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Storewars Fact Sheet
What is Storewars?

Storewars is a business simulation that has been specially designed to capture the modern challenges of the Consumer Packaged Goods (CPG) / Fast Moving Consumer Goods (FMCG) industry at both retail and consumer levels.

Teams representing manufacturers and retailers battle for Mindspace (consumer loyalty) and Shelfspace over the course of four days. Armed with company reports and market research information, retailers and manufacturers negotiate and make a series of “decisions” over four “periods”, each period representing six months in the real world.

Decision areas include segmentation, positioning, promotions, price, discounts, new product development, terms of payment, shelf space allocation, store service levels and category management.

Who should attend?

Storewars has been designed to challenge and stimulate executives up to the highest level in the CPG/FMCG industry. This program is invaluable for manufacturers, brokers and retailers as well as market research providers and consultants.

Ideally suited for sales, category management, trade marketing and marketing, those from other departments such as finance, production, systems and information analysis would benefit greatly by gaining an understanding of the tasks facing their colleagues.

Why should I attend?

At the completion of this program, you will be able to:

  • Offer greater insights into the relationships between suppliers and retailers in the CPG/FMCG industry.
  • Use enhanced negotiation skills to arrive at win-win situations.
  • Operate more effectively with other departments within your organization.
  • Work in teams to achieve a group objective.
  • Create a strategy and implement the appropriate tactics effectively.
  • Transform information into profitable decisions.
  • Provide trading partners/customers with the most appropriate information for effective decision-making.
  • Use time more efficiently to make decisions.

Who has attended in the past?

Storewars was developed by Marcel Corstjens, Professor of Marketing at Insead in France. It has been run in over 40 countries worldwide over the past 20 years.

Past participants of Storewars seminars include representatives from retailer/wholesalers such as Ahold, Carrefour, Panda, Spinney’s, Supervalu, Metro (Germany and Egypt), Tesco and Wal-Mart. Most major CPG/FMCG companies have participated in Storewars somewhere in the world including BAT, Cadbury-Schweppes, Coca-Cola, Grolsch, Heineken, Kellogg’s, Kraft, Masterfoods, Nestle, Pepsi-Cola, Reckitt Benckiser, Sara Lee, Savola Foods, Philip Morris, New Zealand Milk, Wrigley and Unilever.

How can I implement Storewars in my organization?

Storewars can be run as an in-house seminar in various ways. First, it can be run for a particular group (e.g. category managers) or as a cross-functional team building experience between sales, marketing, operations, finance, etc. As a regional activity, it also helps build cross-cultural understanding. It can also be used to help integrate two merged organizations.

In addition, a manufacturer can sponsor a Storewars session (solely or with a non-competing manufacturer) and invite a retail partner. As a shared activity, Storewars becomes a forum for discussing and understanding each other’s position and problems within a hypothetical and risk-free environment.

Lectures, which are interspersed throughout the program, typically include topics such as:

  • Manufacturer Strategies
  • Retailer Strategies
  • Negotiations
  • Manufacturer-Retailer Challenges / Global Retail Trends

How many people can attend a Storewars session?

Storewars can be run for a minimum of 22 and a maximum of 34 participants. The optimal number of participants is 29. This gives three manufacturer teams of five people and two retailer teams of seven people. We recommend slightly larger retailer teams as they have relatively more complex decisions to make.

How long should the Storewars program be?

Storewars is best run as a four-day program. The seminar can also be run as a 4 ½ or 5-day program if you would like to incorporate additional lectures or training specific to your needs.

Is there any other way to attend Storewars?

If you do not have the number of people necessary to run an in-house session, often a public session can be run in a particular country that will be open to all interested companies in that country or region.

Who do I contact with questions?

Please contact Hope Mandel in Shelton, CT, USA



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