Selling your cheese in supermarkets: understanding the expectations of mass retail

Cheese occupies a unique place in the French food landscape. A traditional product, an emblem of the terroir, and a symbol of conviviality, it stands out as a flagship category in large-scale food retail.

Today, nearly 70% of the volume of cheese consumed in France is sold in supermarkets and hypermarkets (large-scale food retail, supermarkets, and local convenience stores). In other words, large-scale food retail remains the essential path for any brand wishing to develop on a large scale.

But entering large-scale food retail cannot be improvised. The requirements of the retail chains, pressure on margins, and the fast rotation of products make listing complex, especially for independent producers or regional brands.

How do you convince a buyer? What criteria determine access to the shelf? And how do you sustain your presence once listed?

This article helps you decipher the mechanisms of large-scale food retail to better sell your cheese in supermarkets: from negotiation to field follow-up.

The strategic role of large-scale food retail in the cheese market

An essential channel for the industry

Large-scale food retail represents a volume driver and an innovation engine for the cheese market.

According to the CNIEL and NielsenIQ, supermarkets and hypermarkets account for more than 7 billion euros in annual sales, out of a total market of approximately 10 billion. This channel dominates for three main reasons:

• a national coverage ensuring product availability;

• a diversity of offerings covering all uses (snacking, cooking, tasting);

• and a direct influence on production and consumption through sales data and assortment management.

In practice, large-scale retail structures the market. Manufacturers adapt to its needs, cooperatives find their outlets there, and consumers shape their buying habits there.

Strong trends: local, private label, and convenience

The cheese aisle is transforming. Several trends are now structuring the assortment:

• The return to local and terroir. Retail chains are promoting PDOs, regional productions, and short supply chains. Ranges like Nos Régions ont du Talent (Leclerc) or Reflets de France (Carrefour) meet this expectation.

• The weight of private labels (distributor brands). They represent nearly 40% of the cheese volumes sold, offering retailers better control over margins and price positioning.

• The search for convenience. Consumers favor ready-to-use formats (grated, sliced, resealable bags, mini-portions).

• Snacking and new uses. Spreadable cheeses, aperitifs, and "to-go" options are gaining ground, driven by new lifestyles.

These trends reflect a cultural shift: cheese is no longer just a cheese board product, but an everyday ingredient.

Zoom on the rise of local products in France

Among the major changes in the cheese market, the growing power of "local" is undoubtedly the most structural. French consumers are increasingly favoring products from small regional producers, perceived as more authentic, more sustainable, and more anchored in the local area.

In a context where prices are becoming similar and offerings are standardizing, local becomes a distinguishing factor for retail chains.

An aisle that highlights regional productions creates an emotional connection: customers no longer just "consume" a cheese, they support a local area.

The figures confirm this trend: according to Kantar (2024), nearly 70% of French consumers say they prefer a local product over an equivalent-quality alternative, even if it is slightly more expensive.

While the potential is obvious, logistical and industrial constraints still slow down the rise of local products.

Small producers do not always have the necessary capacity to meet the volumes demanded by retail chains. A fluctuation in production, a supply disruption, or a non-compliance can be enough to call their presence on the shelf into question.

This structural fragility explains why large-scale retail continues to rely mainly on large dairy groups, while reserving growing space for regional private label brands, often under "terroir" private labels.

For retail chains, the challenge therefore lies in finding a balance between logistical reliability and product authenticity. It is the "local products" aisle that allows this. However, the promotion often remains too generic or poorly exploited.

Information about the origin or the producer should not be confined to a label: it must fuel an emotional purchasing experience.

This can happen through:

• on-site tastings and events;

• QR codes on packaging linking back to the producer;

• illustrated signage (map of regions, photos of farms);

• or even partnerships with regional players to co-manage the aisles.

An aisle that needs to be redesigned

Cheese remains one of the iconic products of large-scale food retail. It is an essential part of the average French shopping basket. Its absence on the shelf would be almost "abnormal."

Yet, the cheese aisle is no longer considered a strategic aisle. For nearly twenty years, its layout, merchandising, and buying experience have changed very little. Meanwhile, consumers have changed deeply: new expectations, search for pleasure, desire for transparency, and richer purchasing experiences.

It is therefore time to break the rules and redesign the cheese aisle no longer as a simple storage space, but as a true place of discovery. Much like what retailers have successfully done for wine or beer, transforming them into true cellars or immersive spaces at the heart of the stores.

Modernizing the purchasing experience

Even today, most cheese aisles are built according to old logic: segmentation by type of paste, by brand, or by format.

But today's consumer no longer thinks this way: they buy according to use (aperitif, cooking, cheese board, snacking) and according to emotion (taste, origin, history).

The cheese aisle can therefore be redesigned as a shop within the store: a distinct, identifiable space with specific scenography, differentiated furniture, and an experiential approach.

Why not imagine regular tastings, regional focuses ("Auvergne cheese month"), or educational panels on designations and food-cheese pairings?

This type of approach transforms a static aisle into a brand universe, where purchasing becomes an experience.

Training, the key to a high-performing aisle

But a beautiful aisle is not enough. The success of a cheese aisle depends above all on the competence of those who bring it to life. Too often, employees are assigned to the aisle without real product training, which limits their ability to advise, add value to the cheeses, and build a customer relationship.

Yet, a well-presented, explained, and narrated cheese sells better.

Training teams in cutting, preservation, cheese families, and food/cheese pairings radically changes the perception of the aisle. As a brand, you can take the time to explain to those who will serve it the aromas of your products, what they pair best with, or how to enjoy them. This restores meaning to the job: the seller becomes a taste ambassador again, not just a shelf replenisher.

A well-thought-out assortment will not be enough if the customer is neither guided nor advised. Conversely, a passionate seller can introduce an unknown product and build loyalty with a customer for a long time.

The conditions for being listed in large-scale food retail

Buyers' selection criteria

Listing is based on precise criteria. Supermarket buyers evaluate products according to five main areas:

1. Commercial potential: estimated volumes, purchase frequency, seasonality (raclette in winter, goat cheese in spring).

2. Price positioning and margin. Distributors seek a balance between competitiveness and profitability, with margins of 25% to 35% depending on the department.

3. Product differentiation. PDO, organic, farm-fresh, or innovative cheeses (new formats, packaging, recipes) receive a warmer welcome. To know your strong points, we advise you to study your marketing mix.

4. Logistical reliability. Ability to supply regularly, compliance with best-before dates, traceability, storage temperature.

5. Consistency with consumer expectations. Local products, labels, and sustainable commitments are valued levers.

The listing process

Access to the shelf generally follows a multi-step path:

1. Product presentation to the purchasing department (technical sheets, pitch, tasting).

2. Commercial negotiation: setting the supplier rate, logistical conditions, and promotional contributions. Discover our techniques for negotiating with large-scale food retail.

3. Regional test in a few points of sale to measure rotation and customer satisfaction.

4. National listing if performances are confirmed.

Each year, agreements are renegotiated. A low-performing product can be quickly delisted: that is not something you want! That is why field follow-up and responsiveness are essential.

The importance of packaging and merchandising

Packaging plays a decisive role in the purchasing decision. On the shelf, the packaging acts as the primary sales pitch.

• It must be legible, consistent with the positioning, and highlight key elements: origin, type of milk, labels, texture, uses.

• Merchandising (facing, height, endcap, point-of-sale advertising) conditions visibility and rotation.

• The seasonal operations ("raclette month", "terroir week") stimulate sales and brand awareness.

Example: developing the spreadable cheese section in France

Nothing is better than a concrete example to understand how to develop your sales in large-scale food retail. For this example, we have chosen the spreadable cheese segment, which is currently one of the most dynamic drivers of the cheese market in supermarkets. Often perceived as a "classic" category, it actually hides a growth potential that is still under-exploited.

And for this example, I am basing myself in particular on the LinkedIn publication of Romain Grégoire, Retail Category Manager at Laïta. According to the shared data, the spreadable cheese section shows an increase of +12% in volume over three years, driven by innovation, convenience, and the renewal of uses.

To accelerate this growth, four structuring levers can be activated: visibility, clarity, discovery, and shelf space management.

Making the aisle visible and attractive

The first challenge is to bring more potential shoppers to the category.

Too often drowned between the "fresh cheese" and "aperitif products" sections, spreadable cheese suffers from a lack of legibility.

The idea proposed by Laïta is to create a "global spreadable center", bringing together:

• adult spreadable cheeses (Madame Loïk, Tartare, Boursin, Saint-Môret);

• aperitif and children's cheeses (Kiri, Vache qui rit, Apéricube).

This grouping logic allows:

• to unify uses (conviviality, aperitif, simple cooking);

• to streamline shelf reading;

• and to recruit new buyers in adjacent segments.

Performances confirm this: +12% volume growth over three years, driven by families and high-income households, two targets particularly sensitive to the convenience and conviviality of spreadable products.

Clarifying the reading of the shelf

Shelf clarity is another major performance lever.

According to shopper studies, 83% of consumers want products to be sorted by brand rather than by format or price. This organization simplifies navigation, strengthens the legibility of ranges, and enhances the awareness of established brands.

A shelf structured by brand allows to:

• strengthen recognition and loyalty;

• better present variations (plain, flavored, organic, light, family size);

• and reduce decision time, a key factor for recurring purchases.

The goal is therefore not to expand the assortment at all costs, but to make it legible and consistent.

Encouraging discovery and impulse buying

Beyond flagship products, the category must stimulate curiosity.

Spreadable cheese often remains a "planned" purchase category: consumers buy their usual brand without exploring other varieties.

To develop the value of the shelf, you must provoke discovery:

• by placing at the center of the shelf the brands most representative of diversity (plain and flavored);

• by highlighting new products or limited editions (herbs, pepper, truffle, chili, roasted garlic...);

• and by playing on differentiating visual codes (colorful packaging, multiple facings, themed shelf talkers).

The objective is clear: transform the aisle into a visual tasting space where each product invites trial.

📌 In practice

Variety is the primary expectation of buyers to consume more. Creating a central space dedicated to discovery allows for triggering additional, often impulse, but high-value purchases.

Allocating a balanced and optimized shelf space

The last lever, often underestimated, concerns shelf space distribution.

A well-calibrated shelf space must both reflect current performance and anticipate demand.

According to Romain Grégoire, the key lies in a 60/40 balance:

• 60% of the shelf dedicated to plain varieties, which represent 60% of sales volume (+9% growth);

• 40% to flavored varieties, a fast-growing segment, driver of differentiation and innovation.

Adjusting facings according to performance prevents stockouts and improves customer satisfaction.

The example of Madame Loïk, the second national brand in the segment, illustrates this dynamic well: +30% sales in three years, driven by a wide range and consistent merchandising.

Managing the commercial relationship with distributors

In large-scale food retail, it is not the producers who have the last word, but indeed the distributors. They are the ones who set the retail prices, decide on the location of your promotional events, and choose where your cheeses will be placed on the shelf.

In other words: your brand's success depends as much on upfront negotiation as on good execution at the point of sale.

Once your agreements are concluded, it is essential to check that everything negotiated is indeed applied: compliance with price, assortment, visibility, facings, or even shelf signaling.

This is precisely the role of your area managers: visiting stores, collecting information, identifying gaps, and, if necessary, correcting course.

Monitoring in-store performance

The management of your large-scale food retail activity is based on a vision on two scales:

1. A macro vision, to evaluate your global development: performance by region, by retail chain, or by network, and the evolution of your presence across the country.

2. A micro vision, to understand what is happening in each store: positioning, rotation, stockouts, visibility, or execution of agreements.

Each point of sale has its specificities: customer profile, store class, purchasing power, aisle size, competitive pressure. Understanding these nuances is essential to adapt your commercial strategy locally.

Key performance indicators to track

To ensure an optimal presence, several sales indicators and performance metrics must be monitored regularly:

• Numeric Distribution (ND): it measures the share of stores where your products are actually present compared to the number of points of sale where they should be, according to the negotiated assortment. A low ND means your products are not available everywhere they should be. → To learn more about numeric distribution.

• Share of shelf: it indicates the surface occupied by your products on the shelf, in percentage. The higher it is, the more your visibility and potential sales increase. → To learn more about the share of shelf.

• To calculate it, your sales reps can record the number of facings — that is, the number of products visible from the front on the shelf (see our complete guide on facing).

• Sales volumes (sell-in): they reflect the quantities sold to the retail chains.

• Consumer sales (sell-out), accessible via cash register data (explanations here): they measure the actual performance of the product in the field, and therefore your effective revenue.

Active monitoring allows to:

• quickly detect stockouts and adjust deliveries;

• observe price differences between stores or chains;

• compare performance by geographical area;

• anticipate a risk of delisting before it happens.

Regular dialogue with department managers remains key: they are the ones who decide on replenishments, shelf placement, and local events.

→ Here are the 7 performance indicators you must absolutely track in supermarkets.

Animating the commercial relationship

Successful brands do not just get listed: they bring life to the category.

Animating the shelf means maintaining the relationship with the in-store teams and creating key highlights that stimulate sales.

Some effective levers:

• targeted promotional operations (periods of high consumption: raclette, fondue, summer aperitifs, end-of-year holidays);

• tasting events to introduce your products, humanize the brand, and generate trial;

• a long-term partnership with the department manager to co-build promotions and adjust visibility according to seasonality.

Each action must be measured: change in volume, impact on rotation, gain in share of shelf, or increase in awareness.

This promotional performance management is essential to justify maintaining or even extending your listings in the planogram.

Management tools and field CRM

Commercial monitoring can no longer rely on informal exchanges or an obsolete CRM.

Field teams need an SFA CRM designed specifically for large-scale retail to centralize information and gain responsiveness.

A good retail CRM must allow to:

• plan store visits and sales rounds;

• report price checks, stocks, facings, and shelf photos in real time;

• monitor product presence and competitor actions;

• analyse performance by retail chain, region, or store type;

• and share this data instantly with sales management.

The goal is threefold:

1. Improve communication between the field and headquarters.

2. Quickly identify high-potential or struggling stores to prioritize actions.

3. Make life easier for field sales forces.

Large-scale food retail remains the main development driver for cheese brands, but also the most demanding.

To succeed, you must combine:

• a differentiated and reliable offer,

• a relationship of trust with buyers and department managers,

• and a rigorous management of field performance.

Listing a cheese is a first victory. True success is measured over time: when your product becomes an expected choice for the consumer and a pillar of the shelf.