Walgreens Calls for Diverse Local and Regional Vendor Participation Nationwide at the Localization Summit

The national retailer is looking for community-relevant and diverse vendors to pitch their products at a virtual summit on May 13

DEERFIELD, Ill.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Walgreens announced today that it will participate in the first-ever Localization Summit, a virtual showcase for diverse, local and regional businesses and entrepreneurs to share their retail offerings with the merchants of the national drugstore chain. The virtual event, hosted by ECRM, provides local vendors, the opportunity to connect with Walgreens Merchandising team, share their product, and receive feedback with the ultimate goal of being stocked on Walgreens shelves in their local areas.

“As America’s community pharmacy, Walgreens is continuously looking for ways to highlight and connect with the communities we serve in a deeper and bolder way,” said Kirk Hanselman, interim chief merchandising officer at Walgreens. “This event allows us to create a more meaningful and localized shopping experience by sourcing products from our customers’ neighborhoods that they know and love. We look forward to meeting the diverse group of business leaders and a successful event.”

The May 13 merchandising event will focus on products across grocery and household, apparel, beach, tourism and general merchandise, among others categories. Vendors can find additional information about the virtual event and apply to join, here.

This event comes on the heels of the retailer’s successful virtual Supplier Summit in October, during which Walgreens updated nearly 250 suppliers on growth strategies including Walgreens commitment to local and community roots. This localization summit aims to bring local businesses from all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, to evaluate opportunities to build more locally relevant product offerings for Walgreens customers and deeper collaboration with new suppliers for the future.

All sourcing and product submissions will be made through RangeMe, the industry-standard online product discovery and sourcing platform. ECRM will qualify suppliers, create curated meeting schedules, and facilitate face-to-face virtual meetings with Walgreens buyers so that suppliers can introduce new and innovative products into the marketplace. All Meetings will be conducted through ECRM’s industry leading virtual meeting platform, ECRM Connect, plus, ECRM’s dedicated support team will help ensure that buyer and seller connections are executed seamlessly.

About Walgreens

Walgreens (www.walgreens.com) is included in the Retail Pharmacy USA Division of Walgreens Boots Alliance, Inc. (Nasdaq: WBA), a global leader in retail and wholesale pharmacy. As America’s most loved pharmacy, health and beauty company, Walgreens purpose is to champion the health and well-being of every community in America. Operating more than 9,000 retail locations across America, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, Walgreens is proud to be a neighborhood health destination serving approximately 8 million customers each day. Walgreens pharmacists play a critical role in the U.S. healthcare system by providing a wide range of pharmacy and healthcare services. To best meet the needs of customers and patients, Walgreens offers a true omnichannel experience, with platforms bringing together physical and digital, supported by the latest technology to deliver high-quality products and services in local communities nationwide.