Tesco-owned convenience store chain One Stop is tapping into the consumer trend towards healthier diets by extending its fresh food offering with its first range reset in over two years.
The retailer has rolled out a total of 108 new lines to its stores, 16 of which are own-label products. New own-label items include leeks, parsnips, pink lady apples, grated mozzarella, fresh pickled beetroot and large mushrooms. There is also a new range of branded ready meals from City Kitchen, high-protein options for its meal deal, and a variety of charcuterie products. One Stop will also stock Christmas dinner trimmings such as pigs in blankets and sprouts.
One Stop pointed to research showing that shoppers are looking for fresher and healthier food choices, enabling them to cook meals from scratch, alongside convenient solutions for busy families. The retailer stated that its fresh range reset was designed to cater to both ends of the spectrum, whilst offering a “seamless shopping experience” in-store.
The new range includes products with extended shelf lives, from 23 to 30 days, as part of moves to minimise food waste. It is also eliminating products that no longer appeal to its customers and discontinuing 50 lines. One Stop noted that the changes align with its long-term goal of becoming carbon-neutral by 2035 and achieving net zero status for its entire value chain by 2050.
One Stop has also used the reset to restructure its fresh merchandising to ensure that shoppers can find products quicker. Products that complement each other for a meal are now being displayed together.
“We’re really excited to expand our fresh range and to be providing customers with more choice and affordability,” said Marianne Aitken, Head of Product at One Stop.
“A lot has changed since we last did such a thorough reset, and we’ve experienced massive growth in this time. Customers have been moving towards healthier choices and, as a responsible retailer, we want to provide these options.
“Whilst bringing in a new era of freshness, we’ve also had the opportunity to revise our meal solutions for busy customers. Options now include everything from prepped veg to delicious ready meals.
“We’ve also increased our Pizza Co range so customers can grab and go. Many items from the range are now in 690 stores – an increase of over 150 stores – this just shows how popular this choice is for our customers.”
The retailer’s franchisees will also have the option to stock the new fresh range.
“We know that our retailers are trading in tougher times and helping them drive increased sales and profitability is a key part of our franchise business model,” said John Miller, Head of One Stop Franchise.
“Customer satisfaction, a great in-store shopping experience and bigger basket spend is crucial to this, so the extension of our fresh range to include both own label and branded products is an exciting change for our franchisees who will be able to meet the needs of their customers who are looking to scratch cook healthier meals”.
NAM Implications:
- Tesco patently ticking all the boxes in terms of freshness and health.
- Bound to count, if only to convince others to follow.
- But real impact is likely to be more.
- Watch this space…
