Small changes, great profits!
Souths Sunnybank Rugby League Football Club made two simple yet effective changes at their club canteen. Offering healthier options for their members and visitors whilst bringing in more revenue for the club. Win-win!
Souths Sunnybank Rugby League Football Club has over 300 players across junior and senior teams. The canteen operates for game days on Saturday and Sunday during the season.
After hearing about the A Better Choice Strategy for Sport and Recreation, the club was optimistic to give small changes a go and felt they had nothing to lose.
Small changes with big results
The club made two small changes at their canteen and saw big results.
- Introduce fresh fruit, on the front counter at point of sale and move the sweet treats further back.
- Put water at eye level in front facing fridges, moving other drink options around this.
Introducing fresh fruit
The club introduced fresh fruit and placed it front and centre on the canteen counter. The fruit was positioned in a way that allowed members to see it as they came to the counter, and it was at eye level and within reach for kids.
The canteen convenor noticed that kids were more likely to grab a piece of fruit to buy instead of the lollies that were at the front before.
Fruit was priced to be affordable at $1 per piece.
On the first game day only 8 pieces were sold, then 12 on the second and now they sell 20 pieces a day. The club was surprised at how well it has gone.
Water at eye level
Water bottles were moved to middle rows in fridges so that it was the first thing members and visitors saw when they came to the counter. The other drink options were moved to the other rows.
Before the change the fridges mostly featured full sugar drink varieties at eye level.
After the change water filled more of the rows.
Results
Sales of water increased dramatically after moving the bottles to eye level. About 70 bottles of water were sold each day, which increased more than 3 times to around 240 bottles a day after the changes. At the same time, sales of other drinks slightly decreased, including one of the top selling full sugar soft drinks.
Selling more water has increased club revenue due to a higher profit margin compared to soft drinks.
The club sells water and soft drinks for $2.50 but make $2.10 profit on the water and $1.60 profit on soft drinks. With the increase in water sales, the club now makes at least $250 more per day through drink sales alone.
After changes to the placement of water, members started purchasing more diet soft drink varieties as well, prompting the club to introduce more options to meet demand.
Key strategies for success to win with water
- Ensure the price of water is equal or slightly cheaper than other drink options
- Price other drinks to ensure water is providing equal or higher profits
- Place water front and centre in fridges, as a standard drink in meal deals, and through signage encouraging purchase at the club and in communication to members before a game.
Tips for your club
For any club thinking about making healthier changes, Souths Sunnybank Rugby League Football Club have these tips:
- Have an open mind, just give it a go and make a small change.
- Making small changes was really easy to do and easy to sustain.
- Starting small means lower risk, but it doesn’t have to mean lower rewards.
‘When you hear kids asking for fruit you know you are doing a good job’
Donna Tobin, Club Secretary.
Find helpful resources to get your club started with some small changes today by visiting, https://hw.qld.gov.au/a-better-choice/sport-and-recreation/