4 Tips for Food Makers From a Retailer

During the latest installment of SFA’s Business Continuity: Risk Mitigation Planning webinar series, Dwight Richmond, director of center store, merchandising at The Fresh Market, gives food makers advice about working with retailers during this difficult time. His tips are as follows:

1. Use this as a learning experience. Richmond explains that this unprecedented time is unlike other emergencies in the past, such as weather-related issues like hurricanes or blizzards, or regional emergencies like September 11th. Suppliers, distributors, and retailers should use this set of events to really understand the supply chain and create long term solutions if something like this should happen again.
2. Work together and communicate, communicate, communicate. Retailers and makers should communicate on a regular basis. “I highly encourage makers to reach out to retailers,” said Richmond. In addition, retailers should be communicating back with makers and also distributors about current trends, key items driving sales, and other information that can help makers/distributors prepare.
3. Remember that retailers are doing their best to introduce customers to new items and promote great products. Though they might not be doing large category reviews, they are making sure to get new products out as quickly as possible.
4. Keep in mind that this won’t last forever. “This will pass, we will get up, and we will recover,” assures Richmond.

Click here to view the full recording.

from Industry Operations https://ift.tt/3c5YZzJ