Food solutions company SpartanNash plans to host its largest event in company history, for more than 2,000 independent grocers, vendors and SpartanNash associates.
The gathering will be July 26-27 at the SpartanNash Food Solutions Expo in Grand Rapids, Mich., according to a news release.
The theme is “Playing to Win + 10 Together.” The idea is that winning requires a team-sport mentality, and the “10 Together” part of the event logo celebrates the last 10 years of SpartanNash since the merger of Spartan Stores and Nash Finch in 2013.
Attendees will get several firsthand peeks, including the latest advancements in the company’s supply chain and merchandising transformations, as well as enhanced customer-service solutions and OwnBrands offerings.
“Our expo brings together top vendor partners and thousands of customers and associates from across the country for an annual exchange of best practices, innovative thinking and food solutions,” SpartanNash CEO Tony Sarsam said in the release. “It’s our responsibility to help our independent customers grow by facilitating these relationships, sharing success strategies and continuing to invest in their business with initiatives like our merchandising transformation.”
Recent SpartanNash acquisition
Earlier in 2023, SpartanNash acquired Great Lakes Foods, an independent grocery wholesaler. That deal added many independent retail customers to the roster, as well as a 300,000-square-foot distribution center in Menominee, Mich.
That center will serve more efficiently SpartanNash’s existing and new customers across the Midwest and Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.
Explaining SpartanNash
SpartanNash is a publicly traded company (Nasdaq: SPTN) that operates two complementary business segments: food wholesale and grocery retail. Its global supply chain network serves wholesale customers that include independent and chain grocers, national retail brands, e-commerce platforms, and U.S. military commissaries and exchanges. The company distributes products for every aisle in the grocery store, from fresh produce to household goods to its OwnBrands, which includes the Our Family portfolio of products.
Related: SpartanNash to use Afresh artificial intelligence for 10 Family Fare supermarkets
On the retail side, SpartanNash operates 144 brick-and-mortar grocery stores, primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin's Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market, in addition to dozens of pharmacies and fuel centers. Leveraging insights and solutions across its segments, SpartanNash offers a full suite of support services for independent grocers.
SpartanNash offers several kinds of business solutions, including a coordinated program for marketing; merchandising expertise; pharmacy; asset protection; financial and retail technology support; and award-winning OwnBrands products.
Because SpartanNash also operates its own retail stores, it is qualified to provide industry insights to grow independent retail businesses, the company said. Through partnering with the company, customers have access to the tools, insights and technologies available to big retail chains.
The SpartanNash Food Solutions Expo is a private event at DeVos Place Convention Center. For more information, SpartanNash customers and vendors can visit here.