Merchandising with the Masters 2015: Part One

Pay attention to fixture placement

Merchandising is an essential part of successful retailing, and one of the most critical assessment categories in our learning and development programme, the Independent Achievers Academy.

Wrigley and Retail Express’s Merchandising with Masters project aims to increase the knowledge and skills of three retailers by improving sales in the mints and gum category, as well as increasing their IAA category score.

See how Paul and Gail Mather, Paul Hammond and Ian Handley got on when Wrigley’s Simon Scarborough paid them a visit.

“We are very proud of our store. Our mints and gum fixture is one area we really need help with. We’ve got a good range with the bestsellers visible, but what doesn’t work is that we use a shelf fixture from another category, which was meant for another product.

Customers can’t get to the product very well and we can’t get to it to clean it either so it’s definitely not in the best place. It’s the one thing we want to address.”
Gail & Paul Mather, Sherston Village Stores

Wrigley says

“Paul and Gail have a fantastic rural store with loads of great ideas, from locally-produced products and promotions to excellent merchandising and PoS across every category. They have a fairly strong range of mints and gum already, but the fixture is not in the best place.

By moving the fixture from where it currently sits to the front of the till point, I think sales will improve by as much as 30%. It’s a top store and today we’re going to get mints and gum in line with the rest.”

Action plan

1) In with the new:
Simon’s first change is to remove the old fixture and replace it with a new customised unit from Wrigley. The shelves are modern and designed to accommodate the bestsellers and latest product launches and fit snugly underneath the cash register. “Moving the shelves from the side to the front of the till point will grow sales by 30%,” he says.

2) Clear and easy:
Next, Simon adds the stickers and PoS to the fixture to help customers navigate the fixture with ease and get access to new products. “We have two new products on the market, Extra White Bubblemint, so I’m going to sticker up what you’ve got but if you decide you want to change I’ll leave stickers for the new products too.”

3) All change:
Paul, Gail and Simon discuss the range and changes that the couple might make over the coming weeks. Paul asks whether there is anything they are missing. “I’d recommend trying the Extra Ice Mints in a tin – they are the fastest growing sugar-free mints,” says Simon.