UNFI Highlights Winter, Holiday Selling Season Offerings at Show
On the heels of a similar event in Uncasville, Conn., this past June, United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) has concluded another successful 2024 Winter and Holiday Selling Show in Minneapolis, where it spotlighted a wide range of innovative products, programs and services developed to help food retailers increase profitable growth during the upcoming holiday season.
During the Aug. 5-7 event, nearly 2,100 customers visited more than 800 exhibitors, with 1,500 brands featured, and attendees could experience UNFI’s portfolio of differentiated and competitively priced products and value-added services. The show also featured 50 suppliers from the company’s New Product and Diverse Supplier showcases, as well as more than 70 suppliers offering show-exclusive Monster Buys on 1,700-plus products.
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“Our annual shows bring together our connected community of retailers and suppliers to experience a full range of opportunities to grow their businesses,” noted UNFI Chief Customer Officer, Steve Dietz. “The deals offered cross all categories; our Monster Buys, which are exclusive to customers who attend the show, and our new UNFI Media Network, are great examples of how UNFI is helping both our retailers and suppliers win in their markets.”
The show’s mainstage opening included a presentation on UNFI’s recently launched UNFI Media Network (UMN), powered by Swiftly. Delivered by Matt Eckhouse, UNFI’s president of professional services, and Sean Turner, co-founder and chief innovation officer of San Francisco-based Swiftly, the presentation addressed how retailers can best employ UMN to benefit their customers.
Also featured at the event was the company’s unique Pitch Slam competition, during which emerging brands pitch their innovative products before a live audience. Five contestants competed in the Minneapolis Pitch Slam competition, and the winner was Like Air, a Madison, N.J.-based family-run business that makes better-for-you snacks. Like Air will receive a complimentary campaign on UMN later this year.
Next up for UNFI is its 2025 Spring and Summer Show, slated for Jan. 21-23, 2025, in San Diego.
Providence, R.I.-based UNFI delivers a wide variety of products to more than 30,000 customer locations throughout North America, including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, e-commerce retailers and foodservice customers. The largest publicly traded grocery distributor in America, the company is No. 22 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2024 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
