Brand scorecards, also referred to as supplier scorecards, help retailers and distributors establish clear performance expectations that help mitigate supply chain disruptions. The better suppliers and brands perform, the smoother the supply chain operates. And brands that perform well often enjoy extra benefits, while those that are struggling benefit from seeing exactly where they need to improve.
North American food distributor KeHE has its own brand scorecard, called the Good Better Best (GBB) scorecard. In 2024, KeHE announced that its first iteration, GBB 1.0, would soon be swapped out with GBB 2.0.
According to KeHE, the updated scorecard incorporates supplier feedback to better measure how well a supplier is working with the distributor. The scores help demystify assortment for internal teams so KeHE can provide their retailer partners with the top-performing brands and products.
In this article, you will find:
An overview of KeHE’s GBB 1.0
A deep dive into KeHE’s GBB 2.0
The benefits top scorecard performers enjoy
Tips for how brands can go from new to best
Steps for accessing your brand’s scorecard
What Was Included in KeHE’s GBB 1.0 Scorecard?
KeHE's first brand scorecard, GBB 1.0, balanced supplier sales with vendor support. Whether a supplier was classified as good, better, or best was determined by how well suppliers performed on the following metrics:
Sales performance: This category included KeHE sales data, syndicated sales data, and sales growth rates.
Vendor support programs: This category encompassed KeHE CONNECT Business Intelligence® (BI) participation, off-invoice (OI) promotions, cash terms discounts, and spoils coverage.
The higher a supplier’s sales and the more vendor support they provided, the higher their score.
GBB 1.0 also outlined other supplier initiative scores based on their status with KeHE (i.e., new or part of a particular program).
Supplier Initiative | Initiative Details | Length of Initiative |
New | “New” simply refers to brands that are new to KeHE | 1 year aligned with onboarding |
Provides support to innovative, early-stage brands | 2 years aligned with onboarding or >$1M in cost of goods sold | |
Identifies and promotes brands that are trying to make the world a better place | 2 years aligned with the calendar year | |
Identifies and supports certified suppliers who are women, disabled, veteran, LGBTQ+, or owned by historically underrepresented racial or ethnic groups | 2 years aligned with fiscal year |
Note: This part of the scorecard has not changed from GBB 1.0 to GBB 2.0.
What is Included in KeHE’s GBB 2.0 Scorecard?
The new GBB 2.0 scorecard was launched in June 2024. It measures suppliers and brands according to three different categories instead of two, and each category is weighted differently toward the overall score.
Productivity (30% of overall score)
The productivity category is similar to GBB 1.0’s sales category, but it’s undergone some updates. The following table breaks down the various factors and their respective weights within the productivity category:
Factors | Details | Weight |
Brand Sales (KeHE) | How well is your product selling at KeHE? | 40% |
Brand Sales Growth (KeHE) | Are you growing year over year at KeHE? | 20% |
Promotional Sales Support (OI and MCB) | What is the impact of your promotional sales at KeHE? | 20% |
Brand Sales and Sales Growth (Syndicated SPINS Natural and Food) | How do you compare to other brands in the market? Are you growing share? Losing share? | 20% |
KeHE highlights some of the benefits of this new scoring system:
The category share approach and scoring methodology are meant to support new and emerging brands.
The updated growth contribution scoring is designed to support category differences.
The addition of promotional sales should help short-shelf-life brands that use manufacturer chargebacks (MCBs).
Partnership (45% of overall score)
The partnership category is similar to GBB 1.0’s vendor support category, but it’s been expanded. According to KeHE, the partnership score includes both dollar-based and percentage-based supplier support, helping create a fairer evaluation across brands with different product costs. The category now rewards suppliers contributing high levels of supplier support dollars instead of just a percentage.
The following table breaks down the various factors and their respective weights within the partnership category:
Factors | Weight |
Payment Terms Support $ Connect BI® Support $ Net Off Invoice (OI) $ Net Spoils $ | 30% (total spend) |
Payment Terms Support % Connect BI® Support % Net Off Invoice (OI) % Net Spoils % | 70% (% of purchases) |
Performance (25% of overall score)
Performance is a new category that centers the end-retailer experience by taking supply chain performance metrics into account. The overarching question in this category is: Are KeHE’s retailer partners able to get the products they need when they need them?
The following table breaks down the various factors and their respective weights within the performance category:
Factors | Details | Weight |
Service Level — Fill Rate | Are you giving KeHE the product that they ordered? | 50% |
On Time (Delivery and Ready Date) | How timely is your delivery? Or if you’re using KeHE Pick Up, is your product available in the three-day window that KeHE is looking for? | 20% |
Inventory Fair Share | Is KeHE getting a fair share of your inventory, or is most of your inventory going to other customers or distributors? | 15% |
Freight Collected | Do you go through the Collect process for freight? | 15% |
Related Reading: KeHE Promotions: Manufacturer Chargebacks (MCBs) and Extra Performance (EP) Fees
What Benefits Do the Best KeHE Brands Enjoy?
With so many metrics to satisfy, you’re probably wondering what’s in it for brands. Is it worth it to aim high? KeHE outlines the brand benefits in the chart below according to three main categories: assortment, promotions, and sales/event access.
To put it simply, brands that earn the best rating get the full support of KeHE’s category, promotions, and sales teams. They also have access to the most shows and joint business planning sessions, as well as other supply chain initiatives.
How KeHE Brands Can Go From New To Best
According to KeHE, new brands that want to graduate from new to best (as opposed to good) should do the following things before their first year is up:
Set up a meeting with your category manager to create a plan for reaching your goals.
Provide OI promotions.
Invest in promotional activities that boost brand exposure and sales.
Fill all purchase orders accurately and on time.
Use analytical tools available via CONNECT BI®.
Partner with relevant KeHE sales team members.
Develop a solid retailer strategy.
But improvement goals aren’t limited to newbies. Brands at any level or length of partnership could benefit from meeting with their supplier and category managers to better understand their scores and what they can do to improve. You can find your contacts using KeHE’s contacts lookup tool in CONNECT Supplier®.
Related Reading: KeHE EDI Requirements for Suppliers: What Documents You Need and When to Send Them
How KeHE Can Brands Find Their GBB Score?
KeHE updates brand GBB scores every month. Here’s how to find yours:
Go to CONNECT Supplier®.
Select the My Company dropdown menu on the main page.
Select Supplier Management.
Your scorecard will look similar to the example below:
SPS Commerce Helps Brands Reach Their Best
At its core, KeHE’s GBB 2.0 is designed to encourage better cooperation between the distributor and its partner brands, resulting in a smoother supply chain. SPS Commerce has the same goal. Here’s how we can help:
Do you need more KeHE-specific resources? Check out our library of KeHE supplier support materials.
Do you need an EDI solution? SPS Commerce gives your team one place to manage orders and documents and automatically rebuilds workflows any time KeHE changes its requirements.
Do you want to protect your margins from deductions? SPS Revenue Recovery for KeHE can help you identify and recover lost revenue.