Hy-Vee to Host 1st Pet Products Summit

Grocer to also hold 6th Best of Local Brands Summit

3/22/2022

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Hy-Vee will host its first Pet Products Summit on May 2 to search for new suppliers.

Hy-Vee, Inc. will host its first virtual Pet Products Summit on May 2 — the company’s first category-specific summit for new suppliers.

The pet category experienced a boom during the height of the pandemic when this stressful period motivated many people to adopt animals. The increased pet adoption resulted in surging sales for pet supplies, treats and toys. According to the American Pet Products Association, $103.6 billion was spent on pets in the United States in 2020. And this growth doesn’t show signs of slowing down as more pet parents look to indulge their fur babies with premium pet products.

To meet this need, Hy-Vee is currently accepting submissions for innovative items at www.rangeme.com/hyveepet22q1 in the following categories of retail-ready pet products: wet food, dry food, treats, toys, leashes, collars and other pet accessories. Submission deadline is April 4.

The Pet Products Summit will consist of 15- to 30-minute virtual presentations from Hy-Vee’s selected suppliers.

Also in May, Hy-Vee will host its sixth Best of Local Brands Summit to expand and enhance the product offerings at its more than 285 retail stores in the Midwest.

Hy-Vee is accepting submissions for this summit online at www.rangeme.com/hyveebestoflocal22q2 in the following categories of retail-ready products: grocery, produce, deli, general merchandise, frozen, dairy, and health and beauty care. Submission deadline is March 28.

The Best of Local Brands Summit will take place May 18-20 and consist of 15- to 30-minute virtual presentations from selected suppliers.

The grocer debuted its virtual Best of Local Brands Summits in February 2020. More than 100 new brands were selected from Hy-Vee’s first four summits combined and are now available to Hy-Vee customers. Local brand selection from the fifth summit that was held in February is underway.

The Midwest grocer plans to elevate its efforts of identifying suppliers with diverse backgrounds in 2022 and encourages minority-owned and women-owned businesses to apply for its quarterly summits.

ECRM and RangeMe are helping Hy-Vee source, qualify and connect with potential suppliers. Product submissions for the May summits will be made through RangeMe, an online product discovery and sourcing platform. All meetings will be conducted through ECRM’s virtual meeting platform, ECRM Connect. Suppliers not chosen for participation will still be accessible through RangeMe and may be reviewed by Hy-Vee again in the future.

Employee-owned Hy-Vee has a team of more than 93,000 employees and operates 285-plus retail stores across eight states. The West Des Moines, Iowa-based company is No. 34 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.