TOR TO RECRUIT AN INDIVIDUAL CONSULTANT Enterprise Shop Business Development and Market Systems Implementation Consultant

The Global Alliance for Improved Nutrition (GAIN) is a Swiss-based foundation launched at the United Nations in 2002 to tackle the human suffering caused by malnutrition. Working with governments, businesses, and civil society, we aim to transform food systems so that they deliver more nutritious foods for all people, especially the most vulnerable.

Background

GAIN is dedicated to improving the consumption of healthier foods for all, especially the most vulnerable ones. The Workforce Nutrition project is one of the projects implemented in Ethiopia, which focuses on improving the health and well-being of workers in industrial parks and large-scale farms by collaborating with employers and government partners to make nutritious food available and affordable to vulnerable workers.

 A workplace-based retail nutrition model has been introduced in factory settings across several countries as part of broader workforce nutrition and food systems interventions. Evidence from pilot implementation suggests that the model has strong potential for impact and scalability, while presenting moderate feasibility in terms of operational implementation and resource requirements.

Industrial parks in several countries play a critical role in driving economic growth through industrialization, job creation, and investment attraction. However, workers in these settings often face persistent challenges in accessing affordable, safe, and nutritious foods. Limited availability, high prices of nutrient-dense foods, and fragmented supply chains contribute to poor dietary diversity, with implications for nutrition, health, and productivity outcomes.

In this context, existing food retail environments within industrial parks are often not adequately structured to support healthy diets. Market constraints and supply chain inefficiencies further limit the affordability and accessibility of nutritious food options, resulting in suboptimal food choices among workers.Rationale for InterventionStrengthening workplace-based retail food environments has emerged as a key workforce nutrition strategy to improve dietary outcomes among low-income workers. The approach focuses on improving access to nutritious foods within the workplace setting.The intervention aims to enhance the availability of diverse, safe, and nutritious food options through retail outlets located within industrial parks that sell a combination of general consumer goods and selected nutrient-dense food items. These foods are intended for both on-site consumption and household preparation and are offered at more affordable prices compared to conventional market outlets.By improving affordability through appropriate pricing strategies and offering selected items in smaller, more accessible quantities, the model addresses key economic barriers to healthy diets. In addition, the proximity of retail outlets to the workplace provides a platform for influencing healthier dietary behaviours through targeted demand creation communication and strategic product placement.The model also has the potential to strengthen local food systems by improving market linkages between retail outlets and domestic food value chain actors.1.     Objective3.1. General objective:  The objective of this consultancy is to provide technical assistance to assess, strengthen, and support the implementation of workplace-based retail food models within three industrial parks. The consultancy will focus on improving model effectiveness in increasing access to affordable and nutritious foods for workers, with a particular emphasis on improving dietary diversity.Specifically, the consultant will support the enhancement of retail shop operations within industrial park settings that offer mixed consumer goods alongside nutritious food items. The assignment will aim to strengthen the capacity of these retail systems to deliver improved nutrition outcomes for workers through improved availability, affordability, and promotion of healthy food choices.3.2. Specific objective (Aim for 3-5 objectives):

• To assess the operational performance of workplace-based retail food models within industrial parks, focusing on availability, affordability, and accessibility of nutritious food options for workers.
• To strengthen retail shop operations and management systems to improve the consistent supply and promotion of safe, affordable, and nutritious foods that contribute to improved dietary diversity.
• To enhance market linkages between retail outlets and local and national healthy food suppliers, including producers, processors, and distributors, to improve availability and continuity of nutrient-dense food products.
• To design and implement retail strategies, including strategic product placement, market promotion, and demand creation campaigns, to increase workers’ awareness, purchase, and consumption of nutritious foods.
• To provide technical support for implementation and continuous improvement of the retail food model, ensuring operational efficiency, sustainability, and scalability across industrial park settings.

The consultant will provide hands-on technical assistance to strengthen existing retail structures or support the establishment of new, viable, and sustainable retail enterprises within three industrial parks (Bole Lemi, Hawassa and Adama). This may include operational design improvements, capacity building for retail operators, supply chain strengthening, and integration of demand creation/market promotion approaches. The consultancy will also support continuous monitoring and iterative improvement of the retail model to ensure responsiveness to worker nutrition needs and alignment with workforce nutrition objectives.2.     Tasks and Responsibilities of the Consultant

• Assess the food environment and existing retail operations within and around the targeted industrial parks, including food availability, accessibility, affordability, purchasing patterns, and workers' food preferences, and identify opportunities to improve access to nutritious foods.
• Review and strengthen the retail business model by developing recommendations on product assortment, pricing strategies, merchandising approaches, retail management systems, and financial sustainability to improve the availability and affordability of nutritious foods.
• Identify, assess, and facilitate partnerships with local and national food producers, processors, suppliers, and distributors, and develop strategies to strengthen supply chain efficiency, product quality, food safety, and supply continuity.
• Develop and support implementation of operational systems and procedures covering procurement, inventory management, quality assurance, food safety, customer service, and financial management, while providing hands-on technical assistance to establish or strengthen retail operations.
• Design and implement demand creation/market promotion strategies, including strategic product placement, promotional activities, consumer awareness initiatives, and demand-creation campaigns to encourage healthier food choices among workers.
• Develop training materials, tools, and standard operating procedures, and build the capacity of retail operators and relevant stakeholders on retail management, nutritious food promotion, food safety and business sustainability.
• Develop an implementation roadmap and monitoring framework, including key milestones, stakeholder roles, risk mitigation measures, data collection tools, performance indicators, and recommendations for continuous improvement and future scale-up.

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Deliverables

Date Deliverable Due

1Inception report: Detailed methodology, workplan, timeline, and approach for implementation.

September 29, 2026

2

Food environment and retail assessment report: Findings on healthy food availability, affordability, accessibility, worker purchasing patterns, and opportunities to improve access to nutritious foods within the targeted industrial parks.

October 5, 2026

3Refined retail business model, including product assortment, pricing strategy, operational procedures, implementation roadmap, and financial sustainability considerations. 

October 15, 2026

4Mapping of local and national suppliers, distributors, and producers, with recommendations and partnership arrangements to ensure a sustainable supply of nutritious foods. 

October 20, 2026

5Development of a nutrition-sensitive retail strategy that includes strategic product placement, demand creation/promotional activities, and behaviour change communication materials to encourage healthier food choices and increased consumption of nutritious foods among workers.

October 25, 2026

6Training materials, standard operating procedures (SOPs), and documentation of training delivered to retail operators and relevant stakeholders.

November 10, 2026

7Monitoring indicators, data collection tools, reporting templates, and recommendations for ongoing performance tracking. December 29,2026

8Final reportJanuary 31, 2027