What is the typical timeline from initial buyer contact to securing shelf placement in major UK supermarkets?

Members' experiences with supermarket listing timelines vary dramatically, ranging from 3.5 to 7 years from first conversation to shelf placement.

**Listing timeline realities:** - Members reported timeframes between **3.5 and 7 years** from initial contact to actual shelf listing at major grocers like Waitrose - One member noted the process "didn't exist" initially (suggesting product development or business setup was also part of the timeline)

**Getting the first meeting:** - **Breaking into buyer conversations remains the biggest bottleneck** — members describe experiences of "a ghost town of unanswered emails" and difficulty securing an initial meeting to even present their proposition - One member mentioned **£30k listing fees** as a potential route (though this comment was made somewhat facetiously in the group chat)

**Caveats:** The small sample size and tongue-in-cheek tone of some responses suggest these are anecdotal experiences. The variation (3.5–7 years) indicates the timeline depends heavily on product category, buyer relationship, and market conditions. Getting that crucial first buyer conversation appears to be the real challenge, not the negotiation timeline itself.