Getting the product mix right

The customer has become much more volatile than ever before; retailers must react and anticipate accordingly, and suppliers must change their relationship and communications with the customer, by working more closely with the retailer. Suppliers, in Mike Groves' view, are still more concerned with the effect of stock reductions, rather than acknowledging the more significant consumer cause of retail policies. This is the underlying dilemma that has helped to maintain the gap in the supplier‐retailer dialogue.