Retail Strategies & Supplier Insights

Discover how the blocked Kroger merger impacts the grocery landscape, with Walmart emerging as a key player. Explore the Kroger merger dynamics.

If you’re a retail supplier, 2025 probably felt like you were fighting margin with both hands tied behind your back. Not because demand disappeared. Not because your product suddenly got worse.

The National Retail Federation (NRF) expects 2025 holiday retail sales in November and December to cross the $1 trillion mark for the first time, up about 3.7%–4.2% over last year. And 2024 already set a record, with core holiday sales hitting roughly $994.1 billion, up 4% year over year.  That’s great for headlines. But here’s the question that matters for you as a supplier: Did holiday retail sales actually lift your margin?

If retail felt slow this year, you’re not imagining things. Big banners plan category resets months ahead; most categories are refreshed at least annually.

If you’ve ever tried to get your product onto a retail shelf, you already know—it’s not easy. Retail buyers are swamped, competition is fierce, and retailers expect suppliers to deliver not just a product, but a plan. This is where a food broker  comes in. Think of a food broker as the “middle gear” in the retail machine. They don’t own your product, but they help move it forward by connecting you with the right buyers, negotiating terms, and ensuring your product actually se

If your brand touches center store, fresh, or private label, the latest SNAP shifts aren’t just policy news—they’re a demand signal.

Walmart’s annual Open Call is happening right now in Bentonville—and the energy is real. Think hundreds of founders from nearly every corner of the country streaming into town to pitch U.S.-made, grown, or assembled products to Walmart and Sam’s Club merchants.

Navigating the retail world can feel like trying to find your way through a dense forest without a map. You know there’s a path to success, but the twists and turns can be overwhelming.

“Retail deductions” are amounts a retailer withholds from your invoice—usually for shortages, compliance issues, pricing discrepancies, freight/OTIF misses, or after-the-fact (post-audit) claims.

You don’t have to choose between a food broker  and a deduction recovery  team. The compounding effect comes from both: brokers prevent...

If Congress misses the October 1 funding deadline, parts of the U.S. government will shut down. Essential services will keep running, but...

Retail deductions aren’t a one-time clean-up—they’re a tax on sloppy hand-offs. A strong food broker earns their keep long before the first PO by preventing the errors that become chargebacks: mis-keyed price files, barcode hiccups, promo mismatches, late/short deliveries, and compliance misses.

A food broker is a contract sales representative who connects food and beverage manufacturers with retail buyers—think grocery chains, club stores, mass, and specialty. They don’t buy or own your product; they sell it, manage the relationship, and help move it through existing retail channels.

Let’s be real: retail deduction software is essential. But software surfaces claims; experts recover dollars. Winners use both.

You hire a food broker to open doors. Great. But the best brokers do something more valuable: they keep those doors from slamming shut because of compliance misses

For every small brand dreaming of shelf space at Walmart, Kroger, or Target, the reality is clear: the competition isn’t just tough—it’s...

In retail, you can have the perfect product, perfect price, and perfect pitch—and still lose the sale because you pitched at the wrong...

Walk into a buyer meeting and you’ll hear the usual questions: What’s your case cost? Can you meet our OTIF standards? How do you support...

The journey from the kitchen or production floor to mass retail shelves is both challenging and full of opportunity. From the initial spark of product creation to securing prime placement in stores, the path is complex and highly competitive. In this landscape, food brokers play a pivotal role in helping brands break through the noise and achieve retail success.

You get the email. “Just wanted to let you know I’ve accepted a new role…” And just like that, your champion at retail is gone. Now What?...