ECRM is honoring nine retailers for their excellence in sourcing, merchandising and supplier collaboration in its second annual Merchant Team of the Year award. This year's winners span 10 categories across food, HBC and general merchandise across the channels of food, drug, mass and value.

“We congratulate the winners of the 2017 Merchant Team of The Year Awards," said Wayne Bennett, SVP of Retail for ECRM. "In today’s highly competitive retail environment, our retail winners across 10 product categories are focused on strong supplier partnerships routed in co-creation and collaboration to grow sales."

Ballots were sent to suppliers across 10 categories, who were aked to vote against a vetted list of retailers selected based on their sales performance in those categories. Suppliers voted for those retailers that have demonstrated excellence in the following areas of focus: new product launches, product sourcing, supplier relations, collaborative partnerships and joint business planning practices.


Following is a list of winners, and the category for which they won (Please note that Kroger won for both the Pet and Beer/Wine categories):

• Ahold USA: Frozen
• Albertsons: Own Brands Grocery
• CVS: Beauty
• Kroger: Beer & Wine
• Kroger: Pet
• Meijer: Health Care
• Sam's Club: Home & Housewares
• Target: School & Office Supplies
• Walgreens: Own Brand HBC
• Walmart: Candy