1.
CAPABILITY BUILDING
PROGRAMME FOR THE NI
FOOD & DRINK SECTOR

2.
Agenda
• Introductions
• Objectives & outline of capability building
• What is strategy planning?
• When do I know its required?
• How will I do it?
• What are the benefits?
• Case Study

3.
Background
• Food Science @ QUB
• 20 years in grocery retail
• Multi-Discipline experience
Malachy O’Connor
Skills
• Team leadership
• Buying & tendering
• Negotiating
• Private label
• Food technology
• Marketing
• Strategy Development
• Fresh food retail

4.
My CV
1995-1996
2006-2013
2001-2002 2002-2006
1997-20011997
2014-2016 2016 - present
2018 - present

5.
Objectives
1. Enhance fundamental skills in the principles of sales
and negotiation
2. Develop awareness of key dynamics within the retail
sector (opportunities & pressures)
3. Develop awareness of retailer strategies used to
address the dynamics
4. Develop skills to ensure optimisation of potential
supplier relationships

6.
Breakfast Seminars
• 24th Oct 2018 - Strategic Planning
• 21st Nov 2018 - Retail Insights
• 9th Jan 2019 – Joint Value Creation

7.
What is Strategy Planning?
Strategy (from Greek στρατηγία stratēgia, "art of troop leader;
office of general, command, generalship"[1]) is a high-level plan to
achieve one or more goals under conditions of uncertainty.
(Henry George Liddell, Robert Scott, A Greek-English Lexicon)
Strategic planning is an organization's process of defining
its strategy, or direction, and making decisions on allocating its
resources to pursue this strategy
(Bryson, J.M., 2018. Strategic planning for public and non-profit organizations: A guide to
strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement.)

8.
When is it needed?
• Every 3-5 years
• Reviewed annually
• Textbook

9.
When…Really?
• Moving A to B
• Going left or right
• Terrain changes
• Hitting blockages

10.
Keep Moving
• Managing growth
• Investment decisions
• Allocating resources
• Opportunities

11.
Terrain Changes
• 2nd Generation
• New CEO
• Trading environment
- Brexit
- Exchange Rates
- Recession
- Commodity & Input Costs
- New competitors
- New consumption patterns

12.
Blockages
• Slow growth
• Business decline
• Low morale
• Complaints
• Lose momentum
• Disconnected Say & Do

13.
When is the right time?
All the time!

14.
The Strategy Process

15.
Problem Solving Model
Identify the
problem
Immersion
in the
problem
Generate
solutions
Refine
and
prioritize
Execute
and
Evaluate

16.
But…..
Identify the
problem
Immersion
in the
problem
Generate
solutions
Refine
and
prioritize
Execute
and
Evaluate
It presumes three things:
1. We know where we’re at
2. We can see all the issues
3. We know who we are and why we exist

17.
Starting with Why

18.
Six-step approach
Diagnose
Problems
Brand
Position
Immersion
Consolidate
Project
Management
Idea
Generation

19.
Strategic Planning Model
Diagnose
• Identify All Stakeholders
• Survey Opinions/Sentiment
- Staff & Management
- Suppliers
- Customers/Consumers
- Competitors
Brand Position
• Your Values (Say & Do)
• Vision
• Mission
• Purpose
Immersion
• Insights session
• Stakeholder Surveys
• Market Data
• Internal Metrics
• E2E SWOT
Consolidate
• I.D. USPs
- Existing
- Aspirational
• Target Market
• Desired Strategic Outcomes
• Desired Strategic Objectives
• Opportunity Areas - Pillars
• Alignment Plan
- Resource Plan
- Capability Plan
- Culture Plan
- Functional Plan
• Commercial Business Plan
Project Plan
• PM & Owners
• Timelines & Milestones
• Agreed KPIs
• Functional Plans
• Review
Ideas
• Brainstorm
- Ours Problems
- Their Problems
• Identify Key Themes

20.
Step-1: Diagnosis
1. Identify all stakeholders
2. Survey Opinions & Sentiments
- Owners
- Management & Staff
- Internal Functions
- Customers
- Consumers
- Suppliers
- Competitors

21.
Step-2: Brand Position
1. Identify your values
2. Identify your brand essence:
Vision – your cause - the change you want to see the world
Mission – how you will create this change
Purpose – what you’ll do every day to make it happen

22.
Step-3: Immersion
1. Stakeholder survey data
2. Market data
3. Internal KPIs
4. E2E SWOT

23.
Step-4: Ideas
1. Brainstorm
- Their problems
- Our problems
2. Identify the key themes

24.
Step-5: Consolidation
1. Identify USPs
2. Target Market
3. Strategic objectives & outcomes
4. Strategy Pillars
5. Commercial business plan
6. Alignment plan

25.
Step-6: Project Management
1. Owners
2. Functional plan
3. Timelines
4. Governance & milestones
5. KPIs
6. Execute
7. Review

26.
Benefits of
Strategic
Planning

27.
Strategy brings Focus

28.
Strategy brings Focus
• All of your energy is directed at the plan
• So, there’s no more distractions from:
- “why don’t we have a look at…”
- “did we ever think about….”
- “our competitors are doing……..”
• If it’s not on the page, we don’t do it

29.
“An organisation can only
create change when
working with the factors
within it’s control”
Strategy brings visibility

30.
Culture
Automation
Training
Marketing
InnovationRange
Efficiencies
Price
Service
Quality
Brands
Buying Power
Processes Proximity
Private Label
Factors in your control

31.
Strategy brings unity

32.
THE ROLE OF PRIVATE LABEL
Bringing energy to a
united cause allows you
to hit your target

33.
THE ROLE OF PRIVATE LABEL
But energy without
unity is scattered and
quickly dissipated

34.
Case Study

35.
Background
A solid start
• Invoices paid +13% YTD
• Forecasting +25% t/o in 2018
• Unique position to advise industry stakeholders
• Well known & respected in industry
• Significant legacy at Aldi and Tesco
• No bad debt

36.
Challenges
But…..
• Seasonal peaks & troughs
• No retainer business / commission income
• No targeted marketing plan
• An aging business plan & no strategic review
• No ‘me time’ to keep energy & creativity high

37.
Project Steps
• Stakeholder Survey
- Trusted feedback
- ‘What Matters To Me’ exercise
- LinkedIn Skills & Endorsements
- Recommendations & testimonials
- My values
• Brand Positions: my why-how-what
• Immersion
- Financial Review
- E2E SWOT
Diagnose
Problems
Brand
Position
Immersion

38.
Project Steps
• Brainstorm – Solving Problems
• Consolidate
- Target Market Refinement
- USPs
- Clear strategic outcomes
• Strategy house
• Project Plan
Consolidate
Project
Management
Idea
Generation

39.
Our Values
"My family is my number one priority and everything I do is
based on my three values: Impact, Comradeship and
Creativity. I believe in living and working with integrity and
empathy so that we can have a positive impact on the world.
We’re stronger together, as comrades, we encourage and
challenge each other, we have each other’s backs. And we
are diverse, so we take perspective and look at things
differently, finding creative solutions in unlikely places."

40.
Our Why?, How? And
What?
• Our Why (Vision) This describes our belief, vision or cause.
It is reason that the organisation exists. It is about the
future potential and possibilities. It describes the long-term
change we’d like to see. Its about believing in some thing
that we’d like to make happen.
• Our How (Mission) This describes how we intend to create
that bright new future. How we get that done. It is the
route that we will take to this new world we have imagined.
It’s how we get there. Its about doing.
• Our What (Purpose) This is why we exist – the essential
solution we provide for our customer’s problems

41.
My Vision is that that those amazing, once a
decade deals, don’t need to be so rare
My Mission is to help buyers and
suppliers do better business together by
understanding each other’s needs, by
bridging the gap between them
My Purpose: I provide retail industry
insights, negotiation skills and
strategy development.
Brand Position

42.
Our Purpose
“To provide retail industry insights,
negotiation skills and strategy
development”

43.
End to End SWOT
ELEMENT STRENGTHS WEAKNESSES OPPORTUNITIES THREATS
Network
Development
Lots of networking
meetings over summer
'18
I could probably do more
still Keep attending invited events, but need
more structure in following up leads.
Need to maintain visibility, mandate and
simply keep in touch. Could create more
events of my own to establish networks.
Out of sight….out of mind.
Network
Maintenance
Lots of networking
meetings over summer
'18
I could probably do more
still
Learning &
Upskilling
+20 year foundation for
new learning and an
appetite for self-
development
Not enough time devoted
to improving me, certainly
not structured in, its by
chance if I get to read a
book
Allocate time, weekly for research and
self-development. Look into the 'short
books' app. Get subscriptions sorted
with ESM, Grocer UK, Checkout &
Shelflife.
Need to maintain relevance
and capacity to add value.
Marketing Strong LinkedIn network
LinkedIn posts are not
always aimed directly at
delivering my business
plan, no video content yet,
no website, no resident
writer status in any
magazines.
Plan LinkedIn activity to specifically
deliver the business plan. Make a video
in next two weeks and follow up weekly.
Get a writing gig in trade magazine
New entrants
Project
Management
Good strong skills as
proven in projects so far.
Hard to generate pipeline
when busy on current
projects
Let the new website and scheduled
social media activity do the work for me
Pipeline neglect

44.
Target Markets
• FMCG and food & beverage sectors
• Domestic supply base
• International retailers
• State agencies

45.
USPs / Reasons to believe
• Two years as FMCG and Private Label business consultant
• Helping suppliers and buyers do better business
• Unique retail insights, negotiation skills training and strategy development.
• 20 years’ experience in the Irish and UK supermarket trade
• Love of fresh foods especially.
• From 2006, I was Buying Director and Marketing Director at Aldi Ireland helping to
grow market share from <2% to >10%.
• From 2014 to 2016 I was the Fresh Foods Commercial Category Director at Tesco
Ireland, successfully turning around the business decline through a volume led,
private label strategy.

46.
My Mission is to help buyers and suppliers do better
business together by understanding each other’s
needs, by bridging the gap between them
LEARNING MARKETING
Wellbeing
SERVICESNETWORK
Effectiveness
INSIGHTS NEGOTIATION
STRATEGY COMMISSIONS

47.
W/C 17 Sep 24 Sep 01 Oct 08 Oct 15 Oct 22 Oct
LinkedIn Schedule
Cold Call Plan
Network Group
Market Research
Subscriptions
Short Book App
Articles for trade magazines
Video Content Plan
Website Launch
Open Courses (Eventbrite)
Wellbeing
Effectiveness

48.
Wrap-Up

49.
Wrap-Up
“It is better to have a bad plan
than no plan”
Gary Kasparov
“No plan survives first contact”
Helmuth Von Moltke