How to get your product into Alon Brands Inc.
Alon Brands Inc. were founded back in 1993 but only really came into their own when they took over Southwest Convenience Stores in the early 00’s. They are a corporate type business with a focus towards expansion and money making. Nowadays they have re-branded as Alon Brands Retail to incorporate their convenience stores wide variety and more accurately represent what they do. Could your product find its home with Alon?
Alon doesn’t just sell the normal hot and cold snacks, food and tobacco type products that you might expect to find at a service stop – they also offer banking services and a number of big brand products that they affiliate themselves with. This means you will find Slurpees and a wide range of 7-eleven convenience products in their stores. They are well known throughout Texas and the surrounding areas as being a brand you can trust. Their corporate focus means that their distribution is always on point, that they like to barter with big names and that they are likely to continue to grow well into the future. It does, however, mean there is slightly less chance of your product being selected over a big brand one.
Their product range is fairly vast by comparison to most stores – but they like quirky, unique items that can be supplied and distributed to all 300 + of their locations. They have a wide range of food items and specialist in snacks that kids will love, as well as their own private label goods. Alon operates as a franchise nowadays and are very open and willing to listen to any potential franchisees. This means that their corporate relations department is brilliant and will be helpful to the last. Being so approachable is an opportunity for you to make contact and have someone review your product without having to go through quite as much rigmarole as you might have to with some other chains.
With so many outlets it is important that you are able to keep up with demand for any successful product, so keep that in mind before you submit. If you do want to reach out to Alon Brands Inc. then here are a few things to consider:
- They will consider your interest if you are not part of a registered company – but they may try to sell you a franchise.
- Visit their stores and make an honest comparison between your products and theirs… are they of good enough quality? Will they withstand testing and reviewing? Be honest.
- All foodstuffs must meet regulations before being submitted.
- You must have the legal right to production and all of the necessary paperwork to do so.
- You need to have public liability insurance in case something goes wrong.
- To be memorable to Alon we recommend that you establish a company connection who you can contact for all future dealings.
If you think your product is good enough to be sold through Alon’s stores then you can follow this link to make contact.
Submit Your Product to Alon Brands Foods
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How to get your product into Alon Brands Inc.
- 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 Alon Brands Inc. 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 Alon Brands Inc.
There are several ways to get a product placed in Alon Brands Inc. 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 Alon Brands Inc., 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 Alon Brands Inc.
1. Start with the right questions.) Before you try distributing your product to Alon Brands Inc., 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 Alon Brands Inc. would be interested in selling your product? If you can strike a deal with Alon Brands Inc., can you handle the production volume? Do you want to sell directly to Alon Brands Inc., 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 Alon Brands Inc.? Can you sell your product at a reasonable enough profit to cover the packaging, shipping, commissions, marketing and wholesale distribution? Check Alon Brands Inc.’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 Alon Brands Inc. 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 Alon Brands Inc. is the right store for your product.) The relationship between you and Alon Brands Inc. starts with you browsing their store for competing products. If Alon Brands Inc. already has a similar product, it is going to be very difficult to get your product picked up. Spend some time at your local Alon Brands Inc. 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 Alon Brands Inc.
If your company is minority or women owned, check Alon Brands Inc.’s website and see if they offer specific opportunities for those designations.
4. Pitch your product to Alon Brands Inc.) Decide whether it will be you or a representative to present your product to Alon Brands Inc. 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 Alon Brands Inc., 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 Alon Brands Inc. The percentage of commission verses, however generally a broker will take around 5% to represent your product to Alon Brands Inc.
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 Alon Brands Inc. 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 Alon Brands Inc. paperwork.) Often Alon Brands Inc. will have you go through an application process. However, before submitting the paperwork required by Alon Brands Inc., you should contact a buyer at Alon Brands Inc. 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 Alon Brands Inc. 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, Alon Brands Inc. 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 Alon Brands Inc., 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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