Unitas, the UK’s largest wholesale buying group, has revealed a marketing masterplan which demonstrates how suppliers can optimise their investment in the group and fully utilise its unrivalled scale and reach.
A brand new guide, Winning with Unitas, positions Unitas as a brand building partner for suppliers, illustrating how it can drive volume and growth through a range of retail, wholesale and out-of-home media opportunities.
The print and digital booklet looks at how suppliers have performed best in partnership with the group’s 125 members, taking advantage of promotions, range guidance, depot and retail activity and member engagement events to align activation and promotional compliance.
“Our wholesale network offers incredible size and scale, and we’ve created this guide so all brands can maximise every opportunity to exploit that,” said David Cooke, Chief Operating Officer.
“We will work with suppliers to build their campaigns, and activate them consistently right through to the end consumer with clear communication, advice from our members, and depot and retail events so they land consistently.”
“The highest performing suppliers think beyond short-term activity, focussing on scalable execution. They build plans that are clear, commercially relevant and easy for members to adopt. Most importantly, they treat Unitas as a brand building partner, not simply as a route to market.”
The guide forms part of Unitas’ wider Brand Builder project, unveiled at this month’s connect26 trade show, which includes a new suite of activities that build supplier sales and brand equity across members’ depots and retail estates as well as the on-trade and foodservice channels.
The 11-point blueprint for success advises supplier to work with Unitas on an execution roadmap that builds from a true annual Joint Business Plan, not just a promotional list.
This includes creating one or two ‘Big Bet’ initiatives that drive standout impact, delivering one clear message across the group, shaping commercial terms around members’ insight to ensure their participation and keeping depot activations simple, repeatable and relevant.
The guide advises: “Let Unitas lead your central campaign narrative. We will translate it into a wholesaler-relevant plan, align members behind them and help shape activities that can be scaled across the group.”
Belinda Parkinson, Head of Marketing, said: “Compiling the most impactful ways that brands can share their products, promotions and NPD in one at-a-glance guide will open up the wholesale market for existing and future supplier partners, and we're really looking forward to working with them to deliver exceptional return on their investment.”
Winning with Unitas has been shared with suppliers working with the Unitas central team, and new suppliers wanting to achieve long-term sales growth in partnership with the group.