Omar Nasir, who has stores in three very different parts of Motherwell, talks to Scottish Grocer about tailoring his energy drinks ranges to suit the needs of different customers.
ENERGY drinks is a category that just keeps expanding. But with so many new varieties coming out and only so much room on the shelves, how are retailers to know what to stock?
For Motherwell retailer Omar Nasir, who owns three convenience stores in the town, knowing your customers is crucial. He has tweaked the range in every store to suit their different requirements.
At Spar Leven Street, in a residential area, established names like Red Bull and Rockstar are very strong sellers, both with tradesmen through the week and party-goers at the weekend. However, Digby’s Day Today, in Muir Street in the town centre, is another story entirely.
“Because we’re near the train station and a pound shop people are looking for something cheap,” said Omar. “Red Bull isn’t so popular, but I can sell Emerge Water and Dynamite because of the price.”
Hamilton Road Spar is a short walk from Dalziel High School and very popular with pupils because of its hot food counter.
When it comes to energy drinks, with a younger clientele, new and varied flavours – such as Rockstar Freeze or Emerge Juicy Berry – are hugely important.
While some brands are more popular in some stores than other, one takes the top spot in all three – Emerge, which Omar offers with his own year-round promotion of three for £1.
“It’s a good offer and it still makes good margin,” he said. “I’ve tried offering cheaper own-brand stuff, but it had a completely different taste and customers didn’t like it. They also didn’t look very attractive. Emerge has a good look, name and taste, so selling it at that price makes it very popular in every store.”
