SLR January 2025 Edition

TIME TO REDEFINE VALUE?

Retailers rethink how to deliver value. + ABOVE & BEYOND AWARDS Last chance to enter!

DUNBAR DREAM Inside Premier Dunbar BUDGET BLOW Scottish Budget fails to deliver

NEWS

06 Crime Police Scotland is set to receive an additional £3m in funding to fight retail crime.

07 Business Costs The Scottish Budget sees local retailers denied the 40% rates relief offered to hospitality venues.

08 Legislation Restrictions on vapes loom as Tobacco and Vapes Bill passes second reading in House of Commons.

09 Community Londis Solo Convenience Store in Baillieston is crowned a Local Retail Champion by lottery operator Allwyn.

10 News Extra Illicit Trade A double-digit increase in the number of illicit vapes seized illustrates the monumental size of the problem Scotland is facing.

18 Product News A movie-themed promo spells good news for retailers, who also have the chance to win £1,000 in a Cadbury Creme Egg competition.

20 Off-Trade News Foster’s becomes the PDC’s official beer partner and Soopa Hooch adds two new flavours.

INSIDE BUSINESS

22 SLR Awards Our Awards sponsors discuss the key challenges and opportunities facing the Scottish convenience channel in the year ahead.

26 Above & Beyond Awards Time is running out to enter your colleagues into the Above & Beyond Awards 2025.

28 Store Profile Premier Dunbar A former hardware shop is transformed into a destination store dedicated to quality wines, spirits and local produce.

31 Local Sourcing Scotland’s Speciality Food & Drink Show is a one-stop shop for all your local sourcing needs.

32 Hotlines The latest new products and media campaigns.

46 Under The Counter The Auld Boy is fixated with how many double-decker buses fit in an Olympic-sized swimming pool.

FEATURES

34 Spring Occasions With Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter all falling in quick succession, retailers need to get organised and play to their strengths this spring.

36 Fascia Guide It’s a new year, so is it time for a fresh fascia?

44 Healthy Eating We speak to Avens Retail about how the company is helping customers make better diet choices.

Talysis unveils voicepowered data tool

Retailers can interrogate data and gain critical insights using a new AI and voice-powered grocery data analysis solution from Talysis. VOX – which stands for voice-operated expert – will enable retailers to streamline processes, improve communication and uncover hidden growth opportunities, Talysis claimed.

SWA calls for Scottish wholesale strategy

The Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA) urged the Scottish Government to embed wholesale into all future pandemic and national emergency planning when it gave oral evidence at the Scottish Covid-19 Inquiry last month. SWA said support needs to be given at the very start of any future restrictions and closures, to stop wholesalers exhausting cash reserves or taking on loans that will prevent the restocking, rebuilding, and reopening of markets.

Free HR pilot for SMEs in Angus

Local shops in Angus have the chance to take part in a new pilot providing two days of free HR support to help them create more quality jobs, recruit the best candidates, and prepare for new changes to employment law. The trial programme has been developed by The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) and the Behavioural Insights Team.

Scotmid and Scoffable join forces for home delivery Scotmid has partnered with West Lothian-based delivery platform, Scoffable, to roll out grocery deliveries across the country. The partnership began in June with a trial in three Scotmid stores, where Scoffable’s platform tested customer demand and operational effectiveness. Following the trial’s success, the service will give coverage to 68 stores.

Scotland’s shoplifting soars 25% as police funding falls short

e government announced an extra £3m in funding for Police Scotland to ght retail crime in the Scottish Budget. But this will not go far enough to tackle the country’s shopli ing epidemic, which has seen incidents rocketed 25%, according to the Scottish Government’s recorded crime data for the year ending September 2024.

e police in Scotland recorded 300,134 crimes within this period, including 42,271 shopli ing incidents, up from 33,789 the previous year. is is an increase of 70% from the year ending September 2020 when 24,861 shopli ing crimes were recorded.

East Lothian reported the largest year-on-year (YOY) increase in shop the in percentage terms, up

INVESTMENT

65% YOY to 650 incidents. Stirling, the Orkney Islands and Moray all saw an increase of 54% YOY, with 441, 40 and 349 incidents recorded respectively. Edinburgh City also witnessed a huge rise, up 52% YOY, to 6,990 crimes, while Angus saw a 48% leap to 711 incidents.

e latest gures from the Chief Statistician only account for the crimes reported to Police Scotland, but the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) says that the true gure was much higher. is is based on the nding that 77% of

members have told SGF they are either unlikely or very unlikely to report shopli ing incidents to the police due to the lack of con dence across retail that there will be a meaningful outcome.

SGF Chief Executive Pete Cheema said that the Police Scotland funding did not go far enough. “While we welcome the additional direct support for Police Scotland, to get to grips with the devastating impact of retail crime, £3 million will only go so far,” he said. “Crime is the biggest issue facing our sector. Many stores are facing endemic levels of crime. Not just the , but violence and abuse on a regular basis. Much more will be needed if we hope to reverse that trend before matters get even worse for sta and businesses.”

Fife store owner converts Nisa Local sites to Avens Retail

Having successfully debuted his Avens Retail fascia at a new store on Rosslyn Street in Kirkcaldy earlier this year, Fife-based Zahid Mukhtar has relaunched his two existing sites under the Avens brand, having previously run them as Nisa Local outlets.

The stores, which are located in Ballingry and on Overton Road in Kirkcaldy, feature a broad array of Co-op own-brand products as part of Avens Retail’s continued partnership with Nisa, whilst also having a strong focus on locally sourced products and regional partnerships. Partnering with more than 95 suppliers, including award-winning butcher Tom Course and a local fresh fish provider, Avens has expanded its product selection to over 4,000 items, focusing on fresh produce, quality meats, and bakery options.

In addition, Avens has introduced a year-round free fruit programme for primary school children, following its success as a summer initiative.

Zahid said: “The launch of our new stores in Ballingry and Overton Road is an exciting milestone for Avens Retail and a testament to our commitment to the communities we serve.”

installation takes place at LA Foods

LA Foods on Uxbridge Road in London was the location for the 1,000th installation of Henderson Technology’s EPoS system, EDGEPoS.

e 13-strong LA Foods chain is co-owned by Tabrez Hussain (pictured) and his family. Tabrez, whose father started the business in 1990, said: “We chose EDGEPoS because we wanted a system that could make our store operations more streamlined and automated. e self-checkouts, suggested ordering, and electronic shelf labels (ESELs) were particularly appealing, and while we haven’t yet rolled out ESELs, we are excited about their potential.”

He added: “Features like automated ordering save time we can now spend on other tasks, such as regular stock takes. e reduction printers and digital handsets have also been invaluable additions.”

Scottish Budget snubs small retailers on rate relief

In a kick in the teeth for convenience stores, the Scottish Budget has failed to extend the business rates support of 40% o ered to hospitality venues to retail outlets.

Finance Secretary Shona Robison announced that the Basic Property Rate would remain at 49.8p. In addition to the Small Business Bonus Scheme, which will be protected in 2025, the Scottish Government claimed that the freeze to the Basic Property Rate would protect over 200,000 small properties.

While the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) welcomed the rates freeze, it described the lack of rate relief for retailers as “another damaging blow” and urged the Scottish Government to replicate

LEGISLATION Proposals threaten family businesses

the 40% relief announced for retail, hospitality and leisure businesses south of the border in the UK Budget.

SGF Chief Executive Pete Cheema said: “We are very disappointed that the Scottish Government has failed to recognise the need to support local retail and small businesses across Scotland. While we welcome the freeze on the basic rate, we are calling on the Finance Secretary to extend the same support on business rates to include retail. To match what is being delivered to both retail and hospitality in England but only hospitality in Scotland.”

e Federation of Small Businesses Scotland Policy Chair, Andrew McRae, added: “We are pleased the lifeline Small Business

ACS calls for consultation on Inheritance Tax change

e Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) is one of 32 trade associations, representing more than 160,000 UK family-owned businesses and farms, which have written to the Chancellor calling for a full and formal consultation on changes to Inheritance Tax announced in the UK Budget.

Chancellor Rachel Reeves’s inheritance tax overhaul would mean that businesses worth more than £1m would be subject to Inheritance Tax at a rate of 20% when the business owner dies.

Family business owners will typically retain more than 90% of their personal wealth directly in the business, allocated to fund growth and investment. But to cover the Inheritance Tax liability, business owners would be forced to take money out of the business, or even sell up, stated Family Business UK (FBUK).

In an open letter, led by FBUK, the Trade Associations warned that changes to Business Property Relief and Agricultural Property Relief would starve their members and the economy of investment, lead to forced, premature business sales and result in job losses right across the UK.

Independent economic modelling commissioned by FBUK and conducted by CBI Economics suggests changes to BPR alone could result in a £1.25bn net scal loss to the Exchequer, lead to more than 125,000 job losses and reduce economic activity (GVA) by £9.4bn over the course of the parliament.

Bonus Scheme has been protected and will continue to o er vital support to tens of thousands of small businesses up and down the country. e freezing of the basic property rate, or ‘poundage,’ is also welcome.

“However, the refusal to extend the same rates relief to our small retailers and leisure providers [as Scottish hospitality venues] is a bitter pill to swallow.”

POST OFFICE

Postmasters receive £20m pay boost

The Post Office (PO) accelerated the delivery of a £20m boost to postmasters’ pay packets in December in a bid to deliver on its ‘New Deal for Postmasters’.

Independent postmasters and PO’s retail partners that operate branches on its behalf received the top-up payment ahead of Christmas. Top-up payments were based on both the standard fixed and variable remuneration branches received in November.

Neil Brocklehurst, PO Acting CEO, said: “We want our postmasters to focus on what they do best, serving their communities, and not to be worried about making ends meet.”

Snappy Shopper partners with Foodhub

Snappy Shopper has joined forces with food ordering platform Foodhub. Mike Callachan, CEO of Snappy Shopper, said that, with its partnerships, the business was “expanding access for both small and large retailers to reach more customers – by taking the best that local convenience stores have to offer, directly to digital customers”.

Scotmid appoints new COO for retail

Former Asda Senior Director Brian Boyle has been named Chief Operating Officer (Retail) at Scotmid. Boyle joins Scotmid with over 30 years of experience in the retail industry, having held senior leadership positions at Asda, Safeway, and Morrisons. Most recently, he spent 18 years at Asda, where he served in several leadership roles, including Retail Regional Director for Central Scotland.

Spar Scotland reveals details of 2025 Tradeshow Spar Scotland’s annual Tradeshow and Awards will take place in Aviemore on 25 September 2025. Paula Middleton, Spar Scotland Head of Marketing, said: “The theme of our 2025 event is ‘Inspiring Success,’ which will look to motivate participants to unlock their full potential and push the boundaries through innovation, systems, technology and of course NPD.”

C-Store Collective welcomes Pastorfrigor Convenience consultancy The C-Store Collective has welcomed refrigeration expert Pastorfrigor GB as its latest partner. The pair join forces to approach forecourt and standalone convenience retailers who will be opening new stores, expanding chilled or frozen space in store, or replacing and upgrading their current in-store solutions.

Image courtesy of HM Treasury on Flickr.

Image courtesy of Scottish Government on Flickr.

Indies give away Orangina with Suntory Retailers across the UK have been giving away over 30 pallets of Orangina – the equivalent of over 85,000 cans – as part of Suntory Beverage & Food (SBF) GB&I’s winter charity drive.

Matthew Gouldsmith, Channel Director, Wholesale at SBF GB&I, said: “Our retailers are at the heart of their communities and play a fundamental role in helping the people in their local area who need it most.”

Shetland postmaster joins Post Office Board

Brian Smith, postmaster for Clocktower Post Office on the Shetland Islands, and Sara Barlow, postmaster for Rainhill, Merseyside have been elected as Non-Executive Directors on the Post Office Board. Brian and Sara will replace Elliot Jacobs and Saf Ismail who were first elected to sit on the Board in 2021.

Avens Retail staff climb Ben Nevis

Avens Retail in Fife has raised more than £900 for Maggie’s after staff climbed Ben Nevis to raise funds for the cancer care charity. Staff from the three shops took on the grueling nine hour hike at the beginning of November. Rosslyn Street Store Manager Marc Mitchell claimed that the challenge had been tougher than they’d thought, but they were delighted to have helped such a worthy cause.

ACS gives evidence to Rates Bill Committee

ACS Government Relations Director Edward Woodall has given evidence to a Committee of MPs in the UK Parliament in response to a Bill aimed at giving retailers in England more relief on their business rates. The proposed legislation intends to introduce higher business rates multipliers for the largest business properties (those over £500,000 in rateable value) and lower multipliers for retail and hospitality businesses.

Tobacco and Vapes Bill passes second reading

MPs voted in favour of the Tobacco and Vapes Bill at its Second Reading at the House of Commons last month, when the UK government also announced that it would be dedicating an additional £10m to enforcement activity against the illicit trade.

A total of 415 MPs voted for the bill, while just 47 voted against it.

e vote moves the UK one step closer to becoming smoke free, making it illegal for anyone currently aged 15 or under to ever buy cigarettes in the UK. e

bill would also see a ban on vape advertising, and restrictions on vape avours, packaging and shop display.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting said: “Action is long overdue. We promised to stamp out youth vaping in our manifesto, and the Bill delivers the change that we promised. It will close loopholes that allow vapes to be sold or given away to children, provide powers to regulate the avours, packaging and display of vapes, and introduce on-the-spot nes of £200 for

under-age sales [in England and Wales]. Just as we took action on the advertising and sponsorship of tobacco products, we will bring the law into line for vaping products, too.”

In addition, he acknowledged that vapes were still a useful tool for smokers trying to quit the habit. “As a stop-smoking tool, vaping has a part to play,” said Streeting. “For smokers, vaping is a better alternative—a route away from smoking. We do not want to throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

Markus Lindblad, Head of Legal & External A airs at smoking alternatives retailer Haypp Group, claimed that the enforcement money was insu cient. “ e £10m is certainly welcome, and a good start, but it will not be enough to e ectively enforce the new vape retail licensing system [in England, Wales and Northern Ireland] and address the black market for vapes. e main issue we see coming down the tracks is a potential increase in black market vape activity driven by the disposable vape ban. In order to combat this, more funding will be required to enable authorities to correctly carry out the necessary enforcement of the ban.”

Read more about illicit vapes on p10.

financial straits

Communities across Scotland are set to be hit hard as 70% of councils have warned that they may be unable to pass balanced budgets within the next ve years without immediate changes.

e second annual State of Local Government Finance in Scotland report from Local Government Information Unit (LGIU) Scotland found councils are taking every measure available to balance their budgets. However, many councils believed this would still not be enough to prevent the risk of an unbalanced budget. Nearly every respondent said they believed cuts to services would have a negative impact on quality of life in their council, and over 90% felt that cuts would increase the risks to vulnerable people.

Jonathan Carr-West, Chief Executive, LGIU Scotland, said: “ is year’s results make for grim reading about the state of local government nances in Scotland. e message from our second annual State of Local Government Finance in Scotland builds on last year: we are nearing the point of no return. e report paints a picture of a system under continual and signi cant strain, with the scale of nancial pressures increasing from 2023.”

Not only could the situation impact consumer spending and wellbeing, but it may well see c-stores taking on further services that would otherwise be unavailable. is is already the case for Premier Whitehills in Aberdeenshire, which set up a book collection and return service last year when the village library closed its doors.

Image courtesy of Victoria from Pixabay.

Londis Solo Convenience wins £20,000 Social Value makeover

Glasgow-based Londis Solo Convenience was crowned National Winner, alongside Coldean Convenience in Brighton, at National Lottery operator Allwyn’s Local Retail Champions awards last month. Both retailers were awarded £5,000 cash and a Social Value store makeover worth up to £20,000.

A further 16 Regional Winners, including Cults Stores Keystore in Aberdeen, and Stevenston Post O ce in North Ayrshire, took home £5,000 cash, while 102 runners-up will receive a £100 cash prize.

Launched in September, Allwyn’s rst Local Retail Champions campaign – funded by Allwyn’s Social Value Fund – asked the UK public to nominate National Lottery retailers who go above

and beyond to support their local community and received almost 1,000 store nominations.

Londis Solo Convenience Store, owned by Natalie and Martin Lightfoot, was selected as a National Winner for going the extra mile for its community, including organising charity fundraising events and local litterpicking activities, and providing a home delivery service for those who need it.

e couple are now looking at how they will spend the store’s

COMMUNITY Inmates initiative sees donations pour in

Scotmid jailbirds raise the bars with £15,000 fundraiser

A quirky charity challenge saw a team of Scotmid “prisoners” raise more than £15,000 for cancer care charity Maggie’s as they campaigned to raise enough “bail money” to free themselves. Locked up at e Lost Close, a hidden basement in Edinburgh, the original goal was to raise £10,000 to secure their freedom, but the fundraisers smashed their target with almost three hours to spare and raised an additional £5,000. e initiative, dubbed ‘Jail or Bail’, saw Kevin Lowe, Lynne Ogg, Stuart Forsyth, Margaret Anne Clark, Craig Strachan, and Euan Murray (Barclays) teaming up to rally support from customers, colleagues, members, and suppliers.

Lynne Ogg, Scotmid’s Head of Membership and Community Engagement, said: “What a day! When we set ourselves the ambitious target of £10,000, we knew it would be a challenge, but the support we’ve received has been incredible.

“It was daunting at rst, but seeing our professional and personal community come together to support such a vital cause has been truly humbling. Every single donation will make a di erence.”

makeover prize through social and environmental initiatives to improve the store and how it supports the local community. Proposals under consideration include a de brillator and a bleed control kit.

Natalie said: “Our store has always been more than just a job. We put our heart and soul into it and the fact folk have recognised that by taking time out of their day to nominate us leaves me totally humbled and feeling very privileged to have won. It is such an honour.”

She thanked her customers for voting and her team for being so supportive of community projects. She claimed that she couldn’t wait to get started on the next 12 months’ initiatives, stating: “2025; we are coming to get you!”

COMMUNITY Generous One Stop retailer appears on Jeremy Vine show

Nathalie Fullerton, owner of One Stop Dumbarton Road in Glasgow, was named a Christmas Star on Channel 5’s Jeremy Vine show last month for her community efforts. The kindly retailer won £1,000 in a competition but decided to give it away to a deserving customer by organising a Facebook competition. The grateful single parent who won the prize, said that they would use it to give their kids “the best Christmas ever”.

Nathalie was in shock when she received a call from the TV show’s production team inviting her to be on the programme. “I actually thought the staff were winding me up, but it was really nice to be noticed in that way,” she told SLR.

Reach price rises enrage retailers

The Federation of Independent Retailers has condemned Reach for using the festive period to try to sneak through cover price rises on its national, daily and weekly newspapers accompanied by a widespread cut in terms. From 4 January, cover prices will rise on all of Reach’s national titles. There will also be price rises for its stable of daily and weekly titles.

Vape waste spirals

An estimated 8.2 million vapes, including single use, pod and big puff varieties, are thrown away or recycled incorrectly every week, according to research commissioned by Material Focus and conducted by Opinium. The firm claims much of the waste is fuelled by the growing popularity of big puff vapes, with three million bought a week, and that they will cause significant environmental challenges in the wake of the disposable ban.

New Head of Key Accounts for Nisa

Nisa’s former Regional Manager for the south, Andrew Rutter, has been appointed Head of Key Accounts within its Sales and Retail team. The role involves fostering strong relationships with key partners, enhancing service delivery, and defining a five-year sales strategy aimed at driving profitable growth and deepening retailer loyalty.

Jisp NPD service rewards retailers

Jisp has revealed an NPD service that will reward retailers for taking part in product launches. The new service will allow brands to launch or trial new products in a guaranteed number of c-stores, with onthe-ground review of execution by Jisp’s retail growth manager team, and performance data and insights deliverable through its scanning technology and backoffice systems.

Scottish Grocers’ Federation

Convenience Matters with the SGF

It’s a new year, and many challenges lie ahead, as well as a few opportunities. Some may be beyond anyone’s control, but others are a result of government intervention.

In the Autumn Budget, businesses felt the sting of substantially higher National Insurance contributions and a soaring National Living Wage. So, there was hope in the Scottish Budget but that was also short lived, despite its billing as a ‘Growth Budget’.

Instead of help for small businesses and local stores, Scottish retail was singled out and passed over for support, missing out on the 40% business rates reliefs now available to both our counterparts in England and Wales, and Scotland’s hospitality industry.

Meanwhile, fewer and fewer businesses are seeing support from the Small Business Bonus Scheme; the threshold for support remains fixed but inflationary increases in rateable value for many stores are raising them out of the scheme. At least the basic rate stays frozen for another year.

On retail crime we also hoped for more. It’s good news that the police will have an extra £3m ringfenced to tackle retail crime but our figures estimate the cost to Scottish convenience retail alone is over £60m per annum – not to mention the devastating impact on the safety and wellbeing of staff.

As one prominent politician told SGF, it’s almost as if the Scottish Government has decriminalised shop theft and abuse of shop workers.

We will keep challenging the government, and with a growing demand for sustainable local living, and opportunities for new markets through innovation and new technology, there is indeed hope to be had.

Frustrations over Scotland’s illicit trade heighten as vape ban draws closer

A double-digit increase in illicit vapes seized illustrates the monumental size of the problem the country is facing.

Scotland saw an extra 3,291 (+19.4%) illicit vapes seized between January and October 2024 versus the whole of 2023, according to latest council data.

e gures highlight “a troubling trend,” stated vape retailer Totally Wicked, which obtained the data through hundreds of FOI requests to councils and local authorities.

Highland Council reported the largest increase, with the number of vapes seized rising by an extraordinary 1,095.8%, from 291 vapes in 2023 to 3,480 in 2024.

West Lothian Council saw a 410.2% increase, with 500 illegal vapes seized in 2024, against 98 in 2023.

Glasgow City Council remains the most a ected area, with seized vape gures more than doubling (105.63% increase) to 5,735 vapes this year.

In contrast, some areas saw declines, such as West Dunbartonshire, where the number of vapes seized dropped by 89.20%, and Fife, which experienced an 80.15% reduction.

Totally Wicked’s CEO and Chairman of the Independent British Vape Trade Association (IBVTA), said: “Some distributors and retailers are either unaware or choose not to follow the rules. We welcome any crackdown on illegal and unsafe vaping products, as it helps protect consumers and ensures that only compliant products are available on the market. Retailers must source vapes from trusted, regulated distributors to guarantee they are selling safe products.”

Nathalie Fullerton of One Stop Dumbarton Road in Glasgow is appalled at the situation. “It’s awful: it’s so irresponsible and it’s so dangerous,” she said. “If it’s illicit you don’t know what’s in it, they don’t have safety protocols, people don’t even know what they’re putting in their own bodies, so the health implications are just massive. And obviously if retailers are selling illicit

vapes, they must be selling to underage as well - they wouldn’t be caring who they sell to.”

Sadly, she wasn’t surprised that Glasgow had taken the undesirable top spot in terms of the number of illicit vapes seized. “I can believe that,” she said, claiming that she has been directly impacted by illegal sellers. “Unfortunately, there’s a local shop literally not 100 yards from us that is known to sell cheap tobacco and vapes. We knew because people came into ourselves and asked for tobacco and cigarettes and when we scanned it and told them the price they said: ‘Oh no, we want the cheap stu ’. We actually went and purchased tobacco [from the irresponsible retailer] and you really couldn’t tell the di erence in the packaging, but it was half price.”

Nathalie promptly reported the store to trading standards, but to no avail. “I reported it to whoever would listen and nothing’s done about it,” she fumed. “ at’s the frustrating part because we do everything through the o cial channels - our licences are in place, we’ve got track and trace [registration], we’ve got all the correct provisions in place and obviously we’re buying it straight from Tesco and a company called VSL [Vape Supplier Ltd], which is all regulated.”

She fears the ban on single use vapes, which is due to come into force on June 1, will only accelerate the problem. “When the disposable ban comes in, the illicit trade will just skyrocket,” she says. “I think it’s going to make the situation even worse.”

Nathalie’s views are backed by ACS research conducted last year, which revealed that almost one in four (24%) existing vape users intend to continue to use disposables a er a ban is introduced. is would result in a horri c £645m boost to the UK’s illicit vape trade.

TIME TO GET CREATIVE WITH VALUE?

If I had a fiver for every time I’ve heard a retailer say, “value is more important now than it’s ever been,” I’d be challenging Elon Musk for the title of world’s richest man. But the reality is that value is literally more important now than it’s ever been – and it’s a challenge for retailers that looks set to get even tougher this year.

April is looming large in everyone’s mind and there is absolutely no doubt that reality is going to bite – and bite hard – when wage bills and National Insurance contributions push costs to a new high for the sector.

As if that wasn’t bad enough, the mults have embarked on a price war and, for the gazillionth time, more and more big retailers are making moves on the convenience sector. Historically, very few big retailers have managed to make a convenience-scale model work, but their continued incursions into convenience retailing certainly don’t help.

Plus there are a thousand other challenges going on that mean consumers are counting every penny and are looking for the best value they can get. That’s long been the case, of course, but this time it feels somehow more urgent.

So how can local retailers square that circle of spiralling costs and consumer demand for value? It’s making margin even harder to come by at a time when margin is what we all need, just to cover those ever-increasing additional costs.

What’s the answer? This was the question we posed to some of Scotland’s brightest retailers for this issue’s cover story and the answers we got make for very interesting reading. Nothing inspires creativity quite like a crisis and we’re seeing some genuine creativity among the leading lights of our sector.

‘Resilience’ has become the hallmark of our industry and we’re going to need all the resilience we can muster in 2025. But local retailing is also characterised by good, clever, creative people who are more than willing to share their ideas with fellow retailers. This feels like a year where we may need to rely on one another more than ever before. We need to share best practice, clever solutions and good insights for the benefit of the entire local retailing sector. We’re all in this together and if delivering genuine value to our customers is one of the keys to unlocking a sustainable future, we could do worse than finding that key and sharing it with each other as fast as we can.

ANTONY BEGLEY, PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

EDITORIAL

Publishing Director & Editor Antony Begley abegley@55north.com

Deputy Editor Sarah Britton sbritton@55north.com

Features Editor Gaelle Walker gwalker@55north.com

Web Editor Findlay Stein fstein@55north.com

ADVERTISING

Sales & Marketing Director Helen Lyons 07575 959 915 | hlyons@55north.com

Advertising Manager Garry Cole 07846 872 738 | gcole@55north.com

DESIGN

Design & Digital Manager Richard Chaudhry rchaudhry@55north.com

EVENTS & OPERATIONS

Events & Circulation Manager Cara Begley cbegley@55north.com

Scottish Local Retailer is distributed free to qualifying readers. For a registration card, call 0141 22 22 100. Other readers can obtain copies by annual subscription at £50 (UK), £62 (Europe airmail), £99 (Worldwide airmail).

55 North Ltd, Waterloo Chambers, 19 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 6AY Tel: 0141 22 22 100 Fax: 0141 22 22 177 Website: www.55north.com Twitter: www.twitter.com/slrmag

DISCLAIMER

The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of 55 North Ltd.

Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher.

All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the magazine has endevoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change.

This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.

Scottish Local Retailer is produced monthly by 55 North Ltd.

©55NorthLtd.2025 ISSN1740-2409.

WHAT’S YOUR DEAL?

Independent retailers share their top promotional techniques for growing footfall and basket spend by giving their stores the edge over the competition.

With consumers across the UK struggling to make ends meet, the mults are competing hard for their custom as they encroach ever further into c-store territory with price guarantees and loyalty discounts galore. Only last month, Morrisons rolled out its loyalty card o er to company-owned convenience stores, while Sainsbury’s has just extended its Aldi Price Match into convenience stores. ere’s no doubt about it – the pressure is on to keep customers coming through your door. So what promotional strategies are independent retailers adopting to communicate value?

For the newly opened Nisa on Kirkcaldy High Street, running a competitive meal deal and strong discounts on everyday essentials are helping to bring in new customers.

“Living costs are going up and people don’t have the kind of money to spend in a convenience store,” says owner Imran Haqqan, who also owns two other Nisa stores in the surrounding area.

In October, he introduced a roll and large Costa co ee deal for £4.99, but in November he reduced this by 20% to a bargainous £3.99. “I dropped the deal to £3.99 because I need to get more people in and you need people to think they’re getting something for nothing,” he says. “I make a small pro t, but it boosts co ee and rolls and if people like them, they might buy a roll and something else next time.”

He is also going all out on essentials like bread and milk. A Warburtons Toastie loaf is price marked at £1.55, but the shop sells it at £1.30, while Grahams Milk 2l is £1.49, which the store promises is ‘the cheapest on the high street’. “It’s a brand-new store and I need to push all the time to get loyalty and regular customers,” explains Imran.

LOYAL FOLLOWING

Baba’s Kitchen in Bellshill, North Lanarkshire, has also picked up on the increasing importance of o ering value. “One hundred per cent –value is more important today,” says owner Umar Majid. Consumer demand led to him

introducing a loyalty card for his Smokin’ Bean co ee machine last November, which allows consumers to get their 10th co ee free. “We had the cards, but we weren’t going to run it initially, but a lot of people were asking for them, so we handed them out and we’d had 15 or 20 cards already handed back in the rst few weeks.” e store has also been shouting loud and proud about its new Eco Bags. e bargain bags o er over £14-worth of short-dated, but topquality goods for just £3.50 – saving the store on wastage and saving customers 75%. “People are always looking for value through smaller stores,” says Umar. “We’ve had a great reaction to the Eco Bags.”

He also o ers Too Good To Go (TGTG) bags, but is phasing these out in favour of the Eco Bags, which means he no longer has to pay commission. He claims that he always got high scores on TGTG’s internal reviews because he was careful to o er variety. “ ey don’t want you giving people six packs of meat!” he says. And so he is equally mindful of this with the Eco Bags, which can contain a wide range of goods,

including in-store baked foods, packaged bread, cheese and snacks.

Customers wanting an Eco Bag are directed to the store’s website, meaning it’s a useful way of building the store’s online customer base. And for some cash-conscious shoppers, Umar believes it is the deciding factor in choosing Baba’s over another outlet. “For example, a regular customer will place an Eco Bag at the top of her [online] order every day, then her cigarettes, then she gets her hot rolls, so drinks and freezer foods – if we didn’t have the Eco Bag I don’t think she’d be shopping with us,” he says.

POUNDING AWAY

Guna Sud has also been winning over customers with unbeatable value at RaceTrack Pitstop, which comprises 11 stores in and around Glasgow. “One pound deals in value bays has been my side project,” Guna explains. e initiative was rst introduced at the rm’s Wishaw site. “It was next to a Home Bargains, so it already had customers in the area looking for those kinds of bargains,” he says.

While some retailers might deem it impossible to compete with a discount outlet, the Sud family met the challenge head on. “If we didn’t take Home Bargains on, it’s potentially lost sales,” says Guna. So instead, he shopped around looking for good deals on short life or overstocked products.

“Our key focus on the promo bays, other than the two or three Premier Deals, are all our own pound deals on short-dated or clearance stock,” he explains. “Items are either £1 or a really, really good saving – as low as we can get, so the item might be priced at £1.50 or £2, but the RRP will be two or three times that.”

Coke 1.5l bottle four-packs have been really popular. “ e RRP at Booker is £8.99. ey come on deal at six or seven pounds. We’ve got them reduced down to £4, so [it works out at] £1 a bottle.”

Big brands at reduced prices are particularly powerful, he notes. “We try to be more competitive than the Home Bargains store. If they have a deal on o -brand multi-packs of crisps, we’ll try to run it on branded multipacks. We’ve got avoured Wotsits in Cheese Toastie and BBQ at £1 for a six-pack, whereas if you go into Home Bargains and you’ll get an o brand for the pound. We try to keep regular brands and keep the price of them down.”

He analysed the gures before and a er introducing the initiative at Wishaw, and realised that basket spend was up 15%. is spurred him on to roll it out across the board.

A er several weeks of running the scheme, the cash and carry branch managers started to o er Guna short-dated items. “We talk to the Booker branch regularly and if there’s things that are short dated or overstocked, they’ll send over a couple of pallets,” he says.

He has a distribution warehouse in Hillington where roughly half the space is dedicated to the pound deals. “A lot of these deals we have to buy by the pallet and then we distribute it out to the sites. at’s the bigger cost of it – being able to buy it in bulk and distribute it before it goes out of date. ose items are all on our automated warehouse ordering system. It just gets boxed out twice a week to the sites. All our vapes and kegs are distributed from there too, so adding a few extra items is not a major cost increase.”

SOLD RUSH

In addition to lling up the deal bays, the stores have also introduced a special till deal. “We’re now running every week one core deal on the till for sta to upsell, such as Snickers Duo bars at two for £1, or KitKat Chunky four for £1,” he says. “When we rst started telling sta , everyone was quite hesitant to do it. But as soon as the rst customer said yes, they got that rush.”

His managers are equally motivated. “ ey are hounding me for stock – ‘customers want

this’, ‘we’ve sold out already’, ‘you only gave us two boxes, we need more!’” says Guna. By constantly bringing in new products, customers are driven to visit the stores more regularly. “ ey’re more popular than ever now – people are coming in much more frequently and going to those bays to see what new deals are on them because they’re changing every couple of days depending on what we get in. At this time of year especially, it’s more important that those bays are there and that they’re accessible for customers and that we’re passing on those deals.”

And of course, there are plenty of additional sales to be made once people enter the store. “It’s not that they’re only shopping for the deals,” says Guna. “ ey are picking up other items as well, it’s just that they’re drawn in looking for that next deal. ey’re trying to get as much value as they can from those bays.”

Running the deals requires constant analysis and the bay o ers are tailored to each store. “ e promo bays we tweak depending on store size and demographic. Some of the smaller stores can be quieter, so we’ll give them a week to sell through a promotion. If there’s not many sales we’ll move that stock to a busier site and give the small store a fresh new item.”

e deals have not only encouraged customers to visit the store more frequently, but they have also convinced people to re-evaluate the stores. “Even in Bearsden, people would come in thinking it was a bit of an M&S – a bit pricey,” says Guna. “But we ooded the bays and lled the shelves with pound, pound, pound and instantly managers said people are coming in saying we’re really cheap and asking, ‘When did the pricing change?’ even though the rest of the store pricing is the same. Because they’ve picked up three or four items at £1 at the front, customers are much happier in their heads.”

PUMP UP THE VOLUME

is change in mindset is the real gamechanger. “When we looked at the overall promo bay sales and the margin versus the new sales and margin, we’re making the same pro t, it’s just the volume is much, much higher at a lower margin,” he says. “But it’s great when you hear customers say, ‘It’s really cheap, that’s a really good deal.’” e pound deals have now become central to the stores’ success, as Guna explains: “ e cost increases [caused by the budget] made a massive di erence on the cost of running the sites; the margins are getting tighter and tighter, especially with these pound deals. We’re working on waferthin margins for them and the budget doesn’t help, but we still want customers to have access to those value products.

“When we look at month-on-month sales of this year versus last year, we are still up across the board. We talk to other retailers and some of them are not seeing the same thing. Having the pound deals makes a massive di erence for customers that are watching their spend. ey think of us as their cheap local convenience store.”

Imran Ali of Bourtreehill Supermarket in Ayrshire also specialises in deep discounts.

“We o er Mega Deals with a guarantee that we’re cheaper than any supermarket or any online website,” says Imran. “I usually shi a pallet within two or three days, so it goes down really well. I have built a good reputation for that over the last three or four years. I’ve got really good contacts I’ve built up over the last few years now, so I’m always getting o ered something.”

His jaw-dropping deals, which are regularly promoted on social media, are part of the reason the store has 6,500 followers on Facebook. “Every week I’m getting new products – I’ve just had three pallets of Coke Zero 2l. It’s down

to £2 for the full case. So these bottles are price marked at £1.99 each so that’s nearly £12 worth customers are getting for £2!”

As well as acting as a footfall driver to the store, Imran has more recently added the deals to his online o er, which in turn encourages more people to sign up. “I’ve started o ering it on Snappy Shopper too and that makes a di erence,” he says. “People who aren’t local to the shop can still get the same deal delivered.”

PILLOW TALK

He doesn’t just draw the line at groceries. “I’ve got hotel pillows price marked at £40 and I’m selling them for £8.50 or two for £15, so that one went really well and it’s not something that your typical shop would sell. I didn’t realise people liked changing their pillows o en!”

Despite o ering cheap goods, he still makes a healthy margin. “I make a minimum of 20% but can make as much as 40% to 60% as well on them,” he says. “Customers get a fantastic deal; I get a fantastic deal; and the supplier gets to clear away their stock as well. Everyone’s happy.”

He is now sharing the discounted goods with his peers. “I’ve linked up a couple of retailers in other villages so they can pass on some deals too,” he says. “It helps me clear extra stock away. It means that I can buy two or three pallets in bulk and then I don’t have any worries about getting rid of it.”

His aptitude for running these types of promotions came from his previous role. “I used to work as an area manager for local pound shops, so I’ve kind of brought that into my own convenience store now.”

Over time he has dedicated more space to the promotions. “I’ve got custom-made Mega Deal tables for our weekly specials. I’ve also got half a dozen custom-made dumpbins and I’ve got my middle aisle made wider so I can dump full pallets in and customers can still walk around it. I’ve also got a ve-metre additional bay, so I’ve adapted the shop so that when customers come in they get hit by the Mega Deals.”

But while the prices of promotional lines are exceedingly low, other products command considerably higher prices. “My shop’s actually pretty premium, so my water, my milk, my bread, everything is premium,” says Imran. “A lot of my products are having to be marked up due to shopli ing, in ation and the minimum wage going up, but when customers come in, they get that illusion that these are crazy deals –it’s quite a ne balance.”

O ering a small selection of truly standout deals can completely transform customer perceptions, concurs Guna. “ e biggest thing is that the customers are happy,” he concludes.

“It’s not about selling thousands of cans, it’s about building that trust with customers and giving them real value.”

Swizzels boosts production ahead of Veganuary Swizzels has increased production to meet the growing demand for vegan sweets in time for this month’s Veganuary 2025. Products like Variety Bags, Drumstick Choos, and Refreshers Choos are among the vegan sweets that Swizzels expects to rise in popularity as consumers continue to seek plant-based options. More than 25 million people worldwide took part in last year’s Veganuary.

New look for Sanpellegrino

Sparkling fruit juice brand Sanpellegrino has been given a packaging makeover, with a bold and vibrant new look rolling out across its single cans and multipacks. The refreshed design is intended to improve on-shelf standout and is bolstered by a new marketing campaign. The brand has also launched a Sanpellegrino Zero Added Sugar range consisting of lemon and peach & clementine flavours.

Frylight gets lighter still

Cooking spray brand Frylight has bolstered its sustainability credentials with the reduction of its bottle weight by 9%. The move removes 20 tonnes of plastic from the supply chain. It follows previous brand initiatives to reduce its carbon footprint across transportation, logistics and production including the reduction of unnecessary plastic from its cap in 2017, which removed 120 tonnes of plastic per annum.

Mondelez eyes up Hershey’s

US chocolate maker Hershey’s shares have soared 10% after Mondelez expressed interest in a potential buyout. A deal would create a $50bn snacking giant, combining the likes of Hershey’s Kisses, Reese’s, Cadbury, Oreo and Ritz. In 2016, Hershey’s rejected a $23bn Mondelez offer. Rising costs and slowing growth have already caused industry consolidation, with Mars’ recent $36bn acquisition of Kellanova.

TIME FOR A FRESH FASCIA? – P36

Wicked promo spells good news for retailers

Local retailers have reported an uptick in their popcorn sales a er taking part in a Butterkist promotion to celebrate the launch of the Wicked movie.

e promotion saw shops across the UK undergo a store takeover, with new Wicked- and Butterkistthemed POS including a stockholding arch, a Butterkist cauldron, shelf toppers, oor vinyls, dump bins and wobblers. Retailers also received cutouts of the lm’s stars, Ariana Grande and Cynthia Erivo, who have both been nominated for Golden Globe awards.

SNACKS

KP Nuts aims for bullseye with Luke Littler partnership

KP Nuts has announced a partnership with rising star of the professional darts world, Luke ‘The Nuke’ Littler.

As part of the collaboration, Littler sported the KP Nuts logo on his sleeve throughout his journey at Alexandra Palace for the recent PDC World Championships. Fans will also have the chance to win exclusive signed merchandise and “other exciting surprises,” with further announcements planned for 2025.

Luke Littler said: “Darts is all about bringing people together and creating great moments, and KP Nuts is the perfect brand to help make that happen.”

CONFECTIONERY

Hancocks has a sweet deal

Hancocks has unveiled a new package that gives retailers everything they need to offer pick and mix in their stores.

Priced at £849, the package includes Hancocks’ brand-new Pick N Mix Station, 20 bags of Kingsway pick and mix sweets, plus all accessories including scoops, bags, cups and lids.

When restocking, retailers can take advantage of a Kingsway multibuy offer that gives a discount of 20p per bag for purchases of 10 or more bags, and 50p off per bag for 20 or more bags.

SNACKS Stores across the country got in on the act when Butterkist teamed up with new movie

Hats how you do it: BB Superstore and Post Office in Pontefract

CCEP donates thousands of meals to FareShare

Win £1,000 in Cadbury’s Easter competition

Cadbury is launching a Creme Egg competition in the run-up to Easter 2025, asking retailers across the country ‘How Do You Display Yours?’

‘How Do You Display Yours?’ invites retailers to dip into their imaginations and share their most innovative and eyecatching Cadbury Creme Egg displays. Any retailer who shares an idea via a specially created form on the Mondelez trade site SnackDisplay.co.uk will be entered into a competition to win £1,000-worth of vouchers.

Four runner-up prizes ranging from

Four runner-up prizes ranging from £250 to £500 vouchers are also up for grabs, with the remaining winners bagging one of 25 vouchers worth £25.

e competition mirrors the consumer-facing ‘Admit It, How Do You Eat Yours?’ campaign. Carianne Robertson, Brand Executive for Cadbury Creme Egg, said, “We’re really excited to be taking the annual ‘How Do You Eat Yours?’ campaign to a platform that retailers can engage with directly.

A December initiative in wholesale depots saw Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) donate the equivalent of up to 300,000 meals to food poverty charity FareShare. This coincided with CCEP’s milestone of giving seven million surplus soft drinks to FareShare since 2017. CocaCola also donated a meal for every person that attended its Christmas Truck tour.

“Given the enthusiasm towards ‘How Do You Eat Yours?’ we wanted to create an opportunity for retailers to capitalise on consumer engagement, with the addition of 30 prizes to give further support and thanks to the retailers who have supported Cadbury”

Retailers can nd confectionery and seasonal advice on snackdisplay.co.uk.

Good brews for Typhoo as e-liquid maker saves brand Typhoo Tea has been rescued from administration by Supreme Imports, owner of the 88Vape brand. The Manchester-based business paid £10m for the beleaguered tea maker in deal which will keep Typhoo “in British hands”. However, the 120-year-old tea brand has fewer than 30 UK-based staff at the moment.

Tanks, but no tanks

Three ciders made by Cornwallbased Bearded Brewery – Tank Slapper, Moustache Mango, and Swallows Rest – have had complaints upheld against them by the alcohol industry’s Independent Complaints Panel. Respectively, the ciders’ packaging were found to create an association with dangerous behaviour, encourage immoderate consumption and create an association with aggressive and violent behaviour.

Canned whisky

Fife-based InchDairnie Distillery has launched a special gifting tin containing its RyeLaw Fife Single Grain Scotch Whisky (RSP £109). RyeLaw, is made with 53% malted rye and 47% malted barley and distilled in a Lomond Hill still before maturing in firstfill charred oak casks. Bottled at 46.3% ABV, it is described as “a perfectly balanced whisky with decadent notes of crème caramel, vanilla sweetness and gentle spice”.

Isle of Cumbrae Distillers unveils first whiskies

Millport-based gin producer, Isle of Cumbrae Distillers has launched Lion Rock, a two-strong range of blended whiskies, one peated and one unpeated. Available in 70cl bottles priced at £46, the distillery said both “can be enjoyed by seasoned whisky drinkers or those being introduced to the dram for the first time”.

Stirling Distillery moves into rum production

Stirling Distillery, which produces craft gins and single malts, has launched Stirling Spiced Rum. The new 40% ABV spirit is inspired by the legend of the Baobhan Sith, a vampire figure from Scottish folklore who would captivate her victims with her beauty before putting the bite on them. In a similar vein (no pun intended), Stirling Spiced Rum offers bold, warming flavours before ending with a fiery finish.

Check out Foster’s new darts sponsorship deal

Foster’s has announced a new sponsorship agreement with the Professional Darts Corporation (PDC).

e partnership makes Foster’s the o cial beer partner of the PDC, putting it front and centre at events like the World Darts Championship and the Premier League Darts series.

Over the next few years, PDC events will feature Foster’s branding, pop-up fan experiences, giveaways, and lots of lager. In the o -trade, shoppers will have the chance to win a host of prizes ranging from VIP darts experiences to limited-edition merch.

Rajeev Sathyesh, Marketing Director at Foster’s brand owner

Heineken UK, commented: “We’re thrilled to be partnering with the PDC to bring some of that Aussie spirit to such an iconic sport. Darts is all about sociable, high-energy

BEER SHS Drinks buys Shandy Shack

SHS Drinks has announced the acquisition of Shandy Shack, a midstrength ABV beer brand.

Since 2021, Shandy Shack has won several awards for product quality, including six Great Taste stars across four products. The brand has achieved widespread mainstream media attention and secured significant distribution partnerships.

Prior to the acquisition, SHS Drinks and Shandy Shack teamed up to create Raspberry Lager using SHS-owned bottlegreen’s Raspberry Cordial. The product launched in June 2024 and featured integrated bottlegreen branding on Shandy Shack’s packaging.

Andy Morris-Jinks, Managing Director of SHS Drinks, said: “Shandy Shack’s innovative and award-winning product range aligns perfectly with our vision for broadening our consumer base and tapping into emerging market trends.”

fun – which is a perfect match for Foster’s. We can’t wait to bring a slice of Aussie good times to darts fans around the world!”

Eddie Hearn, Chairman of the PDC, added: “ is is a cracking partnership for the PDC. Foster’s is a household name that’s all about bringing people together, and that’s exactly what we do with darts. With their support, we’ll be taking the sport to a whole new level and giving fans even more to cheer about. It’s time to raise a glass and get ready for some unmissable action!”

e partnership kicked o with the World Darts Championship, which concludes at London’s Alexandra Palace on 3 January.

RTDs

Four Loko takes RTD top spot in Scotland

Four Loko has replaced Dragon Soop as the top-selling single-format RTD brand in Scottish c-stores.

According to the latest IRI data, for the 12 weeks to 3 November, Four Loko had value sales of £1.5m, a massive rise of 30.8%. In contrast, Dragon Soop slumped 12.1% for sales of £1.4m.

Four Loko also had five of the top 10 bestselling SKUs, with its White variant Scotland’s favourite RTD by some distance.

BEER Heineken brand teams up with Professional Darts Corporation

RajeevSathyeshandEddieHearn

Soopa Hooch launches two new flavours

range.

Both Cherry Cola and Blue Raspberry avours are available now in 440ml cans, price-marked at £2.99.

ey share an ABV of 8% with the enhanced RTD range’s existing variants: Darkest Berry, Twisted Tropical and Electric Lemonade.

e Soopa Hooch range is made from a clean spirit base with no ca eine.

e launch comes with the enhanced RTD category seeing rate of sale up by 18% year on year and is supported by in-store activities, depot support and in uencer marketing.

Hooch Brand Manager Jacob Barrett said: “We’re so pleased to bring the new Soopa Hooch to market, reinforcing our position as a major player in the enhanced RTD category.

CIDER Fruit cider brand goes old school for latest NPD Kopparberg unveils Crisp Apple variant

With apple cider increasing in popularity, particularly among younger drinkers, fruit cider brand Kopparberg has announced the launch of a new 4% ABV Crisp Apple variant. It will be available in the o -trade from March in both bottles and cans.

Kopparberg Crisp Apple o ers the taste of a classic apple cider, balanced by a slightly sweeter pro le. Kopparberg hopes to attract a new audience with the launch and o er an alternative to the more traditional cider brands on the market.

LOW/NO

“We’re con dent that the bold, eye-catching products with their juicy, fruity avours will be a hit with our current fans and new shoppers entering into the category for the rst time.”

Casillero del Diablo uncorks no-alcohol fizz

Casillero del Diablo has launched an alcohol-free sparkling variant, Casillero del Diablo Zero, which is available now in 75cl bottles with an RSP of £6. It is made from 100% early-harvested Chardonnay grapes and has been gently de-alcoholised. A 125ml serve contains only 25 calories.

The launch follows the introduction last year of BeLight, an 8.5% ABV, lower-calorie Casillero del Diablo sub-range comprising of a Sauvignon Blanc and a Rosé. Sebastián Aguirre, Global Marketing Director at Casillero del Diablo, said: “Casillero del Diablo has sparkling wines in other countries apart from the UK, and for a long time we have wanted to enter this category. Having a nonalcoholic product gives us a very good starting point.”

BrewDog partners with Lord’s Cricket Ground BrewDog has become the Official Beer Partner to Lord’s Cricket Ground. The four-year deal includes branded bars throughout the venue and a craft beer terrace takeover. Group Sales Director Stuart Harrison said BrewDog could hit top-four brewer status in the grocery offtrade this year but would need to continue to drive penetration into craft through partnerships like the Lord’s deal to achieve this.

Tomintoul toasts master distiller’s 50-year career

Tomintoul Distillery has a released a 50-year-old single malt honouring master distiller Robert Fleming’s five-decade career in the Scotch whisky industry. To mark the milestone, Fleming personally picked a rare 50-year-old cask from 1973, matured in an oak barrel sourced from the Ximénez-Spinola winery in Jerez, Spain. The 40.2% ABV whisky is priced at a cool £10,000 per bottle.

World first in sustainable spirit production

What is said to be the world’s first spirit produced using 100% hydrogen-fuelled direct-fired stills has been laid down at the Glen Garioch Distillery in Aberdeenshire. The spirit was distilled at Suntory’s Yamazaki Distillery before a portion was transferred to Glen Garioch to be monitored under Scottish maturation conditions. A sister portion is maturing in Japan, with the results to be compared.

Don’t drink and dive

Malibu has launched a winter edition of its ongoing responsible drinking initiative ‘Don’t Drink and Dive’, after campaign partner Royal Life Saving Society UK revealed that more than one in four winter drownings involve alcohol. As temperatures drop, the campaign aims to shine a light on the dangers of drinking alcohol near urban waterways, reminding people to take care and drink responsibly.

RTD brand Hooch has added two new fruity avours to its Soopa Hooch

IT’S TIME TO GET YOUR ENTRIES READY!

Our 2025 search for Scotland’s local retailing stars gathers pace as a new year dawns – so make sure you set some time aside in the diary to get your entries in for the SLR Awards 2025.

With 2025 now upon us, our annual search for Scotland’s local retailing stars is gathering pace as we look forward to the SLR Awards 2025 which will take place in Glasgow on 4 June.

ere’s little doubt that 2024 was a tough year for the sector and the signs are that 2025 is also set to bring some fresh challenges – but history tells us that very few sectors rise to challenges in quite the same way as the local retailing sector.

at’s why this year’s SLR Awards are even more pertinent and important than ever. As well as providing a platform to reward and recognise the stars of our sector, the Awards also give us a fantastic opportunity to share best practice and to learn from one another. It’s also a great night out into the bargain.

e deadline for entries isn’t until the middle of next month but it makes sense to set some time aside now to make sure you give yourself the best possible chance of winning.

Simply head over to SLRAwards.com where you’ll be able to enter as many categories as you like. We’ve ne-tuned our entry forms once again this year, so it’s easier than ever to enter.

Our glittering awards ceremony at the Radisson blu will pay homage to the very brightest lights in our sector and if you think you’ve got what it takes to be there, then we want to hear just how far you’ve come over the past 12 months.

A round table judging session will see a panel of industry experts help to select the very best of the entries in each category. If you make the grade, our on-the-road judges will be visiting your store, and we can’t wait to see what you’ve got to o er.

So please do get involved and we look forward to hearing from you.

AWARD CATEGORIES

IN STORE

Bread & Bakery Retailer of the Year

Confectionery Retailer of the Year

Food-to-Go Retailer of the Year

Forecourt Convenience Retailer of the Year

Fresh & Chilled Retailer of the Year

Newstrade Retailer of the Year

Off-Trade Retailer of the Year

Scottish Brands Retailer of the Year

Soft Drinks Retailer of the Year

Vaping Retailer of the Year

New entry form so it’s even easier to take part! All category winners will be considered for the overall Scottish Local Retailer of the Year award –sponsored by

IN ACTION

Community Retailer of the Year

New Store of The Year

Refit of the Year

Sustainability Retailer of the Year

#ThinkSmart Innovation Award

Team of the Year

WHAT DOES 2025 HOLD IN STORE?

Our Awards sponsors discuss the key challenges and opportunities facing the Scottish convenience channel in the year ahead.

KEY DATES

ENTRY DEADLINE 14 FEB 2025 SHORTLIST ANNOUNCED EARLY MARCH 2025

AWARDS CEREMONY

WEDNESDAY 4 JUNE 2025, RADISSON BLU, GLASGOW FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT EVENTS@55NORTH.COM

CHRISTIE & CO

STEVE RODELL,

MANAGING

DIRECTOR – RETAIL & LEISURE, CHRISTIE & CO

One of the biggest challenges retailers will face this year will be keeping operating costs down. They face higher staffing costs, following the increases to National Minimum Wage and employers’ National Insurance contributions announced in the Autumn Budget, as well as costs to comply with legislation on waste and net zero.

A key opportunity for store owners will be embracing new technology and data capture, to help lower costs. A good example is electronic shelf-edge labels with associated stock management software. Prices can be instantly and remotely updated, saving time on the shopfloor and freeing staff to ensure stock is replenished.

CCEP

KATE ABBOTSON, SENIOR EXTERNAL COMMUNICATIONS MANAGER, GB, COCA-COLA EUROPACIFIC PARTNERS (CCEP)

There will be a variety of key trends at play in the soft drink category in 2025. These will include sustainability, healthier choices and digital integration.

Nearly half (48%) of the category’s growth in the first half of 2024 came from new launches1 and NPD is one of the main reasons that soft drinks remain so vibrant, growing in value by 24% over the past five years2 – appealing to more consumers, on more occasions.

By aligning their strategies and working together, retailers and brands can effectively tap into key trends and create a dynamic shopping environment that meets the evolving needs of consumers.

2

1 Nielsen Total GB value data MAT to 15.06.24

HOVIS

19 - June 24

DAN PHELAN, HOVIS WHOLESALE & CONVENIENCE BAM (SNAM)

In 2025, Scottish convenience retailers can expect growing demand for innovative and more premium bread options that deliver on taste and quality. Hovis has recently expanded its product range with the launch of the new Hovis Farmhouse

Batch, made with a traditional starter dough; it delivers a deliciously soft and creamy texture while also offering a more premium, tasty white loaf at an accessible price point. Health also continues to be a focus for shoppers especially as more consumers are becoming increasingly interested in health and gut health. Hovis is well placed to deliver in this space, with our strength in Wholemeal and Bread with Bits – a great platform to build on.

BARR

LUCY HENDERSON, MARKETING DIRECTOR AT AG BARR

The Scottish convenience sector is amazing and so resilient. There will undoubtedly be challenges, but we have no doubt that businesses will continue to thrive in terms of store development, innovation and partnerships. Social media will become an increasingly important tool to engage their shoppers and keep on top of trends.

In soft drinks, consumers want to see bigger and bolder flavours. Health and wellbeing will influence even more purchasing decisions across all categories, which will lead to increased demand for lower calorie products that still taste great. There also continues to be a significant reduction in alcohol consumption for many adults, with 60% moderating their alcohol intake last year1

1 Kantar January 2024

PAYPOINT

STEVE O’NEILL, CHIEF MARKETING AND CORPORATE AFFAIRS OFFICER AT PAYPOINT PLC

As 2025 dawns, retailers must adapt to the evolving needs of local communities. Despite the cost-of-living crisis, the reliance on local services is clear. With fewer bank branches, retailers can offer essential financial services like cash deposits and cash withdrawals. The rise of online and second-hand marketplaces has also increased the importance of parcel services in stores, providing convenient places with longer opening hours in local communities that people can use to send and receive

goods. Retailers should consider how they can offer additional services like these to help drive footfall and increase sales.

BOOKER

BARRY FORBES, RETAIL DEVELOPMENT CONTROLLER, BOOKER

At Booker, we are proud to serve our retailers across Scotland, offering the best service, choice and price to allow them to invest and continue to grow their business. In 2024 we saw Premier reach its highest level of recruitment, which is a fantastic achievement. 2025 is looking positive for our Scottish retailers, and I have no doubt all our retail brands will continue to see growth in the year ahead, thanks to their continued hard work, commitment and dedication.

PGMA

MARTIN DEVLIN, COMMERCIAL MANAGER, PGMA

2025 may well become a year that lives in the memory. On the back of both the UK and Scottish budgets, Scottish retail has been dealt a very tough hand and although all the focus is on costs and cost reductions, the winners will be those who have not only had efficiency at the heart of their operation, but innovation and ingenuity. Standing still is not an answer to the challenge we have all just been dealt – making the correct choices in 2025 will deliver success. Continued development of the Fresh and Chilled category is a priority at PGMA, and PGMA may well be the correct choice for you in 2025.

is the #2 purchased in convenience and #1 within a food-to-go mission, which highlights the importance of a c-store’s soft drinks offering. NPD will continue to play a crucial role in engaging shoppers within the category, enticing shoppers into store in search of the latest exciting offerings. At Britvic we have a jam-packed calendar of campaigns and launches in 2025, and we look forward to continuing to support c-store retailers this year and beyond.

MHOUSE

FAISAL SATTAR, CEO, MHOUSE

EPoS systems have evolved into comprehensive business tools that not only process transactions but also provide actionable insights into customer behaviour. In 2025, we expect to see a deeper integration of EPoS with AI-driven inventory management, predictive analytics, and even staff scheduling, ensuring that the convenience channel remains both competitive and customer-centric.

DOUBLECOOL

ZOE COLMAN, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGER, DOUBLECOOL

FOUR LOKO

ANDY FERGUSON, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT SCOTLAND, RED STAR BRANDS

Investing over £94m in 2024, Scottish retail operators, including forecourt convenience channels, will become ever more vibrant retail and community hubs, offering a fast-moving, high-POR range of products and services. An innovative high-impact, good-value alcohol range focused on chilled ‘drink-now’ brands like RTD leader Four Loko, along with high-quality food to go and vapes will increasingly drive footfall and incremental spend over the essentials.

Shared retail sales data, AI and mobile technology will influence brand investment, shopping location and delivery options. Retailer flexibility and speed will be an essential advantage over supermarket-convenience options. It’s all to play for; the UK convenience market is expected to grow £5bn by 2027 [Lumina].

ROCKSTAR

SUZIE DIXON, CHANNEL DIRECTOR OF C&I, BRITVIC 2025 is set to be another exciting year for convenience, with many opportunities for growth in soft drinks! The category

DoubleCOOL predicts that 2025 will bring energy saving and cost reduction into sharp focus for Scottish convenience stores. DoubleCOOL doors ensure that chillers are working at optimum temperatures, keeping produce fresh, reducing energy usage for both chiller and heating systems, and minimising food waste. This conserves both the environment and margins for retailers. We are on a mission to fit doors on open fridges, to save retailers money, support the environment and improve the instore experience for shoppers and staff alike. In 2025 we aim to help even more Scottish convenience stores to install our sustainable, double-paned, acrylic door solution.

NEWS SCOTLAND

SCOTT MCCULLOCH, HEAD OF RETAIL, NEWS SCOTLAND & NEWS IRELAND

The Newstrade category continues to be a vital footfall, sales and profit driver for the local retailing sector in Scotland and we are delighted to once again sponsor this award. News has long driven seven-day sales in stores, bringing customers to your door every day of the week and driving additional impulse sales. Retailers that continue to highlight the category in-store, on social media and through home delivery continue to prosper from the category.

The SLR Awards provides a fantastic platform for recognising and rewarding retailers that drive their business forward with news and we would urge all local retailers to take their successes and learnings on board for 2025. News remains a critically important category delivering high-quality, reliable content and entertainment on a daily basis.

HAIL YOUR HIDDEN HEROES!

SLR is also delighted to announce The Scottish Sun as Media Partner for the SLR Above & Beyond Awards 2025. Gill Smith, Scottish Sun Editorin-Chief says: “It’s amazing to be able to honour the unsung work of people in the community who make a difference as well as recognise and support the vital role of convenience stores to our readers – and to communities as a whole.”

Time is running out to enter your colleagues into the Above & Beyond Awards 2025.

Heroes don’t always wear capes, and that’s certainly true in the convenience industry where practical eeces and footwear tend to be the costume of choice.

However, as last year’s inaugural Above & Beyond Awards so clearly demonstrated, under those commonplace clothes, lie hearts of gold and cores of steel.

O en to be found hiding in plain sight, our industry is home to an awesome cache of true superheroes – loyal employees who go above and beyond, day in and day out, to protect and serve their local stores and communities.

And as the Above & Beyond Awards 2024 also showed, being a superhero doesn’t always mean performing lifesaving acts – although we did have one of those in one of our winners, Alison Lennon!

Examples of heroic actions also include supporting local initiatives and shoppers, be that through superstar fundraising, the introduction of meaningful new support and services, or even just taking the time to listen and talk to those in need – making their stores a safe and welcoming place for all.

Employees who have gone ‘above and beyond’ to introduce new in-store systems, processes or communication strategies are equally heroic – and last year’s crop of nalists and winners also displayed a great many of these star qualities.

If you have any such superheroes in your team, please nominate them for the Above & Beyond Awards 2025 and give them the recognition that they so thoroughly deserve. e deadline for entries is fast approaching, so don’t miss out!

To help inspire you, here’s a look back at the amazing winners of last year’s awards.

JOHNNY STEPHEN, PREMIER WHITEHILLS, BANFF

Eighty-year-old Johnny was the winner of our inaugural Long Service Award.

Johnny’s e orts to deliver essential goods and services to local people, remote addresses and the many shing boats along the Ban shire coast are nothing short of heroic.

From paperboy to delivery driver, general handyman and so much more, Johnny stops at nothing to ensure that the needs of local shoppers are met – and he does it six days a week, come rain or shine!

Store owner Billy Gatt describes Johnny as an “irreplaceable part” of his team and says that he’s never missed a shi or been late to work, even during the challenging pandemic era.

SOPHIE WILLIAMS, PREMIER BROADWAY CONVENIENCE STORE, EDINBURGH

SHINING A LIGHT ON SCOTLAND’S LOCAL STORE HEROES

ird-generation retailer Sophie was the winner of our Up-and-Coming Star Award and it’s not hard to see why.

A er all, how many other twentysomethings can say they’ve addressed not just the SGF annual conference but parliament too?

Sophie’s innovative approach to social media management is not only attracting widespread industry acclaim, it’s also helping Premier Broadway Convenience Store to engage shoppers on a whole new level. anks to Sophie’s e orts, the store now has a following of more than 3,500 on Facebook and 1,847 on TikTok.

Looking ahead, Sophie says that her “ultimate goal” is to become the UK’s rst retail in uencer and to engage and inspire a future generation of retailers and especially women.

Sophie’s caring nature and e ervescent personality also make her a favourite with the store’s local shoppers – especially its many elderly customers.

ALISON LENNON, DAY-TODAY, SHOTTS

Store manager Alison was worthy recipient of our Astonishing Act Award.

Having worked in her store for more than 20 years, Alison’s unrivalled knowledge of her customers proved quite literally lifesaving when one of the store’s elderly regulars didn’t turn up for his daily paper one morning.

She went to his house where she discovered that he had had a serious accident and had been unable to call for help. Alison quickly raised the alarm, calling the emergency services, and the gentleman was saved.

CLAIRE FLEMING, SPAR PORTLAND STREET, TROON

Store manager Claire’s unbridled compassion and kindness for others saw her crowned with the Company Owned Store Colleague award.

In the time that she managed it, Claire transformed Spar Portland Street in Troon into a thriving community hub and built close bonds with a great many of her local shoppers. How many store managers do you know who cook hot and healthy meals for elderly shoppers? Or who do their washing?

Claire also turned Spar Portland Street into a “dementia friendly” space, working closely with several local care homes and dementia charities to make the store a safer environment for shoppers with dementia.

Since winning her award, Spar Scotland has asked Claire to work her magic at another of its stores – and she’s now managing Spar Saltcoats.

SOPHIE SKELTON, ARAMARK LEUCHARS

Located behind the wire on a military base, Sophie Skelton’s store is far from ordinary – as is Sophie – who was our inaugural Independent Store Colleague winner.

Sophie has worked in the store for more than ve years now and has made a phenomenal di erence to its customers, o er and performance in that time.

As a military wife, Sophie understands the unique challenges and demands of life on a military base – a fact which has helped her to forge genuine and meaningful relationships with many of the store’s customers. Sophie also plays a signi cant role in the store’s successful performance, helping to boost sales with her keen focus on NPD and by gathering customer feedback and adapting the range accordingly. She’s also an absolute champion at pulling together engaging in-store events.

DRINK IT IN

Shivakumar ‘Shiva’ Kandaswamy, and his wife, Shanthi, have sunk just under £300,000 into converting a former hardware shop into Premier Dunbar – a destination store dedicated to quality wines, spirits and local produce.

No stranger to retail, Shiva already owns a 900sq Day-Today store and neighbouring Haddington Wines and Whiskies, a 600sq upmarket o -licence, located 12 miles away from the new outlet on Haddington High Street. With 3,500sq to play with at Dunbar, including a shop oor space of 2,500sq , the new shop – tted by Vertex – o ered Shiva the chance to bring his ultimate vision to life, o ering up a winning combination of Scottish produce and a broad alcohol range to please every palate. “ is is a completely new concept to East Lothian,” he says. “I was dreaming of this concept for 30 years – that’s how long I’ve been in Britain.”

SCOTTISH PRIDE

e store’s strong a nity with Scottish produce puts it head and shoulders above the competition. “We have put a lot of emphasis on local produce because East Lothian is the larder of Scotland,” says Shiva. “I’ve got so many local things that no one can challenge me.”

He reels o a huge list of Scottish brands on display, including Walkers shortbread, the Chocolate Tree, istly Cross Cider, Tempest Brewing, Stewart Brewing, Giacopazzi’s ice cream, S Luca ice cream, Brand Family meat and Perth-based Praveen Kumar’s authentic Indian cuisine.

Praveen’s frozen ready meals, which Shiva describes as “astounding” have been a runaway success. “In the rst three weeks, I had to re ll the freezer six times!” Praveen tells SLR. He claims that his sales have been over 400% higher at Dunbar than stores of a similar size.

As a result, the meals are to be displayed in a bigger freezer and Shiva is also looking to increase his backroom freezer storage.

CAVE OF WONDERS

Having worked as a head sommelier on cruise ships before coming to Scotland to work at MacDonald Hotels, Shiva was keen to ensure residents of Dunbar are treated to a ne wine o ering.

Premier Dunbar’s impressive wine selection caters for all tastes, with rosé and white wines sharing the 350sq beer cave with beers, ciders and RTDs. “With wines, we have put all the high street brands on the bottom shelf. It can start as cheap as £5.99 for Isla Negra, which is cheaper than Asda, Tesco and the Co-op across the road,” says Shiva. “ en, as you go above, you have Whispering Angel, some of the nest Sauvignon Blancs of New Zealand, to the traditional Sancerres and Pouilly-Fumés of the Loire Valley, to the driest of the Chablis, some of the sweetest Sauternes and Eiswein, and Tokaji wine from Hungary.” e more expensive white wines are priced at up to £40 a bottle.

A number of bottles are biodynamic, organic and vegan. “ ey are small batch produced, so cannot reach the shelves of supermarkets,” explains Shiva.

Shiva’s biggest investment was in refrigeration. In addition to a beer cave, the store also has 6.25m of chillers and a so drinks cave. While he was initially unsure about the latter, Vertex assured him it had been successful in other stores and he states that kids like to pick up drinks on their way to the beach, which is just a ve-minute stroll away.

ASPIRATIONAL AMBIENT ALCOHOL

e red wine selection is housed in bespoke wooden shelving. Premium wines, such as Amarone or Saint-Émilion are priced at up to £45.

ose in search of an aperitif are well catered for. “We have a full selection with port wines and vermouths we are importing from Spain and sherries from Diatomists, which very much appeal to younger [adult] drinkers,” says Shiva.

Malt whiskies and gins from the Isle of Harris, Isle of Brassay, Edinburgh and North Berwick also grace the shelves.

Shiva is already eager to create more shelf space. “I am speaking to James [Morgan at shop tter Vertex] and we will get them made wider. Now they are only holding three bottles, but we need them to be six bottles deep.”

He remains keen to educate himself further. “Wine and food harmony is such a massive subject to learn – you cannot do it in one lifetime – you need nine lives!”

THE BEST OF LOCAL

From whisky to smoked salmon, Scotland is famed for the exceptional quality of its fare, and Scotland’s Speciality Food & Drink Show is a one-stop shop for all your local sourcing needs.

If you’re looking to stock more local products to help your store stand out from the competition, whilst supporting your fellow countrymen, then Scotland’s Speciality Food & Drink Show is an excellent place to start.

Over 100 artisan and mainstream producers will be showing o their wares at the SEC in Glasgow from 19-21 Jan 2025 in a celebration of the very best quality, innovation and avour Scotland has to o er.

Premium Scottish produce is renowned the world over for its quality and provenance, and this show will display some of the most unusual and best on o er.

Regional food groups are a highlight of the show with Orkney and Food from Argyll both taking large, multi-producer stands. Look out for Isle of Mull Co ee, Slainte Sauces, Isle of Mull Cheese and Annie’s Herb Kitchen, all from Argyll and rum, seafood, oatcakes, whisky and ice cream from Orkney. is year, about a third of the exhibitors are new to the show. In the Launch Gallery for new young companies, visit 8 Doors Distillery from John O’Groats, Bealach Gin from Inverness-

shire, Goat Rodeo Goods condiments, Sour Power Vinegars and e ird Sin chocolatier. Beyond these newcomers, producers such as Rise & Grind Roastery and e TeaShed are rst-time exhibitors.

Existing producers will be launching new ranges and re-connecting with customers – take a look and a taste at Great Glen Charcuterie, Island Larder, Stewart Tower Dairy, Kilted Fudge Co, Angels Dare Cocktails and e Cress Co distributors.

e Show o ers more than just sourcing and buying, it’s about learning too. With a rich programme of panel discussions from Net Zero Nation on sustainability, trends, and Scottish Tourism Alliance’s keynote panel, to a one-toone interview on Success of a Farm Shop from Emma Niven at Loch Leven’s Larder. ere are also practical masterclasses on all aspects of retailing, including using AI and Canva. is is the place to learn how to improve your business and retail skills.

Geraldine Bruce, Sainsbury’s Scottish Buyer, said: “I attend Scotland’s Speciality Food & Drink show most years as it is a great, wellorganised event. I use this as a good time to

catch up with suppliers, see new products and meet potential new suppliers who may catch my eye with their products.” is year, Bruce will also be a ‘Nessie’ in the highly popular Nessie’s Den on Tuesday 21 Jan at 1pm.

Sponsored by e Gi ware Association, the awards will take on a new format this year with a dazzling display of winners in the centre of the show and a high-pro le ceremony at the end of its rst day.

e 2025 show is being organised in partnership with Scotland Food & Drink, which will bring some of its members, as well as key buyers. On Tuesday 21 January it will host a lively session in the Talking Shop on Scottish food and drink.

Show Director Mark Saunders commented: “We recognise how key this show is for ne food and drink outlets across, not just Scotland, but the rest of the UK and overseas. Here they can look, taste and discover products that will increase their footfall and their sales. By attending you can be assured you’ll be ahead of your competitors in sourcing new ranges and new stock for the coming year. Ensure this date is rmly in your diary.”

Rizla Vintage Edition

Imperial Brands

Imperial Brands has launched a limited-edition, retro-themed range of Rizla rolling papers. Available in Original, Amber, and Yellow, the limited-edition papers have proved popular with collectors over the years. Retailers should contact their wholesaler for availability or speak to their local Imperial Brands representative for more information.

Chicago Town Cookie Bars and Chocolate Brownies

Dr. Oetker

Mars Wrigley rolls out Easter NPD

Mars Wrigley has revealed an egg-citing line-up of 11 new products ahead of Easter 2025, with NPD across every category from self-eating all the way through to giant eggs.

Starting with self-eating, the new M&M’s Crispy Bunny features a creamy, crunchy filling with M&M’s Minis throughout, while the Maltesers Popcorn Bunny offers a light, airy texture with real popcorn pieces.

Frozen pizza brand Chicago Town has launched two frozen desserts in a move to elevate its Big Night In offer. Cookie Bars (234g, RSP £3.95) offers four individual bars that combine milk and dark chocolate chunks and topped with milk chocolate chunks and pink and white marshmallows. Chocolate Brownies (260g, RSP £3.95) consists of four brownies topped with a caramelised cookie crumb.

Quorn Smoky BBQ Bites Marlow Foods

The small-sharing category benefits from the launch of M&M’s Choco Mini Eggs, filled with M&M’s Minis and crispy pieces. In addition, Galaxy Minstrels Mini Eggs have a crispy outer shell paired with a solid chocolate centre, bringing the classic Minstrel to the Easter season with its egg shape.

Magnum Bonbon Unilever

Launching last June, M&M’s Minis just missed Easter last year, but 2025 sees the roll out of the M&M’S Minis Medium Egg, as well as a new Tescoexclusive Maltesers White Mini Bunnies Medium Egg. Mars Wrigley’s Large Egg portfolio enjoyed doubledigit growth in 2024, with five SKUs ranking in the top 20. There are three additions to the range for 2025: the M&M’s Crispy Bunny Large Egg; a Snickers Extra Large Egg that combines chocolate, nuts and caramel; and a Milky Way Large Egg that is exclusive to Asda.

Finally, for shoppers who need to go the eggs-tra mile, Mars Wrigley has also launched the Maltesers Truffles Giant Egg and the Galaxy Ripple Giant Egg.

Described as perfect for on- the-go snacking, lunch boxes and grazing boards, these little vegetarian snacks are filled with a sweet and smoky BBQ sauce and coated in a golden crumb. Ready to eat straight from the fridge, Quorn Smoky BBQ bites are high in protein, low in saturated fat, and a source of fibre. They are available now in 180g packs with an RSP of £2.50.

These new bite-sized treats combine Magnum’s signature cracking chocolate, dairy ice cream, ribbons of sauce, and crunchy inclusions. Intended for sharing, Magnum Bonbon is available now in the convenience channel in three flavours: White Chocolate & Cookie; Salted Caramel & Almond; and Gold Caramel Billionaire. All three flavours come in tubs of 12 x 14g bonbons, with an RSP of £4.50.

This new medium-hot Thai Red Curry Paste is available now in 125g jars with an RSP of £3.39. It is made to a traditional recipe for “a bold and vibrant taste” and features highquality, organic ingredients including chilli, garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Unlike many curry pastes on the market that contain shrimp, Biona’s recipe is also fully vegan. It also replaces sugar with agave syrup, for consumers looking for healthier options.

US confectionery brand Zed Candy has launched a new range of theatre boxes aimed at price-conscious customers looking for a movie night treat. The range includes Sour Mites, Sour Jelly Beans, Juicy Jems, Gobsmackers and Jawbreaker USA. All have an RSP of £2 and come in shelf-ready cases of 10 x 140g or 12 x 120g packs. Themed merchandising solutions are available via the World of Sweets field sales team.

Zed Candy Theatre Boxes World of Sweets

Biona Thai Red Curry Paste Windmill Organic

Bull Zero Red Bull

Topps Fan Set Collections Plus Marketing

Red Bull Zero contains zero sugar and zero calories, much like the existing Red Bull Sugarfree variant. However, Red Bull Zero is described as tasting more like Red Bull Original than Sugarfree, which has its own distinct flavour profile. It is available in 250ml plain (RSP £1.65) and £1.60 price-marked cans, 355ml cans (RSP £2.10) and 473ml cans (RSP £2.60), as well as 4 x 250ml (RSP £5.40) and 8 x 250ml (RSP £9.50) can multipacks.

Nesquik Minis Nestlé

Described as “a playful take on your family’s favourite Nesquik cereal,” Nesquik Minis offers mini crunchy balls that will turn the milk chocolatey. It is high in fibre, has wholegrain as the number one ingredient, is a source of calcium and contains vitamins B and D. Initially exclusive to Tesco, it is now available to other retailers in 300g packs with an RSP of £2.75.

Boost 500ml AG Barr

Boost Drinks has expanded its Energy range with the launch of 500ml cans price-marked at £1 in Original, Sugar Free Original and Red Berry varieties. The three flavours are the best sellers in the brand’s 250ml Energy range. The launch comes with the market for 500ml cans in the Energy category worth £745m and enjoying year-onyear growth of 13%.

Topps has launched new 2024/25 Fan Set Trading Card Collections from Chelsea, Liverpool FC, Arsenal, Manchester City and for the first time, Manchester United. The cards take in the current crop of Premier League stars as well as legendary players including Kenny Dalglish. The sets also include ‘autograph cards’ signed by the likes of Thierry Henry and Cristiano Ronald.

Boxes of 28 cards RSP at £19.99.

La Matcha Liqueur Love Drinks

Following the launch of the La Tomato and La Yuzu Japanese liqueurs, Love Drinks has now completed the trio with the roll out of La Matcha Liqueur. Produced in Tokyo by sake and shochu producer, Godo Shusei, the drink combines matcha tea, sake and molassesbased alcohol. La Matcha Liqueur (ABV 13%) is available now from Love Drinks in 500ml bottles with an RSP of £26.99.

Oaty Bar White’s Oats

Ireland’s largest oat miller and cereal producer has entered the healthy snacking category with its new soft-baked Oaty Bar made from just five ingredients and containing more than 50% wholegrain oats. The launch is supported by in-store sampling, PR and paid social media activities.

Five-star beans

Branston has kicked off the second leg of a multi-channel marketing campaign that spotlights the brand’s #5StarBeans platform, highlighting its ‘Rich, Thick, Tomatoey Sauce’ message. The campaign includes out of home, digital, social and shopper marketing activities, and aims to clock up more than 115 million media impressions.

Cheers to life

Freixenet is reaching out to young adult drinkers with a new international campaign, ‘Cheers to Life’. Aimed at 25–34-year-olds, a series of TV and online ads present the brand’s sparkling wines as the “perfect companion for fun, casual, social occasions”. The ads also feature a new look for Freixenet that reflects its Mediterranean spirit.

Mayo the best player win

In a bid to increase engagement with Gen Z shoppers, mayonnaise brand Hellmann’s has launched an island in online multiplayer game Fortnite. On the island, called ‘Loot Irresistível,’ players collect Hellmann’s and eat it to score points. Whoever necks the most mayonnaise wins. The activity is supported on socials and with a competition.

Cake and custard

Dairy-free brand Oatly has launched a campaign starring lactose-intolerant rapper Giggs. A series of online films promotes Custard by Giggs – limited-edition dairy-free cake and custard kits. The campaign follows the insight that Black, Asian and other ethnic minorities are more than twice as likely as White people to be lactose intolerant.

Big bird

Kellogg’s has launched ‘See You in the Morning,’ a new campaign starring a 3D version of the brand’s mascot, Cornelius the cockerel. A 60-second film sees a giant Cornelius roaming the streets of a city before jumping on a roof to crow. The campaign runs across TV, digital, social media, out-of-home, retail, and in-store.

Red

December not only signi es the start of the countdown to Christmas, but for a growing number of retailers, it marks the start of Creme Egg season. A massive 3.7 packs of Creme Egg were sold every second last Easter [Nielsen ScanTrack, Total Coverage incl. Discounters, W/C 02.12.23 – W/E 30.03.24] and 1st Stop 2 Shop in Dundee had them on shelves from 12 December. “We usually get them in around that time,” says acting manager Sa na Abdullah. “People buy them for Christmas – some people buy a box load of 24!”

But Creme Egg is by no means the only self treat vying for customers’ attention this Easter. New from Mars Wrigley is the Maltesers Popcorn Bunny and the M&M’s Crispy Bunny, comprising a creamy, crunchy M&M’s Minis lling, which is set to appeal to a younger audience.

e rm is also aiming to capture some of the small sharing market with M&M’S Choco Mini Eggs, which are lled with M&M’s Minis and Galaxy Minstrels Mini Eggs. Small sharing is the fastest-growing partition with growth of 28% [Nielsen: 13 w/e 30th March 2024 vs. 14 w/e 6th April 2023]

GET CRACKING

With Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter all falling in quick succession, retailers need to get organised and play to their strengths this spring.

BY SARAH BRITTON

and accounts for 24% of the Easter category [ibid], notes Senior Brand Manager, Easter, Florence McGivern.

Cadbury Mini Eggs shine in small sharing, with the rm selling 11 million more units last Easter. “ e mini beasts of the Easter market remain the number one Easter SKU [5 Nielsen ScanTrack, Total Coverage incl. Discounters, W/C 02.12.23 – W/E 30.03.24] with the highest penetration of any Easter brand in the UK [Nielsen Insights, Total Market excluding Discounters, 19 weeks to 08.04.2023, Kantar Easter 23],” says Susan Nash, Trade Communications Manager at Mondelez International. She advises retailers to be ready on day one of the season with su cient stock of seasonal self-eat and sharing favourites.

paper, cards, bows, keyrings, candles, toys and mugs. Our stu is di erent and a lot cheaper than the supermarkets.”

Hancocks adds that confectionery gi s are seen as more a ordable gi ing options, attracting customers who are trying to save money. “It’s essential to keep core £1-2 and £3-4 price points to appeal to shoppers and make sure you’re fully stocked for the whole Easter season as most of the spending comes towards the end of the season, with 46.5% of sales coming in the week up to Easter itself,” says Head of Marketing Kathryn Hague.

In addition to making a fast start on Creme Eggs, 1st Stop 2 Shop is well known in the local area for its keenly priced seasonal gi s. “We do a lot for any kind of occasion, like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter,” says Sa na. “We usually have an island at the front of the store with wrapping

COULD YOUR DISPLAY BE CREME OF THE CROP?

Seasonal launches include Candy Realms Spring Jelly Pops, Spring Mallow Skewers, Spring Mallow Pops and a Chick Mix Candy Cup featuring fruity avoured sour sticks, sour peach rings, duckling marshmallows and gummy fried eggs.

Mars Wrigley’s McGivern believes retailers can look forward to a strong season. “As consumer con dence continues to grow, Easter 2025 is expected to be a blockbuster year,” she concludes.

If you’re feeling egg-specially creative this spring, then you might want to enter Cadbury’s ‘How Do You Display Yours?’ competition, where retailers are invited to share their most innovative and eye-catching Creme Egg displays. Any retailer who shares an idea via a specially-created form on SnackDisplay.co.uk will be entered into a competition to win £1,000 worth of vouchers for first place, with four runner-up prizes ranging from £250 to £500 vouchers and 25 x £25 vouchers up for grabs for the remaining winners.

PREMIER IS IN A LEAGUE OF ITS OWN

As part of the UK’s largest symbol group, Premier retailers benefit from a fantastic promotional programme, group exclusives, access to Euro Shopper and Jack’s own-brand products and unrivalled levels of support.

Premier is the UK’s largest symbol group, with more than 4,700 stores across the UK. Around 500 of these stores are in Scotland, making it the biggest symbol operator in the country. Backed by Booker, the UK’s leading food & drink wholesaler, Scottish Premier retailers bene t from group exclusives with delivery at cash and carry prices and the convenience to top up at any of our 23 branches in Scotland to maximise availability.

Premier retailers bene t from a fantastic promotional programme covering all categories which is backed up by a comprehensive everyday low price o er. e Premier symbol group is designed to drive footfall and increase cash pro t with our Mega Deals giving POR of over 15% and most of our core deals o ering at least 20% POR. Our dedicated Scottish promotions each period also o er a real point of di erence from the competition.

Premier is committed to helping Scottish retailers reduce costs and supporting both retailers & shoppers alike.

Key incentives include:

Q Reducing energy consumption with e cient LED lighting, Beer Caves, So Drink Caves area and refrigeration units.

Q Extending our spend and save scheme to include vape products, earning retailers up to 5% rebate.

Q Linking up with Healthy Scotland to support communities and children across Scotland.

Q Food donations points in store via Fareshare.

Scottish retailers have access to over 600 ownbrand products through Jack’s and the Euro Shopper brands. Euro Shopper is our entry-level value range and Jack’s is part of the Tesco family and mid-tier. Both exclusive ranges come in PMPs and o er strong PORs.

Premier’s store development teams help design and implement our latest thinking in stores, including So Drinks walk-in refrigeration units, Beer Caves, Refresh Zones, £5 lunchtime ‘Mega Meal Deal’ and local Scottish Bakery lineups, whilst ensuring stores are as energy e cient and sustainable as possible.

Some Scottish stores who have invested over £200k have seen this pay back within 12 months and Premier’s small store format model means that now any Scottish stores from 300sq + can bene t from the Premier model.

FIT FOR THE FUTURE WITH LONDIS

Almost 200 retailers have joined Londis in the last year alone - thanks to its commitment to keeping business simple, and strong focus on helping retailers both save more and make more.

Londis has had a fantastic year of recruitment with almost 200 retailers joining the Londis joining the Londis family in 2024 alone. Londis now has over 2,400 members and almost threequarters of our recruits have come from other symbol brands. We are always looking to develop our own brand, o er the best possible value to shoppers and strong margins for our retailers.

Competition in the convenience sector is always strong and at Londis we are always on the lookout for ways to support our retailers by helping them to Make More or Save More on Added Value Services. Being part of a bigger group means we can o er more than most of our competitors with exclusive products and deals and our promotions remain some of the strongest in the sector.

We have continued to deliver the bene ts of being part of a bigger group with more Group Exclusives, rst to markets and NPD than ever before, keeping Londis retailers ahead of the game. We also o er initiatives such as free recycling and investing in our infrastructure. We continue to develop our exclusive added value service deals, and innovate in the food and drinks to go space.

Our promotions remain the best in the market and our margins some of the strongest. is, along with product innovation, means that Londis stores really stand out from the competition.Londis remains a zerocost model which really helps and being part of a bigger group helps us stand out from the competition; we have a laser-like focus on putting the customer rst.

e past year saw Londis launch our Store Of e Future, showcasing all our latest thinking including digital screens, new-look POS, a walk in alcohol chiller and merchandising e ciencies throughout the store.

We have added extra SKUs to our Jack’s range and also introduced more and bigger promotions to drive sales further including new key promotions on Chilled & Fresh lines to drive sales. We spend a lot of time ensuring the quality of our own-brand products, and investing time into our ranges for our customers.

e on-the-go mission is seeing continued growth this year and Londis retailers can access some great deals. Home delivery is de nitely here to stay, and we continue to work with all our supplier partners to help our retailers tap into this market.

We are investing into technology within our business to continue to ensure we are t for the future. To help our retailers, we have brokered exclusive deals with a number of ESEL companies with reduced charges, interest-free credit and extended warranties.

One of the biggest challenges over the past year has been in ation, rising costs and the continued cost of living crisis for consumers. We continue to work hard to ensure our o er remains the best in the market, and we support our retailers to be as competitive as possible.

We have developed our own brands, delivered our best ever SLAs and worked hard with our Added Value Service partners to help our retailers save more and make more, all whilst maintaining availability.

ere’s never been a better time to join Londis.

Harry Singh

Carstairs Junction

BESTWAY: YOUR PERFECT PARTNER

Jamie Davison, Retail Director at Bestway Wholesale, explains why Bestway is your perfect partner for business success in 2025.

At Bestway Retail, we don’t just supply our retailers products, our aim is to empower our retailers to thrive. We’re a business that o ers a robust national delivered and collect solution for our retailers, across multiple supply chains, with competitive rebate terms in the market. A simple operating model, with a tactical and structured promotional program means we o er our retailers con dence that they can stand out against competitors in today’s competitive landscape in their local area.

Range: We are proud to bring a wide and diverse product range supporting all store formats, whoever your shopper. We o er retailers access to an extensive range of impulse and alcohol SKUs available in all our wholesale depots nationally.

Chilled: We support our retailers via a chilled distribution centre and an increased range of fresh food, with the introduction of a greater range of long-life fresh products. For our Costcutter symbol, our stores can access over 2,000 Co-op own-label products.

Flexible Delivery and Collection Options: We o er a delivery and collect model, giving retailers the exibility to get stock delivered to their stores with the added bene t of being able to top up at their local depot.

Tailored and Benchmarked Promotions: We o er our retailers a complete and dynamic promotional programme. Promotions are refreshed every three or four weeks (depending on fascia) to drive footfall and sales.

Merchandising Advice: Our team of category and range planners work with market insights to determine the best product ranges by subcategory, by store size all in the e ort to help retailers maximise their sales pro t and footfall.

SUPPORT TO OUR RETAILERS

Q We have updated and re-launched our ‘Best in’ own-label range, which now o ers more than 300 SKUs and has generous margins of over 30% up to 70% in key retail categories, with smaller case sizes to aid retailers in managing their cash ow and stock holding levels more e ciently.

Q Co-op products for the Costcutter stores are a high footfall driver.

Q We are constantly reviewing the frequency of our wholesale promotions,

to ensure we can support retailers in upli ing their pro tability. Our weekly and one day deals group the most relevant and deep promotions to help aid the retailer’s pro tability.

Q We are working with suppliers to source and share equipment solutions that not only help our retailers reduce their carbon footprint but also reduce their energy costs.

OUR SYMBOL FORMATS AND FASCIAS

Q Costcutter – for retailers with a high index for fresh shoppers

Q Best-one – for retailers with a high index for licensed & impulse shoppers

Q Bargain Booze – for retailers wanting access to a best-in-class alcohol range with leading promotions.

Q Hybrid – for retailers wanting access to a mix of convenience and olicence through the various Bestway Retail networks.

CRITERIA FOR BECOMING A MEMBER

Trading with Bestway has never been easier and we are o ering more exibility than ever before. We are focused on pairing the right Bestway Brand and o er that is appropriate for each individual retailer, which is established during our initial New Business review meeting. ere is a minimum weekly spend which varies by fascia brand.

COSTS OF BECOMING A MEMBER

Outside of the minimum weekly spend, there is no cost of becoming a member. Each individual store and project are reviewed and planned in collaboration with our retailers with the support of our UK-based Store Development team, who work hand in hand with our Central Store Design team. Driving growth and success sits at the heart of all projects whilst working within agreed budgets.

READY TO SIGN UP?

ere is a minimum spend commitment for retailers to join our symbol group, alongside the need to have a fascia, good store standards and the run the agreed promotions. It is all about simplicity.

READY TO SIGN UP? There is a minimum spend commitment for retailers to join our symbol group, alongside the need to have a fascia, good store standards and the run the agreed promotions. It is all about simplicity.

Anand Cheema - Costcutter Falkirk

Anand Cheema - Costcutter Falkirk

EMPOWERING LOCAL RETAILERS

Nisa empowers Scottish retailers with local focus and own-brand quality.

Nisa is proud to support independent retailers across Scotland by combining the strength of a national brand with a exible, locally focused approach. With thousands of stores across the UK and a growing presence in Scotland, Nisa is committed to helping Scottish retailers thrive in an increasingly competitive convenience sector.

Nisa now services more than 500 stores across its retail and wholesale operations in Scotland with over 60 of these locations joining Nisa in 2024. Partners in Scotland include highly successful multi-site retailers such as Greens Retail, PGNJ Group, Overton Trading and e Trinity Partnership.

CO-OP OWN BRAND: QUALITY, VALUE, AND TRUST

When Co-op Group purchased Nisa in 2018, retailers gained access to over 2,400 high-quality own-brand products, covering a wide array of categories, including fresh produce, chilled goods, and household essentials. Co-op’s trusted reputation ensures customer loyalty, making it easier to build trust with shoppers.

e Co-op range o ers a compelling value proposition for independent retailers by combining premium quality with a ordability. ese products consistently deliver strong pro t margins, enabling retailers to remain competitive while satisfying the evolving needs of their customers. is advantage is particularly vital in Scotland, where customers increasingly seek high-quality, sustainable, and locally relevant products.

DRIVING SUCCESS WITH TAILORED SUPPORT

By combining the reliability and pro t potential of Co-op own-brand products with the exibility to integrate local supplier relationships, Nisa empowers its Scottish retailers to create stores that meet the diverse needs of their communities. e result is a retail model that builds trust, strengthens customer loyalty, and positions Nisa stores as the go-to choice for convenience shopping in Scotland.

Whether it’s leveraging the trusted Co-op brand, showcasing locally sourced goods, or tailoring promotions to meet regional demands, Nisa provides the tools and support Scottish retailers need to thrive in a competitive marketplace.

SUPPORTING COMMUNITIES

Nisa is committed to helping its retailers support their local

communities through the Making a Di erence Locally (MADL) charity. By selling Co-op products, retailers generate funds to reinvest in local causes, enhancing their role as community hubs. As of November 2024, Nisa retailers had raised almost £900,000 for their local communities in the year, with donations estimated to have supported over 280,000 people.

FLEXIBLE STORE FORMATS

Nisa’s exible store formats cater to businesses of all sizes. Nisa’s experienced store development teams work closely with retailers to design and implement layouts that maximise space and sales potential. From fresh zones to food-to-go areas, each store is customised to meet the needs of its customer base – regardless of fascia choice.

WHY CHOOSE NISA?

Q Tailored Promotions: Year-round promotions to drive footfall and boost pro tability.

Q Co-op Own Brand: Access to trusted, high-quality own-brand products with strong PORs.

Q Sustainability: Energy-e cient solutions that save costs and reduce environmental impact.

Q Community Impact: MADL funding and food donation initiatives to support local causes.

Q Expert Support: Dedicated store development teams and business advice to help retailers succeed.

AVENS RETAIL & PGNJ GROUP THRIVING WITH NISA

Scottish retailer Zahid Mukhtar launched three Avens Retail stores with Nisa providing supply and support. Nisa supports retailers with a range of fascia choices including remaining independent such as the Avens stores in Kirkcaldy and Ballingry.

Zahid Mukhtar, Owner of Avens Retail: “Partnering with Nisa allows us to deliver on quality and value while staying deeply rooted in local traditions and priorities.

“The benefit of being a Nisa customer is that they really do support your vision for the store and work with you no matter what fascia features at the front of the store.

“The support I’ve had from Nisa’s retail and format team has been brilliant and they’ve worked hard with us to deliver our vision for Avens and supported our launch event alongside some suppliers.”

Jay Javid has revealed major plans to open three new stores in and around Glasgow by March 2025. PGNJ Group currently operates 11 Nisa stores across Scotland having renovated the Wee Mill pub in Rutherglen in 2024.

Jay Javid, Director at PGNJ Group: “We feel like we have a marriage with Nisa, sharing the same vision of what stores should look like, and the standards to expect.

“We spend a lot of time with the Nisa development team and really listen to them for the basic layout of our shops and range to fit with us having more Scottish lines than typical.”

“Working with Nisa and being able to offer the strongest own-brand range is a huge success for us at Greens.”

Harris Aslam,

Greens Retail

Expand your business with us

Like Harris, a Nisa retailer who is looking to expand his business by opening more than 20 stores across Scotland and England. With our retail expertise and quality Co-op Own-Brand range Harris has everything he needs to support his ambitious expansion plans.

Looking to stock a great quality own-brand range in your store? Give us a call on 0800 542 7490

ADOPTING A HEALTHY ATTITUDE

We speak to Avens Retail about how the company is helping customers make better diet choices.

Despite a widespread desire for healthy eating, three in 10 (28%) UK adults admit having di culty in maintaining a healthy diet, according to recent research from Which? Lower-income households are particularly likely to struggle, with 36% of those in groups DE reporting signi cant di culties, compared to 26% in groups AB.

Half (51%) of consumers nd it harder to eat healthily now than before the cost-of-living crisis and 35% of consumers nd healthy food too expensive, while 31% encounter issues with convenience (e.g. nding unhealthy food is easier to prepare).

Avens Retail Operations Manager Asbhan Javid, aka Ash, empathises. “In January people are on a health kick, but it can be di cult,” he says. “You need or want to do it, but it’s about your surroundings and what’s available to you at that time, there might not be a healthy option.”

Convenience stores are of course well known for their indulgent treats, with shelves laden with chocolate bars, crisps and cake. But that doesn’t mean that there isn’t room for some healthier lines too. Avens Retail, which comprises three stores in Fife, has made a conscious e ort to make better-for-you options more accessible.

“Our Bakery Manager, Kirsty, cooks homemade soups with her team every single

day,” says Marc Mitchell, manager at Avens’ Rosslyn branch. “We try to mix it up a bit, so we have two to three di erent ones over a weekly period, so there’s always a healthy option there.” Flavours include Tomato and Roasted Red Pepper, Leek & Potato, Chicken Broth and Lentil & Bacon, and soup and a roll costs just £2.

People who have special dietary needs or requests are also catered for. “We make our own sandwiches in store too and we can prepare gluten- or lactose- free rolls for people,” he says.

PROTEIN POWER

Also popular with those looking to eat more healthily is protein-rich local ready meal brand Savage Kitchen. “ eir food is actually really tasty, and it’s got a homecooked vibe to it so that might entice someone,” adds Ash. “ ey have a very extensive range to the point where we can’t stock the whole menu. ey do about 60-70 di erent varieties and we stock about 15.”

Nevertheless, the stores work hard to provide customers with an interesting selection. “We change them monthly, and the Savage Kitchen guys change their set menu quite substantially every four weeks.” e most popular lines are Sweet Potato & Chicken and BBQ Chicken & Veg, observes Ash.

In a further bid to help customers access healthier lines, whilst boosting sales, the Avens

team has a dedicated protein chiller in each store. “We created a protein section in one of our refrigerated units two months ago because demand for it was becoming higher and higher,” says Ash. In addition to the Savage Kitchen meals, the fridge is lled with Graham’s e Family Dairy Protein 25 yogurts, Grenade bars, Huel and a vast array of avoured milk drinks. e rm also works hard to ensure the younger generation don’t miss out on healthy food. Marc visited the local primary school with the Healthy Living Programme to talk about healthy eating and treat the kids to a free healthy breakfast. “ e area that we live in is quite deprived, so anything we can do for the children to help them have a better life and give them free fruit, we try and do,” he says. “Also, we give their parents ideas about what they can provide for a healthy breakfast, stu like banana and toast, and fruit pops.”

All three Avens stores house free fruit stands for kids. “We replenish them every two to three days because it’s quite popular,” says Ash. “It’s at our front door o ering free fresh bananas, oranges, apples and they just help themselves.”

Avens is certainly making a big di erence, but Ash is keen for further changes to be made to encourage children to adopt healthier diets. “I believe more could be done to push kids in the right direction,” he says.

Healthy Eating_Avens Retail Operations Manager Asbhan Javid.

SCOTCH ON THE ROCKS CRAP STATISTICS

Although The Famous Grouse is the whisky of choice of SLR’s famous grouch, Under The Counter was nevertheless excited to discover that Millport-based gin producer Isle of Cumbrae Distillers has launched Lion Rock, a two-strong range of blended whiskies.

He was even more thrilled to find out that Lion Rock takes its name from a prehistoric rock formation on Cumbrae that – and this probably isn’t true – was formed as the result of a battle between elves and goblins. It’s also meant to look like a lion – although this probably becomes truer after a couple of nips of aforementioned whisky.

Now, the Auld Boy had spent many a childhood holiday, sometime around the siege of Mafeking, on the island, and is familiar with both its Crocodile Rock and Indian Rock.

These, for readers who shudder at the thought of vacationing on an island not in the Balearics, are prehistoric rock formations that have been painted to resemble a crocodile and Native American respectively.

However, UTC had never heard of Lion Rock and hastily made plans to visit it – especially after finding out that the feline-shaped boulder (just like its Crocodile and Indian counterparts) scores a whopping 4.5 out of 5 on Tripadvisor.

So readers, the next time your kids fancy a trip to Alton Towers, Blackpool Pleasure Beach or even Disneyland Paris, just say: “Forget that, how’s about going somewhere even better?”

AISLE BE DAMNED

Lidl’s middle aisle has a “big male following,” according to the German discounter’s UK boss Ryan McDonnell.

The news that men buy more stuff from the so-called ‘middle of Lidl’ will surprise no one who has ever been in one of its stores.

For all the Waitrose shoppers out there though, the middle of Lidl is devoted to an everchanging assortment of products which range from the prosaic to the, it’s fair to say, extremely esoteric.

At the time of writing, you could find some cracking deals on irons, frying pans and Christmas jumpers. So far, so humdrum.

Under The Counter has never really gotten over the widespread adoption of the metric system.

It’s for this reason he loves journalists using alternative units of measurement like ‘Olympic-sized swimming pools’ and ‘double-decker buses’ in their stories, rather than the more conventional litre and metre.

So he was over the moon, which is 31,666,666 double-decker buses away from Earth, to discover that toilet paper manufacturer, the delightfully named Who Gives A Crap, is flushed with pride after delivering more than nine million loo rolls across London.

Why did this please the Auld Boy? Because that’s enough bum wipes – so the environmentally friendly brand says – to wrap around the earth (at the equator, one presumes) a whopping 10 times.

This, of course, is nonsense of the highest order, since – as a pedantic UTC was at great pains to point out – toilet roll breaks down in water, be that in a lavvy pan or the planet’s vast oceans.

For the record, an Olympic-sized swimming pool holds 2.5 million litres of water (or 660,000 gallons if you’re the Auld Boy) and an unspecified amount of urine. UTC said he had no idea how many toilet rolls it would take to soak all that liquid up, but looked decidedly shifty when asked who peed in the pool.

However, customers have previously been tempted by two-person inflatable kayaks (paddles included), paddling pools for dogs (dogs not included) and plasma cutters (air compressor built-in).

Now, why blokes drift away from the fruit and veg to peruse tools seldom seen outside of a shipyard is a mystery to UTC, but this middle aisle malaise is causing chaos with couples.

McDonnell said he had known rows between partners after a man had become “intrigued by a gadget or two”.

Indeed, Under The Counter himself once found himself in a heated debate because of the middle aisle, although it was Mrs UTC who’d made a rash purchase.

The Auld Boy was giddy with excitement when his good lady returned from doing the big shop to breathlessly inform him she had bought a flamethrower.

However, UTC was raging to discover that this was in fact a gas-powered gizmo for despatching weeds and that he had just been volunteered for a shift in the garden.

Just the job for cutting plasma

Picture©AnneBurgess(cc-by-sa/2.0)