Get Your Product Into Acme Fresh Markets
Founded in 1891, Acme Fresh market was founded by Frederick Wilhelm Albrecht. The Akron Ohio based company operates in summit, Portage, Stark and Cuyahoga counties of Northeast Ohio, with 16 locations spread across the various counties, Acme products include Grocery, Pharmacy, Dairy, Frozen, Organic produce, Deli, Meat, Bakery, Floral, Alcohol, General Merchandise.
Acme Fresh Markets, started out as Albrecht’s Grocery, after Frederick Wilhelm Albrecht, took over his brother’s local store. It was his first venture into the Grocery business. After he renamed his business Acme, he changed his business transactions into cash only sales.
There was a rapid expansion for Acme, in 1918 soon after he opened around the Akron area. Acme expanded more in the 1930s, with over 100 stores, both large and small.
Founded before the turn of the twentieth century, the family owned and operated firm has used a strategy of acquisition and adaptation to capture and maintain a dominant position in the Akron market
In the 1970s, Acme joined with Young fellow Pharmacy to open a chain of pharmacy/convenience similar to Walgreens. The Y-Mart stores were renamed Acme Express in 1996. Later on the stores were converted from pharmacy/convenience stores into Acme Fresh Markets while others were sold.
Acme fresh markets in the mid-2000s experienced a sort of rebranding, where a large percentage of their older stores have undergone various renovations. The essence of its drastic change in the mid-2000s, was to aid its acclimatization into a world of modern invention, and to aid it in improving customer/client experience.
Acme fresh markets is one market with a forward looking mentality, and by 2014, they opened a new store at Green Ohio, and still had plans, for a 5 building shopping center anchored by a 68,000 square foot Acme store.
The gradual departure of the Acme stores from an old retail market into one that now encourages the use of savings card, and supports it fuel reward, where customers earned reports, by buying some select products, and offering product of all ranges to its teeming population. The dogged nature of Acme, has kept it in various competitive markets, and their continuous existence is a testimony to this fact.
Distributing to this type of retailer can be very beneficial. This is because an established retailer like this with long lasting reputation would have dedicated customers who would prefer to do their shopping there. Its ability to balance the sales of various kind of adult linked products, such as Alcohol, which it sells extensively, Acme also has its own Mascots, who have helped improve Acme’s relationship with the little folks. The stores often put on events at holidays for children, including Breakfast with Santa Claus and Breakfast with the Easter bunny. They also store tour for children.
Acme fresh markets have grown from a single store that only made cash sales transaction, into a company that offers fuel rewards and savings cards. Investing in a company willing to undergo the right kind of changes to remain effective and relevant in its sphere, would definitely be a step in the right direction
Acme fresh markets, is currently headed by Current President Jim Trout and Vice president Nick Albrecht.
How to get your product into Acme Fresh Market
- 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 Acme Fresh Market 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 Acme Fresh Market
There are several ways to get a product placed in Acme Fresh Market. 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 Acme Fresh Market, 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 Acme Fresh Market.
1. Start with the right questions.) Before you try distributing your product to Acme Fresh Market, 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 Acme Fresh Market would be interested in selling your product? If you can strike a deal with Costco, can you handle the production volume? Do you want to sell directly to Acme Fresh Market, 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 Acme Fresh Market? Can you sell your product at a reasonable enough profit to cover the packaging, shipping, commissions, marketing and wholesale distribution? Check Acme Fresh Market’s 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 Acme Fresh Market 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 Acme Fresh Market is the right store for your product.) The relationship between you and Acme Fresh Market starts with you browsing their store for competing products. If Acme Fresh Market already has a similar product, it is going to be very difficult to get your product picked up. Spend some time at your local Acme Fresh Market 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 Acme Fresh Market.
If your company is minority or women owned, check Acme Fresh Market’s website and see if they offer specific opportunities for those designations.
4. Pitch your product to Acme Fresh Market.) Decide whether it will be you or a representative to present your product to Acme Fresh Market. 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 Acme Fresh Market, 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 Acme Fresh Market. The percentage of commission verses, however generally a broker will take around 5% to represent your product to Acme Fresh Market.
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 Acme Fresh Market 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 Acme Fresh Market paperwork.) Often Acme Fresh Market will have you go through an application process. However, before submitting the paperwork required by Acme Fresh Market, you should contact a buyer at Acme Fresh Market 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 Acme Fresh Market 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, Acme Fresh Market 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 Acme Fresh Market, 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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