Interbrew has been testing a shelving unit designed to highlight the links between beer drinking, snacking and watching videos and help convenience stores boost sales from all three. The brewer has combined a Stella Artois branded chiller with adjacent racking for rental videos, soft drinks, popcorn and snacks to make one unit. The concept has been called the "big night in" and the prototype has been tested in an independent c-store near Interbrew UK's headquarters in Luton. The brewer reported sales of Stella up 50% during the test, the equivalent of an extra 15 cases a week. Video rentals were boosted by 110% to £600 a week and sales from other categories in the unit, such as bagged sweets, also went up. The store is a Nisa outlet run by Peter Mann who was delighted with the impact the unit was making. He said: "It has generated additional sales, attracted shoppers and encouraged impulse purchases. The feedback from my customers has been absolutely brilliant, they say the unit looks really smart and attractive." At 3.2 metres long, it can be used in small outlets or multiples, in both convenience and wholesale. The unit can also be stretched to a maximum of nine metres to accommodate the needs of larger stores. It is a product of Interbrew's ongoing consumer research which showed 34% of off-trade Stella sales was drunk when consumers were watching TV. It is one of a number of retail concepts being developed by the brewer which is evaluating feedback from retailers. Interbrew sales director Steve Kitching said: "The additional category growth for video, confectionery, snacks and soft drinks offerings shows consumers think in terms of occasions, not in terms of categories, and proves there is an opportunity for overall sales growth for the sector. "This is one step in an overall strategy we are implementing in the convenience sector and we will be introducing further initiatives." {{DRINKS }}

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