Müller Yogurt & Desserts has unveiled a new category initiative for convenience retailers in the UK.
Launched at this week’s National Convenience Show, the ‘Make Pots of Profit’ programme has been created to offer retailers help and advice to improve the effectiveness of their Chilled Yogurts and Potted Desserts (CYPD) category. CYPD is currently worth £2.9bn and is the third-largest sector in chilled. However, there is currently an estimated 938 million buying occasions for CYPD in the convenience channel that are not being met due to retailers not having the right range and the right focus on CYPD in their stores. Müller’s new category advice toolkit is designed to help retailers maximise the category opportunity and get their fair share of sales.
‘Make Pots of Profit’ is based on category data and shopper insight and focuses on a three-step plan to help retailers get the basics right and drive their category sales. Step one is to stock the best products across key segments, ensuring that all shopper missions are covered by consistently having the right range of top-performing brands. Step two is to meet consumer needs for different occasions at the right time. Finally, step three is to merchandise the category in the right way to make it easy and exciting to shop, inspiring shoppers and encourage additional sales by keeping pricing realistic and competitive.
To help retailers consistently stock and display the right range in store and win with shoppers, Müller has created a selection of shelf guides for retailers to use according to their store size. By visiting its dedicated website hub at makepotsofprofit.co.uk, retailers can select and download the right planogram for their store and implement the new fixture by following the advice and steps set out.
Müller noted that shoppers expect convenience stores to meet all their basic needs, including top-up purchases, distress purchases, the weekly shop, food to go, and food for tonight. However, latest Lumina data shows that 66% of convenience shoppers are dissatisfied with stores’ product ranges. Research shows that a customer that can find the basics whenever they shop is likely to visit at least three times more each month and increase basket spend by between 25% and 140%.
Penny Williams, Senior Category Manager at Müller Yogurt & Desserts, noted that there is an opportunity for retailers to get it right when it comes to Chilled Yogurts and Potted Desserts. She said: “We know that core and consistency is absolutely key and, to win, retailers need to deliver on customer choice, conversion, loyalty, and value. By following the advice we’ve provided through this new initiative, retailers can be confident they are stocking the right range to meet shoppers’ different missions and meal occasions, and this could help increase their sales.”
She added: “Chilled Yogurts and Potted Desserts feature in several meal occasions throughout the day, and the key to fuelling growth of the category is to embed the right products into these meal occasions. Using the planograms and guidance we’ve developed retailers can follow the advice and make their store a destination for the category.”
Meanwhile, Anthony Frankland, Senior National Account Manager at Müller Yogurt & Desserts, highlighted that the Chilled Yogurts and Potted Desserts category is bigger in value terms than Cereals, Bread, Pet supplies, and Morning Goods. He said: “We know chilled space is precious, but retailers should give the right amount of space to CYPD that its value return dictates, and getting the basics right is vital. This new initiative is our commitment to try and help convenience retailers unlock an additional 938 million Chilled Yogurts and Potted Desserts buying occasions, which should be going through convenience stores, and so we would encourage retailers to give it a try and see the results for themselves.”
As well as launch activity at the National Convenience Show and the dedicated website hub, Müller’s campaign will also be supported with trade advertising, trade PR, store drops, competitions, giveaways and more.
NAM Implications:
- Given the time for analysis and planning per category initiative…
- …it can make sense to ‘outsource reliably’.
- This 3-step Muller initiative is a tailored solution for convenience.
- It seems a no-brainer to ‘try it and see’…
