Post by The Partnering Group

At TPG, a huge part of what we help clients navigate isn't just the strategy itself — it's the human dynamics that determine whether that strategy actually gets adopted, jointly, by a retailer and a supplier. Partner Dr Chris Leach explored this in depth on a recent episode of the Nursery Rhyme Conundrum podcast with Roger Jackson and Dr Tim Holmes, pulling from his PhD research and 20+ years working across both sides of the retailer-supplier relationship — supplier, Tesco, and now consulting. The core tension is that suppliers think in brands. Retailers think in categories and shoppers. Both sides spend most of their working lives immersed in their own internal "tribe," which makes genuine, joint collaboration — as opposed to one-sided pitching dressed up as collaboration — much harder to achieve than it sounds. We also got into the psychology underneath it all: how fear and loss aversion drive short-termism and caution on both sides, and why trust — built through honest, human relationships rather than better decks — is what actually unlocks joint risk-taking. One stat that's stuck with me for years: in research into what retailers value most from suppliers, "communication" and "objective, trustworthy advice" ranked far above price and margin. Well worth a listen if collaboration, JBP, category strategy, or RGM is part of your world. Have a listen: 🎧  Spotify: https://lnkd.in/eV_HCBUP Apple: https://lnkd.in/eycNXNnd #JBP #RGM #CategoryManagement #TripleWin #FMCG #RetailerSupplierCollaboration #TPG