To its cold dispensed selections, Clark’s Pump-N-Shop, which has 68 stores in Kentucky, West Virginia, Ohio and Florida, added Teazzers fresh-brewed iced tea in sweet and peach tea flavors about two months ago. The teas are flavored with cane sugar, an important selling point for customers who prefer a natural sweetener, said Jessica Russell, the chain’s food service director.
In new Pump-N-Shop stores and moving forward as units are replaced, the company is installing 12-head cold dispensed or Coke Freestyle units instead of the eight-head units in the original stores. The former eight-head dispensers offered only Pepsi. The new ones offer both Coca-Cola and Pepsi.
Aside from the national players, a regional brand, Ale-8, is also included among the dispensed selections.
“The new dispensers are in about 25% of our stores right now,” Russell said.
Going forward, Pump-N-Shop is planning to add iced coffee to its cold dispensed category.
On the frozen front, the stores feature between four and nine flavors of slush beverages. Pump-N-Shop switched from its original supplier to Slush Puppie last year because, as Russell explained, “they have a ton of flavors, including a lot of limited-time flavors.” The limited-time only (LTO) offering changes about once a quarter.
“Since the introduction of the Slush Puppie brand, frozen sales have increased,” she said. “We’re going to focus on our frozen beverages beginning on June 1 by promoting the LTOs in all our stores to hopefully grab the attention of customers.
In four locations, the company added Fresh Blend frozen beverages late last year. A fifth installation is in the works. Fresh Blend custom-dispenses lemonade and mixes up smoothies, frappes and milkshakes.
“The smoothies appeal to our more health-conscious customers,” Russell said.
Bundling dispensed beverages with food is an effective suggestive selling strategy for Pump-N-Shop.
Nouria Energy’s Nouria convenience stores are adding frozen beverage dispensers to stores that have the space. In stores with the space to handle more than one two-head unit, the number of heads is being increased from two to four to accommodate innovations and encourage flavor excitement, said Shauna Seidenberg, category manager for the chain, which has 120 stores in Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Connecticut.
“Our customers look for more flavors and options in all spaces, from packaged goods to beverages,” Seidenberg said.
She explained that both cold and frozen dispensed beverages (even lemonade) have seen upticks in sales over the past couple of months, “even when it’s been cold and wintry.” The selection of non-carbonated beverages increased in the cold dispensed units, and in the frozen realm, novelty flavors like sour apple do well.
Customers also like to create their own combinations by mixing flavors and layers of colors, she said. Nouria stores feature Frazil frozen beverages, which are made with real sugar.
“It’s an indulgent, fun product, but our customers don’t seem to be shying away from indulgent,” she said. “They also like the fact that the products contain real sugar.”
To promote its frozen dispensed beverages, Nouria allows loyalty card members to buy six and get one free. For its cold beverages, the stores offer bundles with sandwiches and pizza.