GOLDEN, Colo. — Calling the owners of Genesee Country Store & Candy Land a multitasking outfit is quite the understatement.
The 2,700-square-foot convenience store in Golden, Colo., pumps Conoco gasoline, stands as a quality confectioner and manufactures indulgent chocolate-covered bacon. And this independent retailer is proficient at selling a wide array of c-store staples, as well as robust amounts of health and beauty care and general merchandise fare.
It’s this eclectic affinity for retailing that’s allowed Genesee Country Store & Candy Land to fully leverage its broad capabilities. “A couple years ago, a customer asked if we could dip bacon in chocolate, since we were already dipping Oreos, Twinkies, pretzels and dog bones. We did … and this spawned an innovative idea,” says owner Lorri Alden.
Its Chocolate Dipped Bacon is full slices of Applewood-smoked and jalapeno-seasoned bacon enrobed in dark chocolate and then drizzled—again—with chocolate. “You first taste the chocolate and then the bacon kicks in. It’s like a craft beer where two to three tastes shine through during the experience,” Alden says.
This treat proved so compelling that it scored regional distribution in almost every state in the contiguous United States. “We have a South Korean distributor evaluating our bacon products right now,” says Alden. Each of the store’s countertop boxes includes 16 slices of bacon vacuum-sealed with a five-month shelf life.
Following a pandemic slowdown in sales, Genesee Country Store & Candy Land has seen a nice rebound this summer.
When CSP Daily News caught up with Alden in September, she offered these three merchandising strategies that have proven successful:
- Tap into e-commerce when in-store selling slows: These days, many convenience retailers are giving curbside pickup and online delivery a whirl. But how about e-commerce? Because online confection sales represent a robust distribution outlet, Genesee saw its online candy sales increase more than 60% during the first five months of 2018 (from same-period 2017) thanks to the refinement of its online platform. “At the same time, we gained entry in about 200 7-Eleven stores and continue to grow our retail accounts,” Alden says. Online shopping was incremental to the brick-and-mortar business, making it a win-win. “There’s a relationship between the online and in-store experience.” Other smaller retailers could adopt similar strategies if they offer the type of merchandise that lends itself to e-commerce buying.
- Consider seasonal confection opportunities: Genesee Country Store & Candy Land’s chocolate-dipped bacon has been heralded as an ideal Father’s Day gift. The store also identified opportunities to drive online sales around National Caramel Day, National Chocolate Day and others. Alden says touting the fact that it had been selling what was seen as the only USDA-certified chocolate/bacon product on the market was a distinction to capitalize on.
- Embrace tourists’ needs: As a retailer in a tourist-heavy market such as Golden, Colo., Alden has found forgetful consumers who neglect to pack items key drivers of health and beauty care and general merchandise sales. With a location in a mile-high environment, Alden sells ginger chews to settle people’s upset stomachs (a result of getting accustomed to high altitudes), Pedialyte rehydration (to help restore body fluids) and contact lens solution (essential as eyes tend to dry out at high altitudes). As a result, Genesee’s HBC set runs deeper than a typical c-store’s. “Kids on trips taken to high altitudes can occasionally get sick, so we have to establish a multitiered approach to medicines,” says Alden, meaning allocating space for not only adult medications, but offerings intended for infants, toddlers and preteens, as well.
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