Last updated on March 25th, 2021 at 07:23 pm
Retailer Owned Food Distributors & Associates (ROFDA) and Rosie, an e-commerce company, have entered into a new partnership, announced at the National Grocers Association’s Fall Leadership Meetings, that will bring Rosie’s online shopping platform to 2,000 independent grocery stores across the U.S. over the next two years.
“The partnership will provide omni-channel online shopping programs, education on digital engagement best practices and technology leadership to independent grocers by harnessing the aggregated cooperation of the nation’s leading wholesalers to provide an advanced, affordable e-commerce solution that enables independent retailers to compete with Amazon, Walmart and other national retailers,” says ROFDA.
The partnership will offer additional value to grocers via two primary objectives. The first is to leverage ROFDA’s and Rosie’s industry knowledge and affordable pricing to help independent grocers implement omni-channel online shopping programs. The second is to increase engagement between independent grocers and their digital customers so they can effectively compete in a rapidly evolving online marketplace. The program will leverage the technology solutions of other ROFDA suppliers that have been integrated into Rosie’s digital platforms, such as DUMAC/RORC, ShopToCook and Accelitec.
“From the very beginning, our relationship with Rosie has been based on a mutual commitment to the success of our independent grocers. It’s through our mutual interest that we are delighted to announce ROFDA’s eCommerce Partnership Program with Rosie. This program delivers a solid e-commerce strategy that will allow our independent grocers to better serve the needs of their customers today, tomorrow and well into the future,” said Francis Cameron, president and CEO at ROFDA.
“Rosie has transformed the way independent grocers engage digitally with their shoppers, with seven of the top 15 U.S. wholesalers recommending Rosie to more than 11,000 stores nationally,” said Rosie COO and ROFDA Advisory Council Member Jon Ambrose. “Our mission has always been to not only provide technology solutions, but also everything a grocer needs to leverage that technology to engage shoppers and win in a rapidly evolving marketplace. Rosie and ROFDA are leveling the playing field by enabling leading local retailers and their wholesalers to cooperate, innovate and unite to compete with national chains and online-only merchants.”
“We continue to see positive gains using Rosie as our e-commerce provider and together are making great strides in the service and functionality we provide our shoppers,” said Neal Berube, CEO of Associated Food Stores and chairman of ROFDA. “We are making efforts to unify ROFDA’s capabilities and cooperation behind an omni-channel digital commerce program, which opens up a large market opportunity for the independent grocers that we serve. This is a positive step for our industry.”
The ROFDA/Rosie partnership was signed on Oct. 7, and wholesalers and retailers can immediately reap the benefits of the program by contacting Rosie or their ROFDA member wholesaler.
Founded in 1962, ROFDA is an organization of wholesale food distributors that are owned by their U.S. retail independent retail grocer members. ROFDA’s focus is to create benefits for its independent retail grocer member-owners through sharing information, leveraging collective resources and developing tools to assist them in competing against big-box stores. The organization represents more than $18.7 billion in annual wholesale sales, with more than 7,300 member retail locations.
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