Back in 2018, eXPD8 began the partnership with a major UK supermarket to maintain their cosmetics, supporting both the retailer and the cosmetics brands in store. The supermarket needed a model that ensured that all their fixtures were looking great but with so many fixtures in some stores, efficiencies would need to be found. For the brands, supermarket retail is a key sector to get right. Over 30% of consumers for L’Oreal & Maybelline products chose the supermarket as their main retail channel for cosmetics. (Statistica, 2023)

We recognised the importance of finding the efficiencies for not only the supermarket but the brands as well and from the beginning we launched our Syndicated merchandising model. Syndicated in-store merchandising is a cost-sharing model where multiple brands collaborate to achieve consistent, high-quality retail execution while minimising individual expenses. This approach leverages economies of scale to provide efficiencies that standalone efforts cannot match. Benefits include improved shelf visibility, enhanced product placement, and increased compliance with merchandising standards, all of which contribute to a better customer experience and long-term brand equity. By pooling resources, brands gain access to skilled merchandising teams, ensuring consistent execution across locations and maximising the impact of their retail presence

• Every merchandiser working on Cosmetics is beauty trained, completing online and in-store training to ensure our people are the experts.
• Store visits are scheduled around the delivery schedule and we work closely with th supply chain team to ensure fixture availability is maintained.
• Our merchandisers provide live data, covering fixture gaps, photos and any maintenance requests. This allows us to create a full detailed report weekly to the supermarket and the brands, giving them a full understanding of their fixtures regardless of the geographical location.

eXPD8 beauty has successfully continued to grow in our support for the supermarket’s cosmetics from our initial launch to now. Through collaboration with third parties & the supermarket, we have stimulated the cosmetics department, covering loss prevention, stock management and replenishment and fixture maintenance. We’ve maintained a solution focussed service that has expanded over time, below are some of the areas we have taken over.

• Management of security tags since late 2022: Cosmetics is a high target for theft, so it is important all relevant products are security tagged. We identified that the security tags for Cosmetics often were being used in other departments in store or not located at all. With the support of the Loss Prevention team at the supermarket and our distribution partner Allegro, we send security tags directly to our merchandisers to walk into stores quarterly. In 2024, we have sent just under 7,500 packs of security tags to our merchandisers.
• Gap scanning taken over early 2023: Availability is a key driver in sales. With our expert beauty merchandising team having the knowledge of the fixtures and managing the backstock, it was only right that they take over the gap scanning of the fixture. The benefits are clear to see with the number of fixture gaps reducing by as much as 30% within some quarters (taken this from the gap scan project page – https://www.expd8beauty.co.uk/project/gap-scanning-cosmetics-beauty-hair-accessory-fixtures/)
• Seasonal peak hours introduced Winter 2024: As with almost all retail areas, we see peaks for cosmetics. We have provided flexibility, introducing seasonal hours so our people are in stores maintaining the fixtures especially during those peak weeks. The hours are invested into managing the increased delivery levels and ensuring the fixtures remain up to standards.

Want to know how we can help your cosmetics brand and store? Get in touch hello@expd8.co.uk