Thursday, June 26, 2014

Sunshine Smoothies-Location Makes the Difference



Sunshine smoothie is located a few blocks from Ocean Beach and next to the Ocean Beach Athletic Park making it convenient for sports players, skateboarders and beach goers. Located on a major bike artery that connects to the larger Ocean Beach Bike trail the store gets a lot of foot and cycle traffic. Selling coffee and smoothies it offers more than convenience to those who engage in park activities.

Their smoothies are organic and sell for $8 per 24 oz. You can find some interesting blended options such as kale, spinach, carrots, romaine, and ginger along with some traditional varieties such as granny apple and acia. The list of options is extensive. Of course you can also grab an espresso or a soda if you’re a little more conventional.

Convenience store success is location based. There are approximately 146,000 convenience stores in the country with 117,000 of them selling fuel (Bainbridge, 2012). Convenience stores must be highly visible, easily accessible, and in a strong location. Without consistent traffic flow such stores can easily go out of business. 

Sunshine smoothies has a strong location that is not only visible to significant street traffic driving or biking to the beach but also people watching or playing sports. Smoothies and cold beverages appear to be a near perfect product for those who are suffering from thirst on a hot day. Most purchases are likely to be small and such stores rely on a high volume of small purchases to be lucrative. 

Running a successful small business is about knowing your market and reaching that market in the most effective manner. Convenience stores are unlikely to generate significant online traffic or have radically different products. However, they do charge a premium based on their core concept-convenience. For Sunshine smoothie their location is their greatest asset. 

Sunshine Smoothie 
5020 W Point Loma Blvd
San Diego, CA 92107 
http://sunshinesmoothie.com/ 

Bainbridge, R. (2012). Site essentials of convenience stores and retail fuel properties. Appraisal Journal, 80 (1).

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