PERSONAL CARE Clean sales

Value Is Key

As shoppers’ priorities change in the face of the cost-of-living crisis, convenience retailers will have to work hard to stay relevant, warns Kat Simpson, Unilever UK category

“They can do this by flexing their range towards more affordable brands across the different segments. Key categories to focus on would be shower/bath and deodorants, with body sprays being popular as they can double-up as perfume,” Simpson says.

The toiletries category is worth £277m to the convenience channel, and sells as both distress purchases and part of a basket shop. It also offers decent margins and doesn’t take up too much space.

Data supplied by distributor DCS Group shows that key lines in convenience are deodorants and body sprays, with sales at £18m a year and up 19% year on year, according to latest Nielsen figures. Dental care is worth £15.9m, up 6.2% year on year, and washing and bathing is at £14.9m, down 9.5%. Period products are at £14.9m, up 4%, this time according to recent IRI figures, with hair care, skin care and shaving the next biggest sellers.

What sells well in a particular shop will vary according to the demographics and demands of the area, so retailers need to assess their range accordingly.

John Vine, of Vine & Co in Church Stretton, Shropshire, has an older local population who come in for Fixodent and Steradent in the dental care range, as well as Vaseline and Sudacrem. “Our shoppers tend to be older and they like the traditional brands, such as Imperial Leather and Johnson’s talc. Carex handwash and Listerine mouthwash does well. We have O’Keeffe’s Working Hands cream, which is £10.60 and does well,” says Vine.

But there is also a campsite nearby, which sees summer demand for items that campers may have forgotten, such as shower gel and toothpaste.

Abdul Arain, at Al-Amin Cambridge, also has a distinct clientele. “Around here we have a lot of people visiting the area and they may come in in the evening or morning to pick up something that they have forgot ten for their overnight stay,” he says. He says deodorant and toothpaste are his key sellers. Lynx for men and Lux for women are the two bestsell ing brands at the store.

In most cases, the entry-level product is the top priority, and trade-up products can be added once all the shopper needs are covered, Matt Stanton, at DCS Group, recom-

“Through the cost-of-living crisis, demonstrating value for money to shoppers is the most important factor for gaining share of their spend,” he says. However, this is still a category where brands remain important.

Best-one Preens in Wakefield, West Yorkshire, stocks shower gels, shampoos, deodorants and toothpaste. “We don’t do much own label, it tends to be brands like Lynx that sell,” says manager Kugan Rasu.

Let Customers Know

It is a good idea to make the category as visible as possible, to attract more high-value planned top-up shoppers and drive impulse purchases.

Visibility is, in fact, the number-