JHP to create a tempting strategy for Cadbury Ireland

Confectionery giant Cadbury in Ireland is exploring the strategic development of its instore brand positioning, and has appointed UK consultancy JHP to tackle its approach.

JHP will look at where Cadbury could locate chocolate within a convenience store, following the replacement of confectionery at checkouts with financial services leaflets and other products.

The project, which is being overseen by Cadbury Ireland category insight manager Clodagh Ashe, also involves examining different customer shopping missions and future trends and developments within convenience store retailing, general food culture and the role of ‘treats and gifts’ in people’s lives.

The results will include the development of a prototype unit designed to increase impulse sales. Steve Collis, managing director at JHP, which won the work following a talk Collis gave on food culture, says, ‘The main question is, “What do you do with a product that is an impulse buy?”. Unless you are buying chocolate for a present, you never stick it on the shopping list. You would easily bypass the confectionery aisle. So, we have to investigate ways of creating more space on counters, or introducing chocolate to other parts of the store, such as near the wine, for a girls’ night in to go with a glass of rosé.’

Over the coming months a prototype unit will be strategically positioned within a convenience store in Dublin. This prototype aims to enable retailers to display more products in a more logical sequence within the store and, if successful, will be rolled out nationally.

‘This is a great opportunity for JHP to work with such a cherished brand. It’s about getting under the skin of the whole chocolate/sweet culture and what it means to people,’ Collis adds.