Waitrose is exploring opportunities to implement factory gate pricing and open book costing with suppliers.
Director of buying Angela Megson said talks were at an early stage: "Our supply chain team has been working with a number of suppliers to investigate inbound consolidation of deliveries to Waitrose distribution centres.
"The suppliers have welcomed our approach and our consultations have led to some exploration of factory gate pricing in some instances."
Waitrose is understood to have sent out a questionnaire to its suppliers to gauge support for the initiative. One supplier told The Grocer: "Waitrose seems to be warming up to the idea of factory gate pricing."
Megson also confirmed Waitrose was operating open book costing with some own label suppliers "as both supplier and retailer have found there can be benefits in exploring the total cost and indeed opportunity in the supply of products."
However, she stressed: "It is certainly not something we insist on ­ rather that we mutually decide that there would be benefits to both parties and in the end, to our customers and partners."

{{NEWS }}

Topics