Sharon's convenience store report

Sharon Kane, area manager at Henderson Retail in Northern Ireland, on driving food-to-go business in spite of the downturn.

At the beginning of the recession, one department in our stores which seemed to take a bit of a hit was pre-packed sandwiches. This was mostly because the workmen on the road, those who were lucky enough to keep their jobs but still facing uncertainty about the future, found it cheaper to buy a loaf and make their own.

However, we were able to sustain sales from our sandwich bars and hot food serve-over counters.

Two factors contributed to this success. Firstly, it is hard to beat a freshly made sandwich versus a soggy sandwich, which has been prepared the night before and then sits in a lunchbox all day. Secondly, cold weather affects sales just as much as hot weather. We have had one of the coldest winters ever this year and many people, who are out on the road all day, prefer a warm bowl of stew or soup rather than a cold packed lunch. They also favour a warm fry up to get them going in the morning.

Sales continue to grow in the store I managed in Cullybackey, which has always had a busy food-to-go operation. It has continued to build on this success by constantly making new products and adding to the range.

The store operates its own brand, Maine Kitchen, as the shop is situated beside the River Maine.

Some of the newly introduced products include mash potatoes, bacon and cabbage, champ, cheese mash, and chicken and vegetable bakes, which can all be conveniently reheated in the oven or microwave.

Although they are slightly more expensive than buying the ingredients, the time saved in preparation makes up for the extra cost; especially when people can be working more hours and with some even doing two jobs to make ends meet.

Many of our forecourt sites have introduced concessions such as Subway or The Streat, which are independently run, and offer a range of hot and cold snacks to take away.

These in-store concessions bring people in and take away the hassle of operating a food-to-go serve-over counter, which has become increasingly difficult due to Environmental Health regulations and laws.

To complement the food, we still sell our own coffee. A quality coffee offer is a big footfall driver in stores, especially the forecourts.

We have introduced the Tim Horton’s brand in many of our sites, which also features a tasty doughnut and muffin range. This has proved to be successful in both forecourt and non-fuel sites because there is something to appeal to everyone including lattes, cappuccinos, hot chocolate and a range of speciality teas.

As the weather has started to get slightly warmer, we have seen the sales of pre-pack sandwiches beginning to rise.

This is a good sign people have more confidence in spending and have started to move away from the home-made lunch in favour of convenience.

If we have a good summer and more sunny days I think we will see an even bigger increase in sales of convenience products. When the sun is shining the last thing people want to do is stand in the kitchen making packed lunches, after a long day at work.

Hot or cold it’s amazing how weather can impact sales. And, with the winter now clearly over, all I can say is, “bring on the sun”.

Sharon Kane

Sharon Kane: freshly prepared food is a winner