Get certified in Route-to-Shopper excellence
BP Academy is the official corporate learning platform of Brand Partners Middle East — certifying employees, field teams, managers, clients, and partners in Route-to-Shopper excellence across Saudi Arabia and the GCC.
"The shelf either reflects the standard or it doesn't — BP Academy exists to make sure every person in our ecosystem knows exactly what that standard is and how to deliver it."— Ali Al Sharif
What you'll learn
What you'll be able to do
- Explain Brand Partners' Route-to-Shopper model and apply the six-division operating framework to real client and field situations
- Execute in-store merchandising standards — availability, planogram compliance, share of shelf, pricing, and promotions — to a certifiable professional level
- Translate commercial strategy into consistent store-level execution across channels and markets in the GCC
- Apply the HOTTRUST values and BP leadership principles (Ethics, Science, Art, Logic, Results) to everyday decision-making and team conduct
- Manage field teams through commitment-based coaching, structured performance reviews, and escalation governance
- Use retail data, shopper signals, and category fundamentals to identify gaps, prioritise actions, and improve business outcomes
How it works
A school that adapts to you
This isn't a set of static videos. Every lesson is generated live and tuned to where you actually are.
We learn your level
A quick placement check tailors your starting point so you're never bored or lost.
Lessons adapt as you go
Each lesson is written for your pace and your goal, adjusting as your skills grow.
Your AI coach keeps you moving
Checkpoints, feedback, and gentle nudges turn progress into a real result.
The curriculum
What's inside your school
6 modules · 29 lessons
Brand Partners Induction — How We Work Together
The foundational pathway for all new joiners and employees. This module establishes who Brand Partners is, what it stands for, how it is structured, and how it operates — giving every learner the context they need before entering any specialist pathway. Completion is a prerequisite for all other BP Academy courses.
- 1.1The Story and Purpose of Brand PartnersIncluded
- 1.2Route-to-Shopper Positioning — What It Means and Why It MattersIncluded
- 1.3The Six Divisions — Execute, Engage, Retail, Elevate, Talent, and IntelligenceIncluded
- 1.4HOTTRUST Values in ActionIncluded
- 1.5Leadership Principles — Ethics, Science, Art, Logic, and ResultsIncluded
- 1.6The BP Operating Model — How We Deliver for Clients and ShoppersIncluded
Merchandising 101 — Foundations for In-Store Excellence
The core certification pathway for merchandisers, promoters, and field-based team members. This pathway builds the practical, certifiable skills required to execute in-store standards to a professional level across Saudi Arabia and the GCC. Learners progress from personal readiness through on-shelf execution to reporting and field assessments. The Brand Partners Induction pathway is a prerequisite.
- 2.1Field Readiness and Professional ConductIncluded
- 2.2Store-Entry Procedures and Daily PreparationIncluded
- 2.3On-Shelf Standards — Availability, Visibility, Planogram, Share of Shelf, Pricing, and PromotionsIncluded
- 2.4Stock Rotation, Expiry Management, Display Standards, and Store HygieneIncluded
- 2.5Out-of-Stock Management, Reporting, and Field AssessmentsIncluded
Route-to-Shopper Fundamentals
A commercial capability pathway for office-based managers, supervisors, client-facing teams, and high-potential field leaders. Learners build an end-to-end understanding of how brands reach and influence shoppers across the GCC, and how Brand Partners' Route-to-Shopper model connects commercial strategy to consistent store-level execution. The Brand Partners Induction pathway is a prerequisite.
- 3.1How Brands Reach and Influence ShoppersIncluded
- 3.2The Route-to-Shopper Ecosystem — Roles, Relationships, and AccountabilityIncluded
- 3.3Shopper, Customer, Channel, and Category FundamentalsIncluded
- 3.4Translating Commercial Strategy into Store-Level ExecutionIncluded
- 3.5Using Retail Data and Shopper Signals to Improve DecisionsIncluded
Manager and Leadership Development
The professional development pathway for supervisors, field managers, and office-based managers at Brand Partners. This pathway develops the leadership behaviours, commercial thinking, and governance disciplines required to lead teams, manage client relationships, and drive consistent execution across the GCC. Prerequisites: Brand Partners Induction and Route-to-Shopper Fundamentals.
- 4.1Managing Commitments, Not TasksIncluded
- 4.2Coaching Field Teams for Consistent PerformanceIncluded
- 4.3Performance Reviews and Building a Culture of AccountabilityIncluded
- 4.4Governance, SOPs, Escalation, and Decision-MakingIncluded
- 4.5Commercial Problem-Solving and Cross-Functional LeadershipIncluded
Clients and Partners — Understanding Brand Partners
A dedicated pathway for clients, brand teams, and external business partners working with Brand Partners Middle East. This pathway gives commercial and marketing professionals the context, language, and collaboration standards they need to brief, manage, and evaluate a Route-to-Shopper partner effectively. It is intentionally concise and outcome-focused, respecting the time and seniority of its audience.
- 5.1How Brand Partners Operates as Your Route-to-Shopper PartnerIncluded
- 5.2GCC Retail Market Orientation for Brand and Commercial TeamsIncluded
- 5.3Collaboration Standards — Briefing, Reporting, and EscalationIncluded
- 5.4Measuring and Evaluating Route-to-Shopper PerformanceIncluded
BP Academy Certification Pathways
The formal credentialing layer of BP Academy. Certification pathways confirm that learners have achieved a defined standard of knowledge, skill, and applied competence — not just course completion. Each credential is tied to a structured assessment, practical demonstration, and a digital certificate issued under the BP Academy brand. Certifications are role-relevant and stackable: field teams earn the Field Execution Professional credential; commercial and strategic roles earn the Route-to-Shopper Practitioner credential; managers earn the BP Certified Manager credential.
- 6.1Field Execution Professional CertificationIncluded
- 6.2Route-to-Shopper Practitioner CertificationIncluded
- 6.3BP Certified Manager CredentialIncluded
- 6.4Certification Governance, Renewal, and the BP Academy Credential RegistryIncluded
Who it's for
Is this you?
New Field Merchandiser
Joins BP Academy from day one to learn store-entry procedures, planogram compliance, and on-shelf standards before stepping foot in a live store.
Field Supervisor
Uses the Manager Development track to shift from task-chasing to commitment-based coaching and structured performance accountability across their team.
Commercial Manager
Deepens their Route-to-Shopper expertise to better translate brand strategy into consistent channel execution across multiple GCC markets.
Brand Partner Client
Completes the Clients and Partners track to understand how BP operates, align on collaboration standards, and evaluate Route-to-Shopper performance with confidence.
New Office Joiner
Goes through the Brand Partners Induction to understand the six-division operating model, HOTTRUST values, and how every team connects to shopper outcomes.
Senior Commercial Leader
Pursues the BP Certified Manager credential to formalise their leadership standards and demonstrate cross-functional accountability at a certifiable level.
Questions
Frequently asked
Your teacher
A note from your teacher
Ali Al Sharif
If you have spent any time in GCC retail — whether on the shop floor, in a commercial planning meeting, or managing a field team across multiple cities — you already know that the gap between strategy and store-level execution is where brands win or lose. A well-briefed plan means very little if the shelf does not reflect it on a Tuesday afternoon in Riyadh.
BP Academy exists to close that gap. It is the official learning platform of Brand Partners Middle East, and it was built with one clear purpose: to raise the standard of Route-to-Shopper execution across our entire ecosystem — employees, field teams, managers, and the clients and partners who rely on us to deliver results in this market.
What you will find here is not a collection of motivational modules or generic retail theory. Every course in BP Academy is structured around real operating models, real GCC market conditions, and the actual standards and frameworks that Brand Partners uses to deliver for its clients every day. The six-division framework — Execute, Engage, Retail, Elevate, Talent, Intelligence — is not an abstraction. It is how we work, and this Academy teaches you to work within it with clarity and confidence. The HOTTRUST values and our five leadership principles — Ethics, Science, Art, Logic, and Results — are woven into how we make decisions, not treated as a values exercise on a slide.
I want to be direct with you about what earning a BP Academy certification means. It is not a completion certificate. The Field Execution Professional, Route-to-Shopper Practitioner, and BP Certified Manager credentials are backed by the BP Academy Credential Registry and are subject to renewal — because standards must be maintained, not just achieved once. When a client sees a BP-certified team in their stores, or when a manager holds the BP Certified Manager credential, it carries a precise meaning about what that person knows and how they operate.
Whether you are a field merchandiser learning on-shelf standards for the first time, a supervisor building a coaching cadence for your team, or a brand partner trying to understand how to get the best from our collaboration — this is where your learning starts, and where your professional standard is set. Come in, get to work, and get certified.
— Ali Al Sharif
Start your journey today
Join get instant access — learn at your own pace with an AI coach in your corner.
$79/mo
Recurring billing · cancel anytime
Secure checkout · Instant access
- 6 modules, 29 lessons
- AI-adaptive lessons tuned to your level
- Quizzes & checkpoints to lock in progress
- Your own AI learning coach
- Learn on any device, at your pace
- Full access for as long as you're subscribed