Market Entry
First 90 Days in UK Retail: Launch Playbook
What great consumer brands get right in their first 12 weeks on shelf, from forecasting and depot stock cover to activation and rate of sale.
Winning the listing is the beginning, not the end. UK grocery buyers judge a launch on rate of sale within a 12–16 week window. Miss that window and you're negotiating for shelf space you already had.
Weeks 1–2: Set up to succeed
Confirm depot cover, launch date, planogram and go‑live stores. Align on promotional plans and any in‑store activation. Get an EPOS data feed in place from day one so you can see the launch curve as it happens.
Weeks 3–6: Land the launch
Field visits, sampling, and paid digital pointed at the retailer's own store locator. The first six weeks are when trial happens; if you're relying on organic pick‑up you'll be disappointed.
Weeks 7–12: Build repeat
Optimise pricing, promotional depth and creative based on early data. Bring the buyer a structured mid‑cycle review with rate of sale versus category benchmarks and a proposal for the next window.
What the top‑performing launches have in common
Weekly performance rituals, honest data, and someone accountable for talking to the buyer every fortnight. If you don't have that in place internally, get help before the launch, not after.