Nelan Budwall
Maximus Food & Wines, Bradford

Wine sales have really taken off, even during my quiet periods. The end result is I’m buying an extra 20 cases of wine a week which equates to a sales increase of 22%.

BLUEPRINT NEWS

BLUEPRINT : RETAILERS ACHIEVE LONG TERM 25% SALES BOOST

28/06/09	« news index

The FWD Take Home Blueprint has released figures from 80 independent retailers which demonstrate that the long-established beers, wines and spirits educational guide brings big sales benefits for the long term once its principles have been implemented in-store.

Scheme organisers say that after the Blueprint has been embedded and store owners and staff understand its fundamentals, increases in profits will become embedded too.

Blueprint chairman Alan Toft said: “For the first time retailers have reported back to us their sales over the last 18 months.  This set of sales data means we can prove that the Blueprint will rout the recession- the reality is that it's a crunch beater.  

“Retailers in need - and there are a lot out there - will see sales increase if they adopt the Blueprint, that's guaranteed. And like the retailers who have supplied 18 month data, these sales increases will stick.” he said.

The scheme is not only proving its cash value to retailers but also to the industry which funds the activity as an advisory educational programme, free at the point of delivery to all independent c stores, newsagents and rural shops.

Data from local stores shows that the average return on investment for each shop, which underwent a Blueprint makeover, is far above any previous estimate. 

The scheme is funded as objective guidance based on accepted independent market data and consumer preferences. The end result of investment by the industry is a return of times 272  - which the Blueprint claims is unmatched by any food and drink makeover scheme that is free to the store owner.

This is based on an average annual increase per shop of £36,281 – a 25% increase, with each in-store makeover costing on average £200. Under the auspices of the Blueprint scheme, merchandisers visit the shop at the invitation of the owner and re-lay the off licence shelves to professional standards.

This may take one or two days - under the terms of reference established when the activity was launched in 1994 universal access to the Blueprint is available to big independent outlets and small stores. 

The Blueprint's copper-bottomed guarantee of increased sales to independents has never been invoked since the scheme was launched. This suggests that many independents with off licences were not - and are still not - putting the right products on the appropriate shelves.

Ross Shelley, Scheme Director, said:" There are many, many independents who are earning good money from stores with professionally merchandised displays. 
 
“But in such a large and fragmented market it is unfortunate that there are still far too many local shops with jumble sale displays -the wrong products on the wrong shelves."

28/06/09	« news index