Spud will be opening 5 vendor spots to
women-led brands starting March 5th
to help women get #HerFairShare
VANCOUVER, BC, March 5,
2024 /CNW/ - While Canadian female-founded and led
businesses have been on the rise over the past five years, female
entrepreneurs still face barriers when trying to get their products
onto shelves.
Creating spaces for new female-led brands on grocery
shelves.
Online grocery retailer Spud takes pride in supporting women in
business. However, they also recognize that there is always more we
can do to promote equity for women. That's why, this International
Women's Day, Spud is introducing #HerFairShare—a commitment
to getting more women-led brands on grocery shelves, starting at
Spud.
With #HerFairShare, Spud aims to grow its selection of women-led
brands from 20% to 25% by 2025. This initiative begins with
Spud creating 5 new openings on its storefront exclusively for
women-led brands, with applications opening on March 4th.
The grocery retail landscape presents a myriad of distinctive
and challenging obstacles. In 2023, many large retailers began
telling suppliers the cost of getting products on shelves would be
rising to help fund improvements to the retailer, ultimately
pushing the vendors to pay more for their spot. For female-led
businesses trying to enter the market, this listing rate increase
can discourage them from even attempting to break into the
space.
Spud does not charge a listing fee for vendors to be stocked on
their shelves, nor does it implement price change fees. These
seemingly small practices can have a major impact on vendors who
are entering the grocery industry or launching their business.
"At Spud, we've never charged listing fees as a means to provide
easier entry for local and independent brands into the grocery
space, removing barriers and jumpstarting their brands. It's a
symbiotic relationship between Spud and startup brands; we offer a
platform for their business growth while connecting local brands
with compelling founder stories directly to our customers, who are
passionate about supporting the local economy," said Bridget
Westerholz, VP of Marketing at Spud.
"For small businesses, every dollar counts, and with slim profit
margins, even a small loss can have a significant impact. That's
why support from businesses like Spud, who not only provide another
sales channel and marketing support but also waive costs like
stocking fees, is invaluable," said Katie
Ruddell, a Spud female vendor and Founder of Kokomo.
#HerFairShare aligns with Spud's long-term priority of enhancing
visibility for women in the CPG and grocery category while
fostering economic growth for female founders and the broader local
economy. "#HerFairShare echoes our dedication to local communities
by championing and empowering female vendors in our backyard. By
prioritizing local purchases, we keep money within our local
economies, diminish carbon emissions by reducing transportation
needs, and give visibility to smaller brands that do not have the
resources to enter large-chain grocers. There's so much power in
buying local," said Bridget Westerholz.
"Spud was one of the first local retailers to say yes and offer
Verily as an option for customers," said Karlene Karst, Founder of Verily Kitchen. "They
were an excellent partner in the early stages, helping us get
Verily off the ground. They've always been a supportive local
partner. Locally-minded businesses must support each other because
without local support, expanding into other markets becomes much
more difficult as a brand founder."
To apply as a vendor under the #HerFairShare initiative or to
help every woman in business get #HerFairShare
visit Spud.ca/herfairshare. Spud is also making it easier to
support and shop for women-led/founded brands with a curated page
of Spud's women-led brands to shop from at Spud.ca.
About Spud:
Since its formation in 1998, Spud has provided families with
healthy, locally sourced groceries, ordered online and sustainably
delivered. We've grown to offer over 10,000 products to customers
in Western Canada, obtaining B
Corp certification and strengthening the communities we operate in.
Find out more at spud.ca.
SOURCE Freshlocal Solutions Inc.
