Walmart, Kroger Execs Return as Multicultural Retail 360 Co-Chairs

ANAHEIM, Calif. — Multicultural executives from two of the world’s largest retail chains will return as conference co-chairs for the Multicultural Retail 360 Summit (formerly the Hispanic Retail 360 Summit). The cross-channel event focuses on marketing to multicultural consumers in the United States.

For the second consecutive year, Javier Delgado-Granados, senior marketing manager for Walmart Stores Inc., and Angel Colón, director of multicultural development for Kroger Inc., will co-chair the conference, which will take place Aug. 12-14 at the Anaheim Marriott.

As co-chairs, Delgado-Granados and Colón will provide essential input and feedback on the programming of this year’s venue, and they will actively assist in recruiting speakers to make sure the conference appropriately address the educational needs of today’s sophisticated retail community.

“We are thrilled that Javier and Angel will continue to serve as co-chairs of the Multicultural Retail 360 Summit in 2015,” said Don Longo, editorial director. “Their feedback and advice have been instrumental both in the content development of the event, as well as in the rebranding to ‘multicultural’ from the former Hispanic Retail 360 brand. I am really looking forward to working with both of these forward-thinking retailers again this year.”

Drawing on decades of experience in multicultural retailing, their input will be particularly valuable as the conference expands beyond its traditional Hispanic focus. Under the theme, “How Multicultural Consumers are Reshaping the Fabric of U.S. Retailing,” the Multicultural Retail 360 Summit’s educational platform this year will address the needs of African-Americans, Asians, gays/lesbians and other minority groups. As it has done for the past 11 years, the event will also continue to address the wide-ranging needs of the growing Latino community.

Colón joined Kroger in 2008 and has spent 26 years in the grocery industry. He began his career with Goya Foods in Puerto Rico and Chicago. He has served in a variety of positions, including warehouse clerk, product management, direct sales distribution, merchandising, sales, broker management, space management, account specific marketing, regional marketing, promotions and ethnic marketing.

Delgado-Granados has 17 years of marketing and advertising experience, having held various positions at advertising agencies, consumer goods companies and retail. Prior to joining Walmart, he served as multicultural marketing manager at Dr. Pepper Snapple Group, where he was instrumental in developing unique consumer programming and focusing on Hispanic consumers.

Both Delgado-Granados and Colón are long-time members of the Multicultural Retail 360 Retailer Advisory Board. This group of leading marketing executives hails from many retail channels, including grocery, convenience store, specialty store and general merchandise. In addition to Walmart and Kroger, the advisory board includes multicultural experts from 7-Eleven Inc., Best Buy, Bi-Lo, ampm, Chevron Corp., Exxon Mobil Corp., Hy-Vee Inc. and Maverik Inc.

Multicultural Retail 360 is produced by Stagnito Business Information, which also publishes Convenience Store News and Convenience Store News for the Single Store Owner. For more information about the 2015 Multicultural Retail 360 Summit, click here.