Know what to ask for, what to accept and where your limit is before the negotiation.
Retail buying experience, applied on your side of the table: prices, terms, assortment and negotiations.
The chain wants better terms.
Know what the request really costs and what to ask for in return.
Commercial termsWe want to get onto retail shelves.
Offer, price and product selection prepared for the buyer.
Talk to usWe are a foreign manufacturer.
Enter the Croatian market without opening an office.
Local partnerSomething else? See where else we help
Smaller suppliers often give more than they have to.
Large suppliers have commercial teams and analytics. Smaller manufacturers often negotiate alone and unprepared.
You want to sell to retail chains
- What price to quote.
- Which products to offer first.
- How to prepare an offer buyers read.
You already sell, but terms keep getting worse
- What is really left after terms.
- What to ask for instead of another concession.
- Where your limit is.
You do not need a commercial department. You need the numbers before the meeting.
How a chain sees a supplier.
- 01
It looks at its margin, not your discount.
Every supplier comes down to one figure: what the chain earns on them after terms, markdowns and returns. That is how you are compared with the competition on the shelf.
- 02
Buyers come with the numbers ready.
Sales, indices, returns and terms over the years. Without your own numbers, you negotiate on theirs.
- 03
A permanent concession stays.
An extra discount becomes the starting point for next year. A one-off contribution does not.
Download the Meridian retail guide before your next meeting with a chain
What Suppliers Often Don't Understand about Retail Chains. What a chain looks for in an offer, terms and pricing — and where suppliers most often lose their position.
Before you answer the chain's request.
A single request always looks small. That is why we look at all terms together.
What we check
- discounts and annual bonus
- marketing and other fees
- logistics discount, payment terms and returns
- what is left for you per product and per customer
Before the meeting, you know three things.
- Target
- The outcome you enter the conversation to achieve.
- Acceptable
- The range of terms that still makes sense.
- Limit
- The point where the agreement stops paying.
Where else we help.
We do not know which promotions pay off.
Which promotions and products earn money, and which only hold volume.
Let's talkWe need commercial support.
An experienced commercial lead for retail, without a new hire.
Let's talkWe are developing a new product for the shelf.
Where it will sit in the category and at what price.
Let's talkFour ways to work together.
Your situation defines the entry point, not our package. The most common first step is a commercial assessment of one specific problem.
Commercial assessment
One relationship, one problem, one decision
A specific terms package, price request or commercial decision in front of you. We review the numbers, terms, assortment and context, and write up a short findings note.
You leave with: key findings, an assessment of the problem, a recommended decision and the priority of next steps.
Preparation and negotiation project
Annual terms, price change, entering a chain
Preparation of a full commercial event: analysis, scenarios and negotiation logic for annual terms, a price change or a listing negotiation.
You leave with: a model and scenarios, a target and acceptable range, a walk-away point, arguments and a meeting brief.
Retail commercial support
Continuous mandate through the year
An external commercial check for suppliers without a senior retail function of their own: periodic review of customer economics, preparation for important meetings, and re-examining your position before the chain does.
You leave with: every important decision towards retail chains goes through an additional commercial check and preparation before you put it on the table.
Workshop for your commercial team
Half a day or a full day
How buyers read an offer and how to prepare for negotiations, using your numbers and terms.
You leave with: a team that knows its limit before the meeting.
What stays behind is a prepared position, not just advice.
Meridian prepares your commercial position towards the chain. Depending on the scope of the engagement, you are left with:
- A clear view of customer economics — what the relationship really earns after all rebates and fees
- A prepared price position or pricing scenario
- An assessment of what new terms would do to your margin before you sign
- A negotiation target, an acceptable range and a walk-away point
- Possible concessions and what you should ask for in return
- An assortment recommendation and a promotion payback assessment
- Prepared arguments and a brief for the meeting
- A recommended next step
The exact scope depends on the depth of the engagement — from a single assessment to a continuous mandate.
What Meridian is — and what it is not.
Retail Consulting is an advisory and preparation role alongside your team, not a replacement for your sales function.
What Meridian does
- Preparing commercial decisions and modelling scenarios
- Reviewing the economics of each customer relationship
- Preparing negotiations, meetings and a negotiation brief
- Re-examining your position before the chain re-examines it
- A short written recommendation for the owner or management
- Attending important meetings, by agreement and with a clear mandate
What Meridian does not do
- Day-to-day selling and field sales
- Order management and operations
- A full outsourced sales department
- Representing you towards a chain without your mandate
- Promised buyer access, guaranteed listings or influence over retailer decisions
Dominik Prelec, mag. oec.
Founder, Meridian Consulting
Dominik worked in procurement at one of Croatia's larger retail chains, across a large part of the food assortment. He was responsible for prices, assortment, catalogues, suppliers and commercial terms, working with more than 100 suppliers.
Today he also works in sales for a manufacturing company, so he knows the other side of the calculation too.
Working on the buying side and running procurement? That is Procurement. We keep mandates separate.
Common questions
Do you work with smaller manufacturers?
Yes. The service is built for manufacturers without their own commercial department.
Can we improve terms with a chain we already work with?
Often yes, but not always through a lower discount. The improvement can be in catalogue positions, assortment or payment terms.
Can you guarantee a listing?
No. The chain's buying team makes the decision. We prepare the best offer you can submit. Be wary of anyone who guarantees a listing.
Do you have contacts in retail chains?
Meridian does not sell contacts and does not act as an intermediary. The value is in preparing the offer and the negotiation.
Do you negotiate with the chain instead of us?
Normally, no. We prepare you and you lead the conversation. Attending the meeting is possible with a clear mandate.
When is the right time to get in touch?
Before you answer the chain or send an offer. A signed concession is hard to take back.
What data do you need?
Your price list, current terms with the chain and sales by product, as far as you have them.
Which categories do you have experience in?
Mostly food. For non-food, we say so up front.
How long does preparation take?
It depends on the scope. We agree the timeline up front, based on the date of your meeting.
Do you also work during the year?
Yes. Promotions, price changes and requests come all year round. That is what ongoing support is for.
Do you work with our team?
Yes, through workshops using your data and terms.
Does our data stay confidential?
Yes. It is used only for your engagement. We sign a confidentiality agreement on request.
How much does an engagement cost?
The price is set once we understand the situation and agree the scope.
Book an introductory call
Tell us briefly what it is about. We reply within one working day with a suggested time.