Line Review Prep Checklist for Food Brokers

When the review opens: confirm the process

Ask who owns the review, which category and stores are in scope, when submissions close and what materials are required. Confirm whether the meeting is for new items, assortment rationalization or a broader reset. Obtain the current submission instructions rather than reusing a form from a prior year. Record deadlines for samples, commercial terms and item data separately if the retailer treats them as distinct steps.

Clarify who will be involved beyond the category buyer. Merchandising, operations, distribution or a regional team may need different information. Ask how decisions are communicated and when a potential reset would happen. Do not promise a principal a launch date simply because a meeting has been scheduled. Keep confirmed dates and provisional milestones visibly separate in your preparation tracker.

Before selecting items: understand the retailer’s set

Review the category’s public assortment, positioning and shopper occasions. Where practical, visit relevant stores and note the location and date of each observation. Record pack formats, everyday prices, promotional activity and adjacent categories without assuming one branch represents the entire chain. Online product availability can help direct research, but it is not proof of a current physical shelf listing.

Identify what the retailer might gain from each proposed item: a format, a flavor, a dietary option or a different consumption occasion. Avoid defining a gap as the absence of your principal’s brand. A line review often requires trade-offs, so be prepared to explain why a proposed SKU deserves attention within the available space. Bring questions about the category strategy rather than pretending your shelf visit reveals the buyer’s private plan.

Gather evidence and label its limitations

Request actual sales information from principals when available, including the source, measurement period, distribution base and promotion conditions. Distinguish retail sell-through from shipments into a warehouse. Confirm whether the data concerns the same SKU, package and market you are proposing. A success story for another format is context, not direct proof that this item will perform identically.

For a new product, assemble the product rationale, supported claims and launch plan instead of inventing a velocity benchmark. Mark forecasts as hypotheses. Keep confidential customer data out of the presentation unless its use is authorized. If the retailer provides category information, use it within their restrictions. List unanswered evidence questions before the meeting so you can explain what is known and what a trial would need to establish.

Confirm economics with the principal and distributor

Check the current unit and case pricing, allowances, freight assumptions and proposed promotional funding. Confirm the cost basis appropriate for the retailer’s ordering route. The brand’s wholesale list may not equal the buyer’s delivered cost. If a distributor is involved, verify the specific item setup, service region and warehouse availability rather than assuming approval in one location means availability everywhere.

Review minimum orders, lead times, case configuration, shelf life and handling requirements with the responsible operations contact. Agree on which terms you are authorized to offer. A broker should not negotiate an allowance or launch activity that the principal has not approved. Keep a dated commercial reference alongside the presentation so last-minute changes do not leave different prices in the sheet, email and submission form.

Build a retailer-specific recommendation

Choose a focused starting assortment and explain the role of each SKU. Put the recommended items first, followed by alternatives only when they solve a distinct need. Specify proposed location, storage requirements and whether you are requesting a test or a permanent listing. A retailer may have constraints that make your preferred fixture impractical, so prepare a narrower proposal rather than insisting on one placement.

Create a one-page buyer summary supported by a separate operational spec sheet. The summary should cover product identity, category fit, evidence or launch hypothesis, commercial inputs, promotion support and a clear ask. Shelf Scout can help prepare a retailer-specific brief from product analysis, but the final proposal still needs verified facts. Use the sample page as an illustrative layout reference and the sell-sheet guide as a field checklist.

Before the meeting: check samples and rehearse questions

Confirm sample quantity, shipping destination, arrival window and any labeling or handling instructions. Send samples of the exact offered item, not an old package or a substitute flavor unless the buyer agrees. Check remaining shelf life and condition before shipping. Refrigerated and frozen products need a handling plan that preserves safety and quality. Track receipt when possible without assuming delivery means the buyer has reviewed the item.

Rehearse the questions most likely to expose an incomplete proposal: why this retailer, why this SKU, how it will be supplied, what support is committed and what happens if a test underperforms. Prepare factual answers and identify the person who can resolve unknowns. Do not bury uncertainty under confident language. An honest “I will confirm that with operations” is better than a made-up lead time that later blocks the launch.

After the review: turn feedback into owned actions

Send a concise recap containing the items discussed, decisions actually made, outstanding questions and agreed next steps. Separate buyer interest from approval. If the buyer requests changes, update the current documents and retire obsolete versions. Assign each task to a broker, principal or operations contact so no one assumes another person is confirming distribution or sending a revised cost.

If the proposal is declined, ask what would need to change for future consideration and record the next appropriate review window. Do not treat a rejection as permission to repeatedly resend the same deck. A line review produces useful account knowledge even without an immediate listing. Keep it with the account, along with authorized documents, so the next meeting starts from the buyer’s actual feedback rather than a generic portfolio presentation.

Frequently asked questions

How early should I prepare for a line review?

Start when the retailer confirms the review process. Work backward from their actual submission, sample and meeting deadlines rather than assuming one standard timeline.

Should a broker present every principal?

Focus on lines and SKUs that fit the category review and retailer priorities. Keep additional options available only where they solve a relevant need.

What should I send after the meeting?

Send a short recap of decisions, open questions, responsible contacts and agreed next steps, with updated documents where requested.