Schoeller Allibert is the first British manufacturer to develop a new quarter footprint reusable wheeled folding merchandising unit designed to help retailers attract and retain the growing number of convenience shoppers.
Due to launch later this year, the Minipac is a new one touch distribution, merchandising and stock replenishment system that enables retailers to offer more product choice in less space. Minipac is ideal for the narrower aisles and restricted display area of the convenience store format.
High fuel prices, falling disposable income, smaller households and longer working hours mean that many shoppers are managing their budgets by using a wider range of stores and also favouring a little and often approach to grocery shopping. This has led to a rise in demand for modern convenience stores, which now represent over 20% of the total UK food and beverage retail market. In fact multiple convenience stores, alongside discount supermarkets, are showing the strongest retail growth and now all of the major supermarkets already have, or are developing, small store formats.
As shopper spend shifts towards convenience stores, the sector is becoming increasingly competitive and retailers need to be able to offer a good range of products, particularly fresh produce. The new Minipac distribution and point of display unit has been developed by Schoeller Allibert to meet the needs of this growing market by making merchandising more flexible and efficient.
Simon Moulson, head of retail sales, who developed the Minipac concept with the Schoeller Allibert Design Team, explains: “Just because a growing segment of consumers want to shop little and often at a local convenience store or discount supermarket, doesn’t mean they don’t want choice. They still demand a wide product choice and this can be challenging for retailers within the constraints of a small store layout.
“We developed the new Minipac unit to enable retailers to display a wider range of products in the space they have available, while at the same time reducing handling time and protecting the produce throughout the supply chain. Suppliers can load the products into the Minipac unit at the distribution centre; it can be safely transported, unloaded and wheeled straight into store ready to be displayed.
“We designed Minipac both for convenience stores, to enable them to be make better use of the limited space they have and for larger supermarkets to be able to offer a wider choice to customers. At the moment a store might only have space to display two trays of potatoes but the new merchandising unit we have designed would allow them to display more varieties in the same space, whilst offering better protection for the produce. For example, much of the point of sale activity for eggs is currently done with cardboard packaging, which doesn’t offer much protection. Using the Minipac system would help to reduce breakages and use space more efficiently. It can also be used as an off shelf display for promotions.”
The Minipac is a reusable transit packaging concept that protects produce from packer or processor to distribution centre to shopping basket, with no need for staff to handle or decant stock at any stage of the supply chain. The unit has been designed so that it can be wheeled smoothly through the tightest aisles with a footprint of just 600 x 400mm. Both sides fold for maximum product presence at point of sale and there are no corner posts to obstruct picking when more than one door is open.
The Minipac merchandising unit also ensures products are protected throughout the supply chain with impact resistant sides and stable stacking. The stackable units enable more efficient use of vehicle space and the containers fold down to maximise space on the return journey.
Schoeller Allibert
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