Episode # 93. On today's show we are joined by Roberta Townes - Senior Category Merchant at GNC. Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast at Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. Plus- give us a follow on LinkedIn. Learn more at www.road2retail.com. Roberta shares with us the role emerging brands play at GNC and what she looks for in these brands. Specific discussion points covered include: - What do you look for in an emerging brand? Spoiler alert: a great story, solid marketing, and the potential to add incremental performance to the category.- How to get a meeting with a buyer and what should be included in a presentation deck.- She discusses GNC's commitment to high quality products- all brands are vetted through their legal and science team members.- Roberta shares the variety of ways they launch products at GNC and how she helps brands navigate the onboarding process and her performance expectations.- A common theme across successful emerging brands is the presence of a solid and effective marketing plan put in place at the start (and ongoing) to drive demand. Enjoy the show! Please subscribe to the Road 2 Retail podcast on Apple podcasts, Spotify or our YouTube channel. You can also follow us on LinkedIn. Please share the show with a colleague and leave us a review. Learn more at www.road2retail.com.