GROW — Route to Market
UK route to market for ambitious and international brands
Your route to market is the path your product takes from your warehouse to the shelf, and the pricing that makes every step worth doing. FOTS defines that path for the UK, then executes it with field sales, wholesale access and activation, so the strategy turns into real distribution rather than a document.
The problem we solve.
Brands entering the UK, or moving beyond their first accounts, often have the product right and the chain wrong: no wholesale availability behind retailer demand, margins that do not work for the middle of the chain, or a channel that was never suited to the pack format.
How route to market works with FOTS.
- 01
Assess the market
Category, competitor pricing, pack formats, shelf reality and which channels your product can win in.
- 02
Design the chain
Channel priorities, wholesale and distributor options, trade pricing and margin at each step, plus promotional headroom.
- 03
Open the route
We approach the wholesalers and distributors that serve your target retailers and secure the availability retailers need to order.
- 04
Create pull
Field sales and activation build retailer and consumer demand, so stock moves through the chain instead of sitting in a depot.
What you get
- UK channel and route to market plan
- Trade pricing and margin model through the chain
- Wholesale and distributor introductions
- Target retailer list by channel and region
- Launch activity plan across sales and activation
- Performance reporting from first listings onward
Where we deliver it
- Wholesale and cash and carry
- Symbol and convenience groups
- Independent retail
- HORECA
- Specialist and health retail
How we measure it.
Every campaign reports against the numbers a commercial team actually uses.
- Wholesale depots listing the product
- Retailer accounts opened
- Distribution by channel and region
- Rate of sale per store
- Cases sold through the chain
Proof.
Jack Link's — Building distribution and driving sales across independent retail.
- 15,000+
- stores visited
- 10,802
- decision-makers engaged
- 3,996
- orders generated
- 21,978
- cases sold
What is a route to market?
It is the commercial chain that gets your product to the consumer, including distributors, wholesalers and retailers, and the pricing that makes each step profitable.
How do international brands enter UK retail?
Usually by proving demand in independents, convenience and wholesale first, with local representation on the ground, before approaching national multiples with rate of sale evidence.
Works well with
If your objective is
Frequently asked questions.
- Do we need a distributor to sell in the UK?
- Not always. Some brands go direct to wholesale and retail with a field team; others need a distributor for logistics and scale. The right answer depends on your category, pack and volume.
- What margin does the chain need?
- Every step needs a workable margin, and the required level varies by category and channel. We model it so your trade price still leaves you a viable business.
- Can FOTS act as our UK presence?
- Yes. For overseas brands we operate as a UK commercial extension, covering sales, activation, market intelligence and the people to deliver it.
Talk to us about route to market.
Tell us your objective and we'll tell you what we'd do first.