New solution provides unprecedented product sourcing scale for retailers

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – United Natural Foods Inc. announced it had reached a new milestone in its relationship with RangeMe, the online platform established to empower retail buyers to efficiently discover innovative and emerging products while streamlining the inbound product-submission process.

The evolved relationship between the companies enhances the ability for retailers and emerging suppliers to facilitate purchase orders directly on UNFI’s Easy Options platform through RangeMe, according to an August 18 press release. The companies have worked together for four years.

UNFI is the nation’s largest publicly traded grocery distributor, delivering products to customer locations throughout North America, including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, ecommerce retailers and food service customers. By providing this deeper ‘full-store’ selection and compelling brands for every aisle, UNFI is uniquely positioned to deliver great food, more choices and fresh thinking to customers everywhere.

Easy Options serves small and midsized businesses with flexible order sizes and no frequency requirements. The program provides RangeMe suppliers with an additional outlet to promote their products to retail buyers. In turn, UNFI suppliers set up a profile on RangeMe to enhance and expand visibility for their brands and products.

RangeMe offers product suppliers a platform that enables them to grow their retail relationships while providing the tools to manage their products, market their brand, and build awareness. Now integrated into the ECRM product offering, RangeMe adds increased breadth and depth to the industry’s most complete sourcing solution for top retailers and product suppliers in the United States.

Nicky Jackson, founder and chief executive officer at RangeMe, says the Easy Options platform is focused on facilitating the prevailing way that retailers and suppliers want to do business.

“RangeMe empowers nearly 13,000 retail buyers to efficiently discover innovative and emerging products and we’re excited to expand our work with UNFI to bring tremendous opportunity to a broader set of suppliers and retailers across the industry,” Jackson says.