Meijer will host a second supplier diversity event in May, giving diverse-owned businesses nationwide the opportunity to showcase their offerings for interested Meijer merchants. This event will focus on the following categories: beauty and personal care, over-the-counter and wellness, general merchandise, and grocery.
Certified minority-, LGBTQ-, woman-, veteran- and disability-owned businesses with retail-ready products in those categories can apply by Monday, March 8.
"Supplier diversity, much like our overarching Diversity & Inclusion efforts, is not about checking boxes or a 'one and done' mentality – it's about ensuring our partnerships reflect our customers and communities," said Peter Whitsett, Meijer executive vice president of Merchandising and Marketing. "By continuing to recruit diverse vendors through these events, we are creating a pipeline of diverse partners that will better serve our customers and communities for years to come."
After meeting with nearly 250 diverse suppliers at its first Supplier Diversity Summit in November, the retailer plans to meet with even more at its upcoming multi-day virtual event.
"Our Supplier Diversity Summit was incredibly successful, and we are excited to begin working with many new partners as a result," said Jamie Akemann, group vice president of Indirect Procurement and Supplier Diversity. "However, it takes time to go from meeting a new vendor partner to carrying their product in hundreds of stores. By holding this second event, and future supplier diversity events, we ensure a consistent flow of new products and partnerships that empower diverse suppliers and create positive economic impacts in our communities."
Related: Meijer on Track to Implement Flashfood Across All Stores; Meijer to Host Virtual Supplier Summit.
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