Heineken’s Star Retailer programme has increased sales in independent shops by £24m in two years.

Launched in 2012, the Star Retailer reward scheme has been built around three key areas of focus: range, merchandising and space.

Premier retailer Dennis Williams (top) said: “I thought the fundamentals of the scheme were very good. It helped me focus on the slow selling SKUs that were taking
up space and sales in my chiller, particularly on cider. I get to grow my sales and
get rewarded from Heineken as well.”

Meanwhile, Londis retailer Raj Aggarwal (right) saw double digit growth across the beer and cider category after joining the programme.

For 2014 and beyond, Heineken is increasing the number of retailers supported by its sales reps to cover 25% of small licensed stores in the UK. There will also be a Star Retailer communications package featuring Twitter and an upgraded website.

Visit www.starretailer.co.uk

Star Retailer results

• The Star Retailer scheme has grown cider and beer sales by 12% among participating retailers
• This equates to approximately £24m worth of additional value sales driven by the Star Retailer scheme in 2012 and 2013
• £1m worth of reward points have been awarded to Star Retailers since the beginning of the scheme