Virgin StartUp Foodpreneur Festival: Retail

Virgin StartUp Foodpreneur Festival: Retail

Business has changed a huge amount in the last few years. Before, expanding your business internationally meant complicated, time-consuming and expensive logistics at every stage. With greater global connectivity, even startups can think about expanding internationally from a much earlier stage.

But we wanted to make it even easier, so we’ve set up a partnership with huge US retailer Target, to give up to four British start-ups the opportunity to get their product into 2,000 of its stores across the US and Canada. This is a game-changing opportunity - enter now.

Why expand globally?  Opening up your product to the world makes it available to millions more customers and you can manage the whole process of selling abroad from your kitchen table in Chester, Cornwall or Carlisle – exporting has become that simple.

The Target opportunity exists as the U.S is a market where British brands can excel, thanks to our reputation for quality and heritage. There are questions to ask, such as: would your food startup translate to the US market? Would the flavours and branding work in another country? What are the food rules and regulations that you need to be conscious of? What’s it like to manufacture? And just how can you break into it?

How does it work?

Four startups will receive the chance to pitch for an incredible six-month trial distribution and promotion in U.S chain store Target: a company with reach across the U.S and Canada that generated $72.5 billion worth of sales during 2014. It’s one of the US’s most iconic and longest-running stores, and a staple in the daily lives of millions of Americans.

This trial will take place across 300 stores, with successful products then being rolled out to all 2000 stores. The project is supported by Exporting is GREAT: the UK government’s ambitious new campaign, which aims to inspire 100,000 new businesses to export by 2020.

If you think your business is small but mighty enough to take things to the next level, ready to grace the plates of Americans and make a ripple on the US culinary scene, then we want you to enter here. Good luck!