DCS Group introduces 43 price-marked packs

Leading distributor DCS Group has unveiled a new range of 43 price-marked packs over the past 12 months to cater to the growing demand for value from the price-conscious convenience shopper.

The group said it has used data-driven market insight and closely collaborated with market-leading personal care and household brands to identify key opportunities to introduce new price-marked SKUs, helping wholesalers and retailers increase sales across the independent convenience channel.

“The pandemic caused well-documented challenges for the FMCG supply chain and many suppliers rationalised their product ranges. In some cases this resulted in price-marked packs and other convenience-specific SKUs being delisted leaving wholesalers and convenience operators vying for the same packs as the supermarkets,” said Matt Stanton, head of category and insight at DCS Group.

“We offer impartial category advice, using data and insight to help our retailer, wholesaler and supplier partners differentiate themselves from the competition. We use market data to identify gaps in the market, and work with our co-packing team and our brand manufacturer partners to create the right packs that will drive sales in convenience stores,” Stanton added.

DCS Group said it has recently supported Unilever in launching a range of personal care PMP products in March, including Dove and Sure deodorants, Impulse body sprays, Dove body wash and Simple moisturiser and face wipes.

These new SKUs follow 34 others created over the past 12 months, covering a range of brands and shopper needs across the household, health and beauty categories, including shampoos and conditioners, shower gels and bodywashes, deodorants and body sprays, moisturisers, face wipes, hand washes and bar soaps, household cleaning products, laundry detergents and fabric conditioners.

Alongside the new Unilever range, notable successes include a £1.99 PMP version of Fairy Antibacterial Washing Up Liquid 625ml and a £2.99 PMP variant of Head & Shoulders 2-in-1 Men Total Care 225ml. New SKUs are being added to the range regularly, and sales are continuing strongly.

“Price-marked packs give shoppers price confidence, and 43 per cent of shoppers say they are more likely to shop in a convenience store that sells them Shoppers say a price-marked pack reassures them that they are not being overcharged, and one in four shoppers think a price-mark means the product is on promotion. Research also suggests shoppers are actively looking for and buying products on promotion as a means of shopping smarter and saving money,” Stanton said.

The DCS co-packing division also offers a range of other capabilities including artwork and pack design, creation of customised displays, product labelling, wrapping, and bespoke pack creation. The team help generate in-store theatre and deliver impactful brand messages by creating customised display and packaging solutions to meet the needs of every customer, making products fit for purpose to drive sales in a specific channels, and helping retailers create a point of difference by customising packs and creating unique, exclusive SKUs.