McLane debuts Center for Category Innovation

McLane Company Inc., a Temple, Texas-headquartered company that provides grocery and foodservice supply chain solutions, launched the McLane Center for Category Innovation (CCI). Formerly known as the Lab Store, the service was rebranded not only to reflect the facility’s physical presence as a hands-on retail store where customers can explore innovative new products, but also to recognize the service’s in-depth data analytics, category development expertise, dedicated manufacturer expertise and unbiased guidance focused on helping customers design a product mix and planograms to achieve overall category excellence and increase profits, the company said.

According to Jennifer Hutto, CCI's senior category development analyst, having the right participants in the room serves as a check and balance between multiple data sources. Additionally, the collective breadth of industry experience is one of the leading reasons the CCI has been so successful in helping customers increase sales.

“We discuss overall performance of the categories, contributing factors that are affecting success, where the category is headed and how we hope to help drive future success with our customers,” she added.