UK-based grocer Asda and leading product discovery and sourcing platform RangeMe have formed a partnership, hoping to garner additional innovative suppliers and products that are most relevant to their customers’ demand.
In a release this week, RangeMe said Asda aims to increase the number of new and innovative products available to consumers by using RangeMe’s global sourcing platform.
“We've already received hundreds of product pitches from really exciting, emerging suppliers as a result of our partnership with RangeMe,” Asda Senior Director of Commercial Strategy Ben Smith said in the release. “Through the launch of Asda's incubator program, we hope to work with some of these suppliers to get their products onto the shelves in our stores.
"We have a reputation for championing trend-led and innovative products, which this platform is enabling us to source at scale, so we can quickly find and introduce new products into our stores."
Asda was the first of the UK’s big four large grocers to join the platform since its launch last month, the release said, allowing the company to continue to grow its supplier base. With the recently announced supplier incubator program, the company hopes to support more emerging brands, discover innovative products and work with suppliers with a non-traditional retail supply base.
The new partnership with RangeMe will make it easier to source products, according to the release. RangeMe has earned the title as the world's biggest platform where brands can showcase products to clients. They work to assist clients with finding retailers and to discover new, useful tools from brands filtered based on their preference, the release states.
Since its launch in 2014, RangeMe has garnered more than 12,000 retail buyers in the UK, North America and APAC region, the release states.