US retail and distribution for brands arriving from abroad.
US shelves are won in a sequence, not a single meeting.
Buyers want proof that a product sells, a price ladder that leaves room for every hand it passes through, clean barcodes, EDI that works on the first purchase order, and a marketing plan that moves units after the product lands. Theory Road helps brands from Europe, South America and other regions build that case: we read the category, set the pricing ladder, build the sell sheet and line review deck, prove velocity online, and run retail media once you are listed. Your customs broker, logistics provider and attorney handle import and contracts. We coordinate with them so the commercial plan and the paperwork arrive at the buyer together.
Questions this page answers
- How do I find US distributors for a foreign product?
- How do I get my product into US retail stores?
- What do US retail buyers want to see before a meeting?
- Do I need GS1 barcodes to sell in US retail?
- Is Faire worth it for a brand based outside the US?
- Which US trade shows should a foreign brand attend?
- How should we price for US wholesale and distribution?
Step 1 of 2
How can we help you get found?
Next: name, email and budget. That’s it.
What the US market asks of you.
The US is not one retail market. Grocery, natural and specialty food, beverage alcohol, home goods, beauty and hardware each run on their own route to shelf. Beverage alcohol moves through the three-tier system of importer, distributor and retailer, set state by state. Food often goes through a broker and a specialty or broadline distributor before a chain buyer sees it. Home and kitchen brands may sell direct to a retailer, through a wholesaler, or to independents on Faire. A foreign brand has to pick the route that fits its category before it prints a single sell sheet.
What typically goes wrong is sequence. A brand lands a distributor who never pulls it through to shelves, or wins a regional chain without the margin to fund promotions, free fill and deductions. Prices built from a home-market cost sheet collapse once the retailer margin, distributor margin and freight are stacked on top. Barcodes bought from a reseller fail the retailer check. EDI setup lags the first order and chargebacks start. And with no US sales history, the buyer has nothing to judge velocity by, so the conversation stalls at a polite maybe.
We run it in order. First the category read: who distributes, who buys, which shelf and which price band. Then the pricing ladder from landed cost to MSRP, with every margin and MAP written down. We prove demand online through a US storefront, Amazon or Walmart Marketplace, so the buyer sees real reviews and sell-through. We build the sell sheet and line review deck, prepare you for trade shows, and plan retail media on Walmart Connect, Roundel or Instacart for launch. Your broker and logistics partners handle the import side, and we keep everyone on one calendar.
- Weeks 1 to 3Category and route-to-shelf readMap distributors, brokers, retailers and price bands in your category, then choose the route to shelf that fits.
- Weeks 3 to 6Pricing ladder and retail readinessBuild landed cost to MSRP, set MAP, confirm GS1 barcodes, case packs and EDI requirements with your partners.
- Weeks 4 to 12Prove velocity onlineLaunch the US storefront and marketplace listings, gather reviews and sell-through data a buyer can check.
- Months 3 to 5Sell sheets, line reviews, trade showsBuild the sell sheet and line review deck, book buyer meetings, prepare booth and follow-up for trade shows.
- Months 5 onwardLaunch support and retail mediaRun retail media, promotions and search around each new door so velocity holds through the next line review.
Where US launches stall.
No US sales history
Retail buyers judge risk by velocity. A foreign brand arrives with home-market numbers they cannot verify, so the first job is building US proof through online sales, reviews and sell-through data a buyer will actually trust.
Margin stack from abroad
Landed cost now includes freight, duties that changed repeatedly in 2025 and 2026, and warehousing. Add distributor margin, retailer margin, promotions and deductions, and many home-market price sheets leave nothing for the brand.
Operational readiness
GS1 barcodes, case packs, retailer-compliant labels, EDI purchase orders, advance ship notices and invoices all need to work on day one. Mistakes turn into chargebacks that quietly erase the margin on early orders.
Pull-through after listing
A listing is permission, not demand. Without retail media, demos, promotions and search visibility after launch, slow movers get cut at the next line review and the distributor stops pushing the item.
What we run for you.
Category and channel read
We map who distributes and who buys in your category, the shelf price bands, competing brands and the right first route: distributor, broker, direct to retailer, wholesale, or independents on Faire.
Pricing ladder and MAP
We build the ladder from landed cost to wholesale, distributor price and MSRP, set a minimum advertised price policy, and check that promotions and deductions still leave you a margin.
Velocity proof online
We launch and run your US storefront, Amazon listings and Walmart Marketplace or Amazon Vendor Central where they fit, so buyers see US reviews, rankings and sell-through before they commit.
Sell sheets and line review decks
We write and design the sell sheet, line review deck and buyer follow-up in US retail language: velocity, margin, marketing support, case pack and planogram fit, with no filler.
Trade show and buyer outreach
We help you pick US trade shows for your category, prepare booth messaging and samples, build the buyer list, and run follow-up so meetings turn into purchase orders.
Retail media and pull-through
Once listed, we plan and run retail media on Walmart Connect, Roundel and Instacart, plus search and social, so shoppers find the product in the stores that took it.
How US demand gets built.
US rules to plan for.
Import classification and duties.
US tariffs changed repeatedly in 2025 and 2026. Confirm Harmonized Tariff Schedule classification, current duties and country of origin marking with your licensed customs broker before pricing.
Product and label rules.
Food needs FDA facility registration and compliant labels, beverage alcohol needs TTB label approval through a licensed importer, and consumer products may need CPSC testing. Your regulatory advisor or attorney owns this.
California Prop 65.
Products sold into California may need Prop 65 warnings, and retailers often require them contractually. Confirm with your attorney before labels print and before listings go live.
Vendor agreements and insurance.
Retailers and distributors set product liability insurance minimums, indemnities, chargeback terms and payment timing. Your attorney and insurance broker review the vendor agreement; we plan marketing around it.
Sales tax and resale.
Wholesale sales usually need resale certificates from buyers, and direct sales can create state sales tax obligations under economic nexus. Your accountant owns registrations and filings.
A good fit
- Consumer brands with a proven product at home and budget to fund launch marketing through the first line review.
- Food, beverage, home and kitchen or CPG brands that can supply US case packs and labels on a reliable schedule.
- Teams willing to prove demand online first rather than chase a national chain in the first month.
- Brands with a customs broker, importer of record and logistics partner lined up or ready to appoint.
Probably not a fit
- Brands expecting a distributor to create demand on its own without any marketing investment from the brand.
- Products whose landed cost leaves no room for distributor and retailer margins at a competitive US shelf price.
Platforms and categories we launch into.
Reading before a US launch.
- Agency Guide · Takeaway
Getting into US retail means pitching buyers ahead of their category line review with a sell sheet, a working price ladder and evidence that American shoppers already buy the product.
Agency Guide · 12 min read
How to Get Into US Retail: Buyers, Line Reviews and Marketplaces.
US retail buyers review categories on fixed calendars and choose items with proof behind them. This is how a foreign or emerging brand builds that proof, gets the meeting and survives the first year on shelf.
Read - Agency Guide · Takeaway
Finding US distributors starts with knowing which layer you need, because importers, broadline and specialty distributors, brokers and direct store delivery houses each do a different job.
Agency Guide · 11 min read
Finding US Distributors: A Guide for Foreign Product Brands.
US distributors do not take on brands, they take on proven sales rates. This guide covers which kind of distributor fits your category, what they check, where to meet them and how to pitch.
Read - Agency Guide · Takeaway
A US trade show pays off only when the brand books buyer meetings before the show and follows up within days, because the floor itself rarely closes a deal.
Agency Guide · 10 min read
Trade Show USA: A Playbook for International Brands.
How an international brand chooses a US trade show, budgets it by structure instead of guesswork, decides between a booth and walking the floor, and turns badge scans into buyers through a CRM and a real follow-up plan.
Read
Questions from founders abroad.
- How do I find US distributors for a foreign product?
- Start with your category, because distributors specialize. Look at which distributors carry comparable imported brands, ask retailers who they buy through, walk category trade shows, and talk to brokers who represent similar lines. A distributor will ask about velocity, margin and marketing support, so arrive with US sales proof and a pricing ladder that leaves them room.
- Do I need GS1 barcodes to sell in US retail?
- In practice, yes. Major US retailers and marketplaces expect UPCs licensed through GS1 and check the company prefix against GS1 records. Barcodes bought cheaply from resellers often fail those checks. If you already have GS1 numbers from your home country, confirm with each retailer whether they accept them.
- Is Faire worth it for a brand based outside the US?
- Faire can be a useful early channel for reaching independent US boutiques and gift shops with low order minimums, and its reorder data helps show buyers real demand. Check current eligibility for sellers outside the US, the commission structure and who handles shipping and duties, because those terms decide whether the margins work.
- What is EDI and why do retailers care?
- EDI is the electronic exchange of purchase orders, advance ship notices and invoices between you and the retailer, commonly the 850, 856 and 810 documents. Most large retailers require it. Errors in labels, ship notices or timing trigger chargebacks, so set up and test EDI with a provider before your first order ships.
- How should we price for US wholesale and distribution?
- Work backward from the shelf. Set an MSRP that fits the US price band, then subtract the retailer margin, the distributor margin if you use one, promotions and expected deductions to see your net. If that net does not cover landed cost and a profit, fix the route, the pack size or the cost before any buyer meeting.
- Can we get onto Target Plus?
- Target Plus is Target's third-party marketplace and is invitation-only at the time of writing. Brands usually get considered after building a strong US sales record elsewhere, with reliable fulfillment and reviews. Treat it as a later goal and focus first on channels you can open yourself.
Let’s plan your US launch.
A short note on where the business is and where it needs to go. A senior partner replies within one business day.