Tag Archives: how to present to a retailer
3 key steps to getting your food or drink product listed in farm shops and delis
1. Plan carefully.
It is really easy to get over-enthusiastic and start approaching farm shops and delis before you are ready to sell. Here’s a quick check-list of the things you need to make sure you have in place to help you sell your food or drink product to the farm shop and deli managers:
- Costings – do you have an idea of your rrp (the price the shop will sell your product at) and does your cost price allow the shop to make 40% margin as well as you making a profit?
- Do you know how you will deliver your product – yourself? A courier?
- Is your labelling legal and does it have all the required information on it?
- Have you done shelf-life testing?
- Have you got outer case packaging sorted?
2. How to approach the buyer/shop manager.
- Decide on your approach – are you going to phone to get appointments? Are you going to call on the shops in person with samples on the off chance? (Relish Tip: always make the most of every appointment by doing research and seeing what other stores/sales opportunities might be nearby)
- Make sure you have a hand-out to leave them with all the info they will need to know – price, case size, minimum order quantity, lead time, delivery costs and not forgetting your contact details!
Be knowledgeable – not only about your product – but about competitor products and the wider category. Don’t forget the shop manager might have to make a decision whether to list your product or a competitors – there is only so much space on the shelves!
3. Supporting your listing.
- Once you’ve done the hard work of getting the listing – unfortunately it doesn’t stop there! Don’t forget to tell people where they can get your product (via social media, email lists, website etc).
- Also – offer support to the store – can you do samplings in store for example to help with sales – particularly a good idea at launch to encourage trial and at key seasonal times of the year such as Easter, Mother’s Day, Xmas etc
If you have any questions about this topic we would love to hear from you simply email [email protected] and we will do our best to help.
Good luck!
Don’t forget you can check out our FREE 30-day trial of the Relish Food Marketing Club where there are oodles more resources and mentoring from the Relish team to help you with your food or drink business.
How to get your food or drink brand retail ready
I’ve had lots of conversations with many Relish members recently about the steps they need to take to be ready to present to larger retailers. Even when just starting off with a food or drink business it is good to know what is involved further down the line if gaining listings in larger retailers and supermarkets is your ultimate aim.
With that in mind I thought it would be a good idea to share the e-book I wrote all about getting ready for retail – as well as tips and advice from the Relish team it’s also packed full of case studies and examples from brands (both big and small) that have gone through the process.
I hope you enjoy reading the book and that it helps you with your business. I’d love to hear your feedback. Any questions do drop me a line at [email protected]
Happy Reading!
The last couple of months I have enjoyed working very closely with 2 food producers who have big plans to get into the supermarkets. I have been helping them get “retail ready” – which although has been a lot of work for everyone involved has been very rewarding.
We are very excited to announce the re-launch of the 
