Last updated on March 1st, 2016 at 02:42 pm
Supervalu has set the date for its third annual National Expo.
This year’s event will be held Aug. 9-11 at the RiverCentre in St. Paul, Minnesota. It is designed to help independent retailers further enhance their businesses and will feature more than 125,000 s.f. of exhibit space, as well as a full day of educational seminars and workshops covering industry trends and best practices.
“The National Expo is a great opportunity for our independent retailers to network and gain insight into the latest innovations and trends in the grocery industry,” said Mike Stigers, EVP of independent business and supply chain at Supervalu. “This expo has become the go-to event for our independent retailers, and we’re adding a number of new features that we believe will build on the success of our last two shows to make 2016 even better.”
Retailers attending the expo can expect to find more than 350 national, regional and local exhibitors showcasing new items, new merchandising solutions and new in-store concepts spanning all departments throughout the store. Retailers also will have access to seasonal items as well as special products and promotions to help them drive additional sales.
This year’s expo will again feature a retailer favorite from previous years—reverse auction buys, where prices on merchandise continue to drop as more quantities are purchased. Last year, attendees had the opportunity to participate in 37 reverse auction buys.
Among the sessions planned for the Education Day presented by Supervalu University are topics on succession planning, store remodeling and increasing sales through niche markets. Digital and social media marketing also will be featured topics on the Education Day agenda.
Another highlight of the expo is the Master Marketer Awards ceremony, which will be held Thursday, Aug. 11. The awards recognize the best merchandising, marketing and community relations initiatives from Supervalu’s independent retailers over the past year. Last year, Niemann Foods, headquartered in Quincy, Illinois, was named the Grand Master Marketer, the top award presented.
More than 3,000 people attended the 2015 National Expo, which featured more than 125,000 s.f. of show floor space, 330 exhibitors and 15 education seminar topics.
Attendance at the National Expo is by invitation only. Supervalu says customers will receive information about travel, hotel and event registration directly through their account managers. Vendors should contact their region merchandising teams for more information. Other interested industry personnel can email the National Expo event coordinators directly at [email protected].
