The company I work for is a supplier in the promotions industry. We
import products from China and sell them to promotional distributors.
We have started to expand our business by sourcing various products
that have a secondary marketplace outside of the promotions industry,
that is, the retail industry. However, we are currently faced with the
challenge of entering this retail market. We need to learn how to
contact and work with retail representatives to sell our products in
their stores.

The products we currently have available are a variety of
self-regenerating flashlights that require no batteries. You can
currently see some of these products for sale on displays at Rite-Aid,
Walgreens, Costco, and Brookstone, among other places. Our
flashlights, however, have newer and better designs, and some of them
include additional features such as a built in AM/FM radio and cell
phone charger, as one example.

We are convinced that we can provide a quality product at an
attractive price for retailers. Our question is: how do we enter the
proper channels to make our products visible to buyers for retail
stores? Are there companies that specialize in making this connection
and serving as a representative? How does a small business such as us
get its foot into this marketplace? Please note that we are already
aware of supplier portals on various retail stores? websites. We are
looking for the channel that connects with retail store buyers and
representatives.

I have no safe way of giving out personal information, but if I could
I know a very good individual who distributes to those retailers...I
would recommend selling to another distributor who has those
connections in place already, or doing some market research as to
"buying weeks" that these retailers have.  If you are not already a
vendor, you most likely will not be privy to this information on
"buying weeks."  For example, big retailers host their own buying
conventions where all the suppliers show up and have to market and
sell their products to the buyer associated with your product in a
convention type atsmophere or a one-on-one meeting where they
literally churn through suppliers...you will get abused on price.  I
recommend finding a larger distributor with those relationships
already in place who can buffer you from certain liabilities.