Put Your Product In Bel Air Markets
It is also Raley Supermarkets. Raley operates under the Bel Air name.
Founded 84 years ago, Raley’s Supermarkets (also known as Raley’s Family of Fine Stores) is a privately held, family-owned supermarket chain that operates stores under the Raley’s, Bel Air Markets, Nob Hill Foods, Food Source, and Market 5-ONE-5 banners in northern California and Nevada. The company was founded in 1935 by Thomas P. Raley in Placerville, and employs around 12,000 team members as of 2019. Headquartered in West Sacramento, California, Raley’s is the dominant supermarket operator in the Sacramento metropolitan area.
The retailer’s product offerings include Bakery, dairy, deli, frozen foods, general grocery, meat, pharmacy, produce, seafood, snacks, and prepared foods.
To enter into business with this retailer, you need a unique selling point. This means that your offers must be different from the commonplace. You must look for something that makes what you sell very different from several products that this retailer sells.
Raley’s competes in the market on three things: price, customer service, and topmost quality. To achieve price, the retailer must get the products at affordable prices from the suppliers. Customer service is with the company. The last part is topmost quality. This is also a point with the supplier. The retailer would sell what the supplier supplies. Thus, to maintain the standard, the products must be of topmost quality. All food items must have passed through several regulatory checks to ensure that they are fit for consumption.
With satisfactory quality on display, they have been able serve different customers across several market spaces. The supermarket business in the United States is one that tries to connect with the individual customer. This means, the supermarkets try to address the needs and interests of individual customers. This is by offering local, international, and metropolitan products.
For a distributor, this is an established store that can get your products to move as fast as possible. With the awesome varieties they offer and the established customer base, it can be easily deduced that there are customers already dedicated to what they sell. However, this is a big retailer and there is a high standard for the products they take and thus, it may not be that easy to push your products in there. This is why networking can be very useful.
On the local sourcing of food products, Bel Air Markets has been on the forefront of selling locally sourced food products and imported food items. Their wine, spice, and produce selection make them a leader in the retail and grocery business niche. This store has been in the business for years and has its established sourcing angles. Its constant support of local products has helped it cement its brand in the community as people can easily resonate with it.
Become A Bel Air Markets Supplier
Preapproval
New partners have to go through Raley’s preapproval by a Raley’s professional. This comes before completing any paperwork. In order to get in contact with a Raley’s manager you can call: (916) 373-3333 to schedule an appointment.
Ensured Requirements Needed
Resale Goods New Vendor Checklist
- Trading Partner Authorization Packet – complete and submit to Raley’s
- Terms & Conditions – read, understand & sign
- Taxpayer Identification Number & Certification (W-9) – complete and submit to Raley’s
- Certificate of Insurance – complete and submit to Raley’s
- Label Insight Onboard
- Product Safety and Quality Assurance – read and understand and complete and submit to Raley’s
- Global Trade Item Number (GTIN) – read, understand, comply
- Digital image – complete and submit to Gladson
- Transportation Logistics – read, understand, comply
Non-Resale Goods & Services New Vendor Checklist
- Trading Partner Authorization Packet – complete and submit to Raley’s
- Terms & Conditions – read, understand & sign
- Taxpayer Identification Number & Certification (W-9) – complete and submit to Raley’s
- Certificate of Insurance – complete and submit to Raley’s
- Transportation Logistics – read, understand, comply
Trading Partner Authorization
You will have to complete a Trading Partner Authorization Packet which will contain instructions needed to be gone over and understood.
Terms and Conditions
The terms and conditions is a legally binding agreement that details the terms and conditions between Railey and the partners they work it.
Resale (Merchandise) Goods
Non-Resale (Non-Merchandise) Goods & Services
Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification
Raley’s has an updated W-9 form.
Payment Policies
Purchase Orders
When Raley issues you a purchase order number, you will have to include the PO number on your invoice to Raley’s. Not doing so will delay the processing of your payment. This only applies to the vendors that Raley is issuing purchase orders.
Payment Methods
Raley’s partners are required to use a Wells Fargo Credit Card or Automated Clearing House in order to receive payment. Remittance will be sent via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI).
If you aren’t being paid by ACH, please complete the appropriate form.
- Vendors: Trading Partner Authorization Packet
- Extra Credit customers: Extra Credit Form
Payment Remit Changes
Changes to payment related addresses or account numbers will have to communicated on Raley’s Change of Remit Address/Banking Information form, along with a Taxpayer Identification Number and Certification form (W-9) and cover letter detailing the request. Until Raley has received written notification no changes will be made.
Payment Due Date Calculation
An invoice due date will be determined based on the Invoice Date or Receiving Date. Terms will be calculated from the purchase order, invoice or Trading Partner Authorization packet.
Resale Goods
Raley’s expects all of the brands it works with to have prevention based product safety and quality programs that make sure the products meet any and all regulatory requirements as well as consumer expectations.
Product Safety and Quality Assurance
Vendors have to go over the Supplier Quality Expectation Manual.
Afterwards the vendor must contact Raley’s Quality Assurance team in order to make sure that all quality and regulatory compliances documents are completed (quality_assurance@raleys.com).
Raley’s Quality Assurance Team will integrate a vendor into the Quality Management System Account, an email will be received that contains your account login, and you’ll required to review and/or submit the following:
- Supplier Information Form — Food, Non-Food
- Certificate of Insurance (Resale vendors submit to Quality Assurance)
- Raley’s Supplier Quality Expectation Manual
- Bioterrorism Act Statement of Compliance and Bill of Lading (Food Supplier Only);
- 3rd Party Audit (Food Safety or Good Manufacturing Practices or Alcohol Beverage Control License)
Other Requirements for Resale Goods
Raley’s Continuing Letter of Guarantee
Raley’s Transparency in Supply Chain Act (S.B. 657) –
How to get your product into Bel Air Markets
- 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 Bel Air Markets 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 Bel Air Markets
There are several ways to get a product placed in Bel Air Markets. 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 Bel Air Markets, 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 Bel Air Markets.
1. Start with the right questions.) Before you try distributing your product to Bel Air Markets, 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 Bel Air Markets would be interested in selling your product? If you can strike a deal with Bel Air Markets, can you handle the production volume? Do you want to sell directly to Bel Air Markets, 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 Bel Air Markets? Can you sell your product at a reasonable enough profit to cover the packaging, shipping, commissions, marketing and wholesale distribution? Check Bel Air Markets 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 Bel Air Markets 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 Bel Air Markets is the right store for your product.) The relationship between you and Bel Air Markets starts with you browsing their store for competing products. If Bel Air Markets already has a similar product, it is going to be very difficult to get your product picked up. Spend some time at your local Bel Air Markets 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 Bel Air Markets.
If your company is minority or women owned, check Bel Air Markets website and see if they offer specific opportunities for those designations.
4. Pitch your product to Bel Air Markets.) Decide whether it will be you or a representative to present your product to Bel Air Markets. 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 Bel Air Markets, 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 Bel Air Markets. The percentage of commission verses, however generally a broker will take around 5% to represent your product to Bel Air Markets.
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 Bel Air Markets 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 Bel Air Markets paperwork.) Often Bel Air Markets will have you go through an application process. However, before submitting the paperwork required by Bel Air Markets, you should contact a buyer at Bel Air Markets 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 Bel Air Markets 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, Bel Air Markets 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 Bel Air Markets, 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.
Submit Your Product Now
(est. time 3 minutes)