Supermarkets need q-commerce to win back share from discounters
Convenience is the new weapon in the battle againstAldi and Lidl, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel ManagementConsultants It’s great sport tracking retailers’ shares over the Christmasperiod. However, a tactically strong Christmas execution is nolonger a good indicator of long-term prospects in grocery. Thereare too many disruptive dynamics in today’s market. Breaking it down, the […]
Retailers must stop demanding 12 weeks’ notice on cost price increases
I’m glad my column back in August has drawn industry attention to retailers’ outrageous demands for proprietary informationon cost price increase ‘justification forms’. As the discussion continues, one phrase that keeps grating on me is ‘12-week notice’. This suggestion that this notice period is necessary on CPIs is wrong. Do check, of course, that no signed […]
Major grocers soared in the pandemic, but 2022 will be the year of small business
The large grocery suppliers fared better in lockdown as consumers stocked up onbig brands in their time of adversity. This was not just down to consumersbecoming less adventurous when all around them was turning to mush – it wasalso driven by the retailers’ choice to simplify ranges in their quest to keepa core weekly shop […]
How suppliers can navigate the thorny issue of cost price increases with demanding retailers
Nothing brings out the nervousness of suppliers like taking a cost priceincrease (CPI) to large customers. Buyers have always demanded to seea justification for CPIs, and suppliers have always mumbled responses aboutforeign exchange, transport costs or the global price of raw materials. Untilnow. Recently buyers have made demands for line-by-line, component-by-componentbreakdown of input costs on […]
Retailers now need to slow shoppers down after months of hurrying them in and out
Bricks & mortar will soon see a surge of shoppers who once again feel safe in physical stores, having avoided them for the past 14 months. But I doubt they’ll fall back in love with physical stores – this first contrast to online will be disappointing. Touchy-feely shopping has appeal. Still, picking up an avocado […]
Supplier sales teams lack the expertise to thrive in an omnichannel world
The concept of omnichannel has grown like a weed over the past five years. Although it presents the latest set of expertise to make a supplier indispensable to its customers, it’s also potentially the biggest key account manager communication fail since category management. Brought about by the step-change in customer behaviour that came with the […]
How Mark White’s legal background will influence his work with GSCOP
We’ve had a period of good behaviour as record returns in Covid have put smiles on the faces of the major retailers. So GSCOP may not be top of mind – but, as retailers start to chase growth on top of their phoney year whilst leaking sales to hospitality, the fun will recommence. Get ready […]
Why Morrisons, Iceland and Lidl led the way in a Christmas like no other
Nothing normal about this Christmas, was there? Given the impact of Covid and Brexit, it’s not easy to read the true performance indicators for 2021, but here goes. Starting with the punchline: Morrisons and Iceland shared the prize with sustained campaigns consistently delivering across the four-week and 12-week Kantar share performances. They stood out in […]
Aldi comes out the winner in Tesco’s Price Match, but it must catch up in online
They say there’s no such thing as bad publicity. Take Tesco’s Aldi Price Match. While Tesco appears to be taking aim at the discounter, it’s actually doing Aldi a big favour. Big four shoppers keep hearing ‘Aldi price’ and those who don’t have a nearby Tesco will head to Aldi to take a look. It’s […]
Businesses can’t passively accept a ‘new normal’ – they must define it
The most overused, inappropriate and meaningless term of the moment has to be ‘the new normal’. Not just because it assumes that a normal state of play currently exists, but, dangerously, because it assumes a passive acceptance of the situation businesses have to ‘fit in with’. ‘Normal’ suggests some level of equilibrium. There isn’t one: […]
