COVER STORY
SCOTTISH RETAIL FOOD & DRINK AWARDS LOCAL SOURCING
HAS LOCAL SOURCING’S DAY FINALLY ARRIVED? ONE OF THE MORE UNEXPECTED CONSEQUENCES OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC HAS BEEN A MAJOR SHIFT TOWARDS LOCAL SOURCING, AND A NEW AWARDS PROGRAMME AIMS TO HELP LOCAL RETAILERS
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IN SCOTLAND HARNESS THE POWER OF LOCAL, REGIONAL AND NATIONAL PRODUCTS. BY ANTONY BEGLEY
here were many seismic shifts in the local retailing sector during the last seven or eight months as the entire supply chain attempted to cope with change on an unprecedented scale and pace as coronavirus turned the world on its head. One of those seismic shifts has been a re-evaluation of the benefits of local sourcing by many retailers and wholesalers. When the big global brand supply chain works, it unquestionably works well. But when it doesn’t work, it creates chaos. The mass-scale availability issues we saw earlier this year were astonishing. When even supermarkets are half empty you know there’s a major problem. On the whole, local retailers seemed to manage their availability issues a lot better, taking advantage of their ability to be nimble, creative and committed to doing whatever it took to keep essentials on the shelves. But under Covid-19, the supply chain genie was released from the bottle – and it will take a long time to force it back in. Under a pandemic like this, another consequence is that retailers find out who their friends really are. There’s no question that the supermarkets got preferential treatment when stocks got really low. Many big brands had no choice but to prioritise and, in many high profile instances, the local retailing and wholesaling sector got a second prize at best. Unsurprisingly, retailers and wholesalers had to do what they had to just to keep stock on the shelves and, for many, that meant leaning heavily on smaller, more local producers.
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And you know what? The experience was enlightening for many. Dan Brown, Manager of Pinkie Farm Convenience Store in Edinburgh and standing SGF President comments: “We’ve always tried to use local producers because our customers like local products and because we believe in supporting the local economy. Our experience of working more intensely with local suppliers under coronavirus has
