What kinds of businesses can I manage?

Within the game you can manage businesses from three "distribution levels":

• Manufacturer. As its name suggests, the manufacturer manufactures products that are then sold to different businesses. While managing manufacturing company, you make primarily decisions related to production process (capacity, manufactured product subcategories, demand planning) and products (brands, prices, marketing communication, tailoring products to specific consumer segments).
• Distributor. Buying from manufacturers, sells out to retail and HoReCa. As a distributor you decide on your trading parameters, like assortment listing, prices, shelf share allocated to products, purchase plan. You might also create your own brand, request manufacturing of your own brand products, and manage them fully.
• Retail. Buying from distributors/manufacturers, and selling out to shoppers/consumers (not active players in the game). Within this distribution level you might pick one of the following two forms:
  • Retail chain. You have quite big trading space, which makes your offer very visible and available to shoppers, and you might sell large quantities. Here you might also create your own brand and manage own brand products. You also decide on the purchase plan and manage your stock.
  • Independent retailer is an average size, neighbor store, and has quite limited space to store and display products. You manage the product offer, but (unlike retail chain) you cannot manage own brand products, nor invest in marketing communication. This simplifies your decision-making process, but it also limits your ability to compete and grow in the market.
• Currently there are no HoReCa business forms available for players. On the new market opening there is just one passive HoReCa chain operating in the market, however, it's still not possible to directly compete with it (more on passive businesses in "What is the market" section).