Commentary From Our Chairman / CEO
“Fire it Up!” for your Shoppers
Michael D. Sleeper, Chief Executive Officer, Imperial Distributors, Inc.
As summer 2014 winds down and back to school season begins, we prepare, working with retailers, for the 2015 season. The Imperial Spring/Summer Seasonal Show is September 30 – October 1 at the DCU Center in Worcester, MA, and this one is special. Imperial is celebrating its 75th year in business and we plan to “Fire it Up!”.
We have come a long way since our first Seasonal Show in 1998. Product offerings are far more extensive and appealing. The focus is on multiple selling “events” tailored to reflect the demographics of shoppers. We target our offerings to value, mainstream and premium retailers. We customize, not commoditize. For example, supermarkets in Boston with thousands of college students require a very different “Back to School” assortment than what is needed in rural Maine. New Hampshire stores sell camping related products while Cape Cod stores focus on products for the beach. We now have the ability to recommend products based on store specific demographics. Whether it’s urban, suburban, country or resort stores, focusing on the shopper will result in increased sales and profit for our retailers – and that’s our mission.
Seasonal Shows are a great opportunity for our retailers to enhance the shopping experience by working collaboratively with manufacturers and brokers. We are pleased to facilitate those conversations and relationships.
We have added an educational component to our Seasonal Show with industry leaders. This year, Peter Larkin, President of the National Grocers Association will be our keynote speaker.
Much has changed since those first Seasonal Shows, and we’re excited to “Fire it Up!” as we celebrate our 75th anniversary.
For comments or questions, contact us by phone at 508-756-5156, or e-mail: msleeper@imperialdistributors.com