“The Crossroads of the Gourmet Community”

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The relationships among independent gourmet retailers, manufacturers representatives and suppliers are as fundamental to the health of the gourmet kitchenware industry as they are complex.

At the request of the Gourmet Trade Development Council, a committee of members of the International Housewares Association, IHA staff and several advisory groups worked to detail the best practice responsibilities of each party in the relationship.

Here are a few of the findings.

Among the general guidelines for each party:

• Communicate regularly and in a timely manner, keeping in mind that too much communication is as bad as too little communication
• Set reasonable and—if possible--negotiable expectations
  

What suppliers should expect from retailers includes:

• Place orders with reasonable delivery date expectations
• Respect suppliers' brands
• Pay on time
• Maintain pricing agreements
• Provide constructive feedback on rep performance

What reps should expect from retailers includes:

• Copy rep on supplier correspondence
• To share expectations, company policies and rules
• To act in a professional manner

For the complete list (and to find out what retailers should expect from suppliers and manufacturers reps) download the white paper at no charge at: www.housewares.org