Route to Market & Supply Chain Blog

Despite several attempts and how hard I tried; I was never able to program the VHS tape recorder. I ended up with the end of Match of the Day or whatever was on BBC2 when I wanted the show on BBC1. Many times I recorded absolutely nothing; just…

Recently I shared my methodology for the 20 Steps to Route to Market Excellence at the beginning of this blog series. You can read more about it here: The FMCG Leaders Guide to Route to Market Strategy & Execution in 20 Steps. The first step,…

What does Market Entry Mean? Market entry can take many forms, and often a company (e.g. FMCG Co.) will see its own brands present in a market (e.g. Market X), and then look at planning an official ‘Market ‘Entry’. Let’s look at some scenarios where…

‘Digital transformation’ is becoming something of a cliché these days. There is no question that information technology and digital has improved supply chain operations. For example, given availability of the right data, materials and inventory…

A few months ago, I hurt my knee whilst running. It was a rather tame event but my knee was clearly injured. Failing to heal over the next few days I decided to visit an Osteopath who specialises in sports injuries. He informed me that I had an…

The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly Finding the right Distribution Partner (DP) is one of the fundamental RtM decisions a FMCG Producer will make. Depending on the producers' knowledge, understanding, and experience of the local market, they may not be…

In today's post, I would like to focus on steering clear of the obstacles that might disrupt your Route to Market strategy. As we step into 2024, leaders in consumer goods sector should be proactive in foreseeing major challenges in RtM and…

In this article, I will be delving into the ways in which consumer behavior can have a profound impact on your FMCG Route to Market Model. Trigger Factors Recently, I shared a post titled When Should We Review our FMCG Route to Market Model? The…

What is a Route to Market Model (RtM)? An RtM model is a set of commercial capabilities that focus on how to get goods/services to target customers effectively. It must encompass the following: Trade Coverage - Maximise availability in target…

The Age-Old Sales Question The End of Q2 is in sight. We have stuck to our plan, and we have faith. We have executed in the field, at least we think we have. We are managing our trade partners well, or so we have been told. The numbers are coming…

How Do We Increase FMCG Sales? We have developed a methodology over the last 30 years, which gives a step-by-step approach to ensuring that each element of the front-end distribution strategy is laser-focused on delivering excellence in FMCG RtM…

Moving to a new Distribution Partner (DP) arrangement can be daunting, challenging, stressful, costly, rewarding, and ideally, successful. But no matter what the scenario, there are risks involved. Producers who understand these risks and adapt…

Arguably the most important element of any Route to Market strategy for a consumer goods company is its Distribution Strategy. Very often, when results are not coming in, the distributors get the blame and may even be replaced. Too often, their…

How do we take a Sales or RtM Strategy (Plan) and transform it to Operational Execution? This is a question we are often asked, and one that many are facing right now. We are at the start of a new year; we have some grand sales and distribution…

I would like to present the Story of MANCO, a manufacturing-based FMCG Multinational Organisation. The organisation is currently struggling with various aspects of their supply chain. Part of the Senior Management Team are: Xavier – Chief Executive…