BP Wants Shoppers to Express Themselves

Today's retail world is "about the individual, and about meeting the needs of that individual," said Polly Flinn, president of U.S. convenience operations for British Petroleum. Flinn described the central role "self-expression shopping" plays in BP's merchandising strategy during a presentation earlier this week at the National Association of Convenience Stores trade show in Las Vegas. For instance, Arco ampm (BP's banner in the Western U.S.) has introduced a number of features at its fountain-drink stations -- including flavor shots, cubed and crushed ice and carbonated and non-carbonated beverages -- that let shoppers customize selections. In its foodservice offerings, BP provides a condiment bar offering 20 different toppings and a "Wild Bean Screen" kiosk (named after their coffee brand) that lets shoppers order customized sandwiches from the mini-restaurant. One of the benefits of self-expression shopping, Flinn suggested, is that it encourages shoppers to stay longer in BP stores. "Many of the offers that we're putting together ... actually turn out to have customers linger in our store longer, on average, than they have in the past," she said. "Self-expression shopping doesn't stop with the food offers. It also is about how we lay out our stores and manage the product and offers we provide in the rest of the store," Flinn noted. As part of the strategy, BP has "cleaned up" its promotional calendar. While the chain used to have six to eight different promotions running at a given time, it now concentrates on four key efforts, each of which receive endcap placement. Additionally, BP has redesigned its stores to create adjacencies based on dayparts, and has taken products typically merchandised behind the checkout counter, such as smokeless tobacco, and moved them onto gondolas. "We were missing an enormous amount of sales because we were keeping [such products] locked up and away from our customers," Flinn said. BP owns and operates approximately 4,000 convenience stores throughout the U.S., including 850 Arco ampm locations and 300 BP Connect outlets. The NACS Show was held Oct. 17-20.

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