Board-game distributor Hachette is targeting convenience stores, offering 50% margins and dedicated merchandising support for independent retailers. 

“Board games are a category where there’s growth in terms of the marketability towards people shopping in convenience,” Hachette head of marketing Rob Trounce told Better Retailing. 

“They’ve had a massive resurgence over the past few years because it’s about connecting with people,” he added, noting that the hobby has seen a “big rise” since the Covid-19 pandemic. 

“The power of a convenience store is tapping into things that people haven’t thought about,” he added. “People having evenings with friends can grab a game and play that night.” 

Trounce told Better Retailing games priced around £10 and designed for three-to-eight players are “ideal” for convenience store purchasing, but added the market is currently at an “experimental” point where buyers are willing to branch out to bigger and more expensive games. 

He said Hachette’s £30 trivia game CDSK or £25 tile-laying game Akropolis were ideal for convenience stores, since they are easy to learn and suit large groups. 

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These are both aimed at adults, but Trounce also said Hachette’s family range is one convenience stores would “massively benefit from”, particularly stores in a “holiday environment” such as seaside towns or caravan parks. 

Trounce said Hachette was looking for “discussions with any convenience stores and retailers that would be interested in experimenting”. 

He added: “[Hachette is] good at market-level research in terms of making sure it finds the right games for their settings. 

“We would work with individual retailers and stores to look at the offerings that would work for them, and the hook that works for their spaces.” 

He suggested convenience stores would benefit from emulating Hachette’s displays in gift shops, with small areas with single units or shelves promoting the games. 

He added Hachette’s margins are around 50% on all products, with a minimum order of £100 and no minimum case numbers. 

“There are a lot of very visually appealing games that are fun to peruse,” Trounce said. 

He added that they have small cardboard display units that “can even be countertop” and ideal for “grab-and-go purchases”. 

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