Sales
Due to the unique retail landscape in Australia and New Zealand, the key to your commercial success and brand penetration is working with a partner like Stuart Alexander. We pride ourselves on the deep local knowledge and strong and effective trade relationships of our in-house sales management team, field force and merchandisers.
Channel specific
Not all retailers are the same, so we have developed a channel-based plan that provides for customisation and an individualised set up for each channel to achieve optimal coverage per product category.
It is also vital that your local partner understand the different business drivers of each of the major grocery retail chains - from their desire to increase foot traffic to a focus on margins - to ensure your brand plan addresses these challenges.
Value-add
In-store brand activation is the cornerstone of our drive to build brands.
Our “win in-store” philosophy, measured in visibility to consumers, is driven by our national field sales operation team whose priorities include:
- Getting the shelf right - adjacency, flow, stock weight and position
- Getting the right products in the right place on checkout
- Getting other tactical placements – clip strips, floor stands
We are renowned for the value-add we bring our brand principals through direct field-negotiated offers at no charge back to the brand or business.
Our merchandisers have extensive experience on the shop floor and a passion to maximise brand presence on shelf and in promotions. Their rapport with store management helps leverage opportunities for our brands.
Our territory sales managers focus on building trust through personalised service to achieve deep brand penetration and support for in-store brand building activities with retailers where buying decisions are made at store level.
Because our “win in-store” success relies on meeting the specific needs of our trade customers, we use cutting edge technology to access market intelligence across all levels of the business to assist us with planning. In the field, our team use handheld technology to capture detailed data for analysis.
Team structure
Our in-house sales operation team is designed to ensure a three-tiered engagement with the core channels:
1. National business managers based in Sydney and Melbourne responsible for the national chains
2. State-based key account managers to oversee regional key accounts and wholesalers
3. In-house national field force of territory managers and merchandisers with channel-specific sales and service assignments
Specialised attention
Stuart Alexander’s wide and varied distribution network ensures your brand will have the greatest possible exposure in all segments of the Australian and New Zealand retail marketplace.
Our flexible, dynamic approach means we can act quickly to changes in the market, business and brand priorities.
To optimise brand penetration and deliver the specialised attention different channels require our national field force is divided into two account teams:
- Structured Grocery/Mass Merchant
- Woolworths, Coles, BI-LO, Big W, Kmart, Target, Aldi, Costco
- Wholesale/Unstructured Route
- Independents: supermarkets, convenience stores, petrol stations
- Impulse/Route: petrol stations, convenience stores, milk bars/corner stores, newsagents, pharmacies, liquor stores
- Specialty Retail: department stores, tobacconists, duty free
- Foodservice: hotels, restaurants, cafes
With a trade customer universe in Australia of nearly 23,000 outlets across all channels, our field sales operation team works on an 8-week cycle and achieves 90-100% channel penetration.
New Zealand
For brand partners also wishing to penetrate the New Zealand market, the advantage of working with Stuart Alexander is the benefit of an aligned brand strategy for Australia and New Zealand out of one office in Sydney.
Our Auckland branch office and field resources service all channels in both the North Island and South Island with a growing emphasis on the foodservice channel, offering scope for brands specifically targeting hotels, restaurants and cafes.
Our logistics partner allows us to supply stock quickly and efficiently for both Islands, as well as other South Pacific islands.
