Working with Grocery Retailers in North America

Working with grocery retailers to get your products on their shelves

If you manufacture/produce/grow and sell your own foods or other related products, get your product or line of products on shelves by working with grocery retailers in North America. Different American grocery chains will accept new suppliers using different practices. With a local mom-and-pop grocery store, you might just be able to walk in and make your pitch to the owner.

As the grocery chain stores grow larger, however, expect to face more initial barriers to decision makers and more paperwork. Some make decisions at the local level, some at the regional level and still others at the corporate level. You just need to be prepared and do the research. Here’s some things to keep in mind when expanding your business:

1. Find resources for learning how to get your products on the shelves of local or regional grocery chains.

2. Learn about individual grocery retailers using the information provided on their websites.

3. Get instructions for becoming a supplier to specific grocery retailers on their own websites.

 

Know what you're getting into before approaching grocery chains or independent stores

Make sure you're prepared with a presentation and visual aids containing information about your product, financial position, where else your product is being sold and your production capabilities before approaching North American grocery stores.
Try: Getting your product on the shelves of any grocery stores in the USA takes work and preparation. Delve into the subject by first investing in the paperback book "How to Get Your Products into Supermarkets" by David Weiss and Bruce Corson. Read the free article on BNET titled "For food makers, getting products on grocery shelves is first step."

Research websites of grocery store chains and US grocery retailers located in your area

Don't bother contacting grocery chains or other grocery retail stores without performing your due diligence first. You won't always start with a face-to-face meeting; you may need to start with a letter of introduction or application process. Besides knowing everything there is to know about your own product (including why the executives of regional grocery stores executives would/should want to stock your product in their stores), you've got to get to know the store. They won't want to give your product the time of day if they learn you don't know anything about them.
Try: The websites of supermarkets and grocery stores in North America like The Kroger Co. and The Fresh Market publish lots of company information.

Look for instructions to suppliers on the websites of grocery stores in North America you'll target

You'll find that each grocery retailer operates differently, but most of the ones you check will tell you how to go about becoming one of their suppliers.
Try: SUPERVALU, a retail network of more than 2,500 stores, tells you how to get started and provides additional helpful information. It operates stores like Albertsons, ACME, Shop 'N Save and Save-A-Lot. Supermarket chains like Publix in the Southeast require a pre-qualification process to become a supplier. H-E-B welcomes suppliers with great products and who are minority/woman-owned businesses.

 

• Visit the grocery stores in USA that you want to sell your products in to familiarize yourself with the store. Identify and check out the location of products similar to yours and how the store displays them. Again, it helps your case to show the grocery retail executives you know what you're talking about when you try to convince them to sell your product.
• Start your sales pitch to a small, locally-owned grocery store in your town or city first. Once you can demonstrate your product's success in one store, you'll have an easier time getting it into additional local or regional grocery stores. Getting your local grocery store to sell your locally produced/grown food items will benefit your business, his business and give the grocery store another opportunity to help support the local economy through keeping other small businesses alive.

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