Alyssa Vescio on Quality, Purpose, and Growth at The Fresh Market | FMI 2026

Recorded live at FMI 2026, Omni Talk Retail hosts Anne Mezzenga and Chris Walton sit down with Alyssa Vescio, Chief Merchandising Officer at The Fresh Market, from the Simbe booth.In this conversation, Alyssa shares her career journey from Target to Whole Foods Market and now The Fresh Market, and how each chapter shaped her approach to merchandising, leadership, and purpose. She discusses why healthy discontent has fueled her career, how purpose driven retail can scale responsibly, and what excites her most about The Fresh Market’s brand, people, and potential as she looks ahead to 2026.The discussion explores how merchandising sits at the center of guest experience, supplier relationships, and long term business impact, especially in food retail where quality, freshness, and human connection matter most.Key Topics CoveredAlyssa Vescio’s path from Target and Whole Foods to The Fresh MarketBuilding strong merchandising foundations across disciplinesPurpose driven retail and the stakeholder modelWhy food is a powerful human connectorApproaching the first 90 days in a new leadership roleUnlocking brand love, discovery, and differentiationAccessibility and expanding access to high quality foodFor more conversations from grocery and retail leaders, continue following Omni Talk Retail’s live coverage from FMI 2026, recorded at the Simbe booth.#FMI2026 #OmniTalkRetail #GroceryRetail #Merchandising #FoodRetail #RetailLeadership #TheFreshMarket #SimbeThis podcast uses the following third-party services for analysis: Podcorn - https://podcorn.com/privacy