Hy-Vee set for 2nd ‘Best of Local Brands’ summit

Hy-Vee is once again calling on vendors in its eight-state region to show their wares.

Hy-Vee is getting ready to host its second “Best of Local Brands” summit in May to expand and enhance the product offerings at its more than 275 retail stores in Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

The first quarterly summit was held in February where 52 new brands were selected to become available to Hy-Vee customers in the coming months.

Hy-Vee is currently accepting submissions for its “Best of Local Brands” summit online in the following categories of retail-ready products: grocery, produce, deli, general merchandise, frozen, dairy, and health and beauty care. The company told Store Brands that it is seeking private label supplier submissions in these categories as well. 

The summit will be organized by the eight states Hy-Vee operates in and will consist of 15- to 30-minute virtual presentations from selected suppliers. The summit will take place from Tuesday, May 11 to Thursday, May 13.

ECRM and RangeMe are helping Hy-Vee source, qualify and connect suppliers with the appropriate buyers. All sourcing and product submissions will be made through RangeMe, the industry-standard online product discovery and sourcing platform, and ECRM will qualify suppliers, create curated meeting schedules and facilitate face-to-face meeting execution with Hy-Vee buyers to introduce new and innovative products into the marketplace.

All meetings will be conducted through ECRM’s industry-leading virtual meeting platform, ECRM Connect, plus, ECRM’s dedicated support team will help ensure that buyer and seller connections are executed seamlessly.

Suppliers not chosen will still be accessible through RangeMe and may be reviewed by Hy-Vee merchants again in the future as business needs change.