Retail Playbook

Retail, from the inside.
The written rules — and the ones no one explains.

Retail Playbook makes visible how retail decisions are actually made — including the unwritten rules that shape outcomes.

Understand How Retail Decides

Many suppliers struggle because they reason from their own logic

They present as if retail should adopt supplier logic.

Retail works differently. It evaluates risk, category impact and execution certainty.

Buyers scan hundreds of proposals — and protect the category and the retailer brand.

This is not theory. It is how retail has been deciding for decades — from the inside.

Retail rarely buys ambition alone. It buys measurable category impact, reliability and execution strength.

The Structural Gap That Costs Momentum

Every year, millions are lost in missed listings, margin erosion, and delistings — not because products are bad, but because supplier logic and retail logic operate on different realities.

SUPPLIERS OPTIMIZE FOR:

  • Product and brand story
  • Supplier growth targets
  • Investment cases
  • Innovation features and differentiation

RETAIL DECIDES BASED ON:

  • Cost of failure
  • Shopper acceptance
  • Category performance
  • Operational and reputational risk

This isn’t about product quality. It’s about decision logic.

Those who understand the decision system gain speed, margin and trust. Those who don’t often keep pushing — without understanding the resistance.

Retail Decision Intelligence

Retail Decision Intelligence is the ability to predict buyer decisions before they are made — and position accordingly. Retail Playbook makes decision criteria visible, so your proposals become easier to approve.

Accelerate decisions

Remove friction that slows down “yes”. Speak in decision criteria, not persuasion.

Anticipate resistance

Anticipate objections early. Address risk before it becomes a “no”.

Operate inside internal buyer logic

Understand internal KPIs and risk dynamics — and become the safe, logical choice.

Create pull without pushing

Make your offer easy to approve — low-risk to say yes to.

When you understand the decision framework, persuasion becomes less necessary.

Who This Is For

YES FOR:

  • Medium-sized and large suppliers
  • Active in — or preparing for — European retail listings
  • Teams willing to learn beyond sales theory
  • Organizations serious about structural commercial improvement

NOT FOR:

  • Beginners looking for basic sales training
  • Transaction-only volume selling
  • Those seeking “classic sales tricks”
  • Companies unwilling to challenge their own assumptions

A Day In The Buyer’s Chair

This is the world buyers navigate every day. When you understand this context, your approach changes.

Monday 09:15

My category is behind on margin and revenue targets. Which suppliers can help close the gap? I have three minutes per proposal.

Tuesday 14:30

An innovation is underperforming. Margin and revenue are under pressure. Do I fix it — or delist it?

Wednesday 11:00

I asked for proposals. Only complete ones move forward. The rest stay in my inbox.

Thursday 08:45

A supplier delivers late. One delay disrupts the entire chain. I need reliability, not explanation.

Who I Am

Annemieke Rijke — 30+ years inside European retail.

I grew up in a family of grocers and started my career as a professional buyer at Ahold. I worked across Albert Heijn, Etos, Gall & Gall, AS Watson (Kruidvat), and co-owned DA Retailgroup.

Later, I worked at Google to translate retail decision-making for the digital world. Over the years I have worked with 1,000+ suppliers across Europe and trained commercial teams at major FMCG brands.

  • Professional buyer at Albert Heijn, DA Drugstores, Gall & Gall
  • Retail strategist at Google; worked with retailers incl. Dirk, Blokker, Xenos, Kruidvat
  • Worked with 1,000+ suppliers across Europe
  • Trained commercial teams at major FMCG brands
  • Founder of Retail Playbook

No generic theory. Practical insight shaped inside retail organizations — and translated for supplier teams.

Annemieke Rijke portrait

What Changes for Clients

"Where we used to pitch endlessly and got nowhere, we listed 3 new SKUs in one meeting. Retail Playbook changed our approach completely."
— Sales Director, premium food brand
"I saved hours per week on buyer back-and-forth. I now know what they need to hear — and what I can skip."
— Category Manager, international beverage supplier
"Instantly increased our team’s confidence and performance. We went from begging for shelf space to negotiating from strength."
— Commercial Director, European health & beauty brand
"One email rewrite. The proposal that sat for a year was signed within 2 months."
— Founder, specialty supplier to a 900-store chain

Experience Across the Industry

Experience across leading retailers — and collaboration with many supplier teams across Europe.

Retail and client logo overview

The ROI

Simple payback model. Enter your improvement per SKU and deal volume. Workshop investment is fixed at €2,895.

€
Investment in 1 workshop: €2,895
Enter both values to see ROI.

Programs

Choose the format that fits your team — and your situation.

Most Popular
In-Company Masterclass

Tailored Training

Choose 1–4 topics tailored to your team. Most clients choose 2–3 sessions.

  • Built on your reality
  • Unlimited participants
  • Your cases, your retailers, your numbers
  • Online or on-location
  • Templates and tools for immediate application
from €2,895 ex VAT
per session (starting price)
Request Program
Open Program

Group Sessions

The essentials in 2 intensive sessions — focused, practical, and directly applicable.

  • 2 sessions of 2 hours
  • Minimum 4 participants
  • Online or in-person format
  • Practical frameworks
  • Real-world casework
€1,295 pp ex VAT
for 2 intensive sessions
Join Next Session
1:1 Advisory

Priority Advisory

Unstick stalled negotiations and decisions — practical support when timing matters.

  • Unblock negotiations
  • Prepare critical meetings
  • Strategic positioning
  • Review and rewrite proposals and emails
  • Fast, implementable next steps
from €1,099 ex VAT
depends on scope and complexity
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For participants only

MailCoach

A decision support tool — exclusively for Retail Playbook participants.

After the training, you have access to MailCoach: a private AI writing tool that applies the communication principles from the program to your own emails. Drop in your raw notes, bullets, or draft — and receive a ready-to-send professional email in return. Built on the three principles you practised in the masterclass.

Open MailCoach →

Access requires the participant password shared after your training session.

3 Options

1

30-MIN INTRO QUICKSCAN

No pitch. No obligations. You get 3 concrete insights — and decide if there is a fit.

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2

BOOK DIRECTLY

In-company masterclass (from €2,895) | Open program (€1,295 pp) | 1:1 advisory (from €1,099)

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3

ASK A HARD QUESTION

Send your hardest retail question. You’ll get a straight answer. No sales pitch.

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"You leave knowing what retail actually decides on — and how to work with it, not against it."