Resetting Supplier Relationships to Drive Stronger Joint Business Planning and Commercial Success
DIAGNOSIS
Our client is a national retailer operating in a competitive market and facing a sustained period of pressure on both business performance and market share. As trading conditions tightened, relationships with several key suppliers had become increasingly strained, with Joint Business Planning (JBP) discussions often focused on short-term recovery rather than long-term mutual value creation. Internally, the commercial team recognised a need to better understand supplier perspectives and constraints, particularly in the context of their own performance challenges. Leaders wanted their teams to be able to “step into the shoes of suppliers” - enabling more balanced, credible and constructive JBP conversations at a time when negotiations were especially difficult. Sellex was engaged to support the team through an upcoming cycle of high-stakes JBP negotiations. Drawing on our experience leading commercial teams on both the retailer and supplier side, we diagnosed a need to combine capability development with real-time support, ensuring learning translated directly into better outcomes at the table.
DESIGN AND DELIVERY
Sellex worked alongside the client to support the team through this challenging period, combining training, consultancy and coaching into a joined-up intervention. We began by building capability around supplier economics, commercial drivers and decision-making, helping teams better understand how suppliers evaluate value, risk and return. This was reinforced with practical tools and frameworks to structure JBP discussions more effectively, balancing performance recovery with sustainable partnership. Crucially, the work was not theoretical. Sellex provided hands-on coaching and advisory support as teams prepared for, and conducted, live JBP negotiations. We helped shape negotiation strategies, pressure-test proposals and anticipate supplier responses, enabling teams to enter discussions with confidence and credibility. Throughout the process, Sellex acted as a trusted partner, challenging thinking where needed, reinforcing best practice and ensuring the approach remained grounded in commercial reality during a period of heightened pressure.
DURABLE OUTCOMES
The intervention delivered a meaningful reset in how the retailer engaged with its supplier base. JBP conversations became more balanced, structured and commercially grounded, enabling more constructive dialogue even where positions were initially far apart. Several key supplier relationships were stabilised and reset, with trading terms brought onto a more even and sustainable footing. The improved quality of conversations helped rebuild trust, reduce friction and shift discussions away from short-term conflict towards shared priorities and joint opportunity. Internally, the commercial team gained greater confidence in handling complex, high-pressure negotiations. Teams were better equipped to articulate their position, understand supplier constraints and negotiate outcomes that supported both performance recovery and longer-term partnership. The tools, capabilities and mindset developed through the project are now embedded within the team, providing a durable foundation for stronger Joint Business Planning and supplier relationships as market conditions continue to evolve.
"Sellex helped our team see negotiations through the lens of our suppliers at a time when relationships were under real pressure. Their combination of practical insight, coaching and hands-on support materially improved the quality of our JBP conversations and helped reset several key partnerships."
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