HERSHEY, Pa. -- The Hershey Co., in partnership with Winn-Dixie and its parent company Bi-Lo Holdings, has announced the opening of Hershey's Candy Experience, a new concept that has replaced the traditional candy aisle at Winn-Dixie's newly renovated grocery store in Baton Rouge, La.
The new candy section, which Hershey describes as a "store within a store," has shown in testing that it can lift confection category sales for retailers by strong double digits, the candy company said.
The candy aisle at Winn-Dixie's Baton Rouge store is now a circular set of displays located in the highly trafficked front of the store next to customer service and the checkout lanes, a dramatic change from where candy aisles are traditionally located.
Hershey is the independent category advisor at many major U.S. retailers and took a full category approach in designing the section, which displays America's most well-known confections, including competitors' top brands.
Shoppers will be enticed to shop by feature displays with Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and Hershey's Kisses Chocolates-shaped toppers, graphics of unwrapped candy, bright colors and convenient organization by usage occasion (candy dish, premium, movie & snack and grab & go).
Winn-Dixie's Baton Rouge store has committed to using Hershey's new candy aisle design for one year. Throughout the year, Hershey will invest in in-store shopper research as well as category merchandising plans.
"We are excited about this new candy experience because it puts the consumer and shopper first," said Rick Price, senior manager of center store evolution for Hershey. "A majority of shoppers find the candy category the hardest to shop and the least inspiring in the store, resulting in many shoppers walking away without any confection in their basket. Our re-imagined candy aisle addresses these challenges and makes candy shopping more convenient and memorable."
Hershey said its approach to candy aisle merchandising is a result of the company's insights-driven performance (IDP) model, its proprietary retail collaboration model to grow the category based on industry-leading consumer and shopper insights. Hershey's IDP customers typically outperform their peers, said the company, and Hershey's merchandising experience and shopper insights team has been working to uncover ways to improve the center-of-the-store shopper experience and in-store conversion.
"We have put comprehensive success metrics in place, and we are excited to see how the Hershey's Candy Experience performs," said Frank Jimenez, senior director of retail evolution for Hershey. "We anticipate it will be a game changer, and we look forward to working with Winn-Dixie to roll it out at other stores and beginning to ignite a change in how candy is displayed and sold across the grocery channel."
Hershey's industry-leading knowledge and insights has helped the company and its retail partners plan for new technology and changing consumer expectation in the retail environment. The Hershey Company's expertise includes front-end transformation, total store insights, center of the store transformation, experiential shopping and small store formats.
The Hershey Co., based in Hershey, Pa., a global confectionery leader with more than 80 brands worldwide that drive more than $7.1 billion in annual revenues, includes such brands as Hershey's, Reese's, Hershey's Kisses, Jolly Rancher and Ice Breakers.
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