To improve services to suppliers, Australian drinks and hospitality business Endeavour Group today announced at its second Supplier Forum for 2023 new data tools designed to give suppliers greater visibility on stock and ranging.
The virtual Supplier Forum attracted more than 1,000 suppliers who tuned in to hear about the latest industry trends, customer insights and innovation.
Endeavour Group CEO and Managing Director Steve Donohue and Director of Buying and Merchandise Tim Carroll were joined by key leaders from the merchandise, supply chain and commercial teams, offering Endeavour Group’s growing network of suppliers a preview of the latest data tools designed to give them greater visibility of stock and ranging.
On behalf of Endeavour Group, Tim Carroll acknowledged valued suppliers for their ongoing partnership and for helping to address the changing needs of customers.
“In recent years, we have seen huge changes in the drinks and hospitality industry, and by hosting forums like this, we have an opportunity to share knowledge and insights that can really enhance innovation and growth for our suppliers,” Carroll said.
“In addition, we are pleased to be able to continue to improve the services we offer our suppliers, and today we are previewing a brand-new tool that will give many of them real-time access to their stock-on-hand across our network, including visibility of where their products are ranged.
“We are also pleased to share that it is now 87% quicker to be onboarded as a supplier with Endeavour Group than it was just a year ago, which is absolutely crucial for us as we help our customers discover new and exciting drinks.
“Drinks discovery is a trend that is showing no signs of slowing despite the current cost of living pressures many Australians are facing, demonstrated by the fact that we have increased the number of products we range from small suppliers by 20% over the last three years.
“Small suppliers now make up more than 90% of our total suppliers, and we have added 2,200 new products to our range in the last year alone.
“We’re thrilled to have such a huge number of registrations once again, and in conversations with our suppliers, we know many of them are coming together in their offices for this forum, which they haven’t done for some time.”
Reflecting on the changing macroeconomic environment and growing demand for value, Tim Carroll said it is more important than ever for Endeavour Group to work in partnership with its suppliers to meet customer needs.
“Working together to innovate is essential in the current environment, and we are absolutely committed to helping our suppliers grow and elevate the category.”
Jeremy Davidson, Co-Founder and Managing Director of Mr. Consistent, which was awarded Endeavour Group’s Small Supplier of the Year earlier in 2023 said their experience as an Endeavour Group supplier had exceeded all expectations.
“Endeavour was really good at communicating with us, through our category managers, supplier forums like today’s,” Davidson said.
“They’ve always listened to us, and equally been really transparent about their strategies, which has allowed me to go back to my team to align our strategy to really make the most of the growth opportunities presented to us.”
Steve Donohue addressed the challenges facing the Australian wine industry.
“We get more invested in the Australian wine industry than anybody else in my view and have been for a long time. We’re deeply committed to its prosperity, its sustainability and its relevance to particularly younger consumers. But there are a lot of factors at play in the market in Australia at the moment and globally that are impacting it quite negatively.
“It’s a time for us to work together deeply. Some of the teams have articulated today an understanding of the customer and better meeting their needs. And I think it’s great that we’ve seen initiatives like bagnums; they’ve started to progress.
“The overarching point is that we want to continue to find ways to maintain and grow relevance to the category.”
Donohue concluded his address with the announcement of plans to engage more with suppliers in a hospitality setting and work more on the concept of reciprocity.
“We want to be able to extend our hospitality to you just as much as I know you all want to extend your hospitality to us. We are going to switch it up a bit and just be more social because that is the business we are in.”
