Accounting software for FMCG distributors in UAE with promotions and returns under control

Distribution profit leaks through deductions and returns. HelloBooks gives distributors a layout that shows them clearly.

• Sales by channel: key accounts, traditional trade, horeca, van sales
• Trade promotions, rebates and listing fees charged by retailers
• Returns and expired stock written off
• Stock by warehouse, batch and expiry date
• Van cash in transit and salesman balances

Most food and household goods are standard-rated at 5%. When a supermarket charges you a listing fee or promotional support, that is usually a separate supply of services by the retailer, which should come with its own tax invoice so you can recover the VAT; a simple deduction on a remittance is not enough. Volume rebates you give to customers, by contrast, often reduce the value of your own sales and need a tax credit note.

If you import or distribute goods subject to excise tax, such as certain drinks or tobacco, excise has its own registration and returns separate from VAT. Ask your tax agent where your products fall.

Upload a retailer’s remittance advice and the agent matches payments to invoices, separates deductions by type and asks for the retailer’s tax invoice when a listing fee appears without one. Return notes become credit notes for approval. Van salesmen’s daily sheets are posted and their cash deposits matched from your bank statement upload.

Ask “how much has the hypermarket chain deducted this quarter, and for what?” or “which batches in the Jebel Ali warehouse expire within 45 days?” Finance approves credit notes and write-offs before they post.

Net margin per customer after deductions, receivables ageing for key accounts, near-expiry stock and van cash variances are the regular set. A key account billed AED 600,000 in a quarter that deducts AED 54,000 in fees and promotions has a 9% cost of doing business that the margin report must show.

Deduction codes, customer-specific credit note rules and van sales templates can be set up for you. Contact hello@hellobooks.ai or book through /book-a-demo for distributor set-ups.