Category management, network-informed
Range reviews and seasonal buying programs informed by network-wide sales data, so your shelves work harder.
Buy with the insight of the whole network behind you.
A single store sees its own sales. The IBG network sees patterns across many independent retailers, which makes range and buying decisions far less of a guess.
Members use that insight to range smarter, manage stock better and back the products that actually sell.
What this looks like in practice
Range reviews
Structured range reviews that look at what is selling, what is sitting and what is missing. We help you clear dead stock that ties up cash and shelf space, and make room for the products customers are actually buying, so your range reflects demand rather than habit.
Seasonal programs
Seasonal buying programs aligned to supplier deals and the times of year your categories perform. Instead of reacting late to peak periods, members plan ahead with the network, securing the right stock at the right terms before the season hits and the best buys are gone.
Pricing & promotion
Guidance on pricing and promotion that protects margin while keeping you competitive locally. We help you see where you have room to move, where you do not, and which promotions are worth running, so discounting is a deliberate strategy rather than a reflex.
New products
Early visibility of new products and exclusive lines coming through the network, so you are not the last to hear about what is selling. Members get a head start on emerging ranges and the chance to stock products their local competitors cannot easily get.
Explore other services
Marketing
Campaigns, catalogues, social and local-area marketing for independent retail.
IT & helpdesk support
POS, email, hardware and connectivity, fixed fast by real people.
Business advisory
Planning, strategy and operations guidance from experienced operators.
Virtual assistant services
Trained admin and back-office support that frees up your week.
Category management questions, answered
Insight is drawn from buying patterns across the wider IBG network of independent retailers. It lets members see category trends a single store could never spot on its own, without sharing anything that identifies another member's business.
No. Category management is guidance, not a mandate. There are no forced ranges or minimum-purchase rules. You always decide what to stock; we simply make the decision better informed.
Range reviews highlight slow and dead stock that is tying up cash and shelf space, and help you plan it down while reinvesting in lines that are proven to move, both in your store and across the network.
Yes. Single stores arguably gain the most, because they get the buying insight of a much larger group without needing a category team of their own.
See what this looks like in your store
Apply, and the IBG team will map category management and the rest of the support network to your business and your categories. No obligation, and nothing changes until you say so.