We have increased space allocation for food titles to accommodate a broader range which we have sourced through Gordon & Gotch. We are working closely on the food section as this is the section of most significant year on year growth – more than 20%. The latest expansion, the second this year, gave us room for an additional seven facings in the regular food department and greater space in our impulse purchase display units.
As the photo shows, we are using key popular titles to act as a beacon to the food section: Master Chef, Donna Hay, Gourmet Traveller, Good Food, Better Homes and Gardens, Family Circle, BETTER basics … all can be easily seen from shoppers in this aisle.
The actual placement of the category is in the middle of the aisle. It is never easy to know whether the start, the middle or the end of an aisle is best. I have heard retail experts argue, especially about placement at the start versus the middle. My feeling is that the middle is where you want to be, and at eye level – hence our considered placement of two pockets of popular titles in the top section of our magazine fixtures.
I agree re placement. We have out food section in the middle of our most prominent magazine section (ie the section that customer have to walk past and line up next to). Have it at the start and you risk people missing it if they aren’t paying attention as they walk past, have it at the end and you risk people having lost interest by the time they reach it.
The start of Winter is the absolute best time for newsagents to expand and move the food category to a more prominent location. The cold weather should have a noticeable positive impact on sales. It also happens to coincide with the start of Masterchef which helps drive the foodie culture. We see a slight drop in health and exercise mags this time of year so we cut these back and use that space for food.
It’s also a great time to pull out the ACP cookbooks with displays and prominent positioning of winter titles such as pressure cooker and slow cooker.