7-Eleven gains edge in CPG battleground

7-Eleven follows Kroger and other retailers looking for an edge in the CPG battleground by launching an emerging brands event.

The company announced that it is looking for innovative and emerging brands to participate in its inaugural "Next Up" event on Thursday, Oct. 11 at the 7-Eleven Store Support Center in Irving, Texas. According to the company, the full-day event will give up-and-coming brands an opportunity to share their products with 7-Eleven's merchandising team and learn more about the world's largest convenience retailer.

"7-Eleven has a 91-year history of innovation. Customers are changing faster than ever before and continue to look to 7-Eleven to bring innovative, fresh, and better-for-you products to their local 7-Eleven store," said Chris Harkness, 7-Eleven Vice President of Business Development and Sales & Field Merchandising. "The millions of daily U.S. customers who visit our stores expect 7-Eleven to have what they need to make their busy lives easier."

Companies that apply before Monday, Sept. 17 have a chance to win the Next Up Scholarship, which covers airfare for 2 business representatives. Attending brands will be able to get an inside peek of the merchandising world at 7-Eleven.

Other retailers have also looked for ways to bring an edge to their CPG tactics. These methods include environmentally-friendly packaging and promoting sustainable such as Kroger, who reported its sustainability progress in July. This was the company's first report published in accordance with the latest GRI Sustainability Reporting Standards. Kroger utilized a comprehensive stakeholder engagement process to identify the most important and emerging sustainability issues, to demonstrate its commitment to applying each of GRI's Reporting Principles: Identification, Prioritization and Validation. Kroger also formalized and refined several key sustainability commitments in this year's report, including a formalized sustainability commitment and statement on human rights and Advancing Innovation: Kroger shared plans for its Zero Hunger │ Zero Waste Innovation Fund with the goal of funding new ideas and scalable solutions to help end hunger, and particularly, to prevent and reduce food waste.

7-Eleven’s event includes sessions with industry experts who will discuss the important role of emerging brands in the retail space. Keynote speakers include 7-Eleven Senior Vice President Jack Stout, in charge of Merchandising, Marketing and Demand Chain, as well as former Whole Foods Co-Chief Executive Officer, Walter Robb. The day will end with a networking event where entrepreneurs can share ideas with the 7-Eleven merchandising team in a more informal atmosphere.

To participate, companies can apply at https://sites.7-eleven.com/corp/next-up. The deadline for applications is Tuesday, Oct. 2.