NEW DATES RELEASED: 6 DECEMBER 2026

*NOVEMBER SOLD OUT*

3 Hours of Real Trading Agreements

We open real supplier agreements and rate cards from major South African retailers and go through them line by line. You'll see how a retail deal is built, what each clause costs you, and where the money leaves your business, before you ever sit across from a buyer.

1. Front-end margin vs trading terms: two costs, stacked

Most founders price for one and get hit by the other. We build your price from ex-factory to shelf, step by step, so you can see what the retailer takes at each stage. You'll also see how the typical trading-terms percentages differ between the big four, SPAR and Makro, and forecourts, and why the retailer's margin is a separate cost on top.

2. The rebate stack

Base rebates, growth rebates, new-store fees, category management and rewards-platform fees. We separate the fixed charges from the performance-triggered ones, show where each comes off your invoice, and explain how the terms are renegotiated every year and then back-dated.

3. SWEL decoded

Stock Write-Off Liability looks small on paper. We work through a real invoice to show who benefits when waste is low, who pays when it's high, and why opting out of the clause can look cheaper and cost you more.

4. Service levels, strike rates and sanctions

The delivery targets written into the agreement, and what happens when you miss them. We cover why a promotion is where a shortfall hurts most, how a sanction can be applied retroactively, and the short window you get to fix a problem before money changes hands.

5. Exit stock and the opening-order trap

What happens to product that doesn't sell, who carries the markdown, and what you owe back to the retailer even after the rebates and logistics are paid. You'll see why a big opening order isn't always good news.

6. The operational rules that hit your costs

Shelf-life requirements at delivery, pallet rental, audits and certification, insurance and product liability, and the point at which risk actually passes to the retailer. The conditions that decide whether a listing is affordable.

7. Is the listing profitable?

We build your true per-unit profit with every deduction counted, so you know whether a deal makes money before you say yes. We also cover which retailer to go to first and how to position your product so a buyer says yes.

You'll leave able to:

• Read a retailer's supplier agreement and spot the clauses that cost you money
• Know your real margin after every deduction
• Avoid the costly mistakes that sink first-time suppliers
• Walk into a buyer meeting knowing what to ask for and what to push back on

A good product gets you a meeting. Understanding the terms is what keeps you in business.

One Hour With an Ex-Retail Buyer

(20+ years at a major South African retailer)

Buyers decide what gets listed, not "the retailer".

In this live Q&A, you put your questions straight to someone who has sat on the other side of the table and made real listing decisions.

• How does a buyer think? What do they look at first, and what makes them say yes or no?
• What gets approved and what gets quietly rejected? Why do good products still get turned down?
• What do buyers want from a meeting? What do they ignore, and how should you handle pricing and terms in the room?
• Anything about your own situation: pricing, pitch, category, strategy.
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This is insight most brands never get. 

ONLY 10 SPOTS AVAILABLE!