Reading the shelf…
Woodlands is a specialty independent running 3 Bay Area stores, small-format at about 2,336 sq ft each, indexing high on clean-organic versus other Bay Area grocers.
Hu is a U.S.-based brand that specializes in organic, Fairtrade chocolate and snacks, founded in 2012 by siblings Jordan Brown and Jessica Karp.
It’s already on the shelf here, with 9 SKUs across 1 category. The growth is depth and breadth: 1 category to widen and 4 new doors to enter, replicated across all 3 stores.
Lead with Organic Hazelnut Butter Dark Chocolate Bar 2.1 oz in Chocolate Candies.
Woodlands stocks chocolate candies thinly, so a differentiated snack stands out instead of becoming the Nth option on a crowded shelf. It already earns space at 14 other Bay Area grocers.
Woodlands merchandises 5 of the 6 categories the brand sells.
non-gmo, organic, vegan against the store's assortment lean.
brand excitement 70/100.
maps onto categories the store already runs.
Every category Hu plays in across the Bay Area grocers we track, and where it stands at Woodlands. Depth is the distinct SKUs the store carries there versus the fleet median, shown next to the rival brands already on that shelf.
On shelf here, but only 9 of 23 SKUs. Room to widen the line.
Already stocked here in other categories, so this one is a natural extension.
Where it would price in chocolate candies. Each dot is a product on the shelf, by its cost per fl oz (hover for which). Hu (orange) sits above the shelf.
Hu’s SKUs Woodlands doesn’t carry yet, ordered by how many other Bay Area grocers already stock them.
Presence and depth are measured from Woodlands’ current Bay Area storefront: its online catalog plus our shelf photos, a partial view. A widely-distributed brand shown as a new door may already be carried through channels we don’t index. Woodlands profile →
Already stocked here in other categories, so this one is a natural extension.
Already stocked here in other categories, so this one is a natural extension.
Already stocked here in other categories, so this one is a natural extension.
The store barely carries this category, so it is a hard sell.

5 named buyer contacts (Asst Store Mngr, Experienced Grocery Buyer, General Manager) are on file. Direct contacts are reserved for verified brand partners.