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Everything we know about entering U.S. retail, published.
Not a blog. A structured set of guides covering what a wellness brand actually has to do to enter and grow in the American market — written by the people who do the work, dated, and kept current.
Start here
New to the U.S. retail market?
Not sure where to begin? Start with our five essential resources before exploring the rest of our knowledge center.
The five essentials, in order.
1 — The ultimate guide · 2 — The launch calculator · 3 — The buyer glossary · 4 — The readiness checklist · 5 — Your market assessment
Begin step one →International brands entering the U.S.
Regional starting points for a U.S. launch.
Use the country guide that best matches your home-market context, then continue through the market-entry path.
Australia
U.S. commercialization considerations for Australian brands.
Open guide →New Zealand
U.S. commercialization considerations for New Zealand brands.
Open guide →United Kingdom
U.S. commercialization considerations for UK brands.
Open guide →Germany
U.S. commercialization considerations for German brands.
Open guide →Italy
U.S. commercialization considerations for Italian brands.
Open guide →Netherlands
U.S. commercialization considerations for Dutch brands.
Open guide →South Africa
U.S. commercialization considerations for South African brands.
Open guide →India
U.S. commercialization considerations for Indian brands.
Open guide →Canada
U.S. commercialization considerations for Canadian brands.
Open guide →Europe
U.S. commercialization considerations for European brands.
Open guide →Sweden
U.S. commercialization considerations for Swedish brands.
Open guide →Cornerstone resources
The five assets everything else builds on.
Pinned to the top of the Knowledge Center. New articles arrive every month and these don't move — work through them first, in this order if you can.
The Ultimate Guide to Entering the U.S. Retail Market
The sequence from first decision to first purchase order, and what each stage costs before it returns anything.
Read the guide →U.S. Launch Calculator
Model the margin stack on your own numbers — shelf price down to contribution per unit.
Run your numbers →Retail Buyer Glossary
The terms of every buyer meeting and margin conversation, defined the way they're used.
Learn the language →Retail Commercialization Playbook
The whole job in seven phases, from the decision to enter to a brand that scales.
Read the playbook →U.S. Retail Readiness Checklist
Complete the assessment, then enter your contact details to view and receive your score, readiness band and three biggest gaps.
Check your readiness →U.S. Market Assessment — $3,500
Send us your product and your numbers; get a written read on what entering would take and return.
Get your assessment →Supporting guides
Practical decisions before the first order.
Choosing your first U.S. retail channel
Match your product story to the channel where it can win first.
Read the guide →U.S. entity, banking and insurance
Set up the commercial foundations retailers expect.
Read the guide →Building a first-year U.S. budget
Plan the full cost of entry, including the overlooked items.
Read the guide →Timing a launch around category reviews
Work backwards from the retail calendar that controls the opportunity.
Read the guide →Browse by topic
Find what you came for.
Every article in the Knowledge Center, organised by the subject you are trying to solve.
Topic hubs
Six subjects, each with a pillar guide beneath it.
Everything is organised by subject rather than by publication date. Start at the hub for whatever you are trying to solve, and the guides underneath it run in order.
How to start a supplement brand
From positioning and formulation through quality documentation, compliant launch and retail distribution.
Read the guide →U.S. market entry
The sequence from first decision to first purchase order, and what each stage costs.
Open the hub →FDA compliance
Registration, labeling, claims and imports for supplements, food, beverage and personal care.
Open the hub →Retail distribution & buyers
How product reaches an American shelf, who decides, and what the chain takes on the way.
Open the hub →Retail strategy & pricing
Landed cost, the margin stack, trade spend and MAP policy.
Open the hub →Logistics & warehousing
Freight, customs, storage, retail fulfillment and marketplace prep.
Open the hub →Brand, marketing & e-commerce
Positioning, packaging, marketplace performance and press.
Open the hub →Pillar guides
The definitive resource for each subject.
Each guide is maintained rather than published and forgotten. Compliance content is reviewed every six months; everything else annually.
FDA compliance
Registration, labeling, claims, and import requirements for supplements, food, beverage and personal care entering the United States.
Read the guide →Entering the U.S. market
The sequence from first decision to first purchase order, and what it costs at each stage.
Read the guide →U.S. retail distribution
Three routes to shelf, who actually decides, the full margin stack, and what happens after the first purchase order.
Read the guide →U.S. retail pricing and margin
Landed cost, the margin stack worked through with an example, trade spend, deductions, MAP policy and pack architecture.
Read the guide →U.S. logistics and warehousing
Freight, customs, warehouse selection, retailer routing compliance, marketplace prep and inventory planning.
Read the guide →Marketing a brand into U.S. retail
Positioning, packaging, the marketplace-to-shelf evidence chain, and the calendar that decides whether a listing survives.
Read the guide →Pillar guides on logistics and brand marketing are in production — the hubs list what is coming
Learning paths
Guided, rather than overwhelmed.
If you don't know where to start, start here. Each path runs a sequence of guides in the order the work actually happens.
Entering the U.S. market
Compliance → retail strategy → distribution → logistics → marketing → buyers → national expansion.
Begin →Preparing for retail buyers
What buyers evaluate, how to build the presentation, and what happens after the first PO.
Begin →Scaling nationally
From regional placement to national distribution without losing fill rate or margin.
Begin →Tools & downloads
Find out where you stand before you talk to anyone.
Retail Readiness Assessment
Complete the assessment, then enter your contact details to view and receive your score, readiness band and three biggest gaps.
Start the assessment →FDA compliance checklist
The registration, labeling and import items to close before production, in the order they have to happen.
Get the checklist →News & Insights · Inside U.S. Retail
Buyer Conversations.
A recurring series drawn from real conversations with U.S. retail decision-makers. Each story turns the commercial questions behind a buyer meeting into useful preparation for emerging brands.
Inside the Buyer Conversation: What U.S. Retailers Look for in Emerging Brands
How pricing, packaging, operational readiness and retailer support shape a meaningful buyer conversation.
Read the first conversation →Explore Buyer Conversations and our retail relationship history →
Latest articles
Fresh from the Knowledge Center.
Inside the Buyer Conversation: What U.S. Retailers Look for in Emerging Brands
The pricing, margin, positioning, packaging and operational questions that make a U.S. retail conversation more useful for an emerging brand.
Read →What Newtopia Now 2026 Revealed About Retail-Ready Brands
Newtopia Now 2026 reinforced what it really takes to earn a place on the shelf. Watch our event recap from Denver — and what the show revealed about retail-ready brands.
Read →TruLife Distribution at Newtopia Now 2026: Meeting Brands in Denver
TruLife Distribution attended Newtopia Now 2026 in Denver, Colorado, August 18–20 — meeting brands and evaluating U.S. retail opportunities. Watch the event recap.
Read →Maximizing Success at U.S. Trade Shows for International Brands
Explore practical strategies for international brands to excel at U.S. trade shows. Maximize visibility and forge valuable retail connections.
Read →Working with us
Prefer to have the work done with you, not just explained to you?
One team runs market entry, FDA compliance, distribution, logistics, Amazon and marketing — the same work these guides describe.
U.S. Market Assessment — $3,500
Find out what America would actually take.
Send us your product and your numbers. We'll come back with a written assessment of what entering U.S. retail would require and what it would realistically return.