IAA22 Category Star for Merchandising & Display: Mulkerns Spar Jonesborough, Newry

How important is Merchandising & Display to your business and why?

Merchandising & Display is the customer’s first impression of the store, so for me, it starts outside the front and making sure the store is clean and presentable from the outside. In the shop, we make sure the aisles are faced up and there’s availability.

What three things have you done since June 2021 that set you apart in Merchandising & Display?

1. Flower displays outside the front of the shop have been a big one for us. We also have staff give their ideas on the display, which has increased by flower sales by nearly £2,000 at seasonal times.
2. We added a promotional bay so we now have six promotional bays at each end of our aisles. Whenever we merchandise them, we make sure whatever aisle the bay is on that we have promotions related to that aisle on it.
3. We do big bulk displays in the middle of the store with every promotion. That could be a pyramid of stock or colour-coordinated circles, just to have something different in the middle of the shop that customers look to.

What’s the biggest trend or challenge you’ve adapted to (besides Covid-19) in Merchandising & Display since 2021?

The biggest trend has been in-store theatre. I believe that having a big display in-store is important. At Halloween, we had a pumpkin patch display from which people could pick their own pumpkins. At Christmas, we had a Santa’s grotto and a Christmas tree outside so customers could take photos with it. We turned Coca-Cols cases into a Christmas tree shape with different colour boxes.

What’s the biggest and best change you’ve made in your business in Merchandising & Display since June 2021 and why?

Re-planograming the whole store. We’re very tight with planograms, we review and change them every six weeks, which makes it easier for customers to find our biggest brands in front of their face. It’s really important to make sure we draw people down the aisle so they see deals and are drawn to promotions. We have PoS in from of them so they stand out as well.

What have you done when thinking of Merchandising & Display to retain shoppers since June 2021?

The re-planogramming has been the biggest measure, but so as in-store theatre because people come in all the time to take photographs. We also have spider fridges at the front of the store which we turned to face the customer. As soon as they walk in, there are dump bins and spider fridges, so they’ll pick up more

Who would you recommend retailers turn to if they’re looking to improve Merchandising & Display?

I visit other retailers. I also see shops that maybe aren’t even in the same country which have done cool displays and I’d love to try and do it in my own way. Pinterest is also really good. At Christmas, we type in ‘Christmas retail displays’ and get inspiration from shops in Spain and Germany.