GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH ONTARIO GO-TO- MARKET PROGRAM WINTER 2008

Transcription

1 GROW YOUR BUSINESS WITH VINTAGES ONTARIO GO-TO- MARKET PROGRAM WINTER 2008

2 Welcome to Vintages

3

4 Ontario Go-to-Market Program The VINTAGES Go-to-Market Program was developed in support of small Ontario wineries. It provides an opportunity for wineries to: learn how to do business with VINTAGES increase the exposure of their VQA wines by making them available in a select number of LCBO stores introduce wines of regional interest into specific markets within Ontario. Wineries select a maximum of 10 LCBO locations from stores in close proximity to the winery and/or from the list provided below. STORE DISTRIBUTION OPPORTUNITIES: The following locations have had proven success with VQA products, a broad provincial distribution and a focused VINTAGES strategy. 10 Toronto 38 Ottawa 40 Kingston 57 Belleville 149 Toronto-Etobicoke 217 Toronto 243 Ottawa 300 Owen Sound 355 Toronto-Willowdale 367 Windsor 393 London 495 Guelph 522 St. Catharines 590 Markham 700 Toronto-Scarborough Please note the Go-to-Market Program is intended for products not already purchased for regular VINTAGES programs. For more details on VINTAGES programs, please visit HOW TO APPLY: A. PRODUCT SUBMISSION: 1. The winery applies for a password to access the New Item Submission System (NISS). Application form and user manual are available at 2. All products intended for the Go-to-Market Program must be presented to and approved by VINTAGES Product Manager responsible for Ontario Wines. 3. Products approved by the Product Manager are then to be submitted electronically through NISS and will be scheduled for tasting. B. PRODUCTS ACCEPTED FOR TASTING: 1. The winery sends in one sample for tasting and initial lab analysis. Included with the sample is: a. A printout of the NISS application b. A completed quote on company letterhead (forms are available at c. A label with completed examination form (forms are available at

5 C. TASTED PRODUCTS: Once the product is tasted and if approved: 1. VINTAGES will issue a commitment letter to the winery outlining the conditions of purchase. The winery will send back a response. 2. The winery provides the Product Manager with the list of 10 proposed stores. The Product Manager obtains approval from the District Manager. The approved/updated list is sent back to the winery. 3. Prior to shipping, a second sample is required for final lab analysis. The winery must include a letter, on company letterhead, verifying that the product shipped to stores will be the same product that was originally tasted and analyzed. D. DELIVERY PROCEDURE: 1. Wineries contact the store locations to arrange for direct delivery. 2. Stores receive orders in the same manner as any other direct delivery product. Stores experiencing challenges receiving direct delivery will contact Retail/POS help desk at A winery distributor code is issued by the Product Manager to initiate the payment process. Wineries are reimbursed for the freight cost ($1.41 plus GST per case). 4. Wineries contact Store Managers directly for repeat order approval and make arrangements for a convenient delivery schedule. PROMOTIONAL SUPPORT: Participating wineries are expected to host in-store tastings for both customers and staff (for details on the program visit and click on VINTAGES Tasting Program ). PRODUCT SALES GOAL: Products in the Go-to-Market Program are expected to sell six bottles per store per period. Sales will be reviewed quarterly by VINTAGES Product Manager. Stores will have the option of discontinuing brands that do not meet the sales target. The winery is responsible for tracking their product sales. VINTAGE CHANGES: VINTAGES must taste and approve all vintage changes for products in the Go-to-Market Program. Vintage changes should be communicated to the Product Manager and then submitted through NISS. CONTACT INFORMATION: For more details please contact: Kathy Cannon VINTAGES New World Wines & Spirits Category Manager kathy.cannon@lcbo.com Tami Karakasis VINTAGES Spirits & Ontario Wines Product Manager tami.karakasis@lcbo.com

6 Resources available online NEW ITEM SUBMISSION SYSTEM (NISS) LCBO launched the New Item Submission System in November 2005 to replace the manual, time-consuming process of submitting products for purchasing consideration on paper. NISS is an easy-to-use, web-based tool that allows agents and suppliers to: Submit products for review, View LCBO Product Needs letters online, Track a product submission online. LCBO staff use NISS to log, track and approve or decline submissions. This new tool speeds up the application process and reduces turnaround times. Suppliers and agents must become familiar with NISS as the paper version of the new item submission process is no longer in effect. Suppliers or agents must apply for access before they can use NISS. To use NISS, suppliers or agents must fill in all mandatory fields of the Application for Access to NISS form, and then print, sign and fax it to the appropriate LCBO Business Unit: Wines, Spirits, Beers and Ready to Drink, or VINTAGES. You must include your supplier or agent number on this form. If you do not know your number, then please contact the appropriate LCBO Business Unit for this information. If you are a new supplier who is not currently doing business with the LCBO, then you may submit an application without this number. Simply leave this area of the form blank. GETTING STARTED WITH NISS Go to to download the NISS User Guide in PDF format. The website s FAQ section also provides helpful information. In order to save and print NISS submission information, you will need Adobe Reader 6.0. WHAT S AVAILABLE AT Release Themes Product Needs Letters Product Requirements Program and Fee Summary Chart Sales Reports Packaging Standards Guidelines for Chemical Analysis VINTAGES Quote Template

7

8 55 Lake Shore Boulevard East Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5E 1A