Sales improvement programme could see yearly churn of 1,500 retailers Camelot sales campaign places 11% on probation Nearly 11% of all National Lottery retailers are now on probation as Camelot steps up its campaign to churn underperforming outlets. A further 1,800 retailers who failed to hit weekly sales targets of £1,500 a week in the first quarter of 2002 start a sales improvement drive this month, joining the 500 who went on the programme in January. All have been told they will lose their terminal if they don't improve sales during 24 weeks of supervision. Camelot national field sales controller Tony Clark said: "We want all our retailers to make weekly sales of £1,500 on the lottery and scratchcards. It is too early to say how many retailers might come out after supervision." He added: "We have already seen some stunning examples of sales improvement since January. Retailers have found that giving the Lottery a bit more focus can double weekly ticket sales." Camelot has said it could churn as many as 1,500 retailers a year in its sales optimisation programme. Association of Convenience Stores public affairs and commercial manager James Lowman said: "1,500 seems very high. There will be retailers included who are tremendously committed but struggle to meet targets because of the small scale of their business. In rooting out retailers purely from a sales threshold, Camelot will jeopardise worthwhile terminals." The ACS is to meet Camelot representatives this month to discuss reallocation or terminals, and maintaining the split of terminals between independents and multiples. It wants an assurance that if an independent's terminal is withdrawn it will be replaced within the sector, which has a 65% share of terminals. Camelot will introduce a range of initiatives and rename the lottery Lotto in a relaunch at the start of May (The Grocer, April 6, p4). {{NEWS }}