February 22, 2023
![8 natural retailers to get to know at Expo West 8 natural retailers to get to know at Expo West](https://eu-images.contentstack.com/v3/assets/blt09e5e63517a16184/blt2590ed5485b88106/64f23e1a8db8d3492c56260e/Checkout_Retailers_attending_Natural_Products_Expo_West_1.png?width=700&auto=webp&quality=80&disable=upscale)
Checkout: Healthy Edge Retail Group keeps business local "We're constantly looking at trends in both natural and conventional, and we're always in communication with our store and area managers. We launch new products about once a month, so we're looking at products every single day to ensure that they meet our ingredient standards and check all the boxes to get onto our shelves." — Jeff Shackelford, vice president of purchasing
Checkout: Organic Marketplace educates staff "[In 1992], it was just me working seven days a week. I kept a card catalog of my customers, and on days when no one walked through the door, I'd call them to ask how this or that product was treating them. I became involved in their lives. To this day, their children and their children's children come in and tell me they remember me. There is absolutely nothing better than being in business for 30 years and having three generations come in." — Renée Southard, owner
Checkout: Kimberton Whole Foods embraces organic "In any industry, keeping money in the hands of the local economy is just a good thing versus money being extracted by national companies headquartered who knows where. Most of the supermarkets in our area were short of inventory during the early days of the pandemic whereas we were not. Direct sourcing kept our meat, egg and dairy shelves full. For many customers, this was a wakeup call or affirmation that a locally sourced food supply is much more sustainable long-term." — Terry Brett, co-founder
Checkout: Natural Grocers is the natural industry's standard-bearer "We’ve always had a list of unacceptable ingredients that we won’t sell, and we’re always reassessing our quality standards…Product quality is combined with our commitment to always-affordable prices. Unfortunately, the health food industry has gotten a reputation for being expensive, but it doesn’t have to be that way…When we negotiate deals, we pass on the savings to customers." — Heather Isely, co-vice president
Checkout: Eli Lesser-Goldsmith on growing natural retail in Vermont "The next phase of retail is all about great retail, and great retail is poised for an amazing next decade. Great retailers won’t just survive, they’ll thrive, whereas stores that rest on their laurels and don’t progress will have a hard time. I think the differentiators in retail over the last few years have been experience and location, and those will continue to be the two most important things." — Eli Lesser-Goldsmith, CEO
Scott Nash: Devoted food waste warrior, organic stalwart, progressive retailer "I don’t consider myself a cheap person, but I am someone who despises waste. It is painful to waste a dollar; it is painful to waste resources—and it takes a lot of resources to produce food. As a grocer, when shopping our stores, I always look at dates because I want to take the older items and leave the newer foods for customers. Knowing an item will be thrown away because it’s nearing or past its expiration date, I’ll take it home and eat it." — Scott Nash, founder
Jeff Kaufman: Plant-based champion long before it was cool "The goal is to have a positive influence on our community and the planet. We decided over the years that we’d lose so many customers if we cut out all animal products, and it is better to have all those people coming into our store. Because that way, we are better able to positively influence them. If meat is X percent of someone’s diet, we can hopefully help make that percentage less and less through our promotion of plant-based products." — Jeff Kaufman, founder
Natural retail veteran helps Fresh Thyme flourish "We like to say we combine the spirit of a weekend farmers market with the convenience of a neighborhood grocery store. We stock fresh, organic produce at affordable prices. We’re deeply committed to serving the communities where we’re located by employing local residents and contributing to local causes. We’ve also made our stores as approachable as possible. We’ve kept the footprints small and the aisles short so they are easy to navigate, and we’re dedicated to ensuring we have the highest quality, on-trend items for all sorts of specialty diets and food allergies." — Jonathan Lawrence, general manager and director of vitamins and body care (at time of publication)
Natural retail veteran helps Fresh Thyme flourish "We like to say we combine the spirit of a weekend farmers market with the convenience of a neighborhood grocery store. We stock fresh, organic produce at affordable prices. We’re deeply committed to serving the communities where we’re located by employing local residents and contributing to local causes. We’ve also made our stores as approachable as possible. We’ve kept the footprints small and the aisles short so they are easy to navigate, and we’re dedicated to ensuring we have the highest quality, on-trend items for all sorts of specialty diets and food allergies." — Jonathan Lawrence, general manager and director of vitamins and body care (at time of publication)
Without retailers, Natural Products Expo West would be just a very big show-and-tell event. With retailers, it's a gathering of the natural products community, a place to learn what's new at every link of the supply chain and, not least of all, a giant marketplace.
So who are these retailers? They might be buyers from nationwide supermarket chains, managers of regional chains or founders/owners who have served their neighborhoods for 20, 30 or even 40 years.
Just as the retailers aren't homogenous, neither are their stores. In 2021, the natural products market reached $204.6 billion. Of that, independent and small chains accounted for $36.2 billion in sales, while large chains and specialty stores rang up $27.8 billion in sales, according to Natural Foods Merchandiser's Market Overview data. That same report found that more than 1,200 natural food stores were very small: 3,000 square feet or smaller; another 1,571 fell in the 3,001 square feet to 6,000 square feet range; and more than 2,600 supermarkets were at least 6,000 square feet. Add in more than 3,400 health food stores and about 1,500 supplement stores and those independents and small chains total 10,364 locations.
New Hope Network serves both retailers and brands, introducing one to the other and helping them connect. As Natural Products Expo West approaches, we present several retailers that have shared their stories with us. Click through the galllery to meet them.
For a partial list of retailers who are attending Expo West, visit this page at ExpoWest.com.
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