Save A Lot eyes expanded product sourcing

Discount grocer Save A Lot is leveraging the RangeMe online product discovery platform to source new and innovative suppliers.

RangeMe, a subsidiary of Efficient Collaborative Retail Marketing (ECRM), said Tuesday that Save A Lot will have access to more than 200,000 suppliers, with the end goal of sourcing novel private- and national-brand products, increasing selection and providing continued value for its consumers. The grocery banner carries an inventory of roughly 70% private brands.

“Save A Lot is a limited-assortment, hometown value grocer. That means we are laser-focused on providing convenience, value and quality products for everyone who walks through our doors,” Tom Burkemper, vice president of direct-store delivery and merchandising services at St. Louis-based Save A Lot, said in a statement. “The differentiator for us is that through our partnership with RangeMe, we are able to more quickly source, evaluate and customize assortment options for our retail partners.”

“This helps to ensure we bring a great selection of items tailored to meet the quality standards and market specific needs of our retail partners and the customers they serve.” — Tom Burkemper, Save A Lot (Photo courtesy of RangeMe)

Designed for retail buyers and suppliers, RangeMe’s platform uses a dashboard to put thousands of products at buyers’ fingertips, making it easier to find and compare items. Automatic alerts are sent to buyers when new products meet their selection criteria. In turn, retail buyers can more efficiently source innovative new products and manage the inbound product submission process, according to San Francisco-based RangeMe.

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“RangeMe allows us to review vendor submissions at the national, regional and local market level,” Burkemper explained. “This helps to ensure we bring a great selection of items tailored to meet the quality standards and market specific needs of our retail partners and the customers they serve.”

On the supplier side, RangeMe provides added control over product marketing along with wider access to retail buyers. Suppliers can upload full details of their products to the platform for buyers to review. In addition, suppliers know when their products are being viewed and can receive feedback from buyers, and buyers can instantly contact suppliers of interest or track a product to be alerted about any updates.

“Save A Lot understands that providing the best products at the best prices is often the driving force behind shoppers’ purchases,” commented Nicky Jackson, founder and CEO of RangeMe. “RangeMe’s ability to connect them with an array of suppliers across CPG categories will help aid in their product discovery and scale their product sourcing in an efficient, streamlined manner.”

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Overall, Save A Lot operates 13 distribution centers and serves more than 850 stores in 32 states. Since December 2021, the company has operated under a wholesale business model in which independent grocers own and operate Save A Lot supermarkets via a relicensing program and receive marketing and other support services, including private label. In its hometown of St. Louis, Save A Lot owns and operates 18 stores as a test market for innovations and new programs.