Next month, Wakefern Food Corp. plans to host a store brand sourcing event to meet with potential new suppliers for its private label portfolio.
The one-day Store Brand Sourcing Program, to be held May 17 at the New Jersey Convention and Exposition Center in Edison, N.J., will connect Wakefern buyers and category managers with vendors in private 20-minute meetings.
Solon, Ohio-based Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing (ECRM) will manage in-bound product submissions from suppliers and arrange the meetings for Wakefern.
"Wakefern is looking forward to working with ECRM to find exciting new suppliers and products for our stores,” Parag Shah, vice president of grocery at Wakefern, said in a statement. “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.”
Categories where Wakefern is seeking new product and store brand opportunities include grocery, frozen, dairy, meat, produce, beverages, foodservice, bakery, seafood, deli/appetizing, nonfoods, and health and beauty care.
“We are excited to be working with Wakefern in their quest to enhance their own-brand assortment and find the appropriate supplier capabilities to grow sales and enhance value for their shoppers,” ECRM Senior Vice President Wayne Bennett commented.
A retailer-owned cooperative, Keasbey, N.J.-based Wakefern has 50 members that independently own and operate 348 supermarkets under the ShopRite, Price Rite Marketplace, The Fresh Grocer and Dearborn Market banners in New Jersey, New York, Connecticut, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Virginia.
