ARLINGTON, Va.—Retailers, wholesalers, distributors and suppliers are invited to participate in thought-provoking discussions and attend hands-on business sessions to learn new ideas to increase profits and discover valuable opportunities in private brands retailing at the Private Brands Summit, June 14 to 16, 2010 at the Palmer House Hilton in Chicago.
“The goal of all trading partners is to better serve customers,” said Pat Walsh, vice president of industry relations, education and research at the Food Marketing Institute (FMI). “The Private Brands Summit is an ideal opportunity to bring together trading partners to identify valuable opportunities and plan strategies to meet customer needs and maximize private brand sales in their stores.”
Sobeys Inc. president and CEO Bill McEwan will deliver the opening keynote address, titled “The Future of Private Brands – A Retailer’s Perspective.” As a leader in private brands innovation, merchandising and retailing, McEwan will discuss ideas to create a unique value proposition and share key strategies to drive consumer value.
Thom Blischok, president of global innovation and shopper marketing at SymphonyIRI Group, will discuss how shoppers are consuming less and searching for the best deals as they redefine what value means to them in his keynote address, “Preparing for Business as Unusual.”
“A Wall Street Perspective — What’s Next for Private Brands,” presented by Andrew Sawyer, vice president of global investment research at Goldman Sachs, will serve as the keynote address on the second day of the summit. Sawyer will share what a major resurgent consumer product goods company is doing to expand its presence in several private brand categories.
New research from Buxton on consumer shopping attitudes and behaviors will be released at the summit. The research will provide an analysis of different consumer groups and strategies for targeting stores and consumers. The company will also present a new marketing approach to target the exact consumers who are likely to be deciding between national brands and private brands when they are shopping.
Other sessions will focus on shopping behaviors and consumer insights as it pertains to brand loyalty, nutrition, food safety and social media. Many industry leaders from retail, wholesale, distribution and manufacturing are among the featured speakers at the summit.
FMI conducts programs in public affairs, food safety, research, education and industry relations on behalf of its 1,500 member companies of food retailers and wholesalers in the United States and around the world. FMI's U.S. members operate approximately 26,000 retail food stores and 14,000 pharmacies. Their combined annual sales volume of $680 billion represents three-quarters of all retail food store sales in the United States. FMI's retail membership is composed of large multi-store chains, regional firms and independent supermarkets. Its international membership includes 200 companies from more than 50 countries. FMI's associate members include the supplier partners of its retail and wholesale members.