FMI eyes the big picture with new effort
The association aims to create a wider collaboration network
March 25, 2014
Industry collaboration is about creating links, but until now those links haven’t been connected into a larger chain.
Enter Food Marketing Institute with its new Total Store Collaboration (TSC) initiative.
This ambitious effort aims to make collaboration more inclusive by expanding it to more categories and partners. It hopes to marshal the same kind of energy generated around a much-heralded industry effort from an earlier era.
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“There hasn’t been in the U.S. a broad-based, industry collaboration initiative since Efficient Consumer Response in the 1990s,” said Mark Baum, FMI’s SVP of industry relations, and chief collaboration officer. “This is the first such 21st century effort.”
Baum is spearheading this FMI cross-category undertaking that is an important part of the association’s strategic planning process.
FMI wants to build on the successful work of the Trading Partner Alliance, the existing retailer-supplier collaborative forum between FMI and Grocery Manufacturers Association. FMI’s idea is to leverage the current strengths of the TPA to support initiatives across the Total Store, according to a document that explains the concept.
This means it would be extended to segments such as fresh foods, private brands, general merchandise, health and beauty care and pharmacy.
“C-level executives told us that FMI does a really good job from a trading partner collaboration standpoint vertically with GMA,” Baum said. “But retailers worry about growth across all their categories, and we’re missing things like perishables and private brands.”
FMI has already begun partnership efforts by reaching out to trade associations focused on these segments. Baum noted that FMI in particular hopes the outreach attracts manufacturers across these categories for collaborative programs with the existing retailer base at FMI.