Bubs Australia’s first consignment flight left Melbourne airport on Sunday for Los Angeles as part of the “Operation Fly Formula” Mission to help ease the national supply shortage in the USA.
The flight held around 95,000 tins of Bubs infant formula – to fill just over 2 million bottles – and will be purchased by two major infant formula retailers in the USA; The Kroger Co. and Albertsons Companies.
Distribution to stores will be expedited and product is expected to be available in retail stores from 20 June 2022.
Bubs founder and CEO, Kristy Carr said the company had been working around the clock to ensure the critical supplies made it to retail shelves in the US.
“This significant expansion of our retail footprint to over 4000 stores across 35 States is a truly exciting development; Bubs will be the only Australian made infant formula available for sale in the USA,” said Carr.
On 1 June, Bubs share price soared 40 per cent to 68 cents on the news, with the USA Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announcing on 27 May it had approved the import of all six Bubs infant formula products across its Supreme A2 Beta-Casein Protein, Organic Grass Fed, Easy-digest Goat Milk Infant Formula ranges.
Bubs chair Dennis Lin said, “We identified the US as a strategic market two years ago, and our commitment to invest has thankfully coincided with American families’ time of need.
“This allows us to accelerate our strategic vision as well as provide support that goes to the heart of Bubs DNA.”
The following week the company announced that The Kroger Co., one of the largest retailers in the US based on annual sales, would be stocking the product range as well as Albertsons Companies.
Kroger has 2750 grocery retail stores serving 11 million customers a day across 35 states. Albertsons is one of the largest food and drug retailers with more than 2200 stores in 34 states with numerous well-known retail banners.
Bubs has an established relationship with Kroger through Ralph’s, Fry’s, Fred Meyer and Food4Less, and Kroger has confirmed the range of all six Bubs Infant Formula products, as well as both Aussie Bubs Toddler Formula products, will be sold in almost all retail banners within the Kroger group.
