Sainsbury's

Supermarket takes stock of exciting small suppliers.

The issue

Small British producers often find access to buyers at large retailers a challenging experience. Sainsbury’s approached Food from Britain (FFB) to assist with developing a British supplier scout scheme that would make it easier for small and medium-sized suppliers to showcase their products to the senior trading and product development teams, and potentially generate new listings. The scheme aims to bring the best of British food and drink to the retailer’s shelves through a series of regional ‘meet the buyer’ meetings.

What we did

We worked closely with Sainsbury’s to devise and launch the ‘Supply Something New’ initiative. As part of the scheme, we encouraged small producers who felt they could offer a point of difference to enter products via the dedicated website www.supplysomethingnew.co.uk. The aim of the site is to make the application process quick and easily accessible to users. Successful applicants attend regional ‘Supply Something New’ events, which are held every two months, to present their wares to a panel of Sainsbury’s personnel during forty-minute sessions. After presenting their products, producers are given feedback almost immediately. The panel looks for products that are innovative, use quality regional ingredients, artisan production techniques and – above all – taste great. According to Judith Batchelar, Director of Sainsbury’s Brand, “Food from Britain’s involvement in setting up the initiative has been invaluable. Its dedication to targeting the right producers and the role it played in preparing the producers for the ‘Supply Something New’ events has been a significant contribution to the success of the scheme.”

Results

The two events we have held so far have resulted in four producers working closely with Sainsbury’s to put new products on shelf. These include The Organic Patisserie, which launched two chilled organic desserts into 113 stores in August 2006.