Getting distribution/wholesale rights to brands

January 24, 2016 11:36 AM

How can a small (B&M+e-commerce) retailer in Sweden convince international consumer brands to sell directly to them and not via their awful wholesalers/distributors in Sweden? What strategies can the retailer use to get those distribution rights in the first place?

The retail store I work at carries lots of US brands but over and over again these brands pick awful little companies as their distributors which means higher prices, slow deliveries, abysmal product range and mediocre service. Most of these partnerships fail in a few years but not before destroying the brand and causing lots of problems for us.

Are there any tricks or strategies we can use to purchase from the brands themselves anyways?

If not, how do we present ourselves so that the brands pick us as their distributor? I mean, what are they looking for in a partner, how do we connect with them, how should we present ourselves?

posted by Foci for Analysis to Work & Money (1 answer total)

Licensing can be a nightmare, but many retailers produce own-brand products (look at Aldi/Lidl/Trader Joes) to retailers who then market them as enhanced or luxury generics. Some retailers, like Kellogg's, don't do own-brand, but many more do than you will be aware of. Suggest you go to a retail food show and see what you can find. Contacting the licensee in your own country may be problematic, so approaching the international office of the brand in the USA will be the best way to move forward with a volume order.
posted by parmanparman at 12:43 PM on January 24, 2016