Beaconsfield, Iowa, U.S.A.-based Hy-Vee is seeking additional local brands as part of its Best of Local Brands Summit to be held by the company in September 2022.
The company operates 285 grocery stores in the U.S. states of Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, South Dakota, and Wisconsin. It is seeking retail-ready products in grocery, frozen, general merchandise, and other categories, Hy-Vee said in a press release.
The deadline for submitting applications for the Best of Local Brands Summit is 18 July, 2022. The summit, which includes 20-minute virtual interviews with selected suppliers, will take place 7 September through 9 September, 2022. Since the Best of Local Brands summits began in early 2021, more than 100 new brands have been selected and are available to Hy-Vee customers.
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 company said.
In terms of new seafood products, Hy-Vee buyers will likely be selecting sustainability-focused items. The grocery chain has been a leader in pushing for seafood sustainability and, in 2016, Hy-Vee confirmed all of its private-label fresh and frozen seafood was sustainably sourced.
ECRM and RangeMe are helping Hy-Vee source, qualify and connect with suppliers. Suppliers not chosen for participation in this year’s summit will still be accessible through RangeMe and may be reviewed by Hy-Vee again in the future.
In May 2022, Hy-Vee announced several cutbacks, which include eliminating around 600 corporate positions.
“Today, Hy-Vee and other retailers across the nation are currently facing a number of obstacles, from rising inflation and increasing fuel costs, to supply chain disruptions and more,” Hy-Vee wrote in advertorials published in several newspapers across its operating region in annuncing the layoffs. “But that may just be the beginning. Several of the world’s leading financial service providers recently predicted a steep economic downturn as soon as next year.”
Hy-Vee also said it is pausing several construction projects, including a new warehouse in Cumming, Iowa, as costs continue to rise due to inflation. In addition, Hy-Vee is evaluating its planned developments to determine whether the spaces still align with its growth plan.
Photo courtesy of Hy-Vee
