Wholesale Growth
Get your brand into wholesale accounts
Getting a D2C brand into wholesale is a commercial problem before it's a sales problem. It needs margin that survives a trade discount, terms that protect your cash flow, and a product a buyer can sell through. I help founders get all three right - then open the accounts.
Is your brand ready for wholesale?
Most founders think they are - and most aren't. Not because their brand isn't good enough, but because the commercial infrastructure isn't there yet. Trade buyers don't just buy products - they buy into a supply chain, a margin stack, and a brand they believe will pull customers. The Channel Readiness Assessment tells you exactly where you stand across all eight growth channels, including wholesale, concessions and marketplaces.
What I do
I work with D2C consumer brands that want to diversify beyond their own channels. Wholesale is almost always the highest-value next step - but it requires a different commercial discipline to D2C. I bring twenty years of doing it firsthand, as a founder and as a fractional Commercial Director, to help your brand make that transition profitably.
Channel Assessment
Free 20-question audit to establish your wholesale readiness baseline across margin, operations, brand and range.
Channel Blueprint
A fixed-fee 6-week sprint that builds your wholesale P&L, terms structure, range plan and 12-month launch roadmap.
Fractional Direction
Ongoing commercial leadership - embedded 4-6 days per month, opening buyer relationships and managing the channel.
See also: How to get your D2C brand into wholesale
Where most founders get stuck
The same four commercial mistakes appear in almost every brand that struggles with the move from D2C to wholesale. Fixing them before the first buyer conversation is what separates a successful channel launch from an expensive lesson.
- Approaching buyers before the margin works - and killing the relationship before it starts
- No minimum order quantity strategy, leaving them exposed to unprofitable small orders
- Wholesale terms that destroy cash flow - 60-90 day payment terms on stock they've already paid for
- A product range built for D2C that doesn't translate to a wholesale range or a buyer's OTB
How we work together
"Created an effective go-to-market plan."
“Richard joined the team in order to assess Coral's sales channels and identify new opportunities for growth. Within a few months Richard helped create an effective go to market plan, then he utilised his extensive contacts across retail to open entirely new, repeat-revenue, sales channels and built partnerships spanning sport, licensed brands and high-street retail.”
George Bailey
Co-Founder, Coral Eyewear
"You want Richard in the room."
“Richard is that rare blend: commercially fluent across brand, sales and finance, with a deep grasp of how the economics work across channels. If you need a steady, commercially minded hand to drive your B2B growth, you want Richard in the room.”
Colin Porter
Former CEO, Joules
Common questions
- How do I get my D2C brand into wholesale?
- Start with the commercial fundamentals - your margin stack, terms structure and product range depth. Most brands that fail at wholesale do so because they approach it as a sales problem rather than a commercial one. Get the economics right first, then open the doors.
- What margin do I need to sell to retailers?
- As a rule of thumb, you need to be able to absorb a 50-60% wholesale discount from your RRP and still land above your cost of goods with room for freight and returns. That typically means an RRP keystoned at 4-5x landed cost. Every category differs - the right number for your brand depends on your product economics.
- Should I start with wholesale, concessions or marketplaces?
- It depends on your brand stage, margin structure and category. Wholesale gives you volume but demands terms discipline. Concessions lower the risk of carrying stock but require footfall and brand recognition. Marketplaces are fastest to test but commoditise quickly. The Channel Readiness Assessment will tell you which one your brand is most ready for.
- How long does it take to land a wholesale account?
- A realistic timeline from first buyer conversation to trading is 6-12 months for most independent and department store accounts. Trade shows can accelerate this, but the commercial prep - range cards, pricing, terms, minimum orders - needs to be in place before you have those conversations.
Ready to find out where you stand?
The free Channel Readiness Assessment takes 5 minutes and tells you exactly which channel your brand is most ready for right now.