OPINION: Why you shouldn’t stop shouting about selling

It’s rare that I’ll say it – and, as Bintesh Amin pointed out, rarer still that it’s something that he is proud of – but I enjoyed seeing pictures of his empty wine shelves on Twitter last weekend.

The conversation around whether or not to price-mark wine, which I covered in my last column, has been interesting to be a part of.

I’m sure that of all the discussions that happen around the world of convenience retail, this is one that is actually FUN, because it is positive and focuses on two clear things: getting things right for the customer, and adding more cash to the bottom line. 

This is about being proud to know what is right for your customers as well. It is about being a brilliant retailer, by knowing what sells in your shop. And it’s about shouting about it to others

I’m sure we can all think of about 20 subjects that we wish the industry would stop talking about, but selling more products should never be one of them.

The wine that was no longer on Binny’s shelves on Sunday morning was, he said to us, “not price-marked and not all were cheap”. As he toddled off to the cash & carry to get his store ready for trading on Sunday again, I started thinking about why people believe in this issue so strongly.

Last week, I said that #choice was crucial, and I think that is right. The thing I really like about this conversation is that every retailer involved in it so far, sharing their opinions on the topic, is proving one simple thing: that they know what is right for their customers.

This is about being proud to know what is right for your customers as well. It is about being a brilliant retailer, by knowing what sells in your shop. And it’s about shouting about it to others, getting other retailers thinking about why they stock specific products.

Binny’s bereft shelves had on them one solitary bottle of Prosecco. As I thought on price-marking more, a press release landed from IRI revealing that sales of prosecco grew 34% in the past year, while wine sales generally fell. Sparkling wine is only worth £904m compared to ‘still’ sales of £5bn, but the timing of the numbers arriving amused me.

Knowing those growing trends, as much as pricing them right, will give you the right to shout about how brilliant you are. And shouting is important.