Here at Cotswold Fayre, we always like to keep one step ahead of the curve, whether that’s being one of the first B-Corporations in the UK or continually improving our e-commerce systems to enable customers ease of ordering online across multiple categories. A new year (and a new decade) means that there are more new suppliers, new products and new trends to wade through. Luckily for you, we’ve done all the hard work and selected 486 new products for you to try in-store.

This year we’ve been focusing on expanding our healthy snacking range, an area that is still growing and always looking for innovation; brands with more sustainable packaging, having less impact on the environment; also we increased our non-food category with the introduction of cleaning products which there has been a lot of demand for.

We held our annual New Product Launch Event to offer retailers the opportunity to see, try and learn about the new products, as well as meet the producers behind the brands, all in one place! Our experienced sales team were on hand to advise and help customers decide what to stock and how the new ranges could be merchandised. These events are vital for new brands to showcase their range and build relationships with retailers, explaining what they’re all about. It’s key, to the ongoing success of the brand, to be able to speak directly to the decision makers and in-store teams to help sell through the range to their customers.

On the day we recorded that, on average, our customers spent approximately 3 hours exploring, visiting over 40 supplier stands, sampling products and planning their new ranges. Most attend with an open mind, not after anything specific just intrigued as to what’s new and innovative. Some retailers may have gaps in their existing ranges or find something that they didn’t know they were missing. This year was also the first time that we invited chilled suppliers to the event which gave our customers a wider range of products to select from.

Our customers are passionate about sourcing and introducing the right products for their retail customers. Taking on new, unknown products is a risk, but being able to speak to the producers and get the full story means that the retailers will have a better chance of passing on this knowledge to their customers to boost sales.

As part of the day, I was given the opportunity to go around and meet all the new suppliers and get a taste of what was on offer. It was a great chance to get to know the brands better and liven up my taste buds. Up there, with my favourites from the selection this year was; Hullabaloos, Bio-D and Moose Maple Butter, the producers of which, talked so passionately about their range. It’s hard not to fall in love with a product when you have those face-to-face conversations and see how invested the suppliers are.  

This year’s event proved as popular as ever and the buzz around the new suppliers was great. Who knows what new products we’ll find for the next one!

 

By Natasha Marlow, Marketing Assistant