Product Ideas for Grocery Store Pivot
- Thread starter Chanel West
- Start date
From a consumers perspective, I don't think it is going to be nice to come to a grocery shop and see vaping products there. or you have to fully rebuild your shop and sell only vapes.
Upvote
0
so you are considering to close your grocery shop and open online and offline vaping business. Wish you good luck
Upvote
0
Fundamentally you have a serious threat to your business. People like big stores as they get everything in one place. You may want to consider changing completely to something that compliments their store, such as a nice coffee shop, a dry cleaning shop, keys cut/shoes heeled etc. Even a play centre for mums to drop the kids off to while shopping?
Upvote
0
Could you do something innovative and environmental to appeal to alternative consumers that the superstore cannot offer, such as waste-free packaging people bring their own containers and you sell by weight for example? From what I've seen, these retailers can charge more per k.g. and there would be lower running costs. You could also work with small etsy-type makers such as soap, bodyscrubs etc as well as food.
Upvote
0
There is a number of independent stores across the UK doing just this, but unfortunately I don't see this as a long-term business opportunity. Supermarkets are under increasing pressure to reduce packaging and they are doing just that.
Why would some go to one of these stores, which are more expensive and have a limited range?
Upvote
0
Small businesses need their USP. They need to attract a Tribe.
Hunt out the premium brands and sell those maybe, or local producers, or organic - or both.
There's plenty of those kind of shops around by me, and just looking at their many Google reviews indicates they are busy and thriving.
It's about perceived value to the consumer. You would have interaction with them as you weigh-out their goods and have a chat, something that chains don't usually do.
But also you need to believe in what you are doing, whatever it is that you choose.
Good luck I hope you thrive in these crazy times.
Upvote
0
T
The Byre
So far the advice here has been pretty bad and does not reflect what has happened in those stores that succeeded when giant supermarkets open up next to them. @Ally Maxwell more or less nailed it with one word - though I would stretch that to most of what has been written.
What actually works in the real world of real shops is to do a careful analysis of what it is that the large chain is NOT selling - and to ask the question why they do not sell those things.
That is EXACTLY what a few shops in our area did and they diversified in different directions. The gaping holes were spices, homebrew, foods and other things for non-Brits and organic basics such as flour and vegetables and meat.
The reasons that the big boys avoid these things are because (1) they have to buy for the whole of the UK and they only want to deal with giant vendors that can sell X-hundreds of tons of the stuff. They can't buy a box of this and a packet of that. (2) Certain things only appeal to a few people and these are not spread out evenly across the UK. (3) Some products (homebrew) are politically unacceptable as they may be seen to encourage unwelcome behaviour. (4) Some products are not easily available at all times (e.g. locally slaughtered organic meat) and a giant chain must be seen to have the same things on offer at all times.
So one shop right opposite a huge Morrisons now has homebrewing kit and supplies as their number one selling range, as well as organic baking supplies including baking tins for breads and cakes and all the bits and pieces that go with that stuff. That is about 150 sq m of floor space just for that.
Another became a spice and health-food store and sells spices in kilo and 5kg bags and organic unbleached flours in 1kg and 15kg bags. They evolved into a small retail front shop of about 30 sq m and a 200 sq m wholesale unit for restaurants and smaller shops throughout the district.
One became a deli and sells anything and everything that non-British Europeans want like real bread, sauerkraut, condiments that the Brits don't know (e.g. Maggi, Jamaican sauces) and freshly roasted coffee beans (which also lead to a healthy sale of coffee grinders and other coffee apparatus. The smell of coffee beans roasting drew people in from across the street!
So that is what small shops that were lucky enough to have a giant open up right next to them did. They used the opportunity to their advantage.
BUT be warned, you (a) have to get it right and get your lines of supply in place before you do anything - and (b) it's an all-or-nothing deal. The old usual wholesale rubbish has to go and in all cases, the owners renamed and rebranded their shops. Wholefood, health-food, deli, farm-shop - those seem to be the keywords.
What actually works in the real world of real shops is to do a careful analysis of what it is that the large chain is NOT selling - and to ask the question why they do not sell those things.
That is EXACTLY what a few shops in our area did and they diversified in different directions. The gaping holes were spices, homebrew, foods and other things for non-Brits and organic basics such as flour and vegetables and meat.
The reasons that the big boys avoid these things are because (1) they have to buy for the whole of the UK and they only want to deal with giant vendors that can sell X-hundreds of tons of the stuff. They can't buy a box of this and a packet of that. (2) Certain things only appeal to a few people and these are not spread out evenly across the UK. (3) Some products (homebrew) are politically unacceptable as they may be seen to encourage unwelcome behaviour. (4) Some products are not easily available at all times (e.g. locally slaughtered organic meat) and a giant chain must be seen to have the same things on offer at all times.
So one shop right opposite a huge Morrisons now has homebrewing kit and supplies as their number one selling range, as well as organic baking supplies including baking tins for breads and cakes and all the bits and pieces that go with that stuff. That is about 150 sq m of floor space just for that.
Another became a spice and health-food store and sells spices in kilo and 5kg bags and organic unbleached flours in 1kg and 15kg bags. They evolved into a small retail front shop of about 30 sq m and a 200 sq m wholesale unit for restaurants and smaller shops throughout the district.
One became a deli and sells anything and everything that non-British Europeans want like real bread, sauerkraut, condiments that the Brits don't know (e.g. Maggi, Jamaican sauces) and freshly roasted coffee beans (which also lead to a healthy sale of coffee grinders and other coffee apparatus. The smell of coffee beans roasting drew people in from across the street!
So that is what small shops that were lucky enough to have a giant open up right next to them did. They used the opportunity to their advantage.
BUT be warned, you (a) have to get it right and get your lines of supply in place before you do anything - and (b) it's an all-or-nothing deal. The old usual wholesale rubbish has to go and in all cases, the owners renamed and rebranded their shops. Wholefood, health-food, deli, farm-shop - those seem to be the keywords.
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote
0
The problem is that you’ve asked the wrong question, so attracted a lot of wrong answers
There is only one right answer and that is ‘it depends’
Depends on the demographic of your local footfall
The strengths and (particularly) weaknesses of the particular supermarket
The offerings of other local stores
Your own contact/ knowledge sets
Our opinions on what the should sell are frankly irrelevant without this detail
There is only one right answer and that is ‘it depends’
Depends on the demographic of your local footfall
The strengths and (particularly) weaknesses of the particular supermarket
The offerings of other local stores
Your own contact/ knowledge sets
Our opinions on what the should sell are frankly irrelevant without this detail
Upvote
0
there are some key facts that needed:
will the new superstore increase footfall past you shop or reduce it?
will people driving to the supermarket drive close by your shop and is your shop close enough for such people to 'pop in' whilst parked.
and what is the supermarket? theres a big difference in demographic between Waitrose and B&m home bargains.
The Byre above has some great ideas: chose compatible niche not compete and you might succeed.
My wife, before lockdown used to do her shop in Waitrose then walk to a nearby petshop where she bought high quality raw food for our dog.
will the new superstore increase footfall past you shop or reduce it?
will people driving to the supermarket drive close by your shop and is your shop close enough for such people to 'pop in' whilst parked.
and what is the supermarket? theres a big difference in demographic between Waitrose and B&m home bargains.
The Byre above has some great ideas: chose compatible niche not compete and you might succeed.
My wife, before lockdown used to do her shop in Waitrose then walk to a nearby petshop where she bought high quality raw food for our dog.
Upvote
0
Interesting that there are no specialized competitors nearby. Most towns (and even villages these days) have at least one vape/e-cig shop!
It could well be worth your while exploring this as an option but as others have said also consider online, as the repeat business through the website is likely to bigger than through the shop. Having things like ApplePay, GooglePay and 'remember me' at the checkout will also be an advantage. CBD is an ever growing industry so look into this also.
In terms of making sure your business doesn't suffer due to the introduction of the large store, get your existing client base to champion you, get on local facebook/twitter groups etc with deals for your customers, ask them what product lines they would like to see, run some giveaways, get some leaflets printed to drop with local residents and businesses etc
Best of luck whatever you decide to do.
Upvote
0
Latest Articles
-
What Carphone Warehouse, Microsoft and Uber Have in Common: They Started in a DownturnThere's a comforting myth that you need a booming economy to start...- Ozzy
- Updated:
-
What Makes a Small Business Actually Sellable?There's a question that a lot of small business owners never think to...
- Ozzy
- Updated:
-
Why Your Team Keeps Asking the Same Questions (And What to Actually Do About It)Every small business owner knows the moment. You're halfway through...
- Ozzy
- Updated:
-
At What Point Do Courier Losses Just Become a Cost of Doing Business?If you sell physical products online, you already know the feeling. You...
- Ozzy
- Updated:
-
What I Wish I'd Known Before Using AI in My BusinessSomewhere between the headlines promising AI will transform everything...
- Ozzy
- Updated:
