Buyer type
FMCG Supply for Retail Groups
Central purchasing has a different problem: a line has to be specified, listed and then supplied consistently, across every store, for as long as the listing runs.
A listing is a commitment
For a retail group the purchase decision is not the order — it is the listing. Once a line is on planogram, space has been allocated, systems carry the article data and stores expect it to arrive. A line that becomes unavailable two months in creates a gap on a shelf that has already been paid for.
That makes specification and continuity worth more than a marginal price advantage, and it is the right thing to interrogate a supplier about before listing rather than after.
Specification and article data
What a buying team needs to set a line up is more than a name and a price. We state per line what we hold, and say where something is not confirmed rather than filling a field to look complete.
- Pack size and units per carton, per line
- Brand, and the sourcing origin where it is confirmed
- Product documentation we hold, for your technical team to assess
- Case and pallet configuration, for your inbound and racking
Packaging and market variation
Branded FMCG is frequently manufactured in more than one country, and the same product name can arrive in different pack formats, with different labelling, or from a different plant depending on which sourcing market supplied it.
For a retail group that matters more than for most buyers, because your systems and your shelf edge assume a fixed specification. We confirm what is being supplied against the line you listed, and flag a change rather than shipping a variant quietly.
Labelling requirements are set by your market and remain yours to confirm. Where a product as supplied does not carry what your market requires, that is a question to settle before listing.
Supplying a multi-store estate
| Requirement | What to tell us |
|---|---|
| Central or store-level delivery | Which, and to how many points |
| Delivery booking | Whether your DC requires slots, and lead time for booking |
| Pallet configuration | Footprint, maximum height, and whether you operate exchange |
| Labelling for inbound scanning | Any scheme your goods-in process requires |
These are worth stating with the enquiry. They affect how an order is picked and palletised, and changing them after quotation changes what fits and therefore the freight.
Common questions
- Can you guarantee continuity of supply for a listed line?
- We do not guarantee availability, and we would not sign up to a continuity claim we cannot control — availability depends on sourcing markets and manufacturers. What we can do is tell you honestly how a line has been supplied, flag a change rather than substituting quietly, and quote repeat orders against the same specification.
- Is the labelling compliant for our market?
- Labelling requirements are set by your market and confirming them is yours. We will tell you what a product as supplied actually carries so your technical team can assess it before listing.
- Can you supply to multiple distribution centres?
- Tell us how many delivery points and where. It affects how the order is picked and palletised, so it is planned into the quotation rather than added afterwards.
Discuss a listing
Send the lines you are considering. We will confirm specification, what we hold, and what we cannot evidence.