Buyer interview

Résumé du document

To conduct my buyer interview, I have contacted a French company named Alimentation Fine de France (AFF), which means French Fine Food. My contact was Marie-Dominique X, the key buyer of the company. I asked her a few questions about her company, the general buying process, and the people who are involved. The buying process consists in determining the need, selecting the supplier, reaching the appropriate terms and conditions, issuing the contract, and then controlling the delivery. The first part of this report is focused on how AFF deals with its purchases, from the description of the need to the evaluation of goods and suppliers. Then, a few recommendations are listed in order to understand how AFF could improve its buying process and how suppliers can get business from this organization. Alimentation Fine de France (AFF) is the second largest company on the French fine food and wine market. The central warehouse is located in Bergerac, at 90 kilometers from Bordeaux, Périgord. The company buys 1600 different products from 200 suppliers around the world and then resells them to about 2500 clients, which are mainly gourmet shops and department stores in France and Europe, such as Lafayette Gourmet and Harrod's.

Extraits

[...] X try. If they liked them, they tend to purchase them. But this method is very subjective: “it's a matter of taste” Sometimes it does not correspond to their clients' preferences and above all, to the taste of end-users. In order to maximize satisfaction of both parts of the deal, they could organize some panels with a broader range of tasters, that would better reflect the endusers. T wo tips for AFF's suppliers Vendors should focus on partnerships. Many of them are little firms which produce high quality products but are forced to small quantity. [...]

[...] Key buyer What is the main purchase of your company? We are buying 1600 different items from 200 suppliers, French or import. Every year tons of goods are dispatched from Bergerac to our customers. What about the role of the purchase in your business operation? Buying in the key factor of success (quality, pricing, quantity per delivery, transportation ) Who are the other participants in the buying process? Could you tell me more about the buying group? (Who are the initiators, the controllers, the purchasing agent, the decision makers I am the initiator and decision maker. [...]

[...] Nevertheless, we can identify the main roles and responsibilities. Marie-Dominique X is the initiator of the purchasing process and also the decisionmaker. She works with the sales and marketing teams to select products that could best fit to their clients' needs. She selects the best supplier and negotiates about main conditions such as the delivery lead time, the packaging, the price and the quality, the payment terms Then, she explained the purchasing agent in charge of placing orders, receiving (“order process tracking”) and controlling the goods (“quality assurance”)”. [...]

[...] What criteria do you use? All the goods are bought according to HACCP quality control regulations. We must have a technical datasheet on every product and total traceability in and out. Which kind of information do you search for? We are searching for the history of the potential supplier, its knowledge of our market, its quality signs and its reputation. What about the evaluation process? How do you evaluate proposals and select your suppliers? Selection criteria: Quick answer Flexibility Skilled and reliable interlocutor Quality of the products Delivery lead-time Pricing Payment terms What about the post-purchase stage, how do you get the product up and run? [...]

[...] Buyer interview TABLE OF CONTENTS 1. Executive Summary 2. Analysis The company overview The nature of the purchase The buying group and the purchase decision-making process Assessment of the buying process 3. Recommendations Suggested improvements in the buying process of AFF Advices for satisfying and getting business from this buyer 4. References 5. Appendices AFF's range of French fine food products Interview of Mrs. AFF's key buyer 1. Executive summary To conduct my buyer interview, I have contacted a French company named Alimentation Fine de France which means French Fine Food. [...]