BevNET Live NYC 2026: Walmart, Morrisons and Asahi join 1:1 meetings. 00:00 / 05:07 Walmart, Morrisons, and Asahi have joined the incredible lineup of retail and investment hosts taking 1:1 meetings at BevNET Live NYC 2026 on June 10 + 11. Walmart is the world's largest grocery retailer, Morrisons is one of the largest supermarket chains in the U.K., and Asahi is one of the world's leading beer, spirits, and soft drinks companies. Register for BevNET Live to request pre-scheduled, private meetings with these - and many other - beverage industry partners who can answer your toughest questions and provide actionable advice. Requests are reviewed and selected by the hosts to ensure they're productive for both sides. Availability is limited. Here's who recently joined: Natalia Narloch, Buying Manager, Soft Drinks, Morrisons Natalia is a buying manager in the soft drinks category at Morrisons, one of the UK's largest supermarket chains. She studied at the University of Leeds and has built her career in grocery buying and trading, previously working in confectionery before moving into soft drinks. Based in Bradford/Leeds. Chris Beattie, Senior Buyer, Soft Drinks, Morrisons Chris is a senior buyer specialising in functional soft drinks, water, and juice at Morrisons, where he is responsible for range, supplier relationships, and commercial negotiations across these categories. He holds a qualification from the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (CIMA) and is based in Bradford. Kristian Atkinson, Senior Buyer, Soft Drinks, Morrisons Kristian is a senior buyer in the soft drinks category at Morrisons, with responsibility for commercial trading and ranging. He is based in the Greater Leeds area. Dee Charlemagne, Senior Director of Emerging Brands, Walmart Dee Charlemagne is Senior Director of Emerging Brands at Walmart, where she helps develop how entrepreneurial and high-growth brands partner with the retailer. She brings a founder's perspective to the role, having co-founded AVEC Drinks before joining Walmart. Her background spans brand strategy, cultural strategy, innovation, and growth, with prior experience advising and building consumer brands. Leslie Osorio,Senior Beverage Merchant, Shelf-Stable Juice, Walmart Leslie Osorio is a Senior Merchant at Walmart, currently leading the Shelf-Stable Juice business and driving strategies that deliver value, innovation, and growth for customers. Prior to managing the Shelf-Stable Juice category, Lesley oversaw Protein Shakes and Bars, where she developed a passion for working with emerging and high-growth brands. Zhun Che, Investor, Asahi Group Beverages & Innovation Zhun Che is an investor at Asahi Group Beverages & Innovation, where he focuses on emerging beverage brands and related innovation. He brings experience across venture investing, food and agriculture, and consumer growth strategy, In addition to the hosts above, you have the opportunity to meet with the following buyers and investors: Retail Buyers & Operators * Samantha Fletcher, Senior Category Merchant, Whole Foods Market * John Lawson, Senior Local Forager, Whole Foods Market * Nicolletta Payne, Senior Director of Merchandising, The Vitamin Shoppe * Randy Ornstein, Senior Director of Beverages, Gopuff * Stephen Jabour, Chief Sales and Operating Officer, Spec's * Jon Halper, Owner/CEO, Top Ten Liquors * David Germick, Category Merchant, Wegmans Food Markets * Mark Rampolla, Co-Managing Partner, GroundForce Capital * Elly Truesdell, Managing Partner, New Fare Partners * Maddie Serviente, Head of Investment Team, The Angel Group * Alyssa Arnold, Managing Partner, The Angel Group * Webb Knudsen, Vice President, Partnership Capital Growth * Caroline Lippman, Vice President, Coefficient Capital * Dr. Sebastian Dreher, Venture Manager US, Döhler * Brad Barnhorn, Board Member & Strategic Advisor * Dace Graham, Managing Partner, 1731 MGMT * Hank Spring, Managing Partner, KarpReilly * Kyle Fitzpatrick, CEO, Paperboy Ventures About BevNET Live BevNET Live is the beverage industry's premier event, bringing together brands, distributors, retailers, investors, and service providers to explore what's ahead for the industry. Featuring top-tier speakers and the fan-favorite New Beverage Showdown, each event draws hundreds of brands from across the country.

How ambient IoT is reshaping warehouse and supply chain visibility in 2026. Walmart's partnership with Wiliot and AT&T is bringing ambient IoT - battery-free, AI-powered sensing - to supply chains worldwide. Here's what warehouse and logistics leaders need to know. The supply chain just took its biggest step toward true end-to-end visibility. In late May 2026, Walmart announced a large-scale deployment of ambient IoT sensors across its retail network - a first for a major global retailer. The sensors, powered by Wiliot's battery-free Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology, track the location, temperature, and condition of every product without any human intervention. This is not a pilot program. It is a signal that ambient IoT has moved from hype to hard ROI. What is ambient IoT? Ambient IoT refers to ultra-low-cost, self-powered sensing labels that harvest energy from radio waves or ambient light rather than requiring batteries. Wiliot's tags use BLE to communicate with existing infrastructure, while AT&T's network integration extends that communication from the warehouse to the cloud. The result is a continuous, real-time data stream about every item in motion - from the factory floor to the retail shelf. Unlike traditional RFID, which requires deliberate scanning, ambient IoT is always on. Unlike conventional IoT sensors, these tags cost pennies and require zero maintenance. The convergence of cost, coverage, and intelligence is what makes 2026 a turning point. Why it matters for warehouses now. The timing is no coincidence. Warehouse operators are facing tariffs, labor shortages, and volatile demand that flip forecasts inside days. According to MarketsandMarkets, the global RFID market is projected to reach $30.47 billion by 2034 - and ambient IoT is expected to capture a disproportionate share of that growth because it eliminates the cost and complexity of battery management. The immediate warehouse benefits are clear: * Real-time inventory accuracy without cycle counting * Cold chain compliance with automated temperature alerts * Theft and loss reduction via continuous presence monitoring * Predictive replenishment powered by AI models consuming live BLE data From data to action: the missing link. Collecting sensor data is the easy part. Converting that data into operational decisions - fast - is where most organizations fall behind. This is where purpose-built platforms like Inventrack bridge the gap. Inventrack 05 WMS ingests live BLE, RFID, and IoT feeds to build a real-time digital twin of the warehouse. Instead of managing stock levels from yesterday's spreadsheet, operators act on what is happening right now. Inventrack 01 Asset Management extends this visibility to high-value tools, pallets, and returnable containers. Inventrack 06 Checklist turns IoT-triggered events into structured workflows - for example, automatically routing a temperature excursion alert to the quality team's checklist. For workforce coordination, Inventrack 08 People Tracking integrates with the same BLE infrastructure to monitor staff zones and safety compliance without separate hardware. And Inventrack 03 MES connects real-time warehouse data to downstream manufacturing execution, so production lines can react the moment raw materials arrive. The bigger picture. Walmart's move will create competitive pressure. Suppliers to Walmart will need ambient IoT readiness. Competitors will accelerate their own traceability investments. And enterprises not yet digitised will find themselves locked out of fast-moving retail and automotive supply networks. The question is no longer whether to adopt real-time supply chain sensing. It is whether your software infrastructure can turn that flood of new data into faster decisions at lower cost. Platforms built on open, real-time data models - like the Inventrack suite - are designed exactly for this inflection point. Ready to move from static inventory to live supply chain visibility? Explore Inventrack solutions and see how real-time data transforms operations without the complexity. Ready to transform your operations? Discover how Intensecomp's RFID and IoT solutions can streamline your asset management.

Walmart's new sodas take on Coke and Pepsi. Product expansion follows trend popular with Gen Z consumers. May 30, 2026 - 15:56 Walmart is shaking up the beverage aisle, rolling out a fresh line of Great Value sodas that swap high-fructose corn syrup for real cane sugar. This strategic move at 205focus.com underscores a shift toward premium ingredients as major retailers look to disrupt the status quo established by industry titans like Coke and Pepsi. Aligning with modern tastes. According to USA Today, this launch marks Walmart's attempt to capture a growing market of shoppers demanding more natural options. Gen Z consumers, in particular, are driving this trend, as they gravitate toward beverages that boast simpler, more transparent ingredient lists. Flavor profiles and inspiration. The new lineup hits shelves with four distinct flavors: apple, grapefruit, lemon lime, and cola. As noted by AllRecipes, the sodas take aesthetic and flavor cues from classic Mexican soft drinks. The packaging features vibrant designs inspired by traditional papel picado banners, while the apple and grapefruit varieties echo the profiles of popular brands like Sidral Mundet and Jarritos. Taking on the giants. For decades, major American soft drink manufacturers have relied on high-fructose corn syrup or artificial sweeteners. However, Food Manufacturing reports that companies are finally responding to consumer pressure for cleaner labels. Whether these Great Value offerings can truly dethrone industry leaders remains to be seen, but social media sentiment is already heating up, with early adopters praising the new sodas as a superior alternative to standard store-brand two-liters.