LOCAL SUPPLIER Direct to store guide Page 1 of 17 Contents I am a new supplier – where do I start? Vendor Creation Form (VCF) Page 3 New Line Form (NLF) Existing supplier New Line Forms Page 4 What ordering methods are available? Page 5 How do I receive an order? What do I do if I don't have an order? What do I do if the order I receive is exceptionally large or small? What do I do if store calls with an order? How do I get an uplifted order for an event eg. Sampling? Page 6 Page 7 Local Sourcing on Retail Link How do I make a delivery? Preparing your delivery Arranging a delivery time 3rd party carriers Vendor managed deliveries Page 8 Page 9 Asda standard delivery note Page 10 How do I get paid? Store booking in POD - proof of delivery Page 11 Invoicing Golden Rules for Invoicing Payment Early Payment Page 12 Retail Link Page 13 Accounts Payable on Retail Link Page 14 What happens if I don't get paid? Invoices in query Accounts Payable Helpdesk Page 15 Key contacts Appendix I Top Tips - from Asda Top Tips - from current suppliers Appendix II Other useful documents and websites Appendix III Department Codes Appendix IV Page 2 of 17 I am a new supplier – where do I start? You should have already spoken with your buyer to obtain this pack. The conversation with your buyer should have been to agree what lines we are interested in and which stores you are able to supply to. The next step is to read this booklet so that you understand the process from start to finish. Once you are familiar with it you can refer to it whenever necessary, using the contents page as a guide. You will be sent a vendor creation form and a new line form by email from your Asda Buyer or Trading Assistant. You should complete these following the guidelines below. Vendor Creation Forms (VCF) You will need to complete the form with all the relevant detail required by Asda, the document must then be printed off & signed (original signature is required, photocopies will not be accepted). You must send this document back to your Asda buyer or Trading Assistant with a sample of your invoice & delivery note which must comply with Asda's standard requirements, see page 9. To verify your bank details we require a letter (on company letter-headed paper) stating your full bank details, including sort code & branch address, which must be signed by a company director/owner. The vendor creation form allows us to set your company up on the Asda systems to enable you to trade with us. When you complete the VCF there is a section about how you will receive your orders. The following page gives details of the systems available. You should contact the Asda EDI team to confirm the right system for your company before you submit the form. The EDI team will be able to help you with any order transmission queries you may have and offer advice about how the different systems work. When the VCF has been processed you will be allocated with a 6 digit vendor number also known as a supplier number. The vendor number will be followed by another three digits, the first two represent which department (for more details of departments refer to Appendix IV) your products belong to and the final digit represents how you deliver your products to us. This is illustrated below: 1 digit to represent how you deliver e.g. direct to store or to a distribution centre 6 digit unique vendor number 2 digits to represent the department e.g. 89 = Deli Pies Your vendor number is extremely important & must be quoted on all correspondence with Asda, including delivery notes & invoices. Page 3 of 17 New Line Forms (NLF) This is the second form you need to complete, this allows us to set up your products on the Asda systems to ensure we can order, receive and scan them through the tills in stores. The NLF is a Microsoft Excel (spreadsheet) document with headings in the first 4 rows. You should begin entering your product details on row 5 using the details in row 4 to guide you (as on the example below). You should list all your products on one form using a new row on the spreadsheet for each one. The form asks for details such as barcodes, product descriptions, sizes, weights, etc. The NLF must be submitted to us via email to enable us to directly upload this information in the system. Attention to detail is vital when completing the NLF, the information you enter will be submitted onto the Asda systems, there is no margin for error particularly where barcodes are concerned. When your NLF’s have been processed you will be allocated with a Wal-Mart Item Number (WIN) for each item we have listed. You must ensure that these are included on all delivery notes, invoices etc. The Wal-Mart Item Number (WIN) is made up of 2 sections as detailed below: 5 digits unique to your product 2 leading zero's 2 digits to represent the department e.g. 89 = Deli Pies Existing suppliers submitting New Line Forms If you are an existing supplier wanting to submit additional lines you should firstly discuss these new lines with your Buyer. If he or she agrees to list these lines (they may wish to see samples before a decision is made) you should download a New Line Form (NLF) from Retail Link on the Local Sourcing Page and complete it, using the guidelines above. Page 4 of 17 What order notification methods are available? There are 3 types of ordering systems available for suppliers, these are: Orbit This is the most popular ordering system with Local Suppliers. It is a free system which uses a broadband internet connection and allows you to receive your orders electronically. There is also the facility to invoice us electronically saving you printing and postage costs. AS2 This is a more advanced version of the electronic ordering & invoicing system. It involves you purchasing software to be installed on your system. it does all the things Orbit does with the advantage of being able to link in with Sage (accounting software) to make posting your journals easier. AS2 also allows us to transmit debit notes to you, where applicable, electronically Fax This is an ordering method reserved exclusively for micro suppliers who do not have regular access to a computer. It is used by strict exception only, as computer based methods have many more advantages and there is less margin from error. If you are an existing supplier currently using fax but do have regular access to a computer you are missing out on all the benefits Orbit has to offer. In this case we would expect you to convert to Orbit in order to take advantage of these free benefits. Please contact the Asda EDI team who will be able to take you through the conversion process. Contact details are available in Appendix I. Page 5 of 17 How do I receive an order? Once you have your vendor number, Wal-Mart item number(s) and your ordering system set up you are ready to receive your first order. This will be placed by the central Supply teams at Asda House, not the stores! There are two supply analysts who work with the Local Team, they cover the following areas: - Fresh (all chilled lines and bakery) - Ambient (all non-chill lines and frozen) Contact details are on appendix I. Refer to page 5 to ensure you choose the right ordering system for your business. Prior to receiving your first order you should arrange a meeting or conference call with both your buyer and the relevant supply analyst. During this meeting/call you need to discuss and agree your order schedules (frequency), lead-times, the first delivery date and the first order date, initial order volumes and forecasts. What do I do if I don’t have an order? New Line to Asda 1. Find out when does the line become effective by checking your critical path - orders cannot be raised for lines which are not yet effective 2. Once the effective date has passed, orders should be received at least 7 days before the launch date for ambient or 5 days for fresh 3. If orders are not received within the guidelines above contact the supply analyst Existing lines with Asda 1. Run a retail link report to show store on hands, item forecast and last 5 weeks sales 2. If the report shows stores have large on hand quantities the system will not generate an order 3. You can verify store on hands by arranging a store visit to ask a store colleague to review and confirm that the PI count (product inventory) is a true reflection of stock actually in store. 4. If the store inventory figure was high but actual stock on hand was zero then this is the cause of no order being generated. Once the PI is corrected, accurate replenishment will then continue 5. If you have recently delivered ambient stock into store and sales are low the store will have stock on hand so no order will be placed 6. Stock issues form - can be used if a store or supplier believes that there is an issue with the replenishment of a particular line. The form is on Asda internal web page (the wire) and can only be completed by a store colleague. More details of how to run Retail Link reports are on the Asda Supplier website, details of which are in Appendix I. What do I do if the order I receive is exceptionally large or small? In both instances you should run a retail link report to monitor last 5 week sales and check on hand quantities. If sales have increased or decreased order volumes will follow the trend. 1. Large orders - check recent communication from Asda House to check any activity on the product, ie additional stores stocking the product, promotions or seasonality 2. Small orders - if small orders are received on a regular basis you should contact your supply analyst to discuss the order review cycle Page 6 of 17 What do I do if a store calls with an order? You should not fulfil any orders received direct from stores! Take details of the order quantities in cases, the store number, the date stock can be delivered and the name of the store colleague who requested the additional stock. These details must then be entered on the order exceptions form and submitted to your supply analyst. This form can be found on retail link under explore the site. This process is not a standard way of working and is to be used by exception only. Should the form be submitted on a regular basis, the orders will not be processed. If you choose to fulfil an order received directly from a store you run the risk of not being paid. This is due to the Asda Payment Systems being completely automatic, so if no order exists in the system it cannot match your delivery to it to confirm that payment should be made. How do I order stock for in store sampling? If you arrange a sampling session in a store you must consult the sampling guide before doing so. Any sample stock (free product given to customers to taste) must be provided by you, any left over stock must be taken with you when you leave the store. However, the store may require additional stock to cover sales uplifts generated by the sampling event. To request an uplifted order you must complete the sample stock order form available on retail link and submit this to your supply analyst in line with your agreed order review cycle. For example - if your order review cycle is every 2nd Tuesday and the sampling event is on 15th May 2006. The orders will be reviewed on the 2nd May, 16th May, 30th May etc, the form should be submitted before the 2nd May to ensure the uplift falls inline with your order review cycle. You will then receive an uplift on your normal order for that particular store. Local Sourcing on Retail Link To find the Local Sourcing section of Retail Link, follow the directions below: Log onto Retail link (if you don't currently have access see appendix I on how to contact the Retail Link team) Click on 'Explore the Site' at the top of the screen Scroll to the bottom of the page and look for 'Local Sourcing' at the bottom right Once this page opens you can find all the links to the Local Sourcing documents. Page 7 of 17 How do I make a direct delivery? Before you make a delivery you must ensure you have the following: Vendor number Wal-mart item number(s) An order from Asda House Preparing your delivery Once you have received your order and are satisfied that you can fulfil the order, you should prepare a delivery note. You must prepare a separate delivery note for each order you receive. If you put consolidate separate orders onto one delivery note you risk not being paid on time or not at all as we may not be able to trace the delivery/order within the system The next page shows an example delivery note which you can amend the sections highlighted in red and use as your own. Page 7 shows ‘What A Good Job Looks Like’ (WAGJLL), this is a delivery note that one of our suppliers currently uses. If you prefer to use your own delivery note please ensure that the following are included on it: – Delivery note number (this number must also be quoted on your invoice and should only include numbers) – 10 digit purchase order number (from your order) – Your 6 digit supplier number – Your name and address – Haulier company name (if different to supplier name) and driver's name – Delivery address and store number – Quantities being delivered (if case size greater than 1 should be in cases) – Case size – Wal-Mart Item number for each product being delivered – Product description All delivery notes must be on A4 paper. Arranging a delivery time Before you turn up at the store with your delivery you should call and ask to speak to the warehouse manager. Tell them that you are a Local supplier and are making a direct delivery into store. They may want to know what type of product you are delivering (eg do they need to be chilled, are they raw meat etc). You should also ask about delivery times to ensure that you do not arrive at the back door when the store is booking in a depot delivery causing you to have to wait. 3rd Party Carrier If you use a 3rd party carrier to deliver your products to Asda Stores you will need to make them aware of the information above titled 'How do I make a delivery?'. The delivery driver should take your delivery note with them to the store and gain a Proof of Delivery (further details on page 9) to ensure you are able to get paid should there be any problems. If the 3rd party carrier uses their own delivery note they should clearly state that they are delivering on your behalf and should quote your Wal-Mart Item Numbers to allow the stores to book in the delivery. You should gain proof of collection from the delivery company and the delivery company should gain proof of delivery from the store. The process will ensure there is a trail of evidence should it need to be re-traced. Page 8 of 17 Vendor managed orders If you agree with your buyer that you are to supply our stores on a vendor managed basis this means you receive no orders from us. This is usually for home and leisure products such as calendars or clothing that are supplied on a sale or return basis. If you are working in this way you need to work very closely with the stores you are supplying and you need to run regular Retail Link reports to track sales and on hand figures. You need to go to each store with a blank delivery note (that you can complete whilst in store) and a vehicle with your product in. You should speak to the department manager and find out where in the store your products are to be located. You then need to agree with the department manager how much stock they want to take to fill the shelf space allocated. You should then complete your delivery note with the quantities agreed and ask the warehouse manager or the PIM (Profit Improvement Manager) for an order number which will allow you to create an invoice in Orbit. Before you leave the store you must follow the guidelines in the rest of this booklet around getting paid by having your delivery note stamped, stickered and signed. Page 9 of 17 Asda’s Delivery Note Template Use the template below as your delivery note for Asda stores. Replace all the sections written in italics with your company information. Supplier Name Address Telephone Number Asda Store Name: Store Address: Supplier Number: XXXXXX Store Number: XXXX ASDA Purchase Order Number: XXXXXXXXXX Wal-Mart Number Delivery Note Number: You should create this number, it must be unique for each delivery note Delivery Date: DD/MM/YYYY Case Weight Supplier Product Description (Kg) Product including size and quantity: Catch weight Code only: Totals: Total number of Cases received: Total number of Pallets received: Page 10 of 17 Quantity Ordered: Store POD Stamp here: Quantity Delivered: How do I get paid? Before you prepare your invoices for submission to Asda, you should check Retail Link to ensure that the cost prices are the same as what you agreed with your buyer. You should schedule a Retail Link report to run every Monday to check your case costs. Price file maintenance is usually scheduled for Sundays so you will see any changes on your Monday report. If the Asda system shows a different price to what you agreed you must notify your buyer. The Asda system will pay the cost you invoice up to a maximum of the one shown on Retail Link. Store booking in When you arrive at the store you must go to the back door (warehouse). You should take your completed delivery note with you to allow the store to book in the products you are delivering. POD – proof of delivery When the store colleague has booked in your delivery they will stamp your delivery note with a rubber ink stamp. They will complete the boxes confirming the number of cases delivered. The delivery note will then be signed by the store colleague and they will add a freight sheet sticker. Collectively these things create your POD, this should look similar to the POD image to the right. This is your evidence that the store has received your delivery. The POD will be required by our Accounts Payable team should your invoice fail to match when received onto our systems. Freight Sheet Sticker Store stamp: warehouse colleague to complete Freight Sheet Sticker Number Store colleague signature Delivery Drivers Signature Page 11 of 17 Store to complete to confirm they agree or disagree to the details on the delivery note Invoicing Asda recommend that all invoices are submitted electronically. The only exception is those suppliers set up on fax or if you are waiting for your electronic ordering system to be set up. Electronic invoicing is much more efficient way of working, however it is vital that all paperwork is accurate. The system looks for certain criteria to enable it to release your payment, the key criteria are: Supplier number Delivery note number Purchase order number Delivery location number VAT exclusive invoice total Golden rules for invoicing Create one invoice per delivery note. Do not put multiple deliveries on one invoice as the system will reject them, which will delay your payment Do not pre invoice, your invoice will not match in the system and payment on time will be affected Invoices should be raised upon receipt of POD, using the delivery date as your invoice date, to ensure they are net of any discrepancies If you are set up on Orbit or AS2 you must invoice us electronically (exceptions will be made only for extreme circumstances). Do not issue a paper invoices unless specifically requested to do so by Asda You should only invoice us manually if you receive your orders by fax Payment Asda runs 1 payment schedule per week, payment is by BACs transfer unless another method has been specifically agreed (for example payment in foreign currency). Asda's standard payment terms are 60 'tag' days unless otherwise agreed by the Accounts Payable payments team. Tag terms are the number of days attached to a vendor account and link to the once a week payment schedule. There are agreed exceptions to this rule for certain categories in the business, e.g. Local Suppliers are usually on 21 tag days. Your Asda Buyer will advise the 'tag' days relative to their category. Below is an example of how the payment process breaks down for those suppliers who are on 21 tag days Goods received by Asda 3 July 2006 Invoice dated 3 July 2006 Payment terms 21 day “tag” terms Payment due 24 July 2006 Next Saturday after due date 29 July 2006 EDI remittance transmitted 1 August 2006 BACS payment - Thursday 3 August 2006 Early Payment Cleared invoices can be released onto an earlier payment schedule in exchange for settlement discount. Further details on this are obtainable by contacting the following e mail address EarlyPayment@asda.co.uk Page 12 of 17 Retail Link Retail Link is a web based Wal-Mart system that gives you access to your payment status with us. You can get access to this system by contacting the Retail Link team (based at Asda House) on o113 2417449 or ukrlfeedback@asda.co.uk. This will give you access to: - Remittance advices - Invoices pending payment - Invoices in query Retail Link is a great reporting tool that is key to everyday life in Asda House. You have access to the same reporting tools that we have (although you are restricted to only seeing information for your products). It can be used for information such as: Sales Waste Availability Price file checks All the above are available on a store by store basis allowing you to support the lower performing stores by doing sampling sessions or promotions. Retail Link has the facility to let you create a report and schedule it to run every morning, every week or once a month so you can have sales reports sat waiting for you when you arrive at work. Retail Link also allows you to check the cost prices we have set in the system, by checking these regularly (i.e. once a month) you can prevent price mismatches in the payment system. Page 13 of 17 Accounts Payable on Retail Link To find the Accounts Payable Home Page section of Retail Link follow the directions below: Log onto Retail Link (if you don't currently have access see appendix I on how to contact the Retail Link team) Click on 'Explore the Site' at the top of the screen In the 3rd Column - titled 'Find Documentation' look for 'Accounts Payable' and click on it Once this page opens you can find all the links to the Accounts Payable documents Suppliers are expected to have checked the detail available to them on Retail Link before raising a query. Page 14 of 17 What happens if I don’t get paid? If you have submitted an invoice that has not been paid you should use the tools on Retail Link to identify why the invoice is unpaid. Once you have found the invoice you should be able to decide what action you need to take dependant upon where in Retail Link the invoice appears. Invoices in query If you find an invoice on Retail Link in the unmatched or mismatched section this means that we don't have sufficient information to release payment for the invoice. This can be due to a number of factors, some of which are: Incorrect cost price charged (mismatch) This is when the cost you charge and the cost we have on the system are different. We will pay you for the amount we agree to and debit the remainder. You need to complete a disputed price debits form if you notice deductions have been made. You must run regular price file checks in Retail Link and notify your buyer of any discrepancies to ensure this does not happen. Incorrect quantities stated (mismatch) This is when the quantity you have invoiced us for is different to what a store have booked in. Again we will pay you for the amount we agree to and debit the difference. You should send us a POD for each invoice providing your POD shows the store accepted delivery of the quantity you have invoiced. Unmatched invoices This is when you have submitted an invoice which we cannot find a delivery for on the system. You need to provide a POD for the unmatched invoice. Accounts Payable Helpdesk If you cannot find the invoice or need help understanding what action needs to be taken you can contact the Accounts Payable Helpdesk (based in Asda House) on 0113 241 9987 or accountspayablequeries@asda.co.uk. You should quote your supplier number when you call along with invoice numbers. Page 15 of 17 Appendix I Contact Details Colleague Name Role Direct Dial Contact If… Karen Todd 0113 241 7915 a problem needs escalating as a last resort 0113 241 9374 Terri Saunders Local & Organic Manager Local Buyer Northern regions & Scotland Local Buyer Southern regions & Wales Trading Assistant Clair Tapson Merchandiser 0113 241 7861 Sandra McDonnell Fresh Supply Analyst 0113 241 9056 you have any other issues and your based in the North of England or Scotland you have any other issues and your based in the South of England or Wales you are listing a new line, maintaining an existing line, or other admin issues you have problems with item store combinations (traits) you have problems with fresh orders - you will need your item numbers you have problems with ambient orders - you will need your item numbers you have any press coverage or want to improve your PR you have store operational problems James Dodds Matt Hulsey 0113 241 9392 0113 241 8207 Neil Wittmann-Griggs Ambient Supply Analyst Sian Horner Public Relations 0113 241 8360 Chris Moran 0113 241 8913 Accounts Payable Trading Operations Manager Finance Help Desk Retail Link Help Desk 0113 241 7449 0113 241 9012 0113 241 9987 you have problems with being paid - you will need your supplier number You have any queries relating to Retail Link Appendix II Top Tips - from Asda Ensure correct delivery notes are taken to store with deliveries. Delivery notes must be stamped, signed and a freight sheet sticker added to them to create a POD (proof of delivery). Invoices must be submitted electronically if you receive orders electronically, manual invoices will be rejected if you receive electronic orders if you receive manual orders and would like to upgrade to a free electronic ordering and invoicing system you should contact the EDI team on gemuk@asda.co.uk to enquire about how to upgrade with little or no cost implication. Do not send lines that are not set up on our system (all active lines are visible on Retail Link) and that haven't been agreed with a buyer. Do not deliver goods that have not been ordered. Do not accept orders direct from stores. Top Tips - from current suppliers 'Make sure your delivery note and invoice comply to get deliveries booked in correctly and payment on time.' 'Don't put multiple deliveries on one invoice.' 'Don't deliver stock that has not been ordered by Asda House' 'Do regular price file checks on Retail Link to prevent deductions on invoices' 'Make sure the barcodes you submit are correct otherwise the product will not scan in store at launch' Appendix III Useful documents & websites Sampling guide – on request email terri.saunders@asda.co.uk Retail Link – www.retaillink.co.uk Asda Supplier website – www.asdasupplier.co.uk User ID: asda Password: supplier Page 16 of 17 Appendix IV Department Codes Each Department within Asda has a department code. For example, all dairy products are department 90, all confectionary products are department 55 etc. These numbers will form part of: your supplier number as detailed on page 3 your Wal-Mart item number as detailed on page Details of which department code each product is in is below: Dept No. 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 Department Name SNACKS HEALTH PAPERSHOP PAPER ENTERTAINMENT-ELECTRONICS CAMERAS TOYS & HOBBIES PET CARE SPORTING GOODS AUTOMOTIVE HARDWARE PAINT & ACCESS CLEANING AND KITCHEN HOUSEWARE ELECTRICAL APPLIANCES HOME AND GARDEN HOME FURNISHINGS SEASONS PIECE GOODS & SEWING DOMESTIC GOODS CURTAINS, DRAPES & HARDWARE BEDDING MEN'S KIDS FOOTWEAR BABY ESSENTIALS NYLON HOSIERY LADIES UNDERWEAR FOUNDATIONS FACHION, ACCESS & LUGGAGE JEWELRY, SUNGLASSES GIRLS WEAR LADIES PLUS SIZES / MATERNITY LADIES COATS TLE LABOR PRESCRIPTIONS CAKES BOUGHT IN OVER THE COUNTER MEDICINE BEVERAGES MAIN MEALS SALADS ( EXC. SALAD BAR) SOFT NUTS TOP CITRUS TOILETRIES POTATOES BOUGHT IN FRESH MEAT OPTICAL BOUGHT IN FRESH POULTRY Page 17 of 17 Dept No. 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 Department Name BOUGHT IN BACON SAUSAGE IN STORE FRESH POULTRY BOUGHT IN FISH BOUGHT IN BACON SAUSAGE CONFECTIONERY LIVE GOODS RICE/PASTA DESSERTS AND BAKING BISCUITS BEVERAGES / SUGAR PETROL ISB CREAM CAKES / CAKES SAVOURY AND COOKING CONDIMENTS AND CANNED SOFT DRINKS LAUNDRY WINES SPIRITS KIOSK PROCESED MEAT AND POULTRY FROZEN MEAT & POULTRY CHIPS/POTS/VEG DESSERTS AND ICE CREAM PRE PACKED CHEESE PRE PACKED MEATS PRE PACKED PATE PRE PACKED READY MEALS PIZZA ROTISSERIE DELI CHEESE BREAD IMPULSE MERCHANDISING BOUGHT IN FISH PLANTS AND FLOWERS ONE- HOUR PHOTO SERVE OVER READY MEALS MORNING GOODS DRY CLEANING DELI PIES / PATE DAIRY MEAL SOLUTION CEREAL IN STORE FRESH MEAT VEG SALAD BARS BEERS DELI MEAT ISB SANDWICHES AND SNACKS/ BREAD CONSUMABLES