RICHMOND, Va., Aug. 24, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- GPM Investments, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of ARKO Corp. (Nasdaq: ARKO), is announcing its first “Open Buying Day” in partnership with ECRM & RangeMe, the leading online product sourcing platform for retailers and suppliers. The virtual event invites emerging suppliers to showcase and sell products to GPM’s approximately 1,400 company-operated stores.
Suppliers across all categories are welcome to apply for a chance to present and sell their products directly to GPM stores across its entire family of community brands. Interested suppliers must be able to distribute to at least 80% of GPM’s stores via Core-Mark, Grocery Supply Co. or through direct store delivery (DSD) and meet all insurance requirements. Suppliers that are currently doing business with GPM or have presented the product to GPM in the last six months are ineligible to participate.
To apply, suppliers must visit https://www.rangeme.com/gpminvestments for consideration between August 23, 2021 and September 5, 2021. GPM will review submissions and notify suppliers selected for the event individually. Qualified suppliers will be invited to attend the event virtually on October 26th or October 27th.
“We are look forward to conducting our first open buying day, inviting suppliers from around the world to showcase their products to the Category Team at GPM. You never know where the next new item or category will come from. We are always looking for new growth opportunities to meet our customers’ needs,” said Michael Bloom, Executive Vice President and Chief Marketing and Merchandising Officer at GPM Investments, LLC. “Partnering with RangeMe allows us to streamline the process and build relationships with a wide variety of suppliers. This translates to capturing innovation potentially earlier than others, a robust assortment of products for our customers to choose from, and ultimately more sales for our stores, benefitting all stakeholders.”
“We are excited that GPM Investments has chosen ECRM/RangeMe to support key merchandising initiatives including the upcoming Open Buying Day program,” said Wayne Bennett, Senior Vice President of Retail at ECRM/RangeMe. “We are confident that our tools will support the team to drive optimal assortments to drive category growth.”
To learn more about GPM stores, visit: www.gpminvestments.com. To learn more about ARKO, visit: www.arkocorp.com.
About GPM:
GPM Investments, LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of ARKO Corp., a family of community brands, is based in Richmond, Virginia and operates or supplies stores in 33 states and Washington D.C. As the 6th largest convenience store chain in the country, GPM has approximately 3,000 locations comprised of approximately 1,400 company-operated stores and 1,650 dealer sites to which it supplies fuel. GPM operates in three reportable segments: retail, which consists of fuel and merchandise sales to retail consumers; wholesale, which supplies fuel to third-party dealers and consignment agents; and GPM Petroleum, which supplies fuel to GPM and its subsidiaries (both in the retail and wholesale segments). Its stores offer its fas REWARDS® high value loyalty program, a large selection of beverages, coffee, fountain drinks, candy, salty snacks, and many other products to meet the needs of the everyday customer. One feature, setting many of its convenience stores apart is a wide array of proprietary food offerings ranging from fresh chicken, fresh-made salads, and sandwiches to healthy, grab-and-go meals.
About ECRM:
ECRM brings efficiencies and effectiveness to the buying and selling process by propelling connections between buyers and suppliers through key programs that utilize virtual and face-to-face platforms. With 25 years of experience, ECRM’s programs promote relationships, forward thinking insights along with process efficiencies. ECRM works with companies around the world in a variety of different categories including food & beverage, general merchandise, health & beauty care, pharmacy & medical markets and foodservice. ECRM also owns RangeMe, a product discovery platform.
About RangeMe
RangeMe, an ECRM company, is the leading online platform that streamlines new product discovery between suppliers and retailers. The platform empowers retail buyers to efficiently discover innovative and emerging products, while streamlining the inbound product submission process. For product suppliers, RangeMe enables them to grow their retail relationships with a platform that gives them 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 US.
Media Contact
Andrew Petro
Matter on behalf of ARKO
(978) 518-4531
apetro@matternow.com
Investor Contact
Chris Mandeville
ICR on behalf of ARKO
ARKO@icrinc.com
