VENDOR CATEGORY MANAGEMENT ANALYZED

WASHINGTON -- The role of suppliers is the subject of the fifth and final guide in the Food Marketing Institute's series of category management implementation series. This guide provides retailers and wholesalers with a view of the roles suppliers can play in a collaborative category management process. It offers scorecards for companies to assess potential partners and describes ways to overcome obstacles that may arise in collaborations. The guide also describes the principles essential for an effective collaboration that will yield benefits to both partners, as well as enhanced consumer values. The guide is divided into these three parts:

s biased information. (3) The supplier seems ambivalent about the benefits of collaboration. (4) The supplier fails to offer creative tactical plans. (5) The retailer is unwilling to share data. The guide is available from FMI here.