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Retail veteran Peter Chapman has spent 20 years teaching brands what buyers actually want to hear — and it's rarely another pitch about how great your product is.
After 19 years at Loblaw running fresh merchandising across Atlantic Canada, Peter went out on his own in 2008 to help suppliers build real relationships with retailers. On this episode he sits down with Phil and Kenny to unpack what separates the brands that get on shelf from the ones that get shown the door.
The conversation digs into why "walking the store" is a non-negotiable part of the job, how store staff are the industry's most underused source of intel, and why understanding a retailer's economics beats fighting them. Peter also shares why frozen and refrigerated have quietly become the categories to watch, and how a wave of Canadian-first sentiment is reshaping what brands should be leading with — at home and in export markets.
Find Peter at SKUfood.com, where he's published a weekly industry newsletter for 347 straight Fridays, and connect with him on LinkedIn.
In this episode:
- From a 1983 grocery job to 19 years at Loblaw to going solo in 2008
- Why buyers want a plan, not a "look what I've got" pitch
- Walking the whole store (not your own set) to find where you really fit
- Store staff and cashiers as underrated sources of real-world sales insight
- The shift toward frozen, refrigerated, and Canadian-made products
