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FMI Sets Private-Label Forums

Food Marketing Institute and Grocery Manufacturers Association are planning to combine their annual executive conferences beginning in 2010 or 2011, Steve Smith, FMI’s chairman, who is president and chief executive officer of K-VA-T Food Stores, told SN.

ORLANDO, Fla. — Food Marketing Institute’s inaugural Private Brands Summit will be held this June, with dates and location to be unveiled shortly, according to Patrick J. Walsh, vice president, industry development, education and research, FMI.

Walsh spoke with SN following a Private Brands Group meeting held in advance of FMI’s Midwinter Executive Conference here. The meeting of the newly formed group was closed to the press.

FMI is also planning a Private Brands Conference for October in Dallas, Walsh said. That event will focus on strategic planning meetings between private-brand manufacturers, retailers and wholesalers. The June summit will focus on strategic issues related to private label in an informational forum that will include unveiling of research, Walsh said. Attendees will include retailers, manufacturers and distributors of private-brand products.

The gathering will be geared to all classes of retail, including supermarkets, club stores, convenience stores, mass and drug. Topics covered will include brand innovation, demand creation, consumer insights, supply chain effectiveness, food safety, public policy and sustainability.

“The long-range vision is for the industry to speak with one voice on this topic,” Walsh said.

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