partner than what we have in Greenwood Marketplace," he said.
Morris also praised independent grocers as community pillars worldwide as he reflected on the global scale of the campaign.
"Independent grocers are the heart of any community, not just here in Greenwood, but in Dublin and Warsaw and Sydney and Beijing. And to be able to celebrate that here in Greenwood today is is truly amazing," Morris said.
Greenwood Marketplace received an Olympic torch and a $2,500 donation to a community sports-related organization for their efforts in the display contest.
"This was a great opportunity to capture extra sales during the 2024 Summer Olympics," Simpson said of the display contest. "Putting the right team in place to make it happen was certainly an intricate part of the display promotion. This was a great partnership with Coca-Cola and Houchens Food Group and certainly a team effort of both companies."
Wright's Market | Opelika, Alabama
The gold winner, Wright's Market in Opelika, Alabama, won a basketball and volleyball signed by the winning teams in addition to the Olympic torch. For Owner Jimmy Wright, the $5,000 donation to a community sports-related organization was reason to celebrate and give back to their community.
"We proudly donated Coca-Cola's gracious monetary gift to Trinity Christian School in Opelika to help launch their new football program," Wright said.
As for their winning display, Wright said, "The 2024 Olympics gave us an extra event this year to really get creative and highlight the 2024 Olympics and celebrate the great athletes from around the world. Coca-Cola and the Olympic Games are great cultural icons and represent the best of our nations. Wright’s Market is proud to partner with Coca-Cola, celebrate the Olympics, and give our customers great value on the Coca-Cola products they buy."
Wright added that the store has seen consistently strong year-over-year sales increases on Coca-Cola products "due to excellent merchandising by the Coca-Cola United Bottling team and aggressive everyday low pricing by Wright’s Market."
Owensboro IGA #20 | Owensboro, Kentucky
The bronze winner, Owensboro IGA #20 in Owensboro, Kentucky, also received an Olympic torch.
"We collaborated closely with our local Coca-Cola representative to create a dynamic Olympic-themed display," said Store Manager Rodney Johnson. "The Coca-Cola team expertly handled the setup, while I provided guidance on the ideal location and selected AD and popular summer items, such as Powerade, to feature prominently. They also contributed additional signage, which enhanced the overall impact of the display."
Congratulations to the winners and thank you to all who participated!
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