Route to Market & Supply Chain Blog

Trying to get the best out of distributors in some less developed markets is particularly challenging. The traditional non-key account trade is unstructured and characterised by very many players many of whom are opportunists and not interested in…

Like many business functions Supply Chains use multiple initials and/or acronyms to describe various tasks they manage on a daily basis. Those not familiar with SC-speak will often sit bemused in meetings as various initials are quoted and debated…

Frankly, if you do not have a sense of humour you will be lost in the Supply Chain. Seldom recognised, under paid, under graded, under stress and most of all, misunderstood. The only real fun is reading the sales force accuracy figures and the…

I regularly see headlines about how much the IKA sector has suffered in the recession. Expansion plans curtailed; fewer stores opening; CEE not a boom town now etc etc. The ongoing recession has delayed the onward march of the IKA and I think that…

So you evaluated your distribution network and wait to see the promised results? What changed? You are selling more volume - no, not sales in but real Sales Out – and your bottom line looks far healthier. Your Distributors bring well thought-out and…

In the past week I have met two Sales Directors from blue-chip FMCG companies to discuss an assessment review of their RTM network. Surprisingly, neither Director was interested and gave a remarkably aligned reason for this rejection. “All this does…

This week we take a tongue-in-cheek look at the Supply Chain charts. I Want My ERP – Sting is at number 10 with his classic need for a decent ERP system to support your business. Avoid off the shelf solutions as they rarely work in the long run.…

Yes, it is difficult. You have already "sold" the stock and paid out and received sales bonuses based on sales targets. The fact is that although the stock may have left your books it has not really been sold. The ownership of the goods has changed…

I have been thinking about Africa this year & its particular needs regarding supply chain. We have been working there since 1993 & it came back into consciousness during the World Cup. Many African countries are growing rapidly. However, I have been…

As we slowly (but surely?) emerge out of recession you can expect the number of M&A deals to rise. Many companies have tightened their belts and tried to ride out the economic storm but many have already gone to the wall and even more will follow.…

Route to Market (RTM) is a term used for a series of innovative approaches to a manufacturers supply chain that encompasses all processes and activities dealing with Finished Goods (FG) . Traditionally these processes have been identified as…

This weeks’ top 10 looks at FMCG Route To Market Distribution - how do you get your product onto shelves? Straight in at number 10 is Queen with One Vision – Work with Distributors that have a clearly defined strategy in place. If they know what…

No. If this was true there would be no space on the beach as it would be full of CEE Producer Sales Directors. Leave the Marketing guys to enjoy the beach. Does your Distributor have a clear understanding of their potential universe? Small…

There are many reasons why all sorts of relationships fail even after several years of partnership. Boredom, infidelity, money problems etc, etc but look at it a different way and consider what is it that makes relationships last and prosper? Photo…

As the recession struggles on and governments continue to drip feed “corrections “ into national economies, e.g. VAT rises 19-24%, FMCG markets are spluttering. Discretionary spending is under tremendous pressure and items previously seen as simple…