Dive Brief:

• New England’s Neon Marketplace has partnered with wholesale outlet Mable to bring locally sourced, better-for-you options to most of its convenience stores, according to an emailed press release on Friday.
• The partnership will bring a limited selection of items to Neon’s Middletown and Portsmouth, Rhode Island, locations. A broader selection of more than 30 new items is coming to stores in Providence and Warwick, Rhode Island, as well as Seekonk, Massachusetts. 
• The selection of brands customers at these locations will soon have access to include veteran-owned 13 Stars Hot Sauce, ethically sourced and women-owned Bixby Chocolate and Nuts ‘N More high-protein peanut butter snacks, all of which are sourced from the New England region.

Dive Insight:

Locally sourced goods can be a differentiator for a store, especially when paired with certain environmental, social and governance (ESG) considerations. A variety of retailers, from Foxtrot to Royal Farms, tout their dedication to local goods as a selling point.  

Boston-based Mable uses drop shipping to offer more than 3,000 emerging, better-for-you brands. 

“Neon was founded to redefine convenience,” Lisa Ritacco, category manager for Neon Marketplace, said. “And adding this lineup of products that are not only locally made, but are made with care by people with a story, whether they are military veterans or female entrepreneurs, furthers that mission and perfectly complements our elevated food and beverage offerings.”

The Mable-sourced items in Providence, Warwick and Seekonk will be set apart in their own customer display areas. Because of its drop-shipping setup, it offers lower minimum orders than many other wholesalers, allowing for more flexibility on the retailer’s end, according to the company’s announcement. 

In addition to its on-shelf offerings, Cranston, Rhode Island-based Neon also features a fresh food program that includes breakfast sandwiches and pizzas, baked goods, salads, sandwiches and more, depending on location. 

Neon, which is owned by Procaccianti Companies, operates four Neon Marketplace locations that are open 24 hours a day and include brick oven pizza and enhanced coffee offerings, as well as two Neon Marketplace Express locations with shorter hours and more limited amenities. A seventh location is expected to open soon in Quincy, Massachusetts.

The company says it focuses its growth on areas currently underserved by other convenience stores or which have a growing population.