Mid Atlantic Whole Body regional new item process
Dear vendor partners,
Starting with the 2013 category review the Mid Atlantic will be implementing a few different
procedures. The whole process of submitting a new item is described below. Steps 4-7 and the rep
partner program are new. Please take a look and reach out if you have any questions.
This process is available for all items that meet our quality standards.
Items selected to launch in all stores through the national category review process will be shipped like
usual to all stores in the MA. Samples will be requested for the buyers committee meeting (as described
in step 4) so they can see what is coming.
Many thanks for your patience and attention as we grow our category review process in the Mid Atlantic
and further our win-win partnerships.
Steps for submitting a new item for review in the Mid Atlantic
1. Review the Mid Atlantic Whole Body category review schedule and determine your product’s
category. New items will not be considered outside of the category review time frame. Before
the deadline listed in column D send a product sample to:
Catherine Kilmer
5515 security Lane Suite 900
Rockville, MD 20852
2.
Also at that time Email a new item form and a one page PowerPoint slide to
Catherine.Kilmer@wholefoods.com before the deadline for your category’s review.
3. The review for the category takes place during the month of the global call (September for
round 1, October for round 2, etc.) You will hear back from this office two weeks later if we are
interested in moving your product forward in the review process.
4. At that time we will request another 12 samples to be sent to the MA buyers committee. The
Buyers Committee is made up of 12 experienced buyers and team leaders who will vote on the
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product during our regional call at the end of the next month. You don’t need to send the
samples out to the committee until you have received our confirmation. Samples will be due
to stores 2-3 weeks later. All due dates are listed on the MA category review schedule.
If your product is accepted by the buyers committee it will be placed in every store in our region
and added to our space planning for core sets. You will be notified after our regional call.
If your product is not accepted by our Buyers Committee it will most likely not be set up for sale
in our region.
For each round the newly accepted products get shipped to the stores about 4 months after the
initial review month (dates listed on the category review schedule). In the early part of that
month your products will be set up to scan in our stores and you will receive a PO. Stores will be
expected to get the product on the shelf as soon as possible with the help of their rep partners.
For each major category that we will review we will ask the major vendor player in that category
to be a category captain and have their reps check in on all the stores in the region and make
sure their resets are done in a timely manner.
The Rep Partner Program
Each store will be partnered up with 2 reps, one for body care and one for supplements, who will help
every month with category review resets. Think of it like a simplified fair share program. The store and
the rep will be responsible for scheduling a date and time for the reset that works best for them. For
each reset the regional office will provide an expected date for the new items, a disco list that will have
been implemented two months prior to the reset so that space is already available, and a shelf space
plan.
Rep partners will sometimes have to reset categories that don’t contain any of their products.
Please let me know the names and email addresses of any reps that would be willing to participate in
this program, and the stores they would like to partner with. We recommend on store per rep, so as
not to interfere with their regular schedules too much.
A new direction
In general, the Mid Atlantic is moving away from the “store choice” new item process, where the item
is set up to scan, and the rep sells the product in store by store. We are moving towards streamlined,
planned sets in every store that are consistent, have multiple facings of best sellers, and are free from
products that don’t turn. Each time we review a category we are hoping to get the stores closer to the
ideal set, although we know that because sets are different sizes and shapes, and each store is unique in
our big region, that this process will be ongoing. If your new product is not accepted for sale in all
stores during the initial review or by the buyers committee it will most likely not be set up as a “store
choice” item either.
Thanks to everyone who works with us to create win-win partnerships. Please let me know if I can
answer any questions about the process for you.
Thanks again,
Catherine Kilmer
Catherine.Kilmer@wholefoods.com