How would I get my product into Convenient Food Mart?
Convenient Food Mart is a friendly little convenience store chain based out of Ohio. With only twelve different original locations, this is one of the smaller convenience stores that went into franchising and grew in a big way! Originally established in Illinois in 1958, this chain experienced a little financial difficulty back in 1988, but have come a long way since. Now with over 300 stores Convenient Food Mart is a name to remember… could it be the name that sells your next product?
Convenient Food Mart has a fairly varied range of produce already, giving plenty of scope for those with products that differ from the norm. Most of their stores have a deli counter with attached kitchen, meaning they can produce dinner-type meals, lunch-type meals and snack food to go. The majority of stores don’t have an indoor seating area, but they do sell any kind of snack food that you can think of. They have their own coffee range that may be open to fresh suppliers and they sell all the usual accouterments you might expect to find at your typical gas station to boot. They also supply several branded fuels and the odd bottle or two of alcohol. Food products come in every variety and – though they have a fairly limited frozen range for sale – bear in mind that they cook on site and so they may be open to purchasing certain frozen foods that don’t necessarily belong on the shelves.
Convenient have their own private label products so this is another opportunity for any would-be supplier. They are open to slightly quirky foodstuffs as long as they are interesting and fun. Their ethos is an attitude of earnestness and their stores tend to be wood paneled and present a relaxing, country-feeling environment. If you think your product might be a match then we would advise you to visit one of their stores to get a real feel for the place before you submit anything – after all, it is always better to do your homework than to arrive under prepared!
If you would like to submit a product to Convenient Food Mart then here are a few pointers we hope you will take into consideration:
- Visit one of their stores to see exactly what they sell, how their ethos is enacted and what their products physically look like on the shelves. Now imagine your product on those shelves and see if it is a match.
- Ensure that you are fully covered by all the necessary insurances before you submit your product.
- Make sure you have the legal right to production.
- All foodstuffs must meet FDA guidelines before being submitted.
- Packaging is just as important as your product is – does it open easily? Does it look attractive? Be honest with yourself because the review panel will be brutal.
- Make sure your product is sturdy enough to withstand all the testing Convenient will put it through.
- Establish a contact even if you don’t plan to sell them anything just yet… it always helps to have someone who remembers you when the time comes!
If you want to submit your product to Convenient Food Marts you will find all of their contact information by following this link.
How to get your product into Convenient Food Mart
- Understand you client: Before you spend a lot of time and money creating a product, you should know if anyone will want to buy it. Learn more about Market Research
- Learn if it’s protectable: Know if you can defend your product against cheap copies if it gets knocked off. Learn more about Copyright and Patent your product
- Test your product: Make sure that there’s a demand for your product and the customer understands what you are selling when it’s on the shelf and nobody is there to explain it. Learn more about Product Testing
- Perfect your pitch: Before you speak to decision makers, know your numbers, know your retailer and know your logistics in and out. Learn more about Pitching Your Product
- Don’t do it alone: If you haven’t been successful in retail before, a secret of success is that you can’t do it alone. Having great sales staff, customer support and marketing partners can take you from zero to success faster than if you tried on your own. Learn more about Retail Partnerships
Contact Convenient Food Mart Buyer
Do not trust any “list” of buyers.
Typically retail buyers change either companies or positions every few years. This strategy helps retailers know that their buyers are not taking “kick-backs” and are selecting the very best product for the very best position each time.
Buyers are typically held to a very rigorous standard of sell-through volume that they must hit and because of this they are risk averse. Your job as a supplier or vendor is to convince them that the buyers going into the stores not only know about what you’re selling but are actively seeking the product in the store currently.
How to Submit a Product to Convenient Food Mart
There are several ways to get a product placed in Convenient Food Mart. However, most entrepreneurs only dream about getting their product distributed to major retailers, few actually do it. We have experienced a significant rise in interest since the show Shark Tank started airing on NBC. Mr. Checkout has had the pleasure of working with a few Shark Tank success stories such as KISStixx and 180 Party Cups which are now currently being distributed around the country to stores like Walmart, Target, Kroger, 7-Eleven and more.
If you envision your product would be a good fit for Convenient Food Mart, we have a few steps to help you get your product on their shelves.
Here are the 6 steps you need to take to have your product placed in Convenient Food Mart.
1. Start with the right questions.) Before you try distributing your product to Convenient Food Mart, you need to ask yourself a few basic questions. Do you need to build demand for your product, or is there already a demand for it? Do you know that Convenient Food Mart would be interested in selling your product? If you can strike a deal with Convenient Food Mart, can you handle the production volume? Do you want to sell directly to Convenient Food Mart, or do you want to license your product to a manufacturer that will handle distribution?
2. Be prepared to profit.) Does your product offer enough of a profit margin for Convenient Food Mart? Can you sell your product at a reasonable enough profit to cover the packaging, shipping, commissions, marketing and wholesale distribution? Check Convenient Food Mart guidelines for other fees that you will have to build into the cost of your product in order for you to be able to turn enough of a profit to make the effort worth your while. If you work with a discount retailer, they will try to strip your profits down to zero in order to keep their prices as low as possible.
The typical breakdown of margins are: If a products costs $1 to produce, that product will retail for $4. That product that retails for $4 will wholesale for $2 to distributors and stores that purchase direct. Big box retailers like Convenient Food Mart may offer to pay $1.25 to the manufacturer if the product costs $1 to produce. That is the typical profit margin.
3. Determine if Convenient Food Mart is the right store for your product.) The relationship between you and Convenient Food Mart starts with you browsing their store for competing products. If Convenient Food Mart already has a similar product, it is going to be very difficult to get your product picked up. Spend some time at your local Convenient Food Mart to see what kind of products they are selling, speak to the manager and see if he thinks your product will sell well in their store. Picture in which zone your product would best fit on the shelf and keep in mind that the most precious asset that these big box stores value are their shelf space. Keep this information in mind when you are preparing your presentation to Convenient Food Mart.
If your company is minority or women owned, check Convenient Food Mart website and see if they offer specific opportunities for those designations.
4. Pitch your product to Convenient Food Mart.) Decide whether it will be you or a representative to present your product to Convenient Food Mart. Your presentation depends heavily on your strengths as a businessperson as they will most likely ask financial questions and logistics questions.
It’s common for companies to hire a broker to pitch their product to Convenient Food Mart, as it will be more likely that your product will make it to the next stage if the individual pitching your product has industry knowledge or a personal relationship with Convenient Food Mart. The percentage of commission verses, however generally a broker will take around 5% to represent your product to Convenient Food Mart.
We at Mr. Checkout have experience dealing with brokers and know that there are several retail brokers that have poor business practices that can potentially damage your brand. If you are seeking a legitimate Convenient Food Mart broker, please give us a call for a recommendation. It could save you a huge headache and a lot of money.
5. Complete the required Convenient Food Mart paperwork.) Often Convenient Food Mart will have you go through an application process. However, before submitting the paperwork required by Convenient Food Mart, you should contact a buyer at Convenient Food Mart and let them know your intentions. Having a contact inside of the company will potentially move your application more smoothly through the process.
6. Anticipate the need for increased volume.) Having Convenient Food Mart agree to stock your product will most likely mean a significant increase in volume. You should be prepared to ramp up your production and informing your manufacturer of this opportunity.
Having production, logistics and distribution to sync is not only difficult, it requires a significant amount of time invested in customer relations. Also, Convenient Food Mart may have stipulations in the contract that may penalize you for delays in shipping and production. Have an attorney explain all contracts to you if you don’t understand the terms.
If you’re looking to sell your product to Convenient Food Mart, be sure to thoroughly assess the marketplace, carefully prepare for production growth, and take full advantage of resources available to help you grow your business.
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