SLR March 2023 Edition

£6m BRAND INVESTMENT

£6m BRAND INVESTMENT

NEW CAMPAIGN FROM MARCH

NEW CAMPAIGN FROM MARCH

LET’S JUST AGREE IT TASTES PHENOMENAL

NEWS

06 Enery Crisis The ACS calls for an energy support overhaul to keep stores open.

07 Off-Trade Moving alcohol out of sight would be ‘another nail in the coffins’ of independent retailers.

08 Off-Trade A new report finds Minimum Unit Pricing has made a ‘minimal’ impact on Scotland’s drink industry.

10 Newstrade The NFRN renews its call for an end to rip-off carriage charges ahead of a Menzies Distribution price rise.

12 Sustainability Two Perth-based Nisa retailers take action to combat rising energy prices

16 News Extra Post Office The impact of Post Office branches on the UK’s economy is revealed in a new report.

22 Product News McCoy’s launches an epic new retailer competition while a new Cadbury campaign is a big win-win.

24 Off-Trade News Absolut celebrates the power of mixing and Malibu unveils a new RTD can.

INSIDE BUSINESS

26 SLR Awards We begin our annual search for the stars of Scotland’s local retailing sector

28 Store Profile Premier Barmulloch, Glasgow SLR Young Retailer of the Year Girish Jeeva’s store has more than doubled sales to £60k a week in its first year of trading.

32 DRS Update The Westminster Government is reportedly set to effectively block implementation of the deposit return scheme

33 Retailer Competition Win £50-worth of Brewdog Punk IPA to boost your store’s craft beer sales.

34 Wholesalers The Scottish Wholesale Association rewarded the most forward-thinking, resilient and innovative wholesalers at its 20th annual Achievers Awards last month.

37 Advertising Feature TOMRA Working with TOMRA, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary has become the first hospital in the UK to host a reverse vending machine.

38 Hotlines The latest new products and media campaigns.

54 Under The Counter The theft of 200,000 Crème Eggs transports the Auld Boy to punning paradise.

FEATURES

40 Confectionery Self-treating is pushing the confectionery category forward despite cost-of-living challenges.

42 Sports & Energy Energy drinks are enjoying a sales boom in Scotland just now, and there are plenty of products and pack formats to help retailers get their range right.

46 Nicotine Products Scotland’s menu of nicotine choices keeps growing, and shoppers are hungry to take a bite.

50 Crisps & Snacks Nights in are big again and there’s a raft of NPD to make them even bigger.

52 Vaping The annual VApril campaign offers local retailers bags of opportunities to electrify their vape sales.

Working for home is here to stay

More than 40% of Brits are working from home at least once a week, according to a new Office for National Statistics (ONS) report. The report reveals that from September 2022 to January 2023, 28% of Brits were hybrid working with a further 16% working solely from home.

ParcelHero’s Head of Consumer Research David Jinks said the figures show home working “is far from a flash in the pan”.

National operator snaps up Fort Augustus forecourt

A national operator has bought Great Glen Service Station, in Fort Augustus, for an undisclosed sum. The petrol station is located near the Caledonian Canal and Loch Ness, with good access to Inverness and Fort William. The business includes a post office, convenience store, and gift shop. The previous owners of 51 years have sold up to focus on other business interests.

Greenock East End convenience store for sale

The freehold of long-standing Greenock East End newsagents and convenience store McCormick’s has been put up for sale. The shop, located at 8 Grosvenor Street, was run by the McCormick family for 50 years. The business has an annual turnover of £250,000. The store is available to purchase through property agents Bowman Rebecchi for an asking price in the region of £97,500.

Muhammad’s grand

Retailer Muhammad Shahzad, of Alexandra Convenience Store in Glasgow, has won £1,000 in Camelot’s Site, Stock, Sell online quarterly prize draw. Muhammad was recognised by Camelot for maintaining high in-store standards during the quarter.

An anonymous London-based National Lottery retailer scooped the £10,000 top prize and a further 10 second prizes were awarded by Camelot.

ACS calls for energy support overhaul to keep stores open

e Association of Convenience Stores has called on the Chancellor to take decisive action in the Budget on 15 March to help keep the UK’s local shops open through 2023.

In its submission to the Treasury ahead of the Budget, ACS warned that the dramatically reduced energy support being provided to businesses from April this year is ‘ultimately pointless’ if it is not targeted to the businesses that are most at risk of closure.

ACS has identi ed that those most in need of support will have agreed xed contracts in the second half of 2022 at the height of wholesale prices, with some bracing for bills from April that are triple the cost of what they are now.

e trade body has repeatedly warned the government that there

ELECTRIC VEHICLES

are many c-stores that cannot a ord to absorb tens of thousands of pounds of additional costs on energy this year, with some likely to close their doors as a result.

ACS’ speci c recommendations to the Chancellor on supporting local shops through the energy crisis are:

Q Increase the level of discount available under the Energy Bill

MFG to invest £50m in EV charging

Discount Scheme so businesses receive meaningful support to manage their energy costs.

Q Better target discounts at the most vulnerable businesses that renegotiated their contracts when the wholesale energy prices were at their highest in 2022.

Q Put pressure on energy companies to allow the most vulnerable businesses to negotiate new contracts to better re ect lower wholesale prices.

ACS boss James Lowman said the Chancellor must not attempt to “play in the margins” by pointing to other areas of government support as a way of making up for the 10fold reduction in funding for hard working businesses.

Forecourt operator MFG is set to invest £50m on its electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in 2023. The investment plan will see MFG install more than 360, ultra-rapid 150kW EV chargers at hubs throughout the UK.

MFG hubs will consist of between four and eight ultra-rapid 150kW EV chargers per site, which can add 100 miles range in approximately 10 minutes, subject to the charging capability of individual car batteries. The company says these will be replaced by 300kW+ chargers as vehicle battery technology improves.

William Bannister, Chief Executive of MFG, said: “Our ambition was to invest ahead of the curve, and give drivers who were contemplating purchasing an electric vehicle the confidence that they could travel as easily as with a petrol or hybrid vehicle.

“Although we have a way to go to achieve this, our investment in 2022 has set us on a positive trajectory. We have set ourselves another ambitious target for openings in 2023, with the plan to energise 360 chargers whilst delivering the best experience possible for our customers.”

MFG installed seven new 150kW EV power chargers at its site in Slateford, Edinburgh, in February.

CJ Lang confirms dates of tradeshow and conference

CJ Lang & Son has con rmed details of its 2023 tradeshow and conference, which will be held in Aviemore on ursday 28 September at the Macdonald Hotel & Resort.

e event will take place in an arc marquee in the grounds of the resort, followed by a sit-down dinner, awards ceremony, and an evening of entertainment.

Colin McLean, CJ Lang Chief Executive, said: “A er a hugely successful event in 2022, we know that this will be a must-attend event.

“We are expecting over 200 suppliers to showcase their brands and product range, and are anticipating that 850 delegates will be in attendance on the day.”

TRADE SHOWS Over 200 suppliers expected to attend

ENERGY CRISIS The government needs to target support at the businesses that are most at risk of closure

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt.

Moving alcohol out of sight ‘another nail in the coffins’ of independent retailers

Plans to restrict the display of beers, wines and spirits in Scottish stores are “unworkable” and could threaten the survival of independent retailers, the government has been warned.

e Scottish Government is consulting on measures to restrict the advertising of beers, wines, and spirits as part of a campaign to reduce problematic drinking across society.

In small shops, alcohol would have to be displayed out of sight while bigger stores would be forced to keep products containing alcohol away from entrances, exits, and checkouts.

At a meeting, the past Scottish President of the NFRN Ferhan Ashiq warned that the Scottish Government’s proposals threatened the survival of independent retailers.

He said: “With the high costs we are facing, retailers don’t have the mental or nancial capacity to deal with any further legislation. We are tapped out. Some of our members may not even survive this year.”

Ferhan, who runs a shop in East Lothian, added: “It feels like independent retailers are public enemy number one to the Scottish government. We face an onslaught of legislation, whether it is DRS, MUP, the

banning of disposable vapes, the restrictions on high fat, sugar and salt foods.

“Independent retailers believe that the government should be tackling the issue of problem drinking through better health education and cultural change, not by penalising retailers who are trying to earn a living and providing a living for the people who work for us.

“Alcohol in itself isn’t harmful when taken in moderation. It is only large quantities that are the problem. With a great many Fed members running stores in socially and economically deprived areas, we will de nitely feel the results of any legislation.”

Booze ad ban plan will ‘cripple’ newspapers

e Scottish government’s plan to ban alcohol advertising in newspapers and elsewhere could force UK-wide publishers to either produce Scotland-only editions of single-edition magazines or not distribute in the country at all, according to the Scottish Newspaper Society.

e society surveyed Scottish news publishers and revealed that the proposal could wipe out oneeighth of advertising revenues –up to £1.5m a year – and “cripple” local newspapers.

Scottish Newspaper Society Director John McLellan said: “ e Scottish government’s threat to alcohol advertising and marketing in newspapers and magazines is based on little more than a whim that children might be in uenced by what they might come across in publications primarily aimed at and read by adults, and limited anecdotal evidence that some

people struggling with addictions might relapse if they see an advert.

“ e consultation paper produces no concrete evidence to prove the extent of the e ect of advertising in news brands on children or people su ering addiction issues, yet the clear intention is to knock this leg from under our businesses and cripple them in the process.”

ose who took part in the survey voiced concerns that the proposal would threaten “bestbuy” features and destroy tourismrelated publications.

Tight budgets lead to decrease in convenience delivery usage

Restricted budgets and decreased anxiety around coronavirus have led to a yearon-year decline in convenience delivery usage, new research reveals.

Lumina Intelligence’s Convenience Delivery report also shows that consumers are becoming more price sensitive, with a 7% year-onyear increase in importance of price.

Meanwhile, young shoppers aged 18–24-years-old are the key target group, with 13% overtrade compared to the total convenience market.

The report also finds that shoppers use convenience delivery mainly for “top up”, “meal occasions”, “treats”, “entertainment”, and “gifting” missions.

Brits worse off in 2023

More than half (56%) of UK consumers feel they are in a worse financial position this year compared to a year ago, according to NielsenIQ’s Consumer Outlook 2023. The report reveals 34% of Brits plan to monitor the cost of their overall basket of goods, as well as shop at stores with loyalty points (34%) and opt for private label/store brands (31%). Only 11% haven’t changed the way they shop at all.

Spar extends STV contract

Spar Scotland has extended its contract to advertise on STV until April 2024. The symbol group started advertising on STV in 2019. Paula Middleton, Spar Scotland Marketing Manager, said: “STV is on a brand journey with us where we are bringing Spar to a whole new audience. We feel that by advertising on STV, we are in tune with the changing needs of modern-day customers.”

Jet powers up

Jet has officially launched its ultra-rapid pay-as-you go EV charging offer Jet Charge. The service features 150kWh ultrarapid charging, pay-as-you-go payment, and no minimum charge. Jet Charge had a soft launch at three company-owned sites in North Yorkshire, County Durham and North Lincolnshire. The chargers all feature the two most common connectors: CHAdeMO and CCS.

Subway explores sale

Subway’s has revealed that its shareholders are exploring a possible sale of the business. The company said it will continue to “execute against its multiyear transformation journey, which includes a focus on menu innovation, modernisation of restaurants and improvements to its overall guest experience”. Subway franchisees currently operate 202 locations across Scotland.

NEWSTRADE Publishers slam Scottish Government proposals

ALCOHOL Scottish government hears retailers don’t have the mental or financial capacity for any more

PayPoint appoints new Executive Director PayPoint has appointed Rob Harding as its new Chief Financial Officer and Executive Director. Harding is a qualified Chartered Accountant with more than 25 years’ experience across financial services and professional services, with Co-op Insurance, Swinton Insurance, and Aviva, Arthur Andersen, and Ernst & Young. He is currently CFO at De La Rueand will join PayPoint later this summer.

Aldi records ‘exceptional’ sales of Scottish produce

Aldi Scotland has seen sales of its Scottish food and drink products soar in 2022. Scottishmade produce accounted for 25% of overall sales in the past year, with several categories witnessing significant growth, including baked treats and confectionery. Sales of Aldi Scotland’s six pack of Scottish crumpets rose by 34%, while its six pack of Scottish pancakes increased by 22%.

DC Thomson to close six magazines

Dundee-based publisher DC Thomson has confirmed that it is to close magazines including Living, Platinum, Evergreen, Shout, Animals & You, and Animal Planet. The firm will also completely close its operation in Colchester, home to subsidiary Aceville Publications, which produces about 20 to 30 magazines in sectors including gardening, health, and food.

NFRN hits out at reduced Telegraph margins

The NFRN has hit out at the Telegraph Media Group’s decision to reduce newsagents’ margins as part of increases to the cover prices of its titles. In February all editions of the Telegraph increased in price, but the new retail margin paid for each copy sold will again not be recognised until August, and then the retail margin for the Saturday edition will drop by 1% and the Sunday edition by 0.5%.

MUP has ‘minimal’ impact on Scotland’s alcoholic drinks industry

e economic performance of the alcoholic drinks industry in Scotland has not been signi cantly impacted by the introduction of Minimum Unit Pricing (MUP), according to a report published by Public Health Scotland.

e research measured industry performance using ve key metrics – the number of rms, employment, turnover, output value, and Gross Value Added – and while they have shown minimal impacts, “this doesn’t mean that MUP has had no e ect at all on the industry”.

e research, commissioned by Public Health Scotland and carried out by Frontier Economics, suggests that industry performance post-MUP was characterised by lower volumes of sales but higher prices. is is consistent with other studies which suggest the value of spending on alcoholic drinks in the o -trade rose more quickly in Scotland post-MUP than in England and Wales.

Interviews carried out across the industry found that the impacts of MUP on consumer and producer responses were perceived to ‘play

out’ quickly. Almost all case studies felt that the major changes had already taken place by the rst half of 2019, and that industry had ‘moved on’ since then with MUP largely not a day-to-day concern.

While some economic trends changed post MUP there was no compelling evidence that these were caused by MUP.

Andrew Leicester, Associate Director at Frontier Economics and lead researcher, said: “Our analysis of detailed quantitative data broken down by country and sub-sector of the alcoholic drinks industry does not nd compelling evidence of observable impacts of MUP on industry performance in the years immediately following its introduction.

“Case study interviews from across di erent parts of the industry largely validate this view, recognising that MUP clearly did a ect the behaviour of producers and retailers to adapt rapidly to new limits on pricing but not in ways that appear to have signi cantly a ected overall industry performance in the medium run.”

VAPES Scheme will collect and recycle disposable vapes from any brand

Spar Scotland’s firewalk raises £4k for Marie Curie

More than 40 employees from CJ Lang & Son took part in a firewalk at the company’s Dundee depot to raise £4,000 for end-of-life charity Marie Curie.

The Spar staff had training and motivational exercises before watching the fire be lit. The brave charity fundraisers then walked across the hot embers with a piper on hand.

Paula Middleton, Marketing Manager from CJ Lang, said: “All the money raised will help Marie Curie continue to provide vital end of life care for terminally ill people and their families during their final days, weeks and months.

Disposable vape recycling scheme launches

Vape company Blo Bar has launched a new scheme designed to incentivise users to recycle their empty vapes for a free vape.

e Disposable Vape Recycling Scheme collects vapes from any brand. Participants can send in 10 used disposable vapes, using a free postage label provided by Blo Bar,

who will then correctly recycle the items in a UN-approved battery drum.

e full battery drum will then be transported to a local recycling centre, where the lithium inside can be repurposed.

A spokesperson from Blo Bar said: “As a business that sells such products, we accept that the responsibility that highlighting the importance of correctly recycling disposable vapes lies with us. So, rather than contributing to the problem, our goal is to nd a

solution that seeks to address it, whilst still providing customers with a disposable option as and when it suits their lifestyles.

“ at’s why we developed the Disposable Vape Recycling Scheme. We have succeeded in making the process as simple and convenient as possible for vape users – whilst also o ering an incentive for taking part. By o ering free delivery of the used disposable vapes, as well as a brand new vape in return, we’re proud to help encourage vapers to recycle, at no expense of their own.”

MUP Economic performance of alcoholic drinks industry in Scotland has not been significantly impacted by MUP legislation xx

Post Office restores Royal Mail international services

Post Office has confirmed that all Royal Mail international services have been reinstated at branches after a “cyber incident” in early January. Post Office is also providing additional remuneration to postmasters for handling international items in the form of a new fixed payment for each transaction. It will also pay additional commission for all Royal Mail international labels sold in February and March.

Spar’s new Community Cashback Scheme

Spar has launched a second Community Cashback Scheme, which will see it give away grants to local voluntary or community organisations and charities. Grants of up to £10,000 are available, from a total pool of £100,000, in all geographical regions across the UK. Applications will run until 15 March and successful candidates will be contacted on 2 May.

Co-op partners with PayPal

Co-op has teamed up with PayPal to enable shoppers to make simple, safe and secure purchases of groceries through its online shop. PayPal is now available for shoppers as a payment option for purchases of home delivery and click-andcollect orders via Co-op’s online shop, enabling shoppers to buy online and pay for their purchase with PayPal quickly and easily, without having to enter their credit card or financial details.

One Stop scholarship seeks new entrants

One Stop’s scholarship programme, which provides opportunities for young people from its communities, has opened to entrants for 2023. Candidates must be 18-24 years old and state-school educated. Successful candidates will get a £15,000 bursary, a business mentor, and a paid summer internship to support their threeyear graduate course.

NFRN renews call for end to rip-off carriage charges

e NFRN has renewed calls for what it has called “rip-o ” carriage charges to be scrapped in response to news that wholesaler Menzies Distribution will increase its prices in April.

Menzies announced that from 2 April retailers will be paying up to £72.54 a week for a seven-day supply of newspapers and magazines.

NFRN National President Jason Birks said: “Yearly carriage charge increases blight our lives and threaten the future of small shops and their communities. Over the past 10 years, carriage charges have gone up by a whopping 40% yet the number of copies of newspapers and magazines that news wholesalers handle have fallen considerably.

“At best, this latest increase could give retailers another valid reason to look at the time, space and e ort it takes to sells news compared to the pro t it makes and to give bigger and better displays to other products that are more pro table and easier to manage. At worst, it could cause many Fed members to close their shops for good.”

Birks added: “News wholesalers and publishers trot out the old excuses of rising labour costs and increases to the CPI when they put up their charges or cover prices, but they need to realise that we are facing exactly those increases too.

Newcomer snaps up Angus c-store

The Spar-branded store in Edzell, Angus, has been bought by a newcomer to the sector.

The store has been owned and operated by Caroline Hamilton for more than 12 years and came to the market as she felt the time was right to pass it on to a new operator.

Retailer Kumar Sekar has bought the store for an undisclosed sum. He was running a franchise in Aberdeen when heard about the store.

Liam Bain, Business Agent who handled the sale, said: “This was a fantastic opportunity to acquire a freehold business that is heavily relied on by the local community.”

“If the money that Menzies – and Smiths News for that matter – recouped from these charges was used to improve its service to retailers then the reason for carriage charges would be more comprehendible.

“But as we reported at our news summit last month, the service we get, particularly on Saturdays, is shambolic. e industry needs to get around the table again and quickly to nd better ways for the supply chain to operate so publishers and wholesalers do not pile on more costs on hard-pressed retailers who can ill a ord them.”

Booker redistributes five million meals

charities and OLIO’s Food Waste Heroes.

FareShare’s Go programme matches Booker sites with charities and community groups in the local area that collect the items and turn them into food parcels or hot meals for the people they support.

Booker has redistributed enough food to provide the equivalent of ve million meals through its partnership with food sharing app OLIO and charity FareShare.

FareShare and OLIO are working together on the 200 Million Meals initiative with the aim of getting food businesses to redistribute good to eat surplus food instead of letting it go to waste.

Booker currently redistributes food via its branches across the UK directly to FareShare’s network of

OLIO’s Food Waste Heroes collect food directly from Booker, which is then added to its app for people in the local area to collect.

Catherine Marston, Head of Sustainability at Booker, said: “We are constantly looking at ways to ensure no edible food goes to waste whether that is through being more e cient or collaborating with our supply partners and we are really pleased that we have been able to play our part in local communities across the UK.”

FOOD WASTE Booker and its partners donate good to eat surplus food

Gourock Co-op store opens

Co-op has opened a larger store in Gourock, Inverclyde. The 4,300sq ft outlet in Cardwell Road replaces two stores that operated on Cardwell Road and Shore Street. Mike Grant, Store Manager, said: “We have had a great response, the new store has a great look and feel, and the team is really enjoying welcoming the community.” The new store employs 25 people and is open between 6am and 10pm every day.

Jet forecourts facing fuel shortages

Jet garages across Scotland are facing fuel shortages as tanker drivers employed by JW Sucking Transport ballot for industrial action in a longstanding pay dispute. The 30-plus drivers, who are members of the Unite union, undertake work as part of the Phillips 66 contract that supplies fuel to Jet Garages. If the drivers vote to go on strike then industrial action could begin before the end of March.

Musselburgh retailer looks to launch home delivery

Retailer Ferhan Ashiq, owner of Levenhall Village Store in Musselburgh, is seeking permission to start home deliveries – including alcohol – from East Lothian’s licensing board. If approved, the service will be run via Snappy Shopper seven days a week between 8am and 9pm. However, alcohol sales would be restricted to 10am and 9pm, with a one-hour protection period for deliveries.

ACS backs campaign to tackle loneliness

The Association of Convenience Stores is encouraging retailers to engage with their staff and customers to build on the work that they’re already doing to tackle loneliness as part of a new Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport campaign. ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said local shops are “well placed to help alleviate loneliness and support their customers”.

Nisa retailers act to reduce impact of energy crisis

Nisa retailers have taken measures to help combat rising energy costs, investing in energy e ciency and changing business practices.

Fraser Johnston, of Nisa Murthly and Nisa Bankfoot in Perth, worked with the symbol group’s store development team to make energy-saving changes to his store.

Nisa Murthly now has two new Evolution chillers, with doors, from Pastorfrigor. In addition, doors were installed on existing chillers, as was Clearvision Cooling LED lighting in the chiller doors.

At the Nisa Bankfoot store, the retailer has also tted Clearvision Cooling doors, due to an impending increase in their electricity contract. Along with other changes made, initial indications in the Nisa Bankfoot store show a 25% reduction in the number of units used.

Fraser said: “ e reason we never updated our original fridges is that I wasn’t a fan of having a

barrier between the customer and the product. ere is a lot of debate among retailers on whether doors reduce trade but, on looking at our sales, it has not had any detrimental impact.

“Now is a good time for retailers to plan as much as they can. Our electricity contract is expiring in a few months’ time which is why we have made investments into energy e ciency. We don’t know what it will be like once that contract runs out.”

Retailer Zubair Aslam, of Nisa Local in Perth, revamped his store in November 2022, installing new chillers and LED lighting, resulting in noticeable reductions in his energy bills.

Zubair said that the store has saved £500 overall since installing the new chillers.

He added: “We really didn’t think we would see such a drastic change in our bills. I would say to other retailers it is worth investing in energy-saving measures.”

COST-OF-LIVING CRISIS Symbol group further supports its retailers

Nisa invests £6m into cost of branded products

Nisa is investing £6m in reducing the wholesale prices of more than one thousand branded products, as part of its strategy to further support its retailers.

e price cuts run across the most important ambient categories – beers, wines, spirits, so drinks, and tobacco.

Managing Director of Nisa, Peter Batt, said: “I’ve been really clear since taking on this role that Nisa retailers are at the heart of all our decisions and that I’ll listen to their feedback and will deliver on everything we said we would. We know we need to invest in price during these challenging times, and that’s why we’re pleased to be able to provide better wholesale prices into categories which drive high footfall for our retailers, allowing retailers to protect their margins at a time when most business costs are escalating.

“ is price investment is only the beginning of the support we are committed to providing our retailers throughout 2023 and beyond. We know that issues such as energy costs and the cost of living are a real concern to our customers and we are working hard to provide as much support as possible.”

SALES FIGURES

Sales of ready meals soar as cost-of-living hits Valentine’s Day

Sales of ready meals soared as much as 84% on Valentine’s Day as couples spurned eating out for a date with the microwave instead, data from PayPoint’s network of 28,000 retail partners reveals.

The data reveals the top 10 ready meals sold were: Snackster’s Doner Kebab (+84%), Eazi Mash Instant Mashed Potato (+76%), Vifon Instant Soup (+71%), Sharwood’s Sweet and Sour Chicken with rice (+51%), Sharwood’s Lamb Biryani (+40%), Young’s Mariners Pie (+39%), Nong Shim Kimchi Noodles (+32%), Aunt Bessie’s Toad in the Hole (+23%), Sharwood’s Chicken Tikka Masala and Rice (+19%), and Ben’s Original Caribbean Inspired Flavoured Rice (+8%).

Mothers Pride® was rst sold in 1936 by W.J. Brookes & Sons in Manchester.  In 1955 British Bakeries was set up by Rank Hovis McDougall, the our producer. They took over WJ Brookes and, in 1956, Mothers Pride® was marketed as a national brand which led to TV commercials throughout the 60s and 70s with celebrities including Thora Hird and Dusty Spring eld.

Mothers Pride® remains part of the Hovis® portfolio as a traditional family brand, known principally for Mothers Pride® Scottish Batch.

The Mothers Pride® range also includes White and Wholemeal bread, plus a selection of morning goods including rolls, mu ns & Hot Cross Buns.

Original Mothers Pride advert from c1935

Ford D800 Mothers Pride Delivery Fleet

Scottish Batch

Scottish Batch has been around for many years with little change on the way it is produced from mixing to wrapping.

Originally mixed in a tweedie mixer up until the late eighties when it changed to the biplex mixer, which we still use today and produce over 3k loafs per hour. We use a strong Scottish batch our di erent from all other ours to give the dough strength when developing in prover and oven.

A plain loaf, slices of which are known in Scotland as plain breid (pronounced [plen breed]), is a traditional style of loaf made chie y in Scotland and Ireland. It has a dark, well- red crust on the top and bottom of the bread.

There is no crust on the sides due to the unbaked loaves being stuck together in batches, baked together then torn into individual loaves afterwards. The term batch loaf is sometimes used.

Scottish Grocers’ Federation

Convenience Matters with the SGF

Retail crime may be a daily occurrence in many convenience stores, but that in no way diminishes its seriousness and the harmful impact it can have on retailers, staff, and businesses.

For most people, being forced to put up with criminal activity in the workplace and potentially face abuse or even assault, would be appalling. That is why SGF will always take a zero-tolerance approach to crime and ensure that decisionmakers understand the lasting damage it can have.

We have made significant progress in recent years, with the success of the Protection of Workers (Retail and Agerestricted Goods & Services) Act. Every incident is one too many, however, and now we need a clear message from government that perpetrators of retail crime are being arrested and sentenced.

SGF want to see both Police Scotland and the Crown Office providing meaningful feedback for retailers, including the result of investigations, and to make it easier for retailers to report crimes in the first place. Likewise, we encourage all our members to report every incident, so that the authorities have a full picture of the level of crime faced by retailers in Scotland.

Retail crime remains a key issue for SGF members. We are delighted to have partnered with Retailers Against Crime to deliver the biggest Crime & Wellbeing Seminar ever to be held in Scotland, at Hampden Park on Tuesday 7 March (book before).

Post office visits generate nearly £1bn of spending in host retailers

The report also reveals that the social value to consumers delivered by the Post Office was 16.5 times greater than the funding received from government.

Post O ce has an economic impact of £4.7bn, more than the annual economic impact of Heathrow Airport, a new report reveals.

e independent report by London Economics, an economics and policy consultancy, found that visits to post o ces generate more than £3bn a year of spending in nearby shops and businesses and nearly £1bn of spending in host retailers because of the additional customers that their post o ce attracts.

London Economics also found that money was spent in neighbouring shops and premises on over two in ve visits to branches. For every £1 spent by Post O ce, an additional £1.51 is generated across the wider economy.

Post O ce and its branches support and sustain nearly 50,000 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs throughout the UK. Post O ce’s extensive reach means it helps support more than 4,000 FTE jobs in nine of the UK’s 12 regions, and at least 1,900 FTE jobs in every region.

e report – ‘Part and Parcel: the economic and social value of Post O ce’ – reveals that Post O ce is worth almost £1bn overall to SMEs, with nearly three in 10 SMEs using a branch once a week to deposit cash and use mail services.

Nick Read, Chief Executive of Post O ce, said: “Post O ce branches are essential to the high street ecosystem, driving footfall and generating wider

nearby economic activity, as well as providing an underlying economic infrastructure that supports SMEs. e report shows that this economic contribution is felt in every corner of the country, and across each parliamentary constituency, supporting 50,000 jobs, and generating an aggregate economic impact of £4.7bn every year.

“Post O ce is essential for the shopkeepers, traders, and nascent businesses of the nation as a whole, who rely on our continued presence on high streets in towns and villages everywhere.”

James Cannings, Economic Consultant at London Economics and one of the report’s authors, added: “ is report highlights the enormous value that Post O ce generates in every corner of the United Kingdom, with a reach that is rarely seen by other businesses.

“Post O ce is the backbone of the UK’s economy, supporting economic value through working as an important enabler for

businesses. It also plays a key role in keeping the UK’s day-today commercial activities alive by creating a trusted anchor on high streets and by generating a livelihood for postmasters.”

e report also found that the social value to consumers alone delivered by the Post O ce was 16.5 times greater than the funding received from government. e annual social value of Post O ce as a whole to consumers is as much as £3.8bn and, on average, consumers said they were willing to pay more than £130 for Post O ce services per household each year.

e report also reveals that Post O ce is the mainstay of the UK’s banking infrastructure, with 15% of the population depending on their local Post O ce branch for cash and banking services.

Post O ce and Western Union recently revealed that their partnership has now gone live in more than 2,600 post o ces and will eventually expand to 4,000 branches.

IS THE END OF DRS IN SIGHT?

So, despite Lorna Slater’s repeated and increasingly exasperated insistence that DRS is “definitely going ahead” in August as planned, it looks like a miracle or two may be required if the Scottish Government is to deliver its flagship environmental policy on schedule.

According to reports in The Scottish Sun and The Times in Scotland, the UK Government will categorically refuse to grant an opt-out from the UK’s Internal Markets Act. This means the DRS regulations could not be enforced for single-use packaged drinks from elsewhere in the UK. In basic terms, this would put Scottish producers at a competitive disadvantage because only products bottled in Scotland would be subject to the 20p deposit.

Bizarrely, Holyrood hasn’t even asked for an exemption yet according to the same reports.

As if that wasn’t problematic enough, all three candidates in the race to replace Nicola Sturgeon have said that they would postpone or change the Scheme, should they become First Minister.

So what lies ahead? It certainly looks like DRS is dead in the water, at least for the time being. One of the most likely scenarios is that it will return in 2025 as part of a unified scheme with our friends down south, something that most industry colleagues had been asking for from day one.

The complexities of running two (different) schemes side-by-side were immense, something that the major producers have been flagging up for years. But the Scottish Government ploughed on, keen to be the first in the UK to implement a DRS, but failing to put in place the requisite infrastructures, systems and procedures. The upshot is that lots of businesses have had to spend vast sums of money preparing for August.

Interestingly, however, I spoke very recently to one senior executive from a major soft drinks producer who basically said that his business would be prepared to “suck it up” and absorb the sunk costs so far if it meant that DRS was implemented in 2025 as a unified scheme, rather than a standalone Scottish scheme.

There are, nonetheless, some senior industry colleagues who believe that DRS will still proceed in August, albeit in an extensively stripped back format. What that looks like in reality is hard to imagine but with so much at stake who knows what could happen in the six short months that remain before 16 August?

ANTONY BEGLEY, PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

EDITORIAL

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

Deputy Editor Liz Wells lwells@55north.com

Features Editor Gaelle Walker gwalker@55north.com

Features Writer Elena Dimama edimama@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 222 5381. Other readers can obtain copies by annual subscription at £50 (UK), £62 (Europe airmail), £99 (Worldwide airmail).

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DISCLAIMER

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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.

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Scottish Local Retailer is produced monthly by 55 North Ltd.

2023

SGF Mini Summit

18th May 2023

Macdonald Inchyra Hotel

Four industry specific panel discussions will cover:

Deposit Return Scheme

High Fat, Sugar & Salt Food Restrictions

Alcohol Display Restrictions & Minimum Unit

Pricing

Vaping Restrictions

Free to attend for independent retailers & SGF Corporate Members

Register Now

Scan the QR code or visit

www.sgfscot.co.uk/networkingevents/mini-summit

IS IT CURTAINS FOR THE OFF-TRADE?

New Scottish Government proposals on the advertising and marketing of alcohol, which might see products moved to a curtained-off area at the back of stores, could have profound consequences for local retailers and their staff.

BY STEPHEN MCGOWAN, PARTNER AND HEAD OF LICENSING (SCOTLAND), TLT

The Scottish Government consultation on prohibition of alcohol advertising and marketing has generated many front-page headlines since it was launched at the end of November 2022. e consultation itself, which runs until 9 March 2023, contains a large number of proposals. is article focuses on the potential impacts for alcohol displays in retail stores, which may be of concern for retailers.

e consultation features several proposed restrictions around what it calls “in-store alcohol marketing”. Although the document acknowledges some of the existing rules around alcohol displays under the Licensing (Scotland) Act 2005, it also says: “Despite the current rules, alcohol is still legally promoted in-store through the placement of alcohol.” By placement of alcohol, they mean products on shelves.

One of the proposals advises alcohol should be banned from windows. e policy position driving this proposal is that alcohol advertising could normalise alcoholic products, and the Scottish Government suggests this could have a harmful impact on some individuals.

SEX SHOPS

ere are a large number of specialist alcohol retailers across Scotland. Wine shops, cra beer shops, or specialist olicences. In these cases, the entire shop is one big alcohol display. Such premises will be blacked out if these proposals are given life, akin to the licensing rules around sex shops. Retailers will be concerned for their livelihoods if such a rule were to be enacted, but there may also real-world implications in relation to crime, amenity and sta safety, which have not been recognised or analysed.

e proposals suggest that alcohol displays could be “near the back of the shop away from entrances, exits or checkouts,” perhaps in an area behind a curtain or “shop within a shop”. e logistical implications of this are huge. Retailers have to apply for permission from the licensing board in order to change their alcohol display. Changing the location of the display could be a minor variation, but it could be a major variation if the “shop within a shop” display measurements turned out to be marginally larger due to the physical layout of the premises. In some cases, the applications would require a hearing, which could take many months.

In order to submit even a minor variation, a retailer would have to instruct an architect to draw a new licensing plan, showing the new proposed layout of where the alcohol shelving would be. Many retailers will also use licensing lawyers to submit applications to ensure they are handled expertly, particularly where there might be a hearing. In some areas in Scotland, the local health boards will frequently object to applications for even the slightest increase in display, and some licensing boards have overprovision policies meaning there is a rebuttable presumption against any increase in alcohol display no matter how small.

APPLICATION OVERLOAD

According to the Scottish Government’s most recent statistics (2021/22) there are 5,155 o -sale licences across Scotland.

So that means 5,155 licence applications would have to be submitted to get permission from the local licensing board to “move the alcohol to the back”. Taking some examples, this would mean 195 applications in Aberdeen City, 151 for Argyll & Bute, 485 in Edinburgh, 367 in Fife, 583 in Glasgow and 322 in the Highlands. Realistically, a local authority would not have the resource to deal with this volume of applications, especially considering the wider cuts to local authority budgets and the impact of other Scottish Government schemes such as the licensing of short-term lets. e impact on resource is not just a “licensing” impact – each of these applications will have to be checked by the building standards department to ascertain agreement on the display capacities; and where applications are major variations, there is a full public consultation process involving the police, health boards and others.

All of this has a disproportionate impact on smaller local convenience stores and retailers, many of whom will not have the space like a supermarket to create a separate area for alcohol.

e proposals also include banning aisle-end displays, again on the argument that having alcohol products located in these areas will create impulse purchasing. Should this be enacted into law, a ected retailers would also have to submit applications to the local licensing board to “delete” these areas from their licence, or move those displays elsewhere.

IRISH RULES

e consultation document compares the proposals to the “structural separation” of alcohol products in retail premises in Ireland, introduced in November 2020. However, the Irish rules, as I understand them, do not feature the wider concomitance of de-personalisation which is detailed in the Scottish consultation.

For example, the Scottish consultation proposes that adverts/displays even within these “shop within a shop” areas would only be allowed state sanctioned attributes such as ABV or geographical provenance – in other words, having all the bottles look the same and removing the attractiveness of the product. It also suggests that alcohol behind the till should be covered up like tobacco.

ere has been no evaluation of the impact of the Irish model. Nor has there been any post-legislative evaluation of any of the existing Scottish licensing rules, including the rules around alcohol display and bans on certain promotions.

ere is much in the consultation beyond the display proposals for retailers to consider – such as suggestions that even “low and no” products might be caught up in all of this, on the basis it is argued these are “gateway” products using the branding to lead people towards the alcoholic variants; and such as bans on “brand-sharing” where an alcoholic brand and a non-alcoholic brand come together to create a special product such as Baileys and Haagen-Dazs ice cream.

Retailers concerned at these proposals should make their views known and engage in the consultation, which can be done online at consult.gov.scot/alcohol-policy/alcoholadvertising-and-promotion by 9 March 2023.

Extra unveils Reading Festival competition

Mars Wrigley has launched a new competition for Extra gum, giving consumers the chance to win tickets to Reading Festival, alongside other experiences at the event, which runs over the August Bank Holiday weekend. Shoppers need to simply scan the QR code on pack and enter the last four digits of the on-pack barcode to find out if they’re a winner. The competition runs until Sunday 26 March.

Elfbar withdraws vape over compliance issues

Elfbar is withdrawing its Elfbar 600 device from sale in the UK after an in-house investigation found that some products exceeded the permitted e-liquid fill level. The company said it did not find any issues with nicotine strength, or anything that might compromise the product’s safety. Elfbar will update its distribution and retail partners when it has been agreed how the withdrawal will take place.

Chippy-style sausage batters rival products

We hae meat is celebrating after its chippy-style battered sausage was named a winner in Scotmid’s Scottish Favourites competition. The family-owned business is the first of five Scottish companies to be announced as a winner. The contest, run in conjunction with Scotland Food and Drink, champions local producers and demonstrates Scotmid’s commitment to Scottish sourcing and suppliers.

Yazoo Choc Mint makes comeback

Flavoured milk brand Yazoo has brought back its Choc Mint limited-edition flavour after it proved a “smash hit” with shoppers. The fan favourite is back with a new consumerdriven bottle design, and is available in standard and pricemarked packs of 400ml now, as well as plain one-litre packs. The relaunch is supported by an integrated marketing campaign.

McCoy’s launches Epic Eats

their own “epic” adventure. e competition also includes scratch cards, with 1,100 prizes u p for grabs in the form of £20 vouchers or a free case of stock.

Running until mid-April, the competition is exclusive to the McCoy’s Epic Eats range; retailers will automatically be entered in the draw and qualify for a scratch card when they buy two cases of the new crisps.

KP Snacks has unveiled a new retailer competition that launches alongside its new McCoy’s Epic Eats range.

To help drive sales of the newly launched range, ‘Fund Your Own Epic Adventure’ gives retailers the chance to win one of six £2,000 cash prizes to create

Leanne Parkes, Shopper Marketing Manager C&I, commented: “We are delighted to be launching a new retailer competition for McCoy’s, o ering our valued retailer partners the chance to win big prizes and create unforgettable memories with an epic adventure of their own.

“As a popular and much-loved brand delivering innovation to the category, McCoy’s Epic Eats is perfectly positioned to boost sales for retailers.”

Britvic’s new retailer website is at your convenience

Britvic has launched a brand-new website for retailers called At Your Convenience.

Atyourconvenience.com is Britvic’s first-ever dedicated site for the convenience channel and is offering a free case of Pepsi Max, Tango or Rockstar Energy to every outlet that signs up, as well as supporting point of sale for the brands.

The new website has been designed and built with retailers’ needs in mind – using feedback from hundreds of retailers collated by an independent market research company. With a variety of symbol and independent retailers in the market, the website offers support for outlets whatever their size, location or sales volume. It has advice and tips on how to boost soft drink sales, information on the Britvic range, and the latest trends and insights. A dedicated trade contact is available for any retailer needing to speak to Britvic, ensuring they have the specialised support they need.

The launch is supported by a paid-for media plan. In addition to a free case of drinks and POS, retailers will soon have access to free cases of Britvic’s brand-new Tango Paradise Punch Sugar Free, as part of the brand’s rotational flavour limited-edition series.

TOBACCO Lambert & Butler revises range

Imperial Tobacco has updated and upgraded its Lambert & Butler (L&B) brand.

Blue Real Blue and Blue Bright Air Filter have been renamed to Blue Original and Blue Bright, to further align the products with the rest of the brand family and create a more recognisable presence.

L&B Blue Bright and New Crush now feature Fresh Protect, offering customers a more protected pack with a premium resealable foil.

All variants have an RSP of £10.90 for a pack of 20.

The brand’s rolling tobacco range has also migrated to the L&B Blue family and is now known as L&B Blue Rolling Tobacco. Products now benefit from tips and premium papers that burn slower, to deliver value to shoppers and attract more customers and sales for retailers.

The range is available with RSPs of £15.50 and £25.45 respectively for the 30g and 50g formats.

SNACKS Retailers can win a £2,000 prize

RUSTLE UP BIG PROFITS WITH CRISPS & SNACKS – P50

Cadbury comp is a Big Win Win for shoppers and stores

Mondelez has launched a new campaign, giving consumers the chance to win cash prizes for themselves, and a matching sum for their local independent retailer.

e Big Win Win on-and o -pack promotion runs until mid-May, inviting consumers to nominate their local convenience store for the chance to win a cash prize to match their own.

To enter, consumers simply buy a participating Cadbury product, and enter their and their local store details on Cadbury’s website for the chance to win. ere are 50 prizes of £1,000 and another 50 of £500 up for grabs.

e promotion runs across Cadbury’s full singles and duos range, including both PMP and non-PMP formats. Special packs will be available across very top sellers, such as Cadbury Twirl, Cadbury Dairy Milk and Wispa in both PMP & non-PMP formats.

e campaign will also be activated o -pack across Cadbury’s full singles and duos range.

SNACKS Competition recognises pivotal role of c-stores

e competition will be heavily promoted to shoppers and new POS material is also available.

Retailers can also win a further £100-worth of Cadbury singles stock if they’ve signed up to the new Mondelez trade site. All they need to do is register or log in to snackdisplay.co.uk and ll out the entry form to enter. Five prize bundles are available.

Win two grand for your community with Walkers

Walkers has launched its community fund competition for the second year running.

Ten lucky retailers will win £2,000 each to support their local neighbourhood, recognising the pivotal role that convenience stores play within their communities.

To be in with a chance of winning, retailers need to purchase two cases of any 48g to 82g £1.25 pricemarked pack or Kurkure 80g £1 PMP from the range of qualifying

products between Monday 20 February to Wednesday 5 April.

John Wilson, from e Corner Shop in Cellardyke near Anstruther, was one of last year’s winners. He used the money to

Lucozade Alert gets new packaging

Lucozade Alert has returned with a fresh new look, intended to stand out on shelf and appeal to more shoppers.

A new colourful 500ml can design features across all three flavours: Cherry Blast, Tropical Burst & Original Lucozade.

Aoife McGuigan, Head of Lucozade Alert at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I (SBF GB&I), said: “The updated pack design presents a fresh opportunity to drive shopper engagement, encourage trial and drive additional purchases to help increase sales even further.”

restore the local tidal pool, which brought the community together and helped provide a safe place for people of all ages and abilities to swim.

Mike Chapman, Head of Wholesale at PepsiCo, said: “Convenience stores have always played an important role within their local communities. With this competition, we hope to help retailers give back to their communities.”

Quaker donates millions of warm breakfasts

Quaker Oats has launched ‘Share the Warmth,’ a new campaign that will see the brand donate up to 2.5 million warm breakfasts to communities across the UK who need it most. The campaign builds on Quaker’s long-standing partnership with Magic Breakfast and is bolstered through a new collaboration with FareShare. It will be supported by wider marketing initiatives.

Popchips spices up Healthier Snacking

KP Snacks has added a new Hot & Spicy variant to its popchips range of ‘better for you’ snacks. Popchips Hot & Spicy is available in both 23g singles (RSP £1) and 85g sharing bags (RSP £2.25). Popped not fried, popchips has fewer than 100 calories per serving; is suitable for vegetarians and vegans; and has one-third less fat than the market leader. The entire popchips range is non-HFSS.

Baxters serves up five improved soup recipes

Baxters has added more locally sourced ingredients to five of its most popular soups. Cream of Tomato benefits from more tomatoes and Scottish cream, while Cream of Chicken and Minestrone have additional chicken and pasta respectively. Vegetarian variants Carrot & Coriander and Country Garden have added cream, carrots and potatoes. The new recipe soups have RSPs starting from £1.60.

New look for TRESemmé

TRESemmé has revitalised its portfolio for 2023 with the introduction of improved formulas, fresh pack designs and new pack sizes. Enriched formulas have rolled out across all variants to strengthen and protect hair. New pack designs align with the brand’s salon credentials and call out the use of innovative technology. A £10m marketing campaign will back the relaunch, running from April.

SPORTS & ENERGY

Glenrothes unveils 42-year-old single malt

The Glenrothes has launched

The 42, a limited release 42-yearold single malt whisky that has been in-spired by the colour and character of the distillery’s Highland home and bottled at 43% ABV. It would probably take the average whisky drinker 42 years to save up for a bottle: only 1,134 are available worldwide and they will set you back £6,750. Each.

Carling kicks off FA Cup partnerships

In a move that will do Tennent’s market share north of the border no harm at all, Carling has strength-ened its long-standing association with English football by becoming the official beer partner to the Emirates FA Cup and Vitality Women’s FA Cup. As part of the deal, which will run until at least 2025, the lager brand will roll out promotional activity throughout the remainder of this season’s competitions.

Lightbox launches

Limestone limited edition

Lightbox Brands has announced it will distribute Kentucky-based Limestone Branch Distillery’s experi-mental Yellowstone Family Recipe Kentucky Straight Bourbon Whiskey in the UK. The ABV 50% bourbon is a limited run of a one-off expression and will be available from this month with a £64.99 RSP.

New Global Brand Director for Moskovskaya

Amber Beverage Group (ABG) has appointed Claire Li as Global Brand Director for Vodkas. She will head up the Group’s global flagship vodka brand, Moskovskaya. Li has 15 years’ experience as an internation-al marketer with a track record in leading luxury and premium consumer brands. She worked with Dia-geo for 10 years, most recently as Global Marketing Manager for Johnnie Walker Scotch Whisky, and was also Senior Brand Manager for Ketel One Vodka in Europe.

New Absolut bottle celebrates power of mixing

Absolut has revealed its latest limitededition bottle, encapsulating the brand’s ethos that “incredible things can be achieved when people come together and mix beyond their di erences”.

Available now in 70cl (RSP £21) and 1-litre (RSP £25.50, Costco only) formats, the new bottle is made with more than 50% recycled glass, just like all Absolut bottles.

e launch is supported with instore activity that includes shippers, aisle ags and shelf barkers, as well as pallet wraps in Costco.

e woven fabric design of the bottle is a reimagined visual representation of the premium vodka brand’s attributes

of creativity, culture and community, and embodies Absolut’s core belief that when diverse people mix and connect, they can form a stronger bond and drive progress. e new limitededition succeeds last year’s bottle, Absolut Voices, which celebrated the world’s wavemakers and trailblazers.

Liam Murphy, Brand Director at Pernod Ricard UK, commented: “Championing each other’s di erences has always been in our spirit and our new limited-edition design encapsulates the power of unity to show how mixing the world’s diverse threads together can break conventions and make us stronger.”

Morgan spices up range with new design

Captain Morgan has unveiled a fresh, new look for its pack design across its entire portfolio.

e rebrand begins its global rollout from March onwards across both the on- and otrades.

e rum brand’s new, premium look and feel builds on last year’s ‘Spice On’ campaign. e new design brings the avour and the spice of the liquid to the fore – featuring a bold colour palette and the addition of a gold brush stroke. Packs also include a refreshed version of the brand’s Captain icon.

Samori Gambrah, Global Brand Director for Captain Morgan, said: “ is new pack design heroes the delicious spice of our liquid and character as a brand. It will allow us the exibility we need to show up in a dynamic way in our sponsorships, live events, collaborations, and packaging around the world.

“ is launch comes at an exciting time of transformation for Captain Morgan, as we evolve how we communicate with our consumers.”

Loch Lomond Group launches new whisky brand

Loch Lomond Group has unveiled Noble Rebel, a new blended malt Scotch whisky brand that is available in three expressions – Orchard Outburst, Smoke Symphony and Hazelnut Harmony.

Matured in ex-bourbon casks, Orchard Outburst “balances crisp, ripe orchard fruits with surprising flavours of crashing salty ocean waves”.

Smoke Symphony “weaves threads of peat and smoke with hits of chilli. Lightning bolts of rich red body married with subtle berry tartness create a truly intriguing dram.” It is finished in Rioja wine casks.

Hazelnut Harmony “mingles nuts with a hint of sweet honeycomb, with subtle pear undertones meeting imprints of warm oak,” and is finished in toasted American oak casks.

All three are non-chill filtered, natural in colour and bottled at 46% ABV, with an RSP of £40 per 70cl bottle.

Michael Henry, Master Blender at Loch Lomond Group, said: “Our drams are modern masterpieces that welcome newcomers with open arms, and delight old friends alike.”

VODKA Pernod Ricard brand unveils latest limited edition

RUM New premium look for the Captain Captain

WHISKY

MAKE THE MOST OF VAPRIL – P52

Malibu unveils new price-marked RTD

Pernod Ricard has added a new £2.19 price-mark to its Malibu Pineapple ready-to-drink (RTD) format, exclusive to the convenience channel.

e sparkling mix of white rum, coconut and pineapple avours o ers consumers a convenient on-the-go solution.

Its launch comes amidst rapid growth of the pre-mix can category, which has seen 22% expansion in convenience.

Malibu Pineapple PMP RTD (ABV 5%) is available in 12 x 250ml cases with an RSP of £2.19 per can. It joins the wider Malibu RTD range which

includes Malibu Piña Colada and Malibu Cola.

Chris Shead, O -Trade Channel Director at Pernod Ricard UK, commented: “Our new Malibu Pineapple PMP pre-mix can will drive presence in impulse, ensuring further visibility in the ‘grab and go’ moment.

“Two-thirds of independent retailers are already stocking PMPs as it gives consumers con dence they are being o ered good value, and with Malibu seeing +11.1% value growth we’re con dent that our new PMP will accelerate that even further.”

The cream of Europe’s crooners

LIQUEURS

Love Drinks unveils Japanese trio

Sling’s the thing

Diamon Brewery is “revolutionising” the UK RTD market with the launch of a range of sake-based cocktails that gives a contemporary twist to the classic Singapore Sling. Developed by leading bar-tender and mixologist Wayne Collins, Sake Sling is available in two flavours: Yuzu & Melon and Mandarin & Cherry. Both have an ABV of 5.5% and come in 250ml cans that RSP at £4.95 each.

Mangrove takeover

Premium spirits distributor

Mangrove Global has been bought by the French GBH group. Man-grove’s co-founder and current boss Nick Gillett remains at the helm of the company and will lead the distribution of all GBH rum brands for the UK. John Coe, who also co-founded the business in 2006, and is majority shareholder, will leave to focus on his other business interests. Mangrove joins Spiribam, which coordinates all of GBH’s spirits activities.

Fittingly, given Ireland’s record as the most successful country at the competition, Irish cream liqueur brand Baileys has announced a three-year sponsorship deal with the Eurovision Song Contest.

As O cial Partner to the annual celebration of European weirdness, which this year takes place in Liverpool from 9 to 13 May, Baileys says it will bring “playful, delicious moments” to both the event itself and to all those Eurovision Song Contest parties. Fair play – it’s a hard watch sober.

Jennifer English, Global Brand Director for Baileys, commented: “We believe that treats are for everyone, no matter your sexuality, ethnicity, ability or gender. Baileys and Eurovision together make the perfect recipe for utterly indulgent fun and we can’t wait to drizzle some delicious, playful indulgence over this year’s Eurovision Song Contest.”

Love Drinks’ Japanese portfolio has blossomed further with the roll out of three liqueurs from the ‘La’ brand.

The trio of La Tomato, La Yuzu and La Okinawa are all available in 50cl bottles.

La Tomato (18% ABV, RSP £21) is a blend of fresh tomato juice with syrup and a neutral white spirit to create a “silky, delicate and aromatic product”.

La Yuzu (14% ABV, RSP £24) is a tart and fragrant liqueur that offers vibrant notes of freshly squeezed yuzu, Japan’s most famous fruit.

La Okinawa (14% ABV, RSP £24) takes juice from the Japanese Shikuwasa citrus fruit and blends it with neutral white spirit and fructose syrup to create a “smooth and aromatic” liqueur.

New calvados unveiled Family-owned Calvados producer Christian Drouin has launched the sixth instalment of its Expéri-mental range: Caroni Angels (ABV 48.8%, 70cl, RSP £105). Caroni Angels is a 17-year-old Calvados Pays d’Auge aged for eight months in barrels which previously housed Caroni 1996 rum. Only 1,506 bottles are available worldwide. Aimed at both calvados and rum lovers, the new limited-edition is exclusively distributed in the UK by Speciality Brands.

Changes at top of ABG

Global spirits company, Amber Beverage Group (ABG), has announced that Sam Thackeray has been appointed Managing Director of Amber Beverage UK and Indie Brands. He takes over from Douglas Cunningham who has been promoted to the ABG Supervisory Board and will become one of its members. The changes take immediate effect.

LIQUEURS Baileys teams up with Eurovision

THE SLR AWARDS 2023 ARE GO!

This year marks the 21st running of the SLR Awards as we begin our annual search for the stars of the local retailing sector in Scotland.

The SLR Awards are back and this time around, it’s another landmark year as we reach our 21st birthday and celebrate more than two decades of recognising and rewarding excellence, creativity, resilience and commitment in the Scottish local retailing sector.

Set to be held once more at the Radisson blu hotel in Glasgow, the event will once again see the cream of Scotland’s local retailing community gather to honour some of the best retailers, stores and initiatives in our sector.

Despite the fact that the majority of issues related to the pandemic are now behind us, there’s no question that that the last 12 months has been another challenging one for the local retailing sector – but, as always, our sector has risen

to the challenge. Which is why it’s as important as ever that we recognise the stars of our sector and honour them as we always have.

e entry portal is now live, and we invite all of Scotland’s retailers to get their entries in now and give themselves a chance of being part of this unique celebration of an outstanding industry in yet another di cult year.

On Wednesday 6 September, we aim not only to reward the winners on the night, we also aim to recognise the spectacular e orts of the entire sector over the last year. When the going got tough, the tough most certainly got going, as they invariably do – and the independent retailing sector can be rightly proud of the role it has continued to play in communities across Scotland.

CONFECTIONERY RETAILER OF THE YEAR

FOOD-TO-GO RETAILER OF THE YEAR

FORECOURT RETAILER OF THE YEAR

FRESH & CHILLED RETAILER OF THE YEAR

OFF-TRADE RETAILER OF THE YEAR

SCOTTISH BRANDS RETAILER OF THE YEAR

SOFT DRINKS RETAILER OF THE YEAR TOBACCO RETAILER OF THE YEAR

SLR Publisher Antony Begley said: “It gives us enormous pleasure to once again be highlighting this amazing industry for the 21st consecutive year.

“Covid may be largely behind us but the challenges the industry has faced over the last 12 months have been no less fearsome – and the sector is far from being out of the woods. A ra of complex issues lie ahead, including DRS, but I’m sure our sector will nd a way forward, just as it always has.

“So we look forward to celebrating not only the winners on the evening this year, but this entire remarkable sector. Every community in Scotland owes a debt of gratitude to their local retailer.

“ e SLR Awards 2023 should be a very special night for everyone involved and I’d urge every retailer to make sure they enter this year. You’ve gone above and beyond over the last year, yet again – and we want to hear from you.”

SYMBOL

THE FUTURE IS NOW

Despite only being in his late 20s, Glasgow Premier retailer Girish Jeeva already has plenty of experience under his belt in the local retailing sector – so it should come as little surprise that his latest venture, a Premier store in the Barmulloch area of the city, should have proven to be a runaway success – but the scale of that success surprises even Girish.

“When we rst took over this store in 2021, it was pretty run down and we had built our business plan around building sales to £30k a week in the rst year – and we would have been perfectly happy with that – but we’ve actually hit £55k to £60k a week in under a year, so we’re both surprised and delighted! Over the Christmas period we hit £62k, which was fantastic.”

e 2,000sq store sits in a residential area in the north-east of Glasgow and as soon as Girish saw it, he knew it had potential, even if it needed serious investment to unleash that potential.

“I had worked for my uncle for a few years, running two of his stores which were part of MFG,” he explains. “So I had done my apprenticeship, if you like, and I understood every aspect of how to run a store from ordering and sta ng to ranging and merchandising. A few years back I decided I wanted have a go on my own with own business. I also wanted to be an entrepreneur and a businessman, and I felt ready for the challenge.”

His rst steps into running his own company saw him take over a small store on London Road in the east end of the city, aged just 25. is was the perfect venue for him to hone his skills, learn the ropes of running a store of his own and develop his thoughts for the future.

SLR Young Retailer of the Year Girish Jeeva has enjoyed a spectacular start to his career as an independent retailer with sales in his Premier store more than doubling to £60k a week in his first year.

“It was a pretty tired store when I took it over,” he says. “It had been closed for a couple of years, so I had to tidy it up then pretty much start building a shopper base from scratch. But I stuck at it, and I worked hard and we managed to get the turnover up from just £5k a week to £15k a week, and I realised that I was ready to take the next step. I had built up some con dence and I was ready to look for a bigger store.”

As luck would have it, he learned that a family friend with a bigger store in Barmulloch was retiring, so he moved quickly and decisively.

“At around 2,000sq it was big enough to give me scope for all the big ideas and plans I had,” he says. “I had been visiting stores and reading trade magazines and generally just keeping up with the latest trends, so I was itching to get started.”

at was back in November 2021 and, having closed the deal, he promptly shut the store down for a month for a full-scale, top-to-bottom, back-to-front re t.

“In the end I spent £370k on it, which is a lot of money, but I knew what I wanted, and I was prepared to spend whatever it took to bring my dream to life,” he recalls. “I visited about 20 di erent stores across all the fascia groups and other types of stores but by far the best I saw was Premier. I took so many ideas from stores like Premier Singh’s in She eld, and I knew I could make my store special.”

It turns out that he was absolutely correct on that front. Premier Barmulloch is a special store that brings together the very best of current Premier thinking as well as adding in a liberal dose of Girish’s own creativity.

“I like the creative side of the business,” he laughs. “And doing the re t was great fun. I worked closely with the team from Premier and we managed to t in everything I wanted, everything I thought the local community needed.”

Despite having a small Post O ce almost next door and a Nisa Local only a few hundred metres away, Girish was undaunted and set about creating a store that had something for everyone.

“ e store was a Best One and about 30 years out of date when I took it on,” he says. “It had virtually nothing in the way of services or a range that was appropriate for modern shoppers.” at all changed last January when the re t rendered the store unrecognisable and no opportunity was missed.

“One the most successful changes was the implementation of a Refresh@Premier zone with Fanta and Coke Freeze, Tango Ice Blast, Jolly Rancher Fizzy, Hershey’s, Costa and Snowshock. e success of that small part of

the store is astonishing. We can sell 150 cups a day on a good day and we average about 80. e zone brings in between £4k to £5k a week.”

A new vaping zone has been similarly successful. “We used to have a little bit of vape before but we only did about £300 a week,” says Girish. “So we created a Vape Zone on the shop oor that shoppers could browse at their leisure. ese days we’re doing £6k or £7k a week on vaping sales, mostly disposables like Elf Bars, Geek Bars, Lost Mary and the latest big hit, Crystal Bars.”

Despite being in a solidly working-class area, Girish was con dent that fresh and chilled had some major scope for growth, so he doubled the size of the fresh and chilled refrigerated section to 14m and it’s now doing £6k to £7k a week.

“Lots of people told me fresh and chilled wouldn’t sell in this store, but it’s actually my third-biggest category behind alcohol and tobacco – so I think I got that call right,” he says with a smile.

Similarly, he had a hunch that the resurgent frozen category would be important for his shoppers, so he created a huge 12.5m frozen zone and, lo and behold, sales are ying.

“We sell a lot of frozen,” comments Girish. “We do the Premier Frozen Deals and those de nitely help, and we also run the Premier Meal Deal as well as all the Premier promotions.”

Alcohol is Girish’s biggest category by sales value, which explains the 22.5m of space dedicated to all things alcoholic, including 10m of refrigerated space for chilled beers, ciders, wines and RTDs.

Recently, he has added a further 1.5m for multipack alcohol in response to demand.

ere’s also an eye-catching backlit spirits gantry behind the three tills which helps drive high-value impulse sales.

Unsurprisingly, so drinks, crisps and confectionery have been allocated a lot of

space in the store, particularly large format and multipack products.

“We sell a lot of so drinks, crisps and confectionery,” explains Girish. “Particularly bigger packs and multipacks. at’s what’s really driving the growth. We used to order around 20 cases of so drinks every three or four days, for example. Now I’m ordering 30 cases a day!”

Something that may come as a surprise is that grocery is a very important category in the store, the h-biggest category of all in fact.

“We try to have a kind of mini-supermarket o er,” says Girish. “We try to carry a bit

of everything so that our shoppers can get everything they need all in one place, which might explain the success of the grocery category.”

e store also sources a range of bakery and butchery products from smaller Scottish and local companies to help support the local economy and o er a point of di erence. “We use Stuart’s Bakers and Colin & Son butchers,” he says. “ e quality is great, they deliver when I want, and the shoppers love the products.”

Girish also says that the Jack’s own-brand range is performing strongly, helping to deliver

“reliable value and quality to shoppers who really need great value at the moment”.

A modest man, however, Girish doesn’t believe he’s performing any miracles here, as he explains: “We’re just trying to give our shoppers what they want – great value and a great range. If we get the range right, the prices right and the promotions right, we won’t be far away.”

With almost a year under his belt at the store and having targeted £30k a week in the rst year, Girish is a happy man who is certainly looking forward to 2023. “We’re regularly hitting £55k to £60k a week and we think there is still scope for more growth. We think we can get to £70k a week.”

One opportunity that might help him achieve that aim was the introduction of a home delivery service with Snappy Shopper eight months or so ago.

“We knew that home delivery was another important opportunity,” says Girish. “We were only doing £500 a week at the start but that’s up to £10k to £12k a week now and there’s still plenty of room for growth. We have six local drivers and have two or three on at any one point in time. ey keep the delivery fee and we pay the fuel. It’s simple but it works and we’re doing around 60 to 70 deliveries a day during the week and about 400 to 425 in total every week, but it’s rising every week.”

As for the future? “I’m staying 100% focused on the store for the time being,” concludes Girish. “We’re still investing in it, and we still want to unleash all its potential. But I will start having a look for more stores when the time comes.”

“One the most successful changes was the Refresh@ Premier zone – we can sell 150 cups a day on a good day and we average about 80.”

UK GOVERNMENT SET TO BLOCK DRS IN SCOTLAND

In the latest in a long line of threats to the planned launch of DRS in August, the UK Government is reportedly set to effectively block implementation of the scheme while all three SNP leadership candidates commit to postponing or changing the scheme.

Reports in both e Scottish Sun and e Times in Scotland have suggested that the UK Government is set to e ectively block the planned August rollout of a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in Scotland.

e reports said that Ministers south of the border intend to veto the launch amidst concern over the potential impact of the scheme on in ation and can do so under ‘internal market’ rules.

If the reports are accurate, the UK Government will block the plans by refusing to grant a trading exemption for cans and bottles from outside Scotland.

e Scottish Government requires an opt-out from the UK’s Internal Markets Act and without it, the regulations could not be enforced for single-use packaged drinks from elsewhere in the UK which would put Scottish producers at a competitive disadvantage. Only products bottled in Scotland would be subject to the 20p deposit.

e Scottish Sun it “understands the UK Government will reject the demands for an exemption to trading laws”. Further, the newspaper also said that UK Government has con rmed that no formal request for an Internal Markets Act exemption has even been made by Holyrood.

DRS has also now become embroiled in the SNP leadership race with all three candidates to replace Nicola Sturgeon - Hamza Yousaf, Kate Forbes

and Ash Regan – publicly stating that they would seek to postpone or amend the implementation.

In the meantime, Scottish Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater has reiterated that DRS is “de nitely going ahead”.

MSPS WARN AGAINST ‘RECKLESS’

It would be “reckless” to introduce the DRS as planned in August, a cross-party group of MSPs has warned. e group wrote to outgoing First Minister Nicola Sturgeon last month about “extensive and wide-ranging concerns” about the scheme.

e letter was signed by former Scottish rural economy secretary Fergus Ewing and veteran SNP MSP Christine Grahame.

Other signatories were Conservative MSPs Maurice Golden and Brian Whittle, Labour’s Claire Baker and Paul O’Kane, and Liberal Democrat Liam McArthur.

START

e letter highlights a Scottish government review published in December that “identi ed that the scheme cannot be made to work as planned in August”.

Furthermore, it went on to say that given the “number and gravity of the defects identi ed by both that review and by industry, that it would be reckless for the Scottish government to proceed with the scheme’s introduction in August this year”.

e letter asks for an “urgent and entirely independent review of how best to improve recycling in Scotland”.

TO DRS

e MSPs said about 600 small and mediumsize businesses have expressed fears about scheme, adding that the rules and costs could force many to close, and warned that drinks rms could withdraw from the Scottish market.

e letter shared concerns that some businesses may have to increase prices beyond the 20p deposit to cover their costs, which could a ect the poorest in society.

In addition, MSPs said the scheme’s environmental aims could back re, requiring “possibly millions of extra van or lorry journeys to operate the proposed new collection system”.

“All candidates to replace Nicola Sturgeon [as First Minister] have publicly stated they would postpone DRS.”

CSL UNVEILS £22m PACKAGE FOR PRODUCERS

Circularity Scotland (CSL) has unveiled £22m of cash ow support measures to help the country’s drinks producers prepare for the introduction of the deposit return scheme (DRS).

e package includes the removal of upfront charges for lower sales volumes, improved payment terms for lower sales volumes and simpler labelling options for niche products, alleviating the administrative burden.

e support package is particularly designed to help SMEs, who have previously voiced concerns about the impact of the scheme on their business’ cash ow.

To address these concerns, Circularity Scotland is removing the day one and month one charges for all producers, up to a threshold of three million units per year. It is also providing two-month credit terms on deposits and fees up to the same volume threshold to reduce the working capital impact on all producers.

e three-million-unit threshold has been established to ensure that the thousands of smaller scale producers selling in Scotland bene t more proportionately from the cash ow support. is will particularly help companies like cra brewers, wine importers and cra spirit producers. e two-month credit terms will be made available to all producers, regardless of their size, ensuring all producers within the scheme are treated equally.

Circularity Scotland has also con rmed that it will be o ering the option to use self-adhesive barcode labels for producers placing less than 25,000 units per year of a speci c product on to the Scottish market.

David Harris, Chief Executive of Circularity Scotland said: “ is announcement is further evidence of how we are continuing to innovate and identify additional ways to mitigate the pressure on businesses.

“We have already announced reductions in producer fees of up to 40%, while also being able to o er the highest return handling fees of comparable schemes anywhere in the world. ese additional support measures further demonstrate our con dence in being able to deliver ongoing operational e ciencies once the scheme has gone live. We are committed to ensuring that the deposit return scheme works for Scotland, is cost-e ective for business and helps protect our environment for generations to come.”

Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater said: “ is is a big and welcome change that responds directly to many of the concerns that have been raised, particularly those from smaller producers like cra brewers. is is a package that gives businesses the clarity and con dence they need to be part of Scotland’s deposit return scheme.”

WIN BREWDOG PUNK IPA FOR YOUR STORE

BrewDog is partnering with SLR to give retailers the chance to win £50-worth of Punk IPA 4-packs. Entering couldn’t be easier. Simply email carly@smithcomm.co.uk with the subject SLR READER OFFER and your details (name, store address, phone number) by Friday 31 March. Five lucky winners will be chosen at random.

Craft Beer shoppers spend more in store than other beer shoppers on their total basket. By having the right range, you can add incremental sales to your business, driving shoppers into more premium products.

BrewDog accounts for 50% of value share in Craft Beer, with some of the leading brands, including BrewDog Punk IPA – the number one Craft Beer1. Multipacks are a key growth driver for the category, and the 4-can pack remains the most important format throughout the year with 47.4% share2. BrewDog Punk IPA 330ml can 4-pack is a must-stock, as the UK’s number 1 Craft Beer SKU.

TOP TIPS FOR CRAFT BEER:

 Leverage the strength of familiar signpost brands to help shoppers easily navigate busy fixtures. BrewDog is the signpost for Craft Beer3 so should be displayed at eye level and brand blocked.

 Location is also key – when buying Craft Beer, 76% of men want chilled beer from the fridge in convenience stores4.

 Focus on multi-packs as the key format, with the 4-pack can the most important for Craft Beer and BrewDog shoppers5.

SWA RECOGNISES ITS HIGH ACHIEVERS

The Scottish Wholesale Association rewarded the most forward-thinking, resilient and innovative wholesalers at its 20th annual Achievers Awards last month.

The Scottish Wholesale Association’s 20th annual Achievers Awards saw some of the most progressive, resilient and creative wholesalers in Scotland recognised and rewarded last month at the O2 Academy in Edinburgh.

Achievers was created to highlight excellence and share best practice across all sectors of the vital wholesale industry and the achievements that have made a di erence to individuals, communities and businesses over the last year.

A record number of guests attended the Achievers gala dinner and awards presentation which was hosted by Scottish TV sports presenter Amy Irons. Some 12 wholesaler categories were up for grabs across retail, foodservice, licensed, technology and community-focused sectors.

Suppliers were recognised for their support of the wholesale sector with awards in six categories including Best Overall Service, Best Foodservice Supplier and Local Supplier of the Year.

Recognising the importance of people within the wholesale industry, Achievers shone a spotlight on the people who play such an integral part in the success of wholesale and supplier businesses with awards for wholesale Employee of the Year and Rising Star of Wholesale – with the wholesaler deemed Great Place to Work also rewarded.

Wholesalers had an opportunity to impress the judges with their Best Marketing Initiative, show how they are involved at local level in the Community Service Award category, and demonstrated their commitment to the environment in the Sustainable Wholesaler of the Year category.

NIGHT OF SUCCESS

Multiple winners on the night included CJ Lang & Son who picked up Best Delivered Operation (Retail), Best Symbol Group and Best Marketing Initiative.

United Wholesale (Scotland) also won three awards: Best Cash & Carry for its depot in Queenslie, Glasgow, Best Licensed Wholesaler and Best Technology Initiative.

Two categories were claimed by Lomond Foods – Sustainable Wholesaler of the Year and Great Place to Work.

ere was also a wee deserved special cheer on the evening as the audience raised the roof for David Hadden of Booker Edinburgh A1, the recipient of Employee of the Year.

SUPPLIER STARS

e new Local Supplier of the Year award went to Aberdeenshire-based Summer House Drinks with Colin Smith, SWA Chief Executive, revealing that such has been the success of the SWA’s ‘Delivering Growth rough Wholesale’ programme that Achievers 2024 will present a brand new award for Wholesale Local Food Champion.

is award complements the ‘Delivering Growth rough Wholesale’ programme, which is designed to not only increase the amount of local sourcing by Scottish wholesalers but strengthen the wholesale supply chain for all.

Meanwhile, long-time wholesale channel supporter, so drinks rm AG Barr, won both the Best Overall Service and Best Advertising Campaign categories.

Project Wholesale was won by Red Star Brands for its Four Loko initiative.

Colin Smith said: “ is is our 20th year of these prestigious awards and we have a lot to celebrate, from the remarkable individuals who go above and beyond in their day-to-day duties to make a real di erence in our industry and in their communities, to the wholesalers and suppliers that go the extra mile to provide exceptional customer service to get food and drink delivered the length and breadth of Scotland.

Smith said the wholesale industry is “not for the faint-hearted” and has shown “grit and determination” as it faces up to a new set of challenges post-pandemic, including rising in ation, falling food supplies, spiralling energy costs and the search for skilled workers.

“Whether it’s retail, hospitality, tourism, sustainability, economic transformation, or health and wellbeing – that’s why here tonight we are joined not just by our wholesale and supplier members but our colleagues and partners from across industry, and from within the Scottish Government. Colleagues that we work closely with and who help us to help you.

“And such is the success of our ‘Delivering Growth rough Wholesale’ programme that the Scottish Government has provided funding for us to create 40 Wholesale Local Food Champions, and I am delighted to announce that for Achievers 2024 there will be a new award for our top ‘Wholesale Local Food Champion’.”

WINNERS ROLL CALL

GREAT PLACE TO WORK: LOMOND FOODS

BEST CASH & CARRY UNITED WHOLESALE (SCOTLAND), QUEENSLIE

BEST DELIVERED OPERATION – RETAIL CJ LANG & SON

BEST SYMBOL GROUP SPAR SCOTLAND, CJ LANG & SON

BEST TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE UNITED WHOLESALE (SCOTLAND)

BEST LICENSED WHOLESALER UNITED WHOLESALE (SCOTLAND)

BEST MARKETING INITIATIVE CJ LANG & SON

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR DAVID HADDEN, BOOKER EDINBURGH A1

BEST ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN IRN-BRU

LOCAL SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR SUMMER HOUSE DRINKS

PROJECT WHOLESALE FOUR LOKO, RED STAR BRANDS

BEST OVERALL SERVICE AG BARR

SUPPLIER SALES EXECUTIVE OF THE YEAR MARK VIOLET, KEPAK

SUSTAINABLE WHOLESALER OF THE YEAR LOMOND FOODS

Put recycling to work for you

Scotland’s deposit return scheme (DRS) is just around the corner. TOMRA are global providers of reverse vending machines, digital tools and specialist services that make collecting bottles and cans in Scotland’s DRS simpler and more rewarding for both you and your customers.

NHS GRAMPIAN DRS TRIAL BREAKS NEW GROUND

Aberdeen Royal In rmary has become the rst hospital in the UK to host a Reverse Vending Machine (RVM), as NHS Grampian works with TOMRA to undertake a trial of the technology in advance of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) launching across Scotland in August this year. Under the scheme, all buildings which include retail catering outlets must either house an RVM or be part of a local network for the collection of drinks containers.

e trial launched last month and saw a TOMRA RVM situated at the main hospital entrance. Customers using the machine receive a voucher worth 5p per item, up to the value of £2.50, to be spent in the hospital’s Aroma Cairngorm café within two weeks.

Neil Duncan, Waste Management O cer for NHS Grampian, said: “I am delighted Aberdeen

Royal In rmary is hosting this trial and it’s my hope it will reduce litter on site and promote recycling. NHS Grampian is committed to being a sustainable organisation as part of the Plan for the Future; this trial is us putting our words into action.

“Under the terms of the DRS, we will have to plan to either install machines or join a local network at Woodend, Dr Gray’s Hospital, and Royal Cornhill Hospital. is trial will help us decide on the best course of action. We will also be sharing our experience with colleagues at other health boards across Scotland.”

When the deposit return scheme comes into e ect in August the refund will be 20p per item and people will be able to choose between a voucher or a cash alternative. During the trial there will be no cash alternative and the return will be 5p per item.

Derick Murray, non-executive board member, added: “As the board’s Sustainability Champion, I am really pleased to see Aberdeen Royal In rmary leading the way with this trial. We want to support change in the community, as well as within our own organisation, and this is a great example of that. I’m looking forward to seeing how this pilot develops.”

John Lee, TOMRA’s Vice-President for Public A airs in the UK and Ireland, said: “We are delighted to be involved in this highly innovative project. NHS Grampian is to be congratulated for taking the lead on this, giving hospital sta , patients and visitors the opportunity to reduce litter and boost recycling. NHS hospitals could play a key role in the success of deposit return once the scheme goes live. is project is paving the way for that success, showing how easy it is for everyone to play their part in it.”

Working with TOMRA, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary has become the first hospital in the UK to host a Reverse Vending Machine.

Wall’s Twister Fruit Zingerrr Unilever

Wall’s first sweet and sour ice lolly is available now in both a x4 multipack (RSP £2.25) and out-of-home single (RSP £1.40) formats. Made with real fruit juice, no artificial flavours or colours, and containing 65 calories per serving, the new lolly combines tangy apple, sour lemon and sweet blueberry flavours. It joins Unilever’s ‘Responsibly Made for Kids’ range. The Wall’s Kids’ portfolio, including Twister, Mini Milk and Calippo, is now 100% HFSS compliant.

McVitie’s BN Mini Rolls pladis

Pladis has expanded its relaunched noughties biscuit brand BN with the launch of new McVitie’s BN Mini Rolls. Available now, McVitie’s BN Mini Rolls are available in two flavours – Raspberry and Chocolate – in packs of five individually wrapped bars with a £1 RSP. Each 100-calorie individual Mini Roll comprises a light, vanilla sponge filled with flavoured cream and coated with smooth milk chocolate.

pladis unveils pair of new healthier snacking bars

Gluten Free Sourdough Flatbreads Nairns

The flatbreads are made with wholegrain oats, which are high in fibre, rich in vitamins and minerals, and provide a natural source of slow-releasing energy. Packs containing two pouches of five flatbreads are available now with a £1.99 RSP. As with the rest of the brand’s gluten-free range, the new product is approved by Coeliac UK to carry the Crossed Grain logo and are independently tested to Elisa standards.

Pladis is out to boost the appeal of the healthier snacking category to younger consumers with the introduction of a new benefit-led non-HFSS range, Wholistic.

The range launches under the Go Ahead brand with two nut butter-filled, on-the-go snack bars –Wholistic Peanut, Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt and Wholistic Almond & Raspberry.

The 40g bars will roll out over the coming months at an RSP of £1.69 to £1.95.

The launch will be supported by in-store and digital media from February, with further activity in the pipeline for later this year.

Alongside a nut butter centre, the two variants contain a variety of ingredients, from nuts and dried raspberry pieces to roasted cocoa nibs and date paste. These are simply “cold pressed” – an on-trend feature of healthier bars.

Sterling Essential Rolling

JTI

This updated product includes rolling papers, an enhanced blend and a convenient zip pouch. It is available in outers of 5x30g pouches (RSP £14.55) and outers of 5x50g (RSP £23.85). The new features give existing adult smokers everything they need in one pouch. It taps into the ever-increasing ultra-value segment, with 80.5% of all sales volumes currently in the value or ultra-value RMC and RYO sector. The relaunch is backed by wholesale in-depot activity.

Both bars offer also extra health benefits: Wholistic Peanut, Dark Chocolate & Sea Salt provides digestive support and is high in chicory root fibre, while Wholistic Almond & Raspberry boasts immunity support due to enrichment with vitamins, plus added zinc and iron.

Asli Akman, Health and Wellness Director – pladis UK&I, said Wholistic is “destined to turn the healthier biscuits category on its head”.

She added: “We know growing numbers of consumers take a holistic view on health, seeking to fill their bodies with food that tastes good, does good, and makes them feel good. That’s why we’ve worked hard – directly with consumers every step of the way – to develop a range that’s got the balance between great taste and health spot on. In fact, in trials, shoppers have already expressed their intention to purchase and try the bars.”

McCoy’s Epic Eats KP Snacks

KP Snacks has launched a new product range, McCoy’s Epic Eats, which debuts in Nacho Cheese and Spicy Salsa flavours. Both are available now in 45g Grab Bags (RSP £1) and in larger 65g £1.25 PMPs. The launch is supported by a media campaign across radio and social media. The radio activity is part of an ongoing partnership with Global Radio and features a competition giving listeners the chance to win an epic adventure.

Hubba Bubba Ice Lolly Mars Chocolate Drinks and Treats

The latest addition to MCDT’s growing range of branded lollies, marks the first time that Hubba Bubba has been developed into a frozen treat. It features bubble gum-flavoured ice combined with a layer of squishy jelly. Singles are available now with a £1.65 RSP. The UK ice cream market is now worth £3.4bn, with total Mars-branded ice creams growing at a rate of 30% yearon-year.

Candy Realms share bags

World of Sweets

The new share bags, Under the Sea and Over the Moon, are filled with pick & mix favourites for each bag theme. Both have a £4 RSP and launch under World of Sweets’ new Candy Realms brand. Also rolling out are the Candy Realms Fizzy Mix Candy Cup (RSP £1.99), which contains sour coated pick & mix jelly sweets and marshmallows, and the 30cm long, individually wrapped and barcoded Llamacorn Giant Cables (RSP 30p).

Cadbury Twirl Xtra Mondelez

Cadbury has added its bestselling single Twirl to its increasingly popular Duos range and Twirl Xtra is available now with an 80p RSP per pack of 2 x 27g chocolate bars that are longer than the standard single. The launch will be supported by instore POS and activation. Mondelez advised retailers to range Twirl Xtra as a key part of their duos chocolate offering, alongside the rest of the Cadbury Duos range in the food-togo and meal deal section.

Twix Ice Cream Cones Mars Chocolate Drinks and Treats

The launch of Twix Ice Cream Cones marks the first time that the brand has been developed into an ice cream cone format. Twix Ice Cream Cones is filled with a combination of creamy caramel ice cream with a caramel sauce wrapped in a wafer cone and topped with crunchy biscuit pieces. It is available as a four-pack with an of RSP £3.50. MCDT has also launched Mars Ice Cream Cone. This, however, is exclusive to Iceland for the time being.

Ferrero Ice Cream Sticks Ferrero

Ferrero is out to grab its share of the UK’s £1.4bn ice cream market with the launch of Ferrero Rocher Classic, Ferrero Rocher Dark and Raffaello ice cream sticks. All are available now with an RSP of £2 for single sticks and £4.75 for multipacks of four. The launch targets younger adults and is backed by a £2m multi-touchpoint marketing campaign.

Starburst Fruit Squares Mars Wrigley

Mars Wrigley has unveiled its first HFSS-compliant fruity confectionery product – Starburst Fruit Squares. The new product is available initially in Spar stores with an RSP of £1 for a 25g pack. Vegan-friendly Fruit Squares are made with real fruit (80% apple puree) and are high in fibre. They are available in two flavour variants, Fruit Mix (apple, strawberry, blackcurrant, and orange) and Tropical Mix (pineapple, mango, passionfruit and lemon).

Häagen-Dazs x Pierre Hermé General Mills

Luxury ice cream maker HäagenDazs has teamed-up with pastry chef Pierre Hermé to launch a new macaron ice cream range. The range is available from this month in pint (RSP £5.35) and mini-cup (RSP £4.80) formats. Two variants – Strawberry & Raspberry and Double Chocolate Ganache – combine crunchy, chewy mini macaron shells with creamy ice cream. The launch will be supported by a comprehensive marketing campaign.

Goat to be kidding

‘Devour Doritos Your Way’ aims to encourage consumers to enjoy Doritos in their own way. Running until the end of March, a new TV ad features a voiceover from social media personality and entertainer Yung Filly, to help appeal to the Gen Z age group in particular. It centres around three types of snackers: lickers, chompers and nibblers.

Return to Cheddar Town

Jacob’s Mini Cheddars is back on TV until the end of March with an extension of 2021’s ‘Welcome To Cheddar Town’. The campaign is supported with video-on-demand, cinema and social media activities. New animated adverts showcase a trio of the brand’s bestselling SKUs: Mini Cheddars Original, Red Leicester, and Nibblies Cheddar & Smoked Paprika.

Magnificent sippin’

In its first global activity since 2018, Tanqueray has launched ‘Let’s Live Magnificently,’ a new campaign that invites people to actively choose to make this very minute as special as it can be. The campaign consists of a series of TV and digital ads, bolstered with out-of-home activity. All are designed to deliver ‘sips and tips’ that ensure we’re living life to the full.

Use a hanky!

Kleenex has launched ‘Save the Sleeve,’ a new campaign that turns the spotlight on the many things people use instead of a tissue. A tongue-in-cheek ad features a toddler rubbing his nose in his mum’s hair, a teenager using his trousers and a student sneezing into her scarf. The campaign runs across TV, video-ondemand, social, digital and out-of-home.

Who knew?

Running until mid-March, Chicago Town has launched ‘Who Knew?’ – a new campaign intended to bring attention to the brand’s new flavours and highlight the distinctiveness of its crusts and ranges. A new TV ad sees some of these new flavours brought to life. Other activities include cinema, video-on-demand, out-of-home and social media.

for all the latest product news, head to www.slrmag.co.uk/category/product-news/

SWEET DRIVE

Self-treating is pushing the category forward despite cost-of-living challenges.

BY ELENA DIMAMA

SWEET UPDATES

FRUITTELLA ENTERS JELLIES MARKET

Fruittella is expanding into the jellies segment with its new Fruittella Curiosities.

The themed packs allow shoppers to explore one of two worlds – By the Sea and In the Snow.

The new product, made with 30% reduced sugar, is available with an RSP of

Confectionery continues to deliver solid sales for independent retail, despite the challenging circumstances of the past year.

e segment grew by 2.9% compared to the year before, with own-label products having lost share in the chocolate and candy categories, as consumers gravitate towards brands, according to Nielsen.

THE VEGAN WAY

O ering plant-based choices has never been more important and innovation within brands helps sales soar.

“Providing the right snack for the right moment forms part of our Snacking Made Right agenda, and therefore being able to provide delicious treats for all snacking needs and requirements is of great importance to us,” Susan Nash, Trade Communications Manager at Mondelez International, explains.

“Maynards Bassetts’ Fizzy Fish and Sour Patch Kids in Watermelon avour have both received vegan certi cation by the Vegan Society. We’re proud that these innovations allow retailers to cater to this growing consumer appetite and o er their shoppers even more choices.”

Over 700,000 people participated in the Veganuary challenge this year, as more people are becoming conscious of their eating habits and switching to a vegan diet. “Innovation within the vegan sugar confectionery category

is a strong driver to entice consumers to try out vegan products and keep them coming back for more,” Clare Newton, Trade Marketing Executive at Swizzels, adds.

MULTIPACKS FOR CONVENIENCE

e challenging economic circumstances mean that multipacks are on the rise, as shoppers look for a cost-e ective way to purchase their treats in advance. “ ey’re most o en bought as part of a scheduled shopping trip by consumers looking ahead, rather than buying on impulse when out and about,” Nash notes.

“Additionally, we’ve seen that shoppers are increasingly looking to enjoy evenings at home as a more cost-e ective way to spend time together. is subsequent increase in the Big Night In occasion can be catered to with our gi ing and sharing formats.”

IMPULSE HELP

PMPs are another way of driving sales, especially in the confectionery category which seems to have been more or less insulated from the costof-living crisis.

“We’ve found that stocking PMPs in uences consumers’ willingness to make an impulse purchase within the category,” Newton explains. “PMPs help to give customers an enhanced feeling of control over their spending and the knowledge that the price that they see on pack will be the price that they pay at the checkout.

PERFETTI VAN MELLE JOINS THE UK PLASTICS PACT

Perfetti Van Melle has joined the UK Plastics Pact initiative designed to tackle plastic pollution throughout the UK.

The Pact aims to bring together the entire plastics value chain behind a common set of targets, underpinned by government policy and citizen action.

Hayley Osborne, Communications and Sustainability Manager at Perfetti Van Melle, said: “Our membership of The UK Plastics Pact complements the planned program of goals outlined in our own Reduce, Recycle, Recover, initiative, and will ensure we continue to hold ourselves to the highest standards and benchmarks in pursuit of a more sustainable future.”

£1.50 per pack.

STRONGER AND BOLDER

Energy drinks are enjoying a sales boom in Scotland just now, and there are plenty of products and pack formats to help retailers get their range right.

The sports and energy drinks segment has grown in popularity in recent years and has become a crucial category for independent retailers.

According to Nielsen, the sector is worth more than £1.6bn, and so drinks remain resilient despite the current challenges on shoppers’ household income.

For independent retailers in particular, energy drinks have never been more important, with over one-in-three so drinks sold in c-stores an energy drink, according to IRI Marketplace. Scottish retailers, speci cally, have enjoyed a recent boom in so drink sales, up 8.7% in value, according to Nielsen for the week ending 24 December 2022, with sports and energy drinks up 10.7%.

FLAVOURS APLENTY

Flavoured energy accounts for over half of all volumes sold, according to Retailer Shopper Data, with 85% of shoppers of energy drinks only buying branded products, protecting the category against the wider move to ownlabel.

“Flavours are key to helping drive the growth of sports and energy,” Red Bull tells SLR, “and the area which sees the most innovation as shoppers look for variety and hydration, particularly during the summer months.

“As a result, avoured sports & energy drinks are up +21.9% YoY vs un avoured at +10.7%, with tropical avours a core opportunity, growing 22.5% vs mainstream avours at 14.5%.”

Red Bull is outperforming total avoured sports and energy by four times, at 92%, according to Nielsen Scantrack.

BY ELENA DIMAMA

“

The energy market is evolving in line with changing consumer needs and demands. Energy is no longer the reserve of traditional young gamers. Whilst they have matured and stayed within the category, innovation has changed the consumer base and the average age of an energy drinker is now 31, older than many would think.”

ADRIAN TROY, MARKETING DIRECTOR

AG BARR

BIGGER CANS. BIGGER PROFITS.

RED BULL ENERGY AND SUGARFREE. AVAILABLE IN 3 SIZES. STOCK UP TODAY.

LOW SUGAR DRIVE

Meanwhile, Coca Cola Europaci c Partners’ (CCEP) Monster brand has added over £75m of value in the past year alone, according to Nielsen, with the Monster Juiced range growing by 27% year-on-year.

“Zero sugar is a key driver of growth in energy, with Monster’s zero sugar Ultra the no.1 zero sugar energy brand in GB, highlighting shopper demand for great tasting products and zero sugar options,” Amy Burgess, Senior Trade Communications Manager at CCEP notes.

“Last year we added Monster Ultra Gold to our portfolio, which blends a juicy pineapple taste with the renowned Monster energy blend, giving consumers a delicious, refreshing energy boost with no calories and sugar. We also have our Relentless Zero Sugar range, which includes two avours, Peach and Raspberry, which boast a light and refreshing energy blend without sugar,” she adds.

Lucozade is also seeing the low- and no-calorie segment continuing to outperform regular so drinks, with sugar-free carbonates having grown by over 5% in the last year, according to Nielsen. “We’ve been seeing a long-term trend towards drinks with lower sugar, with 57% of shoppers making or considering diet changes to make healthier choices,” Matt Gouldsmith, Channel Director, Wholesale, Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I, says. “We advise retailers to stock up on lower-sugar drinks such as Lucozade Zero, which is seeing recent growth of 25%, to make the most of this ongoing trend.”

HEALTH FOCUS

FIVE PRINCIPLES TO HELP DRIVE SALES BY RED BULL

Q Arrange your soft drinks fixture by shopper need states, depending on whether consumers are looking for a treat or something more functional.

Q Ensure you provide the appropriate space to sales for your range, by looking at both value sales and unit sales.

Q Less is more when it comes to offering the right range. Ensuring an adequate supply of the SKUs that drive 80% of your category sales value.

Q Visibility is key to helping your shoppers find what they need quickly.

Q Displaying products in multiple locations is a proven way to increase soft drink sales.

Healthier lifestyles continue to be an ongoing trend for shoppers who are increasingly looking for food and drink with functional qualities to help them achieve maximum results during sports or workouts.

“ is has meant the performance energy drinks segment has grown in popularity. Healthier Choices is another key growth driver in our Refresh Tomorrow so drinks category vision, which identi es an opportunity to drive additional sales growth over the next three years,” Burgess explains.

Meanwhile, data from SBF GB&I has revealed that 75% of adults have reported concerns about tiredness, and ca eine energy drinks can help retailers tap into that trend. Lucozade Alert is one example, having invested in a new 500ml can design across all three avours. “ e brand has amassed a worth of £8.1 million in value sales since launch and is continuing to grow,” Gouldsmith says.

In addition, CCEP’s Reign Total Body Fuel has had its recipe enriched with branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), and vitamins B3, B6 and B12.

“Reign Total Body Fuel is leading the way in the burgeoning functional energy drinks space, accounting for more than half of the value of this subsector and enjoying 16% growth, rmly cementing its no.1 performance energy drink status in GB,” Burgess adds.

“To maximise profits retailers should prioritise stocking Boost as a leading brand within the soft drink growth category, especially as a brand that provides a diverse range of pack formats, flavours and take-home offerings, ensuring retailers can meet the needs of their core consumer groups.

”

ADRIAN HIPKISS, MARKETING AND INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS DIRECTOR, BOOST DRINKS

SUMMER GLOW

Summers have traditionally helped sales of so drinks, with last year being a case in point. “Red Bull occasions are elevated over the summer period compared to winter with the brand’s share of consumption within Sports & Energy increasing to 13.6% vs 8.9% in the previous period,” the brand says. “Last year, this led to a brand growth of 17% YoY, adding £16.3m in value vs the previous summer,” it adds.

BIG CAN ENERGY

Big can formats can also play a key role in the category, delivering against many consumer needs, according to Adrian Troy, Marketing Director at AG Barr.

“Shoppers see it as better value, the range of avours in Big Can cater for those looking for taste and refreshment and the bigger the can, the bigger the boost,” he notes. e company’s Rubicon Raw is available as a 500ml can alongside the Irn-Bru Energy 500ml can to provide shoppers with more avour choices.

Red Bull is also focusing on can size, with Red Bull Energy being available in three di erent sizes - 250ml, 355ml and 473ml.

“Red Bull Energy Drink 250ml is ideal for on-the-go consumption, with 50% of 250ml shoppers drinking the can immediately a er purchase,” Red Bull says. “Whereas, one-in-three Red Bull shoppers are likely to consume the larger cans later in the day, with Red Bull Energy Drink 355ml linked to gaming, studying, and socialising, and Red Bull Energy Drink 473ml being the can of choice for all meal occasions, making it ideal for a meal deal o ering.”

TOP TIPS FOR THIS SPRING/SUMMER BY CCEP

Q Dedicate space to best-sellers

Q Make room for new products that will excite shoppers

Q Ask your sales reps about the latest marketing support for key brands

“

As shoppers spend less on nonessential items, such as alcohol and tobacco, soft drinks continue to play an important role in customers’ repertoire – potentially as an alternative or simply a fundamental item they are not willing to compromise on, despite cutting back in other areas.”

HIT OF THE

Scotland’s

of

BY GAELLE WALKER

From cigarettes to roll your own (RYO), cigars, vapes, pouches and heat not burn, shoppers have access to an increasingly wide range of options when it comes to securing their nicotine hits. In fact thanks to this growing portfolio of choice, adult shoppers really do have an option to suit almost every occasion, need and budget.

TOBACCO

Tobacco continues to lead the charge when it comes to the total nicotine category. Imperial Tobacco puts

the value of the tobacco market at £14bn (before tax) ere is an almost 50/50 market share split across the factory-made cigarettes (FMC) and RYO categories. Given Britain’s current economic situation, price looks set to remain front of mind for adult smokers throughout 2023 and beyond, as Tom Gully, Head of Consumer Marketing UK&I at Imperial Tobacco explains: “ e future of the tobacco industry lies very much within the value of the

product as consumers seek out ways to save money.

“With household costs and in ation soaring, shoppers are now even more aware of how much they are spending. As a result, we’re seeing a move towards low-priced propositions across the entire category as a whole, resulting in the lower-priced tiered products making up a majority of tobacco sales. In fact, the sub-economy segment now makes up 63% of FMC sales, while the economy segment accounts for 56% of RYO, with these value segments growing at an impressive 3% and 5% YOY.”

NICOTINE POUCHES

Moving away from tobacco, nicotine pouches are also proving to be an increasingly popular way for adult consumers to achieve their nicotine hits in an ultra-convenient and discreet format.

A key trend within the nicotine pouch category is the continued

menu

nicotine choices continues to expand, and adult shoppers are hungry to take a bite.

MOMENT

demand for higher nicotine strengths, Bruce Terry, Portfolio Brand Manager at JTI UK says. In fact, according to JTI, a total of 83.1% of nicotine pouch sales in traditional retail in the UK are now from Extra-Strong or Strong variants.

Demand for menthol products also continues to climb, with the market now split 81.6% mint and 17.6% fruit.

To help retailers tap into these trends JTI’s Nordic Spirit brand was recently expanded to include a new Spearmint strong nicotine strength.

BAT has also invested in its Velo brand with the launch of its “most menthol nicotine pouch yet”: Velo Cooling Storm. Available in an Extra Strong nicotine strength, Cooling Storm o ers a strong menthol taste, complemented by a hint of peppermint and “intense cooling sensation”.

VAPE PRODUCTS

e vape market is also continuing to soar as adult consumers seek out alternative nicotine solutions. In the UK alone, the category is now worth around £1.2bn and is expected to reach £1.4bn in the next three years, with around 35% of current vaping volume sales taking place in the convenience channel, according to Imperial Tobacco.

e growing popularity of disposable products led to a signi cant rise in the number of vapers in the UK in 2022, increasing from 3.7m in 2021 to 4.3m in 2022, while the disposables category itself grew in value from £141m in 2021 to £973m in 2022. Disposables now account for a stonking 43% of vape sales.

Catering to this growing demand, Imperial Tobacco recently announced its entrance into the disposables market with the launch of blu bar.

Each blu bar device contains 20mg/ml of nicotine in 2ml of e-liquid providing up to 600 pu s and features a LED indicator that lights up when in use.

Available to adult vapers for an RSP of £5.99 per device, the new blu bar range includes six avours, carefully chosen due to their consumer appeal.

ese include Kiwi Passionfruit, Mango Ice, Banana Ice, Peach Ice, Watermelon Ice and Strawberry Ice.

HEAT NOT BURN

e UK’s Heat Not Burn category is also continuing to gain traction as we head further

into 2023, driven by the economic crisis, PML says.

In-fact according to recent study by PML, nearly two-thirds (65%) of convenience retailers agreed that adult smokers were switching to smoke-free products, such as vapes and heatnot-burn, to save money.

With HEETS tobacco sticks costing “less than half the price of an average pack of cigarettes” PML was “giving adult smokers and existing adult nicotine users access to a science-based smoke-free alternative, at a fraction of the price of smoking,” PML’s UK Head of Commercial Planning Kate O’Dowd adds.

PML, which recently acquired nicotine pouch supplier Swedish Match, is also planning to broaden its UK smoke-free portfolio even further in 2023, by re-entering the vaping category later this year, so watch this space!

This product contains nicotine and is addictive. For adult nicotine consumers only. For trade use only.

FOR THE LOVE OF CRISPS

Nights in are big again and sharing creates a crucial segment for independent retail – and NPD is here to support it.

Crisps, snacks and nuts (CSN) remains a priority category for independent retail, with innovation in taste driving growth across all snacking segments and formats.

Worth £38.bn and growing at 8.6% year-onyear, according to Nielsen, the sector is growing at 8.6% and shoppers are spending an extra £100 in the category – up 14% year-on-year, according to Kantar.

HEALTHY SNACKING

KP Snacks has put great focus on its better-foryou brand popchips, as the segment grows by 23.9%, according to Nielsen (MAT 03.12.22).

Attesting to its faith in the healthier eating trend, the brand has launched a new Hot & Spicy avour for the popchips brand also tapping into the third-fastest-growing avour pro le –spicy. “With both the spicy avour pro le and Healthier Snacking segment growing, popchips Hot & Spicy is well-positioned to drive sales for retailers,” Dayna Riordan, of the popchips brand team, says.

DAIRY URGE

Dairy is the second biggest avour in CSN, so it makes sense for brands to try and capitalise on the trend.

Cheese snacks tap both into that and the health movement, which explains why Dairylea grew by 9.6% last year, according to Nielsen. “Now worth £162m RSV, the brand has grown by £42m over the past ve years, adding value

to the category by attracting new shoppers with highly relevant o ers,” Susan Nash, Trade Communications Manager at Mondelez International, notes. “Cream cheese products such as Philadelphia Light, which has the same great taste as Philadelphia Original but with 40% less fat, enable consumers to make quick, convenient, and great-tasting lunches.”

Meanwhile, KP Snacks has added a new avour to its Flavour Kravers range: a new Sour Cream & Chive variant that aims to capitalise on the sharing occasion, currently worth £1.5bn.

“ e new Sour Cream & Chive Flavour Kravers variant supports retailers by directly lling a gap in the market as previously there were no dairy avours within the Tasty Nuts category. Our new Sour Cream & Chive is a unique and exciting product which will engage

WALKERS HELPS RETAILERS SUPPORT LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Walkers has announced it will be launching its community fund competition for the second year running.

The contest will see 10 retailers win £2,000 each to support their local neighbourhood. To enter, retailers need to purchase two cases of any 48g to 82g £1.25 price-marked pack or Kurkure 80g £1 PMP from the range of qualifying products before Wednesday 5 April.

Mike Chapman, Head of Wholesale at PepsiCo said: “Convenience stores have always played an important role within their local communities but never has this been more the case than during the last few years. We know that 73% of independent retailers have engaged in some form of community activity in the past year alone and we expect this to continue. With this competition, we hope to help retailers give back to their communities with a significant prize up for grabs.”

MARKETING BONANZA

Underpinning brands’ faith in the snacking segment is this season’s plethora of marketing campaigns.

Pladis is returning its Jacob’s Mini Cheddars brand to screens nationwide, as part of a drive to build brand awareness among younger adults, with the campaign supported across cinema and social media. “Ever since we launched our Welcome to Cheddar Town platform back in 2021, even more shoppers are taking a moment of cheeky cheesy pleasure with Jacob’s Mini Cheddars,” says Aslı Özen Turhan, Chief Marketing O cer at pladis UK&I. “We want

to continue building on this momentum, so we’re back on screens to encourage even more shoppers to fall in love with Mini Cheddars –and the cheeky nature of the ad creative is set to resonate with a new generation of snackers.”

KP Snacks is also aiming to support retailers with a McCoy’s Epic Eats competition designed to drive sales of the newly launched range.

Running for eight weeks from 20 February, the competition is exclusive to the new line, o ering retailers the chance to win one of six £2,000 cash prizes. Retailers will automatically be entered in the prize draw and qualify for a scratch card when they buy two cases of McCoy’s Epic Eats.

two cases of McCoy’s Epic Eats.

What’s more, Doritos has revealed a new TV campaign set to appeal to Gen Z shoppers. e campaign features a voiceover from social media personality Yung Filly, while o ering consumers a chance to win £100.

shoppers and boost retailer sales,” Jenny Blanco Barcia, Marketing Manager at KP Snacks, comments.

MAKING THE SWITCH

VApril 2023 will offer local retailers bags of opportunities to electrify their vape sales.

BY GAELLE WALKER

Live throughout the month of April, the annual VApril campaign has successfully established itself as the largest global campaign to help smokers switch to vaping.

In 2022 there were more than three million vapers who were former smokers and according to One Poll research, 72% of smokers who were aware of VApril said the campaign had in uenced them to make the switch.

In 2023, the campaign looks set to be bigger and better than ever as the number of former smokers making the switch to a vape keeps growing.

Fuelling this continuing growth in vaping is likely to be the ultra-convenient and easy-to-use disposables category which enjoyed almost meteoric success in 2022.

Despite growing concerns about their environmental impact, the past 12 months have witnessed a massive take-up of ultraconvenient disposable devices, which are

now available to vapers in a vast range of di erent avours.

Use of disposables soared from 2.3% in 2021 to 15% in 2022 according to the Smokefree GB survey, and that growth is continuing in 2023 as new and existing vapers are drawn to the category which o ers ease of use and an ever-expanding line-up of new brands and avours.

“Following the disposables boom in 2022, this segment of the vaping market has continued to deliver signi cant pro ts for local retailers throughout the start of 2023,” a spokesman for vaping brand RELX International says.

“Disposables have continued to lead the charge, as adult consumers trend towards convenience and easy-to-operate devices.

“Disposables o er convenience as the devices are ready to use immediately a er purchase and can be bought from convenience stores across Scotland, with minimal guidance from a salespersonmaking them the go-to product for adult consumers,” he adds.

NEW WAKA SOPRO AND WAKA SOFIT

RELX International is adding two new disposable product SKUs to its selection of closed pod vapes.

The WAKA soPro, is a small, pebble-shaped device that discreetly fits inside small pockets while producing intense cloud bursts with 10W of power.

The WAKA soFit device meanwhile, features a barshaped design and crystal-effect mouthpiece.

Each device offers 600 puffs and is available in 10 flavours, including Pink Lemonade, Blueberry Splash, and Triple Mango.

WHY DO VAPERS VAPE?

Q 29% of ex-smokers who now vape say they used a vape to quit.

Q 19% of ex-smokers said they vape to prevent relapse.

Q 14% of ex-smokers said they vape because they enjoy the experience.

Q 11% of ex-smokers say vape to save money.

(Source: Smokefree GB survey, YouGov March 2022)

The UK vaping category is now worth around £1.2bn and is expected to reach £1.4bn in the next three years, with around 35% of current vaping volume sales taking place in the convenience channel.

Source: Imperial Tobacco

ALLEY-OOP, AUGUSTUS GLOOP

It sounds like something straight out of Willy Wonka: two workers had to rescued after they did what Under The Counter referred to as an ‘Augustus Gloop’ and fell into a vat of chocolate.

The unfortunate incident occurred at Mars Wrigley’s factory in Elizabethtown, Pennsylvania – a sleepy burg best known for its animal feed plant and Masonic retirement village. We think that’s two separate institutions, although UTC darkly suggested someone was grinding down expired funny handshakers and selling them by the sackful to farmers.

Back at the chocolate factory, the workers in question were not Masons, nor indeed Oompa Loompas, but a pair of hapless subbies hired to do some cleaning and who weren’t given proper instructions. Something along the lines of: “Here’s a brush. Watch you don’t fall into the chocolate. We’ll probably have to chuck some of it out if you do.”

It turns out binning a few hundred gallons of liquid Galaxy – or Dove as it’s branded in the States – was the least of Mars Wrigley’s problems. It took over 20 rescuers to extract the chocolate-coated cleaners in a process that left a workie-shaped hole in the vat.

Health and safety bods took the matter a tad more seriously than UTC, hitting Mars Wrigley with a $14,502 fine. This is probably just a drop in the (now ruined) chocolate bucket to the confectionery giant though.

The saga also prompted the Auld Boy to wonder how many hungry American tourists have wandered into a British shop looking for a bar of chocolate and come out with a bar of soap.

HAWAII DOING?

“For the shortest month, there’s an awful lot of days in February,” Under The Counter mysteriously commented during a lull in keyboard bashing last month.

He’s not wrong. Asides from the usual raft of Mondays and Tuesdays etc, the month offers –we kid you not – Get Up Day, Dark Chocolate Day, Pancake Day, Home-made Soup Day, Frozen Yogurt Day, and Valentine’s Day.

Not to mention days celebrating inventors, cheddar, radio, innovation, wine, chocolate mints, thinking, toast, Cornish pasties, science, data privacy, and – UTC’s favourite – sticky buns.

The fixture list is so crowded that some days have to double up. February 5, for example, marked both World Nutella Day and Yorkshire Pudding Day. Now there’s a flavour combination even the Auld Boy would be reluctant to try.

Speaking of dodgy flavours, February 9 – or Pizza Day as nobody calls it – saw waste management mob Businesswaste.co.uk try to drum up some free publicity by launching a national campaign to have “culinary blasphemy” the Hawaiian pizza “deleted from takeaway menus across the country” and thrown in the bin.

In a press release verging on spittle-soaked Hitlerian rant, BusinessWaste made some interesting points. As spokesperson Mark Hall said: “It’s not even from Hawaii. It’s from Canada, and frankly they should apologise to the United Nations.”

This prompted a UN-style office debate about pizza toppings which ended in farce when someone expressed a preference for the humble Margherita and the ever-thirsty UTC started trying to source tequila and lime juice.

CRÈME OF THE PLOP

It will surprise readers to learn that Under The Counter is a keen swimmer. However, it won’t delight them to discover he likes to sport a pair of neon yellow budgie smugglers.

UTC kids himself that 20 minutes of doggy paddling a week offsets the vast amounts of confectionery he shovels down his cakehole, you see.

But even he admits he’d have to swim to the moon and back dragging a washing machine to burn off the 200,000 or so Crème Eggs someone half-inched last month. Not quite an Olympic-sized pool’s-worth, the haul did fill the best part of an articulated lorry, which police stopped on the M42.

News of the blag delighted UTC, because the only thing the Auld Boy likes better than chocolate is a spot of cringe-inducing wordplay. There’s nothing punnier, he reckons.

The police started it, claiming they’d helped save Easter by foiling the eggstravagant heist.

Eggs-cited that cops had cracked the case, UTC pondered whether the culprit was a hard-boiled criminal or just a fledgeling offender.

And was the sweetie-stealer looking at some serious bird or would he just have to shell out a fine for his fowl deeds when hauled before the beak?

Un oeuf of all this yolking though. There’s a side to the story other media outlets didn’t pick up on, probably because they don’t employ lowbrow Scots like UTC.

It turns out the alleged culprit labours under the unfortunate moniker of Joby Pool.

“And that would put you off swimming for life,” the Auld Boy sniggered.

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Northern Ireland. Altogether more.

We work with local producers to help identify new trends,bring forward innovative products and grow their business.