Willard “Bill” Bishop, a leader in grocery industry insights and analytics for decades, died March 25 at age 80, his family announced Monday. He had stepped down as chief architect of his company, Brick Meets Click, on March 1 due to “serious and ongoing health issues.”
Bishop's food retail experience “spans the early implementation of the UPC code to the online grocery revolution accelerated by the COVID pandemic,” his family said in the announcement.
Early in his career, Bishop served as vice president of research for the Supermarket Association, which later became the Food Marketing Institute (FMI). In 1976 he founded Chicago-based Willard Bishop Consulting, where he led major research on new store formats, pricing strategies, direct store delivery and loyalty marketing. He also helped found the Coca-Cola Retail Research Council (CCRRC), which focused on supermarkets, and NACS/CCRRC, which focused on convenience retailing.
After leading Willard Bishop Consulting for nearly four decades, Bishop co-founded Brick Meets Click in 2011 with his son, Steve Bishop, to tackle the industry's latest challenge: how digital technology is transforming the grocery industry. “To that mission, Mr. Bishop brought an unmatched depth of experience in the nitty-gritty of grocery retail operations and the mindset of a grocery retailer,” Bishop's family said.
Under Mr. Bishop's leadership, and that of his children, Cindy Christian, Steve Bishop and David Bishop, Brick Meets Click has developed a strong and respected reputation for analyzing the forces occurring in the food and grocery retail industry and providing guidance through services and thought leadership to help industry participants navigate the changing food retail ecosystem and capitalize on disruptive business innovations – from online grocery, big data and digitally connecting with customers to new formats and hard discounters.
In addition to his own company, Bishop was inducted into the Private Label Hall of Fame in September 2020 in recognition of his contributions to the growth of the industry. He also serves on the board of directors of western grocer Raley's and The Food Institute. His educational background includes a PhD in Agricultural Economics and Marketing from Cornell University and teaches Marketing Channels at the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University.
Bishop was also a regular contributor to Supermarket News, writing columns and participating in the brand's podcasts and webinars.
Bill Bishop was born on September 9, 1941, in Orange, New Jersey, to Willard and Virginia Bishop. He grew up in South Orange, New Jersey, graduated from Columbia High School in 1959 and completed his undergraduate studies at the University of Maine at Orono, where he met his future wife, Kathy. He earned his master's degree in agricultural economics from UME in 1965 and his doctorate from Cornell University in 1968. He then enlisted in the Army, rising to the rank of captain and serving as an aide to General Bunker at the Army Materiel Command at the Pentagon.
In 1970, Bill and his family moved to the Chicago area where Bill worked for six years as Vice President of Research for the Supermarket Institute. In 1971, the family moved to Barrington, Illinois, where they lived for over 50 years.
Mr. Bishop is survived by his wife of 58 years, Katherine; his children, Cindy (Joe) Christian of Tucson, AZ, Steve (Anila) Bishop of Scottsdale, AZ, David (Julia) Bishop of Barrington, IL, grandchildren, Anna and Shawn Christian, Grace and Emma Bishop, and brothers, Richard Bishop of Portland, OR, and Philip (Cheryl) Bishop of Kinnelon, NJ.
“Bill was always incredibly generous with his time, both in his personal and professional life. He was always willing to listen and give his feedback on how to move forward or see things from a different perspective,” Bishop's family wrote in his obituary. “He also made it a priority to get involved with people and organizations if he saw an opportunity to make a difference, whether that was participating in many church activities, coordinating weekly neighborhood food collections for a local food pantry, or writing letters to politicians and businesses (including a few airlines we can't name here) about how they could make improvements.”
A private memorial service is planned for mid-May in Barrington. The family also plans to hold an online memorial event in Bill's honor, bringing together those who were connected to him from across the grocery industry. Dates and details will be announced at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be sent to FISH Food Pantry, Carpentersville, Illinois, www.fish-food-pantry.org.
