10 Minutes with Andrew Sutherland

Andrew Sutherland is founder of lightswitch Founder of lightswitch consulting, Andrew Sutherland has extensive experience in management and sales in the commercial and retail space, including working for brands such as Deoleo, ANZ, PepsiCo and Kellogg’s.

Andrew recently hosted a webinar in partnership with Australian Organic titled “Building Sustainable Retail Partnerships”, to help organic operators learn more about building and improving on retail partnerships and brand strategies.

We spoke to Andrew to learn more about his new venture, lightswitch consulting, and what advice he would give to organic operators entering the current retail space.

Tell us a bit about yourself and your business.

I’ve been in FMCG (fast-moving consumer goods) for over 25 years, working in Sales, Category, Marketing and Senior Leadership roles for Tier 1 organisations across ANZ and the UK. My lovely wife (Olivia) is also in FMCG, so we are a Grocery Household (makes for scintillating dinner conversation!) lightswitch consulting is a bespoke FMCG consultancy which supports ANZ brand owners across all aspects of the go-to-market process.

What is your background? How did you get into the commercial / retail space?

My first permanent role out of University was with Kellogg’s NZ as a Sales Representative. I loved it and have been hooked ever since. FMCG is a great industry in so many ways, and it has been interesting to see the industry evolve over the last two decades. consulting, a bespoke FMCG consultancy supporting ANZ brand owners.

What inspired you to start lightswitch consulting?

It was three things. Firstly, I became a little disillusioned with the tier-1 FMCG relentless focus on profit – often at the expense of brand investment. Good brands are literally ‘the gift that keeps on giving’, and they need to be nurtured, not exploited. Secondly, I was also inspired by some of the passionate local brand owners I began meeting across ANZ. They cared deeply about their brand’s health and relationship with consumers; investing actively to support it and to also support their local communities. I agreed with their philosophy, and realised that my experience could really help local brand owners grow – and would be a good use of my time. And last, but by no means least, I wanted the flexibility to be an ‘available’ father to my two boys as they move through the teenage years.

How do you feel COVID-19 has affected the retail environment and consumer shopping habits in Australia?

There has been a couple of really interesting changes. Lockdown time spent in local communities has moved shoppers to local stores. This was compounded by supply chain challenges in the early days, as supermarkets struggled to cope with panic buying. As a result, consumers have become more open to trying new brands, which creates huge opportunities in many categories.

More time at home has increased from-scratch cooking, and possibly encouraged consumers to not only think about what they eat, but also where it comes from. As a result, they may be choosing to find out a bit more into the brands they buy, and what those brands stand for.

Online shopping has exploded, and I think this has changed habits which is really important to consider.

The Shopper Decision Process is different when shopping on-line, and when combined with Woolworths and Coles dominance of the format, that creates fresh challenges for Brand Owners.

Many organic brands and businesses have thrived throughout the COVID-19 pandemic – do you think retailers have noticed this uptake in organic / have taken this into account in their category growth strategies?

Definitely. Retailers are actively seeking differentiation to drive category growth. Credible, trusted and commercially savvy organic brands can be a very strong foundation, enabling multiple retail category growth strategies.

What do you think are some of the key points that organic operators should consider when trying to ‘fit’ into these kinds of retail strategies?

Due to the super-high trade concentration in ANZ, it’s really important to understand what role your category plays in the Retailer’s overall growth strategy. Then, within your specific category, what role can your brand play? Why is your brand able to deliver this role better than your competitors? And what is the benefit to the Retailer if you do? And lastly but most important – run everything through a P&L. The financial implications of gaining (or losing!) a big customer can be massive, and you need to fully understand and plan for these.

What would be your best piece of advice for an organic brand looking to expand into the retail space?

Have a transparent, continuous dialogue with your brand’s consumers. Invest time and money in knowing them deeply. Then figure out how your brand can help them meet needs they may not have even realised they have.

Congratulations on becoming a member of Australian Organic Limited. Why do you feel it is important to support the organic industry in Australia?

Thank you! Organic is important because the way we currently grow, ship, sell and use food as a global industry is really broken. Our food production systems contribute to climate change, and waste critical resources in so many ways. Organic is a very well understood step in the right direction - towards sustainable food production which promotes biodiversity, reduces waste, and positively impacts the world in which we all live. Supporting organic makes a difference, and that is more important now than ever before.