Classic Mode

Automatic Age

Issue: 1930 June

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W H E R E M OST C A N D Y IS SOLD
Louisville Survey May Be Suggestive as to Best Locations for Candy Venders
Candy vending machines are now among
the most attractive and efficient of coin­
operated machines on the market, and the
facts revealed by the Louisville survey
may be very suggestive as to the types of
stores that would present the best pros­
pects as locations for automatic venders
and sections for dispensing candy. The
candy venders are now finding their most
favorable locations in office buildings,
factories, and etc., but as the trade looks
forward to taking over the sales of such
items in many of the retail stores, the
figures given by this survey will be worth
studying.
The extent to which mass production
has taken confections out of the old-
fashioned sweets shops and spread them
around in every conceivable sort of outlet
is demonstrated once more by a compila­
tion of facts about confectionery whole­
saling and retailing in the Louisville
marketing area that was issued by the
Government late in February.
The report, issued by the Department of
Commerce, is the latest study growing out
of the Louisville Grocery Survey, cover­
ing the year 1928, which was undertaken
as one preliminary to the nation-wide dis­
tribution census to be begun this Spring.
It is Part I, Census of Food Distribution,
Distribution Cost Studies No. 6 , Louisville
Grocery Survey, and can be procured from
the United States Government Printing
Office,
Superintendent of Documents,
Washington, for fifteen cents.
Seventeen types of retail outlets, totaling
2,972 establishments, and nine types of
wholesalers and brokers,.all of them in the
general food field, were studied. They
were in Louisville, Ky., New Albany and
Jeffersonville, Ind., which are all in the
same market area. The area had a total
population in 1928 of 264,380 persons.
Retail sales of food and related products
for 1928 were found to total $58,000,000.
Sales by wholesalers were found to be
$40,000,000 and those by brokers nearly
$18,000,000. Of the grand total, consider­
ably more than half was sold through
chain and independent grocery stores. The
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share sold through candy and confectionery
stores was $1,569,774, followed by drug
stores, whose food and tobacco sales
totaled $1,499,020. Ice cream and soft
drink parlors sold $296,588. Sales of food
and related products (principally refresh­
ments and confections) in general dep art­
ment and variety stores totaled $403,592.
A table included with the report reveals
through what retail outlets candy and
other confectionery was sold, and also
shows an interesting list of items that were
sold in one or more confectionery stores.
This table shows more drug stores, gr0'
ceries and restaurants selling candy than
there were confectionery stores. Groceries
alone sold a greater proportion of the
total confectionery, ice cream and soft
drinks retailed in the area than did candy
stores.
1,676 Outlets Studied
'
Altogether there were listed 1,676 con­
fectionery outlets, of which 134 were
candy stores. Candy was sold in 1,013
grocery stores, in 159 restaurants and in
188 drug stores. Other outlets included
69 bakeries, 2 dairy and poultry products
stores, 30 delicatessen stores, 2 fish and
other sea food markets, 9 fruit and vege­
table stores, 7 general department and
variety stores, one hotel, 42 ice cream and
soft drink parlors, 3 meat markets, and
17 pool rooms.
As an offset to the variety of outlets
engaged in selling candy there were dis­
covered a variety of items that were sold
in candy stores in addition to candy. Forty
candy stores sold bakery goods, 27 sold
canned and bottled goods, 32 sold dairy
and poultry products, 10 sold delicatessen
and ready-to-serve foods, one sold fis^
and other sea foods, 14 sold fruit and
nuts, 26 sold a general line of groceries,
4 sold vegetables, 107 sold ice cream, 9
sold meats, 49 sold meals and lunches,
sold soft drinks, including carbonated
beverages; 12 sold miscellaneous household
supplies, 51 sold cigars, cigarettes, and
tobacco; 5 sold drugs and drug sundries,
one sold men’s and boys’ clothing, one
sold souvenirs and other novelties, 2 sold
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stationery, l sold toilet articles, 1 sold
°ys and games, and 1 sold “Miscellaneous.”
(No candy stores sold hay, grain, feed,
uilding materials, heating fuels, rubber
res and tubes, nor gasoline and lubricating
oils.)
per cent. Retail confectioners had an ex­
pense ratio of 33.66 per cent, with rent
constituting a much more important item,
relatively, than in the wholesale establish­
ment. The ratio of rent to sales for re­
tailers was 8.03 per cent. The 54 ice cream
Wholesale sales of candy, confectionery, parlors reported sales of $296,588, with an
beverages and ice cream in Louisville
expense ratio of 41.13 per cent.”
An interesting detail of the report is a
amounted to $1,546,806,” according to a
rief summary of the confectionery picture
chart of retail sales per person engaged
deluded with the various tables; “Sales in candy stores. This shows an annual
° wholesalers consisted of candy, $1,218,- average in stores selling less than $5,000
}67; carbonated beverages, $134,277; chew- annually of $1,853; in stores selling
lng gum, $56,895; with ice cream and between $5,000 and $10,000 of $2,763; in
nuscellaneous making up the remainder,
stores selling from $10,000 to $25,000
okers’ transactions in candy were rela-
annually, of $4,380; in stores selling from
$25,000 to $50,000, average sales per person
ely unimportant, reported sales amount-
lnJ to only $15,000.
employed were $4,715; and in stores selling
Retail sales as reported separately for more than $50,000, the average sales person
nay an(j confec|;jonery> jce cream an(j
were $3,716.
Sell Most Ice Cream
drinks are approximately equal
amounts, namely, candy $1,457,055; ice
Of all food and grocery products there
0 2 5 ^’ $1*^72,246; and soft drinks, $1,420,- were found to be only two for which
grocery stores were not first or second in
The principal retail outlet for this group rank as an outlet. These were meals and
commodities was grocery stores, which ice cream. Restaurants sold 70 per of all
eported total sales of all three commodity meals and lunches, followed by hotels,
^asses of $1*031,470, or 24.27 per cent of with 16.2 per cent. Drug stores were the
thr
Sales of these commodities principal outlets for ice cream, selling
°ugh candy and confectionery stores 35.9 per cent of the total, with candy and
confectionery stores next, selling 19.4 per
R u n t e d to $982,383.
cent. Total sales of candy and other con­
andy and confectionery dealers in
°Ulsv^le included 14 wholesalers and 143 fections in grocery stores was $1,457,055,
with average sales per store of $462, which
^ ail stores. Outlets, however, are much
n
numerous than is indicated by the was 32.1 per cent of the candy and confec­
th
^
sPecialized establishments. Of tions sold in the market during 1928.
? 2,972 retail outlets surveyed, 1,676 Candy stores and other leading outlets for
candy, 1 515 g0ft drinks and 728 ice confectionery accounted for 35.3 per cent
cream.
of the total, with average annual sales of
$3,836.
"Th ^ ° St Sales in a Few Stores
Confectionery and soft drink wholesalers
,
® wholesale candy and confectionery
g 9 „a ^shments showed average sales of were found to go outside of their own field
six ’ 6’ and retail dealers $10,977. Ninety- in sales, but chiefly in selling malt prod­
alj stores, each selling under $5,000 annu- ucts and eggs. Their exact percentage of
* rePorted total sales of $231,668, their sales concentrated in their own field
Among all
re 1 e e*£ht stores in the ‘over $50,000 class’ was found to be 76.09.
Ported total sales nearly four times as products sold at wholesale, candy and con­
t0r-
a ’ or $876,985. The average inven- fectionery was found to be tenth in order,
■ret'6? ^or wholesalers was $14,228, while with a total of $1,203,167.
$ 67 ^ GrS carr*ed an average stock of only
a * The proportion of sales made on
basis is likewise much greater
per Wllolesale establishments, being 51.53 A u t o m a t ic A g e :
Cent for wholesalers and 3.59 per cent
In reading the April number, I noticed
tot retailers.
an article concerning pencil venders. Please
19 Rfi
exPense ratio for wholesalers was furnish me with the name of the manufac­
pe
^er cent, salaries making up 11.96 turer, as I want to place them in schools.
r cen^ ° f this total and rent only 1.11
L. L., Dallas, Texas.
Venders For Schools
In te rn a tio n a l A r c a d e M u s e u m
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