The Navy Exchange Service Command’s (NEXCOM) Ships Store Program reached a milestone when it branded its 100th ships store onboard USS PORT ROYAL (CG 73) stationed in Pearl Harbor.
“We started renovating ships stores to look and feel more like NEX stores ashore seven years ago,” said Scott Gray, Vice President, NEXCOM’s Ships Store Program. “In addition to looking more like the NEX, the stores offer more products for sale and are now merchandised together to make it easier for the Sailors to find what they’re looking for quickly. Once a ships store has been renovated, sales increase, on average, by 25%. The increase in sales and profits benefit the Sailors onboard the ship through funding for afloat recreation needs.”
In 2013, NEXCOM’s Ships Store Program and Store Operations along with NAVSUP Fleet Logistics Centers embarked on an ambitious partnership to brand fleet ships stores. The goal of the branding was to give each ships store a more vibrant and professional visual presentation as well as provide professional merchandising training to the ship's Retail Services Specialist (RS) personnel onboard.
Currently, there are 34 ships stores in the fleet that remain to be branded.