Inside Convenience Corner's Success

Range Matters for Convenience Corner

Convenience Corner is one of our best-performing retailers for alcohol sales, beating their rivals in a busy trading environment. We visited the store to meet its owner, Keith Marlow to find out how they’d achieved such success.

Location, Location, Location

Convenience Corner is located on Brighton high street, just off the seafront. Being situated on the busiest street in the UK’s most popular seaside destination guarantees lots of foot traffic, but the store also caters for drivers with two parking spaces outside.

Such an ideal location means fierce competition for Convenience Corner. Within walking distance are two c-stores, Shiv News and St James’s Off license as well as a Tesco Express, an M Local and a Co-Op. To compete, Keith outprices his smaller competition while matching the substantial range that the multiples offer.

Outpricing his local competition

Keith is smart about his pricing and offers a mixture of price points. For each category, you’ll find budget brands such as Happy Shopper and Euro Shopper alongside premium established branded products, allowing him to appeal to shoppers of all wallet sizes. Even on branded products, Convenience Corner is often cheaper than its larger rivals. For example, a 1-litre bottle of Smirnoff Vodka goes for £13.79 in Convenience Corner compared to £19.00 at the nearby Tesco Express.

To promote the great deals on offer at Convenience Corner, Keith also relies on Price Marked Packs (PMP’s).

Interestingly, it’s not only the trust factor that makes PMP’s so powerful but also simple perception. According to Him! consumer research, 33% of shoppers believe that PMP’s feature a reduced price so shoppers feel as if they’re getting a great deal, regardless of the discount.

Matching the multiples on Range

Being cheaper means nothing if you don’t sell what people are looking to buy. That’s why Keith works with his customers to use his space to maximum potential. In just one metre, for example, you’ll find pasta, rice, oils, condiments, canned goods, salt and even eggs – a range of products that would take up an aisle or two in the nearby Tesco Express.

On alcohol alone, Keith offers a substantial range. From standard fayre like Lagers, Wines and Vodka to craft beers and spirits such as Rum, Whiskey, Gin, Brandy and more, virtually any tipple is available from Convenience Corner. Keith has also situated his alcohol behind the counter in place of his normal Tobacco gantry, giving it better visibility with shoppers. Doing this has also helped him reduce theft of valuable stock.