Inaugural RangeMe Discovery Hub a Big Hit for Suppliers 4/6/2018
ECRM's inaugural RangeMe Discovery Hub -- unveiled during ECRM's Winter Snack & Dry Grocery EPPS -- was a huge success, and gave buyers like Walgreens, Food Lion and Sam's Club the opportunity to meet face-to-face for the first time with two dozen innovative suppliers from the RangeMe platform.
"This is a new platform we are hosting at many ECRM sessions throughout 2018 that will deliver on many of the requests we've been hearing from our buyers," says Sarah Davidson, SVP of Grocery for ECRM. "They want to see new suppliers, as well as innovation around unique products. In partnering with RangeMe, we are able to find these new suppliers and deliver them to our buyers over the course of a few days."
The RangeMe Discovery Hub, which was hosted in a dedicated ballroom during the session, featured suppliers from the ECRM-owned digital product discovery platform that have never before participated in an EPPS, giving attending buyers access to suppliers and products they’ve likely never seen before in a face-to-face environment.
"For our network of suppliers, it's really important to get face to face with buyers," says RangeMe Founder and CEO Nicky Jackson. "It's one thing to connect on the platform, and that's working very well, but you cannot replace the value of a face-to-face meeting to build that relationship."
Suppliers participating in the Discovery Hub represented a variety of center store categories, including meat snacks, beverages, condiments, olive oils, candy and beverages. Here are some of the comments from RangeMe suppliers who participated in the Discovery Hub:
Modia Batterjee, Co-Founder, Date Me Boutique, a provider of natural date paste:
Jeff McCarrol, Ami Barista's Choice, a producer of sweet goods, flat breads, cookies and cakes -- both private label and branded:
Michael Hammond, President, Seawater Food and Beverage, which makes products across several categories, including beverages, hydration supplements, and snacks with sea water as a key ingredient:
Following is a list of upcoming ECRM sessions in which we will have a RangeMe Discovery Hub. If you are a current supplier on RangeMe and would like to participate in the Discovery Hub, please contact the relevant category SVP listed below.
Grocery (Sarah Davidson, ECRM SVP of Grocery, 440-542-3033)
- International Foods (7/22/2018)
- Summer Snack & Dry Grocery (7/23/2018)
- Beverage (7/24/2018)
- Frozen Foods (8/19/2018)
- Natural, Organic & Specialty Foods: Center Store (8/19/2018)
- Deli, Dairy & Bakery (8/20/2018)
- Natural, Organic & Specialty Foods: Perimeter of Store (8/21/2018)
- Global Wine, Beer & Spirits (8/26/2018)
- Skin, Bath, Cosmetics & Natural Beauty (6/3/2018)
- Hair Care & Multicultural (6/4/2018)
- Personal Care, Grooming, Oral & Travel (7/17/2018)
- Health Care (8/6/2018)
General Merchandise (Melinda Young, SVP of General Merchandise: 440-248-2190)
- Baby & Infant (7/16/2018)
- Housewares, Household & General Merchandise (7/22/2018)
- Consumer Tech (7/23/2018)
- School & Office Supplies (8/19/2018)
- International General Merchandise and Pet (11/4/2018)
