Ask the Collective

What is the experience with temporary special event listings at major UK retailers, and how do location and seasonal timing affect sales performance?

**Summary:** Members have run temporary special event programmes at Costco UK, which typically involve 2-week listings with in-store sampling stands. Location and season are critical factors affecting performance. **Performance and structure:** - **Costco UK Special Events** — Members report these are 2-week temporary listings with a stand for sampling; no charge to the brand, but Costco only purchases stock actually sold (sale-or-return basis) - **Q4 timing** — Seasonal impact is significant; Q4 special events performed very well for one member - **Scale example** — One member ran 155 dates across all 28 Costco depots, selling 1-litre bottles of a 33% liqueur and averaged approximately 60 bottles per site per day **Practical requirements:** - **Location selection** — Pick sites close to your production/base to reduce logistics burden - **Labour and hours** — Be prepared for setup from 7am Thursday through 9pm closing, working continuously until Sunday evening; this is hard work and requires sustained staffing - **Stock management** — Bring a full pallet for display if transporting stock yourself; Costco operates on sale-or-return, so you manage inventory risk **Key caveat:** Location and season massively impact results, so site selection and timing are critical to ROI.