Report comment

Please fill in the form to report an unsuitable comment. State which comment is of concern and why. It will be sent to our moderator for review.

Comment

The GCA is right to highlight the challenges faced by suppliers when retailer ordering differs significantly from forecast, but extrapolating this to suggest that millions of tones of food is being ploughed back into the ground because of supermarkets is a huge leap. Where is the evidence for this?

Supermarkets have made substantial improvements to improve forecasting over the past ten years, and whilst there remains significant room for improvement it is incumbent on suppliers to analyse, understand and challenge forecasts so that they can prepare and supply reasonable product volumes. On the other side of the coin is supplier service level and its impact on product availability; suppliers need the necessary analytical skills to interpret forecasts in the light of historic performance so that they can assess likely true demand.

Those suppliers who better understand demand, who can challenge forecasts and add value to their retail customers beyond the supply of goods, develop trusted trading relationships that benefit both parties.

The value chain is no longer dominated by retailers - the GCA is helping change the culture here - but this means that as relationships move from 'parent-child' to 'adult-adult' suppliers have to play their part in contributing to a grown up conversation, using grown up communications.

Moving to a data-driven, evidence-based communication style is a significant step towards maturity.

Your details

Cancel