VCMI E-bulletin: January 2010: Approaching Retailers: What Routes, What Strategies
January 6th, 2010
Approaching and developing positive and rewarding relationships with retailers is not an easy task. The differences between a new and first time supplier and a large scale retailer can be daunting in terms of size, commercial goals, objectives and priorities, and the operating culture of each business.
At the same time, retailers are critical gatekeepers and essential links to the end consumer for the supplier's product. Given the volume of stock keeping units (SKUs) that retailers carry, the time and attention that retailers have for individual suppliers is limited, to say the least.
Consequently, getting the attention and convincing the retailer that you have a product and marketing plan that will not only create but sustain consumer interest and, most importantly, move product off the shelf is an absolutely critical step in developing your value chain. Perhaps most valuable to growing and developing your product is your ability to convince a retailer that it would be mutually beneficial if they chose to become strategic partners with you and your value chain partners.
Module 4: Partnering and Collaboration: How to Approach Retailers will take place on Jan. 28 from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Module 4 is designed to:
- Introduce you to the changing and emerging world of the retailer - their needs and emerging priorities.
- Assist you to develop an approach to retailers that is appropriate and consistent for your product and/or service.
- Identify your readiness for approaching a retailer - the gaps which exist in your product and/or your market development program.
- Provide you with the skills and capabilities for establishing a strategic alliance with your preferred retail partner.
The workshop will be video conferenced from the host site, which will be the Norquay Building, Room 913, 401 York Avenue in Winnipeg, to Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives (MAFRI) GO offices across the province including: Arborg, Brandon, Carberry, Carman, Dauphin, Russell, Somerset, Souris, St. Pierre, Swan River, Teulon and The Pas.
This free workshop is being offered by the VCMI team (comprised of staff from the Manitoba Rural Adaptation Council and Manitoba Agriculture, Food and Rural Initiatives) and lunch is not provided.
The registration deadline is Thursday, Jan. 21. For further information or to register visit the Value Chain Manitoba Initiative website at www.valuechainmb.ca.
Note: This workshop is Module 4 of the Canadian Value Chain Network series. It’s not necessary to have taken Modules 1, 2 and 3 to attend Module 4; each module stands independent from the others.
