Scotland Food & Drink’s Post

United Natural Foods Inc. (UNFI) is advancing its multi-year strategy focused on creating more customized value for its customers and suppliers and driving growth. In support of its new strategy and multi-year plan first shared in October, the Providence, Rhode Island-based company will realign its commercial wholesale organization into two product-centered divisions – conventional grocery products and natural, organic, specialty and fresh products – while continuing to enhance its enterprise-wide commercial and supply chain capabilities. Louis Martin, currently president of wholesale, will become president of conventional grocery products and UNFI’s chief commercial officer. Mark Bushway, currently chief supply chain officer, will become president of natural, organic, specialty and fresh products, as well as retaining his current position.

Now is NOT the time to start winding down to the end of the year. Now is the time to plan so you can have a great 2025 by having an effective marketing plan that generates leads. You know this. You didn't make a career and rise to leadership by coasting through the holidays. Email us to start a conversation at marketing@thefoodconnector.com and let us help. 🚀 #FoodserviceMarketing #FoodIndustry #DigitalMarketing #MarketingInsights #GenerateLeads #foodservice #foodserviceindustry #restaurantindustry #fooddistributor #foodmanufacturing #foodmanufacturer #foodmanufacturers #foodmarketing #foodservicedistributor #b2bfood #wholesalefood

Celebrate #NationalCucumberDay with Van Holten's Pickles, a trusted supplier for pickles on-the-go. Let’s slice, dice, and crunch our way through this “DILL-icious” day of bold, refreshing flavors! 🥒 In 2022, Van Holten’s Pickle-In-A-Pouch participated in Food Export’s Branded Program to gain brand awareness for its products in Australia and Canada. Using their allocated funds to complete social media advertising, ship samples, create temporary promotional displays and literature, and attend trade shows helped the Waterloo, Wisconsin-based supplier gain sales to Australia. They also projected to complete additional sales over the past 12 months while gaining new foreign buyer contacts and establishing new distributorships. Additionally, Van Holten’s earned new sales to Canada. Attending Grocery Innovations in Toronto in October of 2022 yielded multiple leads and planted the seeds for long-term growth in the country. Last year, Van Holten’s participated in the Branded Program for their second year. They added two new markets to their application to expand exports to Australia and Germany. They also looked to grow their marketing reach throughout Canada with the assistance of a new importer, which they gained through the Branded Program in 2022. Eric Girard, Van Holten’s Vice President of Sales and Marketing, shared with Food Export this January that, thanks to the above efforts, their products are now listed in both of Canada’s two largest convenience store retailers, Card-Touche and 7-Eleven. Participation in Food Export’s Branded Program has helped impact Van Holten’s export sales. Eric shared, “The flexibility in how we could use the [Branded Program] funds is great; I wish we would have taken advantage of more of the advertising items. We are using the knowledge gained from going into markets such as Canada and Australia to explore other markets around the world.” #cucumberday #foodexport #pickle

This makes us Fresher than Will Smith   With the growth of our business, our private label range has also expanded.   Today we are introducing our range of vinegar, in addition to our mustards, exclusive mushrooms and many more.   All these fine products we sell under the name “Fresh Avenue".   With the arrival of this private label, a long-cherished desire is being fulfilled.   After all, creating our own brand offers numerous benefits. 🔷Guaranteed availability With our private label, we are less reliant on external producers. By securing specific quantities through agreements, we can ensure consistent availability of our products.   🔷Control over development Our private label empowers us to optimize products whenever necessary, without the need for supplier coordination. This enables us to swiftly and effectively meet market demands.   🔷Consistent quality and pricing Owning our private label reduces our exposure to market fluctuations. Our close involvement in production allows us to maintain high quality and competitive pricing consistently. A private label strengthens our market position, solidifying Squiby Foods as the premier destination for top-tier European products.   Thus, we proudly present it under the name 'Fresh Avenue'.   Curious about how we can elevate your wholesale business?   Contact Robert Lesmeister to find out more.   #food #foodservice #wholesale #europe #business

After years of contentious negotiations over a grocery industry code of conduct, all of Canada’s major grocers have now agreed to sign on to the new self-regulatory scheme for the first time. This week, both Costco Canada and Walmart Canada agreed to participate in the new rules, which are designed to smooth relations between retailers and their suppliers. Their agreements follow Canada’s largest grocer, Loblaw Cos. Ltd., which also dropped its earlier opposition to the code in May. This means that all of Canada’s largest grocers, as well as a number of regional and local independent retailers across the country, have now committed to participating, as have all “key suppliers, large and small,” that provide food to those stores’ shelves. That’s according to a report from The Office of the Grocery Sector Code of Conduct interim board of directors, which was provided to Canada’s federal, provincial and territorial agriculture ministers on Wednesday. The new code is expected to be implemented by June of next year. https://lnkd.in/gTDnvftw #grocery #retail

What I love about Lidl, having followed their strategy for around 12 years since benchmarking studies as a strategy consultant to Albert Heijn, was what is now more common knowledge: their procurement strategy. They tend to find private label winners of awards; partners who are themselves branded category leaders in, say, single malt whiskies. But in this case, a different business model of scale and economies creates unit economics that mean you can buy the best Isle of Islay single malt that, in a blind test with Scottish family in Glasgow, outcompetes the branded players in its class. More on Aldi's Single Malt Isle Of Islay named among best in the world here https://lnkd.in/eviidbZV). In this case, with stollen, we (sample of two) have tried various stollen, and this is by far the champion. We also like Jumbo’s range and also Albert Heijn, but the latter recipe, whilst being ultra-luxurious in nuts and rich ingredients, somehow doesn’t taste like the Lidl stollen. But that’s just reflective of what the mass market finds luxurious, which might just be a twist on the regular for them, which is still the baseline test for you. In procurement, what Lidl does is focus on a reduced count of product lines on shelf, which solves for the (consumer) choice dilemma and also the impact of inventory holding costs means for working capital (which is then redeployed to play in commodity markets). They tend to appoint top-tier suppliers for example, Jamon or Parma ham, who can produce at scale and best quality, and this helps to fine-tune the economic case so that it works for all parties in the chain. Consumers win with great quality and price, and trust that this is a safe, repeatable model. The other thing they do really well is the in-store bakeries. World-class on both the psychology of smells in the neighbourhood, attracting human energy, whilst also deploying some smart bread dispensing and also in-store self-cutting machines. This is a big hook for them in their market share gains in Europe and also UK over the last decade, and why they tend to invest in this. #StoreWars #ConsumerMindshare #RetailStrategy #EconomiesOfScale #QualityAtValue #PrivateLabelInnovation These tags capture key elements of Lidl's strategy as described: their approach to the competitive retail landscape (Store Wars), focus on winning consumer attention (Consumer Mindshare), overall retail strategy, use of economies of scale, emphasis on quality at value prices, and innovative approach to private label products. They encapsulate Lidl's procurement strategy, product selection, and in-store tactics that have contributed to their market share gains.

What I love about Lidl, having followed their strategy for around 12 years since benchmarking studies as a strategy consultant to Albert Heijn, was what is now more common knowledge: their procurement strategy. They tend to find private label winners of awards; partners who are themselves branded category leaders in, say, single malt whiskies. But in this case, a different business model of scale and economies creates unit economics that mean you can buy the best Isle of Islay single malt that, in a blind test with Scottish family in Glasgow, outcompetes the branded players in its class. More on Aldi's Single Malt Isle Of Islay named best in the world here https://lnkd.in/eviidbZV). In this case, with stollen, we (sample of two) have tried various stollen, and this is by far the champion. We also like Jumbo’s range and Albert Heijn, but the recipe, whilst being ultra-luxurious in nuts and rich ingredients, somehow doesn’t taste like the Lidl stollen or the others. But that’s just reflective of what the mass market finds luxurious, which might just be a twist on the regular for them, which is still the baseline test for you. In procurement, what Lidl does is focus on a reduced count of product lines on shelf, which solves for the (consumer) choice dilemma and also the impact of inventory holding costs means for working capital (that can be used to play in commodity markets). They tend to appoint top-tier suppliers for example, Jamon or Parma ham, who can produce at scale and best quality, and this helps to fine-tune the economic case so that it works for all parties in the chain. Consumers win with great quality and price, and trust that this is a repeatable model. The other thing they do really well is the in-store bakeries. World-class on both the psychology of smells in the neighbourhood, attracting human energy, whilst also deploying some smart bread dispensing and also in-store self-cutting machines. This is a big hook for them in their market share gains in Europe and also UK over the last decade, and why they tend to invest in this. #StoreWars #ConsumerMindshare #RetailStrategy #EconomiesOfScale #QualityAtValue #PrivateLabelInnovation These tags capture key elements of Lidl's strategy as described: their approach to the competitive retail landscape (Store Wars), focus on winning consumer attention (Consumer Mindshare), overall retail strategy, use of economies of scale, emphasis on quality at value prices, and innovative approach to private label products. They encapsulate Lidl's procurement strategy, product selection, and in-store tactics that have contributed to their market share gains.

{NEW BUSINESS} Profitable Wholesale and Retail Seafood Supplier - NSW Coast Turnover $7.8M - Adjusted Owner’s Earnings 24FY- $562,000 This is a rare opportunity to secure this long-established and tightly held business. The business is a major player in the region and is known for its exceptional quality and fantastic customer service. The business has good relationships with local fishermen, co-ops and oyster farmers that will be transferable to a new owner. 
A NSW Fish Receiver's permit allows the business to buy directly from fishermen without having to go through a market. 
The business has over 200 wholesale customers, with sales accounting for approximately 80% of turnover, with the other 20% coming from the retail outlet. 
The business has good procedures and well-trained staff, allowing the vendors to travel at times of the year. •Good revenue/cash flow •Long established with successful trading history •Substantial profits •Growth over the years •Systems and procedures in place •Great reputation in the industry •Well-known local business •Work/life balance •Few competitors •Great relationships with suppliers The owners are committed to a smooth handover process. Opportunities like this don’t present themselves often. With solid relationships and strong buying power, this business could offer a new owner the ability to open corridors to bigger markets on the East Coast. Asking Price: $1,300,000 +SAV Inquire here: https://lnkd.in/g5cubZZN #Xcllusive #XcllusiveBusinessSales #SeafoodBusiness #WholesaleSeafood #RetailSeafood #BusinessOpportunity #FishSupplier #LocalSeafood #SeafoodIndustry #ProfitableBusiness

3 million British brussels sprouts, 400 tonnes of British beef and 350,000 fresh British turkeys, 50 million mince pies, 25 million British pigs in blankets - this is an impressive level of Xmas essential food sales to get your head around. Another great business performance from Aldi this Xmas, with the brand mission and Marketing Mix optimisation at the heart of it. My advice for Marketing newcomers: 1. Look at brands performance through the lense of their Marketing Mix (4 P’s). 2. Understand brands’ unique proposition and competitive advantage. 3. Follow competitors’ response (proactive versus reactive). Understanding those essential Marketing basics will serve you well during your career. For more tips, follow me or visit my website. #marketing #brandbuilding #marketingcareer

Build in Public Update: We have a distributor! This means we can sell Currently into retail and restaurant locations in MA, RI and CT. Distributors are legally required “intermediaries” that are basically like a channel partner (and you can only sell through a channel partner). So the distributor buys the wine from the supplier (me). They then legally own it, and then they sell it to retail and restaurant. Which means that today we’re celebrating our first sales: a pallet of Currently (70 cases). It means nothing if we don’t create “pull through” of the product, but it does technically mean we have our first “check” of revenue. Celebrating the wins. Oh, and already have sold it into 6 accounts. That helped convince them to buy :-). Here we go, team! Wish me luck on my sales calls! #wine #distribution #sales