Unitas hosts Brand Ignition Live to bring impulse suppliers together with members

Unitas recently held a two-day event, Brand Ignition Live, which brought together 12 impulse suppliers with the group’s independent wholesale members in order to share brand plans and align on ‘big bet’ campaigns and NPD.

“This event perfectly demonstrates how we can execute with power and purpose across the group,” said Belinda Parkinson, head of marketing at Unitas. “Brand Ignition Live provides invaluable time efficiency when everyone is so busy, enabling the right people to have the right conversations that will result in collaborative action.”

Ashleigh Cheetham, head of trading – retail at Unitas, added: “The suppliers and members that attended the event saw how, by combining our size, scale and reach with our data-rich insight and industry knowledge, we can create plans that will lead to genuinely transformational results. The event has resulted in creative and collaborative thinking which showcases how the best business is done when people are together in the same room.”

Rajan Radia, trading controller at Dhamecha, commented: “The Ignition Brand Event was an excellent opportunity to save time and maximise engagement with key brand suppliers. It allowed us to meet with a wide range of major suppliers in one place, gaining valuable insight into their plans, priorities and strategies for the year ahead.

“This approach avoids the need for multiple meetings spread across several days, making the process far more efficient. The informal setting also encourages open conversations, stronger relationships and direct engagement with suppliers, helping us better understand their plans and identify opportunities for the year ahead.”

Following Brand Ignition Live, Unitas will hold an online Brand Ignition event on 18-19 November where 36 impulse, grocery and licensed suppliers will host virtual booths and present brand plans to Unitas member businesses’ marketing and trading teams.