BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Business development in Europe
EFC's business development practice in Europe covers market and competitor research, the go-to-market strategy, the decision makers and Ongoing Market Management, market by market. It serves brands and companies entering Europe and those growing where they already sell. The same team can also run the goods side: import as importer of record, customs and VAT, stock in Portugal and delivery to each buyer.
Request a call back- Markets
- The European markets agreed with you, in the order the strategy sets
- Channels
- Retail chains, wholesalers, distributors, importers and partners
- Stock
- Held in Portugal, inside the EU customs union
- Engagement
- Ongoing Market Management
Each European market keeps its own chains, buyers and calendar, so each is researched and approached on its own terms. The goods move more simply: once released for free circulation in Portugal, they reach any member state without a second import.
Starting points
Entering Europe, or growing where the brand already sells?
European buyers weigh a known brand differently from a new arrival. The method stays the same, and the first months of work follow the starting point.
- Entering a European market
- Before the first buyer conversation: the import route into the EU, the product rules that apply, the competitors on shelf and how each chain buys.
- Growing where the brand already sells
- A map of who carries the brand in each market, at what price and through which importers or platforms, before any new account is approached.
- Adding European territories
- For a distributor holding rights in some markets, the neighbouring markets are researched against that agreement, so new coverage respects the territory already held.
The practice in Europe
How is a European market researched and managed?
Each market is read from its own shelves first. Names come after the priorities are approved, and outreach follows each chain's review calendar.
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Research
Chains, wholesalers, distributors and importers in each agreed market, read from what they list and sell, beside competitors and comparable entries, failed ones included.
A market and channel map, sourced per finding
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Strategy
Which markets to take first and which to leave aside, the positioning and price logic per market, and the route: chain, distributor or both.
The entry or expansion strategy, for approval
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Decision makers
In a large chain the category is often split across several people. The one who decides your line is identified by role, and the route checked before use.
Named buyers and category managers
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Ongoing Market Management
Chains reconsider a category at set review points, so outreach is timed to each chain's calendar and followed up month by month.
The buying calendar, the pipeline and a written report
Routes to market
How do the routes to European buyers compare?
Each route trades away something different: control of the customer, title to the goods, breadth of range, or freedom from fixed cost.
| Appoint an agent | Appoint a distributor | Open your own EU entity | Working with EFC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who owns the customer relationship | You, through the agent | The distributor | You | You, with EFC managing the pipeline |
| Who holds title to the goods | You. The agent holds no stock | The distributor, which buys outright | You | You. EFC holds the stock and never takes title |
| What happens to your range | Depends on the agent's other lines | Often narrowed to the fastest-moving lines | You decide | Set by the strategy, across several chains and distributors per market |
| Who answers the buyer's operational questions | You, from outside the market | The distributor, from its own stock | Your new team, once it exists | EFC, from the stock and import position it runs |
| How they are paid | Commission, with termination rights under Council Directive 86/653/EEC | Its margin, taken from your price | Fixed cost from the first month, before the first order | A monthly retainer on a twelve-month term, plus commission, with the research included |
Termination rights under the agency route are set out in Appointing a commercial agent, or running the market yourself.
The operation underneath
What do European buyers ask before a listing?
Once a category manager likes the product, the questions turn operational: lead time to the distribution centre, who imports the goods, pallet labelling and returns.
EFC answers them from its base in Portugal: import as importer of record, customs and VAT through fiscal representation, stock and delivery to each chain.
Release for free circulation on arrival is the usual route, with duty and import VAT due then. Bonded stock pays both at each release, which suits slower, higher-value lines.
Questions
Questions about business development in Europe
How are European chains and distributors researched?
From what each channel lists, publishes and prices, in catalogues, brand pages and trade press. Each candidate is rated against your lines, with the reason written, and you approve the order.
What is a category review in European retail?
It is the set point at which a chain reconsiders one product group and reallocates its shelf. An approach made outside it usually waits for the next one.
Does EFC work with a brand that already sells in Europe?
Yes. Expansion work opens with the brand's current European footprint, including the listings no one on its side manages, before new accounts are considered.
Which European markets are covered?
The markets agreed at the start, in the order the strategy sets, supplied from Portugal inside the EU customs union. Further markets can be added during the engagement, in writing.
Business development in Europe
Which European markets come first depends on the product and where it already sells. A first call sets out the likely order.
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