Grand Rapids, Michigan-based Meijer has begun seeking submissions from local and diverse-owned businesses for its Supplier Diversity event focusing on general merchandise and apparel.
Vendors must provide video submissions, describing their brand and products, by Sept. 18 to be considered for the virtual event this fall.
“While we’ve made great strides to ensure our vendors represent our customers in terms of both diversity and geography across our stores, we’re excited to hold this event that specifically focuses on general merchandise and apparel,” said Peter Whitsett, EVP of merchandising and marketing, Meijer.
Meijer’s latest supplier diversity initiative targets certified minority-, LGBTQ+-, woman-, veteran- and disability-owned businesses based anywhere in the country, as well as vendors based within Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, Kentucky and Wisconsin.
Diverse or locally-owned brands with retail-ready products in the general merchandise or apparel categories can apply here. As part of the application process, vendors must submit brief, 3-minutes-or-less videos that provide background on their business and products. Meijer’s example video can be found here.
The videos can be created on smartphones; however, they must include the following information:
- Introduction of themselves and their business;
- Detailed descriptions of the products they offer;
- Background on their production and supply chain; and
- Recommended retail price.
Once applications for the event are submitted, Meijer will review and select finalists. Finalists will submit additional details via the retailer’s partner, RangeMe, and attend a training session before pitching their products live to Meijer merchants.
While they may not qualify for this event, diverse or local vendors carrying services or products outside of the categories mentioned above are encouraged to submit their information for consideration through the retailer’s prospective vendor page.
