The number of receipts for "extra" purchases at Ukrainian AMIC stations has surpassed fuel purchases, as customers become more comfortable with buying goods at stations. There is a growing demand for energy drinks and healthy food.
The article was prepared by the NaftoRynok team. Read the original article by following the link.
AMIC ENERGY applies a similar approach to selling supportive goods at stations in both Poland and Ukraine, aiming to provide customers with the opportunity to purchase essential items on the go from established market suppliers. However, the company is always on the lookout for exclusive products and innovations in various categories. For the most time, customers in both countries make impulse purchases at the stations. In fact, the number of store receipts already exceeds the number of fuel purchase transactions, according to the Ukrainian office of AMIC ENERGY. For more details on which product categories are experiencing an increase of demand and why beer sales are going down at Polish and Ukrainian stations, find out in the article below.
THE CATALOGUE:
AMIC ENERGY applies a similar approach to selling convenience products at stations both in Poland and Ukraine, adhering to the so-called basic and essential assortment. In other words, they mainly offer customers products that may come in handy on the road.
The product range at different stations varies and depends on the size of the retail unit and location, as stated in the Ukrainian office of AMIC ENERGY. The basic assortment consists of products from each category that have the highest sales share. The "bigger retail area and turnover, the bigger the list of offerings would be," according to "AMIC UKRAINE."
At the same time, the company emphasized that the assortment at highway and urban stations does not differ significantly, and the number of SKUs (Stock Keeping Units) is roughly the same. "Some categories, namely automotive products, energy drinks, and groceries, may be more widely represented at highway stations," added "AMIC UKRAINE."
The number of SKUs at Ukrainian AMIC ENERGY stations ranges from 800 to 1800 units. Over the past three years, the number of product positions in the assortment has remained the same, according to the company, and for the largest stations, it ranges from 1700 to 1800 SKUs.
The largest share of in-store purchases belons to candies and non-alcoholic beverages, while the smallest are groceries and children's goods. "Considering that Ukraine has a well-developed network of grocery retail stores, purchasing goods at stations is for the most time impulsive rather than planned. Therefore, we take this factor into account when considering our assortment and store layout," noted at "AMIC Ukraine."
THE IMPACT OF A FULL-SCALE INVASION:
After the onset of the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by russia, the list of goods available at stations has not changed significantly. The company acknowledges that in the spring of 2022, like other retailers, they experiences struggles with logistics. However, these challenges were overcome in just a few months. "By May 2022, we managed to establish consistent supplies of essential goods and provide our customers with the ultimate choice at that time," noted at the Ukrainian office of AMIC ENERGY.
Simultaneously, there was a certain transformation in the assortment within categories: more healthy food products such as protein and cereal bars, fruit chips, etc., appeared on the shelves. The demand for energy drinks continues to go up, leading the company to expand the category and allocate more shelf space for these products. In addition, there has been a noticeable negative trend in the sales of beer and other alcoholic beverages. One of the factors contributing to the decline in demand for these products at stations is the law restriction to sell alcohol during curfew hours.
INCREASE OF NON-FUEL RECEIPTS:
Compared to the pre-war period in 2021, there was an increased demand for items in categories such as energy drinks, chewing gum, meat snacks, chewing candies, and healthy food products at AMIC ENERGY stations in Ukraine in 2023. "There is also a shift in sales from sweet carbonated drinks to mineral and elements-rich water," says the company, emphasizing that they constantly monitor market trends, adjust accordingly, and merchandise the layout appropriately.
Generally speaking, the demand for extra goods at AMIC ENERGY stations in Ukraine is high. The highest volume of goods is sold at stations located in major cities and highways. "According to our analytical data, a number of receipts containing store purchases exceeds is the number of fuel receipts. That could be explained by an established habit of buying certain items at station stores, combining refueling with the convenience of having a quick bite," shared at "AMIC UKRAINE."
POLAND:
Most AMIC ENERGY stations in Poland are located in major cities, and customers visit them for the opposite reason: not for groceries or a lasting break on the road. That has the highest impact on the assortment of stores at stations. "What makes our network unique is that the stations are mainly located in large cities, so our customers are visit our stores for a quick bite, lunch, or coffee, rather than those who stop during a journey. We have a large group of loyal customers who regularly use our standard offer," said at AMIC Polska.
In the Polish office of AMIC ENERGY, NaftoRynok was informed that the assortment of the stores at stations is the same across the entire network and consists of approximately 2,000 items, similarly to the large Ukrainian stations. "The assortment is determined by market trends, season, and the sales potential of the category," said at AMIC Polska, adding that the list of convenience products has not changed significantly over the past few years.
However, the size of each store section may vary, and there are certain subcategories of goods intended for specific sections of stations, mentioned at AMIC Polska. For example, these could include sunglasses, freshly squeezed juices, toys, barbecue goods, etc. They become available at certain stations depending on the season, location, and sales potential. "We constantly track sales data to ensure that the our offers match the demand and market trends," emphasized the company.
TOBACCO SALES GO UP:
In Poland, visitors of AMIC ENERGY stations tend to make impulsive purchases with cigarettes becoming the most-selling item, according to AMIC Polska.
"We have a very extensive range and efficient layout. Cigarette prices are the same on the entire market, so buying them at stations is very popular," noted the company. The demand for coffee, fast food, and non-alcoholic beverages remains consistently high at Polish AMIC ENERGY stations. The company stated that they are expanding their own brand of energy drinks and water, while the assortment of store items is a subject for constant examination and review at least twice a year.
BEER SALES GO DOWN:
The increase of prices for certain categories led to a lower demand. Dairy products, that experienced the price increase the most became the least-popular items at AMIC ENERGY Polska stations, according to the company. Customers prefer promotional offers in supermarket network instead.
It affected the beer segment too, which experienced growth over the previous years. Now, a clear slowdown is observed. "Last year, we noticed a clear decrease of a demand for certain categories, including beer. This is mainly due to the price increases from manufacturers and, at the same time, high sensitivity for prices among consumers," said at AMIC Polska, adding that the beer market in Poland is currently experiencing challenges.
SUPPLIER SELECTION CRITERIA:
To become a supplier for AMIC ENERGY stations in Ukraine, one needs indicate a clear leadership in the respective category on the market. The company is always looking out for exclusive products and innovations in various segments. "We work closely with manufacturers and suppliers in each specific product category. If a manufacturer or brand offers the best selling product on the market, it means that Ukrainian consumers more often than not choose that particular product, and therefore it should be purchased at AMIC ENERGY stations," explained at the company.
Additionally, AMIC ENERGY is actively seeking interesting products offered by local manufacturers. They recently expanded the category of healthy snacks, showing stable growth, by including products from local producers. "We support Ukrainian manufacturers and are always happy to cooperate with them," said at the company. AMIC ENERGY regularly conducts open tenders for product supply, as some of the suppliers were approached exactly this way.
AUTOMOTIVE GOODS:
An anticipated item at station stores is automotive products, including oil and windshield washers. "Our customers have the opportunity to purchase automotive oil at any price segment. We work with premium brands like Mobil and Castrol, as well as with mass market like Venol and Temol," said at the Ukrainian office of AMIC ENERGY.
The company highlighted that there is an increased demand for premium products. "Comparing sales for this and previous years, we clearly can observe an increase in the consumption of premium oil brands," stated at "AMIC UKRAINE," noting that the company exclusively sells automotive oil in 1 liter containers.
Regarding windshield washers, AMIC ENERGY sells products under its own brand at all stations in Ukraine both for winter and summer seasons. According to the company, the personal manufacturing allows to control the quality and cost of the product, as well as its market positioning with the goal in mind to offer customers a top quality product at an acceptable price.
In the Polish office of AMIC ENERGY, it was mentioned that among oil sales, the premium brand are valued better. They sell oil of well-established brands including Castrol, Elf, and Mobil. The company has a single supplier for all automotive products and does not have its own brand of oil.
In terms of the windshield washer, AMIC ENERGY stations in Poland also sell products under their own brand. "We have our own brand - IMPET to offer both summer and winter windshield washing liquid," stated the company. These products are available at all AMIC ENERGY stations in Poland. The company also emphasized that having their own brand of windshield washer is a mandatory requirement for station network to operate in Poland. "Every station have its own brands," noted by the company's press service.
LEISURE GOODS:
When it comes down to leisure goods, the Ukrainian AMIC ENERGY network introduced something that may be appropriate for both children and adults. This refers to wooden constructor by the Ukrainian manufacturer UGEARS. As mentioned at "AMIC Ukraine," the network have been efficiently collaborating with UGEARS for a while and the products are sold currently at 95 stations.
"At this point, stores at AMIC ENERGY stations in Ukraine offer 10 various constructor packs with various sizes and pricing. Nevertheless, we constantly update the assortment, so you can always find new items from UGEARS at AMIC ENERGY stations," stated at the company's press service.
Moreover, "AMIC UKRAINE" informed Naftorynok that books may appear soon at the stations. "Currently, we do not sell books, but we are negotiating the opportunity with one publishing house," shared at the company.
Meanwhile, in the Polish office, they mentioned that they tried to launch book sales, but try-outs showed low demand for the product. The company believes that Polish customers are unlikely to buy books at stations.
