Step 1 of 4
Get it ranged
We take your range to the people who decide: the groups, the buyers and the store owners. If it needs to sit in a distribution centre to work, we sort that out first.
Your product on the shelf.
Then off the shelf.
A national field team, an in-house call centre and 25 years on both sides of the counter, getting brands ranged and selling in Australia’s independent supermarkets.
IGAFriendly GrocersFoodworksDrakesRitchiesIndependent supermarketsMSO groups
- In FMCG. Coles, Woolworths, then his own store.
- 0 yrsIn FMCG. Coles, Woolworths, then his own store.
- Staff managed across that career.
- 0+Staff managed across that career.
- Brands ranged into independent grocery right now.
- 0Brands ranged into independent grocery right now.
- People who ring the stores and walk the aisles.
- 0People who ring the stores and walk the aisles.
Who we work with
Two sides of the same aisle.
A supplier wants distribution. A store owner wants something worth putting on the shelf. Ace Retailing sits in the middle and is useful to both. Pick your side.
You have a good product and no way onto the shelf.
The independents are the most winnable channel in the country and the hardest to cover, because it is hundreds of separate decisions instead of one. We already have those relationships. We make the calls, we walk the stores, and we report back on what actually happened.
- Ranged into the groups and the wholesale distribution centres
- Store level ordering through our own call centre
- Field visits, shelf space, tickets and promotions
- Honest reporting on what sold and what did not
How it works
Ranged is the start, not the finish.
Plenty of products get listed and then quietly delisted nine months later because nobody went back. Here is the order we work in.
Step 2 of 4
Get it ordered
The call centre works through the store list. Not a mail out and a hope. A person on the phone, talking to an owner who already knows us.
Step 3 of 4
Get it on the shelf
Ordered is not the same as ranged. The field team walks the store, finds the space, puts the stock out and makes sure it is priced and ticketed.
Step 4 of 4
Keep it selling
We come back. Reorders, ranging reviews, promotions and the awkward conversation when something is not moving. That is the part most agencies skip.
The range
17 brands, across five parts of the store.
Order forms used to be a folder of downloads. Now they open in the browser, on the phone, in the aisle.
Selling into independents right across Australia
- IGA
- Friendly Grocers
- Foodworks
- Drakes
- Ritchies
- Independent supermarkets
- MSO groups
In their words
What people in the trade say.
I have known Steve Smith for a number of years, both as a colleague and a customer, in our ever changing world of FMCG. Steve is a go getter, he never stops. He has energy and enthusiasm unmatched, he is a straight shooter and will tell you as it is, not common practice in today's market. I am confident Steve will deliver positive results for any business that he aligns with.
The team
Ten people who know the stores by name.
Steve Smith
Founder
Regan
Sales & Training Manager
Resh
Sales & Key Accounts
Carrie
Client Communications
Kathy
Retail & Customer Service
Common questions
Straight answers, before you ring.
The things brand owners and store owners ask first. If yours is not here, the phone is quicker than a form.
Ace Retailing gets food, drink and household brands ranged and selling in Australian independent supermarkets. We take a range to the buyers, groups and store owners who decide, our in-house call centre works the store list and takes orders, and our national field team walks the store, finds the shelf space and keeps the product moving after the first order.
Independent grocery across Australia: IGA, Friendly Grocers, Foodworks, Drakes, Ritchies, other independent supermarkets and the multi store owner (MSO) groups behind them. We currently represent 17 brands across chilled and frozen, pantry and snacking, drinks, household, and health and beauty.
Ring 0402 711 100 or send the form on the contact page. Steve will ask what the product is, where it is made and whether it is ranged anywhere yet, then give you a straight answer on whether the independent channel suits it and what it would take to get it ranged, ordered and on shelf.
Yes. Store owners get one point of contact across many suppliers, ranges the majors are not carrying, and support in store rather than just a price list. Through our partners we also help with energy and insurance costs, community noticeboards, and employment relations and work health and safety.
Every brand's order form opens in the browser on the brands page, on a phone, with no download. Enter the cartons and send it through, or ring the call centre and the team will put the order in for you.
Steve Smith, who spent 25 years in FMCG at Coles, Woolworths and as an independent MSO store owner, managing more than 10,000 staff across that career, plus a team of 9 who ring the stores and walk the aisles.
Tell us about the product.
We will tell you straight whether it will sell.
No pitch deck required. A phone call and an honest read on whether the independent channel is right for what you have made.