Having made a bold investment in their confectionery section that saw scores of lines delisted, Dennis and Linda Williams saw a huge sales boost, and along with it the SLR Reward for Confectionery Retailer of the Year. We look at what made the store a winner.
Confectionery is one of those categories that many retailers believe looks after itself. Frequently shopped, frequently visited by reps who do the dirty work of remerchandising and squeezing NPD onto the fixture, it’s easy to see why retailers focus their attention elsewhere. At this year’s SLR Rewards, however, Dennis and Linda Williams from Broadway Convenience Store showed how dedication to a confectionery fixture is well worth the effort.
After carrying out a deep analysis of their sales data, Dennis and Linda came to the conclusion that they were simply stocking too many lines, and the fixture itself was becoming tired.
The entire fixture was rebuilt from scratch with a much simpler, more uniform shelf structure. What was key is that the multi-award winning couple paid close attention to advice from suppliers and worked with them to create the fixture. They took the bold step to delist a huge number of lines as part of a hugely revamped range, all based on accurate up to date data. The result was a significant increase in sales and profits, and another award for the mantelpiece.
They haven’t stopped there however. Less than six months after starting from scratch, Linda is once again looking to make changes to the fixture.
“I’ve being keeping an eye on the sales level of our £1 block bars and they are performing so much better than countlines that I believe it’s time to move them to a more highly visible section of the fixture, and that means delisting more countlines,” she says.
It’s a bold move, but Linda believes the volume will more than make up for the reduced margin of the larger format bars. “It’s all well saying you can’t delist something like a Starbar or a Bounty, but if it’s not selling it doesn’t merit its place.”
Dennis and Linda also walked away with a £500 Red Letter Day voucher. After careful consideration Linda opted to have a personal shopping day at John Lewis. “We looked at booking a spa but as much as that would have been enjoyable when it’s over it’s over, and I wanted something could keep – so as well as a great day out, I’ll be able to come home with a nice handbag!”
