Within your convenience store, health and beauty items probably fall way down your list of priorities. After all they're not a daily purchase or even a major footfall driver. However they do matter if you want your store to be a one-stop shop. Yes, serious shoppers will go to Boots or Superdrug and most other people will get their regular supplies from the supermarkets, but there will always be distress purchase occasions when the shaving foam or shampoo has run out.

It's that time of year again - yes of course it's nearly Christmas, but it's also peak season for coughs and colds. But do you see yourself as a purveyor of pills and potions to see off these nasty bugs? Because, according to David Alston, national account manager at the Convenience Distribution Group (CDG), you should. "At CDG our raison d'etre is car care, but as our name says, we are about convenience - and so too are all forecourts. That means stocking over-the-counter medicines for headaches, colds and flu. And because these products are kept behind the counter, the category doesn't get the TLC it deserves, but consumers do expect to be able to buy Nurofen at the forecourt on their way to work."

The past five years have seen huge changes in the way over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are sold, meaning the traditional pharmacy need no longer be the consumer's first port of call when they're ill. Wider availability, more medicines being switched from pharmacy-only to the General Sales List (GSL) and government promotion of self-medication have combined to create a significant opportunity for other outlets, not least forecourts.

With the Met Office predicting a big freeze and cold and flu rates set to soar, over the counter medicines (OTC) will be vital this winter.

It’s been a hard day at work, it’s late, and now you have a splitting headache, but the cupboard is bare of all painkillers, the chemist is shut, and who wants to park up at Sainsbury’s just for a packet of paracetamol? This is probably a recognisable scenario for many forecourt customers, which is why over-the-counter medicines have become a must-do category.

Over the counter medicines (OTC) have become an increasingly common sight in the grocery trade over recent years. While the government has stopped short of total deregulation of the pharmacy industry for grocers, it is keen to encourage self-medication for a range of complaints – and time-pushed consumers are also keen to go down this route.