Brick Meets Click’s Bill Bishop retires due to health concerns

Brick Meets Click co-founder and chief architect Bill Bishop, one of the retail grocery industry’s top experts for decades, has retired effective immediately.

Barrington, Ill.-based Brick Meet Click said Bishop’s retirement is due to “serious, ongoing health challenges.” The strategic advisory firm, which focuses on how digital technology impacts food sales and marketing, made the announcement on Friday. Bishop is a regular Supermarket News contributor.

“As most of you know, Bill (pictured left) has enjoyed a long and successful career in the grocery industry doing work that he loved, and he became good friends with many people along the way,” Brick Meets Click stated in an email. “He is very thankful for all your friendship and support over the years. Unfortunately, Bill’s ability to communicate with anyone outside of the immediate family is quite limited. Your positive thoughts, well wishes and prayers are much appreciated by Bill and the Bishop family during this difficult time.”

Early in his career, Bishop served as vice president of research at the Supermarket Institute, which later became the Food Marketing Institute (FMI). In 1976, he founded Chicago-based Willard Bishop Consulting and led major studies on new store formats, pricing strategy, direct-store delivery and loyalty marketing. He also helped form the supermarket-focused Coca-Cola Retailing Research Council (CCRRC) and convenience retail-focused NACS/CCRRC.

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In 2011, Bishop co-founded Brick Meets Click with Steve Bishop, who serves as managing partner. The firm analyzes the forces afoot in food and grocery retailing and, through services and thought leadership, provides guidance to help industry stakeholders navigate the changing food retail ecosystem and leverage disruptive business innovations, from online grocery, big data and connecting digitally with customers to new formats and hard discounters.

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 has served on the boards of Western grocer Raley’s and The Food Institute. His education includes a PhD in agricultural economics and marketing from Cornell University, and he has taught marketing channels at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management.