Wakefern Food Corp. will host a Store Brand Sourcing event on May 17 to meet with potential suppliers to find “exciting new products.”
The one-day exclusive supplier program at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison will pair potential new vendors with Wakefern buyers and category managers in private 20-minute meetings. Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing (ECRM) will manage inbound product submissions from suppliers and facilitate all the meetings for Wakefern.
The retailer-owned cooperative is focusing on finding new products and store brand opportunities in categories like Grocery, Frozen, Dairy, Meat, Produce, Beverages, Food Service, Bakery, Seafood, Deli, Non-Foods and Health & Beauty Care.
Selected companies will be subject to a $500 participation fee and notified via email by ECRM of the time, date and location of its meeting with a manager of the Wakefern merchandising team.
“Wakefern is looking forward to working with ECRM to find exciting new suppliers and products for our stores. We continue to grow our existing private label portfolio with innovative and award-winning new brands such as Wholesome Pantry and believe this summit will bring us exciting new opportunities,” said Parag Shah, VP of grocery.
“We are excited to be working with Wakefern in its quest to enhance its own brand assortment and find the appropriate supplier capabilities to grow sales and enhance value for its shoppers,” added Wayne Bennett, SVP for ECRM.
ECRM is a business process improvement company helping national and regional mass-market retailers achieve business objectives of growing sales, obtaining category growth and improving margin.
Founded in 1946, Wakefern comprises 50 members that independently own and operate 348 supermarkets under the ShopRite, The Fresh Grocer, Price Rite and Dearborn Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia. Together with its member companies, it employs more than 70,000 people.
