Eebria, a craft beer distributor allowing shops to simply offer a wider range of goods is celebrating signing up ‘hundreds and hundreds’ of new independent convenience stores in the past year.
In an interview with Better Retailing, Eebria head of trade Matt Stokes admitted while the company started out focused on pubs and bars, independent convenience stores, alongside farm shops and garden centres are now the fastest growing areas for craft beer.
Stokes attributed the uptick in interest to new retailer-friendly changes from many of its brewers such as smaller case sizes and more PoS support. This year, Eebria has also began a partnership with retail buying group Procuria, giving its members ‘additional discounts’.
The group has had a supply deal with Costcutter since 2018 and Eebria told Better Retailing there are more symbol group partnerships are ‘on the horizon’.
‘We’re responding to shop owners’ needs too’, he added, explaining ‘almost all’ its brewers now offer smaller cases of 12 bottles or cans. He also told Better Retailing: “Point of sale and other assets for store owners were not a thing in craft beer until fairly recently, but brewers and us have picked up on how important this is… We’re seeing more shelf talkers and purpose-built bespoke display units.” He advised that often these extras are not sent as standard, but Eebria supports retailers that request them.
The distributor also ranges craft ciders, spirits and soft drinks. It arranges deliveries direct from breweries to stores, allowing it to range 7,000 lines from 650 producers, with 300-500 new products added every Monday. While terms vary between brewers, the head of trade said three cases was the ‘magic number’ allowing free delivery from any supplier. Credit terms are also available.
Asked if this extensive range makes it difficult for stores to pick the right range, Stokes responded: “When a store registers with us, straight of the bat we speak to them, introduce our service and ask what they are looking for… A lot of the independent stores coming to us will say ‘give us 10 lines you think will sell and won’t be hanging around for months on end’, we’ll do that, but we do like to build shops up and use their input because shop owners know their customers best.”
While providing guidance for stores with limited craft beer knowledge, expert retailers benefit from time and complexity savings, according to Eebria’s head of trade. He explained: “If you are trying to update your range or stock you don’t want to have to call 10 breweries… With us, we’ve price checked everything. In five minutes you can place one order with 10 producers. That’s just one payment, one invoice to manage.”
Craft beer and ale price comparison – Pricewatch
Eebria’s tips for selling more craft beer
Ask brewers (and Eebria) for extra support
Stokes says point of sale material and promotional accessories like beer mats and even t-shirts might be available, with stores showcasing their commitment to craft beer likely to benefit most.
Know your products
‘Confidence’ in discussing different breweries or beers before making a recommendation can be a challenge for many convenience stores as they have many different categories to spread their focus over. That’s why ‘clarity of message’ on shelf is so important according to Eebria. This can include using point of sale material, picking beers with clearer front labelling and block merchandising with all of a brewer’s products ranged next to each other.
Use ‘Untappd’
You can search the Eebria website by each beer’s ‘Untappd’ rating – where thousands of customers scored each product. This can help identify, lesser known but well-liked lines.
Specialist merchandising for specialist customers
True specialist craft beer stores can occasionally merchandise by type of beer (such as stout, IPA, APA etc) rather than by brewery. This is good for ‘seasoned veteran’ customers’ but can be a barrier for quick impulse purchasing or purchases by less experienced buyers as products ‘can become wood amongst trees’.
Making the most of a small space
In convenience stores with only a small space available for the segment, focus on what’s popular. Stokes explains: “You can get hung up on the super trendy or higher value stuff but there’s loads and loads of great value, really approachable things out there.” In smaller spaces, fewer breweries and a focus on local produce works well. The local focus is especially important in touristy areas.
Beer caves can win over brewers and customers
According to Eebria, craft brewers love beer caves because these chilled rooms better preserve their products than supermarkets, where they are often held in ambient conditions under heavy lights for ‘months on end’. Stokes explains: “It gives brewers the confidence that you are investing in their product so they’ll invest in you, with t-shirts or bar matts or other bits and pieces that can help with sales and interest in a store.”
He adds that these dedicated beer rooms present a similar message to customers, encouraging them to travel further and more frequently to your store. “, it gives a bit more range than usual and begins to feel like a destination shop, it’s not just somewhere you pass, it’s a place you remember and think of when there’s something specific you want.”
Read more alcohol product news and category advice
Comments
This article doesn't have any comments yet, be the first!