Supplier Led New Product Development Process Improvement in the UK Fast Moving Consumer Goods Industry

Abstract

Little has been written about new product and packaging development processes within the fast moving consumer goods (FMCG) industry. While often taking on the status of apocryphical folklore, branded FMCG product development failure rates as high as 90%-95% have appeared in the popular and consultancy press. However, no rigorous study has addressed the commercial success/failure rates of private-label products in this context; an area in which the leading UK supermarket (grocery) retailers are acknowledged to excel. Using a case study-based approach that involved ASDA and six of its leading private-label suppliers, this paper details empirical findings of the operational and commercial performance of the focal ASDA NPD (new product development) process, along with initial insights into the key determinants of this performance. It also produces the first description of the origin, composition and operation of a Supplier Association within the UK FMCG industry and details the new NPD process mapping method and tool that was developed to conduct this study.

Keywords: FMCG, private-label, suppliers, success rates, NPD, process mapping