Exporting to the UK

When considering entering a new market, having the guidance of a market expert is invaluable. Having helped over 30 international businesses form a UK market entry strategy and in turn enter the UK market, we have a comprehensive knowledge of the vital steps for success. We provide a complete solution to entering the market: providing detail on the relevant category and key competitors, recommending a route to market, sourcing a distributor or agent, refining product formulation and packaging.

One of the key pitfalls for many international brands approaching UK retailers is not knowing their market well enough. With our access to the most up-to-date market data, we can put together a thorough category analysis which details market and consumer trends, recent NPD, competitor brand positioning, pricing and performance. This will help us to identify the gap for you brand and develop its positioning to help it stand out from competition and therefore increase its appeal to buyers.

While it can be tempting to approach the major supermarkets straight away upon entering the UK, successful UK market entry for a brand entry often requires a more nuanced approach. With a niche product new to market, it is often advisable to consider building brand awareness through smaller consumer accounts to demonstrate a successful track record to the larger retailers or wholesalers when they are eventually approached. Having helped a number of brands enter the market this way, we can advise on the most suitable route to market strategy for your brand. Whether this be in the retail or foodservice market, we have both the knowledge and contacts to make your brand a success.

If you are unable to attract the attention of the retailers or wholesalers in the competitive UK marketplace, your product will struggle to gain traction. Having an agent or distributor on board that knows the market and is passionate about your product or brand can mean the difference between becoming a prevalent mainstream brand and being destined for the brand graveyard. With our proprietary database of UK distributors and agents, we can help find the right UK partner for you.

Our experience in a broad range of food and drink sectors means we have contacts within some of the key contract manufacturers in the UK. Whether you’re looking for a manufacturer to fill bottles, pouches, cartons or packets, we can help you find the ideal partner for your needs.

We have helped over 30 clients into the UK by advising on the management of FMCG supply chain and logistics. Juggling people, products, information, and resources can get tricky, especially when entering a new country. But we are here to help with our extensive experience in managing the FMCG supply chain. Called HRA Global for a reason, we work not just within the UK retailers, but in the gulf between countries too. With one eye trained on global trends in the food industry, and another locked onto the category you will be entering, we can help you plan and control your activities so the final product is delivered how, when, and where it should be.

For your business to succeed in the UK market, you must know how its consumers experience shopping. We have the connections and expertise to guide you around the appropriate retailer or wholesaler so that you can understand your consumers’ journey from very first impressions to the final purchase. Scoping your competitors and understanding your consumers will help stabilize your brand in many ways and form important elements of your UK market entry strategy.

All markets are different and while your product may be very successful in your home country, it does not necessarily mean this will be the case for the UK market. It is rarely advisable to simply export your product to the UK without making any alterations to flavour or packaging. At HRA Global, we have plenty of experience in adapting international packaging to make it both legally compliant for the UK market as well as appealing for consumers.

EU labelling and packaging compliance regulations can be complex and often interpreted in slightly different ways. Getting labelling and packaging compliance wrong can be disastrous with large scale product recalls a looming threat. At HRA Global, with our years of experience in labelling and packaging compliance regulations, we can assess your packaging to help mitigate these risks.

Our marketing services are much like are consulting services – end to end. We offer print design, website creation, brand activation, brand development, packaging design and optimisation, investor reports, point of sale, trade show collateral and PR and social media management.

When entering the UK market, or defending your current position from competitors, you will need a customer-suitable pricing strategy that will maximise profits and fit with your brand identity. With countless brands guided into the UK, and by integrating our consumer and category knowledge, we will advise your business’ pricing and promotion strategy successfully.

As part of our packaging compliance and optimisation service, we are able to offer translation from any language into English (and from English into another language).