The Week In Retail Issue 10

RETAIL

THE WEEK IN

RETAILER INTERVIEW

IN AT THE DEEP END

GREENOCK RETAILER OPENS STORE AS COVID-19 STRIKES DARREN GOLDNEY

WHOLESALERS ‘BETRAYED’

UNITAS BOSS CHALLENGES GOVERNMENT OPINION: GREG DEACON

TIME FOR BRANDS TO BACK INDEPENDENTS

BRANDS’ APPROACH MUST REFLECT CHANGED WORLD

PREMIER LEAGUE RETURNS SUNDAY TRADING CLIMBDOWN CAMELOT SPREADS THE CASH

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Issue 10 Wednesday 24th June 2020

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THE WEEK IN RETAIL

EDITOR’S COMMENT SHARE YOUR NEWS AND VIEWS WITH ME AT ABEGLEY@55NORTH.COM

WHAT HAVE WE LEARNED FROM THE CRISIS? Coronavirus has been an almighty omnishambles that has probably changed the world forever.

That’s something we can probably all agree on.

The rarely spoken fact remains, however, that it has had an undeniably positive impact on the local retailing sector across the UK. That’s nothing to be ashamed of. The sector has been given the opportunity to demonstrate its true worth to communities across the country and has passed that test with flying colours. Bar a few morally questionable individuals, it seems that the vast majority of retailers have avoided the temptation to price hike and exploit this opportunity - so our sector can hold its head high.

What’s even more encouraging is the amount of data suggesting that consumers won’t be rushing back to their old ways any time soon.

They appreciate that their local independent has been there for them when times were tough and we have earned some respect and some loyalty.

We’ve been forced to evolve and adapt quickly to the new world order and we’ve largely succeeded in doing so. But what have we really learned

from the last few months that we can use to our advantage for months and maybe even years to come?

For me, there are three key opportunities: home delivery, digital & data, and customer service. The value of the latter was never in doubt, but Covid-19 has hammered home just how important great customer service can be, as well as forcing us to ask ourselves what great customer service actually means. The other two opportunities, however, have essentially been forced upon us – but they are game changers.

Home delivery will prove to be the biggest fundamental shift in the standard convenience retailing model that we’ve seen in a generation.

Digital & data will take a little longer to embed itself fully into convenience, but it’s coming – of that there is no doubt.

By embracing these opportunities, retailers have all the tools they need to stand their ground when the inevitable price war breaks out between the supermarkets in the near future. But the time to embrace them is now.

ANTONYBEGLEY ANTONYBEGLEY ANTONYBEGLEY

ANTONY BEGLEY, EDITOR

WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020 / ISSUE 10 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 3

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CONTENTS

WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020 / ISSUE 10 WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK

6

10 THIS WEEK’S NEWS IN BRIEF

HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN… HARRY AHMED?

The Government backs down in the Sunday Trading row and CJ Lang launches a click & collect service.

8 COVID-19 UPDATE

THE LATEST CORONAVIRUS-RELATED NEWS

WHOLESALE CRISIS Unitas MD Darren Goldney writes to the Government about the lack of financial support for wholesalers during the Covid-19 crisis.

The Nisa retailer got thrown in at the deep end when Covid-19 struck just weeks after he opened his store.

16 OUT THE BOX: SITE, STOCK, SELL

20 DATA

FROM THE LAST SEVEN DAYS. 15 OPINION

18

CAMELOT MOVES ITS REWARDS

DATA’S NEXT BIG BATTLEGROUND

PROGRAMME ONLINE SO RETAILERS DON’T

IS PERSONALISATION, ARGUES TWC

MISS OUT DURING THE PANDEMIC.

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR TOM FENDER.

IT’S TIME BRANDS PUT MUCH MORE

17 PICKS OF THE WEEK

26 FASCIA UPDATE: NISA

EMPHASIS ON SUPPORTING LOCAL

RETAILERS, SAYS GREG DEACON.

TWITTER.COM/SLRMAG

A LOOK AT THE LATEST NEW PRODUCTS AND MARKETING CAMPAIGNS.

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SLRMAG

NISA HELPS RETAILERS CASH IN ON FOOTBALL’S RETURN.

WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK

WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020 / ISSUE 10 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 5

NEWS DIGEST

THIS WEEK’S NEWS FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/

SGF LAUNCHES SUPPORT FUND Scottish Grocers’ Federation has unveiled a new fund to provide direct financial assistance to retailers and their families during the Covid-19 crisis. For more information on

WHOLESALERS

CJ LANG LAUNCHES CLICK AND COLLECT SERVICE

the fund please download the

THE WHOLESALER EXTENDS ITS SERVICE BEYOND INDEPENDENT

application form on the SGF

SPAR STORES TO ANY RETAIL BUSINESS.

website.

PAYPOINT AND MFG RENEW PAYMENTS AND PARCELS PARTNERSHIP PayPoint and Motor Fuel

Group have renewed their partnership. This will see the deployment of an EPoS integrated PayPoint solution into 900 locations, and the

Spar Scotland wholesaler and retailer CJ Lang has launched a click and collect service aimed at providing trade customers with a full ambient and selected chilled range.

Operating from its 180,000sq ft distribution centre in Dundee, the wholesaler will provide a click and collect service seven days a week, where trade customers place orders via its website before 1430 hours and collect them by 1800 hours the same day. Orders received after 1430 hours

will be available for collection the next day.

The service has been in operation since 10 June and CJ Lang plans to add more products over the coming weeks.

continuation of Collect+ parcel services in almost 500 stores.

GROCERY INSTORE GROWS AT THE EXPENSE OF DELIVERY Following several weeks of strong performance for grocery delivery, grocery in-store grew share across all meal occasions, according to HIM’s latest Pulse update. Growth was particularly strong at dinner, up 4.6pp to 66% share.

CALL FOR MUP IN ENGLAND IN WAKE OF SCOTTISH FINDINGS A leading health campaigner has urged the Government to introduce minimum unit pricing (MUP) for alcohol in England.

The call – from Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, Chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance UK – came after a new study found that alcohol sales in Scotland remain at their lowest level since 1994.

In 2019, 9.9 litres of pure alcohol were sold per adult in Scotland –

6 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 10 / WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020

equivalent to 19.1 units of alcohol per adult per week.

Professor Gilmore said the introduction of minimum unit pricing in Wales earlier this year left England behind much of the UK in the race to tackle the alcohol harm crisis.

He said: “It is time for Westminster to step up and prove it takes our nation’s health seriously by implementing MUP as a matter of urgency.”

NEWS DIGEST

THIS WEEK’S NEWS FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/

SHOPLY MAKES TOP STARTUPS LIST

LEGISLATION

GOVERNMENT BACKS DOWN ON RELAXING SUNDAY TRADING LAWS

Home delivery platform Shoply has been listed at number

A TORY BACKBENCH REBELLION APPEARS TO BE THE FINAL NAIL IN

67 on the Startups 100, the

THE COFFIN FOR THE GOVERNMENT’S PROPOSAL TO KICK-START

UK’s longest running index of

THE ECONOMY.

disruptive new startups. Sales on Shoply have risen by over

It seems likely that the Westminster Government will drop plans to suspend Sunday trading laws in England and Wales following widespread opposition to the proposal.

The idea had been touted as one way to give the economy a muchneeded boost during the coronavirus crisis but was slammed by unions, shopworkers, convenience store owners, trade associations, symbol groups and wholesalers.

It was also widely reported in the national press that over 50 Conservative MPs had threatened to

rebel against the Government and vote down any change.

Commenting on subsequent speculation that the plans had been quietly dropped, a Government spokesperson said Sunday trading was “under review”.

Paddy Lillis, General Secretary of shopworkers’ trade union Usdaw, said: “We appreciate the desire to help the retail sector, but the proposal to undo a long-held and workable compromise on Sunday trading was misguided and overwhelmingly rejected by shopworkers.”

500% during the coronavirus outbreak and the service is now available in 40 locations.

FSS OFFERS FREE ONLINE ALLERGY TRAINING Food Standards Scotland has developed a new online training tool to improve awareness about food allergens. The free tool, which should be of interest to any retailer with a food-to-go offer, comprises six modules.

Progress can be saved and

NEWS UK ADDS TO NFRN’S COVID-19 HARDSHIP FUND News UK has become the latest company to back the NFRN’s Covid-19 Hardship Fund.

Its contribution brings the fund’s total to £235,000.

The NFRN created the Hardship Fund to help members who are facing severe hardship because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Since its launch in April, the Hardship Fund has helped nearly 70

returned to at a later stage.

independent retailers and paid out £100,000.

News UK Chief Operating Officer David Dinsmore (pictured) said: “We are proud to be supporting the NFRN’s hardship fund for hardworking retailers who have fallen on hard times and will continue to work with retailers to ensure we continue to serve our readers and your communities.”

SWA JOINS TOURISM TASKFORCE The Scottish Wholesale Association has been invited to participate in the new Scottish Tourism Recovery Taskforce.The group will look at the needs of the tourism and hospitality sector as it recovers from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.

WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020 / ISSUE 10 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 7

NEWS SPECIAL

COVID-19 UPDATE FOR ALL THE LATEST CORONAVIRUS NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/

BRITS BUY BRITISH DURING COVID-19 CRISIS New research shows that 65% of consumers are much more likely to buy British produce to support the country’s farmers during the coronavirus crisis and 55% prefer to buy British cheese instead of French or Italian. The findings are from the Stilton Cheese Makers Association.

TAX RECEIPTS PLUNGE AMID LOCKDOWN New figures show that HMRC’s tax receipts have plunged £31bn year on year and £47bn when looking at the three months to 31 May, highlighting the mountainous challenge

TOP DOCS WARN AGAINST COVID COMPLACENCY LEADING HEALTH PROFESSIONALS HAVE QUESTIONED WHETHER THE UK HAS MADE THE NECESSARY PREPARATIONS FOR A NEW SPIKE IN COVID-19 CASES.

M

edical experts have called for a review into the UK’s state of readiness for a second wave of coronavirus.

In an open letter published in the British Medical Journal, 16 of the country’s top doctors warned that “action is needed urgently to prevent further loss of life.”

The move came after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a broad relaxation of lockdown regulations in England with pubs, restaurants,

cinemas and hairdressers reopening from 4 July. A “one-metre plus” social distancing rule also comes in.

Although Scotland has eased lockdown conditions somewhat, the two-metre rule remains (as it does in Wales and Northern Ireland) and it is now mandatory to wear face coverings on public transport and in taxis.

now faced to stabilise the country’s finances.

SHOPPING LANDSCAPE CHANGES DURING CRISIS Specialist food stores, such as butchers and fishmongers, have been most popular with younger shoppers (18-24-yearolds) during lockdown, says new research from IGD. Older age groups (65+) relied more on online services.

SGF DISAPPOINTMENT AT BUSINESS SUPPORT CONDITIONALITY RECOMMENDATION Scottish Grocers Federation has strongly criticised key recommendations in the report from the Advisory Group on Economic Recovery.

The Group was established by the Scottish Government to provide independent expert advice on supporting the sectors and regions of Scotland’s economy to recover from the impact of Covid-19. It has been asked to deliver its recommendations by the end of June, in time to inform the Scottish

8 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 10 / WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020

Government’s approach to supporting Scotland’s economic recovery.

The report states that the government’s approach should include targeted use of rates relief to incentivise economic recovery but that this should be accompanied by greater use of conditionality – this could mean that to qualify for the small business bonus, retailers would have to pledge to pay the Scottish government’s living wage or invest in skills in training.

NEWS SPECIAL

COVID-19 UPDATE FOR ALL THE LATEST CORONAVIRUS NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/

UNION CALLS ON RETAILERS TO KEEP CUSTOMERS TWO METRES APART

CUSTOMER TEMPERATURE SCREENING

THE PRIME MINISTER’S NEW ‘ONE METRE PLUS’

S

SOCIAL DISTANCING GUIDANCE PROMPTS SAFETY CONCERNS FROM USDAW.

Paddy Lillis (pictured), Usdaw General Secretary, commented: “It has taken a lot of hard work and effort to make the changes to encourage customers to follow social distancing of two metres in shops that stayed open throughout the lockdown.

“We urge retailers to maintain their existing safety measures. Retail is working well under the two-metre rule, it is not necessary to reduce to one metre.”

FRANCHISEES PRAISE ONE STOP’S STRONG COVID SUPPORT The measures taken to support One Stop stores, colleagues and customers during the Covid-19 crisis have been praised by the retailer’s franchisees.

They took to social media to congratulate One Stop for the swift action it took to protect colleagues and customers, and to help feed local communities, despite the disruption caused by the unprecedented lockdown.

The retailer’s decision to provide items such as POS, screens, visors and

hand sanitiser at no extra cost was particularly welcomed. Franchisees also praised the decision to provide daily communications, keeping them updated with changes and informing them of the latest government advice.

Aman Uppal, of One Stop Mount Nod in Coventry, commented: “We’ve had really great communications and advice from One Stop Franchise over the past few weeks, including regular updates regarding stock availability.”

Test Meter Group’s FOTRIC 226B imager uses AI face detection to automatically check an individual’s temperature.

TECH SOLUTIONS

hopworkers’ trade union Usdaw has urged retailers to maintain social distancing in shops at two metres, as agreed in joint safety guidance, after Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced a ‘one metre plus’ rule for situations where two metre distancing cannot be observed. Johnson confirmed to the House of Commons yesterday that “where it is possible to keep two metres apart, people should”.

As lockdown restrictions are gradually eased across the country, the use of thermal imaging to detect customers who have abnormal temperatures may become more prevalent.

If the imager detects an abnormal temperature, it emits an automatic alert, which allows for a rapid on-site identification and prevention of the person from entering the premises.

Find out further information here.

WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020 / ISSUE 10 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 9

RETAILER INTERVIEW

HARRY AHMED NISA LOCAL, GREENOCK

HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN...

HARRY AHMED?

AFTER SOME TIME AWAY FROM LOCAL RETAILING, GREENOCK NISA RETAILER HARRY AHMED GOT THROWN IN AT THE DEEP END WHEN COVID-19 STRUCK JUST WEEKS AFTER HE OPENED HIS STORE.

10 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 10 / WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020

RETAILER INTERVIEW

HARRY AHMED NISA LOCAL, GREENOCK

HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN HARRY? Stressful, but good!

TOUGH GOING BEING BACK IN LOCAL RETAILING? Just a bit! My family have been in independent retailing forever, but we stepped back out of it for a while. We decided last year that we wanted to get back into it and were offered this new build store and, after surveying the area, we decided to go for it. We only got the keys in December and had to fully fit it out from bare walls. We’d only be opened for three weeks in March when the Covid-19 lockdown struck – so it hasn’t been exactly how we’d planned it.

BUT THE STORE IS DOING WELL? It’s been very, very tough because it feels like we’ve been thrown in at the deep end, but we’ve coped with it and the store is doing really well. My staff have been absolutely brilliant too.

I know the area well and I did my research so I was always confident the store would be successful.

I just didn’t expect it to be this successful this quickly – and that’s down to coronavirus and, of course, the community around me which has been so helpful and supportive. The community has really taken the store to their hearts and we appreciate their support so much. We’re offering them a great store with a great range and great pricing – we haven’t raised a single price because of the pandemic – but it’s been so rewarding to see how much the store means to our customers.

HOW WAS THE FIT OUT? I’m absolutely delighted with how it’s turned out. I think the store looks fantastic and that’s what I’m hearing from customers and other retailers who have visited the store too. I used a friend of mine called Mark McPhee who has his own shopfitting business, Mardec Projects and he did the whole thing for me.

HOW WELL? It’s a 1,500sq ft purpose-built store and our projections were that we would do around £14k a week – but within a fortnight we were already 50% over that. And sales have continued to grow over the last three months so, yes, it’s doing pretty well. It’s strange because we have nothing to compare it to. We don’t have historic sales figures for the store as it’s brand new and we’ve been out of convenience retailing for a while so we really didn’t know what to expect in terms of sales – but it’s fair to say we’re quite pleased so far.

WAS IT A RISK TAKING ON A BRAND-NEW STORE?

WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020 / ISSUE 10 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 11

RETAILER INTERVIEW

HARRY AHMED NISA LOCAL, GREENOCK

SUCH AS? We were due to get a Post Office earlier this year but that got postponed because of coronavirus.

We’re probably looking at August now, but that will help with footfall and sales. We’re also in the process of launching a home delivery service with Snappy Shopper. That will probably be live in the next couple of weeks, so that should help grow sales too. And we’re also adding a big range of desserts in the near future so there’s plenty to keep our customers excited.

HOW DO YOU SEE IT PANNING OUT POST-CORONAVIRUS?

WHAT WERE YOUR KEY AIMS WHEN YOU OPENED THE STORE? The store is in the heart of a large residential area, close to a high school, so we wanted to make sure our range offered something for everyone in the area.

There’s a Domino’s and a Greggs next door but both have been shut since lockdown, other than for home delivery, so we’ve been lucky that way. We have focused on key categories so we’ve 10 metres of fresh and chilled, for instance, and we’ve added products like F’real milkshakes, Costa Coffee and Skwishee. The Co-op own label range has been huge for us too. It’s great quality and it’s priced well. Even with social distancing measure we’ve seen footfall grow and grow and we’ve got more new products and services in the pipeline.

12 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 10 / WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020

I don’t know, to be honest, but I don’t think we’ll return to the old normal. I don’t think independent retailers will see massively inflated sales forever but I think and hope that we’ll see elevated sales for a long time to come. I don’t think the world’s going to go back to the way it was before. All we can do is our best and, for the time being, things are going well and I’m enjoying it. I think we can keep getting better.

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OPINION

LOCAL IS THE WAY FORWARD GREG DEACON, CHIEF OPERATING OFFICER, NFRN

TIME FOR BRANDS TO SHIFT FOCUS TO LOCAL WITH INDEPENDENT RETAILERS THE UNDOUBTED STARS OF THE SHOW IN RECENT MONTHS, IT’S TIME THAT BRANDS REWORKED THEIR STRATEGIES TO PUT MUCH MORE EMPHASIS ON SUPPORTING LOCAL

T

RETAILERS, SAYS GREG DEACON.

he way that independent retailers across the UK have pivoted their businesses to combat the impact on them and their customers during the coronavirus crisis has been nothing short of remarkable.

We’ve seen retailers show real entrepreneurial spirit and retail excellence through home delivery, click and collect, instore safety measures and more – and all these steps have been communicated clearly to their local communities.

Through these impressive efforts, independent retailers have successfully increased consumer demand locally, providing essential items over the counter or by homedelivering to the communities they serve. We have witnessed the rebirth of the local shop.

These selfless acts and the loyalty and commitment behind them will be remembered by customers everywhere, making independent local shops more attractive to communities everywhere. Logically, this should also make local retailing outlets more important to brands, offering them the chance to grow visibility and sales. The big question is, then, whether brands will indeed switch some more of their focus to local retailing.

Regardless of whether they are big or small, brands will need to pivot their own channel strategies and recognise that what was done previously was inadequate, outdated, and illweighted.

Clearly, for manufacturers, winning with independents is the most challenging strategic play due to its highly fragmented, difficult to influence and, quite frankly, diverse

“Brands will need to pivot their own channel strategies and recognise that what was done previously was inadequate, outdated, and ill-weighted.” network of stores. This has contributed to quicker and easier wins for brands through other channels. In today’s world, however, the question all brand leaders now face is ‘what will be the cost of inaction by not having a local strategy?’

My recommendations to suppliers everywhere are to recognise local shops, act now, pivot away and dispel previous myths and outcomes about the channel to move forward. Failing to recognise the emergence and importance of the local shop will contribute to a decline in distribution, visibility and sales, along with retailer advocacy over time. The latter contributes to a successful and symbiotic relationship that ensures your products are promoted and sold through a channel that is frequented, appreciated, respected and loved by thousands of consumers every day.

Forget CTN, c-store, supermarket and forecourt as classifications. The defining word we all need to be focused on is “LOCAL”. Everything we now consider or do must be local and Covid-19 has accelerated this to the benefit of independent shops everywhere. Brand, retailer, consumer – it’s time to be LOCAL.

WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020 / ISSUE 10 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 15

NOW THAT’S A GOOD IDEA…

OUT THE BOX CAMELOT RETAILER REWARD SCHEME REVAMP

CAMELOT SHARES THE CASH CAMELOT HAS ANNOUNCED A REVAMP OF ITS SITE, STOCK, SELL PROGRAMME WHICH WILL MEAN MORE RETAILERS WILL SEE THE BENEFIT AT AN IMPORTANT TIME.

WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA? Camelot has decided to rework its Site, Stock, Sell initiative so that the £10k prize will be split into 10 prizes of £1k, rather than having just one winner every quarter.

WHY HAVE THEY DONE IT? The changes are part of Camelot’s new-look digital Site, Stock, Sell retailer rewards programme – which has been adapted because retailers are still facing a number of challenges (including potentially having to limit the number of people in-store at any given time). Although Camelot is currently in the process of putting some of its Retail Sales Team back on the road, it doesn’t want retailers who don’t receive a face-to-face visit to miss out on rewards – and will be working to understand each individual retailer and their particular circumstances.

SO WE’LL SEE LOTS MORE WINNERS? Exactly. The £10k prize will now be split into 10 separate £1k prizes, meaning there will be 10 retailers who win big in the

next quarterly prize draw. The goal is to make a difference to smaller shops in particular, during the current challenging circumstances.

WHO WAS THE LUCKY LAST WINNER OF THE FULL £10K PRIZE? That would be Yvonne Hamilton (pictured), owner of Linton Stores in York who took home 10 grand at the beginning of the year.

WHAT DO RETAILERS NEED TO DO TO HAVE A CHANCE OF WINNING? Site, Stock, Sell online will run from 27 July. National Lottery retailers will be able to score their store against 10 Site, Stock, Sell questions each month by uploading images to the National Lottery Retailer Hub (INSERT LINK: www.tnlretailerhub.co.uk). These will then be reviewed

by Camelot Retail Sales Executives and cash rewards will be earned when retailers score eight, nine or 10 out of 10.

Each time they score eight or above, this also gives them one entry into the quarterly prize draw (maximum of three entries per quarter).

ANY OTHER CHANGES TO THE SCHEME? Camelot is also introducing a new Site, Stock, Sell ‘score bonus’, which gives retailers who record scores of eight, nine or 10 out of 10 consistently across three months an extra £20. All of this is in addition to the normal £10 bonus events that will continue to support special event draws and Scratchcard campaigns – and means that retailers could earn up to £70 per store with Site, Stock, Sell in the space of just three months.

16 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 10 / WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020

NPD AND MEDIA

PICKS OF THE WEEK TO GET YOUR PRODUCT LISTED PLEASE CONTACT RAITKEN@55NORTH.COM

MEXICAN WHISKY

ROCKSTAR

COCKTAIL CANS

Mangrove UK will launch

REFORMULATION

Molson Coors is launching

the first Mexican whisky into

Rockstar is launching a new

Miami Cocktail Company’s

the UK market next month.

and improved core range with

premium range of RTD organic

Abasolo (43% ABV) is made

25% more caffeine. The new

cocktails exclusively in the

from locally grown, GMO-free

recipe launches across the full

UK. The Organic Spritz 250ml

100% Mexican corn in the first

500ml core range including

4% ABV can range includes

purpose-built whisky distillery

Xdurance and Punched as well

Margarita Spritz, Paloma

in Mexico.

as Original and SuperSours.

Spritz, Mimosa Spritz, Sangria

RSP: £34.99

RSP: 99p PMP

Spritz and Bellini Spritz.

MALIBU CAMPAIGN

SPAR PINK FIZZ

FRUITY TOOTHPASTE

Malibu is injecting sunshine

Spar is unveiling an Italian

Aquafresh has launched two

into lockdown life with a

rosé sparkling wine in time

new fruity toothpaste ranges:

new digital campaign giving

for summer. Sourced within

Aquafresh Splash (Strawberry

consumers the chance to win a

Northern Italy, Perlezza is

& Mint) for kids and Aquafresh

Malibu gift pack. The campaign

Spar’s top sparkling wine

Senses (Energising Grapefruit,

encourages social media users

brand and the new addition is

Lemon & Mint and Refreshing

to share where in the world

produced to be ideally enjoyed

Watermelon, Cucumber &

they would rather be during the

on a warm, sunny afternoon.

Mint).

summer months.

RSP: £7.50 (promo)

RSPs: £1.55 / £2

WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020 / ISSUE 10 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 17

OPEN LETTER

WHOLESALE CRISIS DARREN GOLDNEY, MD, UNITAS WHOLESALE

THE BETRAYAL OF INDEPENDENT WHOLESALERS THE MD OF THE UK’S LARGEST FOOD AND DRINK WHOLESALING GROUP HAS WRITTEN AN OPEN LETTER TO GOVERNMENT CHALLENGING IT ABOUT THE LACK OF FINANCIAL SUPPORT FOR WHOLESALERS DURING THE COVID-19 CRISIS AND THE STRUGGLE HIS FOODSERVICE MEMBERS ARE FACING.

An open letter from Darren Goldney, Managing Director of Unitas Wholesale, the UK largest group of independent food and drink wholesalers Dear Government, Betrayal: the action of betraying one's country, a group, or a person; treachery There simply is no other word for it. Independent wholesalers of this country that service hundreds of thousands of pubs, restaurants, care homes, hospitals, cafes, takeaways, schools and more are being betrayed. While betrayal can be unintended, whatever the root cause, it is the end result so far.

Please explain how it can be right that multiple retailers such as Tesco, Asda and friends are reportedly receiving up to £3 billion in business rate relief from tax payers, while in many cases managing huge sales increases.

Meanwhile, food and drink wholesalers supplying hundreds of thousands of independent small businesses whose sales disappeared over night after instructions to close, have received zero support.

We were told you would stand by UK businesses but this support seems highly selective.

You must act.

Our group, Unitas Wholesale, is made up of 170 independent wholesalers. Our name is based on the principle of winning together with our key partners and stakeholders. The UK government should be one, but you are not standing with us.

We reach millions of consumers, employ thousands of people and supply hundreds of thousands of small food and drinks businesses who we stand side by side with in a battle to survive.

You have spent billions in the wrong places. This needs to be called out but most of all it needs to be corrected, and quickly.

This week we’ve seen the first flow of job losses, because the business rate relief you’ve granted, sometimes needlessly for ‘the rich and the growing’ has not been given to where it was needed and where it would save jobs and businesses.

As a result there is no breathing space afforded as our independent, often family owned, wholesalers work with outlets to reignite hospitality from July onward. No matter how we do this, sales won’t return quickly but will eventually.

Heartbreaking decisions are forcing people out of jobs and this could be avoided by recognising the elephant in the room. You’ve spent far too much in the wrong place but two wrongs do not make a right. Give wholesalers the same business rates relief as you have others.

The definition of betrayal above is interesting and I believe that when a government turns its back on an entire sector in favour of others, then it more than qualifies.

Darren Goldney, Managing Director Unitas Wholesale

18 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 10 / WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020

NO .1

RED WINE IN THE UK**

NO .1

BEST KNOWN WINE BRAND IN THE UK*

NO .2

FAVOURITE WHITE WINE IN THE UK†

ENJOY RESPONSIBLY

*Source: Prime database, IPSOS fiscal YTD 2020 until end of Dec 2019 **Source: Nielsen Total Coverage, Value share % MAT 21.03.2020 †Source: Nielsen Total Coverage, Value Sales MAT 21.03.2020

DATA MATTERS

PERSONALISATION IN CONVENIENCE TOM FENDER, DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, TWC

PERSONALISATION: WHY IT NOW MATTERS IN CONVENIENCE THE RACE TO LEVERAGE THE POWER OF DATA IN CONVENIENCE HAS BEEN ACCELERATED

BY COVID-19 AND THE NEXT BIG BATTLEGROUND IS PERSONALISATION, ARGUES TWC

A

DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR TOM FENDER.

couple of generations ago, independent retailers knew their customers by name and by what they ordered. The customer who called in at 8am every day for a Daily Mail and a packet of mints, the man who popped in at 5.15pm for his packet of cigarettes and a copy of the Mirror.

Relationships were built over regular visits, knowing exactly what the customer wanted before they asked for it and offering extra items at the right time – a bottle of Lucozade, for example, when someone in the family was ill or sourcing the latest sweets that all the kids were talking about.

This is old school personalisation – knowing your customer, pre-empting what they want and upselling the right products based on profile and behaviour.

Today, personalisation still exists but it has grown exponentially. Today, rather than remembering a couple of hundred customers in a corner shop, Amazon remembers the 197 million customers who shop with them each month.

Personalisation comes when you know enough about all your customers – online and offline – to deliver content and offers that are highly relevant

20 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 10 / WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020

to them at exactly the right time. Product relevance leads to much higher engagement levels, and sales conversions, than would otherwise be achieved through generic offers.

72% of consumers say they don’t interact with marketing messages that aren’t personalised or tailored to their interests. Personalisation in marketing comms is far more effective because it focuses on precise targeting (like a sniper) rather than mass marketing (scatter gun).

DEEP CUSTOMER KNOWLEDGE This can only be achieved with a deep knowledge of your customers. And this is where ‘data’ comes in. Pure Play operators like Amazon have an advantage in that all transactions are done online so they can see all of your transactions, and interactions. But they are also obsessed about learning everything they can about their customers. Every single day, Amazon changes the prices of products on its website 2.5 million times, introducing dynamic pricing techniques on a very large scale. Data drives these changes.

Omni channel operators – or bricks and clicks businesses – have it tougher. A business like John

DATA MATTERS

PERSONALISATION IN CONVENIENCE TOM FENDER, DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR, TWC

Lewis has to try and match up customers who are shopping in store and online so that they can treat them holistically as one customer not two separate people.

This is why so many retailers now have in store loyalty schemes – it is the only way to get a customer to self identify when they spend in store. Identity online is easy – the customer has an account or, at least, a name and delivery address or, even better, they can register their loyalty card online as well.

Points don’t only make prizes, they create a single customer entity!

THE WHOLESALE ADVANTAGE Ironically, this is much easier in the world of wholesale. All customers have to be registered to shop and have to use their account number when they order goods. This has always been the way and this means that wholesalers are sat on years of data about their customers. They know who visits or orders weekly, who comes in three times a week and who only shops seasonally or for specific product categories. While online retailers are building knowledge over time as their customer database is built up, wholesalers already have it to hand in their back office or ERP system.

ENRICHING THE KNOWLEDGE POOL But additional customer information can be gathered on a continuous basis and added to the knowledge pool to enrich our understanding of customers. Every touch point with customers is an opportunity to learn more. Data can be captured from all types of sources – obviously online and offline as customers are ordering products or on the web as they are searching out promotions, but also via delivery drivers and reception desks. These

staff pick up vital knowledge, which can be integrated with other accumulating data sets.

Customers can be encouraged to leave reviews on their wholesalers’ feedback pages which provide further data clues (eg. growing resentment).

Data silos must be brought down. Data is power, and even more so when all data sets within an organisation are merged together to produce an outcome greater than the sum of the parts.

ROLLING BACK THE YEARS So, if we compare the average independent wholesaler to our 1970s independent retailer for a moment. Our retailer knew if Mrs Smith from number 27 hadn’t popped in for her copy of Women’s Weekly on a Wednesday and he knew Mr Jones liked a good whisky so could recommend him a new bottle he was stocking.

Turning this to wholesale, it’s really difficult to keep track of customers in the same micro detail without detailed reports about recency and spend. The noisy customer and the ones always trying to get a deal stand out, but what about the quiet customer who visits twice a week, regular as clockwork, and buys the same things every time? These are the customers that sometimes slip under the radar. Amazingly, asking depot managers who their most profitable customer is the question that can be the most challenging – and this is the information that good data can serve up in seconds.

And the sales data you have has to be ‘clean’ and granular. Not easy (and certainly not often the case) in the UK wholesale sector.

Amazon has got this sussed – it’s time for our channel to catch up.

WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020 / ISSUE 10 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 21

Thank you for makin

You and your team have been through a lot recently. You have faced advers Nisa support centre and DHL teams. You have been patient with us when sup conditions. You have adapted your tr t

Nisa partners and store colleagues, we thank you for your outs

You’re my favourite local shop, wonderful people who are so community friendly. You’re an asset to the community thank you.

H, Jodie & Amrit Singh, Nisa Local High Heath, Walsall

You’re all doing a fantastic job.

Thank you for everything you’re doing! The village could not cope without you all.

Alan Carr, Newport Village Stores, Saffron Walden

join-nisa.co.uk

You’re doing a grea community. W Thank

Alex Kapadia, Nisa Local Whitehills, Northampton

I am so amazed at how m this crazy time! The big sh by selfish people but th everything. They are havi hav keeping their shelves sto and still working so only g I want to say a massive t They are w

Barry Patel, Nisa Marsh Farm, Luton

ng a real difference

sity with a smile and an amazing community spirit, backed by our dedicated pply was disrupted and have kept serving our customers in incredibly difficult rading to keep your customers safe.

standing efforts! Together we are Making a Difference Locally.

at job for the local We appreciate it. k you.

much stock is in store at hops have been ransacked his store has had almost ving regular deliveries and ocked. I am a key worker get there at certain times. thank you to all the staff. wonderful.

Amazing effort by Andy, Adam and the team. You have all gone above and beyond and your hard work is very much appreciated and you have done it all with such goodwill. Thank you.

Dike & Son, Stalbridge, Dorset

Well done. I was in today and it was well stocked. I praised the staff as they and your shop are providing us with all we need.

Thank you, take care all.

Emerson’s Supermarket, Armagh

SYMBOL SPECIAL

MATCH DAY MUST-HAVES NISA RETAIL

NISA HELPS RETAILERS CASH IN ON THE RETURN OF FOOTBALL WITH THE PREMIER LEAGUE SEASON RESUMING LAST WEEK NISA IS HELPING RETAILERS GROW THEIR SALES AND FOOTFALL WITH A RANGE OF ACTIVITIES CENTRED AROUND THE RETURN OF THE BEAUTIFUL GAME.

T

o the relief of many, the football season finally started again last week and Nisa is helping ensure its partners are all set to give their shoppers just what they need to celebrate the return of the beautiful game.

After a three-month absence due to the pandemic, the Premier League returned on television last week and Nisa has made some great deals available to retailers to support them in helping shoppers make the most of the occasion.

On the day the season resumed, Nisa launched the Co-op and Nisa Big Deal event featuring the market leading promotion comprising two Co-op own brand pizzas and a four-pack of Budweiser or Coca-Cola for just £5.

26 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 10 / WEDNESDAY 24TH JUNE 2020

And for those looking for other snacks there’s also a wide selection of other great offers to be had including soft drinks, beers, sweet and savoury share bags.

The Big Deal promotion is expected to be popular with shoppers who are looking for bargains as they continue to make more frequent trips to their local shop.

Head of Marketing at Nisa Philippe Rondepierre said: “Beer and pizza have a high appeal to shoppers and meet many customer missions, including informal get-togethers and at-home informal eating.

“As lockdown measures are eased, this deal is perfect for consumers who want to a catch up with friends and share some simple food and drink together while they observe the social distancing rules we continue to live by.”

Barry Patel, Luton-based Nisa partner, said: “People really appreciate us in the bad times. Now we want to keep them coming back. We had to stop promotions at the height of the crisis because our priority was making sure we were well stocked and had good availability.

“Now, we’re bringing back things like the promotion of Budweiser and pizza. This allows us to showcase to shoppers the strength of a convenience store and allows us to go beyond expectations in terms of variety of range and competitive pricing.”

RETAIL TH E W EE K IN

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RVIEW

H OW’S YO U R W EE K BE EN…

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