Hy-Vee hosting Pet Products Summit

Hy-Vee is set to host its sixth Best of Local Brands Summit and its first-ever Pet Products Summit in May.

Through these events, the retailer will look to expand and enhance the product offerings at its more than 285 retail stores across Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.

[Read more: Hy-Vee to host 5th 'Best of Local Brands' summit]

The first four summits held by the company selected more than 100 new brands combined that are now available to its shoppers, and brand selection from the fifth summit held in February is currently underway, the retailer said. 

In 2022, Hy-Vee will continue 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 15- to 30-minute virtual presentations from selected suppliers, will take place May 18-May 20. In addition, the retailer also is accepting submissions for its Best of Local Brands Summit online until March 28 for such categories as grocery, produce, deli, general merchandise, frozen, dairy, and health and beauty care. 

[Read more: Hy-Vee to host 3d 'Best of Local Brands' summit]

Hy-Vee is also set to host its first Pet Products Summit on May 2, which will be its first category-specific summit that will consist of 15- to 30-minute virtual presentations from selected suppliers.

Submissions for the Pet Products Summit is open online until April 4 in the following categories of retail-ready pet products — wet food, dry food, treats, toys, leashes, collars and other pet accessories. 

ECRM and RangeMe are helping Hy-Vee source, qualify and connect with suppliers. All product submissions 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 in this summit will still be accessible through RangeMe and may be reviewed by Hy-Vee again in the future.