NEW DISTRIBUTION RESEARCH TOPIC
How can distributors keep growing across fragmented channels?
Front-line analysis of product selection, organization, channel strategy, profit models, and business transformation for FMCG distributors.
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4620 articles · Page 31 of 193
To Survive, Distributors Must Outcompete Their Peers
In a slower FMCG market, distributors should protect their core business, focus resources, strengthen organization and technology, and build structural advantages in the local market.
New DistributionDistributor Boss's Personal Account: A Post-90s Female Boss, Agent for Mengniu, Achieved Regional Benchmark Market in 7 Years
Liu Fen, founder of Hubei Quanjielai Trading, started her business in 2014 with 2 million yuan from her parents, becoming a Mengniu distributor in Yunmeng County, Xiaogan. Over seven years, she expanded to Xiaogan city and Yingcheng County, and in 2020 won Mengniu's Outstanding Contribution Award (only 10 distributors nationwide). This article shares her business insights, including market entry strategies, management of frontline staff, and handling e-commerce price chaos.
刘芬New Distribution x Meituan Flash Purchasing: A Successful Visit to Meituan Lightning Warehouse
On August 24, the third study tour of the New Distribution Dealer Member Club, in collaboration with Meituan Flash Purchasing's Flash Purchasing Lounge, concluded successfully with a visit to Meituan Lightning Warehouse. The tour focused on official interpretations of the Lightning Warehouse model, case studies on operating it from scratch, and discussions on opportunities and challenges for distributors amid its rapid growth. Despite strict registration limits, recruitment was completed in just three days, with over 30 dealer owners from across the country participating.
周群A Million Distributors Trapped in a 'Life-or-Death Game'
Currently, survival has become the most urgent need for many distributors. According to incomplete statistics, there are nearly one million FMCG distributors of all sizes in China. In recent years, dramatic changes in the consumer environment have reshaped the retail landscape, and their impact has also spread to the upstream industry chain, making the situation particularly difficult for distributors. It is understood that traditional distributors have generally experienced a double decline in sales and profits, with some even exiting or going bankrupt.
陈星星Snack Stores Take Away 30% of Business, 200,000 Distributors Face a 'Life-or-Death Race'!
In June, a friend added me on WeChat and said that distributors, especially those handling big brands, are struggling to survive. He is a distributor in a county-level city in Hubei, mainly supplying leisure food to supermarkets, but his business has been hit hard by the rise of snack discount stores, which have opened about 50 stores in his area and caused a 50% decline in his main client's sales. This article analyzes the phenomenon of snack hard discount stores, their impact on traditional distribution, and offers strategic advice for distributors.
任文青AndyMan Xiaobao: Going Offline Is a Difficult but Right Move
This article analyzes how Man Xiaobao, a new consumer brand, achieved rapid growth by expanding into offline channels, reaching nearly 1 billion yuan in sales last year and 150 million yuan in offline business within half a year. It highlights the brand's product innovation, marketing strategy, and partnership with distributors.
冯瑶Fewer Post-90s in FMCG Sales Roles!
FMCG companies are always recruiting yet always understaffed. A common phenomenon is that frontline workers switch between companies, but fewer post-90s are joining FMCG teams. Many post-90s, even those with bachelor's degrees or higher, prefer delivering packages, food delivery, or ride-hailing over joining the FMCG workforce. This article explores why post-90s are reluctant to join and what FMCG companies need to fix. The oldest post-90s are now thirty, and the youngest are starting work...
New DistributionHow FMCG Distributors Can Compete for Scarce Shelf Space
Shelf space is shaped not only by brand investment but also by the distributor's local position, operating efficiency, retail knowledge, and ability to build demand at store level.
New DistributionBypassing Distributors to Work Directly with Manufacturers: Are Snack Distributors' Good Days Over?
As the development of bulk snack retail heats up, the cycle has begun to trigger early. In a previous article, the author predicted that within less than a year, mergers and consolidation in the bulk snack industry would form an initial structure. In fact, since August 9, when Ai Snacks fired the first shot, the Warring States era of the snack industry is likely to accelerate. The biggest difference between the Warring States era and previous competition is that past competition was a market's unconscious elimination, but the Warring States era is a series of business actions centered on leading players, driven by strategy as the underlying logic...
王识钦The RMB 30 Million Distributor Growth Trap
Mid-sized regional distributors are often stable but stuck. Their next move depends on owner succession, digital operating discipline, brand access, and selective category expansion.
New DistributionNational Benchmark Distributor Study Tour Phase 2 - Visiting Tangshan Yihe Trading, Successfully Held!
From August 17 to 18, the second phase of the 'New Distribution National Benchmark Distributor Study Tour' visited Tangshan Yihe, concluding successfully. The tour focused on how traditional distributors can start B2b from scratch and how to respond to the impact of snack discount stores. Over 60 distributor owners from across the country joined founder Yu Xiuwei and New Distribution instructors for in-depth discussions.
New DistributionOld-School Distributors Can't Board the Ship of New Sales
On August 17, under a blazing sun, the author attended the 'New Distribution - Distributor Member Club' national benchmarking distributor study tour, visiting Tangshan Yihe Trading. The event featured a keynote by Yuan Lai, Chief Content Officer of New Distribution, on the path for distributor transformation and upgrading, and a visit to Yihe's warehouse and discount snack store. The author reflects on the six stages of FMCG distributor evolution and shares insights on learning, future thinking, knowledge implementation, and industry changes.
王超A 92-born Distributor's 10-Year Journey: Representing Totole, Chubang, Lotus and More, with Annual Sales of 80 Million
After 10 years of development, I have deeply fallen in love with this industry. Although many say business is tough, when you look back at other industries, the FMCG distribution business is enduring and growing stronger. This is the view of Fang Fan, a post-90s first-generation distributor and general manager of Guizhou Fang Wang Yuan Trading Co., Ltd. Graduating and immediately facing unemployment, he started his own business. This year marks his first year past 30 and his tenth year in business. In a decade, Guizhou Fang Wang Yuan Trading has grown from nothing, representing dozens of brands including Totole, Chubang, and Lotus, with a business scale of nearly 80 million yuan and an 8,000-square-meter three-dimensional warehouse to support existing brands and new categories like snacks, aiming for platform-based multi-category operations.
周群The Old 'Inertia-Dependent' Relationship Between Manufacturers and Distributors Is Being Eliminated!
Having heard too many pseudo-experts say 'cut out the middleman' or 'remove distributors,' it's clear that any successful business model requires clear role division in the industry chain to maximize value. Simply put, the manufacturer's core value lies in 'marketing,' focusing on product development and brand promotion, while the distributor's core value lies in 'sales,' focusing on warehousing, logistics, and promotions. Especially for FMCG companies focusing on offline channels, brand owners must unite distributors to maximize brand and product power, which is particularly important for small and medium-sized enterprises.
高级研究员 海游The Dealer Development Led by First-Tier Brands Such as Yili, Mondelez, Unilever, and Haitian Is Being Replaced!
Hello friends. I am Yuan Lai. "In the past, first-tier brands led the development of local dealers' businesses; in the future, it will be the competition among local dealers that shapes the business landscape of local dealers." I have been saying this on many occasions recently. In the past, the rise of dealers was often due to catching a good brand and following it, accompanied by demographic dividends and supermarket dividends, gradually growing from an individual or family business into a trading company with dozens of employees.
袁来The Middleman Revolution: You Can't Eliminate Middlemen, but You Can Be Eliminated if You Don't Improve
Middlemen shield you from upstream complexity, enable small-scale low-cost procurement, and guarantee safety and quality. While middlemen will always exist due to information, scale, and professional asymmetries, as well as bullwhip effects and order pulses, the article argues that although the middle link cannot be removed, you as a middleman can be replaced if you don't adapt to efficiency gains and changing market dynamics.
赵波New Distribution Study Tour: Traditional Distributors Transforming into B2b Supply Chains, A Practical Path from 0 to 1
Distributors cannot delay or retreat; they must move forward and secure their own survival space. This article shares the practical experience of Yu Xiuwei, founder of Tangshan Yihe, who transformed from a traditional distributor to a local B2b supply chain platform, covering 2000+ small stores, and also ventured into snack discount retail.
任文青AndyH1 Supermarket Business Down 20%-30%, Distributors Face Tough Times!
The first half of the year saw supermarket business decline by 20%-30%, as distributors face unprecedented challenges. New Distribution is hosting the first China FMCG Distributor Conference to provide a platform for sharing insights and strategies for the future.
袁来C'estbon as the Official Drinking Water of the Chinese National Team: What Does It Mean in the Channel?
Recently, New Distribution visited a distributor in Guangzhou, where trucks were constantly coming and going, and dozens of employees were busy loading and unloading goods. The distributor said that among the over 1,000 mom-and-pop stores he serves, C'estbon is the best-selling drinking water brand, with consistent growth year after year. Why C'estbon? New Distribution observed that C'estbon has frequently appeared at various competitions of national team athletes in recent years, and through long-term support of the Chinese national team, it has continuously shaped the joint brand image of 'Chinese National Team × C'estbon'. This year, C'estbon updated its brand proposition to 'Official Drinking Water of the Chinese National Team'.
田静Returning Offline in 2023: Channel Digitalization Takes Center Stage
After the 2023 Spring Festival, leading FMCG companies launched large-scale channel digitalization, becoming the most notable phenomenon in digitalization and marketing. Channel digitalization, also known as full-chain or long-chain digitalization, involves all four channel links: F (manufacturer), B (distributor), b (retailer), and C (consumer). The prerequisite for full-chain digitalization is deep offline distribution, a strength of FMCG leaders. This article explores the drivers, obstacles, principles, and best practices, including Coca-Cola's experience.
刘春雄Digital as the Engine: Lee Kum Kee Continuously Empowers Channel Partners for Efficient Business Growth
According to relevant data, offline business accounted for 89.6% of the condiment market in 2022. Looking further at offline channels, the 2 million+ small retail stores that are closer to consumers in near-field consumption will definitely become the mainstream of the condiment market in the future. Covering these 2 million+ small stores through traditional methods and a manpower-intensive approach makes it difficult to balance efficiency and cost. From the perspective of the condiment industry, what should be done? First, fully mobilize the power of distributors and work with them to tap into the potential of stores; second, use more efficient digital tools to expand coverage radius...
周群"Please Don't Send Me Back to the Pre-Liberation Era Overnight" - Distributors in Beijing's 'July 731' Heavy Rainstorm
Editor's note: According to the Beijing Meteorological Observatory, from 20:00 on July 29 to 11:00 on August 1, 2023, the average precipitation in Beijing was 263.8 mm. The maximum rainfall in the city occurred at Wangjiayuan Reservoir in Changping, reaching 744.8 mm, the highest in 140 years of instrumental records in Beijing. On August 1, Xi Jinping, General Secretary of the CPC Central Committee, President of the country, and Chairman of the Central Military Commission, made important instructions on flood prevention and disaster relief work. Heavy rain in Chengdu, Zhengzhou, typhoons in Fujian, and heavy rain in Beijing - every major natural disaster reminds us of the awe we should hold for nature. And in every disaster, distributors are often the group suffering the most severe property losses. This article documents the current situation of some distributors during the July 731 heavy rainstorm in Beijing, hoping that manufacturers and distributors can unite to overcome difficulties. At the same time, it also hopes that distributors will always have a safety bottom-line awareness in their operations and not put their businesses at great risk.
陈思廷Distributors: No Longer a Simple Moving Business for Everyone
As channels diversify and demand becomes more personalized, only large distributors can withstand risks and seize opportunities. The author, Yuan Lai, reflects on the increasing difficulty of the distributor business and the need for scale and professionalism.
袁来Economic Downturn: Distributors in a Panic
The era dividend has disappeared, but structural opportunities still exist. As consumption patterns are reshaped and channel structures are reconstructed, distributors face internal and external pressures, yet those who adapt can still find growth.
田静