GRAND RAPIDS, Mich.-Food solutions company SpartanNash (the “Company”) (Nasdaq: SPTN) has expanded its specialty and local food selection for independent grocers and customers across the U.S. through a strategic partnership with Specialty Food Partners (SFP) and a new online platform called SpartanNash SpecialtyDirect.
SpartanNash SpecialtyDirect delivers enhanced offerings and empowers SpartanNash’s 2,100 independent grocer customers to seamlessly browse thousands of newly available product options, place orders and pay consolidated invoices. As grocers face growing demands from shoppers seeking new, unique and local specialty products, this seamless process will save retailers valuable time and operational resources in sourcing those items.
“It’s our promise to continue bringing the best innovation for our customers as shopping habits evolve,” said SpartanNash Senior Vice President and Chief Merchandising Officer Bennett Morgan. “We’re here to ensure independent grocers have everything they need to respond to their customers’ tastes and preferences, without taking away from their valuable time spent managing their grocery stores, servicing their shoppers and supporting their in-store team members. As a customer-focused food solutions company, this is just another distribution benefit we can offer our independent customers to deliver on the ingredients for a better life.”
SpartanNash worked with SFP to update the back-end system to ensure a seamless technology solution, including proper invoice flow, easy ordering and clearly communicated deliveries. SpartanNash SpecialtyDirect makes SpartanNash-supported independent grocery customers more competitive by increasing access to the specialty, seasonal and local items to tailor their product assortment to meet their shoppers’ appetites.
“I have already begun ordering products from SpartanNash SpecialtyDirect, and I would recommend it to any store wanting to offer unique items,” said Alison Steele, owner of Niwot Market, based in Niwot, Colo. an independent grocery customer of SpartanNash. “I have found some specialty items that I can’t procure anywhere else, and I found them easy to order on the website.”
“There is a misconception that only large metro areas have the need for trending and specialty grocery products, but that is definitely not the case and has really shifted over the last few years, resulting in broader demand for these products,” said Tony Lee, founder and CEO of SFP. “SpartanNash is an ideal partner for us because the company’s expansive distribution network to many independent grocery stores across America’s heartland means shoppers don’t have to live in a major city to satisfy their newest flavor exploration or try the latest startup brand.”
About SpartanNash
SpartanNash (Nasdaq: SPTN) is a food solutions company that delivers the ingredients for a better life. As a distributor, wholesaler and retailer with a global supply chain network, SpartanNash customers span a diverse group of national accounts, independent and chain grocers, e-commerce retailers, U.S. military commissaries and exchanges, and the Company’s own brick-and-mortar grocery stores, pharmacies and fuel centers. SpartanNash distributes grocery and household goods, including fresh produce and its Our Family® portfolio of products, to locations in all 50 states, in addition to distributing to the District of Columbia, Europe, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Honduras, Iraq, Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar, Djibouti, Korea and Japan. In addition, the Company owns and operates 145 supermarkets – primarily under the banners of Family Fare, Martin’s Super Markets and D&W Fresh Market – and shares its operational insights to drive innovative solutions for SpartanNash food retail customers. Committed to fostering a People First culture, the SpartanNash family of Associates is 17,500 strong and growing. For more information, visit spartannash.com.
