Hard Part Follows After Wal-Mart Says Yes
When he persuaded a Wal-Mart buyer to give his unusual pen a test run some 18 months ago, Colin Roche thought the hard part was over. Selling to the world’s largest retailer is, after all, the entrepreneurial Holy Grail: With 138 million weekly customers, Wal-Mart Stores Inc. dwarfs other bricks-and-mortar competitors.But far from game over, the toughest challenge begins this week, as Mr. Roche’s “PenAgain,” as the ergonomically designed writing instrument is called, rolls out in 500 Wal-Mart stores nationwide. PenAgain has 30 days to prove itself to Wal-Mart sales officials. Meanwhile, the 34-year-old Mr. Roche is learning to manage everything from Wal-Mart’s strict shipping standards to fears that other retail partners will protest his product’s discounted price tag at the big-box chain.
During the trial, PenAgain will get space in the special displays, known as “end caps,” at the edge of aisles, in the thick of consumer traffic. The prime positioning will give the product a fighting chance: After 30 days, the stores need to sell close to 85% of the 48,000 pens Wal-Mart ordered if the product is to be considered for wider distribution throughout the chain.
“It’s a test, that’s exactly what it is,” says Mr. Roche.
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