- Since 2011, the scheme has reinvested £10m into the Convenience Channel
- Over 40% of UK symbols and independent stores have participated in the scheme, with the average store engaged benefitting from 12% Category Growth
This year, HEINEKEN UK’s Star Retailer scheme is proud to celebrate its 10th year supporting retailers with Category Advice in the Convenience Channel which has helped the average store benefit from 12% category growth in a competitive market.
10 years and £10m investment from HEINEKEN UK has shaped the landscape of the Convenience Channel. Throughout its duration, over 40% of UK symbols and independent stores have participated in the scheme, establishing it as a leader for Retailer support.
After undertaking research into the Convenience Sector in 2009/10, HEINEKEN UK noticed that the category wasn’t growing at its full potential, primarily due to Retailers receiving little advice, which resulted in poor merchandising and caused slow sellers to be overstocked. These clear challenges in the Beer and Cider Category led to Retailers losing out on sales potential. With this in mind, HEINEKEN UK saw an opportunity to offer Retailers advice on range, category and space. As such, the Star Retailer programme was created and tested across an initial 250 stores.
Since then, the Star Retailer scheme has become an award winning, industry recognised Beer & Cider Category advice initiative for Convenience outlets. Reaching a landmark 10 years is testament to how Star Retailer improves shopper experience and provides growth to the category. In total, since its launch, the scheme has helped over 18,000 stores improve their range and experience a sales increase as a result.
In its 10th year, the scheme will continue to answer the challenges Retailers face through digital initiatives such as exclusive branded social media content for stores to post on their feeds. Retailers will also be provided with greater category information accessible through the Star Retailer website. Furthermore, the scheme will continue to focus on key events, most notably the EURO 2020 football championships (of which Heineken is the lead Beer sponsor), by supplying Retailers with displays and incentives to engage them, as well as bringing the latest product launches to the Convenience Channel.
Toby Lancaster, Category and Shopper Marketing Director at HEINEKEN UK, commented: “It’s a great achievement that the Star Retailer scheme has been able to help over 40% of symbols and independent stores across the UK by contributing an average additional £6k to the Cider and Beer Category per Retailer. We’ve got some exciting innovations in place for our tenth year, including making our digital offering even better as well as some exciting new displays for retailers to use. We’re excited to see the continued success of the scheme.”
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