Stocking-up for success

COVID-19 led to significantly heightened demand within the convenience sector – lockdown saw a quarter (25%) of Brits shopping more at their closest local store.¹ As new restrictions are implemented across certain parts of the country, we can expect local retailers to once again see a resurgence in footfall.

Over the coming months, facing the very real prospect of a socially-restricted Christmas, how best can convenience stores cater for shoppers and ultimately drive revenue?

Based on insights from the last lockdown, we’re encouraging our customers to stock up on beer. Throughout the lockdown period, beer was the standout drink in the impulse channel. Notably, the value of beer sales were up £737 million on the same period last year,² as many shoppers looked to replicate the premium on-trade experience at home.

To help you cater to this increase in demand, we’ve optimized our pack line-up to hero the 568ml pint can – removing the 500ml SKU from our core beer portfolio. Much-loved and familiar in these uncertain times, sales of the pint can have grown 29.2 per cent compared to last year.³ Again, with many of us looking to bring that unique pub experience to our front rooms, 60 per cent of shoppers claim to only buy the pint can format.⁴

We understand that many of you are short on space in-store. Last year, 4,532 different beer and cider SKUs were sold in the UK convenience channel² but the average convenience store only has space to stock 69 SKUs.³ Our new reduced pack line-up will help customers make the right choice about what formats to stock.

More importantly, it will help them boost revenue. Convenience retailers saw their average annual sales increase by £383 when stocking the pint can format vs 500ml can.⁷ We’ll raise a pint to that!

1. ^{Nielson State of the Nation 2020}
2. ^{Nielson 17 weeks to 11 July 2020}
3. ^{Nielsen Scantrack data; 52 WE 11 July 2020}
4. ^{Nielsen GB Total Impulse – Value (in £M) – 2019}  
5. ^{Nielsen Scantrack 30.11.19 | Total Impulse}
6. ^{Nielsen Scantrack 30.11.19 | Total Impulse}
7. ^{Nielsen Scantrack  |YTD 05.09.20 | Impulse channel}