Perfumes and aftershaves are becoming a common and lucrative category in independent convenience stores, driven by supplier Yodeyma reaching 7,000 shops with its high-mar­gin stands. Retailers told Better Retailing the category is driving strong sales, while the supplier said the top-performing local shops were taking £10,000 per year.

Yodeyma offers 60 lines on 120-day sale or return with a £60 minimum or­der and average margins of 40% per bottle. Kaual Patel, of Nisa Tor­ridon in south London, and Avtar Sidhu, of St John’s Budgens in Kenil­worth, are among those utilising the Spanish sup­plier’s free stands.

Patel said his weekly sales volumes for the range increases to double figures during seasonal periods such as Christmas and Mother’s Day. He stocks 30 out of 60 available products, with prices at £6.50 (15ml), £14.99 (50ml) and £26.99 (100ml).

Commenting on the opportunity, Patel said: “It helps offer a point of difference that no other convenience store has. We get a lot of repeat pur­chases from customers who comment on how good the quality is.

“The success of your sales will be based on how proactively you tell cus­tomers about them. We market them on stands by the till and tell customers which fragrances are best for certain occasions.”

‘Hundred of pounds a week’

Sidhu told Better Retailing he has generated sev­eral hundreds of pounds a week from the products. He added: “We stock 30 lines across the male and female fragrances, and they’ve become a perma­nent mainstay. They’re good quality and add something different if you have the space for it.

“We get a lot of repeat purchases and it’s a big basket driver. They’re cheaper than, but just as good as, some of the big­ger brands. We do equally well on male and female fragrances, with the ‘sportier’ bottles being more popular. It’s about displaying them as a de­partment store would.”

Yodeyma UK country manager Prabh Singh told Better Retailing the company sees convenience as a major area for its products, hav­ing entered the UK mar­ket in 2020. He claimed stores who were actively merchan­dising and promoting the products were generating more than £10,000 in an­nual sales, equivalent to £4,000 profit per year.

Despite the rapid growth, Singh is still looking for further local shops to add its counter­top display units, measur­ing 39cm high by 29cm deep and 45cm wide. Training and support are also available from company reps.

Singh said: “The fra­grance market is massive. Convenience stores have the opportunity to offer a product that was only available in beauty stores, online or airports. This is a new category and is something that will drive revenue outside of areas where margin is being eroded. We are looking for in­dependent convenience stores. We’ve got more reps going out and placing the products in shops.”