McLane Co. to Host Emerging Brands Supplier Event
TEMPLE, Texas — McLane Co. is putting out a call for emerging brands.
The company is hosting an Emerging Brands supplier event from 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. on Oct. 9. at its booth at the 2024 NACS Show in Las Vegas. The gathering will bring together values-driven and better-for-you brands connected to diverse communities, McLane leadership and representatives from leading retail brands and top convenience store companies.
The event will feature interactive discussions led by McLane experts, designed to help suppliers break into the industry, stand out and make a lasting impact, including:
- Starting Out: Meet McLane's Emerging Brands expert, Nadine Claeys, and suppliers from the Emerging Brands community will discuss how a new supplier can start working with McLane.
- Standing Out: Michelle Patterson, McLane vice president of marketing and communications, and the company's brand experts will discuss about strategies for making brands and products unique and memorable.
- Getting There: McLane's senior merchandising team, Cassandra Matos and Chris Skelly, will answer questions about supply chain planning and supplier programs that help brands succeed.
Attendees can flow through the tables and take advantage of the open format, offering flexibility to engage at their own pace. Samples from Emerging Brands products will also be available.
[Read more: McLane Expo Looks at the Future of Convenience]
According to McLane, Emerging Brands is one of its latest and broadened offerings for convenience stores, enabling retailers to diversify their product selection with fresh, innovative and trending brands. In addition to expanding access to a more extensive variety of products, Emerging Brands allows retailers to trial new products with low order minimums, rapid processing and warehouse-less drop shipping, utilizing the same order and payment methods they use to buy products from McLane's warehouses.
The digital marketplace now features more than 150 brands and 1,000-plus products, and allows retailers to browse intuitively by searching, filtering and sorting products by location, dietary preference, brand values, category and more. Beyond product variety and personalized order recommendations, Emerging Brands attracts a diverse supplier community. Today, the marketplace features 46% women-owned, 21% Black- and POC-owned and 3% veteran-owned businesses.
Since its introduction last year, Emerging Brands products are now carried in more than 1,000 retail locations throughout the United States with more coming online soon.
"Through this event, we aim to enhance diversity within our supplier community by highlighting Emerging Brands that share our vision for innovation and quality," said Michelle Patterson. "Whether you're a woman-owned or veteran-owned business or a brand with a unique product, this event is open to new and existing suppliers interested in exploring potential partnerships and expanding their reach."
Founded in 1894, McLane is one of the largest distributors in America, serving convenience stores, mass merchants and chain restaurants. With headquarters in Temple, McLane has more than 80 distribution centers across the country, employs more than 25,000 teammates and delivers to nearly every zip code in the United States.
McLane is a wholly owned subsidiary of Berkshire Hathaway Inc.