Commercial & Supply Chain

With the Smoothie we began by talking to the Product Development Manager to assess the category and determine the product’s USP – in this case being Fairtrade - and establishing what margins we could achieve. 

We then began negotiations with our suppliers. We have a code of conduct for all our dealings with suppliers that reflects our fair and ethical approach. This is even more acute when we’re working with a Fairtrade supplier, because it’s obviously important to establish a fair deal and make sure the relationship is sustainable for the supplier.

Projections were then made on the quantity and risk. What are the sales likely to be? Are there any risks to supply or volume?

After creating a specific brief with the Product Manager, we decided on the best unit size and how many lines to launch to begin with. We also chose which stores were most likely to sell the product. 

Now the Fairtrade Smoothie has launched, we constantly monitor sales and demand for the product. This information helps us to ascertain whether we should be launching new flavours or similar products in the future.

So, if negotiations are your strength and you want to appoint suppliers not only on the basis of their quality and cost but also on their ethical credentials, then let’s get talking. 

Click here to see Jonathan's video, one of our Category Buyers

Then it was the turn of our Supply Chain team. They get involved when one of our buyers (in the New Product Development stage) lists a product.

The Smoothie needed to be assigned to the correct suppliers and depots with lead times so that distribution can then arrange ‘picks’ of the product when a store places an order.

The sheer volume of data to process both in terms of listing new products, as well as placing the orders on behalf of the 3,500 plus stores, is a real challenge. But this is where Supply Chain excels, balancing supply and demand in order to maximise sales.

So if you want a role that challenges your planning, stakeholder management and service delivery then look no further.

Our next job is to make sure that customers spot the Fairtrade Smoothie in-store. With over 10 million customers per week, getting this right is crucial to the success of the product. We’ll use point of sale and our in-store digital media to highlight new products. We might also arrange sampling or promotional offers. We’ll decide whether we should use advertising – either TV, press or radio and we’ll definitely produce a press release. When a newspaper or magazine recommends your product against all others, its great news for everyone involved and also drives customers to the stores - getting the right PR is vital.

So if you’ve got some innovative and creative ideas about how to market our business and our fantastic products, then we’d love to hear from you.