How To Get Into Broulims
Broulims was founded in 1922 by Charlie Broulim on Main Street in Rigby, Idaho and has 10 stores in different locations. In increasing the regional footprint of the company, Broulims established different stores that are located in: Rigby, Rexburg, Montpelier, Driggs, St. Anthony, Soda Springs, Shelley, Afton, Alpine and Sandcreek. Each new Broulims location adds roughly 100 jobs to the retail chain and takes the Broulims company workforce to a higher range. Therefore, creating more opportunities for quite a number of people. Broulims is very well known as a company that not only offers world-class service but do so with the very best products. The company has experienced much success over the past 90 years as they have moved into new locations throughout Idaho and Western Wyoming.
Currently, Broulims employs skilled and devoted team members that provide the highest level of service to customers. The company has over 800 well-trained associates, which they consider their greatest asset. Broulims stores support local community teams, schools and activities. Their employees are ever ready to serve as community leaders holding important offices in chambers of commerce, city government and local service clubs. Their employees also all necessary means to offer the highest levels of customer service, quality and value available in the industry. Broulims is therefore a company that stands with pride concerning its heritage and contribution to the development of southeastern Idaho and is a retail business that exhibits enthusiasm and optimism in striving for new opportunities.
Broulims also runs an e-commerce sector that is accessible to all and sundry. Through their online stores customers get to make others without stress and wasting time. Some orders get delivered to their doorsteps while some are already set for the customer to pick up at the company’s in-store even in the same day the order was made. The prices associated with getting products from their online sites are affordable and when broken down, their In-store or curbside pickup is $1.99 for each store. Where available, delivery fees vary from store to store and range between $8.00 and $16.00, depending on distance from the store. Their in-store pick up is available at Rexburg, Sandcreek store in Ammon and also from Driggs. Due to some happenings, if the client is not able to come for pickups the same day, the store gives room for next-day pick up at their Shelley and St. Anthony locations.
Broulims also runs a fresh food industry and a bakery. Broulim’s bakery offers freshly baked savoring snacks and pastries that makes the mouth water and the tongue longing for a taste whenever viewed. The products they retail include; breads that are well crafted to form a unique look and draw ones attention, mouthwatering doughnuts and cakes for different occasions. Furthermore, Broulims manages and operates other departments apart from the bakery. Which are: Crop products, animal products, floral products and pharmaceutical products. Their products are not only recommendable ones but the environment where the products are sold are so clean and attractive too. With all these features, Broulims runs a highly profitable industry.
How to get your product into Broulims
- 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 Broulims 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 Broulims
There are several ways to get a product placed in Broulims. 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 Broulims, 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 Broulims.
1. Start with the right questions.) Before you try distributing your product to Broulims, 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 Broulims would be interested in selling your product? If you can strike a deal with Broulims, can you handle the production volume? Do you want to sell directly to Broulims, 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 Broulims? Can you sell your product at a reasonable enough profit to cover the packaging, shipping, commissions, marketing and wholesale distribution? Check Broulims 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 Broulims 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 Broulims is the right store for your product.) The relationship between you and Broulims starts with you browsing their store for competing products. If Broulims already has a similar product, it is going to be very difficult to get your product picked up. Spend some time at your local Broulims 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 Broulims.
If your company is minority or women owned, check Broulims website and see if they offer specific opportunities for those designations.
4. Pitch your product to Broulims.) Decide whether it will be you or a representative to present your product to Broulims. 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 Broulims, 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 Broulims. The percentage of commission verses, however generally a broker will take around 5% to represent your product to Broulims.
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 Broulims 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 Broulims paperwork.) Often Broulims will have you go through an application process. However, before submitting the paperwork required by Broulims, you should contact a buyer at Broulims 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 Broulims 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, Broulims 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 Broulims, 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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