Preparing for Peak: From Commercial Strategy to In-Store Execution
Peak Season trading plans are officially locked in for Christmas and Summer. In this second instalment of our three-part series, Preparing for Peak, we’re moving beyond supply chain planning and shifting the focus to Commercial Strategy.
The summer months represent the highest-velocity trading window across all Woolworths stores. During this peak period, stores experience massive surges in customer foot traffic, as Australian families gather to celebrate, entertain, and cool off. In high-demand seasonal categories like ice cream, success relies entirely on absolute execution precision.
To help bring insight into navigating this, we sat down with Mitch Greatorex, Merchandise Manager – Freezer at Woolworths, alongside Kei Kwon, Customer Business Manager at The Magnum Ice Cream Company (TMICC).
Mitch Greatorex
Merchandise Manager – Freezer
Kei Kwon
Customer Business Manager
Defining the right commercial priorities for peak
According to Mitch, winning over shoppers requires absolute alignment across three core commercial pillars: forecast accuracy, everyday value, and event integration. To see this work in practice, Kei shares how The Magnum Ice Cream Company brings these principles to life on the shop floor.
Forecast accuracy is everything.
Extreme weather shifts, high promotional uptake, and holiday foot traffic can create immediate stockouts.
“Planning for the right levels of stock and managing the wild fluctuations is critical. Last year, we had an extremely hot first week of our Summer of Ice Cream event, with a half-price promotion on key lines. We’re taking learnings into this year — strong alignment on short-term promo forecasts, long-term demand forecasts, safety stock holdings in both networks, and contingency plans,” said Mitch.
TMICC insulates its supply chain by pairing local joint planning with global insights. Collaborative and cross-functional summer planning is key – we jointly align on uplift triggers, stress-test assumptions, and agree on our approach well before the weather starts to warm up,” said Kei.
He continued, “As the world’s largest ice cream company, we have the advantage of gaining valuable insights from our counterparts across the world. Europe just experienced one of the hottest summers on record, which saw a surge in demand for ice cream, with 64 per cent of shoppers buying more than usual during the season (IGD ShopperVista). Tapping into our global network enabled us to combine their learnings with our own local data to plan for shopper demand.”
Value when it matters most
Economic pressures mean shoppers are carefully evaluating every item they add to their baskets. As Mitch explained, “Value has never been more important, and our customers seek it out more than ever. Loyalty is won through a strong value proposition every day, so making sure we have strong, market-leading promotional plans and entry-level pricing offers are key to shoppers choosing Woolworths week in, week out.”
Kei echoed this sentiment,
“Value-seeking behaviour is evident – we’re seeing shoppers actively cross-shop, not just to find the best value, but the right value for them. To win customer loyalty with Woolworths, we focus on having the right value proposition at the right time, considering how our portfolio interacts with the shoppers – utilising different value mechanics such as Lower Shelf Price (LSP) and working closely with Woolworths to co-create market-leading promotional plans.”
Surprise and delight with events
Driving conversion requires a seamless path to purchase, capturing customer attention long before they reach the aisle. For Mitch and his team, the biggest Freezer event of the year is Summer of Ice Cream. He reflected, “Last year we grew our competition entries by 40 per cent compared with the previous year. Continuing to evolve this event helps us build the momentum we need to deliver excitement for our customers, and win summer trade.”
Kei shared that participating in the event is a point of pride for TMICC. He said, “Bespoke events that are built around seasonal moments can be hugely successful in driving incremental trade. To support events like these, we simultaneously run above-the-line media campaigns such as our Weis campaign earlier this year.”
“We’ve seen enormous success from taking a through-the-line approach because it helps drive shopper engagement before they’ve even reached the freezer door. This year, we’ve anticipated an earlier start to the season,” Kei said.
Overcoming execution hurdles
A locked-in plan is only as effective as a team’s ability to respond when real-world conditions diverge from baseline assumptions. When asked about typical hurdles seen in the Freezer category, Mitch said, “If you don’t plan for sudden hot-weather spikes, a single heatwave can trigger supply challenges that ripple across the entire summer, and at peak volume, recovery can take months. To reinforce your supply chain, you plan for ‘best-ever’ sales scenarios during hot spells, not just baselines. That’s where proactive alignment with Trade Partners makes all the difference.”
From Kei’s point of view, it’s all about being ahead of the curve. “Throughout the year, we’re proactively managing multiple factors. From demand spikes, to factory capacity and import lead times, we focus on getting ahead of potential curveballs by forward-planning the ‘unexpected’ together and ensuring we have a plan in place to adapt quickly. Transparent communication with Woolworths is the key to making this work.”
The key to best-in-class…
We posed the question to Mitch: what defines best-in-class commercial collaboration? He shared that, “It starts with early summer collaboration and planning, aligning on goals and commitments so both businesses can win together. The rest comes down to agility.”
Similarly, we closed our chat with Kei by asking for the single most important lesson he’s learnt about preparing for peak. His answer? “Early engagement. That means getting directional alignment, collaborating to draw on both sides’ resources rather than each party solving problems independently.”
Your readiness checklist
Before key trade weeks begin, help your teams prepare by double-checking you’ve completed these core operational steps:
Promotional compliance
Confirm all deals and promotional blocks are fully loaded into PMR.
Forecast stress-testing
Review short-term promo forecasts alongside long-term demand models; confirm safety stock levels for peak trading weeks.
Field team readiness
Ensure in-house or outsourced field teams are fully briefed on planograms, look-books, and POS display locations.
Contractor & site safety compliance
Confirm all field personnel are registered in the Woolworths system, have completed Site360 sign-in procedures, and possess valid Our Place Cards.
Merchandising support
For compliance audit assistance, POS activation, or coverage gaps, reach out to our Field Services Team.
Key contacts
Make sure you have your Category Manager, Supply Planning Manager, and Supply Planner’s contact information.
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