Pricemarked packs (PMP) continue to play a vital role in prompting sales and encouraging repeat purchases through convenience stores, HIM’s PMP study 2013 has revealed.

More than 80% of UK adults said they were “very aware” of prices when shopping in convenience stores, up from 74% in 2011, the study said.
In addition,13% of UK adults said they intended to buy more pricemarked products over the next 12 months.

Receiving good value for money meant that 80% of shoppers were likely to repurchase a product, while 61% said they thought that PMPs helped independent local retailers to compete with the supermarkets.

Half of all retailers questioned also said that they intended to stock more PMPs in the next 12 months.

Independent retailer Lionel Cashin of The News Shop, Market Weighton, Yorkshire, said he had recently boosted the number of pricemarked tobacco products on his gantry, a move which has contributed to a 10% rise in his year-on-year tobacco sales. “Consumers, and in particular adult smokers, are definitely more price conscious than ever and will scan the gantry for the best deal,” he said.

In addition to making their stores more price competitive, retailers claimed that PMPs also saved them time on having to price up products and gave them more consistent profit margins.

However, most retailers said they would also like to see more promotional activity such as multi-buys, around PMPs too.