UNFI, Vejii Holdings Sign Agreement
Online plant-based marketplace Vejii Holdings Ltd. has entered into an agreement with United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI), the largest publicly traded grocery distributor in the United States and Canada. Under the terms of the agreement, Vejii expects to greatly improve overall margin based on a tiered discount structure. The deal aims to improve the reliability and consistency of supply for more than 5,000 products across 200 categories.
“The customer shopping experience is our [No. 1] priority,” noted Kory Zelickson, CEO of Kelowna, British Columbia-based Vejii Holdings. “Having a strong relationship with a health and specialty food leader like UNFI allows us to continue rapidly expanding our offering and access a wide variety of brands from across the globe. We are committed to making plant-based products more accessible while also focusing on sustainability, and having the ability to scale with a distributor like UNFI allows us to remain competitive and committed to our customers.”
Carrying a wide range of brands from around the globe, Vejii’s multivendor platform offers such products as grocery, supplements, household supplies and wines, with plans to expand into new categories like clothing, furniture and other sustainable products that align with the shopping habits and lifestyle trends of its customers. Vejii’s technology integrations include smart lists, reorder features, subscription programs and artificial intelligence.
“The Vejii platform has been inspired by a commitment to our customers and their values,” added Zelickson. “By providing high-quality plant-based alternatives that they may not have had access to before, [we] hope to inspire those who may be interested in incorporating just a little more sustainability into their lifestyles, in an easy way. As a national distributor, UNFI works with thousands of brands helping them deliver broader exposure to their products. We offer the ability for these brands to connect directly with their target consumer.”
Providence, R.I.-based UNFI delivers a wide variety of products to customer locations throughout North America, including natural product superstores, independent retailers, conventional supermarket chains, e-commerce retailers and foodservice customers. The largest publicly traded grocery distributor in America, the company is No. 47 on The PG 100, Progressive Grocer’s 2021 list of the top food and consumables retailers in North America.
