Nice N Easy Store Brands Steadily Grow

June 17, 2010

New York convenience store chain Nice N Easy Grocery Shoppes is expanding its store brands portfolio, including packaged snacks, beverages and coffee.

easy street kettle chips "We have selected categories that we feel we are being held hostage by direct-store delivery (DSD) vendors with questionable service and terrible profit margins,” Jared Sturtevant, director of category management for Nice N Easy told Convenience Store News. “This was our way of taking off the handcuffs -- this do-it-yourself approach has improved our presentation and margins."

The chain also decided some time ago to extend its Easy Street foodservice brand to some of its other consumable store brands products. Over the past year, the 78-unit chain rolled out four lines: Easy Street Bakery packaged sweet snacks with 15 SKUs; brand n7 Restorative Hydrating Drink with four SKUs; 12-ounce bags of Easy Street Coffee and six SKUs of Easy Street Gourmet Snacks Kettle Chips.

"Being a smaller chain, we don't have as many [supplier] options as other retailers,” Sturtevant said. “First, we have to find a company that has obtainable minimums. Next, they have to have great product and a respectable resume. It hasn't been easy, and in my opinion it's quite remarkable that we have been able to launch four successful private label lines in two years."

Future product development includes family-sized chips packages as well as new flavors and new snacks including plain potato chips and pretzels.

Interestingly, Nice N Easy’s store brand kettle chips are outselling Doritos, according to Sturtevant.

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Keywords: business, companies, convenience, easy street, food and beverage, industry, markets, nice n easy, nice n easy grocery shoppes, private label beverages, private label food, private label snacks, store brand beverages, store brand food, store brand snacks

Comments (1) - Post a Comment

Small chains have unique marketing issues in their quest for market share. Private label branding is one strategy they can use not only to incent store visits and build customer loyalty, but also to boost the bottom line. Often out-gunned on price, promotion, advertising, assortment, technology, marketing analysis, loyalty programming and other value added programs, small chains have their work cut out for them.My firm has worked with smaller retail brands with good success by focusing on private label and other marketing and brand fundamentals that recognize the advantages enjoyed by small chains over larger competitors.

Michael David Gold at 5:14pm EDT - June 17, 2010

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