They want more attention, he says. There are other changes in traditional store coverage. Some retailers are testing assigning specific stores I to manufacturers and brokers, the wholesaler says. If a chain has 10 stores in a market, each vendor would get one store. They can be doing resets for many categories, including some they don't supply.
Vendors say some retailers are beginning to look at store coverage as a profit center.
In the past, the reason you showed up in stores for resets or remodels was that you wanted an extra facing, and if things were loose and you were there, you could pick up some extra space. This can still be done to some extent, he says. If a vendor doesn't like the way a category manager did a planogram, and he is on good terms with the reset captain, the vendor can get the planogram changed. Supervalu, Eden Prairie, Minn., interviewed a number of third-party merchandisers and selected two, both affiliated with brokers. The company's approach was a little different than that used by some other firms, which have mandated a program, says Leland Dake, vice president of merchandising.