BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Business development in the United States
EFC's business development practice in the United States runs the same sequence as in Europe: research, go-to-market strategy, decision makers and Ongoing Market Management. What differs is timing: no major US retailer publishes its category review calendar, so it is established account by account.
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- The United States
- Channels
- Retailers, private label, brokers and national distributors
- Supply
- Planned with you from the start
- Engagement
- Ongoing Market Management
The practice in the United States
How is the US market researched and managed?
A brand new to the United States starts from what a foreign supplier must hold, and whether the branded or private-label route is shorter. One already selling there starts instead from who carries it today, at what price, and through whom.
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Research
Which retailers run your category, which run it under their own brand, where the private-label range has a gap, and which domestic suppliers compete.
A retailer, private-label and competitor map
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Strategy
Branded or private-label route, broker or distributor, and the order between retailers, set against what your supply can support.
The US go-to-market strategy
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Decision makers
US category buyers and merchants appear in no public directory, so the route to each one is built and checked before use.
Named category buyers, with checked routes
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Ongoing Market Management
Review timing comes from the buyers themselves, account by account, and outreach and follow-up then run to that calendar.
An account-by-account calendar and the monthly pipeline report
The channel
How do US brokers, distributors and direct supply compare?
The split is commercial: a broker never takes title to your goods, and a distributor buys them.
| A broker | A distributor | Direct to retailer | Working with EFC | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Who holds title to the goods | You. A broker holds no title to the goods | The distributor, which buys and warehouses | You, until the retailer buys | You. EFC does not buy the range |
| How they are paid | Commission on invoiced sales, sometimes with a retainer | The spread between its buying and selling price | No intermediary, so no intermediary fee | A monthly retainer over twelve months with a commission on sales the work generates; research included |
| What they do | Represents your line to buyers it already covers | Buys, warehouses and resells into its own accounts | Everything: the portal, the data and the logistics | Market research, go-to-market strategy, named decision makers and Ongoing Market Management, run with you |
| Where it tends to fit | A line close to the categories the broker covers | Reaching many independent accounts at once | A brand with US staff and operations already in place | A brand or company without a US team covering the category |
UNFI, KeHE and McLane supply retail; Sysco and US Foods supply foodservice. A listing with any of them is separate work from a retailer listing.
Private label
Why does private label matter for a foreign supplier in the US?
For many manufacturers it is the shorter route onto a US shelf. A retailer closed to another branded line may still need a maker for its own brand.
- US store brands
- USD 282.8 billion Store-brand dollar sales set a record in the year ending 28 December 2025 and grew faster than national brands. Source: Private Label Manufacturers Association, 2026 Private Label Report, Circana data.
- The work
- Which retailers run your format under their own brand, where each leaves a gap, and how each takes on a foreign private-label supplier.
Before the first order
What must a foreign supplier hold first?
Two separate lists apply. The first is law; the second is each retailer's own vendor programme.
Required by law, for food
- FDA food facility registration under 21 CFR Part 1 Subpart H, with a US Agent at a real US address. It is renewed between 1 October and 31 December in even-numbered years.
- The Foreign Supplier Verification Program. The duty sits with the US importer, who verifies each foreign supplier by records review, sampling and testing, or an onsite audit.
Required by the retailer
- GS1 US GTINs owned by the brand. Walmart and Kroger require a direct GS1 account rather than resold barcodes.
- Electronic data interchange on the purchase order, acknowledgment, advance ship notice and invoice. Effectively every major chain requires it.
- Product liability insurance at each retailer's own minimum, set in its vendor programme.
Each item is checked against what you hold, what the importer will hold, and what must exist before an approach is worth sending.
Supply
How does supply work for the United States?
EFC holds no stock in the United States. Supply is planned with you from the start: who imports, who holds the registrations and how each retailer expects delivery.
Where a brand sells in both markets, the European side runs from Portugal, with EFC as importer of record. The two supply plans are drawn up together.
Questions
Questions about business development in the United States
How do US retailers take on a new supplier?
Walmart, Target and Kroger each run a public self-service supplier application, and registration alone commits none of them. Costco has no open public portal for regular product suppliers, and in every case the decision sits with a category buyer.
Do US retailers publish a category review calendar?
No major US retailer publishes one on a public page. The calendar is established with each buyer once you have approved the approach wording.
What is the difference between a US broker and a distributor?
A broker is paid on invoiced sales and holds no stock, so the price to the retailer stays yours. A distributor buys outright and decides which of its accounts see the line.
Does EFC work with brands already selling in the United States?
Yes. The work then begins from the line's current US position, including any broker or distributor already in place and the shelf price it holds.
Business development in the United States
A first call establishes whether the branded or the private-label route is shorter for the product.
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