HBC/General Merchandise
The health and beauty/general merchandise category provides retailers with a unique opportunity to capture customers’ personal interests in a high-margin item. Novelty items in convenience store, for example, have evolved into a core category because retailers can anticipate 30-60% margins on seasonal products. With such strong profit potential chains have expanded their select of HBC and General Merchandise items to include single-serve and packaged medicines and vitamins, automotive accessories and traditional fill-in grocery items to attract a wider range of on-the-go shoppers.
Emerging Opportunities for HBC
Retailers have come to accept that the health and beauty category (HBC) could never compete with tobacco or foodservice in terms of profits or volume, but it serves an important purpose for convenience store customers. For that reason alone, a diverse offering of cold medicines and personal hygiene products should be a staple on convenience [...]
A Remedy for Boosting Impulse Sales
Whether it’s aspirin or shaving cream, HBC is a growing category that deserves a renewed focus. By Joe Bush, Contributing Editor. HBC is making a comeback from coast to coast. The category—from shampoos and skin creams to cough drops and cold remedies—has always had its rightful place in a convenience store—providing a grab-and-go remedy for [...]
Inspiring Impulse Sales
When stocking up on novelty items, thinking outside the box can help retailers drive big profits. By Erin Rigik, Associate Editor. Retailers are driving impulse purchases with unique novelty products, including big ticket items, seasonal displays and small ring products that make everyday life more convenient. Dallas-based 7-Eleven Inc., for example, is making packing easier [...]
Product Assortment Key to General Merchandise, HBC
With the economy rebounding, 2011 is the perfect time to start driving general merchandise and health and beauty items in c-stores. “If you have cutting edge items, and word gets out, people will flock to your stores,” said Brad Lemoine, marketing director for 40 Louisiana U-PAK-It stores, a brand that unites several operators who all [...]
Mr. Bubble Brand Celebrates 50 Years
Mr. Bubble bubble bath gets a new look for 2011. Introduced by Gold Seal Co. in 1961, Mr. Bubble is celebrating 50 years of making bath time fun in 2011. Originally developed as a powdered bubble bath, then launched in a liquid formula in 1972, Mr. Bubble was recently improved to create even more bubbles [...]
Fresh-Cut Produce Thrives At C-stores
Convenience stores are a “tremendous growth channel” for fresh produce, notes United Fresh Produce Association spokesperson. In today’s health-conscious world, convenience stores are stocking up on produce, changing their image in customers’ minds from merely the place to fill up on gas and grab a pack of cigarettes to a one-stop shop for everything from [...]
Wal-Mart Announces Healthy Foods Campaign
More healthful and affordable food options are set to become available to shoppers over the next four years. Wal-Mart and Michelle Obama have partnered on a healthy foods program wherein the big box retailer will offer more healthy foods and push its suppliers to do the same, the Washington Post reported. Wal-Mart plans to make [...]
CSD Partners with MSA and Paradigm Sample
In our ongoing effort to provide the most relevant and timely industry data, Convenience Store Decisions has reached a deal to serve as the excusive media sponsor of the new Convenience Consumer Insights Panel (cciPanel) launched last month by Management Science Associates Inc. (MSA) and Paradigm Sample. The cciPanel is the consumer research field’s first [...]
The Simple Secret of Free Publicity
Whether you operate a large or small chain, there are deals to be made that can attract a lot of positive attention to your company. I know some of you don’t place much of a value on publicity, but when was the last time you priced the cost of a retail ad in the local [...]
Health and Beauty Benefits
Health and Beauty Care (HBC) has been known to create more pain for c-store operators than it relieves for their customers. Managing it well—knowing the trends, keeping up with new products and line extensions, establishing workable price points and merchandising it carefully—is a precarious balancing act. The trend today is smaller, both for product packaging [...]
Staying Alive: Planning to Thrive!by Jim Callahan, Convenience Solutions
Staying Alive: Planning to Thrive! Staying Alive is both the title of an old disco tune, as well as a description of the challenge that today’s c-store operators face. C-store growth in numbers as well as quality continues unabated. I certainly don’t have all the answers about staying relevant, but I have some very interesting [...]
Negotiation Practices for Small C-Store Chainsby Jim Callahan, Convenience Solutions
The sweet science of obtaining a better deal than was offered! To compete with the big chains more effectively, you’ve got to be able to buy better, which is obviously much more difficult for a smaller chain, even more so for the single store operator. But in reality it’s much easier than you might think
Growing Same-Store Sales in a tough Market by Jim Callahan, Convenience Store Solutions
So simple – so profitable – so what’s stopping you! Unless you run an above average operation, you might just experience a sudden urge to stop reading, part way thru this article. I’m going to put the results toward the top to help, suppress that urge!More…
Great Timing = Great Sales
Over the years, I’ve found that when I’ve matched the right product with the right occasion, I’ve been able to create increased sales with a much higher gross profit %. Not nearly as difficult as it sounds! Here’s an example: we place wool hats and brown jersey gloves on the counter, directly in front of [...]
