Booths Launches 1st Product Range through New Online “Meet the Buyer” Programme
Booths, the Northern food retailer committed to supporting small scale suppliers, is launching the 1st product range secured through its new online application system introduced to attract small, artisan producers and farmers.
Small enterprises frequently face difficulties securing a listing within the UK’s larger retail chains due to being unable to meet demands and fulfil large contracts. Booths launched the straightforward online supplier system to make it as easy as possible for small farmers and producers to supply Booths and make their product retail ready.
John Gill, Booths Buyer, explains; “Booths is unique amongst supermarket retailers – our relative small size opens up doors to stocking exceptional food and drink from small scale suppliers who would normally avoid supermarkets due to their small production output and uncertain quantity, often dependant on seasonality and farming conditions.”
“We see that we have a role in ensuring the future of small producers and artisan production methods and hope to go some way to achieving this by offering a shop window and viable marketplace for their produce, paying a fair price to suppliers and working flexibly to stock produce by availability and seasonality. We didn’t want our administrative procedures to deter potential suppliers and become a barrier to stocking the best products available.”
Marcela Flores will be launching her authentic Mexican range of tortilla chips and salsas in Booths stores on 27 March. Produced in Nottingham, Marcela Flores has a Mexican heritage and uses authentic ingredients and a secret family recipe.
Marcela said; “I am really excited to be working with Booths supermarket as our launch partners. With so many shared principles and values, it is the perfect fit. Booths shares the commitment to quality, provenance and emphasis on ethically sourced produce which is at the heart of Marcela’s Kitchen, not forgetting that they are the only supermarket fully aligned to the Slow Food campaign. Our range is lovingly created from family recipes to consistently deliver exciting yet distinct products and I am delighted that in partnership with Booths, Marcela’s Kitchen has the opportunity to share our passion for authentic Mexican food.”
There are just four simple stages that producers have to go through before they can start supplying Booths and each stage is explained in detail, step by step on the retailer’s website to support and guide smaller suppliers with as much help as possible.
It begins with getting the product ready for retail sale and includes a retail ready checklist to help suppliers with this process. Secondly, interested suppliers complete a simple online application with basic questions about the business and product, supported by a completed example application.
Once submitted, potential suppliers will receive a response within 10 days and if the application meets Booths criteria, the supplier will be invited to a “meet the buyer” event.
North West Evening Mail – http://www.nwemail.co.uk/news/scheme-opens-doors-to-small-scale-suppliers-1.1043442?referrerPath=news_2_1848