Choosing the wrong distributor costs more than a year of lost sales — it can lock your brand into a registration you don't control and a reputation you didn't build. These are the questions we encourage every brand to ask us, and to ask anyone else they are evaluating.
1. Which doors do you actually serve — and can you prove it?
Ask for a door list by channel and chain, not a headline number. A distributor claiming '1,000 doors' should be able to show you the split between hypermarkets, pharmacies, groceries and e-commerce.
2. Who holds the product registration?
If the distributor registers your products under their licence, what happens when the agreement ends? Agree upfront on registration ownership and transfer terms.
3. What does your sales team look like?
How many reps, covering which emirates or regions, visiting how often? Distribution in the GCC is still a relationships-and-visibility business.
4. Do you invest in marketing, or only logistics?
The market has moved past pure logistics. Ask what the distributor does in content, retail media, influencer programs and in-store activation — and ask for examples with numbers.
5. How do you report sell-out?
If a partner can only tell you what they bought from you, not what sold through to consumers, you are flying blind. Weekly sell-out reporting by SKU and chain should be standard.
6. What are your payment and credit terms with retailers?
A distributor's financial strength determines whether your products stay in stock. Weak working capital shows up as out-of-stocks long before it shows up as a missed payment to you.
7–9. The contract questions
Finally: What exclusivity are you asking for, and what performance commitments come with it? What are the exit terms? And what happens to unsold stock? A distributor who welcomes these questions is one you can work with.