Hy-Vee to host quarterly Best of Local Brands Summit

Hy-Vee is gearing up to host its next quarterly Best of Local Brands Summit.

Taking place in September, the event looks to help the retailer expand and enhance the product offerings at its more than 285 stores across Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

Since the Best of Local Brands Summit began in early 2021, more than 100 new brands have been selected and are available to Hy-Vee customers.

[Read more: Hy-Vee to debut reimagined store]

This year, Hy-Vee continues to elevate its efforts of identifying suppliers with diverse backgrounds and encourages minority-owned and women-owned businesses to apply for the quarterly summits.

The summit, which will consist of virtual 20-minute interviews with selected suppliers, will take place Sept. 7 to 9.

Hy-Vee is currently accepting submissions until July 18 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.

[Read more: Hy-Vee debuts WholeLotta Good e-commerce platform]

ECRM and RangeMe are helping Hy-Vee source, qualify and connect with suppliers. All product submissions will be made through RangeMe, the online product discovery and sourcing platform.

All meetings will be conducted through ECRM’s virtual meeting platform, ECRM Connect. Suppliers not chosen for participation in this summit will still be accessible through RangeMe and may be reviewed by Hy-Vee again in the future.