In every industry, different costs come first.
We negotiate all costs, direct and indirect. The grid shows which cost groups matter most in retail, brand manufacturing, industry and services. For each category there is a guide or the Cost Driver Tree.
Retail needs different priorities from industry
Twelve cost groups across four industry groups. The relevance rating is our assessment based on procurement practice; the dots show the documented price drivers from the Cost Driver Tree.
Direct costs: goods, materials and external services. We negotiate merchandise, raw materials, components, packaging and contract manufacturing in the same way, in every industry. Their price drivers, such as producer prices for metals, plastics and paper or diesel for freight, are in the Cost Driver Tree. Guide: materials and bought-in parts
| Cost group | Retail | Brand manufacturers | Industry | Services | Price drivers 2027 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Construction, technical services and fit-outMaintenance and repairs, shopfitting and furnishings, construction and refurbishment | high | medium | high | medium | 3 × defendView drivers: Construction, technical services and fit-outGuide: checking maintenance contracts |
| Facilities and site servicesCommercial cleaning, commercial cleaning in Switzerland, waste disposal, energy | high | medium | high | high | 3 × defend1 × renegotiateView drivers: Facilities and site servicesGuide: reducing cleaning costs |
| IT and telecommunicationsHardware, software, cloud and licences | medium | high | medium | high | 1 × defend1 × renegotiateView drivers: IT and telecommunicationsGuide: IT and telecommunications costs |
| Logistics, warehousing and freightCourier, express and parcel, transport and freight, warehousing and fulfilment | high | high | high | low | 3 × defendView drivers: Logistics, warehousing and freightGuide: parcel prices and surcharges |
| Marketing service providersPrint and promotional materials, letter post and mailings, agencies and CRM | high | high | low | medium | 1 × defend2 × renegotiateView drivers: Marketing service providersGuide: marketing and print costs |
| Packaging and consumablesCardboard packaging, paper, labels, films and plastic packaging, pallets and wooden packaging | medium | high | medium | low | 2 × defend1 × renegotiateView drivers: Packaging and consumablesGuide: reducing packaging costs |
| Workwear and occupational safetyRental workwear, purchased workwear and PPE | low | medium | high | medium | 2 × defendView drivers: Workwear and occupational safetyGuide: rental workwear |
| Fleet and mobilityFuel and fuel cards, leasing and servicing | low | medium | medium | medium | 1 × defend1 × renegotiateView drivers: Fleet and mobilityGuide: reducing fleet costs |
| Staffing servicesTemporary staffing, recruitment and training | medium | medium | high | high | 1 × defend1 × renegotiateView drivers: Staffing servicesGuide: temporary staffing and personnel services |
| Insurance and professional servicesInsurance, consulting and administration | medium | medium | medium | medium | 2 × renegotiateView drivers: Insurance and professional servicesGuide: insurance and service providers |
| Building securitySecurity services, alarm and fire protection systems | medium | low | medium | medium | 2 × defendView drivers: Building securityGuide: security services 2027 |
| Operating supplies and officePaper and office supplies, hygiene and cleaning products, office furniture | low | low | low | medium | 2 × defend1 × renegotiateView drivers: Operating supplies and officeGuide: buying office supplies |
Which industries belong to which group
Retail: food retail, fashion and textile retail, department stores and multi-category retail, sports, footwear and lifestyle retail, drugstores, pharmacies and health, furniture, DIY and garden, electronics retail, e-commerce and mail order, wholesale
Brand manufacturers: fashion and textile brand manufacturers, food and beverage brand manufacturers, non-food consumer goods brand manufacturers
Industry: pharmaceuticals and medical technology, automotive and suppliers, mechanical and plant engineering, chemicals and plastics, construction and building materials
Services: transport and logistics, services and facility management, restaurants and hotels, hospitals and care
Sixteen guides, each with figures and sources
What drives prices in 2027, which points in the contract cost money and how to renegotiate. With sources, as of 23 October 2026.
- Commercial cleaning2027 pay round, six leversNegotiated in € per m² per month. Productivity rates and cleaning frequency based on use.
- Security services2027 pay scales, surcharges, certificationNegotiated in € per hour. Deployment schedule and surcharge rules.
- Waste disposalObligations and six leversNegotiated in € per collection or tonne. Container sizes and payment for recyclables.
- Courier, express and parcelRecalculating surchargesNegotiated in € per shipment. Surcharge formulas and volume tiers.
- FleetLeasing, returns, taxesNegotiated in € per vehicle per month. Framework agreements and return rules.
- Workwear and textile rentalCirculation, residual value, wage agreementNegotiated in € per garment per week. Kit size and change frequency.
- Maintenance and repairsInspection duties and pay scalesNegotiated in € per call-out or as a flat fee. Flat fees and response times.
- Office supplies and consumablesPrices by product groupNegotiated in € per item. Core range and discount tiers.
- IT and telecommunicationsLicences, cloud, contract periods
- Marketing and printAgencies, paper, postage
- PackagingBase paper, plastics, regulation
- Goods, materials and bought-in partsMetals, imports, clauses
- Temporary staffing and personnel services2027 pay rates, equal pay
- Insurance and service providersMarket situation, tax, deadlines
- Check a price increaseReview steps and reply letterWhen your supplier asks for more: you work out which part is justified and reply with figures.
- Price adjustment clauseFormula, example, calculatorWhen you sign or renew a contract: you agree that only the cost share is adjusted, both up and down.
Is your category missing? We negotiate all costs, direct and indirect, including goods, materials and external services, in every industry. Get in touch.
Which of your categories first?
The free pilot review answers that using around 20 of your contracts: documented findings in euros, supplier by supplier.
Prefer to talk directly?
Sebastian Dahm
Co-CEO, Product, Sales and Market Data
Rinascai GmbH, Zurich. Reply within one business day.