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SALES & MARKETING The best suppliers will have data for the supermarkets they’ll be supplying, using it to guide the retailer through a discussion while ensuring the right range of products is stocked. “When British Provender sets up a new rep in a new territory, we provide all the demographic data ourselves,” Mr Helm said. “We set them up with a data pack that includes their territory and shows the high demographic British concentrations in the area. Then, we start with a staple, specifically designed for maximum appeal to that local demographic. “When I sit with the Coles or Woolworths buyers, I know I’m competing with all the other wholesalers suggesting their products should be across 600 stores, but we won’t do that. “We always aim to start with a range that gets the retailer to trust us. “The EI category is only effective when the products ranged are going to be seen by customers who’ll want that type of food. For us, we want to supply stores in areas populated with sufficient numbers of people connected to Britain. “Other wholesalers might want to do a big one-off sale, but while their budget will look great for a month, they’ll crash and burn the next year when it comes to the range review. “Too much international stock means you’ll have problems with date codes and end up selling stock at a discount, losing all the healthy margin made at the start. “That’s why we’re totally transparent about the processes. It helps develop the long-term relationships we have with our customers.” Mr Helm believes the company’s approach to account management also helps, enabling customers to trust recommendations on growing their EI range. “We have relationships at both the head office and local levels, because nearly all the independent retail groups are set up with a head office arrangement these days,” he said. “So, you need to have those trading terms established before the head buyer tells their stores, ‘you can buy from this company - here’s the ranging list’. It usually starts with about 100 lines for a head office group. “From there, it’s up to the salesperson to work with the local store manager, using data to select a small range. All we ask is to be given enough space with good visibility. “However, if that’s not working, British Provender is more than happy for any retailer to come back and say, ‘Look, it isn’t working, but we’re happy to keep trying with you. Can you help us out with this or that?’ – and we will. “It’s in our interest to make sure products are launched properly and supported properly. That’s part of our commitment to building trust. “An ethnic international bay is an investment for both the retailer and the wholesaler, so it’s worth putting a little marketing behind the launch to help create early awareness and return on investment.” Make the message meaningful When launching a new ethnic section in-store, great results can be achieved through targeted social media campaigns, either via the store itself or through the local demographic pages to attract shoppers to the new range. Mr Helm says this approach usually attracts considerable curiosity from the expatriate community, so in-store support using wobblers, show cards, recipes, and other suitable POP materials to attract and inform is equally important to ensure customers fully engage. “From there, product requests and range variation opportunities can be quickly learned by the retailer and communicated back to the wholesaler for a prompt response while there’s momentum in the category,” he said. Typically, the first rush of interest will slow after a few weeks. However, in much the same way as ALDI special buys draw in new customers, an EI range can be a powerful attraction all year round, simply through planning around seasonality. The real magic of seasonal promotions is found in the off-location display of additional EI products. This not only drives the seasonal sales, but also stirs interest and ongoing spend on the staple range long after the promotion is done. “As a supplier, British Provender gets four solid seasonal opportunities each year,” Mr Helm said. “Those are Easter, the Queen’s Birthday and two stages of Christmas, which is probably all we can really handle at this time. “We do Christmas in two parts, starting with our August/September play for the head office levels to start putting our stock into their DC. “Next we run the October/November version of Christmas in which the independents who order on shelf receive deliveries to store. “There’s also Easter and the Queen’s Birthday, which, while nobody cares about it, is supported by ALDI’s ‘Best of British’ Queen’s Birthday long-weekend promotion, creating good interest in our products too.” Remember, Mr Helm says, retailers have year-round opportunities they should be tapping into, including Diwali, Ramadan and St Patrick’s Day. “There are just so many of them,” he said. “If they have the right partners working in all those spaces, a retailer can have opportunities all year round.” SEP, 2020 RETAIL WORLD 61