Sell to Smart and Final Stores & Become a Smart and Final Vendor

Are you a manufacturer, with a consumer product that you think would be a fit for Smart and Finals store shelves? If so you’ve come to the place! In this short video training, we’ll provide you with some tips and strategies on how to approach Smart and Final and successfully get your product stocked in their stores.

For those who may not be familiar with Smart and Final it’s a warehouse style grocery chain that boasts than 300 stores. Their stores are around 17,000 feet in size giving them space to buy and test new products thanks to their substantial buying power. Think of Smart and Final as similar to Costco—a retailer that purchases products in quantities. This is particularly advantageous for manufacturers because securing an order from Smart and Final can potentially translate into millions of dollars for your business.

Benefits of Selling to Smart and Final

One of the benefits of selling to Smart and Final is their willingness to collaborate with businesses like yours by offering opportunities for testing out new products on their shelves. Due to their bulk pricing model they have room for incorporating merchandise into their inventory. For this reason it’s definitely worth exploring the possibility of partnering, with them if you’re a company or looking to expand your market reach.

However because they purchase products in quantities it is crucial to ensure that your manufacturer can meet the required production volume, on time. This is essential as bulk retailers can put pressure on businesses if they are unable to deliver the quantity. Before contacting Smart and Final it would be wise to determine the capacity of your manufacturers production capabilities to guarantee delivery.

Additionally Smart and Final collaborates with distributors to most grocery chains in order to streamline their process when working with individual manufacturers. Distributors take on a portion of the responsibility for shipping and delivering products. Do charge a percentage typically ranging from 20 30% which reduces your profit margin per unit sold. However the upside is that you can generate revenue through volume sales. Distributors also have the potential to sell your products to retailers so it might be worthwhile reaching out to your distributor and inquiring about their clients as they could act as an extended sales team, for your business.

When dealing with distributors it’s important to note that they often have requirements regarding product performance and conversion rates.
Times distributors may be hesitant to collaborate unless you can demonstrate sales. This situation can be ironic because you seek their assistance to expand your sales. However once you establish a connection, with them it is beneficial to utilize their support in accessing grocery accounts.

Selling to Smart and Final

In summary Smart and Final proves to be a retailer for selling particularly if your product lends itself well to purchases. They exhibit a willingness to partner with businesses and experiment with products on their shelves making it an ideal starting point for emerging companies. Nevertheless it is crucial to ensure that your manufacturer can meet the required production quantities and collaborate effectively with distributors in streamlining the process. By employing these tips and strategies you can confidently approach Smart and Final for selling endeavors.

To get deeper into the approaches and techniques of selling to Smart and Final kindly visit our website at retailmba.com. We provide programs that cater both do it yourself options and done for you solutions. With, over 100,000 individuals benefiting from our teachings on approaching, pitching and selling to chains—and with continuous updates—you’ll find valuable content there. Thank you for taking the time to read this information; we trust that this training has proved beneficial.