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Consumer Behaviour

Rise in Express Stores Reflect New Shopping Habits

Rise in Express Stores Reflect New Shopping Habits

A few years ago, you could enjoy a lovely pint of Guinness in Quinlans Terenure. Today, in the same building, you can pick up ‘black stuff’ – but it’s carry out. The new tenant Tesco has just converted the building into an Express Store.

Ireland has witnessed a steady increase in the number of Express stores in recently times. Is it down to opportunistic market penetration or changing shopping habits?

Of all the factors that influence where somebody shops – location comes out on top. The majority of people will shop in the closest store to where they live. Price has a part to play but generally convenience will be the main consideration for shoppers. Retailers are simply taking advantage of this fact and are buying up sites in densely populated residential areas.

”Of all the factors that influence where somebody shops – location comes out on top.”

If you look at your typical supermarket, 1/3 of customers are in there for the weekly shop. That means the majority – a whopping 2/3 are dropping in for a ‘top up’. The top-up shopper comes in to buy 15 items or less and does not appreciate walking to the back of the store to pick up milk and to the other end for cereal. The compact Express store is ideal for these basket shoppers.

Musgraves, who have dominated the convenience store market, are keeping a close eye. The introduction of private label brands such as the SuperValu Range will certainly help them maintain their market share.