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Functions of wholesale pharmaceutical organizations. The main tasks solved by wholesale trade The concept and functions of wholesale trade

Historical development process commodity economy contributed to the isolation of the sphere of circulation and the allocation of intermediary industries in it - wholesale and retail trade. Wholesale trade precedes retail, as a result of wholesale, goods do not enter the sphere of personal consumption, they either enter production consumption or are purchased by retail trade for sale to the population. The concept of wholesale trade and its essence throughout the entire period of development economic theory is the subject of research and study.

Thus, some researchers propose to separate the interpretation of this phenomenon in a broad and narrow sense.

An extended interpretation means that the buyer does not purchase the goods for his own consumption, but for further processing or resale for profit. In a narrow sense, wholesale trade is interpreted as the activity of special commodity enterprises of domestic trade, with the participation of which an act of exchange is carried out between the seller and the buyer. Wholesale trade, being the most important link in the free interaction between the participants in the sale and purchase act, implements this act in large volumes, in large consignments of goods.

Another part of the scientists, in particular, Professor A. V. Zyryanov, proposes to consider wholesale trade in relation to macroeconomics and the microlevel of the economy. The macroeconomic aspect of organizing wholesale trade involves:

-- study of the intra-industry composition of the sphere of circulation;
-- analysis of the species composition and structure of wholesale enterprises in various sectors of the economy.

The microeconomic analysis of wholesale trade covers the study of the internal organization of wholesale firms and enterprises.

Wholesale trade occupies an important place in the economy of market states, as it has a number of advantages for manufacturers:

· delivers goods without significant change in their appearance - to processors, resale agents and large consumers;
· unloads the sales authorities of the manufacturer, since there is no need to issue a lot of invoices, invoices, accounting documents and other documentation;
· the costs associated with the sale of products are reduced, since instead of a large number of small retailers, deliveries are made to a small list of large wholesalers.

Thus, wholesale turnover is the total volume of sales of goods by manufacturing and trading enterprises, as well as by intermediaries to other enterprises and legal entities for subsequent sale to the population or for industrial consumption.

The role and purpose of wholesale trade is most clearly seen when considering its functions.

At the macro level, wholesale trade performs the following functions:

1. integrating - ensuring the relationship between partners in the supply of products, to find the best channels for marketing products;
2. evaluation - determining the level of social necessary costs labor through pricing;
3. organizing and regulating - ensuring the rational construction and harmonious functioning of economic systems with the help of impulses that stimulate structural changes.

The macroeconomic functions of wholesale trade are transformed at the micro level into various functions of wholesale trade enterprises:

o economic integration of territories and overcoming the spatial gap;
o transformation of the production range of goods into a trade;
o formation of commodity stocks for insurance against changes in demand for goods;
o price smoothing;
o storage;
o refinement, bringing the product to the required quality;
o packing and packaging;
o lending to its customers, especially small retailers;
o marketing research of the market and organization of advertising campaigns.

The functions of wholesale trade can also be divided into two types: traditional - mainly organizational and technical (organization of wholesale sales, warehousing, storage of stocks, transformation of the range of goods, their transportation) and new ones - arising under the influence of market development. The development of market relations contributes to the emergence of new elements in the activities of wholesale enterprises. For example, providing a variety of management and consulting services to its clients. The list of specialized services includes consultations on the operation of goods, especially technically complex ones, their repair and warranty service.

The organization of wholesale purchase and sale has been one of the most important functions of wholesale trade since, in the process of the social division of labor, it became an independent sub-branch of trade. When contacting product manufacturers, wholesalers act as representatives of demand, and when offering goods to buyers, they act on behalf of the manufacturer. With the help of wholesale trade, the buyer in the face of retail trade saves time, as it is freed from purchases from many manufacturers, reduces material costs associated with the storage, formation of an assortment of goods and their delivery.

It is a well-known fact that the storage of stocks at a wholesale enterprise is much cheaper than their placement in a retail network. Especially great importance has storage by wholesale organizations of goods, the production and demand for which are seasonal. Unfortunately, the proportions of stock placement in the wholesale and retail trade in the Russian Federation are far from optimal. Considering in this regard the experience of storing goods in foreign countries, it should be noted that the wholesale link plays a leading role in the accumulation of inventory. Wholesale organizations are more adapted to the specialized performance of storage functions. Retailers, having strengthened ties with wholesale suppliers, are freed from the maintenance of a significant part of the inventory. At the same time, the size of the utility rooms of stores is reduced, therefore, the area of \u200b\u200bsales halls increases, and the number of personnel serving previously near-store warehouses decreases.

Transfer for storage to wholesalers finished products, raw materials, materials is also beneficial for industrial companies, especially those with a seasonal production cycle.

Associated with the product storage function is the assortment conversion function. The list of operations combined in this function includes:

· sorting of goods, their complete set;
· crushing and consolidation of batches of production, its standardization.

Thus, wholesalers transform the industrial supply of goods into assortment groups corresponding to the demand of individual buyers.

The need for this function is especially relevant in modern conditions, when, due to the development of specialization, production is effective only with the release of mass batches of goods, and consumption is increasingly characterized by an increase in the range of products with small volumes of purchases of individual goods.

Wholesale enterprises organize the delivery of goods to various regions of the country, thereby improving the territorial division of labor. The implementation of the transport function of wholesale activity is manifested in the delivery of goods from the warehouses of enterprises to a retail network or non-market consumers in their region.

The above functions are carried out by wholesale enterprises from the moment of their occurrence, that is, separation in the sphere of circulation. At the same time, further development and improvement of the activities of wholesale enterprises is impossible without the fulfillment of tasks that were previously non-traditional for them, arising under the influence of market requirements.

In particular, wholesale trade is designed to become a center for concentrating and transmitting information on market research issues, that is, they are called upon to perform an information function. Wholesalers using their position as a crossing point information flows, are able to fully ensure the collection, accumulation, processing of commercial information and, having summarized and analyzed it, transfer it to the supplier or buyer.

Marketing research for the purpose of studying the market and further transferring this information includes the following elements: determining the market capacity, characterizing the market situation, studying the market opportunity, determining the current and future needs of the buyer, and others.

Of great importance is the development of such a function of wholesale trade as commercial lending and transaction financing. In practice, wholesale firms often finance the manufacturer by providing him with an order for a certain product with a guarantee of its sale and paying in advance a part of the ordered batch of products. As for retail organizations, here wholesale enterprises provide financing by selling goods to them with deferred payment.

Loan conditions vary. They depend on the size of the trade transaction, the creditworthiness of the buyer, the quality of the goods sold, and the economic situation.

An important direction in the development of the wholesale trade function in the process of forming market relations is the development of management and consulting services.

Thus, among the main tasks that wholesale trade should solve, the following come to the fore:

1) collection and creation of a market research data bank with current and future forecasts of the state of supply and demand for industrial and technical products and consumer goods;
2) placement of production of goods in strict accordance with the actual needs of consumers in terms of assortment, quantity, quality;
3) timely, rhythmic, high-quality provision of consumers in accordance with the received orders, agreements and contracts;
4) the formation of commodity stocks and the organization of warehouse storage for the purpose of operational maneuvering or in case of covering the current and unforeseen needs of customers;
5) introduction of progressive forms and methods of wholesale trade using highly mechanized loading and unloading means of mobile transport, highly efficient types of reusable packaging;
6) wide use economic methods regulating and stimulating the entire system of relationships between the wholesale trade process between suppliers, intermediaries and buyers while maintaining a sufficient share of commercial success for everyone;
7) obtaining the maximum possible cumulative savings as a result of reducing the level of distribution costs at all stages of the implementation of the wholesale trade process.

Despite the positive developments in the market economy, and above all its commercialization, demonopolization and numerous opportunities for free competition, the current state of wholesale trade also needs to solve a number of problems, such as the formation of market infrastructure elements.

Consequently, topical issue is overall score activities of wholesale enterprises of the Russian Federation on present stage economic development.

The wholesale pharmaceutical link has always played an important role in the development of the Russian pharmaceutical market and dominated the commodity distribution chain.

The most important task of wholesale trade is to systematically regulate the product offer in accordance with demand. The objective opportunity to successfully solve this problem is due to the intermediate position of wholesale trade: it concentrates a significant part of commodity resources, which makes it possible not to be limited to passive operations, but to actively influence the sphere of production, retail trade and, through it, the sphere of consumption.

Wholesale pharmaceutical market is a market of organizations and individual entrepreneurs who purchase pharmaceutical goods or services for their further use in the process of production, resale or redistribution.

The subjects of the wholesale pharmaceutical market are direct producers and consumers of goods (retail trade and medical organizations), as well as a significant number of active intermediate links establishing business relations between them.

Such links include wholesale pharmaceutical organizations that provide services to both manufacturers and consumers of pharmaceutical products. Wholesale trade determines the structure and direction of commodity flows, ensuring the acceleration of the process of goods movement through distribution channels by transforming the production range into retail.

In the wholesale process, a pharmaceutical product may be sold several times. The need for wholesale trade is associated with factors such as:

uneven distribution of pharmaceutical enterprises throughout the country;
specialization of industrial enterprises in the production of pharmaceutical products of a narrow production range.

Wholesale trade is an important lever for maneuvering material resources, contributes to the reduction of excess stocks of pharmaceutical products at all levels of the sector commodity circulation and elimination of commodity deficit, takes part in the formation of industry and regional pharmaceutical markets.

Through wholesale trade, the influence of the consumer on the producer increases, real opportunities for regulating supply and demand appear. Market demand forms, on the one hand, the flow of information from the consumer through trade to the producer, on the other hand, the flow of goods from the producer through trade to the consumer. In this process, the consistency of both flows must be achieved, and wholesale trade plays a decisive role.

Wholesale trade performs the function of a regulator of market demand and adaptation to the requirements of the consumer, which ensures that it is filled with goods. General issues The spheres of activity of wholesale pharmaceutical organizations are regulated by Federal Law 61 "On the Circulation of Medicines".

Pharmaceutical activity - activities that include wholesale trade medicines ,storage, transportation and (or) retail trade in medicines, their dispensing, storage, transportation, manufacture of medicines.

Organization of wholesale trade in medicines - an organization engaged in wholesale trade in medicines, their storage, transportation.

Pharmaceutical activities may be carried out by drug wholesalers only if they have a license for pharmaceutical activities, and individuals can carry out pharmaceutical activities in the presence of higher or secondary pharmaceutical education and a specialist certificate.

By order of the Ministry of Health and Social Development of Russia No. 1222n, the Rules for the wholesale trade of medicinal products for medical use were put into effect, which determine the procedure for the wholesale trade of medicinal products for medical use by manufacturers of medicinal products and wholesale organizations of medicinal products for medical use.

The rules are obligatory for all organizations, regardless of the organizational and legal form and form of ownership, when they carry out wholesale trade in medicines for medical use. Wholesale pharmaceutical organizations are a network of structural entities of all forms of ownership that carry out commercial intermediation between the production of pharmaceutical products and retail trade.

Classification of wholesale pharmaceutical organizations

Since wholesale trade enterprises in the pharmaceutical market of the Russian Federation are represented by legally independent entities, then, according to international terminology, they can act as:

distributor - receive the goods in ownership (have the right to sell, dispose and use);
agent (specialized operator or distribution partner) - manage the affairs of several enterprises, do not receive goods in ownership, but can conclude transactions on behalf of and at the expense of persons who have concluded an agency agreement with them.

Depending on a certain classification feature, wholesale pharmaceutical organizations are divided into:

1. By the scale and nature of the activity:

national, federal wholesale organizations - form distribution channels for major manufacturers pharmaceutical products and create conditions for foreign suppliers to enter the Russian market;
interregional and regional wholesale organizations complete the process wholesale goods, purchase goods from pharmaceutical distributors of the federal level and from local manufacturers, and then bring pharmaceutical products to retailers.

2. By product specialization:

specialized wholesale organizations carry out the purchase and sale of goods of one or several product groups, united by homogeneous consumer properties and purpose (for example, orthopedic goods);

If a wholesale organization specializes in the sale of a particular product, then it is called dealer if it specializes in the sale of goods of a certain manufacturer - official dealer.

highly specialized- carry out the purchase and sale of individual subgroups or even types of goods;
universal wholesale pharmaceutical organizations carry out the purchase and sale of various groups of pharmaceutical and medical products;

3. By role in the wholesale trade and the nature of the operations performed:

independent wholesalers, specializing in trading activities, carrying out a full range of purchasing and marketing operations with the transfer of ownership of the goods to the wholesale link;
intermediary organizations, which do not use in their activities the transfer of ownership of the goods to them, but provide services for bringing the goods from the manufacturer to the consumer.

Functions of wholesale pharmaceutical organizations

The main goal of the wholesale trade enterprise is to achieve economic and marketing results by optimizing the logistics interaction between the subjects of the pharmaceutical market.

The functions performed by these enterprises, depending on the subject for which they are beneficial, can be conditionally represented by the actions of "forward" and "reverse" motion. If these functions are performed in relation to the participants in the distribution channel that are located before this wholesaler in the logistics chain "manufacturer - end consumer", then these are "reverse" actions, otherwise - "direct".

Only "reverse" actions are the functions of purchasing goods in volumes that are beneficial for the manufacturer, taking the risk (due to possible theft, damage, expiration, etc.) on oneself, customs services, responsible storage of goods.

The rest of the functions (with the exception of the delivery of goods in quantities and terms corresponding to the needs of the buyer and for the provision of management services) are typical for both "reverse" and "forward" moves: storage of stocks of goods in own and rented warehouses; transportation and forwarding of goods; lending (deferred payment); formation product range; implementation of sales promotion measures; information and consulting services.

Distribution and marketing- Purchasing goods of a specialized production range from various manufacturers and completing the assortment taking into account differentiated demand;
Accumulation and storage— accumulation of stocks of pharmaceutical products during a certain time interval between different seasons;
Organization of goods distribution- overcoming the space when the manufacturer of pharmaceutical products and the pharmacy organization are at a sufficient distance and the shipment is carried out in large lots (at the same time, the wholesale enterprise centrally delivers the goods to retail enterprises in small lots);
Control— ensuring the quality of the goods supplied to the retail organization;
Market regulation— leveling prices due to the purchase of large quantities of goods and obtaining significant discounts on purchased goods;
Credit- financing of retail enterprises in cases where the delivery of goods is carried out without payment and there is a time interval between delivery and payment;
Marketing– research and development of the market through advertising, marketing, pricing system due to attractive product packaging, etc.

Basic wholesale functions

Wholesale trade plays an important role in the modern market economy. Its main task is the systematic regulation of the product offer in accordance with the market demand for goods and services. However, it performs many functions. There is no single approach to their selection. Nevertheless, scientists agree that the main functions of wholesale trade should include:

the function of collecting and processing information about buyers, market demand and supply;
the function of purchasing and forming a product range;
the function of selecting, sorting and forming the most acceptable batches of deliveries for the consumer;
the function of storage and warehousing of marketable products;
transport function (often wholesalers organize the delivery of marketable products to the places of their sale);
the function of market distribution (wholesale trade enterprises assume the risks associated with possible theft, damage and obsolescence of stocks of goods);
the function of market promotion of marketable products;
supply and sales financing function;
provision of advisory services.

The number of functions described above and the level of their implementation are determined by which form of wholesale trade is used.

Functions of wholesale trade at macro and micro levels

Among other things, the functions of wholesale trade are usually considered in relation to the macro and micro levels (Figure 1).

Figure 1. Functions of wholesale trade. Author24 - online exchange of student papers

Remark 1

The basic functions of wholesale trade performed by it at the macro level include the functions of an integrating, evaluation, organizing and regulatory nature.

The essence of the integrating function of wholesale trade is to ensure the relationship between partners in the supply of marketable products and finding distribution channels.

The evaluation function of wholesale trade is associated with the determination of the level of socially necessary labor costs through pricing mechanisms.

The basis of the organizing and regulatory functions of wholesale trade is the need to ensure a rational construction economic system.

Remark 2

Speaking about the functions of wholesale trade at the micro level, it is customary to distinguish between functions performed in relation to customer-buyers and in relation to customer-suppliers.

The functions performed by wholesalers in relation to customer-buyers are related to the assessment of demand and market needs, price smoothing, the transformation of the industrial assortment into a commodity one, the accumulation and storage of inventories, the concentration commodity mass, refinement and bringing goods to the required quality, packaging, delivery of marketable products, lending, information and consulting services.

In this case, retailers, thanks to wholesalers, relieve retailers from the need to purchase goods from many manufacturers. Among other things, there is a reduction in costs associated with storage, the formation of a product range and its delivery.

In the same case, if we are talking about functions in relation to supplier customers, wholesale trade ensures the concentration of commercial activities, supports the processes of transfer of ownership of goods, and also contributes to investment support for product distribution processes, provides marketing services and minimizes the commercial market.

Benefits and functional advantages of wholesale trade

For the retail sector, cooperation with wholesalers is of particular importance. Wholesalers are needed by both manufacturers and buyers. Their activities ensure the efficiency of the trading process.

AT modern world wholesale trade is one of the most effective ways sale of products of commodity producers and its acquisition by buyers. There are several main reasons for this:

wide coverage of the trading area;
large size of transactions;
high efficiency;
the concentration of the commodity mass;
market promotion of products.

Let's consider them in more detail.

Wholesale trade enterprises, due to the specifics of their activities, pay less attention to the location and stimulation of their trading enterprise. For the most part, these businesses are more likely to deal with retail customers in trade than with end-users. This means that wholesale trade, as a sphere of capital investment, often turns out to be more efficient than retail trade - the trading area of wholesale enterprises is wider, and the size of transactions is much larger.

There are certain differences between wholesale and retail trade in terms of legal and tax regulation.

Among other things, we should not forget that small commodity producers with limited financial resources, often it turns out to be beyond the power to create and maintain their own direct marketing system. As practice shows, most often such companies prefer to direct funds not to the organization of wholesale trade, but to the development of production, and therefore resort to the services of wholesalers.

The profitability and efficiency of the wholesale trade often turns out to be significantly higher than retail sales. The reason for this is not only the scale of transactions, but also the availability of special knowledge and skills, as well as a large number of business contacts in the retail sector.

Finally, as practice shows, retailers dealing with a wide product range most often prefer to purchase the entire set from one wholesaler, rather than purchasing in parts from different manufacturers.

Remark 3

Thus, producers and retailers have every reason to cooperate with wholesalers. Wholesale trade not only facilitates the process of promotion and marketing of products, but also creates convenience for large-scale purchases of retailers.

Wholesale trading activities provide services to manufacturers of goods and retailers. As a result of its activity, the product approaches the consumer, but does not yet fall into the sphere of personal consumption.

The most important goal of wholesale trade is to systematically coordinate the product offer in accordance with demand. The objective opportunity to successfully solve this problem is due to the intermediate position of wholesale trade: a significant part of commodity resources is concentrated in it, which makes it possible not to be limited to passive operations, but to rapidly influence the sphere of production, retail trade and, through it, the sphere of consumption.

Wholesale trade, like no other link associated with the sale of goods, is able to actively regulate regional and sectoral markets through the accumulation and movement of goods. This line of work should take a decisive place in all its activities. Wholesale enterprises are called upon to improve the links in the movement of goods, to develop centralized delivery and circular delivery of goods. Currently, along with the positive in the activities of wholesale enterprises, there are significant shortcomings. Often, the terms of delivery of goods are not observed, contractual obligations in terms of the volume, assortment and quality of the goods supplied are violated. The efficiency of the functioning of the entire national economic complex, the balance of domestic market meeting the growing needs of the people. Under the new economic conditions, the scope of wholesale trade will be significantly expanded. The increase in the importance of commodity-money relations is associated not only with the development of wholesale trade in consumer goods, but also with the transition to wholesale trade in means of production. These two forms are becoming the most important channels for the planned movement of material, technical and commodity resources.

Main indicator economic activity enterprises and organizations of wholesale trade - wholesale turnover. It represents the sale of consumer and industrial goods for subsequent sale to the population, as well as the supply to off-market consumers and exports. Wholesale turnover reflects the transition of goods from the sphere of production to the sphere of circulation and their movement within the sphere of circulation. Its volume, structure, types and forms of commodity circulation predetermine other important indicators of economic activity. The main goal of analyzing the trading activity of wholesale enterprises is to identify, study and mobilize reserves for the development of trade, improve customer service, and improve commodity circulation. In the process of analysis, it is necessary to evaluate the implementation of plans wholesale trade and delivery of goods to customers; study them in dynamics; identify and measure the influence of factors on the development of wholesale trade; study the causes of shortcomings in trade and commercial activities, if any, and develop measures to eliminate and prevent them; determine the strategy and tactics of the marketing activities of the wholesale enterprise. The analysis should show how the wholesale enterprise in its economic activity takes into account the socio-economic development of the region served, production capabilities industrial enterprises and other suppliers, their availability of commodity resources, the volume and structure of the expected receipt of goods from other regions of the republic, near and far abroad.

Wholesale plays an essential role in the system economic ties between regions of the country, industries, manufacturers of goods and retail trade. Carrying out economic relations with industry and agriculture, wholesale trade acts as a customer of consumer goods, its functions include the purchase and import of goods from manufacturers. It should be noted that it is designed to actively involve local commodity resources in the trade turnover and conduct decentralized purchases of goods from various sources. By organizing the importation of goods, trade controls whether the industry complies with contractual obligations to supply goods of the appropriate assortment and quality, strictly within the stipulated time. In the warehouses of wholesale enterprises, purchased goods are sorted out, discounted if they do not meet the needs of buyers, or if their consumer qualities are reduced.

Wholesale trade can and should actively influence the volume and range of products produced, demand the replacement of the output of goods that are not in demand with goods for which the needs are not fully satisfied, strive to improve the quality and expand the range of products. The wholesale trade has the right to terminate acceptance and return low-quality goods to the industry, which forces industrial enterprises to improve their consumer properties.

In order to purposefully influence the change in the trade situation, the wholesale trade must have data on the state and prospective changes in situations in the sectoral and regional markets, investigate and predict the demand of the population, and have an idea of the capabilities of suppliers.

The role of wholesale trade provides for its active participation in ensuring the sustainable sale of goods to consumers. Wholesalers control the completeness of the assortment in the shops of the serviced area, ensuring the constant availability of goods available in warehouses for sale, participate together with the industry in promotional activities, and organize the resale of goods that are over-purchased by stores to other areas where there is a demand for them.

At the macro level, wholesale trade performs various market functions:

· integrating - to ensure the relationship between manufacturing partners, sellers and buyers - to find the best channels for marketing products;
Estimated - to determine the level of socially necessary labor costs through pricing;
organizing and regulating - to ensure the rational construction and harmonious functioning of the economic system with the help of impulses that stimulate structural changes.

Macroeconomic functions of wholesale trade are transformed at the micro level into various sub-functions or functions of wholesale trade enterprises, among them are the following:

function economic integration territories and overcoming the spatial gap;
the function of converting the production assortment into a sales assortment
range of goods;
The function of forming stocks for insurance against changes in demand for goods;
price smoothing function;
storage function;
function of finalization, bringing goods to the required quality, packing and packing;
· function of crediting of the clients, especially small retail enterprises;
function marketing research market and advertising.

The development of market relations contributes to the emergence of new elements in the activities of wholesalers, for example, the provision of various management and consulting services to their clients.

Wholesale functions can also be divided into two types:

1) traditional - mainly organizational and technical (organization of wholesale purchase and sale, warehousing and storage of stocks, transformation of the range of goods, their transportation);
2) new, emerging under the influence of market development.

The organization of wholesale purchase and sale has been one of the most important functions of wholesale trade since, in the process of the social division of labor, it became an independent sub-branch of trade. When contacting product manufacturers, wholesale intermediaries act as representatives of demand, and when offering goods to buyers, they act on behalf of manufacturers. Wholesale enterprises organize the delivery of goods to various regions of the country, thereby improving the territorial division of labor. The implementation of the transport function is manifested in the delivery of goods from the warehouses of the enterprise to the retail network or non-market consumers in their region.

All wholesalers can be divided into four groups:

1. Merchant wholesalers: Full-service wholesalers, wholesalers, industrial distributors, limited-service wholesalers, cash-on-delivery wholesalers, traveling salesmen, arranging wholesalers, exporting wholesalers, agricultural production cooperatives, wholesalers, mail merchants;
2. Brokers and agents: Brokers, agents, manufacturers' agents, distribution agents, purchasing agents, commission wholesalers;
3. Wholesale offices and offices of manufacturers: Sales offices and offices, purchasing offices;
4. Various specialized wholesalers: Agricultural products wholesalers, wholesale oil depots, auction wholesalers.
1. Merchant wholesalers are independent commercial enterprises acquiring ownership of all goods with which they deal. In different fields of activity, wholesalers-merchants are called differently: wholesalers, distributors, supply houses. There are two types of merchant wholesalers: full-service and limited-service wholesalers.

Full service wholesalers provide the following services:

- storage of commodity stocks;
- provision of sellers;
- lending;
- ensuring the delivery of goods and providing assistance in the field of management.

By their nature, they are either wholesalers or distributors of manufactured goods. Wholesalers trade mainly with retailers, providing them with a full range of services. They differ from each other mainly in the breadth of the assortment set.

General merchandise wholesalers deal in several product groups to meet the needs of retailers with a wide range of merchandise as well as businesses with a niche product range.

Wholesalers of a narrow saturated assortment are engaged in one or two assortment groups of goods with a much greater depth of this assortment, for example, technical goods, drugs, clothes.

Highly specialized wholesalers are engaged in only a part of a particular assortment group of goods, covering it to a greater depth. As an example, you can point to wholesalers of products medical nutrition, spare parts for cars, seafood. Wholesalers in this case provide their customers with a more complete choice.

Industrial goods distributors sell products

predominantly to manufacturers rather than retailers. They provide their customers with the following services:

- storage of commodity stocks;
- lending and delivery of goods.

In addition, these distributors can also deal with a wide range of commodity nomenclature(in which case they are often referred to as supply houses), a mixed or specialized range of goods. Distributors of industrial products can deal with the following products:

- materials for Maintenance, repair, operation;
- parts of the main equipment - bearings, gearboxes for engines, etc.;
- equipment - forklifts, electric cars, etc.

Limited service wholesalers provide far fewer services to their suppliers and customers. There are several types of wholesalers with a limited range of services. A wholesaler who sells for cash and without delivery of goods deals with a limited assortment hot goods, which he sells to small retailers for immediate purchase.

Retailers themselves organize the export of purchased goods. For example, a small seafood retailer goes to such a wholesaler in the morning, buys several boxes of products from him, pays immediately, takes the goods to his store and unloads them himself.

Wholesaler - a traveling salesman not only sells, but also delivers the goods himself

buyers. He deals in a limited range of products and sells them for cash, going around shops, supermarkets, restaurants, hotels, factory cafes.

The wholesaler-organizer works in industries that are characterized by bulk transportation of goods, such as heavy equipment, timber, coal. Such a wholesaler does not hold inventory and does not deal directly with the goods. Having received the order, he finds the manufacturer, who ships the goods directly to the buyer on certain conditions delivery and specified time. From the moment the order is accepted until the delivery is completed, the arranging wholesaler assumes ownership of the goods and all risk associated therewith. The organizing wholesaler trades at lower prices because it does not keep inventory and can pass on some of the savings to its customers. Wholesalers - exporters serve grocers and grocery stores and drug retailers, offering mainly non-food items. The owners of these retailers are reluctant to order and maintain stocks of hundreds of non-food items. The wholesaler-exporter sends a van to the store, his representative organizes the display of goods on the trading floor - cosmetics, medicines, books, toys. The wholesaler-exporter himself sets the price for the goods, monitors their quality, arranges in-store expositions and keeps records of inventories. Wholesalers-consignors trade on consignment terms, that is, they retain ownership of the goods, and invoice various merchants only for what consumers have bought. Thus, wholesalers-exporters provide the following services:

- delivery of goods;
- installation of racks for placement of goods;
- maintenance of inventory;
- financing.

Exporters are not involved in sales promotion, as they deal with a lot of highly advertised branded goods.

A mail order wholesaler mails catalogs for cosmetics, jewelry, food delicacies and other small goods to retail customers, industrial production and various institutions. The mail wholesaler's main customers are commercial establishments located in the surrounding areas. Completed orders are sent to customers by mail, delivered by road or other means of transport.

2. Brokers and agents differ from merchant wholesalers in the following ways:
- - they do not take ownership of the goods and perform a limited number of functions. Their main function is to facilitate the sale and purchase. For their services, they receive a commission of two to six percent of the selling price of the goods;
- - they usually specialize either in the type of product offered

assortment, or by the type of customers they serve.

Brokers. Their main function is to bring the buyer to the sellers and help them negotiate. The broker is paid by the one who attracted him. The broker does not hold inventory, does not participate in the financing of transactions, does not assume any risk. The most typical examples are brokers dealing with food products, real estate, insurance brokers, securities brokers.

Agents. The agent represents the buyer or seller on a longer term basis. There are several types of agents.

manufacturer's agents. Such agents represent the interests of two or more producers of goods that complement each other. They enter into a written formal agreement with each individual manufacturer regarding pricing policy, territorial boundaries of activity, services for the delivery of goods, guarantees issued for these goods and commission rates. The manufacturer's agent is well acquainted with the product range and organizes the sale of his goods, relying on his contacts with buyers. The services of agents of manufacturing firms are used in the sale of clothing, furniture, and electrical goods. Most agents represent small businesses with a few employees who are experienced salespeople. They are hired by large firms, as well as small entrepreneurs who cannot afford to maintain their own staff of traveling salesmen. Manufacturing firms plan, with the help of agents, how to penetrate or be represented in new markets where the use of traveling salesmen is unprofitable.

Authorized marketing agents enter into contracts with manufacturers, obtaining the rights to sell all products manufactured by the manufacturer. Such a manufacturer deliberately does not want to take on sales functions or feels unprepared for this activity. The Authorized Distributor serves as a manufacturer's sales department and has a significant influence on prices, terms and conditions of sale. Plenipotentiaries sales agents found in the textile industry, manufacturing industrial equipment, chemicals, coal, metals.

Purchasing agents usually form long-term relationships with their customers and purchase the necessary goods for them. They themselves receive these goods, check their quality, organize warehousing and subsequent delivery to the destination. Buyers have a wide range of knowledge and provide their customers with useful information about the market, as well as find them the right products at the lowest possible price.

Wholesalers - commissioners are agents who take physical possession of goods and independently conclude a deal for their sale. They do not work on the basis of long-term agreements. Their services are most often resorted to by firms that do not want to engage in sales. A commission wholesaler arrives in a truck with goods for Central market, sells a batch of goods at the most favorable price, deducts its commissions and costs from the proceeds, and transfers the remaining amount to the manufacturer.

3. Wholesale offices and manufacturers' offices are the third main

a type of wholesale trade, which consists of operations carried out by sellers and buyers independently, without the involvement of wholesalers.

Sales departments and offices. Manufacturers organize sales departments and offices to keep inventory management, marketing and promotion activities under tighter control.

Sales departments store inventory and are found in the timber industry, in the production of automoto equipment and machine parts.

Sales offices do not store inventory and are found in the production of textile and haberdashery goods.

Purchasing offices. Many retailers maintain their own buying offices in the main market centers, which perform functions similar to brokers, but are structural unit buyer organization.

4. Various specialized wholesalers. A number of sectors of the economy have their own specialized wholesale organizations.

Wholesale tank farms sell and deliver petroleum products to gas stations and businesses.

Wholesalers - buyers of agricultural products buy products from farmers, collect them in large lots and ship them to enterprises Food Industry, bakeries, bakeries and customers on behalf of government agencies.

Wholesalers - auctioneers play a big role in those industries where consumers want to inspect the goods before making a transaction. These are markets for livestock, tobacco, seafood, etc.

Wholesale trade occupies an intermediate position between industry and retail trade, actively influencing the production and sale of goods to the population. The impact of wholesale trade on the industry is aimed at increasing output, expanding the range, improving quality, rhythmic delivery

goods. The main forms of influence of wholesale trade on the industry are: pre-orders, five-year agreements, wholesale fairs, supply contracts, commonwealth agreements, and the media.

Pre-orders of wholesale bases serve as the basis for the development industrial enterprises plans for the release of goods in terms of volume and assortment.

A pre-order is an economically reasonable expression of the existing and projected demand for goods.

Five-year agreements between wholesale and industrial associations are a form of long-term economic ties between industry and trade.

Such agreements provide for the renewal of the assortment, the improvement of the appearance of products, the packaging of goods and other obligations that ensure the full satisfaction of the needs of the population.

Wholesale fairs are held after industrial enterprises receive assignments for the production of a particular product. At fairs, wholesalers agree with suppliers on the purchase of a range of goods, models, styles, colors, sizes.

Contracts for the supply of wholesale depots with industrial enterprises establish economic ties between them. Contracts are concluded for a year, for five years, etc. With direct long-term relationships.

Commonwealth treaties are concluded between public organizations enterprises of trade and industry. Treaties are a means to improve the efficiency of economic ties.

The mass media (newspapers, radio, television) are widely used by wholesalers to influence industry and the consumer. With the help of these means, public attention is drawn to suppliers who produce low-quality goods that are not in demand by the buyer.

In turn, wholesale trade actively influences retailers, assisting them in expanding the range, improving the quality of goods, increasing the share of packaged goods, organizing advanced technology for the delivery and sale of goods, and improving customer service.

Wholesale bases, together with trade departments, determine suppliers and buyers who will be in direct contact. At the same time, wholesale depots control and are responsible for the timely shipment of goods to customers.

Merchandisers of wholesale bases organize the wholesale sale of consumer goods, study demand together with retail trade, hold exhibitions - sales, wholesale fairs for sale, organize promotional events.

Wholesale turnover is one of the main indicators of the economic activity of wholesale enterprises. Its volume and structure characterize the degree of development of production and the level of public consumption.

Depending on the volume, structure, types and forms, indicators of the economic and financial activities of the enterprise are determined.

There are primary wholesale turnover - this is the sale of goods by industrial enterprises directly to retailers and wholesalers, and intermediary turnover - this is the sale of goods by wholesalers - retailers.

The wholesale turnover has a different economic content than the proceeds from the sale of products in industry or retail turnover. The wholesale turnover does not reflect the production and sale of goods directly to the population for personal consumption, but characterizes the movement of goods from the sphere of production into the sphere of circulation.

According to the size of turnover, there are: large, medium and small turnover.

Large-scale wholesale trade occurs when goods are received from enterprises in large quantities and sent through wholesale trade links.

The average wholesale turnover is formed by wholesale enterprises that buy goods not only from industry, but also from other large wholesale enterprises.

Small wholesale turnover is formed at the wholesale bases of grassroots wholesale enterprises.

Depending on the purpose of commodity resources, the wholesale trade turnover is divided into three types: sales turnover, intra-system and inter-republican.

Wholesale sales turnover includes the sale of goods to organizations and retailers located in the area of activity of the wholesale enterprise.

Intra-system wholesale turnover determines the mutual sale of goods by wholesale enterprises to one system within one republic.

Inter-republican trade turnover covers the sale of goods outside the republic on the basis of free purchase and sale.

Thus, the intra-system and inter-republican wholesale trade turnover reflect the movement of goods between the wholesale trade links.

The sum of the three types of wholesale trade is the gross wholesale trade.

Wholesale turnover for each of the three types is divided into two forms:

- warehouse (Sale of goods from warehouses of wholesale enterprises. Goods delivered to warehouses are checked, sorted, completed, etc.)
- transit (supply of goods by manufacturers directly to retail, wholesale, bypassing intermediate links)

The wholesale sale of goods in transit can be carried out with participation in settlements (with an investment of funds) and without participation in settlements (organized turnover).

Transit turnover with participation in settlements is first calculated with suppliers, and then, as a seller of goods, presents invoices for payment to buyers. At the same time, wholesalers use their working capital, use bank loans, pay income tax to the budget, receive wholesale and marketing discounts.

Transit turnover without participation in the calculations provides only for the intermediary activity of wholesale trade, while producers and buyers conduct payments for goods directly between themselves. The role of the wholesale link is limited to the organization of contractual relations and the supply of goods. It participates in placing orders and drawing up specifications for goods, controls the progress of their shipment. In this case, wholesalers do not receive wholesale sales discounts.

The highest, main goal of any enterprise in the conditions market economy is profit maximization. However, entrepreneurs, managers and owners of enterprises at a certain stage set the task of achieving an intermediate goal, ensuring break-even operation, reducing or gaining a large market share, ensuring maximum growth in performance, etc. Each of these intermediate goals always acts as a means to achieve the main (main) goal. This approach is typical in many areas of trade, including wholesale. In the process of wholesale turnover, enterprises solve a number of tasks and evaluate them from the standpoint of achieving their goals. It is advisable to divide the set of such tasks into two groups: tasks related to the implementation, and tasks related to the procurement of goods and services. In the conditions of market relations, firstly, it is necessary to study the sales process in the context of buyers (industrial and retail enterprises, private traders, etc.), the degree of satisfaction of their needs and assess the level of competition and what place the wholesale enterprise occupies in commodity markets, which it has plans for the coming period, and so on. To do this, the company needs to use various methods of marketing research of all aspects of product markets. Secondly, it is necessary to analyze the sources of purchases (carry out marketing research of purchases), the rules for selecting suppliers of goods according to certain criteria, the development of measures to enhance purchases (the use of procurement marketing tools), the conditions for one-time and regular purchases, the concentration and dispersion of orders, to study the pricing policy to control the receipt of goods.

From the above provisions it can be seen that the main thing for the enterprise is to determine the needs of wholesale buyers, establish permanent relationships and find sources for the purchase of goods in order to fully meet these needs. The division of tasks into two groups allows you to more deeply explore the wholesale distribution of goods and services.

In the process of turnover, wholesale enterprises study the following indicators:

- dynamics of the total volume by types and commodity groups of wholesale trade in current and comparable prices;
- the share of wholesale trade in the context of commodity groups and in terms of total volume in the commodity markets of the region;
- the share of retail and other buyers in the total turnover and by main product groups, and assess the possibility of working with them in the future;
- customer requests and the structure of wholesale trade;
- the ratio of wholesale and warehouse turnover to retail and the ratio of product distribution units, calculated as the ratio of gross turnover (all types of wholesale and retail) to net (retail in dynamics in the area of the enterprise and in comparison with indicators for the region as a whole).

For wholesalers, it is necessary to have a large number of reliable sources of supply, which will allow them to better form an offer and increase the volume of trading activities.

Information for the analysis of the procurement market can be obtained from internal sources(about suppliers with whom work is or has been carried out) and external (data on statistics of turnover and retail or wholesale prices, shopping guides, fairs, catalogs and sales brochures, etc.). Work in this direction should be carried out continuously. Each enterprise must make a choice of such suppliers that will allow it to achieve its goals in the best way - to ensure profit, increase sales, consolidate and expand its role in product markets, solve existing economic and financial problems, etc.

For a wholesale company, it is very important to deeply study the issues of supplying goods. It is necessary not only to estimate the share of each supplier in total volume supplies, but also constantly have information about the volume and timing of deliveries, the number of goods, take into account the policy and strategy of industrial enterprises and other suppliers in pricing and use it to your advantage.

In each reporting period, wholesalers must study, in dynamics and in comparison with other companies in the same area of activity, indicators by which the quality of the supply of goods can be assessed.

So, it is important to calculate and analyze the performance ratio of each contract. It is calculated as the ratio of the actually delivered quantity of goods to the volume of deliveries provided for this period in the contract. The same indicator can also be calculated in value terms as the ratio of the actual volume of deliveries to its value under the contract.

When evaluating the calculated indicator, it must be borne in mind that the closer its value to zero, the more rhythmic the delivery, and vice versa, the larger this indicator, the more rhythmic the delivery of goods.

When analyzing deliveries and assessing their impact on turnover, a wholesaler should take into account a number of factors related to pricing. Every business must consider:

1) to what extent the current prices can ensure the sale of goods and services;
2) what volume of sales of goods is possible at prevailing prices;
3) what are the average costs that correspond to these sales volumes;
4) what is the level of profitability.

Such a pricing policy can be considered successful if it allows to restore or improve the position of the enterprise in the competitive markets for goods and services and increase the net profit of the enterprise.

In the process of analyzing the turnover and procurement of goods and services, you need to understand the marketing strategy of the enterprise and determine whether there has been a penetration of goods into new market; how did the development of the market for goods traded by the wholesale base take place; what segments of the goods market have developed in this region. It is especially necessary to analyze how the use of active measures in the field of pricing influenced the development of trade turnover and the provision of profitable work.

In practice, the company has the opportunity to choose one of three typical pricing strategies:

1) setting prices for individual goods higher than those of competitors;
2) setting prices at the level of competitors;
3) setting prices slightly lower than those of competitors.

In the process of analysis, the enterprise must provide evidence of the validity of the pricing strategy and calculate its impact on the final results of the wholesale enterprise - the volume of trade and profit.

The trading activity of wholesale enterprises is characterized primarily by the degree of fulfillment of plans and the dynamics of wholesale trade. Many wholesalers along with wholesale trade engaged in the retail sale of goods. In this regard, there is a need to determine the total (gross) turnover, including wholesale and retail sales of goods. The composition of the latter does not include, but separately separate the internal release of goods to their retail trade and industrial enterprises.

In terms of composition, the wholesale trade turnover is subdivided into the sale of goods from warehouses and in transit with and without participation in settlements.

The composition of the wholesale trade turnover is characterized by absolute and relative indicators (the amount and specific gravity certain types wholesale sales of goods in the total volume of trade). The ratio of warehouse and transit turnover depends on market conditions, the financial and economic interests of suppliers and buyers, the level of prices and tariffs for warehouse and transit services, the degree of specialization of industrial production and retailers, the conditions for their supply and settlements, the range of goods supplied, the state of material technical base of wholesale trade and, above all, the availability storage facilities, and most importantly on the magnitude of the profitability of wholesale operations. The most economical is the transit sale of goods, and especially the transit sale without the participation of the wholesaler in the calculations. Transit provides wholesale enterprises with minimal distribution costs, significantly reduces the number of links in the movement of goods, speeds up the time of circulation of goods, helps to maintain their quality, etc. However, it is not always possible to apply the transit form of sale, especially for goods of a complex assortment that require sub-sorting, transformation of the production assortment into a trade one, which necessitates their preliminary delivery to the warehouses of wholesale enterprises. The expansion of transit is facilitated by the enlargement and specialization of retail trade enterprises, the development of container transportation, the centralized delivery of goods to trading network and other buyers. In a market economy, when choosing a warehouse or transit form of delivery of goods, a wholesale enterprise necessarily takes into account the income received, profit and profitability. The expediency of warehouse and transit delivery of goods is studied for each buyer separately (in the context of consignments of goods and product groups). Wholesale turnover is also studied in the areas of sale of goods (for market and non-market funds).

The supply of goods under the market fund includes their release to retailers for sale to the public and public catering enterprises - for the production of food and the sale of purchased goods. The market stock of goods occupies the main place in the turnover of most of the wholesale enterprises of the republic.

The non-market fund includes the supply of goods of light and food industry enterprises for production needs (fabrics, threads, sugar, flour, salt, etc.), the release of overalls and safety shoes, the fund of state budget organizations and institutions.

The supply of goods to industrial enterprises for production needs includes the industrial processing fund and the industrial consumption fund. The industrial processing fund includes the release of goods as the main raw materials (materials) for the production of certain products (for example, the release of fabrics for tailoring). The industrial consumption fund includes the supply of goods to industrial enterprises for use as auxiliary materials.

The fulfillment of the plan and the dynamics of the wholesale trade turnover is investigated for each direction of the wholesale sale of goods (with details by their types). First of all, they check the implementation of the plan in certain areas of implementation and study the reasons for the identified deviations. The reasons for underdelivery may be violations by suppliers of contracts for the supply of goods in terms of the total volume, assortment, quality and timing of their receipt, as well as transport difficulties, shortcomings in the organization of wholesale trade, in warehousing, and other marketing activities. An important indicator characterizing the supply of goods by wholesalers is the share of the market fund in the total volume of trade. An increase in the share of the market fund of goods in the wholesale turnover usually characterizes the trading activity of a wholesale enterprise positively.

The uniformity of shipment and sale of goods in wholesale trade is no less important than in retail. Timely and uniform delivery of goods to stores and catering enterprises ensures the successful implementation of the plan retail trade, high growth rates in dynamics and quality customer service (consumers). In cases where an irregular delivery of goods occurred due to the fault of suppliers (industrial enterprises, etc.), provision should be made for the creation of reserve inventories in the warehouses of the wholesale enterprise and appropriate action should be taken against suppliers who violate supply contracts. Goods must be shipped, first of all, to the most distant buyers. before the end of the month is not always possible to enter Money to bank accounts for goods shipped in the second half of the month.

One of the main conditions for the successful implementation of the plan and high growth rates of wholesale trade is proper organization. At wholesale enterprises, operational control is carried out, both for shipment and for the sale of goods.

Each warehouse establishes plans and schedules for the delivery of goods to individual buyers for a month, for decades, and often for individual days. Based on the data of waybills and other documents in special tables, the actual volumes of shipment of goods per day (five days, a week or a decade) and on an accrual basis from the beginning of the month are determined. Based on these data, it is possible to establish deviations from the plan for the supply of goods per day (five days, ten days) and from the beginning of the month to individual recipients (in terms of assortment and in terms of the total supply) and take prompt measures to improve the supply of goods. At each warehouse, in addition, they carry out operational control over the movement of goods and the state of commodity stocks in a detailed assortment, the data of which are used in daily trade and commercial work with customers.

On the basis of these bank account statements and the documents attached to them, the wholesale enterprise promptly controls the flow of funds for the goods sold, the implementation of the plan and the dynamics of turnover. This information is used in the operational analysis of distribution costs, financial results, the solvency of the wholesale enterprise and the development of measures to improve its economic and other activities.

The use of computers makes it possible to automate the operational analysis of the shipment of goods, wholesale turnover, and commodity circulation. With the help of computers and other modern technical means in particular, it is possible to quickly control how many and for what amounts trade and settlement documents are issued for shipped goods, to whom and how much they are delivered, and how the sold goods are paid in a timely manner.

One of the most important elements of the distribution and distribution system is wholesale trade - the activity of purchasing products (services) in large quantities for the purpose of their resale or professional use.
The most important task of wholesale trade is to systematically regulate the supply of goods in accordance with the demand of the population. The objective possibility of successfully solving this problem is due to the intermediate position of wholesale trade: it concentrates a significant part of commodity resources, which makes it possible not to be limited to passive operations, but to actively influence the sphere of production, retail trade and, through it, the sphere of consumption.
Wholesale trade plays a significant role in the system of economic relations between the regions of the country, industries, manufacturers and retailers.
Carrying out economic relations with industry and agriculture, wholesale trade acts as a customer of products, its functions include the purchase and import of products from manufacturers. It should be noted that it is designed to actively involve local commodity resources in trade and conduct decentralized purchases of products from various sources. Organizing the importation of products, the wholesale trade controls whether the industry complies with contractual obligations to supply products of the appropriate assortment and quality, strictly within the stipulated time. In the warehouses of wholesalers, purchased products are sorted out, discounted in case of non-compliance with the needs of buyers, a decrease in consumer qualities.
Wholesale trade can and should actively influence the volume and range of products produced, demand the replacement of the output of goods that are not in demand with goods whose needs are not fully satisfied, and strive to improve the quality and expand the range of products. Wholesale trade has the right to stop acceptance and return products of low quality, which forces industrial enterprises to improve its consumer properties.
In order to purposefully influence the change in the trade situation, the wholesale trade must have data on the state and prospective changes in situations in the sectoral and regional markets, investigate and predict the demand of the population, and have an idea of the capabilities of suppliers.
The role of wholesale trade provides for its active participation in ensuring the sustainable sale of goods to consumers. Wholesalers control the completeness of the assortment in the stores of the serviced area, ensuring the constant availability of goods available in warehouses for sale, participate together with suppliers in promotional events, and organize the resale of goods that are over-purchased by stores to other areas where they are in demand.
At the macro level, wholesale trade performs various market functions:
- integrating - to ensure the relationship between partners, manufacturers, sellers and buyers - to find the best channels for marketing products;
- estimated - by determining the level of socially necessary labor costs through pricing;
- organizing and regulating - to ensure the rational construction and harmonious functioning of the economic system with the help of impulses that stimulate structural changes.
The macroeconomic functions of wholesale trade are transformed at the micro level into various sub-functions or functions of wholesale trade enterprises, among them are the following:
- the function of economic integration of territories and overcoming the spatial gap;
- the function of converting the production assortment into a trading assortment of goods;
- the function of forming stocks for insurance against changes in demand for goods;
— price smoothing function;
- storage function;
- the function of refinement, bringing goods to the required quality, packing and packaging;
- the function of lending to its customers, especially small retailers;
— function of marketing researches of the market and advertising.
The development of market relations contributes to the emergence of new elements in the activities of wholesalers, for example, the provision of various management and consulting services to their customers.
By linking production and retail trade, wholesalers influence production; acquisition trade assortment and supplying them to retailers; concentration and storage of commodity stocks; creation of rational ways of commodity circulation, etc.
Wholesale trade actively influences the production of products, their assortment and quality by:
- implementation of orders for the production of the desired products;
– conclusion of contracts for the supply of goods;
- refusal to accept low quality products;
- holding wholesale fairs, exhibitions, product reviews, etc.
Wholesale trade enterprises study demand, concentrate and refine the population demand accounting data received from retail trade enterprises, and on their basis order products to commodity producers. Thus, wholesalers help suppliers to draw up production programs, determine the volume and range of manufactured and grown products, which contributes to the development of production in the right direction.
The study of the demand of the population should not be limited to existing needs. Wholesale trade is designed to stimulate the creation of new types of food, take into account the current demand of the population and anticipate its possible changes, and contribute to the targeted formation of demand. Changes in demand must be promptly taken into account in the process of interaction of wholesale trade with suppliers. Wholesale trade enterprises must exercise the strictest control over the quality of foodstuffs coming from food producers and prevent the entry into the retail trade network of products that are not in demand by the population. Qualitative acceptance and certification of products is carried out by merchandisers of wholesale trade enterprises together with the State Quality Inspectorate and experts of the Chamber of Commerce by randomly checking incoming consignments of goods. As a result of quality control, the grade of a part of the product is reduced or it is returned to suppliers to eliminate the identified defects.
Today, wholesalers must know the market well and meet its needs by seeking additional resources and promoting their better use.
The activity of wholesale trade depends on:
- the absence in the sale of products that are not in demand by the population;
- updating the assortment and improving its quality;
— provision High Quality products supplied to retail and catering enterprises;
- introduction of new types of food into production.
One of the functions of wholesale trade is the concentration and storage of inventories necessary to replenish current stocks in retail trade, seasonal and special-purpose products. With an efficiently operating system of product distribution, it is in the wholesale trade that the bulk of the inventory should be located, and in the retail trade, products can be stored within a certain norm, based on customer demand and the availability of storage facilities.
Wholesalers should encourage retailers to purchase goods. At the same time, the development of such functions of wholesale trade as commercial lending and transaction financing is of great importance. Experience shows that in many cases the choice of a distribution channel depends on the extent to which its organizer can lend himself to market transactions of interested parties. Wholesale trade enterprises often finance the manufacturer by giving him an order for a certain batch of products with a guarantee of its sale and paying in advance a part of the ordered products. Wholesalers finance retailers by selling goods with a deferred payment.
The attractiveness of wholesalers depends on the level of service offered to customers, which in turn depends on:
— speed of order fulfillment;
- capabilities express delivery products on special order;
– ensuring different party shipment;
— use of the most convenient modes of transport;
— the presence of a highly efficient service service;
— sufficient level of commodity stocks;
- the level of prices for products and services.
When choosing a particular wholesaler, customers should have information about:
- about the range of products;
- about the area of activity;
- on the commercial position, determined by the duration of work on this market;
- about technical equipment and organization technological processes in warehouses and storages;
- on the presence or absence of convenient access roads to warehouses;
about the pricing policy.
For a wholesaler, the ability to attract new customers is important.
Wholesale trade, like no other link, is able to actively regulate regional and sectoral markets through the accumulation and movement of products. This line of work should take a decisive place in all its activities. Wholesale trade enterprises are called upon to improve the links in the movement of goods, to develop centralized supply and circular delivery of products. Currently, there are significant shortcomings in the activities of wholesale enterprises. Often, the terms of delivery of products are not observed, contractual obligations in terms of its volume, assortment and quality are violated.
The efficiency of the functioning of the entire national economic complex, the balance of the domestic market, and the satisfaction of the growing needs of people largely depend on the work of wholesale trade enterprises. Under the new economic conditions, the scope of wholesale trade will be significantly expanded. The strengthening of the role of commodity-money relations is associated not only with the development of wholesale trade in consumer goods, but also with the transition to wholesale trade in means of production. These two forms are becoming the most important channels for the planned movement of food resources.

2. Types and forms of organization of wholesale trade

AT Russian Federation The process of formation of wholesale trade is far from being completed, so it is difficult to talk about some kind of established structure of wholesale trade. In countries with traditional market economies, such a structure has long been established. Wholesalers are usually divided into four groups as follows.
Wholesale merchants. The first group consists of wholesalers merchants - large independent commercial enterprises. According to the US, they account for more than half of the total wholesale turnover. Their main feature is that they acquire ownership of all the goods they deal with.
In turn, wholesalers merchants are divided into two types - with full and limited service cycles.
Wholesalers with a full service cycle include wholesalers, distributors of food products. They assemble a range of products at a specific location, provide trade credit, store and deliver products to consumers. In addition, they offer assistance in their promotion and implementation, provide services. Often they act as sales divisions of manufacturers.
The most widely such wholesalers are engaged in the supply of groceries, tobacco products and alcoholic drinks.
Limited service wholesalers acquire ownership of products but perform fewer functions—they do not provide credit or assist in the delivery of goods and their sale.
A traveling salesman wholesaler usually sells and delivers products to customers. Its rather limited range includes food products (milk, bread, snacks) that it offers to supermarkets, delis, hospitals, restaurants and hotels.
Wholesalers exporters, serving groceries and other retailers, offer mainly products and assortment and trade on a consignment basis, i.e. retain ownership of the product until it is sold. In this case, they undertake the delivery of products, its placement on retail space, inventory maintenance, financing.
Agricultural production cooperatives are formed by farmers on a collective basis and are engaged in the production of agricultural products for sale in local markets. They assign brand names to parts of their products in order to promote them to the market.
In general, the share of wholesale merchants in Western countries accounts for more than 50% of the total turnover.
Agents and brokers. This is a completely different type of wholesalers. They differ in that they do not take ownership of the goods and work for a commission. They usually specialize by the type of product line or the type of customer they serve. Agents and brokers account for approximately 10% of the total wholesale turnover.
The main difference between agents and brokers is that agents usually work with clients on a long-term basis, while brokers work on a one-time basis. In turn, agents are subdivided into producer agents, sales agents and commission agents.
Manufacturers' agents, the largest group of all wholesalers' agents, work for several manufacturers and deal with non-competing products with exclusive distribution rights in a certain territory. They conclude with each individual manufacturer official written agreements regarding pricing policy, distribution points, ordering procedures, means of delivery, commission rates (usually 5-10% of sales volume), etc.
Sales agents under the terms of the contract are responsible for marketing all products of manufacturers, and in essence turn into marketing divisions of manufacturers. They perform all marketing functions, except for obtaining ownership of products, and in most cases work for small firms in areas such as food processing.
Commission agents receive goods on a consignment basis from manufacturers. They are engaged in the selection of products and the organization of their marketing. As a rule, such agents work on the basis of short-term agreements. Sometimes they offer credit, store and deliver goods, and receive a commission for their services. Most often, this category of agents is used in the trade of agricultural and marine products.
Unlike agents, brokers do not take on the task of selecting products, storing and delivering them, and especially financing them, but are engaged in bringing buyers and sellers together and helping them negotiate. As a rule, they are well informed about the state of the market, conditions of sale, sources of credit, pricing, potential buyers and receive commissions from buyers of goods for their services. The most common are brokers in the food markets. The share of agents and brokers in the wholesale trade turnover of Western countries reaches 10%.
Wholesale offices and manufacturers' offices. In order to more tightly control the processes of inventory management, sales promotion, manufacturers often create their own wholesale departments and offices to sell their products. Sales departments are more often created at enterprises of individual food products and, in addition to marketing, take on the functions of storing inventory.
Specialized wholesalers. Another type of wholesale trade is represented by their own specialized wholesale organizations, which include wholesalers - buyers of agricultural products. So, wholesalers - buyers of agricultural products usually buy products from the population and the producers of farmers, cooperators, small private traders, form larger lots for shipment to food industry enterprises, bakeries, bakeries and wholesale enterprises.
In the last years of the XX century. The structure of wholesale trade is changing significantly. Especially active are independent wholesalers, who are trying to establish themselves more thoroughly in the distribution channels. For this they Special attention devote to getting competitive advantage, creating a consumer's sense of commitment to the brand of goods or firms, obtaining a reasonable share of the profits.
Wholesale turnover is one of the main indicators of the economic activity of wholesale enterprises. Its volume and structure characterize the degree of development of production and the level of public consumption.
Depending on the volume, structure, types and forms, indicators of the economic and financial activities of the enterprise are determined.
There are primary wholesale turnover - this is the sale of goods by industrial enterprises directly to retailers and wholesalers, as well as intermediary turnover - this is the sale of the product by wholesalers - retailers.
The wholesale turnover has a different economic content than the proceeds from the sale of products in industry or retail turnover.
The wholesale turnover does not reflect the production and sale of goods directly to the population for personal consumption, but characterizes the movement of goods from the sphere of production into the sphere of circulation.
According to the size of turnover, there are: large, medium and small turnover.
- A large wholesale turnover arises when large political parties receive goods from enterprises and send them through wholesale trade links.
- The average wholesale turnover is formed by wholesale enterprises that buy products not only from industry, but also from other large wholesale enterprises.
-Small wholesale turnover is formed at wholesale bases at grassroots wholesale enterprises.
Depending on the purpose of commodity resources, wholesale trade is divided into three types:
- sales turnover;
- intrasystem;
- inter-republican;
Wholesale sales turnover includes the sale of goods to organizations and retailers located in the area of activity of the wholesale enterprise.
Intra-system wholesale turnover determines the mutual supply of goods by wholesale enterprises to one system within one system.
Inter-republican trade turnover covers the sale of goods outside the republic on the basis of free purchase and sale.
Thus, the intra-system and inter-republican wholesale trade turnover reflect the movement of goods between the wholesale trade links.
The sum of the three types of wholesale trade is the gross wholesale trade.
Wholesale turnover for each of the three types is divided into two forms:
1) Warehouse (sale of goods from warehouses of wholesale enterprises. Goods delivered to warehouses are checked, sorted, completed, and so on).
2) Transit (delivery of goods is made directly to retail, wholesale, bypassing intermediate links).
The wholesale sale of goods in transit can be carried out with participation in settlements (with investment of funds) and without participation in settlements (organized turnover).
The transit turnover with participation in settlements is first settled with suppliers, and then, as a seller of the product, presents invoices for payment to buyers. At the same time, wholesale enterprises use their working capital, use bank loans, pay profit tax to the budget, and receive wholesale and marketing concessions in price.
Transit turnover without participation in the calculations provides only for the intermediary activity of wholesale trade, while producers and buyers conduct payments for goods directly between themselves. The role of the wholesale link is limited to the organization of contractual relations and the supply of goods. It participates in placing orders and drawing up specifications for goods, controls the progress of their shipment. In this case, wholesalers do not receive wholesale price reductions.
The growth of wholesale trade, as evidenced by world experience, is determined by the following significant trends in the economy:
- an increase in mass production large enterprises remote from the main users of the finished product;
- an increase in production volumes for the future, and not for the implementation of specific contracts already concluded;
— an increase in the number of levels of intermediate producers and users;
— the growing need to tailor products to the needs of intermediate and final consumers in terms of quantity, packaging and variety.
In accordance with this, wholesale trade performs the following tasks:
1. Directs the flow of goods from the producer to the consumer. Many material goods acquire market value only because trade delivers them to the right place.
2. Takes over the inventory needed to ensure timely deliveries to customers in the face of changing demand.
3. Bridges the time gap between producer and consumer. Agricultural products such as grain, sugar beets, potatoes are purchased at harvest time and stockpiled until demand occurs. This allows you to manage shortages and surpluses, and avoid significant price fluctuations.
4. Encourages new demand. Even a technically complex product acquires economic value only when there is a buyer for it.

Conclusion

Wholesale trade is the sale of large quantities of items of material and technical equipment, raw materials (for light and food industries), consumer goods to enterprises and organizations for processing or resale. Wholesale trade is characterized by two main features that distinguish it from retail:
1) sale of goods, raw materials, materials in large quantities to organizations and enterprises
2) sale for subsequent processing or resale.
The main function of the wholesale enterprise is the sale of goods to customers, therefore, the volume of these sales, or wholesale turnover, characterizes the volume of the enterprise as a whole.
Wholesale can be made from the warehouse of the enterprise or bypassing the warehouse, directly to the address of the buyer.
The volume of wholesale sales from a warehouse is called warehouse turnover, and without delivery to the warehouse - transit turnover.
The sum of warehouse and transit turnover is the total, or gross, turnover of the wholesale enterprise.
Thus, the total wholesale turnover is the total volume of sales of goods to manufacturing and trading enterprises, as well as intermediaries to other enterprises and legal entities for subsequent sale to the population or for industrial consumption.
An analysis of the wholesale trade turnover allows trading enterprises to determine to what extent the trade turnover plan has been fulfilled and whether the demand of buyers is satisfied, what changes have occurred in the trade turnover during the reporting period and how they are justified, to reveal new phenomena, as well as the existing reserves in the development of trade turnover. Conclusions and generalizations are important for developing a forecast for the sale of goods.
Any enterprise in a market economy is constantly planning its activities. The result of the planned work is a constantly updated document - the business plan of the enterprise.
Wholesale depots independently draw up plans for warehouse and transit trade turnover, determine the structure of trade turnover, and the size of commodity stocks.
Wholesale enterprises draw up a turnover plan independently for a year with a quarterly breakdown, and then refine the turnover plan for each month of the quarter
The process of planning wholesale turnover is a complex, sequential, multi-stage process, the stages of which naturally follow one from the other, and all of them are interconnected, there is a balance relationship between them. From the material studied, it can be seen that a large number of different factors influence the value of trade turnover: fluctuations in demand, the level of inflation, the stability and size of the monetary income of the population, etc.

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