COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR

FMCG / CPG Distribution, Product & Category Growth

Chemaly for Marketing & Trade · Lebanon · 2007–2023
Chemaly for Marketing & Trade — B2B FMCG/CPG distribution business serving independent retail, supermarkets, HORECA/caterers and institutional customers, with commercial scope spanning sales, portfolio, sourcing, pricing, purchasing, inventory, distribution and product development.
~US$1.5M → US$7M+annual revenue scale
~350active accounts
~20employees at peak
400+active SKUs
15+product categories
01 · QUICK READ

What changed across the business.

The role combined commercial growth with portfolio expansion, channel development and day-to-day operating responsibility.

ScaleExpanded an established distribution platform.

Revenue grew from approximately US$1.5M to more than US$7M at peak while the customer, category and operating base broadened.

PortfolioMoved beyond third-party FMCG distribution.

Added imported food categories and then proprietary/private-label CPG ranges to create greater differentiation and margin opportunity.

ChannelsAdapted the route to market as the business evolved.

Served mini-markets, supermarkets, HORECA/caterers and institutions, with key-account focus shaped by an 80/20 commercial approach.

02 · BUSINESS EVOLUTION

From branded distribution to a broader commercial platform.

The business model evolved in stages rather than relying on a single source of growth.

Stage 1

Established FMCG distribution

Built scale through known consumer-goods portfolios and an established B2B distribution network.

Stage 2

Imported food categories

Expanded sourcing into additional food lines, including cereals from Egypt and Turkey and Italian rice.

Stage 3 · 2014–15 onward

Own CPG / private-label ranges

Developed proprietary products around specific customer needs, value propositions and margin opportunities.

Stage 4

Institutional FMCG solutions

Expanded pre-assembled FMCG-kit solutions as institutional demand became strategically important during market disruption.

Selected established portfolios handled: products from groups such as Nestlé, Heineken, Diageo, P&G and Henkel, alongside products sourced through Fattal and other local/international suppliers. Brand names indicate portfolio exposure and do not imply exclusive representation.
03 · PRODUCT & CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT

Own-brand products built around a defined commercial need.

These examples show product thinking from need identification through packaging, value proposition and channel fit.

Household CPG · Spices

Freshness without glass-jar cost

Developed multiple household spice SKUs using a kraft-paper outer layer with an aluminium-and-nylon inner barrier to help preserve aroma and freshness.

Commercial logic: better preservation of freshness and aroma than standard plastic or regular bags, stronger shelf appeal, and a lower packaging cost than glass jars.
HORECA · Tissue paper

Value engineered for professional use

Developed tissue-paper products using quality recycled, embossed/gaufré paper with a focus on practical value for HORECA customers.

Commercial logic: balance perceived quality, functionality and customer economics in a repeat-use category.
Food CPG · Sauces

Lebanese & Mediterranean convenience

Developed ready-to-use sauces and dressings inspired by traditional Lebanese cuisine, including products for tabbouleh, fattoush and Lebanese garlic cream.

Commercial logic: address a convenience gap where familiar local flavours were not widely available in prepared form.
04 · COMMERCIAL MANAGEMENT

Leadership, account prioritization and operating breadth.

Team & operating scope

The organization evolved with growth to approximately 20 employees at peak, spanning sales, management support, operations/logistics, warehouse fulfilment, delivery, finance and customer administration.

3 sales representatives1 telesales / phone operator1 assistant manager1 operations & logistics manager8–10 warehouse operators / order pickers2 full-time drivers2 cash vans1 accountant + purchasing data entry2–3 invoicing / cashier / A/R roles
Mini-markets & independent retailSupermarketsHORECA & caterersInstitutions

80/20 key-account focus

Commercial attention was concentrated on the highest-value accounts while maintaining broader market coverage across approximately 350 active customers.

Customers
~20%
Business
~80%
Pareto-based commercial prioritization: roughly 20% of customers represented around 80% of the business.
05 · BUSINESS RESILIENCE

Adapting the commercial model through Lebanon’s 2019+ disruption.

Economic, banking and currency instability — followed by COVID — changed customer demand, purchasing economics and channel risk.

External shockDemand and operating conditions changed quickly.

Currency pressure, banking disruption and COVID affected traditional retail and HORECA demand while increasing uncertainty around stock, pricing and purchasing.

Commercial responseShifted more attention toward resilient institutional demand.

Expanded pre-assembled, ready-to-ship FMCG kits for institutional and NGO-type requirements, using the company’s existing sourcing and distribution capabilities.

Management priorityProtect continuity, relationships, stock and margin.

The objective moved from pure growth toward maintaining commercial continuity and adapting the mix as external conditions changed.

The crisis period demonstrates commercial judgment under conditions that could not be controlled: adapt the customer/channel mix, protect the operating base and keep the business functioning.
06 · COMMERCIAL ANALYTICS SNAPSHOT

A retrospective BI view of the business.

Built from verified historical portfolio figures to show scale, customer concentration and the commercial evolution of the business — without exposing confidential account-level data.

Retrospective BI viewHistorical business figures · portfolio-level analysis
US$7M+Peak annual revenue
~350Active accounts
400+Active SKUs
15+FMCG / CPG categories

Revenue scale-up

Approximate starting scale vs verified peak range
Starting scale
~US$1.5M
Peak scale
US$7M+
4.7×+increase in revenue scale from the approximate starting point to peak

Customer concentration

Pareto-based account prioritization
~20% of customers generated ~80% of the business.

This concentration informed key-account prioritization while the broader distribution base remained commercially covered.

Business from priority accountsRemaining business
1 · CoreEstablished FMCG distribution
2 · ExpansionImported food categories
3 · 2014–15+Own CPG / private label
4 · AdaptationInstitutional FMCG solutions
Visualization prepared retrospectively for this portfolio using verified or explicitly approximate historical figures. It is intended to demonstrate commercial analysis and management thinking, not to imply that Power BI was the historical reporting system used during the period.
07 · WHAT THIS CASE DEMONSTRATES

Commercial breadth beyond sales management.

Commercial leadershipFMCG / CPGCategory & portfolio managementPrivate-label developmentProduct commercializationSourcing & importsPricing & margin thinkingKey accountsDistribution & operationsBusiness resilience