2 minute read
THE WEEK IN RETAIL ISSUE 32
EDITOR’S COMMENT
THERE’S A LOT TO LIKE ABOUT LOCAL
Local sourcing has always been a small but important part of what many retailers do, often to help add a point of difference over nearby competitors, although it’s never really hit the big time and become a mission-critical part of the business strategy. Many retailers like doing it because it ticks a lot of boxes – customers like local products, they see them as higher quality, they have reduced food miles and so on – but there have been several important sticking points for retailers keen to really focus on local produce.
Coronavirus, however, has shone a fresh light on local sourcing – and for many often unexpected reasons. First, enormous availability issues at the start of the pandemic forced many retailers and wholesalers to look closer to home for stock when their normal supply chain abruptly ground to a halt. Next, we saw more and more shoppers buying more ethically, and that often included supporting local retailers, producers and economies.
Last, but not least, it seems clear that many retailers and wholesalers have actually enjoyed dealing with smaller, local producers. Better service, more passion, great expertise and a willingness to take a more flexible approach to working with their customers are all reasons I’ve heard from both retailers and wholesalers.
So is local sourcing’s day finally approaching? It would be nice to think so – and we’re helping to drive that forward with the relaunch yesterday of the Scottish Retail Food & Drink Awards. SLR and The Week in Retail are the official trade media partners of the programme that has one simple aim: to get more of Scotland’s fantastic food and drink products onto more Scottish shelves.
It was also announced yesterday that Spar Scotland is the official Small Producer partner for the Rewards and that The Scottish Sun, The Times in Scotland and The Sunday Times in Scotland are the official consumer media partners. Not a bad team to start driving local sourcing further up the agenda and I urge all retailers, not just those in Scotland, to take a fresh look at how listing more local products could help their businesses. Offering a differentiated range and becoming a true destination store is critical these days: going local is one great way to help you achieve that.
