Capabilities / Market Entry / Distributor and Channel Development
Appoint the right partner on terms that hold.
We map the channel in your target market, assess and approach the partners who fit your brand, and structure the commercial terms, measures and working rhythm that keep both sides accountable after the agreement is signed.
What this is
A distributor relationship is a commercial structure, not an introduction.
Appointing a partner is the point at which a brand hands over its access to a market. What that partner does with it depends on the terms they signed, the measures they are held to, the visibility you retained, and whether your brand sits near the front of their portfolio or somewhere behind it.
This service covers the whole of that. Mapping who actually operates in the channel, assessing which partners fit the brand and the volume ambition, structuring terms that work for both sides, and putting in place the reporting and cadence that make performance visible while it can still be influenced.
A partner is not a substitute for a market position. The relationship works when both parties are clear about what is being built and what each is accountable for.
No partner yet
You need the channel mapped and the credible partners identified, assessed and approached with a proposition they will take seriously.
Partner in place
The relationship exists and needs terms, measures and visibility that let you see performance and act on it.
Channel under review
The current route is not delivering what was expected, and you need an independent assessment before renewing or changing it.
What the work covers
Six areas decide whether a channel relationship delivers.
The work runs from mapping the channel through to the operating rhythm that holds the relationship together once it is live.
Channel mapping
Who operates in this market, which accounts they hold, what else they carry, and where your brand would sit within their portfolio.
Partner assessment
Financial standing, category credibility, logistics capability and the honest question of whether your volume is meaningful to them.
Approach and negotiation
Presenting the brand in terms the partner values, then negotiating the position rather than accepting the standard one offered.
Commercial terms
Margin, minimums, exclusivity, territory, term and exit, structured so both parties have reason to invest in the relationship.
Performance measures
What is reported, at what frequency and at what level of detail, so sell through and distribution are visible rather than inferred.
Operating rhythm
The review cycle, forecasting process and escalation path that keep the relationship active between annual negotiations.
How an engagement runs
Three stages, and the first one stands on its own.
The channel review is scoped and delivered independently, so you can see what the market holds before deciding how far to take the work.
Channel review
- The channel mapped as it currently operates in the market
- Candidate partners identified and assessed against your brand
- Review of any existing arrangement and how it is performing
- Recommended route with the reasoning set out
- Written position you can act on independently
Delivered as a standalone engagement, with nothing further required of you at the end of it.
Appointment
- Approach and presentation of the brand to shortlisted partners
- Commercial terms structured and negotiated on your behalf
- Performance measures and reporting requirements agreed
- Territory, exclusivity and term positions settled
- Agreement prepared for your legal review and signature
Scoped after the review, so the commitment is defined in full before any work begins.
Activation and management
- Launch plan built jointly with the appointed partner
- Reporting and forecasting process put into operation
- Review cadence established and run through the first cycles
- Training for the partner team on brand and product
- Handover once the relationship is running to plan
Optional, and built for businesses that want the relationship established rather than only agreed.
Who this is for
Built for brands that intend to hold a position, not just find a buyer.
This service suits businesses treating the channel as something they will manage over years rather than a transaction to be completed. The terms agreed at appointment set what is possible for the life of the relationship, and they are considerably harder to improve later.
What we bring is an operator's view of both sides. We know what a distributor needs from a brand to prioritise it, and what a brand needs to retain in order to keep a market it does not physically sit in.
- You need the channel mapped before deciding which partners to approach
- You are negotiating terms and want the position structured rather than accepted
- Reporting from the market is limited and performance is difficult to see
- An existing arrangement is due for renewal and needs an independent read
- You want the relationship built to hold, not just signed
Start here
Tell us the market and where the channel sits today.
A scoping conversation establishes what is already in place, what is still open, and whether a channel review is the right first step for the position you are in.