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SAN ANTONIO, Texas — As senior business development manager for H-E-B, Lael Wilder oversees several health and wellness categories with a focus on delivering the best possible assortment of vitamins and mineral supplements, digestive health aids, and a variety of diet and nutrition brands. She is a champion of wellness at H-E-B and an advocate for the grocer’s initiative to empower H-E-B’s customers to be proactive about their health.
Wilder’s H-E-B career, which now spans more than 28 years, began in September 1996, following stints as a buyer and merchandise planner at Dillard’s department stores, Bath & Body Works and The Limited. A graduate of Baylor University, Wilder started out as a biology major but soon found business a better fit. Her interest in retailing was sparked by an aunt who had worked as a retail buyer.
In 2007 Wilder took charge of the vitamin and mineral supplements (VMS) category for H-E-B. In the following years she has learned the intricacies of that business. Among the lessons learned, she noted, is that brands alone cannot drive success; having the right product mix for the customer base is essential.
In fact, recognizing what customers want can deliver big successes, she said. For example, in 2009-2010, she sensed an opportunity with gummies, although many of the leading suppliers in the category were skeptical of the delivery format. “The kids’ gummies were doing well, and I thought that adults would love gummies too,” she recalled, “and shortly after that the category just exploded. Of course, now everyone has gummies.”
