JTI has announced four national winners as part of the final stage of its Nordic Spirit Perfect Store Competition.

Starting in 2022, and as part of the wider ‘Perfect Store Guide’, retailers have been judged against five pillars to generate awareness of nicotine pouches in-store among existing adult smokers and vapers, and boost sales of Nordic Spirit.

The final winners are: Daniel Ryan, of Hiccups Off License in Stoke-on-Trent; Depan Patel of Bon Bon in Canterbury; Hanif Master, of Ribble Valley Forecourt in Burnley; and Shantha Kumar, of Premier Downen in Bristol. The supplier said that each retailer excelled in JTI’s points system and will receive a prize bundle worth up to £20,000 per store. This includes a paid trip to the Nordic region, £2,000 wholesaler credit, tickets to events, and more.

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Bruce Terry, portfolio brand manager at JTI UK, said: “The Perfect Store competition has been a huge success over the past year, and we want to thank all the retailers that have been involved. We are pleased to finally share our winners and hope that all involved have seen the benefits of following the five key pillars which consist of maintaining distribution and availability, ensuring clear visibility, increasing brand presence, building up your knowledge and competitive on-shelf pricing.

“We would encourage other retailers to look at our Perfect Store framework with the support of their JTI Business Advisers and see how they can elevate their nicotine pouch offering in store to really make the most of the opportunity – especially now Nordic Spirit is now worth £1.6 million a month, with the category continuing to grow.”

Retailer Hanif Master said: “We were the only shop in a busy location selling Nordic Spirit. In the first six weeks of following the Nordic Spirit Perfect Store model, my sales of Nordic Spirit in store increased from 30% to 65%.  We restock twice a week and are finding the same customers are coming back and we’re also generating new customers.

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“The selection of flavours was of interest to our shoppers. The great thing about Nordic Spirit is there is no smoke, no vapour, and you can enjoy it indoors, outdoors and even when travelling. We have invested time in educating staff about Nordic Spirit and therefore they are confident talking to customers on a daily basis.”

Retailers can visit JTI Advance and speak to their local JTI Business Adviser to find out more about Nordic Spirit and implementing the Perfect Store guidelines in their store, as well as upcoming campaigns, retailer initiatives and competitions planned for the future.

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