How To Get Into LANDIS SUPERMARKETS
Landis opened their first corner grocery store in 1939 on Main Street in Telford. The founder of Landis Supermarkets is Frank Landis. In 1973, the original Telford market moved to its current location on County Line Road. Landis Supermarkets is a family-owned and operated company. Landis Supermarkets, as a company, does not just outline their success by the number of stores they possess, nor the amount of items that they sell, but are also keen to seeing that the number of satisfied customers who shop with them are continually increased. The company runs with the knowledge that value to the customer, does not mean price alone, but also includes placing high value on customers and their reactions too. Years after the company began, in the third-generation, Landis Supermarket chain operates from four locations. The locations include; Perkasie and Telford in Bucks County; and Schwenksville and Vernfield in Montgomery County.
Landis Supermarkets manages some departments. The department that Landis Supermarkets operate are fresh and locally sourced produce, butcher shop meats, fresh catch seafood, Natural and organic, Landis fresh buffet, Shinji’s sushi, Mrs Benner’s custom cakes, Mrs Benner’s famous scratch made bakery, Wine and Grill, and Vernfield beer. Also the online establishment of the grocery store is as effective as one can place orders for holiday dinners, bakery, deli, entrees and sides, gifts, produce, soups, and shopping cart too. Landis Supermarket is committed to bringing convenience and the freshest products available to every shopping experience. Landis Supermarkets also has talented cake decorators who create very lovely cakes to perfectly suit the occasion to which it was made.
For this establishment to compete against big-box stores and grocery chains, Landis Supermarkets decided to create a niche by focusing on organic and seasonal produce, scratch-bakery items, fresh meats, quality convenience foods, local brands, and, above all, friendly customer service. With these information, it is clear that getting a product into Landis would mean that they fall under the category of goods they sell. The Supermarket is one of the best place to buy fresh meats. The deli has a good variety of meats and cheeses too. The staff at the deli and meat counters always tend to make sure that the perfect cut is given to their customers to take home.
Dave Landis began working in his father’s store as a young boy and was paid in frosty root beers, candy bars and invaluable experience. His father eventually passed the family business on to him. Now, Dave’s son, Scott Landis is the present Chief Executive Officer of Landis Supermarkets. Presently, this third-generation store employees and manages more than 600 people. Also, Landis Supermarkets currently runs four stores that serve 35,000 weekly shoppers. Landis also has a restaurant inside their grocery store, the Food Court Cafe features ‘Sadie’s Buffet’where one can enjoy lunch, dinner or have the convenience of delicious ‘meals to go’selections. Landis Supermarket also delivers the freshest Lancaster County produce, with premium meats, cheeses and homemade salads that feature the best local products the Indian Valley has to offer.
How to get your product into Landis
- 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 Landis 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 Landis
There are several ways to get a product placed in Landis. 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 Landis, 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 Landis.
1. Start with the right questions.) Before you try distributing your product to Landis, 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 Landis would be interested in selling your product? If you can strike a deal with Landis, can you handle the production volume? Do you want to sell directly to Landis, 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 Landis? Can you sell your product at a reasonable enough profit to cover the packaging, shipping, commissions, marketing and wholesale distribution? Check Landis’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 Landis 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 Landis is the right store for your product.) The relationship between you and Landis starts with you browsing their store for competing products. If Landis already has a similar product, it is going to be very difficult to get your product picked up. Spend some time at your local Landis 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 Landis.
If your company is minority or women owned, check Landis’ website and see if they offer specific opportunities for those designations.
4. Pitch your product to Landis.) Decide whether it will be you or a representative to present your product to Landis. 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 Landis, 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 Landis. The percentage of commission verses, however generally a broker will take around 5% to represent your product to Landis.
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 Landis 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 Landis paperwork.) Often Landis will have you go through an application process. However, before submitting the paperwork required by Landis, you should contact a buyer at Landis 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 Landis 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, Landis 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 Landis, 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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