Hy-Vee’s 3rd ‘Best of Local Brands’ Summit Set for September

Hy-Vee will host its third “Best of Local Brands” summit in September to expand and enhance the product offerings at its more than 280 retail stores across the Midwest. As a result of the second quarterly summit, held last May, 28 new brands were chosen to roll out to Hy-Vee locations in the coming months. 

The summit will be organized by the eight states in Hy-Vee’s operating area and will feature 15- to 30-minute virtual presentations from selected suppliers. The summit will take place Sept. 8-10.  

Hy-Vee is now accepting online submissions for the event in the grocery, produce, deli, general merchandise, frozen, dairy, and health and beauty care categories.

Solon, Ohio-based ECRM and its RangeMe product discovery and sourcing platform are helping Hy-Vee source, qualify and connect suppliers with the right buyers. All sourcing and product submissions will be made through RangeMe, and ECRM will qualify suppliers, create curated meeting schedules and facilitate face-to-face meetings with Hy-Vee buyers to introduce new products into the marketplace. All meetings will be conducted through ECRM’s virtual meeting platform, ECRM Connect, plus ECRM’s support team will help ensure that buyer and seller connections occur seamlessly. Suppliers not chosen will still be accessible via RangeMe and may be reviewed by Hy-Vee merchants again in the future as business needs change.

Employee-owned Hy-Vee operates more than 280 retail stores across eight Midwestern 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.