All articles by David Sables
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Comment & OpinionLabour’s National Food Strategy aim is laudable, but will drive inflation
Henry Dimbleby’s recommendations should be broken down, prioritised and phased in over time, says David Sables of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionTarry’s work at Tesco shows the power of supplier collaboration
Under Jason Tarry, supplier dialogue with Tesco buyers became more strategic – investment followed and honourable commitments replaced settlement wrangling, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionMorrisons must sell suppliers a clear turnaround vision
The next stage requires more strategy from Morrisons and serious judgement from suppliers, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionSuppliers: survive the recession by mastering three trends
Retail media, artificial intelligence and sustainability: all demand a coherent strategy now, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionSuppliers must not capitulate to retailer bullies
Such escalating retailer-supplier tensions are bad for both parties but suppliers must navigate especially carefully, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionPoor maths and anti-brand bias are the flaws in the CMA’s new report
The clumsy and manipulative presentation of the CMA’s findings left the door open to unwarranted criticism of brands, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionJoint business plans are often meaningless – suppliers don’t need them
The customer agrees to JBPs whilst chuckling quietly about how much they are getting for a simple signature on a meaningless plan, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionAn open letter to the CMA: your profiteering accusations are damaging
I wish to highlight a concern about the approach taken in the report on suppliers, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionGrocery delivery is not profitable and stores are the casualties
Online grocery may be the future but the pace of transition is causing death by a thousand cuts, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionCo-op’s price cuts show the convenience battle is on
The Co-op’s £70m investment in pricing marks yet another landmark shift in the retail landscape, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionCMA ‘profiteering’ findings expose its flawed understanding of supermarkets
The latest outcome shows the CMA’s criticism of fuel pricing was incorrect, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionI’ve witnessed misogyny in fmcg negotiations and it needs to stop
A major culpable profile is the older, male, ex-big-retail buyer in sectors such as wholesale and hospitality. says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionSuppliers are the latest scapegoat for high food prices. Let’s bust this myth now
The government is attempting to put blame somewhere in its complete naivety of how fmcg supply works, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionLoyalty schemes moving to deep-cut promotions will incentivise disloyalty
Deep cuts can be category killers – as consumers shop around, the category becomes commoditised and devalued, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionSuppliers, steer clear of Sainsbury’s talks over Lloyds Pharmacy space
This approach to commercialising the space is at best strategically haphazard, and at worst a false promise for suppliers’ cash, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionSuppliers, plan your cost price reduction strategy now
We are now helping many clients with planning CPRs as many anticipate a storm of retailer pressure when inflation turns, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionSustainability, AI, people: the macro trends to watch this year
Demand a triple-win for consumers, retailers and suppliers in each of these areas, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionAsda’s flip-flop on ranging was avoidable with supplier expertise
Suppliers now can’t get a foot in the door of the growth strategy room – which appears to have been locked even to the buyers, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionSuppliers must prepare for a possible new challenge in 2023: deflation
It’s time to ask yourself if you are ready for deflation to hit, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants
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Comment & OpinionCPI issues dominated the GCA conference. Let’s stamp out the unfairness
Right now, incidences of unfairness are dominated by CPIs – a topic not specified in GSCOP, says David Sables, CEO of Sentinel Management Consultants