LEADING convenience retail chain FreshStop has introduced two new branded food lines to their food stable. Hot Dog Bar and Africaz, join the existing food lines, Crispy Chicken, Grill to Go, Hooked On Fish, Doughnut Delite and Biltong Bars.
“Convenience retail brands must have a solid food strategy to be successful and our selection of fast food concepts with low costs of entry and shared operational expenses form part of the future view of our business,” said Michael Joubert, APC Brand Manager at FreshStop.
The company launched its first in-house fast food brand, Crispy Chicken, in 2014 and it quickly gained brand traction and customer support. “Chicken is still the biggest food driver in SA and our Crispy Chicken brand has proved how popular this protein is and what a difference it can make to a business’ bottom line,” said Joubert.
“We currently have 41 Crispy Chicken outlets nationally and we plan to roll-out an additional 8 to 10 outlets this year. We have recently revitalised the menu to offer our customers the most popular and best value lines. At the recent store opening at FreshStop Cookhouse in the Eastern Cape where a Crispy Chicken outlet was introduced, the store experienced a 250% increase in turnover.”
FreshStop’s second most popular food line, Grill to Go, has 10 outlets nationally with eight more planned this year. Doughnut Delite complements FreshStop’s Seattle and Lavazza coffee offering and fills the confectionary gap.
According to Joe Boyle, Director at FreshStop, “Our Store Retailers want to be in a position to offer their customers new local brands and food lines to attract further shoppers and drive sales. Retailers can select various concepts that complement one another, such as a Seattle Coffee and Doughnut Delite; or a selection of two proteins such as Crispy Chicken and Hooked On Fish to cover various target markets”.
He said the two new food lines, Hot Dog Bar and Africaz, add new interest and themes to the food offering as well as appeal to new customers. There are currently six Hot Dog Bar outlets nationally with an additional two stores planned for 2018; and figures show that these outlets work particularly well at FreshStop at Caltex forecourt sites that have a car wash and customer demand for a low-value quality quick meal.
The latest line, Africaz, was launched in three FreshStop stores in KwaZulu-Natal. The flame-grilled chicken concept specialises in grilled chicken pieces and a burger offering served with its unique Africaz sauce and has shown great value with sales in excess of 60% of store turnover and has added phenomenal value to FreshStop’s overall business.
“The Africaz flame-grilled chicken offering is the best food at the best price with great branding and we are excited about piloting five stores in the KwaZulu-Natal area this year,” said Joubert.
Boyle said the company was also working on adding a few new lines to the Crispy Chicken, Grill to Go, Hooked On Fish and Hot Dog Bar menus this year to keep their offering fresh.