CASE STUDY
THE TAHAMTAN BROTHERS
The most important thing for us to do is be knowledgeable on all brands so if a customer wants to make a switch we can recommend the best product for their needs
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ogether, brothers Saeid and Sohil Tahamtan run the Family News Stand in Kingston, ON. They’ve been in the c-store business for more than three decades, so they’ve seen major changes to the way the tobacco category is merchandised and sold. “When we first started our business, tobacco dispensing machines were still available. The ID system was pretty much non-existent, so if an underage person came in with a note from their parents, we could have sold them tobacco,” says Saeid. “It has come around quite a bit since then.” Although Saeid has seen a decline in the sale of tobacco at his site, it’s still one of the most important categories for building customers’ baskets. “When people come in to buy a pack of cigarettes, they usually buy other high-profit items, like gum, lighters, candy and chips. Tobacco opens up people’s purses to make other purchases. It’s a traffic driver,” he says. Here’s how the Tahamtan’s ensure the tobacco category isn’t ‘out of sight out of mind’ for their adult tobacco customers and their employees.
FIRST, TRAIN YOUR STAFF The Tahamtans are in a fortunate position: They both work full time in their store, and they’ve got two parttime employees who have been with them for eight years. They might not be dealing with high turnover, but that doesn’t mean ongoing training isn’t necessary. Making the most of every sales opportunity is key to a robust tobacco category. Tahamtan says the secret to this is knowing what you’re selling. “The most important thing for us to do is be knowledgeable on all brands so if a customer wants to make a switch we can recommend the best product for their needs,” he says, adding that, “A lot of customers will ask for alternatives to a brand, and that’s when you can ask what they’re
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NOVEMBER | DECEMBER 2017
looking for and present the options to them. Do they want to go lighter? Stronger? Or find a different price point?” Whenever they receive literature from a tobacco rep, they make sure their employees see it so they’re always aware of new products, what’s different about the product or any other changes. The Tahamtans have introduced a binder for each of the major tobacco companies – RBH, Imperial, JTI – with inserts on each product. They also encourage employees to take part in online training programs offered by tobacco companies.
SECOND, DEVELOP A SYSTEM Since customers can’t point to a product, and employees can’t simply scan the shelf quickly to find a particular brand, developing an organizational system has been very important. “To make it all easier, we keep all brands together. Du Maurier and everything in that family stays together, for example. JTI brands, Imperials brands and RBH brands all have their own areas, and then we organize it from the strongest to the lightest,” says Tahamtan. The brothers have drawn a map of the tobacco product layout that employees can keep with them and study. “It didn’t take them long to get a good understanding of the system – usually within a week,” he explains. “You don’t just hire them and train them for a day and say ‘see ya later’. It just doesn’t work like that. My brother and I worked side-by-side with our employees for at least a month to make sure they’re comfortable, and we quiz them to make sure they understand the system,” he says.
TAKE CARE OF THE PRODUCT Your customers won’t keep coming back for their tobacco products if your stock is expired or stale. That’s why regular rotation is key. “Rotation is ongoing. Ever since RBH and Imperial went to direct-store delivery, their presence in the store isn’t what it used to be,” says Tahamtan. “I remember
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