“Valued at £4.9 billion and growing at 5.3%, the confectionery market offers excellent sales opportunities for retailers if executed well in-store.  We don’t have a one-size-fits-all approach to category management at Mars Chocolate and are committed to working closely with our retailers, helping them to better understand their customers’ shopping needs and tailor their ranges accordingly. There are however some key tips that every retailer can follow to drive return…” – Bep Dhaliwal, Mars Chocolate Trade Communications Manager

Key Points

Display space is at a premium, which makes it imperative for retailers to stock a range that drives sales every day. Shoppers have higher expectations than ever and there are some products that they always expect to be available, these are often the brands they know and trust.

Profit growth is about having the right core display of confectionery; retailers should continuously evaluate which of the lines they stock add value every day and delist poor performers as a matter of course. This will automatically create more shelf space for stronger lines.

There are six simple steps that retailers can follow to boost sales:

1. Select the right range
2. Locate the bestsellers in the best sites
3. Multi-face the bestsellers
4. Group lines by product category
5. Allocate space according to sales achieved
6. Site confectionery in areas of high traffic flow

Simply implementing these steps could generate a sales uplift of up to 12%!

Once the main display is optimised, retailers can then look to implement secondary sites throughout the store, for example, siting exciting NPD such as Galaxy Bites at the till-point to create an additional point of interest and capitalise on impulse sales opportunities.

What to stock

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Planograms

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Retailer Testimonials

Mr and Mrs Thevathas, of Spar Hazelton, Waterlooville, Hampshire have not only seen a significant increase in confectionery sales after introducing Mars’ category advice, but also report that more customers are purchasing chocolate items on impulse now that they have placed the confectionery in their chillers due to warm weather.

Independent retailers Dipak and Dina Gandecha have been in business since 1990 and play a well-established role in the local community. They have recently taken the time to install a number of secondary sitings in-store as consulted by their Mars Sales Representative. They have so far achieved a 225% uplift in their sales of Galaxy Large Block chocolate, achieved by installing branded POS; a 12% average uplift of the confectionery products on sales in their Bambino counter-top unit and have been able to stock 5 new Treat Bag lines, thanks to installing a Slenda Glenda fixture. The couple commented: “Secondary sitings have performed amazingly well in our store…they directly attract the impulse shopper and tempt them into making a purchase. The results speak for themselves!”

Independent retailer John Hothi from Denton Burn, Newcastle recently implemented a number of the Mars confectionery display principles in his shop and achieved a 20% uplift in overall confectionery sales!

Having run Premier Stores in Benwell for over 25 years, Mr Hothi knows most of his customers by name and hopes to help support and promote the local youth football team in the near future.

Following on from his display success, Mr Hothi advises that retailers should delist the slowest selling 10% of their confectionery ranges and fill the new space with the bestsellers.