Getting on the Shelves and Succeeding at Costco

With 107 warehouse stores in its 13-state Midwest region, Costco can be a partner with which emerging Natural Products brands can grow. To provide the big picture on these opportunities, Naturally Chicago is presenting Getting on the Shelves and Succeeding at Costco, a free webinar on Tuesday, January 23, 1:30-2:45 p.m. central.

Amy Becker, Assistant General Merchandise Manager for Costco's Midwest region, will lead off the webinar with a wide-ranging presentation on how Costco selects brands to stock and how the grocery chain works in hand-in-glove partnership with their brands to help them succeed and grow.

Amy then will segue into a panel discussion — moderated by Naturally Chicago Managing Director Jim Slama — in which she will be joined by leaders from two companies than have longstanding robust relationships with Costco:

· Amylu Foods: Founder and Chief Creative Officer Amylu Kurzawski, who pioneered the chicken sausage category when she started the Chicago company in 1992, and Elisa Allan, who performs a broker role for Amylu Foods.

· Good Foods Group: This company, which makes natural, refrigerated dips and salads, will be represented by CEO/Founder Kurt Penn and Alex Marquis, company's Club National Accounts Manager

Among the topics the panelists will discuss:

· Costco's four major priorities for brands — partnership, constant communication, innovation, and meeting Costco's food safety standards and certification requirements

· How smaller companies get their foot in the door with Costco and grow as their relationship with Costco flourishes

· Why it's important to start small and learn the pattern and vibe of Costco

· How brands can leverage their position in Costco for overall business growth while driving down costs

· How brands can best differentiate their items from similar products on shelf at Costco

And make sure to bring your questions for the Q&A period following the panel discussion.

If you have a brand and are seeking greater shelf presence with major retailers — or are just interested in learning more about this topic — this is a webinar you don't want to miss.