nickshanagher

Shoppers don’t enjoy shopping this category, says Doug Walker of Heineken at a press conference where he and his team are launching their Star retailer initiative. His job title is a mouthful: head of off-trade customer marketing. In the press release he is quoted as saying: “Star retailer isn’t anything ground breaking or new”. However, it is notable. Not only does it have a strong basis in research but it also demonstrates the credibility of good category management.   In the flesh Doug is on a mission to sell more beer and cider and you have the impression he could talk for a day about sales performance and future targets. Local retailers, he says, should pay attention to four key enablers: which are about creating a positive perception of beer and cider, selling higher value brands, selling responsibly and making shopping more fun. He is armed with an array of power point slides and a simple planogram for the category and a three year programme. Doug is also talking about ...