Meijer Exec to Keynote New Store Brands Event

ORLANDO, Fla. — Consumers want private label products that consistently deliver on quality and innovation. True retailer-supplier partnerships not only advance innovation, but also work to maintain the standards the customer expects.

Convenience Store News sister publication Store Brands announced that Adam Salzwedel, own brand lead with Grand Rapids, Mich.-based Meijer Inc., will be the opening keynote speaker for the 2016 Store Brands Innovation & Collaboration Summit and discuss how to pinpoint the best opportunities for true retailer-supplier innovation partnerships — and how to ensure the success of such partnerships.

Meijer, a pioneer of the “one-stop shopping” concept, operates 223 supercenters and grocery stores throughout Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin. Meijer stores have evolved through the years to include expanded fresh produce and meat departments, as well as pharmacies, comprehensive apparel departments, garden centers and electronics offerings.

As previously reported, Stagnito Business Information + Edgell Communications, parent company of Convenience Store News and Store Brands, are combining the best elements of Store Brands' Innovation & Marketing Summit with those of Store Brands' Collaboration Summit to bring the private-brand industry an exciting, new event this year: the Innovation & Collaboration Summit. 

The new event will be held Aug. 15-17 at the Hyatt Grand Cypress hotel in Orlando.

The Summit will feature an innovation-focused education program designed to help retailers, suppliers and service providers take today's store brand programs to the next level. In addition, the event will provide opportunities for private meetings between retailers and private label suppliers/service providers — and plenty of networking time for everyone. The event is the only conference of its kind in the United States.

Attendees will learn how to identify untapped or under-tapped private brand opportunities, achieve greater profitability and faster time to market, and forge mutually beneficial collaborative partnerships.

Sessions will cover topics ranging from sustainability and transparency, to European success stories, to regulatory challenges and omnichannel opportunities.

For more information or to register, visit www.storebrands.com/summit2016.