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Hot snacking specialist Kepak Convenience Foods (KCF) has unveiled innovative plans to enable retailers to significantly increase profits from the chiller cabinet, 
now a key shopper destination. KCF is the driving force behind the emergence of a new category – Hot, Quick & Tasty (HQT) – described by KCF Marketing Director John Armstrong as ‘one of the most significant moves in convenience chilled food retailing’ for decades. “We’ve taken a long hard look at the chilled snacking category and through research have identified a group of products that suit the hot, quick snacks usage occasion. “We’re urging retailers to re-look at how they approach foods that are eaten as ‘hot, quick snacks as it’s very evident from all the research we have done that this sector is poised for strong and sustained long term growth.” The chiller is the prime location for products that are eaten as snacks or quick to prepare meals. “Every week, consumers go to the fridge for food and drink almost twice as often as the cupboard (42 fridge visits vs. 24 cupboard visits*2 ). That’s why the fridge is the ideal location for HQT products that in many cases also deliver higher cash margin than their ambient equivalents,” adds Armstrong.
The beauty is that retailers are already selling many of the products that form the HQT category and we’re seeing a rise in the launch of new products that fit the criteria. “To make the most of the opportunity retailers need to merchandise the products together to reflect eating occasions,” says Armstrong. “This makes shopping the fixture easier and gives customers the choice they’re looking for. There’s also real scope to make this dynamic new category more visible through effective POS and promotions.”
SLR’s store recently implemented HQT. Store manager Gerard Begley says: “The HQT system is a interesting new way to look at how we merchandise hot snacks such as those from Kepak Convenience Foods. Over the next month we’ll be implementing the planogram and I’m confident that customers will see the benefits, which will lead to increased sales for us – which is what it’s all about, after all.”
