plpeople.com

Retail consulting focused on Kroger, Kroger Suppliers & Potential Kroger Suppliers

Empowering Brands with Retail Strategies

Our expertise lies in helping businesses develop strategic retail sourcing goals, craft omni-channel private label marketing strategies, facilitate merger & acquisition integration, and assist with customer data management, ensuring success in the competitive market.

Build Strategies with Retailers

PL People have developed a win-win strategy that becomes a game changer in product selection and brand activation. We offer communication campaigns that incorporate omni-strategies. Our team partners with clients to develop seamless brand integration across all platforms. We help to grow the core business and identify areas to drive improvement. As we identify your needs assessment, we can assist with implementing enhanced communication strategies, both internally and externally between your team and the customer.

Strategic Retail Sourcing Goals

PL People's forward-thinking approach helps clients maximize revenue growth and impact. With today’s challenges in businesses, we help you adjust to a constantly changing world. We identify the need for our customers and their clients and customize solutions. It is our ability to innovate by problem solving to keep you ahead of the curve. Our solutions will help lead the way into a future that keeps your company relevant.

Innovation

At PL People, our team creates synergistic relationships as a creative bridge between a brand supplier and the retail experience. We pride ourselves in collaborating with our customers to build custom programs; allowing based on you providing creative input to and see those ideas come to life. We can provide:

A highly experienced team in the industry focused on building strategy, enhancing collaboration, problem solving and bringing projects to the execution phase.

A buyer’s perspective for the product development process.

An experienced view from the consumers lens during each step of the product development phase.

Strengthen communication between your team and the Kroger team throughout the process.

Assistance in building on your current relationship and collaboration with Kroger, by conveying the retailer’s point of view throughout the process.

Location, Destination & Fulfillment

PL People can provide suppliers an avenue for logistics and distribution by utilizing our distribution network. Our distribution centers are throughout the United States and have a team that can assist in managing forecasting and inventory needs. We understand the priorities in providing on time and complete orders to the customer.

Customer Derived Data Driven Assessments

PL People can provide data driven assessments of your business from the customers perspective.

Meet Our Team

Rodger Rinebold

I have over 50 years experience in the food industry including production, QA, buying and sales and marketing. I have a degree in Food Technology from Ohio State University and also attended the University of Cincinnati’s MBA program. My experience includes being a supervisor in a meat plant, a manager of QA and a buyer for The Kroger Company.

I founded M.R. Sales in 1984 to sell/market products to Kroger for their private label products eventually evolving to $150 million in annual sales.

In 2024, I, along with Mark Whited, formed Private Label People (PLP) to work with companies to sell private label products to The Kroger Co. We have offices in Cincinnati, OH and Venice, FL. PLP will assist your company to gain entrance to our retail customers to sell and market your products as well as assist you in strategies and communications with each customer to achieve the highest-level relationship to assure continued success.

Mark Whited

I am a seasoned retail executive with 40 years of experience at The Kroger Co. in retail merchandising, procurement, strategy development, sourcing, and product development. I held roles in store operations, procurement, local merchandising, corporate category management, and led the private label team. During my 16 years in private label management, my role was key in leading company efforts in product development, strategy development, execution, product quality, sourcing, package design, marketing, strategic in-house manufacturing planning and led a team of 60 who grew annual sales from $12B to over $30B.

I am recognized in the industry as a collaborative leader whose expertise is in developing strategy, driving retail execution, problem solving, and fostering collaboration between suppliers and Kroger to exceed sales and profit goals.

During my tenure as Director of Our Brands at Kroger, my leadership stretched across all center store and perishable departments. I played a key role in numerous effective initiatives, including Kroger’s strategic launch of the Simple Truth brand, expansion of the Private Selection brand, and developing numerous other in house brands while leading our relentless focus on the continual growth for our customer’s love of the Kroger brand.

I am ready to assist you; in building strategies with retailers, enhancing communication with the retailer, understanding the retailer’s strategic sourcing goals, omni-channel private label marketing strategy, merger & acquisition integration and assisting with customer data to drive your results.

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