VSS

What VSS does

Plum Agencies NZ Ltd, operating commercially as VSS, is a New Zealand-based outsourced retail execution provider founded in 1997 and headquartered in New Lynn, Auckland. The company delivers three integrated service lines — merchandising teams, dedicated sales teams, and in-store sales and campaign training — to FMCG, beauty, and trans-Tasman brands seeking consistent retail execution across grocery, pharmacy, department stores, hardware, DIY, mass, and specialty retail channels throughout New Zealand. Field staff execute planogram compliance, stock replenishment, display maintenance, store audits, product launches, and brand activations on behalf of clients, supported by a dedicated account management layer (Nigel Thomson as Owner, plus three account managers and a quality control lead). Pricing is quote-based and scoped per engagement, with no public pricing disclosed, reflecting a professional services revenue model anchored in enterprise-style client relationships.

The company operates a proprietary technology stack centered on a custom-built reporting application that captures near real-time in-store data with photographic evidence, a 24/7 searchable client portal for monitoring brand presence, and weekly automated summaries of completed store visits. A newer app-based tester/POS ordering capability extends the platform into in-visit replenishment workflows. The go-to-market is sales-led, primarily direct-to-brand with a specific motion targeting Australian-headquartered brands seeking NZ in-market execution support, and is amplified through content marketing (Plum Agencies Blog), organic social presence on Facebook and LinkedIn, and direct contact funnels. In December 2025, VSS was consolidated under the Plum Agencies brand, with operations continuing under owner Nigel Thomson as a privately held, bootstrapped firm of 51-100 employees with no institutional investors or subsidiaries.

Name

VSS

Legal name

Plum Agencies NZ Ltd

Website

https://vssnz.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Plum Agencies NZ Ltd (VSS) is a New Zealand outsourced retail execution firm providing nationwide merchandising teams, sales teams, and in-store training to FMCG and trans-Tasman brands across grocery, pharmacy, and specialty retail channels.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Retail Merchandising Services

akta.pro primary industry

Merchandising Services (Field Merchandising, Audits, Compliance) (MPAAAJAF)

akta.pro secondary industry

Retail Execution Technology & Services (SFA, Planogram, Image Recognition) (MPAAAJAM)

Keywords

• Retail merchandising services
• In-store execution
• Planogram compliance
• Retail sales support
• FMCG field marketing

Headquarters

HQ city

Auckland

HQ country

New Zealand

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D

Revenue model

1. Retail Merchandising Services: Professional services revenue generated from providing skilled merchandising teams that execute brand plans with precision, maximizing visibility, maintaining compliance, and driving results across retail store visits. Services include planogram execution, stock management, display maintenance, and in-store activations.
2. Sales Team Services: Nationwide sales team services providing relationship building with stores, ranging conversations, distribution growth, and support for promotional campaigns. Revenue generated from dedicated sales representatives working with pharmacies, supermarkets, hardware retailers, department stores, and specialty retail channels.
3. Sales & Campaign Training: In-store and retail training services including product knowledge education, customer engagement improvement, and campaign activation support. Services delivered by experienced trainers working directly with store teams to build brand-specific capability.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Plum Agencies NZ Ltd (operating as VSS) provides nationwide retail merchandising, dedicated sales teams, and in-store training services to FMCG brands across New Zealand. Field teams execute in-store merchandising, planogram compliance, stock management, store audits, product launches, and brand activations across grocery, pharmacy, department stores, hardware, mass retail, DIY, and specialty retail channels. Service delivery is supported by a custom-built real-time reporting application with a 24/7 client portal and weekly reporting summaries.

Product overview

VSS (Plum Agencies NZ Ltd) provides a unified retail merchandising and sales support platform built around three core service pillars — Merchandising Teams, Sales Teams, and Sales and Campaign Training — supported by an integrated technology stack. The core services deliver nationwide in-store execution including merchandising, planogram compliance, stock management, retail audits, brand activations, and in-store training. The technology platform consists of the Custom Built Reporting App (near real-time field insights with photo evidence), Portal Access (24/7 searchable reporting dashboard), and Weekly Reporting (automated summaries). These products work together: field teams execute in-store while the reporting infrastructure captures, communicates, and delivers actionable retail intelligence back to clients, creating a closed-loop retail execution system. The company operates as a single-brand entity (Plum Agencies) with no modular add-on architecture — services are delivered as an integrated managed service.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Merchandising Teams Skilled nationwide merchandising teams that execute brand plans with precision across grocery, pharmacy, department stores, mass retail, DIY, and specialty retail channels in New Zealand. Services include planogram execution, stock management, display maintenance, store audits, and in-store activations.
• Sales Teams Dedicated retail sales representatives who build store-level relationships, drive product awareness, increase distribution and ranging, deliver in-store training, monitor stock levels, identify display opportunities, and support promotional activity for FMCG brands across New Zealand.
• Sales and Campaign Training Tailored in-store training solutions delivered by specialists to build store team product knowledge, improve customer engagement, and boost campaign performance through one-on-one or small group sessions, product breakdowns, and campaign activation support.

Quantifiable outcome

• Immediate lift in sales reported by clients following partnership implementation
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers3 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Smollan: Global retail execution and integrated retail solutions firm operating across multiple geographies with merchandising, sales, and instore activation capabilities. Comparable business model to Plum across the full retail execution value chain.
• CROSSMARK: Global retail execution, merchandising, and in-store marketing services firm. Directly comparable to Plum: provides field merchandising, sales teams, and retail execution services to FMCG brands across multiple retail channels, just at much larger global scale.
• Acosta: Major US-based retail execution and sales services provider serving CPG brands with merchandising, sales, and marketing services. Closely aligned in business model to Plum's integrated field execution offering.

Emerging players

• Repsly: Retail execution and field team management software platform used by CPG brands and merchandising agencies. Comparable to the technology layer of Plum's custom-built reporting app and 24/7 portal.

Others

• Clemenger Group: NZ/AU-based marketing services network including creative, media, and shopper marketing capabilities. Thematically related to Plum's trade marketing and retail execution services, particularly the shopper marketing and in-store activation adjacency.

Regional players

• Strikeforce AMC: Australian field marketing and merchandising services provider with NZ operations. Directly comparable in service offering (merchandising, sales, audits) and operates in adjacent geography with overlapping brand clients.
• AFS Group (Australian Field Services): Australian retail merchandising, sales, and field services firm. Comparable in offering to Plum, primarily serving Australian retail channels but with similar brand-client profile across FMCG and consumer goods.

Broad incumbents

• Advantage Solutions: Largest North American retail execution and sales services company, operating broadly across merchandising, category management, and consumer insights. Overlaps with Plum's core merchandising and sales team offering but at vastly greater scale and geographic breadth.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/plumagencies
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/plumagenciesnz

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles6 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about VSS