The evaluation addressed the importance and strength of suppliers’ brand name products, the effectiveness of logistics systems, suppliers’ sales department services and modern in-store marketing systems

Mirror 2016, an innovative Impartial Trade Opinion Survey, was conducted for the first time ever in Cyprus, focusing on the major suppliers of supermarket chains in Cyprus. The survey was a collaborative effort between EY Cyprus and Exceed Consulting.

The findings of the survey are highly revealing and they can assist participating companies in targeting “improvement areas” and boosting their efficiency, while strengthening relationships with retailers.

The Mirror 2016 Survey consisted of personal interviews conducted with General Managers, Commercial Managers, Sales Managers, Buyers, Sales & Marketing Managers, Financial Services Managers, and Logistics & IT Managers who came into direct or indirect contact with their suppliers.

Due to the importance of the results, the unique methodology and the comparability of market indicators, the findings of the Mirror 2016 Survey have been incorporated into several companies’ KPIs (Key Performance Indicators), acting as a barometer for their relationships with large retail chains.

According to survey rankings, th­e presence of well-known brand name products is a key issue for Cypriot supermarkets, followed closely by profit margins and supply systems offered by suppliers. These evaluation results further highlight the importance of using the most customer-centric approach possible. They also suggest that larger retailers need to carry well-known brand name products that can increase customer loyalty. High importance was also given to more and better tailor-made promotional plans and activities on the part of their suppliers.

Finally, what is particularly interesting in the findings from the major larger chains is that top managers and front managers evaluated the same suppliers differently, resulting in a great variance in their assessment and responses to the respective questions for the same supplier.

The findings from the rest of the supermarkets varied only slightly from those of the larger chains, giving comparatively greater weight to supplier strategies for distribution and parallel imports and to the support from the suppliers’ sales departments. Additionally, the smaller chains were also interested in promotional activities, demanding equal treatment with the larger chains.

The Impartial Trade Opinion Survey on major suppliers of supermarket chains is part of a larger family of Exceed Mirror surveys which aim to evaluate the relationships between major chains and their main suppliers, providing answers to critical questions and proposing ways to improve those relationships. Within this framework, EY has again collaborated with Exceed Consulting to conclude the second wave of the Mirror 2016’s cycle in Cyprus, this time turning its focus on suppliers evaluating major supermarket chains.