Getting on the premium shelf.
How a premium grocer decides what comes in, what it costs you to stay, and how to tell a good account from a bad one. Written from the store's side of the table by an operator who has sat in the buyer's chair.
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What a premium door is worth
A small number of doors with a very large signal. Plan for the halo, not the volume.
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How the store sees you
You are an item competing for a facing that some other item has to give up.
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The five gates
Every well-run premium store asks the same five questions. Answer them before the buyer does.
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What to bring
The pitch that gets a yes answers the gates before the buyer asks.
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Staying in: the ninety-day review
Getting in is the easy part. Velocity is the only argument at the first review.
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Drops and collabs
The best position a brand can have is as the source of newness the store needs anyway.
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The private label question
Your success in a category can create your own competition. Be hard to replace.
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Diligence the store, too
You are putting product, money and reputation into this account. Look at it the way an investor would.
Adapted from The Truth Behind Premium Grocery (Michael Penner, 2027). Margin figures are modeled ranges, not any one store's numbers. Pair it with the wholesale-to-shelf calculator and the products proving each trend.