Last month, we were invited to speak at the Today’s Group conference – the theme was ‘the customer’. As part of our research, we went undercover with a retailer to learn more about the customer journey.
Considering our retailer belonged to a symbol group – he was remarkably promiscuous and building loyalty with retailers continues to be of the channel’s biggest challenges. We’ve detailed ten key findings from the project on page 24. You can also find our highlights from the Today’s Group conference on page 06.
Another important issue we’ve been hearing about this month is compliance. We know that the discipline offered by retail and on-trade clubs, and symbol groups, is driving growth, but how do you get your members to be compliant with promotions? We spoke with a few successful operators to find out, including one maverick who set up his own retail club to compete directly with the multiples (page 22).
As we go to press, the Federation of Wholesale Distributors (FWD) is in the process of conducting some timely research into retailers’ attitudes towards promotions and, in particular, what support they need from their wholesalers, and suppliers, to implement them. Is it a case of better Point of Sale, bigger profit margins or to be convinced, entirely, about the value of passing on these deals?
We look forward to sharing some of the FWD’s findings with you – stay tuned.
I hope you enjoy the issue.
