Schnucks Springboard welcomes first cohort of companies to store shelves
Products that were a part of the first class of Schnucks Springboard local and diverse-owned business accelerator will soon appear on shelves at select Schnucks stores in the St. Louis area. Starting Wednesday, April 23, the companies will receive a four-week trial for their products on a devoted endcap at the following 15 St. Louis-area Schnucks stores:
- Missouri
- Illinois
- Arsenal
- Edwardsville
- Bridgeton
- Godfrey
- Cross Keys
- Granite City
- Des Peres
- Swansea
- Dorsett
- Hampton Village
- Ladue
- Lindenwood
- Richardson
- Richmond Center
- Twin Oaks
Schnucks Springboard was designed to provide education, resources and access to local and diverse-owned businesses, and the companies were selected in partnership with Mid-States Minority Supplier Development Council based on their business stability, incremental sales opportunity, strategic vision and corporate responsibility. In addition to the store trial, company owners also received development classes, network opportunities and $5,000 in equity-free funding.
Schnucks Springboard began accepting applications in early 2024 with the first 10 participants being named last summer. Last month, Schnucks accepted applications for its 2025 Springboard cohort; those accepted will be named at a later date.
Diverse-owned is defined as at least 51% owned, operated and managed by a U.S. citizen or legal U.S. resident that is a member of one or more of the following groups: Woman, Disabled, Black American, Asian American/Pacific Islander, Native American, Hispanic American, LGBTQ and/or U.S. Military Veteran.
[Related: Schnucks Springboard seeks 2nd cohort to participate in local, diverse-owned business accelerator]
“Schnucks is proud to welcome these companies’ high-quality products to our stores’ shelves,” said Adrian Moore, Schnucks senior director of merchandising enablement and supplier diversity. “We look forward to introducing them to our customers and hope to help propel these proprietors to the next level.”
To help introduce the products to customers, several coordinated sampling events will be held at the following stores:
Saturday, May 3
Richmond Center: 10 - 11:30 a.m.
Des Peres: 1 - 2:30 p.m.
Richardson: 4 - 5:30 p.m.
Sunday, May 4
Edwardsville: 10 - 11:30 a.m.
Cross Keys: 1:30 - 3 p.m.
Upon conclusion of the four-week trial, Schnucks category managers will evaluate customer demand and sales of accelerator products to determine if the products will become part of Schnucks’ everyday offerings.
[Read more: Schnucks customers raise more than $135K for United Way]