SLR April 2019 by 55 North

APRIL 2019 | ISSUE 192

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SAJID NAZIT

SLR s rd Rewa9 – 201 list t Shor led! a Reve

Gateshead retailer talks tagging

J.S VON DACRE

New immigration rules threaten sector

IS 30% THE NEW 20%?

With ever rising costs, is 30% the new minimum GP target that retailers must hit to ensure a profitable business?

TESTING, TESTING

Vaping pod systems under the microscope

DRS ON TRIAL

How does DRS work in-store?

WORKER PROTECTION

Great ideas to protect your staff

Track & Trace – everything you need to know p44 SLR April 2019.indd 1

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April 2019

Contents

Contents ISSUE 192

NEWS p4 p5 p6 p8 p9 p10 p18 p20 p22

Crime Murder of retailer coincides with publication of damning retail violence statistics. Wholesalers CJ Lang & Son marks centenary with tradeshow and gala dinner. Forecourts Penny Petroleum shifts eight of its Scottish stores to Spar Scotland. Business Costs April sees the implementation of the latest minimum wage rate rises. Payment Methods Despite being in decline, cash will still be with us in 2034, a review suggests. News Extra ACS Crime Survey New report is latest to confirm abuse of shopworkers is on the rise. Product News KP unveils its new packaging pledge alongside three new price-marked packs. Off-Trade News Blossom Hill adds gin to its wine, while Hardy’s goes the other way and takes the alcohol out. Newstrade Scottish steering group plans new initiatives to drive footfall and sales.

INSIDE BUSINESS p24 Research Digest Scottish consumers are among the most concerned about the economic impact of Brexit. p26 DRS Made Easy For Local Retailers The first of three articles looking at the forthcoming Deposit Return Scheme. p28 Getting More Out Of Epos The fifth of our six-month series of ‘hands-on’ guides to mastering your Epos platform. p30 Opinion J.S. von Dacre The impact of the Government’s £30,000 immigration threshold on local retailing. p32 Pod Tests In the first of a new series that puts popular product categories to the test, we examine some of the leading compact pod-based vaping systems on the market. p34 SLR Rewards This year’s shortlist is revealed, and we also offer some category advice from our awards partners Britvic, PayPoint and Barr Soft Drinks. p42 Hotlines The latest new products that could soon be gracing your shelves. p78 Under The Counter Designers are the target of the Curmudgeon-in-Chief’s latest rant. FEATURES p44 Tobacco What will the new Track & Trace legislation actually mean for retailers? p50 Big Night In The biggest attraction of the big night in occasion is the opportunity to build big basket spends. p61 Fascia Guide We examine some of the best options available to retailers looking to sign-up to a symbol, or switch supplier. p74 Worker Protection A number of tech solutions offer affordable ways of looking after your team in-store. p77 EPoS We take a close look at a home-grown EPoS platform from MHouse Solutions in Motherwell.

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ON THE COVER p14 Profit Margins With costs rising, the old rule of needing to make 20% GP to run a profitable business no longer seems realistic – so is 30% the new minimum target level?

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News CRIME Retailer brutally slain as he opens store

Farmfoods comes to Cumnock Farmfoods has launched a brand-new 10,000sq ft store in Glaisnock Street, Cumnock. The opening is the latest phase in the multi-million-pound regeneration of the Ayrshire town’s centre. Up to five retail units are also available to rent from East Ayrshire Council as part of the same development.

Central England Co-op welcomes new Chief Exec Former Spar UK boss Debbie Robinson has taken up her new post as Chief Executive of Central England Co-op. Robinson oversees one of the largest independent retail cooperative societies in the UK with over 8,000 staff and over 400 trading outlets. She takes over from Martyn Cheatle, who will retire in April after nine years in charge.

Vaping blows away nicotine patches in study Smokers are nearly twice as likely to kick the habit if they switch to e-cigarettes than if they use nicotine replacement patches and gums, a study in the New England Journal of Medicine has found. It is based on the experiences of nearly 900 long-term smokers who sought NHS help to quit. The smokers were randomly assigned either an e-cig starter kit or nicotine replacement therapy. After a year, 18% of the vapers were no longer smoking, compared to fewer than 10% of the others.

Meat industry gets behind Scotch Beef Quality Meat Scotland has launched a new £500,000 campaign to highlight the credentials of Scotch Beef and push back against misinformation. The ‘Know Your Beef’ campaign features a new TV advert as well as billboard, print, social media and digital activity. It is expected the marketing push will reach almost four million adults over a two-

Newsagent murdered as new retail violence surveys released Shop theft and age-restricted sales are key triggers for violence and abuse against shopworkers, a new Usdaw survey has found. Its publication came just days before the murder of a newsagent in Pinner, north-west of London. Ravi Katharkamar (54) died after being stabbed while opening the store at about 6am on Sunday 24 March. Detectives said the shop’s till had been stolen and may have been dumped somewhere by the robber. A 44-year-old man has been detained in connection with the incident. The till has yet to be traced. Usdaw’s survey revealed that incidents of violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers are increasing problem. It found that in 2018: Q Nearly two-thirds of shopworkers experienced verbal abuse

Q Over 40% were threatened by a customer Q On average over 280 were assaulted every day The survey also found that the top triggers of these incidents are: 25% shop theft, 22% age-restricted sales and 21% sale of alcohol. The British Retail Consortium also released its latest annual retail crime survey. This revealed: Q On average, 115 retail employees were attacked every day Q The combined cost of crime prevention and losses from crime to the industry is £1.9bn Q Over £700m was lost due to customer theft alone, a rise of 31% on the previous year Calling for stiffer penalties for those who assault shopworkers, Usdaw

General Secretary Paddy Lillis said it was time for the Government to “sit up and listen”. He added: “Enforcing the law on alcohol sales and other age restricted products accounts for almost half of incidents. A quarter of assaults and abuse are caused by theft from shops and we have to question how much cuts in policing have contributed to a 30% increase in shoplifting over the last 10 years.”

WHOLESALERS Trade association seeks to inspire next generation

TOBACCO

SWA calls on members to help create organisation’s future strategic vision

Track & Trace registration date revealed at last

Plans to revitalise the Scottish Wholesale Association and place renewed focus on training, building business, lobbying and legislation through greater collaboration, consultation and communication have been unveiled with members urged to get involved by helping shape the organisation’s strategic vision for the future. Speaking at an event in Glasgow, SWA Chief Executive Colin Smith said: “We are going forward with a clear focus on making our industry an attractive one to work in and highlighting a distribution channel that provides opportunities for businesses and their people. “The SWA wants to work with our members to create a legacy that helps inspire the next generation of wholesalers and gets the message cross that wholesale is not just about shifting boxes.”

Designed to bring the Scottish wholesale industry and stakeholders together to build stronger business relationships, the event at Hampden Park invited wholesalers and suppliers to share their own ideas for building a stronger trade association around training, business building, lobbying and legislation. Smith said that the creation of a new Training Academy would enhance skills within the wholesale sector, raise standards and promote wholesale as a viable career path. “Nurturing talent and providing the relevant training represents the biggest return on investment in our industry – we want to enable all wholesalers to train, retain and attract the people who are future leaders and the lifeblood of the sector. “We already have a successful mentoring programme, so we plan to develop that.”

Local retailers who sell tobacco can register for their Track & Trace ID codes on 30 April, HMRC has finally announced. Wholesalers and larger stores can pre-register a week earlier, on 23 April. The new Track & Trace legislation comes into force on 20 May, and retailers who wish to legally buy tobacco from that date will require to have an Economic Operator ID Code for their business and a Facility ID Code for each of their stores selling tobacco. After a lengthy delay, HMRC contracted implementation to security and anti-counterfeiting specialist De La Rue at the end of February. The firm will start issuing IDs from 10 May, only 10 days before the legislation comes into effect.

month spell. KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST NEWS AS IT HAPPENS – FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SLRMAG

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News WHOLESALERS Spar Scotland supplier throws centenary bash

CJ Lang celebrates 100th anniversary in style CJ Lang and Son has celebrated its 100th anniversary with a tradeshow and gala dinner held at the Fairmont Hotel in St Andrews on 28 March. Over 550 people attended the event, including members of the company’s owning Scott-Adie family, staff from the Dundee depot, independent retailers, companyowned store managers, suppliers and friends. In addition to the tradeshow, a host of other activities will take place throughout the year to mark the anniversary in Spar stores around Scotland. Colin McLean, CJ Lang’s Chief Executive Officer, said: “100 years is a fantastic tenure in business, and we are looking forward to building a strong and profitable business for the next century too. “Our focus is on delivering longterm, profitable growth by working

Co-op gets smart with criminals The Co-op is to deploy SmartWater fog cannons in its stores in a bid to improve security and protect staff. When activated, the devices release a dense fog that obscures an intruder’s vision and covers them in SmartWater. The liquid contains a unique forensic signature that lasts for five years, is invisible to the naked eye and a tiny drop can help secure a conviction.

SWA boss to help boost Scotland’s food tourism with independent retailers and suppliers. We are also passionate about providing customers with great service, and about making a real difference to the communities we serve. “We are excited for the future, with great plans for 2019. Thank you to all our customers, business partners and staff for their continued support.” The company was founded in 1919 when Charles J Lang

purchased Max Poulson’s food brokers business in Dundee. Over the next few decades, the business prospered and expanded. Then in 1960, CJ Lang and Son joined Vivo Group Trading, later to amalgamate with Spar GB in 1975. In 1993, Spar Scotland was born as CJ Lang and Son consolidated its position and acquired the Spar franchise for the remainder of Scotland.

A national board has been brought together to oversee the delivery of Scotland’s first-ever Food Tourism Action Plan, which was launched by the First Minister last year to boost the nation’s food tourism by £1bn. The 21-strong board features figures from the hospitality, tourism, agritourism, wholesale and catering industries, including Scottish Wholesale Association Chief Executive Colin Smith.

SYMBOL GROUPS Nisa doubles Co-op own brand offer

1,000 more Co-op own brand lines available to Nisa and Costcutter retailers Nisa is adding around 1,000 more Co-op own brand fresh and ambient products to its range from April. This will bring the total number available to Nisa and Costcutter retailers to almost 2,000 – more than 80% of the Co-op range. The products will be rolled out on a category-by-category basis throughout April. To aid retailers in meeting the needs of their customers, both Nisa and Costcutter have created guides which demonstrate the optimum and credible range of own brand products to stock based on their store size. The guides outline which products will enable them to maximise the Co-op own brand potential for their business. “We are absolutely delighted to be able to make these additional lines

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available to our partners,” said Nisa CEO Ken Towle. “A quality own brand range is of strategic importance for the modern convenience store as the customers shopping mission changes. Through this extended range we are giving our partners the opportunity to compete and capitalise on the sales driving potential of the Co-op’s awardwinning own brand range.” “Co-op Own Brand products have been enormously popular with our retailers and their shoppers,” said Darcy Willson-Rymer, CEO of CSG. “By more than doubling the range available through this launch phase, we are providing fantastic opportunities for our retailers to drive additional footfall and basket spend while also enjoying some great margins.”

DISCOUNTERS

Aldi Local format launches in London

Camelot appoints new Retail Director

Aldi has opened its first ‘Aldi Local’, with a store in Balham, London that is said to be trialling a new sub-brand. The discounter said the ‘Local’ label would distinguish between its smaller London city stores and full-sized Aldis. It has four other high street stores around the capital. The move could easily be viewed as a threat by local retailers in Scotland, but Aldi denied the launch signalled the start of a move into the convenience channel, as the 6,000sq ft Balham site is more than double the size of an average c-store. However, a spokesperson for the discounter said: “The trial will be evaluated before any decisions are made on whether to roll Aldi Local out more widely.”

Retail Operations Jenny Blogg

Camelot’s current Head of will take over as its Retail Director from the outgoing Duncan Malyon at the end of April 2019. She will report into Neil Brocklehurst, Camelot’s Commercial Director, and will be responsible for overseeing all aspects of the lottery operator’s retail operations. With over 18 years’ retail experience, Blogg has held positions at numerous companies including Cadbury and Mondelez.

Juul fuels growth with MFG American vaping brand Juul has launched its core range into almost 900 Motor Fuel Group (MFG) sites, in the first major retail forecourt partnership in the convenience channel for the vaping brand. Other stores in MFG’s 900 plus estate will come on-board after the initial launch.

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News BROUGHT TO YOU BY

Gulf Retail puts some Oomph into loyalty scheme Gulf Retail has rolled out a new forecourt loyalty platform, Oomph. This allows Gulf dealers to talk to their customers and tailor offers to specific groups via SMS, email and a dedicated phone app to boost in-store profits and strengthen community ties. It also integrates with existing EPoS systems.

Jet names new Retail Business Manager Fuel brand Jet has appointed Oliver Müller as its Retail Business Manager in the UK. He replaces Sönke Voges who returns to Germany to take a Project Manager role. Müller joined Jet in 2002 and has an extensive retail background.

FORECOURTS Vast majority of operator’s Scottish sites now supplied by CJ Lang

Penny Petroleum switches eight of its stores to Spar Scotland Penny Petroleum is moving a further eight of its Scottish c-stores to Spar. The fuel group’s Auld Brig, Tam o Shanter, Garvock, Nellfield, Camelon, Rumford, Armadale and Bonnybridge sites will switch to the CJ Lang-supplied fascia over the next six months, joining existing Spar-badged stores in Ayr and Kirkmuirhill. There will be a focus on expanding food-to-go, fresh and frozen food ranges, and beer, wine and spirits.

Mike Leonard, CJ Lang & Son Sales Director, said: “With our bestin-class chilled offer, our vision for food-to-go, our unrivalled distribution network, as well as our dedicated account management and support team, we are confident that we can

grow the Scottish arm of Penny Petroleum.” Vicky Hennessy, Business Development Manager at Penny Petroleum, added: “Spar has been proactive in helping us engage with our communities, including product launch days and healthy eating for local schools. Their team are passionate about helping us achieve our goals, and they deploy their team to get the best from each store so we all work together.”

He has held various roles in the business, most recently as

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS Multiples respond to watchdog’s competition fears

Procurement Lead.

Asda and Sainsbury’s promise price cuts and store sell-offs to keep merger alive

Future of Glacier Mint factory on thin ice The Fox’s Glacier Mint factory in Leicester is under threat of closure, as owner Big Bear Confectionery faces a proposed merger with retro sweet producer Tangerine Confectionery. Both businesses are owned by Irishbased Valeo Foods Group. Over 200 staff are employed at Big Bear’s Leicester site.

GroceryAid offers new wellbeing support GroceryAid has expanded its mental health support offering by creating a new partnership with Rightsteps. An online wellbeing support portal covers a wide range of mind, body and behaviour topics. It takes a preventative approach, focussing on psycho-education to develop self-awareness and selfmanagement in relation to health and wellbeing.

Sainsbury’s and Asda have promised that, by its third year, a combined business would lower prices by around 10% on everyday items. The commitment came in response to a damning provisional report from the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) that cast the future of the proposed merger into serious doubt. To stave off the watchdog’s concerns that the deal would stifle competition in the grocery market, the multiples said they would deliver £1bn of lower prices annually three years after merging. The price commitments would be independently reviewed by a third party and the results made public. Furthermore, Sainsbury’s will cap its fuel gross profit margin to no more than 3.5p per litre for five years, while Asda will guarantee its existing fuel pricing strategy.

To further allay the CMA’s fears, the two supermarkets said a combined business would sell between 125 and 150 supermarkets and c-stores, along with a number of forecourts. In its initial investigation, the watchdog found 463 areas in the UK where the merger could damage competition. Industry analysts then speculated that up to 300 stores would have to be sold off for the deal to go ahead. The £1bn customer price commitment is to be achieved by squeezing suppliers for the lower of the two prices that Sainsbury’s and Asda currently pay for identical products; by putting Argos stores into Asda; and by jointly buying shared goods and services and reducing central costs. The CMA is expected to deliver its Final Report into the proposed merger by 30 April.

TOBACCO

Imperial dials up heat on illicit tobacco traders Imperial Tobacco has launched its own anti-illicit trade (AIT) hotline, that allows anyone who suspects illicit tobacco activity to report it easily and anonymously. The hotline can also be used to report legitimate products being sold to under 18s and single sales. The 0800 0495992 number replaces HMRC’s on Imperial’s Suspect it? Report it! website as the primary ATI telephone contact. This development follows the launch last year of Imperial’s AIT app, SARA. So far, information gathered via SARA has contributed to 55 seizures, equating to approximately 1.4 million cigarettes and 274kg of tobacco.

“Our ethos of delivering unparalleled service to retailers and shoppers has helped our DOT pod device become a firm and trusted favourite. DOT includes a ceramic coil, superfast charging and nicotine salts. I think most critical, is that our pods contain 2ml of liquid providing far greater value for shoppers than other systems which can be as low as 0.7ml – that equates to almost three times as much usage per pod.” Matthew Moden, MD, Liberty Flights 6

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16/04/2019 10:07:23

News BUSINESS COSTS Minimum wage rates rise from 1 April

Anti money laundering supervision fees go up HRMC is increasing its anti money laundering supervision fees from 1 May 2019. HMRC said the increase would finance “significant enhancements” to its supervision. The fee hikes follow a recent Financial Action Task Force mutual evaluation of the UK which recommended a harder-edged approach to anti money laundering supervision in Britain and increased coverage of regulated businesses.

Visa reimburses retailers after system crash Visa is compensating retailers for the disruption caused by its European-wide system failure on 1 June 2018. The credit

Latest minimum wage rate rises take hold this month New National Minimum Wage (NMW) and National Living Wage (NLW) rates come into effect from 1 April 2019. The NMW is the minimum pay per hour most workers under the age of 25 are entitled to by law, while the NLW is the minimum pay per hour most workers aged 25 and over are entitled to by law. The rate also depends on whether the worker in question is an apprentice or not. The new rates are: Q £8.21 per hour for those aged 25 and over (was £7.83) Q £7.70 per hour for those aged 21 to 24 (was £7.38) Q £6.15 per hour for those aged 18 to 20 (was £5.90)

Q £4.35 per hour for school leaving age to 17 (was £4.20)

Q £3.90 per hour for apprentices (was £3.70) The new rates will apply to the next pay reference period that begins on or after the date: Q a rate increase begins Q an employee reaches a new age bracket For example, an employee paid on the 20th of each month will start to receive the new rate of minimum wage from 21 April onwards. If a worker receives above NMW there is no legal obligation on an employer to increase their pay. More information and a minimum wage rate calculator can be found on the Acas website (bit.ly/1Ngu67l).

card company will pay a fee of up to 40p for each lost Visa

WHOLESALERS Unitas launches first range guide since Landmark/Today’s merger

transaction, based on its records.

Unitas Plans for Profit with Impulse category guide

Its calculations do not include any lost transactions for non-Visa transactions. The calculations also exclude circumstantial losses which may have occurred as a result of the disruption.

Food inflation surges to five year high Food prices are at their highest level in over five years, according to the latest BRC – Nielsen Shop Price Index. The figures for 4 to 8 March 2019 show that Food inflation shot up to 2.5% from 1.6% in February – the highest

Unitas Wholesale has unveiled the first in its 2019 series of Plan for Profit category guides. This initial publication focuses on the core and extended range for the Impulse category. This is the first Plan for Profit core range guide issued by Unitas since the merger of Landmark Wholesale and the Today’s Group last November. The guide has been compiled using information provided by supplier partners of Unitas, industry experts and member wholesalers. It iincludes a full listing of key products that retailers are advised to stock in order to maximise sales and profits within the Impulse category. Guidance is also included on an extended range beyond the core for stores with more space. Key category insights regarding Confectionery, Crisps

and Snacks, Protein and Soft Drinks also feature to help retailers better understand and grow these categories in store. New for 2019, the Plan for Profit Impulse core range has been updated to feature the Lifestyle, LSV and Sunspring own label brands being taken forward by Unitas Wholesale. Brochures are available in selected Unitas member depots and an online version of the guide and the core and extended product range can be accessed at planforprofit.co.uk and via the Plan for Profit app which is free to download on Google Play or the App Store. The Grocery & Non-Food and Licensed & Tobacco editions will be released in summer and late autumn 2019 respectively.

rate since November 2013. Increases in global commodity prices coupled with a number of bad weather events were blamed in part for the increase.

Bestway names new Trading Director Bestway Wholesale has appointed Kenton Burchell to the role of Trading Director, working within the company’s executive team and reporting to MD Dawood Pervez, who previously held the position. Prior to his new post, Burchell worked as Commercial and Logistics Director at Bestway Retail, having originally joined Conviviality Retail in 2014 before

BUSINESS COSTS Headline poundage up 20% over past nine years

Government confirms extent of growing rates burden New official figures have revealed that the headline poundage/tax rate for business rates has reached its highest point since the turn of the decade, with the tax rate up by a fifth over the past nine years. In response to a written parliamentary question published on the Scottish Parliament website, Scottish Ministers confirmed that the headline poundage/tax rate for business rates will have leapt from 40.7% in 2010-11 to 49% in 2019-20, the new financial year at the start of April. For the 22,011 medium-sized and larger commercial premises (of

which 5,065 are retailers) liable for the large business rates supplement, the figures over the same period are 41.4% and 51.6% respectively. Retail accounts for a fifth of rates paid. The 2019-20 increase in the business rate will add a further £13.2m to retailers’ rates bills in

Scotland in the year ahead. It comes at a time when sales are sluggish, shop vacancies stand at 12%, and retailers are burdened with other statutory costs such as employer pension contributions and increasing living wage rates. David Lonsdale, Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, commented: “It is apparent from the Scottish Budget and new NonDomestic Rates Bill that headway is being made on rates. However, progress is uneven and the overall burden of business rates remains onerous.”

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16/04/2019 10:07:24

News PAYMENT METHODS Notes and coins not going anywhere

Cash here for foreseeable future, report finds

VAT

Britain is not yet ready to go cashless. That’s the conclusion of the Access to Cash Review, which has published its final report. The report confirms that cash is in decline but predicts it will still be around in 15 years. It also found that merchants and retailers refusing cash was more likely to drive the demise of notes and coins than issues around cash access, although declining numbers of ATMs and access problems were still areas for concern. The report noted the number of businesses which operated on a cashless basis was still small but that this could change in the future due to cash handling costs. To ensure cash remains widely accepted, the report said action to help retailers keep these costs down was required. With ATM usage falling at a rate of 6%, it also recommended the setting up of a body to ensure people have guaranteed access to cash, and that no shift should be made away from free-to-use ATMs being the norm. The report highlighted the danger of cash deserts appearing in rural and remote areas where commercial operators close economically unviable free-to-use ATMs.

HMRC has produced a tool that shows the sign-up window for businesses to register for Making Tax Digital (MTD). The tool takes the form of an interactive PowerPoint presentation and can be downloaded from the SLR website (bit.ly/2Kp9aqm). It’s important to remember that you (or your agent) need to sign-up your business for MTD. HMRC will not do this for you. The length of the sign-up window varies depending on business filing frequency and payment method. The general position is that businesses need to sign up in time to submit their first return that is due under MTD. This should be after submission of a final return using the old system as, once signed up to MTD, businesses can no longer file returns using the old method. It takes up to 72 hours for the sign-up to be completed and those that pay by direct debit cannot sign-up in the seven working days leading up to, or five working days after, their filing deadline.

Other findings included:

Q Over eight million people in the UK (17% of the population) would struggle to cope in a cashless society and that poverty is the biggest indicator of cash dependency not age. Q There is a risk that digital payments innovation could continue to focus on the 80% who are mainstream adopters, not the 20% with more challenging needs. Action is needed to address this. Q There are benefits from the reduction in cash in terms of lower crime and higher tax revenues but those who operate in cash must not be demonised. Q No country in the world has gone cashless. In fact Sweden has started to slow down this transition, to prevent disadvantaged people getting left behind. The SGF is currently examining ATM provision and the associated impact on retailers and customers. It seeks a roundtable meeting with the Payment Systems Regulator and the CMA to discuss the matter.

Buying or selling a retail business? If you’re buying or selling a retail-based business, it’s vital that you have a reliable and accurate stock valuation for the business. Whether it’s a convenience store, newsagent, petrol station, sports shop, card shop or retail store, we’ll ensure that your business sales are supported with the professional and accurate stock valuation you need. Our business sale and transfer valuation services include a thorough date check of all stock and margins agreed to maximise gross profit. We’ll agree the correct discounts to be used with all the parties to ensure a reliable and undisputed count, with detailed valuations and certificates produced on the day of the count for immediate use. We conduct business sale stock valuation for businesses across the UK including some of the biggest and best names in retail like Costcutters, Day-Today, Best-One, Londis, Lifestyle Convenience Stores, Mace, Premier, Best-In, Shop Smart, independent Spar stores and Keystores. Whatever your business schedule, we can support it. Stock counts can be carried out to meet whatever time scales you need to follow, including short-notice valuations.

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Making Tax Digital: HMRC launches sign-up timeline calculator

Stocktaking:

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News Extra

Retail Violence | Abuse of shopworkers increases

NewsExtra WHAT DOES TRACK & TRACE MEAN FOR YOU? – P44 CRIME Shop theft biggest trigger for rising tide of violence

Convenience Matters with the SGF Perfect storms happen too often these days. Currently retailers are suffering from a very negative cumulative impact of restructuring by major banks and a hostile approach to business by several ATM providers. The actions of the ATM providers are in themselves driven to some extent by the bigger picture of financial restructuring. An overarching issue is access to cash in society and how businesses and consumers interact around payment methods. A recent report revealed that a third of Scotland’s bank branches have closed their doors since 2010. Over the last year, there were also 290 cashpoint closures: most of which were free to use ATMS. This is a big issue for convenience retailers – 76% of transactions in-store are in cash. Cash is still a vital backup when digital systems fail. We know that £175m in rent and council tax payments are paid through convenience stores in Scotland each year; most of this is paid in cash. High charges for handling cash and having fewer branches to deposit cash in are causing major headaches for retailers. A review of contracts and replacement of free to use ATMS is a growing area of concern. It’s tempting to call for more regulation and greater government intervention to solve these problems. But in reality, government simply sees these issues as commercial arrangements and will continue to take a handsoff approach. The solution lies in identifying fair and workable business to business solutions with companies who want to work for the benefit of c-stores and customers. SGF will explore these solutions at our forthcoming ATM round table meeting.

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ACS CRIME SURVEY CONFIRMS VIOLENCE AGAINST SHOPWORKERS ON THE RISE

As news broke of the horrific murder of a newsagent in London, the Association of Convenience Stores published its annual Crime Survey, confirming the clear trend that abuse of shopworkers is on the rise. The shocking news that another local retailer has been senselessly murdered (see page 4) once again highlights in tragic fashion the dangers that shopworkers face every day when simply doing their jobs. Only days after the attack, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) published its annual Crime Report and the findings make for difficult reading. The report found shocking new evidence of the human cost of violence and abuse against retailers and shopworkers, with a staggering 83% of people working in convenience stores having been subject to verbal abuse over the last year. The 2019 Crime Report also revealed that crimes committed against the convenience sector cost an estimated £246m over the last year, equivalent to over £5,300 for every store in the UK, or what amounts to a 7p tax on every transaction. The single biggest trigger for violence and abuse was shop theft. ACS estimates that there have been over a million incidents of theft over the last year, with retailers reporting that the vast majority of thefts committed against their business (79%) are by repeat offenders that aren’t being dealt with by local police forces. Key findings from this year’s Crime Report include:

Q The three biggest concerns for retailers are violence against staff, theft by customers and verbal abuse against staff Q The report estimates that there were almost 10,000 incidents of violence in the sector over the last 12 months Q Of crimes committed where a weapon was present, the most commonly used weapon was a knife (68% of incidents) The report also shows that there is a clear link between retailers just doing their jobs by upholding the law and being subject to abuse: Q Nearly two-thirds of shopworkers experienced verbal abuse Q Over 40% were threatened by a customer Q On average over 280 were assaulted every day Q The top three triggers for aggressive or abusive behaviour are challenging shop thieves (25%); enforcing age restrictions (22%), for example refusing a sale to someone without ID; and refusing to serve drunks (21%). ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “The financial implications of crime are clearly damaging for our sector, but we are most concerned about the impact of violence, abuse and aggression on people working in

local shops. These people go to work to help their communities and to serve customers, but are being subjected to threats of violence, physical attacks and horrific incidents where their personal lives are being permanently affected. There is no excuse for abusive behaviour, and more needs to be done to ensure that offenders are prosecuted with the full force of the law.” The report findings are very much in line with similar surveys conducted by the Scottish Grocers’ Federation, the British Retail Consortium (BRC) and shopworkers trade union Usdaw.. Paddy Lillis, Usdaw General Secretary, said: “When the trade union for shopworkers and the [BRC] agree, through separate surveys, that the problem is getting much worse, it is time for the Government to sit up and listen. Our survey finds that enforcing the law on alcohol sales and other age restricted products accounts for almost half of incidents. A quarter of assaults and abuse are caused by theft from shops and we really have to question how much cuts in policing have contributed to a 30% increase in shoplifting over the last 10 years. “Shopworkers are on the frontline of helping to keep our communities safe, they have a crucial role that must be valued and respected.” www.slrmag.co.uk

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Comment

TIME FOR A RETHINK ON PROFIT? Writing this month’s cover story was a bit of an eye-opener because it rapidly became clear that something that was obvious but a little vague suddenly came into crystal clear focus: the traditional local retailing model is fundamentally unsustainable. For many years the largely unspoken rule of thumb for retailers was that a store had to do a gross profit of around 20% to be able to cover all of its costs and turn a net profit. In recent years, however, that rule of thumb appears to have quickly unravelled. With the minimum wage rising every year in life, as it has just done again this month, and with every other cost rising as well as a whole new set of compliance costs being added in for good measure, it’s becoming clear that 20% just won’t cut it any longer. In fact, if you’re operating at 20% GP at the moment, chances are you’re struggling to make ends meet. So what happens next year or the year after when wages and all other costs continue to rise? It seems highly unlikely that stores across Scotland will be able to keep growing their sales in tandem to keep paces with those accelerating costs. And don’t forget that, at a GP of 20%, every time your costs rise for £1,000 your sales have to rise by £5,000 just to stand still. It’s hard enough for retailers with one store but for businesses like CJ Lang with over 100 stores, every minimum wage hike adds hundreds of thousands of pounds to the costs of running the business. To cover that, in very broad terms, the stores could be looking at having to collectively add a million pounds of sales a year just to reach the starting line again. With the best will in the world, that’s unlikely to happen, and if it does it’s probably not sustainable in the longer term – so the only way forward is either by cutting other costs or by focusing on moving the dial on that 20% marker. Having spoken to a number of retailers, the target figure that seems to be making most sense to them is 30%. But as we all know, adding 10% to your profits is no insignificant feat. The fact remains that probably around 80% of what you sell in your store earns you maybe 15% POR or less – and in some cases, a lot less. Some retailers are already taking big steps in that direction, massively reducing the space they give over in-store to lower margin or slower selling categories like grocery, toiletries, paper products and pet food. That space is then being given over to high margin categories like food to go, coffee, vaping and so on. The strategy seems to be working for many retailers and it looks inevitable that the entire sector will have to move in that direction sooner rather than later. It could end up being one of the most fundamental shifts in local retailing in many, many years. It certainly seems to be a case of when and not if.

EDITORIAL Publishing Director & Editor Antony Begley 0141 222 5380 | abegley@55north.com Web Editor Findlay Stein 0141 222 5389 | fstein@55north.com Editorial Contributor Karen Peattie

ADVERTISING Advertising Manager Robert Aitken 0141 222 5302 | raitken@55north.com

DESIGN Design & Digital Manager Richard Chaudhry 0141 222 5388 | rchaudhry@55north.com

EVENTS Events & Operations Manager Kirsty McDowall 0141 222 5383 | kmcdowall@55north.com

CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS Scottish Local Retailer is distributed free to qualifying readers. For a registration card, call 0141 222 5381. Other readers may obtain copies by annual subscription at £50 (UK), £62 (Europe airmail), £99 (Worldwide airmail). 55 North Ltd, Waterloo Chambers, 19 Waterloo Street, Glasgow, G2 6AY Tel: 0141 22 22 100 Fax: 0141 22 22 177 Website: 55north.com Twitter: twitter.com/slrmag DISCLAIMER The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of 55 North Ltd. Nothing in this magazine MAY be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher. All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the magazine has endevoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change. This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein. Scottish Local Retailer is produced monthly by 55 North Ltd.

ANTONY BEGLEY, PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

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Cover Story

Profit Margins

IS 30% THE NEW 20%? With costs rising across the board for local retailers, the old rule-ofthumb of needing to make 20% GP to run a profitable business no longer seems realistic – so is 30% the new minimum target level? BY ANTONY BEGLEY

he biggest challenge facing all local retailers in Scotland these days, bar none, is rising costs. The national minimum wage rose once again this month and pretty much every other cost that retailers face is only going in one direction. Add to that all the new costs that come with complying with new legislation and the industry is facing a perfect storm. For many years the generally accepted if informal rule of thumb among retailers was that a minimum of around 20% gross profit was needed to run a profitable business. That rule more or less held true for a long time but with the massive upswing in the cost of doing business in the last few years, 20% no longer seems enough. Indeed, with costs only likely to rise in future, it looks like the minimum GP that retailers will need to aim for will have to be quite a lot higher. Given that the vast majority of total sales in a typical c-store will be in categories generating considerably less than 20% – tobacco, a lot of alcohol lines, Lottery and PayPoint, for example – a target figure of somewhere close to 30% looks about right if retailers are to find the balance. Harris Aslam, MD of Eros Retail which has eight stores in central Scotland, certainly thinks so: “I couldn’t agree more,” he says. “The problem is massive for all retailers but with a managed estate

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of stores the problem gets magnified. Every time the minimum wage increases we add thousands and thousands of pounds onto our wage bill, which in turn means that the stores need more turnover and, more importantly, more profit.” To put that another way, for every thousand pounds that your wage bill rises, your turnover must rise by £5,000 at 20% GP just to stand still. “It’s simply not sustainable for most local retailers,” says Harris. “Which is why as an industry we are all focusing on higher margin categories like food-to-go. Making 20% GP just doesn’t cut it any longer and yes, we probably are looking at a minimum of 25% or maybe even 30% GP if we are to secure sustainable businesses in the longer term.” Edinburgh Premier retailer Dennis Williams believes the local retailing sector had been guilty in the past of chasing growth in turnover without focusing sufficiently on profitable turnover. “I think for a lot of years the sector chased sales growth alone, hoping that profits would take care of themselves,” he comments. “And for a long time that strategy more or less worked but in recent years with ferocious increases in the cost of doing business and a massive intensifying of competition, we’ve all had to get a bit smarter and focus on what really matters: profit.”

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Profit Margins

Cover Story

HIGHER GP – A FEW OPTIONS

There are plenty of options available for retailers looking to add products that give their stores a USP and deliver much larger margins. Here are a few ideas… FOOD-TO-GO The most important high margin category in local retailing today, it’s now easier to set up a foodto-go solution than ever before and it is rapidly becoming a ‘must have’ offering in virtually all stores. VAPING While local retailing isn’t yet getting its fair share of the vaping market, the potential is there, and vaping lines offer far better percentage margins than the tobacco products they aim to replace. SKWISHEE Retailer Harris Aslam’s modern take on the slush, this 64% margin frozen fizzy drink solution is now in over 30 stores in Scotland with many more in the pipeline. TANGO ICE BLAST The sensation that is Tango Ice Blast is becoming more and more common in Scottish c-stores. It offers big margins and big spend, with the largest size available on sale at an RSP of £5. There are plenty of shoppers willing to pay for it. PIZZAS Once an expensive and complicated offering, there are now many compact and low-cost options on the market. These allow retailers to grow their food-to-go offering and extend the traditional foodto-go sales period every day, while also delivering solid margins. SLUSH Don’t forget the original super-high margin slush machines that can deliver steady sales all yearround as well as margins of 70% or more from a very small footprint unit. F’REAL MILKSHAKES A US import, these premium milkshakes command high prices and high margins while also adding a little glamour to a store. DESSERT BARS The dessert bar seems to be the latest fashion in c-stores offering the opportunity to tap into a new, high margin market that is very much in line with the Scottish palate. HOME DELIVERY A few Scottish retailers are trying home delivery – and with signifcant success. Easier than ever to set up, it can drive big orders and repeat business. The delivery fee helps boost margins too. www.slrmag.co.uk

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Cover Story

“You can’t make a living out of being the cheapest in the area.” – SCOTT GRAHAM

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Profit Margins

Dennis and his wife Linda felt those challenges more keenly than most when Aldi moved in almost literally next door a couple of years ago, but he now accepts that it was “a blessing in disguise”. He explains: “We obviously panicked a bit when we heard Aldi was coming but after we’d calmed down we decided that we had to put some plans in place that would give us a chance against the discounter. “We worked with Booker and devised a simple strategy that was based around focusing on products and services that Aldi couldn’t or wouldn’t offer and really homing in on higher margin categories. We believed at the time that our turnover would take a hit but we thought we could survive that as long as we increased the GP we were making.” As it turns out, the store’s turnover didn’t take a hit – which was a huge relief – and the focus on higher GP categories helped deliver a significantly improved performance, the best of both worlds. “It taught us a real lesson about planning and about focusing on what matters most to both you as a retailer and to your customers,” says Dennis. “Our sales stayed steady after Aldi arrived but our GP increased significantly, due in a large part to the addition of a new hot food-to-go counter which has turned out to be the best thing we’ve done in the store for many years. It now accounts for a massive

amount of sales every week and, best of all, they are high margin sales.” Scott Graham who owns and runs the McLeish’s Inverurie business is another retailer who says the days of 20% GP are gone. He puts is bluntly: “Retailers can’t live on 20% these days.” A recent study tour to Dublin organised by KeyStore reinforced that thinking for Scott: “The trip really put it into perspective for me because over there their product and services mix is so much more geared towards high margin categories. They’re less focused on just shifting stock and instead are far more focused on high margin categories, particularly food-to-go. I’d say 95% of the stores we visited stocked no grocery for instance. Literally none. I was also told by a retailer that they simply wouldn’t look at a line that’s below 48% margin.” It’s not the first time that Ireland has been cited as beacon of the profitable local retailing model. Yes, the market is very different over there with less in the way of supermarket and discounter competition, but Ireland has always delivered c-stores that seem to be on a different level to their counterparts this side of the water. To a certain extent, Irish retailers have been more successful in driving the sales mix, rather than simply following consumer demand. This has allowed them to prioritise higher margin lines and categories rather than simply joining the rush to become the cheapest store in the area with the biggest and best promotions. Another challenge that Scott sees is pricemarked packs which necessarily cap the margins that retailers can make. “I think the days of trying to compete with the supermarkets on the price of a can of Coke are dead. It’s all about offering points of difference and making your store a destination nowadays. You can’t make a living out being the cheapest in the area.” Musselburgh retailer Dan Brown who runs Pinkie Farm Convenience Store says his prime focus these days is on lines and categories that deliver 30% at the very least, so much so that he’s recently undergone a massive refit to allow to more ruthlessly focus on bigger profits. He explains: “Part of the point of the refit is to give more room over to higher margin lines and create new space for new higher margin services. Low margin categories like grocery are getting stripped way back to make room for things like bakery and food to go. We seem to forget that we’re convenience stores, not supermarkets, and we know shoppers are happy to pay a bit more www.slrmag.co.uk

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Profit Margins

for the convenience. We’ve also rethought out pricing strategy to build more margin in all the way through the store.” The Scottish business that arguably foresaw the critical importance of food-to-go before any other was David’s Kitchen, owned by David Sands. Keith Fernie, manager of the Glenrothes store, explains: “When we opened the first store five years ago we had two aims: to build a store with a point of difference and to focus on margins. Food-to-go was in its infancy then but we believed it would grow and we knew it would deliver much higher margins than selling traditional convenience store grocery or impulse lines.” David and Keith were subsequently proven correct on both counts and David’s Kitchen went on to open another store in Falkirk with a third due to open in Kirkcaldy shortly. All three stores operate on the same model, with food-to-go very much at the heart of the offering. “If anything, the food-to-go range is more important than ever for us now,” says Keith. “And we’re now starting to do some outside catering as we feel this might be a new avenue to grow sales and margins for the stores.” Getting away from solely competing on price is something that Harris Aslam also sees as key: “One of the challenges we all have is getting away from the price-driven model,” he says. “So many stores compete exclusively on price and that’s a dangerous game to play because it means you are routinely and regularly sacrificing margin. What we prefer to do is focus on where we can add value, offer interesting and new ranges that shoppers can’t easily get elsewhere, and basically become destination stores.” A serial and restless entrepreneur, this has even led Harris to launch his own products such as the Skwishee frozen fizzy drink solution. He explains: “We spent a lot of time studying 7-Eleven and learned from them how important having USPs and strong margins is, which is how we came up with Skwishee. We have machines in seven of our eight stores and they provide another unique reason for shoppers to visit. The product also offers a 64% margin so it works exceptionally well for retailers too.” A total of 32 Skwishee machines are now on site across the country with Harris aiming to reach 150 by the summer. “We’re on track to hit that target,” he says, “and I believe it’s because we developed the product from a retailer’s point of view. We wanted a product that delivers big margin, looks great, tastes great, drives footfall and offers retailers a fantastic USP.” www.slrmag.co.uk

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“Making 20% GP just doesn’t cut it any longer and yes, we probably are looking at a minimum of 25% or maybe even 30% GP if we are to secure sustainable businesses in the longer term.” – HARRIS ASLAM

Cover Story

When it comes to growing profits, however, “there is no magic wand” says Moniaive Premier retailer Graham Watson. “It’s absolutely true that 20% GP is no longer enough to survive on – but it’s very difficult in a rural community to grow profits. We’re lucky in that we’re about 18 miles from the nearest town, Dumfries, so we get most of the local custom. We focus on growing GP with food-to-go and coffee and so on, but with a limited audience it can be challenging.” There may be no magic wand, but it still seems clear that the focus for retailers these days must be profits. It is a daunting task for many but there are more and more higher margin options out there to exploit. The days of stores offering virtually identical ranges may be drawing to a close – and that has to be good news for both shoppers and retailers. APRIL 2019 | SLR

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Products

News

Vapouriz teams up with Bestway and Nisa Vapouriz has secured listings

ProductNews

BROUGHT TO YOU BY

with Nisa and Bestway for its Double Drip, 50|50, Ohm Baked and Vapouriz Classic brands. The vaping company’s entire range will be available to Nisa retailers via the symbol group’s Direct to Store portal. The Bestway deal sees 50|50 and Double Drip available through

TIME FOR A FRESH FASCIA? – P61 SOFT DRINKS More consisent look for Lucozade

Lucozade Energy freshens up for summer

Bestway’s van sales division. Pocket Fuel, 50|50, Pure Evil, Double Drip and new Double Drip Nic Salts will be available in depot.

Captain Birds Eye gets inspiration Birds Eye has scuppered its frozen fish sub-brand Inspirations. The range of premium Recipe, Lightly Dusted and Battered Fish will instead sail into the future under the Captain Birds Eye banner. The Inspirations brand lives on within

Lucozade Energy is getting ready for summer with a pack refresh across its flavours range. The modern unified look will create more consistency across the Lucozade Energy flavours range. New packs are available for retailers to stock from now. Previous packaging changes on Lucozade Ribena Suntory brands have driven example sales uplifts of 3.5%. The Lucozade Energy flavours range is currently worth more than £47m and is a key driver for

new shoppers, with 23% of new Lucozade Energy consumers first sampling the brand through its flavours. “We know from our research that consumers really like the refreshed Lucozade Energy packs, which they believe are much more modern,’’ said Bridget Hirst, Brand Manager for Lucozade Energy. Refreshed packaging across the Lucozade Energy flavours

range, which includes Caribbean Crush, Wild Cherry, Brazilian, Pink Lemonade and Apple Blast, is available now. For more information, retailers should call Lucozade Ribena Suntory on 08702 408601 or visit www.lrsuntory.com.

Birds Eye Chicken, however.

Burton’s buys Fudge’s Burton’s Biscuits has bought premium sweet and savoury biscuit manufacturer Thomas Fudge’s from private equity investor Livingbridge. Nick Field, Burton’s Biscuit’s CEO, said the acquisition of the Dorsetbased supplier represented a “continued commitment and investment by Burton’s to extend our capability and bring new and exciting products to market.”

Allied bakeries rolls out recycling logo Allied Bakeries has added a recycling logo, along with the consumer call to action ‘please recycle me’, to the front of pack across its Kingsmill and Burgen brands to help increase awareness that bread bags can be recycled.

CONFECTIONERY

Trebor gets minted yet again Trebor is bringing back its ‘Get Minted’ campaign for the third year in a row, offering convenience store retailers and their shoppers the chance to win a range of cash prizes including a jackpot of £5,000. The promotion, which is exclusive to the convenience channel, runs across the full Trebor singles range. Prizes of £50, £100, £250, £500 and £5,000 can be won. To be in with a chance of winning a prize, retailers need to display the bespoke PoS being supplied by Trebor. This is available through Mondelez reps or via the deliciousdisplay.co.uk trade advice website. “This is the third year in a row that we’ve run Trebor Get Minted, and we’ve seen year-on-year success,” said Amy Lucas, Brand Manager for Trebor at Mondelez. “Consumer redemption and awareness is growing, and last year we saw a 6.2% sales uplift across the Trebor singles range in independent and symbol group stores.” To find out more, retailers can telephone Mondelez on 0870 600 0699, email retailer.services@mdlz.com or visit deliciousdisplay.co.uk.

VAPING

myblu goes for gold with new variant E-vapour brand blu is expanding its flavour portfolio with the launch of a reformulated Golden Tobacco flavour for its pod-mod device, myblu. Blu said the new variant performed “exceptionally well” in consumer testing. It will roll out to stores over the coming weeks in both myblu core and Intense Liquidpod variants. myblu Liquidpods and Intense Liquidpods RSP at £5.99 for a pack of two 1.5ml Liquidpods. Chris Street, Head of Trade Marketing at blu UK, commented: “Retailers should make sure they’re stocking a strong range of liquids to ensure they’re well equipped to capitalise on the lucrative sales on offer through this fast-growing category.”

Imperial’s team of experts are working to ensure compliance by 20 May 2019. They are visiting our partners in the supply chain, communicating the regulations, the possible impact on their businesses and the steps they need to take to ensure compliance. We continue to raise awareness and build AIT advocacy among retailers, consumers, law enforcement, industry and Duncan Cunningham, Head of Corporate & Legal Affairs at Imperial Tobacco UK&I politicians. 18

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Products

News

Flora moves to 100% plant-based products Flora has reformulated its Original, Light, Buttery and Dairy Free spreads to become entirely plant-based and containing

SNACKS KP steps up for sustainability

KP unveils new packaging pledge and three PMPs KP Snacks has launched a nationwide recycling scheme for bagged nuts, popcorn, crisps and pretzels as part of its pacKPromise pledge. pacKPromise is KP’s commitment to reducing its packaging impact and ultimately in achieving its goal for all packaging to be recyclable, reusable or compostable by 2025. Working with recycling company TerraCycle, the new scheme will tap into an established network of recycling collection points, as well as supporting new collection points across the UK. The scheme is simple and free to use with all brands of bagged nuts, popcorn, crisps and pretzels accepted.

The packaging will be cleaned and made into small plastic pellets, which will then ultimately be recycled into items including outdoor furniture, waste bins or storage boxes. To encourage collection and return of packets, the scheme offers charity points which can be redeemed by collectors for a variety of charitable gifts or a payment to the non-profit organisation of their choice. Consumers can visit kpsnacks. com/pacKPromise to find their nearest drop off point using the interactive map, or for information on how to set up their own collection point. News of the packaging pledge coincided with the brand’s

addition of Wheat Crunchies and McCoy’s Muchos to its £1 pricemarked pack range. Pom-Bear will also be available in a 2 for £1 format for the first time. Wheat Crunchies Crispy Bacon (case size 14 x 78g) is available now, alongside two McCoy’s Muchos SKUs: Nacho Cheese and Smoky Chilli Chicken (case sizes of 14 x 80g). Pom-Bear 2 for £1 is also available now in a case size of 32 x 19g. Matt Collins, Trading Director at KP Snacks, commented: “It is important to continue adding to the range with our most popular brands to ensure we drive sales for retailers and maintain value for consumers.”

no artificial preservatives, colourings or flavourings. The brand relaunch is supported by a “substantial” marketing campaign, including a new TV ad that airs later in 2019. The activity is Upfield UK’s first substantial investment since acquiring Flora back in 2018.

McCoy’s £10k Win Gold promo returns McCoy’s has relaunched its ‘Win Gold!’ on-pack promo. Now in its third year, it gives shoppers the chance to win £10,000 instantly if they discover one of 10 golden crisps or chips in McCoy’s packs. The campaign is backed by in-store, social and digital media activity. McCoy’s is also giving retailers a £1,000 donation to a charity of their choice for every winning pack sold from their store.

Embassy moves to new price point Imperial Tobacco’s Embassy brand has been repositioned from its traditional home in the Premium price sector to the

CHILLED Kerry Foods unveils new children’s snacking master brand

String’s the thing for Kerry

more popular Economy price

Kerry Foods is set to launch ‘Strings and Things’, a new kids’ dairy snacking master brand. Strings and Things rolls out this month, and combines Yollies, Cheestrings and a new product called Cheeshapes. The launch includes a packaging redesign and is supported by a £4.4m campaign that will see two separate bursts of TV advertising, coupled with digital and in-store activity.

Embassy is now available to

New Cheeshapes is available to retailers from March in two variants: Randoms and Icons. Both come in multipacks of 3 x 22.5g with an RSP of £1.50 and a £1 promotional price. Packs contain – as the name suggests – a variety of cheese shapes that include funny faces, unicorns and pieces of fruit. To find out more call 0800 783 4321 or email stringsandthings@kerryfoods.co.uk. Anna Moore, Marketing Manager for Strings and Things at Kerry Foods, said: “We’re really excited to bring our kids dairy snacking brands under one umbrella, which future proofs our brands and gives us a strong platform to launch innovation. “Cheeshapes is a truly innovative product with more than just a nutritious purpose; the shapes have wide appeal and encourage kids to use their imagination, and research suggests kids are going to love them.”

sector. The repositioning doesn’t involve any changes to the packaging or the cigarette itself. retailers in King Size 20s with an RSP of £9.35 for Embassy Red and Bright Blue. Embassy Filter’s RSP remains at £11.95.

Nestlé reveals ‘80 Awesome things to do’ Nestlé has launched ‘80 Awesome things to do’, a new on-pack promotion that offers families activity ideas to do together. The promo is supported by a social media campaign. Small packs of Milkybar, Smarties, Animal Bar and Rowntree’s Randoms carry a QR code linking to a digital platform that showcases a wide range of things for families to engage in.

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News

Off-Trade

Gin goes into Echo Falls Accolade Wines has launched new Echo Falls Rosé Wine &

Off-TradeNews

Spirit Fusion (ABV 9%). It is available to Nisa retailers with an RSP of £5, and combines the brand’s most popular fruit fusion flavour, summer berries, with rosé wine and a subtle hint of gin. For more information, retailers should email customerservices@accoladewines.com.

Atlas beers return Sinclair Breweries has relaunched its Atlas Brewing Company range with three new brews available in 330ml cans: Atlas Latitude Pale, Wayfarer IPA and Nimbus Blonde. Defined by a more intense New World hop character, the range is aimed at the contemporary craft beer

MAKE MORE OF THE BIG NIGHT IN OPPORTUNITY P50 CIDER Heineken brand taps into foodie trends for latest launch

Old Mout turns tropical Heineken has expanded its Old Mout premium cider range with the launch of a new Pineapple & Raspberry variant. It is available now in single 500ml bottle (outers of 12, RSP £2.39) and 10 x 330ml can pack (RSP £11) formats with an ABV of 4.0%. As part of the brand’s commitment to sustainability, all Old Mout packaging is 100% recyclable.

Cider Director for Heineken, Emma Sherwood-Smith, said: “We believe we have an exceptional, exotic flavour that will have mass appeal, delivering on 2019 foodie trends, great taste and marrying nicely with our sustainability agenda too.” For more information on stocking, retailers should contact their Heineken representative or email consumercare@ oldmoutcider.co.uk.

drinker. For further information, retailers should call 01667 404 555 or visit sinclairbreweries.

VODKA

co.uk.

Ketel One lightens up for summer

Craftwork adds Cockspur

Diageo Reserve’s super-premium vodka brand Ketel One has launched Ketel One Botanical in the UK. Described as “an innovative new spirit distilled with botanicals and infused with natural fruit essences for a crisp, refreshing taste”, the new product is available now (70cl, RSP 22.50) in three variants: Peach & Orange Blossom, Cucumber & Mint and Grapefruit & Rose. Launched to rival traditional summer wine and spritz drinks, it has a lower ABV of 30% and 82 calories per 50ml serve. Master Distiller Bob Nolet commented: “We’ve watched the gin category boom in recent years, introducing new and herbaceous flavours. Premium vodka continues to grow alongside this, currently up 6.2% by value with innovation driving this. “We see Ketel One Botanical playing a key part of this on-going evolution, targeting inquisitive consumers open to trying new flavour combinations and we’re delighted to be introducing something really exciting to the market.”

Drinks distributor Craftwork has added Cockspur’s premium rums to its widening portfolio, including Cockspur Old Gold and Cockspur XO, new releases Cockspur Splash and Cockspur Rum Punch, as well as the Soggy Dollar range of rums – Soggy Dollar Old Dark and Soggy Dollar Spiced. For further information about stocking, retailers should call Craftwork UK on 02382 145596 or email sales@craftwork.uk.com.

AB InBev gets new name and President AB InBev’s UK operation has been renamed Budweiser Brewing Group UK&I. The change follows the appointment Paula Lindenberg as its new President. The drinks giant also revealed five new ambitions: to champion Britain’s beer culture with trade-boosting programmes; to create a nation of Smart Drinkers; to be the UK’s most

RUM

Bacardi spices up rum market Bacardi has brought its Bacardi Spiced variant to the UK, in response to what it says is an increasing global demand for flavoured rums. Bacardi Spiced (ABV 35%) is available now in 70cl bottles from Booker with an RSP of £11.29. A £10.79 PMP is also available. It contains no artificial sweeteners. “The decision to introduce a spiced blend into our rum portfolio was a natural one as consumers have shown the demand is there,” said Tine Van Nevel, Bacardi’s Europe Brand Director. “We’re confident Bacardi Spiced will satisfy the taste buds of long-time spiced rum drinkers as well as converting some new fans with its unique combination of spices and flavours.”

sustainable brewer; to be one of the best places to work; and to continue to invest in premium drinks and powerful brands. KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST NEWS AS IT HAPPENS – FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SLRMAG

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Off-Trade

News

WINE All aboard the Botanical Bus...

Blossom Hill adds a dash of Gin Fizz Treasury Wine Estates has launched Blossom Hill Gin Fizz into the UK market. Created to tap into botanical flavour trends, Blossom Hill Gin Fizz (75cl, ABV 8.5%, RSP £9) is a sparkling blend of white wine, botanical infused water and a dash of gin. It is available in two flavours – Lemon & Rosemary and Rhubarb. The launch is backed by in-store activity and an experiential marketing campaign featuring the Gin Fizz Botanical Bus, that will visit high footfall events during the summer. Blossom Hill will be supported with

a £1m marketing campaign throughout 2019. This will focus heavily on digital activity, with influencers telling the story of the brand. Bo Jakubenko, Global Marketing Manager at brand owner Treasury Wine Estates, said: “With its delicious, refreshing taste, coupled with the convenience of simply pouring it over ice, we’re confident Gin Fizz will prove successful with consumers by offering them something new and innovative from a well-established brand.” Available from leading wholesalers, the new drink has also secured listings with Booker and Nisa.

WINE xxx

Accolade goes alcohol free with Hardys launch Accolade Wines has launched a new alcohol-free Chardonnay under its Hardys brand. Hardys Alcohol Free Chardonnay has an RSP of between £5 and £7. It is available now. The launch is supported with in-store marketing and social media activity. David White, Marketing Director at Accolade Wines, commented: “The alcohol-free wine category represents a growing £17m profit opportunity for the trade and Hardys Alcohol Free is perfect to help capitalise on this trend. It offers important wine cues, such as grape style and flavour notes, and strong consumer confidence in the Hardys brand will help to drive purchase on occasions when consumers might be seeking an alternative to alcohol.” For further information, retailers should email customerservices@accolade-wines.com.

GIN

Boë puts the passion back into gin Scottish independent gin producer Boë Gin has launched new Boë Passion Gin (70cl, ABV 41.5%). It is available now with an RSP of £29.99 from specialist wholesalers including Inverarity Morton and LWC Drinks. For further information retailers can call Andrew Richardson on 01786 817000 or email info@vc-2.com.

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CIDER

Euroboozer adds Austrian craft cider to range Specialist drinks importer Euroboozer has added the multi-award-winning Austrian cider brand BlakStoc to its portfolio of craft drinks. The core BlakStoc range is now available to the off-trade in 20 x 330ml bottles with an RSP of approximately £3.50: Q Wild Tree Hoppy Cider (ABV 4.5%) – Austria’s first hopped cider made using wild apples and Centennial and Chinook hops Q Ginger for My Honey (ABV 3.0%) – Hopped cider with fresh ginger juice and a few drops of mountain honey Q Quincy Jo & Hops Edition (ABV 4.5%) – Hopped cider with fresh blackcurrant juice and pressed quince Q Buddha Hand Lemon Cider – Lemon drop hopped cider with kaffir lime, bergamot, Meyer lemon and Buddha’s Hand citron Euroboozer MD Martyn Railton commented: “As summer time begins and as interest in craft beer and cider continues to grow, we expect BlakStoc – the perfect marriage between the two categories – to be leading the cider charge. We’re very excited to be bringing them to the UK.” For further information or to stock, please call 01923 263335 or visit euroboozer.co.uk.

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News

Newstrade

News UK launches new subs tracking system The Times and Sunday Times

News& Magazines

have implemented a unique industry-leading subscription voucher tracking system in a new move to protect print volumes and boost the category. The new system will mean the publisher can identify where vouchers have been redeemed and when, which will ultimately mean better insight into customers and thus enabling queries to be dealt with in a more timely manner. From News UK’s research into the 7.8 million PIN vouchers processed so far, the data shows that over half of all subscribers are loyal to just one retailer when purchasing their daily newspaper – further illustrating the value of newspapers to drive footfall in store and multiply basket spend. The publisher is urging retailers to help convert point of

LOOKING FOR A NEW EPOS SUPPLIER? P76 SNSG Scottish steering group plans new initiatives to drive footfall and sales

NEWSTRADE STEERING GROUP PLOTS LATEST ACTIONS The Scottish Newstrade Steering Group, a joint initiative between SLR and Scottish Sun and Times publisher News Scotland, met once more last month to discuss a number of new actions to help leverage the power of the news category to grow footfall, sales and profits. Made up of independent retailers and representatives from some of Scotland’s major symbol businesses, the Steering Group meets regularly to discuss

opportunties in the sector and provide invaluable feedback to News Scotland on the many initiatives and programmes it has planned.

The latest session discussed, among other things, supplier reward schemes, the growing importance of customer data capture and a new promotion being considered with The Times offering a free a coffee with every copy bought to drive up sales and subscriptions for the benefit of all. The activity shaped and trialled by the Group is ultimately destined to be rolled out across Scotland.

sale customers to subscribers and remind customers that if they buy The Times Monday to Friday, they can save money when they subscribe to all seven days for just £8 per week. These extra weekend newspapers could be worth an extra £244 in sales to a store each year. Voucher fulfilment has already improved, meaning fewer late or incorrect vouchers being issued, reducing complaints and preventing keeping papers from being sold without waiting for new voucher booklets to arrive. Peter Evia-Rhodes, The Times and The Sunday Times’ Director of Customer Value said: “This new voucher scheme will give more flexibility to customers whilst helping retailers to improve the customer experience. We know that readers are more likely to come back to your store if they subscribe. We want to work with retailers to build an army of newspaper advocates in order to convert readers into subscribers – and therefore loyal customers in your store. This innovation is a further demonstration of our commitment to print, our retailers

RETAIL TERMS Guardian praised but Mirror is firmly in NFRN’s doghouse

RETAILER PAYMENTS IN SPOTLIGHT ONCE AGAIN Payments made to retailers by publishers have once again come under scrutiny as the NFRN applauded the Guardian for responding to its calls on inserts payments but slammed The Mirror for increasing its cover price but cutting retailers’ percentage terms. The Guardian responded to concerns over retailer payments by increasing the payments it makes to home delivered newsagents when third party advertising inserts (TPAI) weigh 70g or more. It is the second newspaper publisher to respond positively to the NFRN’s calls, as Mail Newspapers said it was improving its rates in January. The Guardian’s Head of Supply Chain Roger Clapham said the new rates would be backdated to 1 January 2019. Welcoming the move, NFRN National President Mike Mitchelson said: “The extra weight caused by these third-party inserts does require more work for those retailers offering a home news delivery service and that’s why we have been making clear our unhappiness about current insertion rates. We are pleased that, like the Mail, the Guardian has listened to our concerns and has agreed to reward HND retailers accordingly.” Mitchelson added that NFRN will continue to press other publishers to improve the rates they pay for third party advertising inserts. Meanwhile, newspaper retailers were left incensed after learning that the price of weekday editions of the Daily Mirror is to rise but that retail terms are to fall to 20.80%. The 5p increase to the cover price and the cut in terms took effect from Monday 11 March. The Mirror’s actions contrast with those of other national newspaper publishers, such as the Guardian, the Sun and The Times, who have accompanied recent price increases with pro rata terms rises.

NEWSPAPERS

Telegraph launches women’s sport section The Telegraph has launched a new section dedicated entirely to women’s sport and will also produce a monthly print supplement. Contributors include Scottish tennis coach Judy Murray, three-time European champion sprinter Dina AsherSmith and England football vice-captain Jordan Nobbs. Asher-Smith said: “I am excited to announce that I am going to be a columnist for the Telegraph and that it comes as part of their wider commitment to women’s sport.”

and our customers.” KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST NEWS AS IT HAPPENS – FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SLRMAG

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Inside Business

Research Digest

SHOP PRICE INFLATION HITS SIX YEAR HIGH Shop Price inflation accelerated in February to 0.7%, up from 0.4% in January, the highest inflation rate since March 2013, according to the latest BRC-Nielsen Shop Price Index. The key driver of this was non-food, but food inflation also grew, up slightly in February to 1.6%, up from 1.5% in January. Fresh food inflation accelerated to 1.7% in February, up from 1.2% in January. This is the highest rate since January 2018. Conversely, ambient Food inflation eased in February to 1.5%, down from 1.9% in January. This is the lowest inflation rate since May 2018. David Lonsdale, Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, commented: “Retailers are working hard to keep shop prices down, however cost pressures in the supply chain have built up and are being compounded by government tax rises on property and employment. These pressures are now outweighing the impact of strong competition between shopkeepers who want to attract increasingly cost conscious and value-driven customers. The reality is the industry has little margin to work with and is being forced to pass on some of these costs to consumers. Further public policy changes which increase expense for businesses are likely to exacerbate these effects.” Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive, British Retail Consortium, added: “While price rises over the last six months have been relatively modest, a no deal Brexit would have a much more immediate and dramatic effect. If this happens, prices of both food and non-food would rise as a result of any new tariffs, the cost impact of any delays at borders, increased administration, and the likely currency depreciation. Parliament must protect British consumers by agreeing a solution that avoids a chaotic no deal Brexit.” 24

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SCOTS’ SPENDING SET TO BE HIT BY BREXIT FEARS A new PWC study has found that Scottish consumers are among the most concerned about the economic impact of Brexit, although more than half the population still don’t believe it will change their spending habits. we are seeing however, is that they are becoming increasingly careful about where that money is being spent.”

OUTLOOK FOR RETAILERS

cottish consumers are among the most concerned about the economic impact of Brexit, but more than half the population still don’t believe the UK’s exit from the EU will change their spending habits, according to new research from PwC. The findings in PwC’s 2019 Retail Outlook reveal that a quarter of Scots (24%) said their spending habits were affected by Brexit in 2018, with a further 22% expecting to cut back this year. While the majority (54%) believe their spending won’t be impacted by Brexit, the nationwide study across Great Britain reveals the only areas more concerned about Brexit are London and Wales. Fears are accelerating in Scotland with the 22% who believe their habits will change in 2019 being the highest of the 11 GB regions polled. Last year, the balance between those who did think Brexit would impact their spending (24%) and wouldn’t (76%) was 53%. When looking to 2019, this balance has closed to 9%, a change of 43 percentage points. The findings also show that a third of Scots (32%) believe they will be worse off in 2019 than last year, while 23% believe they will be better off. Of those who believe they will be worse off, 35% put this down to being less confident in the economy. Claire Reid, Head of Retail for PwC in Scotland said: “Having voted to remain in the EU, it is unsurprising to see that Scots are among the most concerned about the economic impact of Brexit. While these fears are accelerating, the mood may shift if the UK manages to secure a deal with the EU and create more certainty in people’s minds. “The fears come despite median earnings in Scotland increasing last year by 3%. Even accounting for inflation, consumers do have more money in their pockets than the previous year. What

The study asked Scots how their shopping habits would change across 13 categories, with more expensive categories the most likely to be hit by reduced consumer confidence. Grocery was the only category where more people plan to increase their spending than will cut back. In total, 37% said they would be spending more on grocery shopping in 2019 compared with 2018, while 14% said they would spend less, giving a balance of +23%. “Big ticket items”, technology and eating out all had a balance of -20% and almost one-in-three people said they would spend less on clothing, shoes and accessories. This points to UK retailers having to quickly adjust to the ‘new normal’ of subdued trading, where the only way to achieve growth is by taking market share away from other players and adapting to the more conscientious shopper. Areas where retailers need to focus in order to increase their market share, according to the report, include investing in technology to aid shopper decision making and improve customer experience, and increasing efficiencies to save costs. Thinking about your average weekly grocery shop, how do you think your shopping habits will change over the next 12 months? GB Scotland Q I will use a cheaper store for all of my weekly grocery shopping 12% 8% Q I will use a cheaper store for some weekly grocery shopping 18% 19% Q I will buy more from cheaper ranges or cheaper brands 19% 15% Q I will buy more own label goods 25% 21% Q I will buy cheaper types of food 15% 14% Q I will buy fewer items 20% 21% Q I will buy fewer organic or fair trade or plant-based products 6% 4% Q I will buy more products on special offer/promotion 29% 27% Q I will shop around more to find cheaper prices 29% 28% Q I will research online more to find cheaper prices 15% 12% Q I will buy smaller packs so I don’t throw as much away 11% 8% Q None of these 30% 31%

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Inside Business

Deposit Return Scheme

DRS MADE EASY FOR LOCAL RETAILERS In the first of a three-part series of articles examining Scotland’s forthcoming Deposit Return Scheme legislation, SLR is working with leading international reverse vending machine manufacturer Envipco to find out how retailers can ensure they are ready to capitalise when the scheme kicks off next year.

he introduction of a new Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in Scotland next year is something that will affect all local retailers in the country. While 2020 may still seem like a long way in the distance, the time to begin preparing for the new scheme is now. That’s why SLR is working with leading international reverse vending machine (RVM) manufacturer Envipco to explain all that retailers need to know about what a DRS scheme is, how it works, why it’s being implemented and, most importantly, what retailers need to do in order to be prepared when the new legislation comes into force. For nearly four decades, Envipco has been working with partners across the globe to deliver tailormade DRS solutions. It legacy of

ENVIPCO: A FACT FILE Q Envipco is a leading global reverse vending machine (RVM) manufacturer with four decades of experience designing and operating packaging recycling solutions. Q The company is headquartered in the USA with a research and development hub in Germany. Q Envipco has a highly-experienced management team in the USA and Europe, and currently operates RVMs in Sweden, the USA, Australia, Greece, and France. Q Envipco offers a flexible range of RVM technology which is site-specific, including a compact Flex machine for settings with a low volume of containers and small footprint right through to breakthrough bulk feed technology for high-volume locations. Q Envipco’s Scottish Operations Centre with local sales and service support will open in late spring 2019. Q Visit www.envipco.scot to find out more.

success is a result of a future-facing approach and passion to move forward. From the state-of-the-art bulk feed technology of the Quantum RVM to Flex, the most versatile small RVM on the market, it has set the benchmark for recycling technology. Envipco’s approach mirrors the needs of their customers by providing customised solutions for any size of enterprise. From single small machine solutions to the scalable range of services needed to create change on a national level, Envipco delivers.

WHAT IS A DRS? So, first things first. What exactly is a Deposit Return Scheme? Well, in its simplest terms, a DRS will introduce a deposit on drinks containers paid by the consumer. Your shoppers will receive cash for returning their ‘empties’ for recycling. The scheme will aim to increase recycling rates and reduce littering with countries that have introduced similar schemes – such as Sweden, Norway, and Germany – having been extremely successful in achieving high recycling rates and cleaner environments. While the legislation is likely to allow local retailers to manually recycle drinks containers, in reality this will be a highly unattractive option. Given concerns over hygiene, accidents, space and a range of other obvious problems with collecting containers by hand over the counter, a far more efficient and effective solution is to use an RVM. These purpose-built machines handle the entire process with very little input required from the retailer. Shoppers simply deposit their containers into the RVM and are automatically issued with a deposit voucher which they can redeem in-store against their next purchase. The principle is very straightforward but the best way to test how it works in reality is, of course, by installing an RVM in a real, live store. That’s precisely why Envipco decided

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Deposit Return Scheme

Nisa Local & Post Office, Bellshill

KeyStore Moredun

to work with the Scottish Grocers Federation (SGF) to install RVMs in three test stores in Central Scotland. The participating stores are: Q Premier Broadway, Edinburgh Q Keystore Moredun, Edinburgh Q Nisa Local and Post Office, Bellshill From mid-February through to April this year, customers at the three stores receive 10p for every empty plastic bottle or can deposited into Envipco’s on-site Flex machines. Recycling company Viridor is supporting the trials through the collection and recycling of the empty containers deposited into RVMs at the three stores. Envipco’s Flex machine was carefully chosen as the most appropriate, as it is the

smallest footprint RVM with compaction technology on the global market, an important factor for local retailers for whom floor space is critical. Measuring just 60cm wide, the Flex machine flattens empty bottles and cans, allowing for storage of up to 600 cans and 300 plastic bottles. Bob Lincoln, President of Envipco, commented: “Envipco is very excited to be supporting the Scottish Grocers Federation store trials of our reverse vending machines. We know the importance of convenience stores to the retail sector in Scotland and we will do all that we can to support grocers managing the implementation of the deposit return scheme, with the end goal of increasing recycling rates and reducing littering.”

Inside Business

Premier Broadway, Edinburgh

For SGF, trials are an important opportunity to both learn how the retail sector can adapt to the scheme and understand how their consumers will respond to the technology. John Lee, Head of Policy and Public Affairs at SGF, said: “These trials will give us invaluable learning and insight into deposit return, particularly how shop staff and customers respond to having a RVM sited in-store. “This learning will ultimately help us develop and implement a system which is effective for retailers, consumers, and communities.” Abdul Majid, owner of Nisa Local Bellshill, said: “We are delighted to be one of the stores involved in this ground-breaking trial. We believe that Scotland’s local retailers have a responsibility to the communities they serve to reduce their impact on the environment and the DRS scheme will help us achieve that. This will help local people to recycle, reduce litter and improve the local environment.” Over the next couple of months we will be finding out more about the process of installing an RVM and how the machines have been performing in the test stores.

THE FLEX RVM: FACT FILE

envipco.scot or call 0131 241 1118 www.slrmag.co.uk

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While Envipco offers a range of RVMs for all sizes of stores, the super-compact Flex is perfect for stores with limited floor space available. Q Measuring just 60cm wide, the Flex machine flattens empty bottles and cans, allowing for storage of up to 600 cans and 300 plastic bottles. Q The unit can process up to 40 cans or PET containers per minute and can accept plastic bottles up to 3l in size and cans up to 1l. Q Plug and play – easy to use, clean and service. Q Customisable wrap, comprehensive digital marketing options, customised list of container barcodes accepted. Q Scratch-proofing and simplified servicing procedures ensure that the Flex remains attractive to customers while being easy to maintain. Easy installation as a stand-alone or fitted unit. Q Envipco’s Flex RVM is designed exclusively for small store formats, an important factor for local retailers for whom floor space is critical. Q The Flex is a simple, low cost option that is ideal for Scotland’s local retailers.

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TAGGING:

BUSINESS BUILDING GETTING MORE OUT OF EPOS

HOW DOES IT WORK IN PRACTICE?

THE ‘TAGGING’ FUNCTIONALITY OF PAYPOINT ONE EPOS, HIGHLIGHTED IN LAST MONTH’S ISSUE, IS A POTENTIAL GAME-CHANGER FOR LOCAL RETAILERS. HERE WE EXAMINE HOW IT WORKS IN PRACTICE IN A REAL STORE AND HOW EASY AND QUICK IT IS TO UNLOCK VALUABLE INSIGHT TO GROW SALES, FOOTFALL AND PROFITS.

f you’ve been following this series of articles, you’ll be familiar by now with the massive potential of the deceptively simple tagging functionality that’s built into PayPoint One. The all-in-one retail services platform gives retailers access to all of the data, insight and functionality they need to manage their store wherever they are. When combined with the free mobile app, available for Android and iOS, PayPoint One effectively puts ‘your store in your pocket’.

LET’S GET TAGGING! Tagging allows retailers to quickly and easily add ‘tags’ to any product or group of products in their store. The power of that functionality is not, however, immediately obvious, as Costcutter Gateshead retailer Sajid Nazit admits: “I’ve known about the tagging functionality since I first starting using PayPoint One but I never really realised the whole world of opportunity it opens up.” It was only when Sajid was encouraged to start testing and trialling the tagging functionality that the real benefits became apparent – and quickly. “It took me a little while to understand the ‘point’ of tagging, to be honest,” says Sajid. “But after trialling the idea at a basic level – by tagging all the products on a promotional end – that I quickly

realised that I was unlocking a really deep, powerful understanding of my store in a way that I’ve never had before.” With that simple trial underway, Sajid quickly became hooked and is now extremely enthusiastic about discovering more ways that tagging can benefit his store. He comments: “I’ve already had a few ideas about how I could use it to answer some questions that I’ve long wanted to know the answer to but have never found a way of answering. It’s an exciting prospect and I genuinely think it could help me transform my business.”

START SMALL Where to start? Well, one of the quickest ways to reveal the power of tagging is simply to tag all the products on a promotional aisle-end and that’s exactly what Sajid did.

Setting up multibuys is simple with PayPoint One: first set up the offer...

IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN FINDING OUT MORE ABO

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...then choose the products included.

“We chose a simple promotional end and added a tag – ‘PromoEnd’ – to every product,” he says. “The process took about five minutes max and I did it with my phone while standing in front of the fixture. It was that simple.” With that simple process complete, Sajid can now run a range of reports that give him insights he would have found very hard to unearth previously. “With the tags in place,” he explains, “I can now run a report in a few seconds that tells me what my total sales are from that fixture, for instance. Or I can run a report by cash profit or by rate of sale. I can also run reports that show me how each individual product on the fixture is performing, all in a matter of seconds. That insight is just mind-blowing when you start thinking about it. For the first time I can see the impact that my promotions have on the overall performance of the store, broken down by whichever metric I choose.” The implications are far reaching and the functionality could have a major impact on how Sajid manages his promotions moving forward, as he comments: “Previously we just ordered promotional lines we thought would work, we stuck them on the shelf and we occasionally ran some reports on individual categories or products – but the insight didn’t lead to us changing our future actions. “Now that we can clearly and quickly see how the both the fixture is performing and how individual products on the fixture are performing, we’re starting to see where we need to make changes. That might mean being more careful about which products to choose in future or it might mean allocating space to certain products differently, for example. But with tagging we’re learning every day and the insight we’re gaining is helping us make better decisions every day.”

MOVE IT UP A GEAR It didn’t take long for Sajid to understand the

MORE ABOUT PAYPOINT ONE, CALL 01707 537 014.

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potential value in tagging more of his store and, ultimately, the entire store. “After doing the trial on the promotional end, I quickly realised that if we had to tag much more of the store we could get even more high quality insight,” he says. “So we moved on and decided to tag a couple more fixtures, just to see what happened. We chose crisps and snacks and the spirits section behind the till. Again, it took maybe half an hour in total to tag every product but we were instantly able to start running reports that told us how each fixture and every product on them were performing. “It’s still very early days as we’ve only being doing it for a few weeks but we’ve already learned some surprising things about the store. It has encouraged us to take a fresh look at every category in-store and examine the range in a lot more detail, something that would have been very difficult before.”

Tagging makes it easy to run quickly run reports that would take hours on a traditional EPoS system.

THE FUTURE? “The logical conclusion is that we tag every fixture in the store,” accepts Sajid. “That might take a little time but I think if a few of us did it we could possibly do the whole store in a day or two and that would be it done. After that, we could run reports for the entire store fixture-by-fixture, productby-product. The insight we get from that is exciting because it would let us gradually but continuously improve the entire store, removing slower selling lines, adding space for better selling lines and maybe even moving some fixtures around the store to see the impact on the performance of the fixture and of the store overall.” One of the fundamental beauties of tagging is that it makes it very simple to run reports that would take literally hours to run using a traditional EPoS system with no tagging facility. Over a period of time tagging allows you to gain the sort of insight into your store that has never before been possible. “The more you use the tagging functionality the more ideas you come up with for how you can use it even more efficiently and effectively,” concludes Sajid. “I’ve been thinking about new tags we could introduce – ‘NPD’, ‘BBQ’, Own Label’ – and I’ve been thinking about how we could run reports with multiple tags – ‘promotion’ and ‘NPD’ or ‘spirits’ and ‘soft drinks’, for instance, that would start to tell us a lot more about how our shoppers spend across categories. “The power of tagging really is limited only by your imagination, creativity and experience as a retailer.”

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Inside Business

J.S. von Dacre | Opinion

IMMIGRATION THRESHOLD THREATENS LOCAL RETAILING COMMUNITY The UK Government’s £30,000 immigration threshold could seriously destabilise the Scottish local retailing community. BY J.S. VON DACRE

rexit is the current talk of the town in the UK – and understandably so. The future of the country hangs in an unsteady balance, and no one knows how the scales will tip next. One of the biggest areas of concern is the immigration legislation that will come into play postBrexit. In particular, EU citizens are becoming increasingly worried about what new system will be introduced. Last December, the Government released The Immigration White Paper that outlined a proposal for the salary threshold for immigration. It is due to be set at £30,000, which would apply for those filling a Tier 2 Visa application. This will also be extended to EU citizens who wish to come to the UK in post-Brexit Britain. What this means, essentially, is that anyone who is a migrant – whether EU or non-EU – will need to earn at least £30,000 to be considered for a visa. These changes are due to come into effect in 2021. A new Confederation of British Industry (CBI) report has shown how this would be particularly damaging for Scotland, since its economy is heavily dependent on labour forces earning below £30,000. For many years, thousands of EU citizens have moved to Scotland to take jobs paying less than this amount, many of them in convenience stores across the country. So, significant changes in such laws could mean that immigration figures will drop by more than 50% over the next 20 years. More than two-thirds of the Scottish population earn less than £30,000. In the hospitality industry alone, for instance, 94% of workers earn far below this mark. A study conducted by the universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow found that Brexit would see the UK competing with the USA, Canada, and Australia for migrants. This would have “substantial effects” on workers for lowerskilled jobs. “For many migrants, the relative ease and speed with which decisions to relocate can be made in the context of free movement have helped to make the UK/Scotland an attractive destination,” researchers said. “Participants stated very clearly that in the absence of free movement, the UK would have to compete more strongly with other English-speaking countries such as the USA, Canada and Australia, particularly with regards to migration to lower-skilled jobs.

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“In short, both data sets show very clearly that a more complicated post- Brexit immigration regime will deprive the UK/Scotland of some of its main advantages over other possible migrant destination countries, both within the EEA and beyond, at least amongst some groups of potential EEA migrants.” Scotland’s lack of modern infrastructure in rural areas, along with the challenges to find affordable housing, pose further problems. It means that the new immigration policy would only further dissuade people from not only moving to Scotland but also from moving to remote areas. In the Highlands alone, the average salary is £27,000 and 54% of the companies have a skills gap where better work opportunities are simply not affordable. A recent report by Scottish Rural Action (SRA) highlighted the impact that Brexit will have on rural parts of Scotland. Amanda Burgauer, SRA Chairwoman, said: “There is widespread anger and frustration across rural Scotland, but that anger isn’t solely about Brexit. “It was clear from workshop discussions that Brexit is compounding long standing concerns about rural equity and fragility. Brexit was described as the ‘straw that breaks rural Scotland’s back’, with people pointing to structural fragilities across rural communities.” If Scotland is given more control over its own immigration policies, then Scottish politicians will be able to set a wage threshold that will be more conducive for its society. They could also supervise what sort of visas can be issued, depending on the circumstances. Ross Greer MSP, the Scottish Greens’ Europe spokesman, said: “It outlines how other English-speaking countries and other countries in the EEA will become ‘more attractive destinations’ than Scotland. Worse still, families with young children, looking for a new home for the long term, will be deterred by a ‘more restrictive system’. “This will cause huge damage to our economy and to essential services such as the NHS and care system which rely heavily on workers from elsewhere in Europe. Until the Scottish Parliament has full control of immigration policy, Scotland will always be at a severe disadvantage in attracting those people wishing to make a contribution to our society and economy.” The UK Government, however, has been continuously hesitant to give control to Scotland for such cases, so it may be quite unlikely for this to happen. Either way, the £30,000 threshold would cause a catalogue of problems and tension for the Scottish economy. J.S. von Dacre is a correspondent and commentator for the Immigration Advice Service www.slrmag.co.uk

16/04/2019 10:07:56

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www.dotvape.co.uk 16/04/2019 10:09:17

Inside Business

Testing, Testing: Vaping Pod Systems

BRAND INFO

TESTING TESTING

VAPING POD SYSTEMS

In the first of a new series of articles putting popular product categories to the test, we ask retailers and customers what they think of some of the leading compact pod-based vaping systems on the market today. BY ANTONY BEGLEY

he facts are simple: the vaping industry is worth around Â£1bn in the UK yet only about 18% of that is accounted for by local retailers; the vast majority goes through vapeshops or online. To steal back some share, the major manufacturers appear to be backing mess-free, easy-to-use pod-based systems as perfect for c-stores. SLR decided to take a closer look at some of the most popular options on the market.

SLR | APRIL 2019

SLR April 2019.indd 32

STARTER PACK RSP PODS RSP FLAVOURS

POD CAPACITY STRENGTH (MG/ML) BATTERY LIFE CHARGING TIME BATTERY POWER OUTPUT WEIGHT ADDITIONAL OPTIONS

www.slrmag.co.uk

16/04/2019 10:09:17

Testing, Testing: Vaping Pod Systems

Inside Business

myblu

Juul

Vype ePen 3

Dot

Logic PRO 2

The myblu range offers the

The US sensation is now

The Vype ePen 3 is the latest

The Dot from Liberty Flights

JTI’s Logic PRO capsule

company’s “best vaping

targeting the UK’s adult smokers

version of BAT’s range of

is a compact device that uses

vaping device was updated

experience yet” featuring a

after securing more than

compact pod-based systems.

nicotine salts-based pods to

last September with a new soft

battery that lasts all day, and

three-quarters of the US market

The ePen 3 is smaller, more

deliver a smoother vape for the

touch finish, lighter weight and

charges in 20 minutes. Swap

in under three years. With no

powerful and delivers twice the

higher strength of e-liquid used.

improved charging time.

flavours with a click for “more

buttons or switches, the ultra-

vapour of the 2nd generation

The pods are held in place by

satisfaction without any hassle”.

lightweight Juul vapouriser uses

ePen. It also uses larger 2ml

magnets and the system uses a

nicotine salt-based pods and is

pods.

ceramic cube with an integrated

aimed squarely at the premium

flat metal film instead of a

end of the pod market.

traditional coil. When heated, “the increased surface area of the film delivers an accurate and consistent vape”.

£19.99 (device + one pod +

£29.99 (device + 4 pods +

£9.99 (device + 2 pods + micro

£14.99 (device + USB charging

micro USB charging cable)

charging dock)

USB charging cable)

cable + 3 capsules)

£5.99 (two pods)

£9.99 (4 pods)

£5.49 (2 pods)

£6.49 (2 pods) / 3 for £18

£4.50 (3 pods)

14 are available – Mango

5 – Golden Tobacco, Glacier

7 – Blended Tobacco, Crisp Mint,

7 – Menthol, Tobacco,

8 – Tobacco, Menthol, Cherry,

Apricot, Tobacco Crème,

Mint, Mango Nectar, Royal

Wild Berries, Golden Tobacco,

Strawberry, Berry Nice, Red

Berry Mint, Strawberry,

Coconut Breeze, Cherry Crush,

Crème, Apple Orchard

Dark Cherry, Fresh Apple and

Crush, Blue Crush and Purple

Blueberry, Watermelon, Vanilla

Infused Vanilla.

Crush; also available in Eden

Ginseng Ginger, Green Apple, Bourbon Caramel, Caffe Latte,

CBD Format Mixed Berry,

Eucalyptus Lemon, Blue Ice,

Strawberry and Blueberry.

Tobacco, Menthol, Strawberry Mint, Blueberry 1.5ml

0.7ml

2ml

1.5ml

0, 8, 16

0, 6, 12, 18

20 / CBD pods 200mg

0, 6, 12, 18

24 hours (based on average

24 hours

vaping usage)

20 mins

45 mins

2 hours

30 mins fast charge

100 mins

350mAh

200mAh

650 mAh

350mAh

650mAh

12W

6.5W

20.5g

12g

37.1g

23g

77.1g

As well as standard pods,

Available in a range of soft-

myblu also offers nicotine-salt

touch metallic colours; blue,

based Intense Liquipods in four

black, red, silver and gold.

flavours (Blueberry, Tobacco, Menthol and Strawberry Mint) for a fuller, more intense flavour (only in 16mg/ml strength).

www.slrmag.co.uk

SLR April 2019.indd 33

APRIL 2019 | SLR

16/04/2019 10:09:18

SLR REWARDS: THE CREAM OF THE 2019 CROP THE MOST REWARDING EVENT IN RETAIL IS SET TO BE MORE REWARDING THAN EVER!

With the initial phase of judging for the 2019 SLR Rewards now complete, it’s time to reveal just who will be getting a store visit in the near future.

This year saw another bumper crop of entries for the SLR Rewards, which meant our judging panel of eight convenience retail industry experts had their work cut out whittling them down to the best of the best. After lots of heated debate – and even more coffee – they finally reached a consensus. So, without further ado, here is the 2019 shortlist…

THE AWARDS 19 JUNE 2019 As always, if you have any other questions, please contact the SLR Events team: Kirsty McDowall, Events & Operations Manager, 0141 222 5383, events@55north.com

SLR April 2019.indd 34

16/04/2019 10:09:22

BEER & CIDER RETAILER OF THE YEAR

SPIRITS RETAILER OF THE YEAR

POST OFFICE RETAILER OF THE YEAR

Q Great Glen Trading Centre Q Spar – Hillfoot Garage Q Spar Renfrew

Q Great Glen Trading Centre Q Londis Solo Convenience Q Premier Linktown Local Q Day Today Doonfoot, Ayr

Q Merchant City Post Office Q Spar Keith Q Spar Camelon Q Premier Coylton & Post Office

CONFECTIONERY RETAILER OF THE YEAR Q Lifestyle Extra Motherwell Q Day Today Express Stenhousemuir Q Day Today Barassie, Troon E-CIGS RETAILER OF THE YEAR Q Spar Port Dundas Q Springhill Road, Shotts Q Greens Of Markinch FOOD TO GO RETAILER OF THE YEAR

BEST REFIT OF THE YEAR Q David Bryson & Sons (Londis) Q Day Today, Prestonpans Q Spar Blantyre NEW STORE OF THE YEAR Q Nisa Motherwell Road Q SPAR Halbeath Q Greens Local – Cardenden COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT RETAILER OF THE YEAR

Q Spar Renfrew Q David Bryson & Sons (Londis) Q Wrapchic Londis Castlebank

Q Uig Community Shop Q Watsons Grocers And Daughters, Moniaive Q Bourtreehill Supermarket

FRESH & CHILLED RETAILER OF THE YEAR

FORECOURT RETAILER OF THE YEAR

Q Spar Renfrew Q Lifestyle Extra Motherwell Q Spar Garthamlock

Q Spar Clydebank Filling Station Q Costcutter Muir Of Ord Filling Station Q David Bryson & Sons (Londis)

SOFT DRINKS RETAILER OF THE YEAR

RESPONSIBLE RETAILER OF THE YEAR Q Spar – St Georges Cross Post Office Q Day Today Lochside, Ayr Q Family Shopper Blantyre TEAM OF THE YEAR Q Ninewells Gift Shop & The Little Gift Shop Q Barassie Day Today THINKSMART INNOVATION AWARD Q Spar Renfrew Q Family Shopper Blantyre Q Whitehills East Kilbride Q Premier Linktown Local SCOTTISH BRANDS RETAILER OF THE YEAR Q Spar Renfrew Q Spar – Hillfoot Garage Q Day Today Express Stenhousemuir

Q Spar Renfrew Q Spar Certas Forfar Q Greens Of Markinch Q Londis Solo Convenience

SLR April 2019.indd 35

16/04/2019 10:09:23

NEW STORE OF THE Y Britvic’s top tips to maximise soft drinks sales Make your store award winning Stocking the right range For immediate refreshment, it is important to stock a broad range of branded soft drinks from established segments such as water, water plus, carbonates, juices and juice drinks, energy and vitality drinks. Great merchandising We recommend segmenting the chiller into four areas – carbonates, stills, energy & vitality and water & water plus. Always make sure single serve drinks are kept chilled and ready to drink straight away to drive impulse purchase from thirsty shoppers.

Highlighting NPD Shoppers want to discover new things, so make sure new soft drinks stand out in the chiller or on-shelf, with additional point of sale where relevant. Being visible Make sure soft drinks are in a prominent location in-store, such as close to on-the-go food items for smaller formats and use gondola ends for take-home soft drinks. Restock shelves frequently to keep up with demand – any gaps in the chiller represent potential missed sales.

Focus On: Price-marked packs Gaurave Sood, owner of Neelam convenience store in Hillingdon stocks the PMP carbonates range from Britvic and comments: “Since the Soft Drinks Industry Levy came in, we’ve really felt that Britvic has supported retailers. As a result, we have increased our range of soft drinks in-store to include Pepsi MAX and 7Up Free. Not only are they price-marked, but the multi-buy offer of 2 for £1 on the 330ml cans always encourages an extra sale. Similarly, the 500ml bottles by Britvic have great deals with £1 each or 2 for £1.70 which still gives us a decent margin. People want everything to be round numbers and they will spend more to get the round number, which is why the 2 for £1 offer works really well on cans. Due to these promotions, we stock a wide range from Britvic, giving its drinks double facings and prominent positions.”

SLR April 2019.indd 36 OMG24283_SLR-Advertorial_420x297_FV02.indd 1

16/04/2019 10:09:24

E YEAR

proudly supported by

99%

of our GB owned brand portfolio, such as Robinsons, Drench and J2O, is below or exempt from the SDIL

Pepsi MAX is a driving force in no sugar cola, worth

£365m

To support retailers, we introduced a price-marked 330ml can for 59p or 2 for £1 multi-buy deal, which includes diet Pepsi, Pepsi MAX and 7UP Free

and growing 25.2% in value year-on-year2

Robinsons Fruit Creations is already worth over

£20 million

in retail sales value, making it the biggest soft drinks launch of 20183 and already a must stock for retailers

Did you know? As well as bottles, we have just introduced a new price-marked multipack of 330ml cans into the convenience channel which opens up a new sales opportunity. The 10-pack will carry a £3.99 price-mark and include Diet Pepsi, Pepsi MAX and Pepsi MAX Cherry.

90%

of our innovation in 2018 was on low and no added sugar products1

Have you tried Pepsi MAX Raspberry? We have introduced a brand new addition to our Pepsi MAX® range with a raspberry flavour which joined the line-up in convenience in March. Pepsi MAX Raspberry helps retailers capitalise on the consumer trend for the flavour, with raspberry flavoured soft drink launches in growth of +31%4.

Britvic Annual Report 2018 Nielsen Scantrack, Total Coverage, Value Sales, MAT 19.01.19 3 Nielsen Scantrack, Total Coverage, Value Sales, 52w/e 29.12.18 4 Nielsen Scantrack, Total Coverage, Soft Drinks containing raspberry, MAT 03.09.18 1 2

Time to

SLR April 2019.indd 37

16/04/2019 10:09:25 29/03/2019 11:25

Free

ACS membership

for all PayPoint One retailers

To find out more visit paypoint.com/acs SLR April 2019.indd 38 SLR DPS.indd 1

16/04/2019 10:09:26

Proudly sponsoring SLR Rewards 2019 ‘Thinksmart Innovation Retailer of the Year’

Innovation top tips: 1. Data Are you harnessing your EPoS data to understand what’s working in your store? Do you really know what’s selling and what’s not? Your customers’ needs are changing constantly and taking just 10 minutes each day to run reports and review your data could yield double digit improvements in margin and sales.

2. Technology Do you use technology to enhance your customer experience online and in-store? New technology constantly emerges and there are many solutions out in the market. You need to decide what’s right for you and what customer problems they are solving. Can contactless payment reduce queue time? Are you taking advantage of mobile apps to control your store and improve your productivity?

3. Google My Business Customers are increasingly using search engines to find local shops and services. There are approximately 16,000 searches per month for ‘Shop Near Me’ on Google and 88% of those searches result in a store visit within 24 hours. But is your store on there? Do you have a good store image and up to date opening hours? Google My Business only takes 10 minutes to set up and is completely free.

s SLR April 2019.indd 39

16/04/2019 10:09:27 05/04/2019 10:21:32

A GUIDE TO BECOMING

SCOTTISH BRANDS RETAILER OF THE YEAR PROUDLY SUPPORTED BY Within the soft drinks chiller, flavoured carbonates account for over 1 in 5 of all soft drinks sales.*1 Within flavoured carbonates, 2 Scottish brands dominate

- IRN-BRU and Barr Flavours –

accounting for nearly 65% of all flavoured carbonate sales. Retailers who get these 2 brands right will drive category sales *1

No.1 Scottish grocery brand*2 Annual sales of over £85 million in Scotland*1 Currently growing at 11%*1 Accounts for 50% of all flavoured carbonates sales *1 Merchandise all three variants prominently to attract shoppers to the fixture, as consumers continue to look for a choice of regular, low and zero sugar products.

IRN-BRU XTRA has generated over £22 million worth of additional sales for Scottish retailers since launch. *1

Sources: *1: IRI Marketplace, Value Sales, MAT to 27.01.19, Scotland Convenience *2: Kantar Worldpanel, Value Sales, Take home non-alcohol brands, MAT to 21.09.18, Total Scotland.

SLR April 2019.indd 40

16/04/2019 10:09:30

Scotland’s most popular range of flavours*1 Annual sales of over £17 million in Scotland*1 Currently growing at 19%*1 Accounts for 15% of all flavoured carbonate sales*1 Barr offers unique, fun and exciting flavours that deliver on quality, taste and value. With 10 different flavours, offering great value for money, the range continues to appeal to a wide customer base.

Don’t forget Scotland’s Cola! Currently growing at 12%*1 Regular, Diet and XTRA formats

JUDGING POINTERS ARE YOU A SCOTTISH BRANDS CHAMPION? - Provenance is obviously important in today’s c-store. - How well do you leverage the power of local, regional and nationally sourced products. - What do you buy? - How do you engage with shoppers around what to stock? - How do you buy it? - How do you merchandise in-store? - How do you communicate to shoppers?

SLR April 2019.indd 41

16/04/2019 10:09:32

Hotlines

Product News & Media Watch

Marmite Peanut Butter Unilever Unilever launched Marmite Peanut Butter after consumers posted “a huge number” of recipes on social media that combined the two spreads. It is available now in a 225g jar with an RSP of £2.50. The launch is supported by a PR/ social media campaign. As with the rest of the Marmite range, the product is rich in B vitamins, suitable for vegetarians and has no added sugar or palm oil.

Cawston Dry Cawston Press

Tango launches new sugar-free flavours Britvic has expanded its Tango range with the roll-out of two new sugar-free flavours. Tropical and Strawberry & Watermelon are available now in both plain and price-marked packs, the latter exclusive to the wholesale and convenience channels. They are joined by a reformulated Orange sugar-free variant. The brand has also received a packaging re-design and is set to benefit from a £2.2m marketing spend which will see it back on TV this summer for the first time in four years. The campaign also includes sampling, digital and in-store activity. The new flavours are available in 59p or 2 for £1 price-marked 330ml cans, and £1 or 2 for £1.70 pricemarked 500ml bottles. The following plain pack formats are also available:

Q Q Q Q Q

2-litre bottle, RSP £2.29 600ml bottle, RSP £1.39 500ml bottle, RSP £1.39 375ml bottle, RSP 99p 330ml can, RSP 67p

Trystan Farnworth, Commercial Director, Convenience and Impulse at Britvic, said the multi-buy PMPs would help retailers increase basket spend. Commenting on the redesign, he added: “The bold new look and feel of the packaging will also provide great stand out on shelf, appealing to younger shoppers, while keeping the fun heritage of the brand which our loyal fan base knows and loves.” For further information retailers should call 0345 7581781 or visit britvic.com.

This new range of sparkling drinks blends British sparkling spring water, Cawston’s pressed juice and natural extracts. Two variants are available now – Ginger & Lemon and Raspberry – in 250ml slimline cans with an RSP of £1.19, from specialist wholesalers including Cotswold Fayre. For more information visit cawstonpress.com or email info@cawstonpress.com.

Wagon Wheels Singles Burton’s Biscuit Company Aimed specifically at convenience, new individually-wrapped Wagon Wheels are available now at an RSP of 49p in cases of four countertop display units, comprising of 24 x 36.7g single wrapped Wagon Wheels per unit. For more information call 0330 6600 196 or visit burtonsbiscuits.com. One in five Wagon Wheels are already eaten as an out-of-home lunch accompaniment, highlighting the opportunity for the new ‘grab and go’ variant.

SLR | APRIL 2019

SLR April 2019.indd 42

Pepsi Max Raspberry Britvic Pepsi Max’s latest no-sugar variant is available in the following formats: Q 330ml can, RSP 67p Q 500ml bottle, RSP £1.39 Q 600ml bottle, RSP £1.39 Q 1.5 litre bottle, RSP £2.09 Q 2-litre bottle, RSP £2.29 The launch is backed by out-of-home and TV ads, sampling and in-store activity throughout 2019.

Convenience range Fruit Bowl Fruit Bowl’s first-ever convenience range comprises of five products: Q Strawberry / Raspberry / Blackcurrant Peelers, cases of 16 x 16g, RSP 59p Q Yogurt Coated Strawberry Flakes, 18 x 21g, RSP 49p Q Juicy Yogurt Raisins, 18 x 25g, RSP 49p To stock, email info@primelinesales. co.uk or visit fruit-bowl.com.

Cream Cheese Style Icing Dr. Oetker Vegan-friendly Dr. Oetker Cream Cheese Style Icing (cases of 6 x 400g, RSP 2.50) is available now. It can be used for spreading, filling or piping onto bakes and comes with a money-back guarantee that consumers will find it “smooth, velvety and delicious”. For more information on the Cake Icings range, call 0113 823 1400 or visit oetker.co.uk.

www.slrmag.co.uk

16/04/2019 10:09:34

Product News & Media Watch Ribena Frusion Lucozade Ribena Suntory



Soft Jellies Fizzy Fish Mondelez

Ribena has entered the Enhanced Water category with this new sub-brand, available now in 420ml (RSP £1.35) and 1-litre (RSP £2) formats. The 420ml bottles come in two flavours, Kiwi and Blueberry, while the 1-litre bottles offer a choice of Lemon Peel or Kiwi. The launch is supported by TV, out-of-home, digital, sampling and in-store activity. Contact LRS on 08702 408601 or visit www.lrsuntory. com for more info.

Maynards Bassetts’ first-ever sour soft jelly product is available now in outers of 10 x 160g bags at an RSP of £1.32. A £1 price-marked pack is also available, in outers of 12 x 160g. Point of sale materials – including clip strips – support the launch. For enquiries, retailers can telephone Mondelez on 0870 600 0699, email retailer. services@mdlz. com or visit deliciousdisplay.co.uk.

Yazoo Choc Caramel FrieslandCampina

Alpen Protein Weetabix

Flavoured milk drink brand Yazoo has announced Choc Caramel as its latest limited-edition flavour. The new variant launches exclusively in convenience this month, in outers of 6 x 400ml plain (RSP £1.15) and £1 price-marked packs. The launch will be supported by digital activity. Choc Caramel replaces Choc Mint on the Yazoo roster.For further information, retailers should visit yazoo.co.uk.

Alpen Protein bars are available now in two flavours – Chocolate and Berries & Yoghurt – in outers of 10 x 5-packs (RSP £2.69) and 12 x singles (RSP 69p). The bars will feature heavily in Alpen’s 2019 £1m marketing activity. For more information, visit the Weetabix corporate website at weetabixfoodcompany.co.uk.

Hotlines

Spread the word Bertolli is back on screens for the first time in over five years as part of a £5m marketing campaign. The ad is an updated edit of the brand’s 2009 ‘Olive Harvest’ commercial, that features an elderly group of sprightly olive farmers. It runs on TV, video-on-demand and digital platforms until the end of April, followed by a second burst later in the year.

Capri-Sun is ‘filter-free’ Capri-Sun original has launched a new TV ad to highlight that the brand contains no preservatives, colours or artificial sweeteners. The ad runs until the autumn and plays on the popular consumer trend of hash-tagging ‘No Filter’. It sees the return of brand mascot ‘Sunny’ posing for selfies and switching between different filters.

‘Goodness they’ll wanna grab’ This new digital campaign from Yazoo Kids runs across video-on-demand and digital. Aiming to raise awareness of a recently revamped pack design including the rebrand to Yazoo Kids, the humorous ad features a little girl pilfering a bottle with a toy digger. The campaign aims to reach at least 4,000,000 families before the end of July.

A ‘touch of class’ from Dean’s Quaker Oat So Simple PepsiCo

Lucozade Sport Fruit Punch Lucozade Ribena Suntory

Quaker has added two new on-trend flavours – Vanilla Bean & Blueberry and Almond Butter & Pomegranate – to its Oat So Simple range in a bid to make oats “more exciting” to consumers. Both are available now in outers of multipacks of 10 sachets (RSP £2.45). PepsiCo said its customers research found that shoppers showed purchase intent for the new variants.

Lucozade Sport has teamed up with boxer Anthony Joshua for its latest special-edition variant, Fruit Punch. The Apple & Raspberry flavoured drink comes in 500ml PET bottles in standard singles, price-marked packs and as a fourpack. The launch is supported by a heavyweight £5m marketing campaign that runs until the end of May across social, digital and out-ofhome advertising channels.

Family-owned shortbread manufacturer Dean’s has launched a new advertising campaign, ‘A better class of biscuit’. The tongue-in-cheek campaign positions Dean’s as a ‘posh’ biscuit that’s full of class. It runs throughout April across radio, outdoor and digital media, supported by PR and social media activity.

Say ‘Whaaaaat?’ McVitie’s has launched a new advert for its new Jaffa Cakes Nibbles, starring reality TV’s Joey Essex and a goat, also called Nibbles. The ad seeks to spark debate around whether the product is a cake, biscuit or chocolate. A tandem campaign on social media asks consumers to describe Jaffa Cakes Nibbles using the hashtag #JaffaWhaaaaat.

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

SLR April 2019.indd 43

APRIL 2019 | SLR

16/04/2019 10:09:34

Feature

Tobacco

MAKING SENSE OF ‘TRACK & TRACE’

The implementation of the Track & Trace legislation has been little short of shambolic with retailers having only a few weeks to register for the scheme despite countless months of preparation by HMRC – but what will it mean for you? BY ANTONY BEGLEY

IMPERIAL TOBACCO LAUNCHES ANTI-ILLICIT HOTLINE Q Imperial Tobacco has launched its own antiillicit trade (AIT) hotline. This allows anyone who suspects illicit tobacco activity to report it easily and anonymously. The aim of the hotline is to allow information on illegal tobacco to be shared with relevant law enforcement authorities quickly and securely. In addition, the hotline can be used to report legitimate products being sold to under 18s and single sales. Q The hotline – 0800 0495992 –replaces the HMRC number on Imperial’s Suspect it? Report it! website as the primary telephone contact for all matters concerning AIT. This development builds on Imperial’s recent successes in the fight against illegal tobacco. This includes SARA, a unique AIT app launched last year. So far, information gathered via SARA has contributed to 55 seizures, equating to approximately 1.4 million cigarettes and 274kg of tobacco. Q James Hall, Anti-Illicit Trade Manager at Imperial, said: “Trade in illegal Suspect #illegal to bacco tobacco undermines legitimate traders is be in g sold in your ar and starves the UK of tax revenue ea? Call us directly which could be used to fund our on public services. Initiatives like SARA 0800 0495992 demonstrate that by revolutionising the way we process information from the trade and public alike we can continue to combat the vile illegal tobacco ‘industry’ and protect hardworking, honest retailers. Message us suspect-it-repo via Q “We hope to build on this success rt-it.co.uk with our new hotline and, as always, REMEM BER: urge anybody with any suspicions Contac 0800 04 t us to report them ASAP. Remember, if 95992 you Suspect it? then Report it! by Working tog ether to fig calling 0800 0495992!” ht the illic it trade Follow @su spec

The illicit

trade imp acts:

income

quality

SLR | APRIL 2019

SLR April 2019.indd 44

t_report

suspect-it-repor

t-it.co.uk

youth

communitie s

suspectit-r Report ille eport-it.co.uk sales an gal cigarette d smugglin g

www.slrmag.co.uk

16/04/2019 10:09:46

NEW NAME

SAME CIGAR

SLR April 2019.indd 45

16/04/2019 10:09:46

Feature

Tobacco

he government doesn’t have a great record when it comes to implementing new legislation around tobacco control in its various forms but the latest batch of rules – broadly referred to as Track & Trace (T&T) – has taken incompetence to a new level. Despite the legislation being in the planning for many months, it still took HMRC until just a few weeks ago to appoint someone to manage important elements of T&T which now only leaves retailers about three weeks to register before the legislation comes into force on 20 May. As always, retailers are left with no choice but to suck it up and do as they are told, despite concerns over how effective T&T will be in achieving its aim of stopping illicit products entering the legal tobacco supply chain. At the end of the day, T&T is unlikely to have much of an impact on retailers, other than the obligation to register. The real impact has been, and will continue to be, on manufacturers and wholesalers. Duncan Cunningham, Head of Corporate & Legal Affairs at Imperial Tobacco UK&I, comments: “Implementing Track and Track has been a significant project for us. Regulations state that all factory-made cigarettes (FMC) and roll your own (RYO) products must be compliant from 20 May 2019.” That has been a huge project for tobacco manufacturers, though FMC and RYO products already on the market before this date can be sold until 20 May 2020. Mark Yexley, Head of Communications at JTI UK, also adds that wholesalers and retailers will continue to be able to sell cigarettes and RYO tobacco manufactured before 20 May 2019 up until 20 May 2020 without using T&T. He says, however, that JTI UK is similarly committed to tackling the problem of illicit tobacco which has reached huge proportions. “HMRC estimates that some 15% of the 46

SLR | APRIL 2019

SLR April 2019.indd 46

cigarette market and 28% of the RYO market is illicit,” he says. “That equates to around £43.5bn of lost tax revenues since 2000.”

SO WHAT IS TRACK & TRACE? Recognising the threat posed by the illicit tobacco trade, the revised European Tobacco Products Directive (EUTPDII) introduced secondary legislation on T&T and Security Features for all tobacco products. The means tobacco products need to be marked, says Cunningham, with “a unit level unique identifier plus five additional security features”.

In other words, it’s supposed to make them more difficult to produced fake packs – something which was obviously made an awful lot easier for criminals by the introduction of plain packs in 2016. Nonetheless, the idea is to stop illicit products entering the legal tobacco supply chain.

WHAT DO RETAILERS NEED TO DO TO REMAIN COMPLIANT? Once the T&T system is in place on 20 May 2019, all retailers will need to scan tobacco products into their stores. Retailers will also need to register and apply for a facility code by visiting the HMRC website at www.gov. uk/guidance/selling-and-storing-tobaccowww.slrmag.co.uk

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Tobacco

Feature

HOW WILL THE LEGISLATION AFFECT WHOLESALERS? The legislation will impact wholesalers more heavily than retailers, especially in terms of specific equipment and scanning, since T&T’s tracking element ends with the outbound scanning to the first retail outlet.

WHAT IS THE IMPACT ON MANUFACTURERS? Ensuring readiness for Track & Trace across the supply chain presents a significant financial and logistical challenge for tobacco manufacturers. “We believe it is essential, however, in stopping illicit tobacco products from entering the supply chain,” comments Cunningham, adding that: “We are fully supportive of this objective.”

WHAT WILL THE CONSEQUENCES OF THE LEGISLATION BE FOR THE INDUSTRY AND FOR RETAILERS SPECIFICALLY?

products. Retailers will require to have an Economic Operator ID Code for their business and a Facility ID Code for each of their stores selling tobacco. They can register for their Track & Trace ID codes from 30 April, HMRC has finally announced. After a lengthy delay between announcing how Track & Trace would work and appointing someone to facilitate it, HMRC eventually handed the task to security and anticounterfeiting specialist De La Rue at the end of February. The firm will start issuing IDs from 10 May, only 10 days before the legislation comes into effect. There will, however be “minimal noticeable changes to retailers as a result of the legislation and no impact on customers”, comments Yexley. www.slrmag.co.uk

SLR April 2019.indd 47

HOW ARE THE MAJOR MANUFACTURERS HELPING RETAILERS WITH TRACK & TRACE? “Imperial takes its regulatory obligations seriously,” says Cunningham. “We have established a dedicated team of experts across the EU and UK who are working to ensure compliance by 20 May 2019. Members of Imperial’s project team visited as many of our partners in the supply chain as possible, communicating the regulations, the possible impact on their businesses and the steps they need to take to ensure compliance. “We are also continuing to raise awareness and build AIT advocacy among retailers, consumers, law enforcement, industry and politicians. At Imperial we are currently doing this via campaigns like Suspect it? Report it!”

Retailers will need to register and apply for a facility code to be able to receive tobacco orders from their suppliers or to collect stock from cash and carry depots.

WILL IT WORK? According to JTI’s Yexley, the answer is a broad and qualified “yes”. He comments: “Strict enforcement will be crucial for the legislation to have the desired effect on the illicit trade. The new security features will hopefully make it harder for criminal gangs to produce counterfeit products and the codes will act as a deterrent for retailers who are selling illegal tobacco alongside genuine as they could potentially lose the right to trade tobacco.” He concludes however that “it’s more important than ever for retailers to report instances of illicit tobacco being sold in their area, rather than risking their tobacco business by engaging with the illicit trade”. APRIL 2019 | SLR

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16/04/2019 10:09:51

Feature

Big Night In

BIG NIGHT, BIG BASKET The biggest attraction of the big night in occasion is the opportunity for retailers to build big basket spends – and a little effort and thought can go a long way.

TOP TIPS FOR RETAILERS FROM MONDELEZ Confectionery is one of biggest food and drink categories in convenience and the category is the most impulsive, so availability and display are really important. Follow the basics below to maximise sales in the category and capture the attention of big night in shoppers. Q Focus on the bestselling lines Q Have a range that covers all need states: self-eat, sharing and gifting confectionery Q Use manufacturers’ point of sale material where available Q Make the most of brand investment – have displays ahead of advertising or media investment Q Don’t forget the basics; keep displays fully stocked and tidy Q Consider a specific Big Night In cross-category display Q Visit deliciousdisplay.co.uk for more information

t the heart of it, the big night in occasion is a wonderful opportunity for retailers to help customers make the big basket spends that they came to the shop to do. Whether they’re shopping for family or friends coming round to watch the latest Old Firm stramash or granny’s 70th birthday, the chances are that they are less concerned about what they append and more concerned about looking like a good host. That presents a rare opportunity for retailers to build big baskets by making purchases easy, quick and logical for shoppers to make. Something as simple as building a dedicated big night in fixture can help achieve that, or even just taking time to ensure that your adjacencies make sense. Are your sharing bag snacks next to your 2 litre soft drinks? Do you have some larger format confectionery nearby, and how far away is all that from the beers, ciders and wines? Make it easy and the big baskets will follow. Clearly, one way to cater for the big night in is to be prepared. Granted, there are a lot of big nights in that you might not know about – big Stewart’s graduation party or Mrs McIvor’s knitting bee – but there are still a lot that you can plan for. School holidays, bank holidays and major sporting and cultural events can all be catered for and all it takes is a little effort and maybe a little thought around in-store theatre or POS. 50

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The categories that you should focus on are all fairly obvious but the general principle is bigger pack formats and a lots of little additional tempters to try to add a few impulse sales on top of the pizzas, cases of beer and take home packs of soft drinks that the customer came in for. By far the easiest way to ensure that you are always prepared for a big night in shopper is to have a dedicated big night in fixture, says Amy Burgess, Senior Trade Communications Manager at Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP). She says: It’s all about merchandising for bigger basket spends. Designating a space in-store for the ‘Big Night In’ occasion can add a layer of convenience for consumers, whilst also encouraging impulse purchases that can lead to incremental growth. “Retailers can also cross-promote soft drinks alongside other products is an evening ‘meal deal’ to increase overall basket spend. This sees a soft drink, such as bottles of Coca-Cola zero sugar or Appletiser, offered alongside starters, mains and desserts for a discounted set price, helping to improve the perception of value for people enjoying a meal at home or hosting a dinner party.” Once you’ve got the merchandising solution in place, the only thing left to do is choose and range and the communicate it effectively to your customers. To help you do just that, we’ve taken a look at some of the most important categories and products to help you set your big night in sales alight…. www.slrmag.co.uk

16/04/2019 10:09:51

PUT A NEW

BERRY TWIST ON YOUR SALES

* Nielsen Total MAT Value GB 15/12/18 ** Weekly Nielsen Data MAT w/e 29.09.2018 ÂŠ2019 The Coca-Cola Company. Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero and Diet Coke are registered trademarks of The Coca-Cola Company. All rights reserved.

Tap into growing consumer demand for light cola flavours, currently worth almost ÂŁ190m with 25% value growth*

To find out more visit www.cokecustomerhub.co.uk or call Customer Hub on 0808 1 000 000

Diet Coke remains the no.1 sugar free cola** Coca-Cola zero sugar is the fastest growing major cola brand in GB** Supported by a multi-million pound marketing campaign

SLR April 2019.indd 51 COC1073_Coke_Berries_Ads_AW.indd 1

16/04/2019 10:09:51 20/02/2019 16:45

Feature

Big Night In

COCA-COLA EUROPEAN PARTNERS HEALTHIER DRINKING Amy Burgess, CCEP’s Senior Trade Communications Manager, highlights the societal shift towards low- and no-alcohol options as people become more calorie conscious. “Figures from the Office of National Statistics show that 20% of adults in the UK do not drink alcohol at all, so it is more important than ever to offer a range of great-tasting, premium soft drink alternatives like Appletiser,” she says. “As well as delivering on taste and refreshment, adult soft drinks offer consumers a sophisticated alternative to alcohol that they are happy to consume while others may be drinking beer, wine or cocktails. For teetotallers, Appletiser can present consumers with a more exciting change from their day-to-day soft drink choice for a special occasion, or an interesting base to a mocktail alternative. “Healthy options have undoubtedly gained mainstream appeal, with 90% of consumers saying that they’re influenced by health when shopping [Kantar]. Therefore it is important for retailers to ensure they have a range of healthy drink options available, such as Diet Coke, the number one sugar free cola [Nielsen, Dec 2018] in GB, and Coca-Cola zero sugar, the fastest growing light cola brand [Nielsen, Dec 2018].”

As more consumers look to make positive changes in their lifestyles, sugar content has become a major factor in their choices. “Last year we invested heavily in our low and zero sugar variants, with £25m spent on Diet Coke and Coca-Cola zero sugar alone,” says Burgess. “We have followed this up by introducing a range of innovative low and no sugar variants across our portfolio in 2019, including Fanta Zero Grape, Capri-Sun Cherry, Diet Coke Twisted Strawberry and Coca-Cola zero sugar Raspberry.”

MIXERS Whether it’s a ‘date night’, ‘family film night’ or a dinner party, stocking a range of mixers such as the Coca-Cola portfolio or Schweppes Classic tonic will help boost sales. “Mixers are growing in popularity [Nielsen, Dec 2018], whether consumed with or without alcohol,” says Burgess.

MUST STOCKS & NPD “Consumers are becoming more adventurous than ever and are looking to experiment with new and exciting variants of their favourite soft drinks,” says Burgess. “To tap into this, we recently unveiled two new light cola flavours. Diet Coke Twisted Strawberry has a tangy and exotic taste, and Coca-Cola zero sugar Raspberry offers consumers a palettepleasing fruity flavour.

“A staggering 7.4 million households in GB buy flavoured colas. This equates to an increase of 1.7million buyers over the last year adding +30% growth to flavoured colas in 2018 [Kantar, Dec 2018], demonstrating the clear opportunity for more flavour variety. “The flavoured carbonate segment is now worth £494m, and our Fanta brand is worth £184.8m [Nielsen, Sep 2018], with a value share of 23.7% [Nielsen, Jul 2018]. To help retailers make the most of this, we have evolved our portfolio with Fanta Grape Zero. Combining the popularity of Fanta and growing demand for both flavoured and low sugar carbonates, Fanta Grape Zero presents a fantastic opportunity for retailers to maximise their soft drinks sales. “Fanta Grape Zero will be available in a 330ml can and a 500ml PET bottle for instant consumption occasions, and 4x330ml can multipack and 2L PET bottle for future consumption.”

CAPRI-SUN CCEP has also unveiled a new ad campaign for Capri-Sun original to highlight that the brand contains no preservatives, colours or artificial sweeteners, making it a great-tasting option for parents buying a juice drink for the whole family. The new ad runs until the autumn as part of an integrated campaign to help retailers increase sales of the brand, which is the largest kids juice drink in GB, 48.1% bigger than the nearest branded competitor [Nielsen, Dec 2018]. Simon Harrison, Vice President, Commercial Development at Coca-Cola European Partners GB, said: “We know that parents are increasingly scrutinising the food and drink choices they make for their families and are choosing products that

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are perceived to be more natural. The new TV advert highlights that Capri-Sun original is ‘filter free’ and contains no artificial sweeteners, colours or preservatives whilst maintaining the fun and light-hearted nature that the brand is famous for. “With more than 1.2 million people tagging #nofilter in 2015, and this number increasing year on year, the campaign is set to resonate with consumers.”

www.slrmag.co.uk

16/04/2019 10:09:55

W E N E H T Stock

N U S I R P CA

Y R R E H C

CAPRI-SUN IS THE 1 NO.1 JUICE BRAND IN GB TAP INTO THE OUR IN FASTEST-GROWING FLAV 2 ORY G E T A C S K IN R D T F O S E H T NO PRESERVATIVES OR D IS ARTIFICIAL FLAVOURS AN T SOFT DRINK TAX-EXEMP RING U T A E F W O N E G N A R L M 0 33 A NEW SAFETY CAP AND G SHELF-READY-PACKAGIN

To find out more visit www.cokecustomerhub.co.uk or call Customer Hub on 0808 1 000 000 CAPRI-SUN© and the Pouch Shape™ are trade marks of Capri-Sun group. Souces: 1. Nielsen Answers Total Juice Drinks Volume MAT to w/e 01.12.18 excluding pure juice. 2. MAT w/e 20.10.18 Nielsen Total GB NRTD Value Sales, Flavours with Cherry.

SLR April 2019.indd 53Cherry Ad_A4_AW2.indd 1 COC1078_Capri-Sun

16/04/2019 10:09:55 04/03/2019 10:40

Big Night In

MONDELEZ INTERNATIONAL

Feature

“Chocolate is still the number one choice for those settling down for a night in with friends and loved ones, followed by candy, biscuits and crisps – so there are plenty of opportunities for cross category selling to create the perfect night in offer with chocolate at the centre,” says Susan Nash, Trade Communications Manager at Mondelez International. What’s more, 52% of all confectionery occasions take place with other people present, so having a range of sharing formats is key to maximising this opportunity.

CHOCOLATE Chocolate sharing formats, like bags and tablets, are key and bags are the fastest growing standard chocolate segment [Nielsen, Oct 2018]. As category leader, Mondelez is helping drive growth through its Cadbury and Green & Black’s brands. New size £1 promotional price-marked packs were introduced to its chocolate bags range, helping retailers to improve price perception among their shoppers and help drive sales. The new £1 (RSP) 95g promotional price-marked packs are available across some of its bestselling bags. These include: Cadbury Dairy Milk Giant Buttons, Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel Nibbles, Cadbury Twirl Bites, Cadbury Bitsa Wispa and Terry’s Chocolate Orange Minis.

PREMIUM The premium market is the fast-growing chocolate segment that is incremental and bringing in new, higher value shoppers. To capitalise on this popularity, Green and Black’s, which is growing at 11.1% [Nielsen, May 2018], launched two new singles bars, Green & Black’s Truffle and Green & Black’s Praline. As well as capturing the fast-growing premium singles market these launches meet the needs of consumers looking for a luxurious new way to unwind. The tablets segment is also growing and Mondelez built on the success of Cadbury Dairy Milk Oreo in tablets with the launch of Cadbury Dairy Milk Oreo Sandwich. Research has identified that as we go through different lifestages, our tastebuds change with some consumers increasingly look for a richer tasting chocolate with a higher cocoa percentage vs milk chocolate. Cadbury Darkmilk was been launched to meet this consumer demand. Made with 40% cocoa, this new tablet is like no other and launched with two variants – Cadbury Darkmilk Original and Cadbury Darkmilk Almond. In January this year a third variant was added: Cadbury Darkmilk Salted Caramel. January also saw the return of an old favourite, Cadbury Bournville Orange. First launched in 1927, the bar is now a permanent offering for the brand to tap into the trend for orange chocolate and is available as a PMP which will ensure stand-out on shelf and boost customer trust.

CANDY Maynards Bassetts recently announced its first ever sour Soft Jelly product – Soft Jellies Fizzy Fish. The product is the second in the range of the Soft Jellies of the brand, after Soft Jellies Wild Safari was launched in 2018. The new product is designed in the shape of fish to tap into consumers’ playful sides. Each bag contains a selection of flavours including consumer favourites orange, strawberry, blackcurrant and lime – all of which are made with natural colours and flavours.

SLR | APRIL 2019

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www.slrmag.co.uk

16/04/2019 10:10:00

WITH THE

NO.1 SCOTTISH

GROCERY BRAND

BACK ON TV FROM APRIL Â£6M BRAND INVESTMENT GROWING AT +6% *2

STOCK ALL THREE PRODUCTS TO DRIVE INCREMENTAL SALES Sources: *1: Kantar Worldpanel, Value Sales, Take home non-alcohol brands, MAT to 21.09.18, Total Scotland. *2: IRI Marketplace, Value sales, MAT to 27.01.19, Scotland Convenience.

SLR April 2019.indd 55

16/04/2019 10:10:01

Feature

Big Night In

KOPPARBERG

SALES GROWTH Kopparberg has been flying over the last 12 months in Scotland, growing at 32% in the convenience sector versus total fruit cider which has itself been growing at 20% [IRI, Feb 2019]. Not only that, the convenience channel is outperforming the multiples. MUP has helped close the price gap between the two channels. But convenience retailers have also improved at ranging key brands which has reinvigorated growth within the channel, with consumers buying into multipacks more and more. Last summer Kopparberg was clearly seen as a go-to fruit cider for drinking occasions at home, with the bulk of category growth coming from large multipacks and the alcohol-free range. 56

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ALCOHOL-FREE Whilst consumers will often choose to drink alcohol for most big nights in, changing consumer behaviours around drinking less alcohol and the ongoing need for a designated driver means alcoholfree, adult drinks are playing a bigger role than ever. Kopparberg has become the second biggest alcohol-free brand in the UK and the biggest within cider. Growing at 63% [IRI, Nov 2018], Kopparberg AlcoholFree is a great addition to any fixture.

MULTIPACKS Large multipacks (10 or more) have delivered the most growth in the market and with MUP aligning pricing more across brands, many consumers have traded into Kopparberg. Large fridge packs are perfect for both planned and impromptu summer drinks and prominent merchandising of the big hitters, at key trading periods can really take advantage of this.

www.slrmag.co.uk

16/04/2019 10:10:03

*Cadbury Dairy Milk Giant Buttons the no1 sharing format Nielsen value MAT 29.1.19 Retailers are free to set their own prices

SLR April 2019.indd 57 5696264_Bournville Buttons_Trade Adverts_V2.indd 1

16/04/2019 10:10:03 18/03/2019 11:14

Feature

Big Night In

AG BARR CRITICAL ROLE OF SOFT DRINKS Adrian Troy, Marketing Director at Barr Soft Drinks, urges Scotland’s local retailers to put soft drinks at the heart of their big night in efforts. He comments: “Scotland’s £284m convenience soft drinks category [IRI, Dec 2018] continues to be one of the most profitable categories for convenience retailers growing at 11% and the second highest bought category in Scottish convenience, after newspapers [HIM CTP, 2017].” Troy advises that its critical for Scottish retailers to ensure that they get the balance of categories right in their chillers, with the three biggest key drivers being Sports & Energy, Flavoured Carbs and Water. “Energy drinks account for 1 in 3 drink now products, with big can energy driving a significant amount of this volume and growing at 15%,” he says. “Within this, flavours offer the choice that shoppers are looking for and Rockstar is Scotland’s No.1 Big Can Flavoured Energy Drink, currently growing at 6% in Scotland Convenience [IRI, Dec 2018], and the top 2 fastest selling flavoured big cans are Rockstar flavours – Punched Guava (No.1) and Xdurance (No.2)”. Flavoured carbonates account for over one in five soft drinks products sold, highlighting the importance of Irn-Bru’s role in-store when it comes to the big night in. The brand continues to flourish and is growing at 11% with annual sales of over £85m in Scotland [IRI, Dec 2018]. Barr Soft Drinks is also advising retailers about the importance of offering shoppers all three variants of the brand prominently to attract shoppers to the fixture. Irn-Bru sugarfree is Scotland’s leading low calorie

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flavoured carbonate while Irn-Bru XTRA has generated over £22m worth of additional sales for Scottish retailers since launch. Troy says recent data shows that by giving the total IRN-BRU brand more prominence in your store, all three variants will benefit and drive your total category sales.

MEETING SHOPPER NEEDS With major lifestyle changes happening across the UK, this is impacting how soft drinks are consumed. It’s challenging for retailers to be an expert on every category in their store but Barr Soft Drinks’ category vision can help retailers to understand their shoppers at local level to increase sales, particularly during the big night in occasion. The vision focuses on three key drivers the company believes will be major contributors to category growth in convenience retailing. The three drivers – Health and Wellbeing, Taste & Fun and Lifestyle & Culture – reflect changing consumer lifestyles, influences and needs in relation to buying and consuming soft drinks. These three category drivers have been translated into six specific shopper need states which cover all the major soft drinks’ consumption occasions. This forms a chiller planogram which enables retailers to merchandise their fixture to really engage shoppers. The six consumer need states are: 1 Healthy Refreshment – Water and water-plus products perform an important, functional role 2 Tasty Hydration – Low calorie products with the health benefits of water and the great taste of a carbonate 3 Everyday Enjoyment – The backbone

of the fixture needs a good range of great-tasting choices 4 Adult Social – Indulgent treats and options for those that avoid alcohol 5 Connecting Cultures – Vibrant section to tap into growing demand for exotic flavours 6 On The Go – Nearly 1 in 3 purchases is an energy drink so this section needs to offer the right range of products and flavour choices The relative size of each section and which products a retailer should stock within each section will vary dependent on geographical location and shopper profile. Retailers can use Barr’s regional planograms based on their shoppers’ need states to ensure they are offering the local range their shoppers want. Merchandising the chiller in a clear and engaging way with Barr’s bespoke POS has delivered an average sales uplift of 18%.

www.slrmag.co.uk

16/04/2019 10:10:04

ARE YOU STOCKING THE UKâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; S BES T SELLING FRUIT CIDER BR AND?

KOPPARBERG IS THE BES TSELLING SINGLE BOT TLE FRUIT CIDER BRAND IN SCOTL AND

STOCK UP NOW IRI, Value sales, Fruit Cider, 52 weeks to 24/03/19

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16/04/2019 10:10:05

O T D E T T I M M O C

S R E L I A T E R OUR SINCE 1977

“I chose Nisa and have stayed with them because of the wide range of chilled and ambient products available just a click away, with the best prices in the market and great promotions for our customers. I’m so glad to be a part of Nisa as availability of stock is great with great delivery services.

I joined Nisa as an independent retailer many years ago, then I moved my store under the Nisa brand fascia in 2016, when we rebuilt the whole new building and we designed our store with Nisa’s outstanding designing and merchandising team. Recently we’ve also had a great chance to try Co-op’s best-selling own-label range which has increased my shopping basket.”

I’m looking forward to what’s to come in the future with Nisa. Mahmood Saleem, Nisa Local, Ardeer Services, Stevenston, Scotland

Join the family... visit www.join-nisa.co.uk SLR April 2019.indd 60 14647_NISA_TradePress_Mahmood_Saleem_2018_A4_AW01.indd 1

16/04/2019 10:10:05 05/10/2018 10:54

Fascia Guide

Feature

SYMBOL STRENGTH? As costs keep rising and margins get smaller, many local retailers may feel tempted by the benefits of joining a symbol group or fascia, while those already signed up might feel they could get a better deal elsewhere. SLR examines some of the best options available.

he retail business is tough and it’s only getting tougher. Perennially rising costs and ever fiercer competition mean local retailers need all the support they can get to run a successful, profitable business. One of the most effective ways of giving your business an instant boost is by either joining a fascia or symbol group for the first time, or by switching to a group that better suits your needs. The lure of becoming part of something bigger is an enticing one and is one of the few decisions that an unaffiliated retailer can make that is all but certain to improve the business. Access to much greater buying power and all the benefits that come with being part of a larger organisation can be the difference between profit and loss in today’s ultracompetitive market. Joining a symbol group or fascia doesn’t mean that retailers need to lose their independence – quite the opposite. While the different groups all have different criteria that members must meet in terms of buying commitments and compliance, the one thing they all share is commitment to allowing local retailers to retain their independent status, something that’s non-negotiable for most. But joining a group offers all the benefits of being part of a nationwide collective of like-

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SLR April 2019.indd 61

minded retailers with access to big buying power and the many invaluable support mechanisms that membership of a symbol group brings. The number of stores that now belong to one symbol group or another is fast approaching the 50% mark today, and that’s for a reason. One other point worth noting is that very, very few retailers decide to return to being unaffiliated after joining a group. They may subsequently switch symbols, but they don’t tend to go back to being unaffiliated once they’ve had a taste of what’s on offer as part of a bigger group.

KEY DATA So whether you are considering joining one of these groups for the first time, or are considering moving from one to another, this guide will provide you with the key data you need to make a fully informed decision as to which fascia is right for you. The great news is that the range of choices available has never been greater. Each partner has its own strengths, but they all offer buying power, a household name above the door and a comprehensive support network covering everything a retailer needs to remain competitive in today’s retail environment. Choosing a symbol group can seem an intimidating task. It is a big commitment, especially if you are already tied into a contract

or faced with joining fees – whether this is in the form of an admin charge, buying shares or paying for signage or delivery. But there is no doubt it can pay huge dividends. How to decide which symbol group is right for you will ultimately depend on your shoppers and what they want you to offer them. The pros for retailers considering joining or switching symbol groups are numerous and the cons are few. Sometimes there will be a fee, but it may be worth the cost as often it gives additional industry-specific information that will support any application. This information, when backed by the weight of a symbol brand, can add an influential supporting voice to any finance application. Retailers should ask themselves whether remaining unaffiliated is detrimental to their potential as a business. Whatever level you decide to go in at, do your research before determining which group is right for you.

CONTENTS 62 64 66 68 70 72

Best-one Xtra Local Premier Londis Family Shopper Costcutter

APRIL 2019 | SLR

16/04/2019 10:10:05

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16/04/2019 10:10:06

Fascia Guide – best-one

Feature

YOUR EXPERT RETAIL PARTNER With everyday low pricing, monthly consumer promotions to rival the multiples, an award-winning own-label range of over 400 SKU’s and monthly meetings with business development managers, it’s no wonder 445 retailers made the switch to best-one in the last year.

ith over 40 stores across Scotland best-one is one of the largest symbol operators in the country giving retailers the scale and expertise to compete with multiple retailers and discounters. And with 445 retailers making the switch to best-one last year, it’s little wonder bestone is becoming the symbol of choice for retailers wishing to take their stores to the next level. best-one continue to offer one of the best rewards programes in independent retail where compliant best-one members can earn up to 5% rebate on their purchases through My Rewards. This reward can then be used to re-invest in store development including introducing the new premium grey best-one fascia and new store refit standards. Among the many benefits of joining best-one are:

CATEGORY DEVELOPMENT Bestway Wholesale continually reviews its range and is increasing the size of the chilled range available to retailers, which has high retailer margin. Alongside this, the introduction of a food-to-go proposition will make bestone retail stores all-day destinations serving fresh sandwiches, snacks and coffee-to-go. best-one also has planograms for all core categories which help to reduce the number of lines on-shelf whilst giving stand-out to those products which will drive sales. Following this guidance will ensure independent retailers are in line with the rest of the market.

PROMOTIONAL ARCHITECTURE Members receive five unbeatable WOW Deals and 15 Must Feature promotions every month with case allocations to ensure members have availability throughout the promotional period and individualised store leaflets to drive footfall and loyalty. Shoppers now expect to see promotions that match the multiple retailers and best-one delivers on this with promotions across impulse, chilled and grocery.

FIELD SUPPORT best-one prides itself on the continued support it delivers to members and this year has doubled the number of business development managers working with retailers. Each best-one member has a dedicated BDM who draws up a joint business plan which will help drive sales and profit for the store based on its local needs. The business plan is based on the store model which takes into account actual sales, the size of the store and the local demographics. New members receive a six-week period of ‘Hypercare’ where they are visited weekly to ensure that the transition to best-one is as smooth as possible and that standards and sales are optimised.

STORE DEVELOPMENT With a variety of formats available based on shopper profiles and their missions, best-one works with members to deliver the best possible solution for their communities when it comes to store development. From simple food-to-go solutions to full serve-over meal counters and premium coffee stations, best-one can help remodel, refit and revitalise your store using the new store refit standards which launched last year and have already been installed into 108 stores, with a total investment worth £2.7m.

COMPETITIVE OWN LABEL best-one own label gives retailers the reassurance of award-winning, quality products for a value price, providing up to a 30% average POR, while delivering increased value to shoppers through price marked packs. With over 400 products in the range covering all major categories, sales of best-one own label continue to grow and the range continues to increase to meet shopper needs. The best-one inspired range also offers a smaller range of premium own label products and is the first premium own-label range available to independent retailers.

For more information, contact our Scottish Customer Contact Centre in Perth on 01738 646 666, your local Batleys depot manager or log onto best-one.co.uk www.slrmag.co.uk

SLR April 2019.indd 63

APRIL 2019 | SLR

16/04/2019 10:10:07

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12x330ml

ANY 2 FOR

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to 31st January

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IMPACT

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XPERT ADVICE Free advise and category planograms, and a dedicated local team to help and advise on building a successful business Promotion _Cadbur will bey WCE E19prici Bestwayng cont charged PLOF ained Front Page on invo within Advert_V 3.indd ices date 1 this d betw brochure een 17/1 2/18 – 31/1/19

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Email web@xtralocal.co.uk to arrange a visit or for more information go to www.xtralocal.co.uk or visit one of our depots for details

26/11/20

18 11:56

Terms and conditions apply

SLR April 2019.indd 64

16/04/2019 10:10:09

Fascia Guide – Xtra Local

XTRA LOCAL RETAIL CLUB 12x300ml

NOW

£10.60

£3

£1

EACH

6 pack

£5

£3.50 HALF PRICE NOW ONLY

NOW

£4

£1.75

4x330ml

NOW

PM £8.39 - 8x440ml

360g

£3

157g

500ml

PM £1.99 or 2 for £3.30 - 1.5 litre

NOW

PM £5.50 4x440ml

PM £2.99 - 70cl

£1

PM £1 300g

NOW

£12

70cl

NOW

620ml XL12 offers

available

in store

from 1st

PM £1.59-2/£2 December

to 31st

December

2018

- 2 litre

r 2018 r to 31st Decembe last. 1st Decembe s. While stocks store from available in other omission XL12 offers errors and availability, subject to

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Xtra Local is the retail club opportunity from Bestway Wholesale, which offers independent retailers’ monthly promotions, competitive pricing and expert advice, whilst allowing flexibility and for retailers to keep their own fascia.

79p

PM £1.19 - pot

PM £1 4 pack

£2.29 BELOW HALF PRICE NOW ONLY

sgl

BELOW HALF PRICE NOW ONLY

£1

PROMOTION NUMBER XL12

£1

PM £2.29 126g

The promotional programme has been tailored for forward thinking retailers who want to entice their convenience store customers with a clear focus on the categories and pack sizes that are driving their business.

PM £2.49 - 200g

EACH

£2.19

NOW

£16

@£2.49

£1

ONLY

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FREE!

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Offers available in store from 1st December to 31st December 2018

Xtra Deals at your local store!

290g

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NOW

£3.55

NOW

£2

OFFERS DECEMBER

PROMOTION NUMBER XL12

NOW

ANY 2 FOR

In today’s increasingly competitive convenience market, Bestway can offer independent retailers’ solutions to suit their business needs through the Bestway Retail and Bestway Wholesale businesses; be that a Franchise such as Bargain Booze, a Symbol-Group such as best-one, special support for multiple-account customers, or through a retail club.

Stand out from the crowd and keep your own fascia while also benefitting from the scale and expertise of one of the country’s largest wholesale-run retail clubs.

£8.25

Feature

The Xtra Local retail club enables retailers to shop from 62 Bestway and Batleys depots within the Bestway Wholesale network, seven of which are in Scotland.

150g All items are subject to availability, errors and other omissions. While stocks last. Licensed products only available in Licensed stores.

Just some of the benefits of joining Xtra Local include: Q It makes commercial sense: there is no joining fee and the minimum spend is £1,000 per week excluding tobacco. Xtra Local members also get access to special deals, over and above those offered to unaffiliated retailers shopping with Bestway Wholesale through cash & carry. Q Promotions: The monthly cycle of consumer ‘Wow’ and ‘Must Feature’ promotions are supported with POS and leaflets for retailers to send to the consumer. These competitive deals allow Xtra Local customers to drive sales and footfall from the promotions whilst still delivering a healthy margin Q Own label: Xtra Local retailers have access to the best-one own label range which offers premium, award winning products for value prices on over 400 products across all categories Q Availability: Bestway Wholesale has also launched pre-sell on the core range relevant to Xtra Local customers, which ensures availability for retailers as stock is allocated when you order it a month ahead. This ensures you’ll be guaranteed the stock you need at the best possible promotional price – ahead of competitor prices for two weeks (and thus you’ll make more profit within the two week period) Q Support: Xtra Local provides independent retailers who meet the spend threshold, extra support including monthly visits from sales personnel and best-practise sharing from other retailers

CONTACT DETAILS POST: Xtra Local, 2 Abbey Road London NW10 7BW EMAIL: enquiries@ xtralocal.co.uk WEB: xtralocal.co.uk

www.slrmag.co.uk

SLR April 2019.indd 65

Q Category management: Representatives from Bestway Wholesale can help Xtra Local members with category advise, store layout advise and merchandising plans Q Scotland: The Xtra Local product range is adapted for Scotland with special monthly promotions and a Scottish product range of approximately 400 products

APRIL 2019 | SLR

16/04/2019 10:10:12

Shopperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Favourite Symbol Retailer 2018 Shopperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Favourite Community Retailer 2018

Shopperâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Favourite Convenience Retailer 2018

MORE FOOTFALL MORE CASH PROFIT Itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s absolutely free to join us! â&#x20AC;˘ Free EPOS â&#x20AC;˘ Free delivery at cash and

carry prices

â&#x20AC;˘ Earn up to 4% Spend & Save

discount *

â&#x20AC;˘ Enhanced fresh range

available â&#x20AC;˘ Free fascia and window imagery â&#x20AC;&#x153;Premier has transformed my business with their latest thinking which has grown footfall, sales and profitsâ&#x20AC;?

FOOD TO GO

â&#x20AC;˘ Free POS and personalised

leaflets

Joe Punian Premier Victoria Dock, Hull

MEGA DEALS

â&#x20AC;˘ Free membership

SOCIAL MEDIA

EURO SHOPPER

DISCOVER THE CHOICE

FA R M F R E S H

Become a part of the Number 1 Symbol Group

Call us today! 01933 371246

*Terms and conditions apply.

SLR April 2019.indd 66 88065 Premier Recruitment Ad.indd 1

16/04/2019 10:10:12 18/10/2018 12:35

Fascia Guide – Premier

Feature

BE PART OF THE UK’S BIGGEST SYMBOL GROUP As the UK’s largest symbol group, Premier has delivered double-digit growth for 16 consecutive years by focusing on what matters most to retailers and to shoppers. Isn’t it time you joined the number one group and started benefitting from our exceptional package?

remier is the UK’s number one symbol group with over 3,350 stores nationwide. The group is committed to delivering more profits for retailers and a better shopping experience for consumers. Premier has delivered double digit growth for sixteen consecutive years. Premier continues to advertise on TV. Premier is advertised every day which will be seen over 100 million times. The TV advert features Premier’s famous Mega Deal promotions along with retailers to emphasise the local aspect of Premier Store. As well as this, retailers also benefit from a full promotional programme covering all categories of fresh, frozen, grocery and impulse to ensure great value for shoppers to drive footfall into stores. This market leading promotional package, along with own-label and price-mark-packs, really drives the value message to help Premier retailers grow their business. Premier works hard to ensure that retailers have the best choice of products to suit their individual store. This includes both Euro Shopper, Booker’s entry level exclusive ownbrand and Happy Shopper, the midtier option. This is complimented by working closely with branded suppliers to ensure the best choice of price marked packs so shoppers can clearly see the great value available. Backed by Booker, the UK’s leading food & drink wholesaler, Premier retailers can take advantage of delivery at cash & carry prices, as well as having the ease and convenience of shopping at any Booker branch. ‘Spend & Save,’ where retailers can save up to 4% on their non-tobacco purchases, is also popular with Premier members as this delivers real savings and adds to their bottom line. Premier does not operate any membership or joining fees and installs the fascia and imagery free www.slrmag.co.uk

SLR April 2019.indd 67

of charge. A wide range of additional services such as recycling, energy savings, free Epos and drop shipment are also available that have been specifically created to add value and keep operating costs low for Premier members. The group continues to go from strength to strength and its relentless focus in increasing choice, lowering prices and improving service has helped Premier members deliver some fantastic convenience stores.

APRIL 2019 | SLR

16/04/2019 10:10:14

“

There’s a real focus on forecourts here at Londis. Their dedicated forecourt team really understand the business and provide solutions that help us stay ahead of the game.

Join Londis today and watch your profits grow

”

- 00% Cost Free model - Earn up to 4% discount* - Award winning Own Brand & Fresh range - Dedicated Forecourt Development Team

Brian McCaughey Londis Inveraray Bringing our new branding to you with a click. Visit our 360 Virtual Tour at : http://360.skyeyeplus.co.uk/files/LondisTriangle/

Call us on 0808 178 8644 or visit joinlondis.co.uk * Terms and Conditions apply. SLR April 2019.indd 68 Ads - V20.indd 1 85311 New Recruitment

16/04/2019 10:10:17 11/09/2018 13:47

Fascia Guide – Londis

Feature

GROW W WITH LONDIS As winners of the 2018 Symbol Convenience Retailer of the Year at the Grocer Gold Awards, we offer access to the many benefits of being part of the UK’s largest convenience retail group.

ith 1,970 members nationally and taking home the crown for Symbol Convenience Retailer 2018 at the Grocer Gold awards, Londis is one of the fastest growing symbol groups in the sector. Londis is now beginning to unlock ‘Retail Wins’ and the benefits of ‘Joining Forces’ which includes great choice, better prices and improved quality to help retailers drive footfall and make more cash profit. Following on from the recent brand refresh, the new modern look ensures our stores are fit for the future and continues to roll out with a much greater focus on new footfall driving categories such as Chilled, Food to Go, Meal Solutions and also the latest trends like Protein, Premium Spirits, Health & Habit forming Foods and American Confectionery. It is this focus on areas of growth that help Londis stand out from the competition. Londis operate a zero cost model and is a flexible symbol partner that has a fully delivered service and support package to suit all. To help compete in today’s rapidly expanding convenience market Londis support with; award winning ranges, an industry leading fresh offer with over 2,000 lines, including food-to-go, fresh produce, meal deals and a market leading promotional package. With smart planning, local area knowledge, range optimisation, and the symbol groups top Merchandising, Range, Store Development and Supply Chain Teams we are committed to helping our customers Make More and Save More to support them in growing their business.

THE BENEFITS OF THE LONDIS OFFER INCLUDE: Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q

Free Membership Competitive cost of goods benefiting from group power Market leading promotions every 4 weeks Free Promotion Leaflets and FREE store point of sale support Loyalty discounts of up to 4% Award winning Fresh range with over 2,000 lines. Award winning own brand ranges Discover the Choice, Farm Fresh, Euro Shopper A best in class online web ordering system (Londis Webshop) Dedicated Merchandising and Store Development Teams Tri Temperature fleet delivering all your ambient, fresh and frozen together Free Membership of the ACS

SLR April 2019.indd 69

16/04/2019 10:10:18

Unique discount format Simple to run & operate High cash profit

â&#x20AC;&#x153;I love the simplicity of operating a Family Shopper. It offers my shoppers the best of convenience in a discount format, where they really can get bargains everyday. Having a rationalised range, that still offers choice at low prices, means I run an efficient store and eases my cash flow. Plus the Booker team supports you every step of the way.â&#x20AC;? Mr Kumar, Glynneath.

Simply building sales & profits for you Call Family Shopper today:

01933 371757

SLR April 2019.indd 70 85260 IRN Fascia Feature - Family Shopper.indd 1

16/04/2019 10:10:20 15/05/2018 14:48

Fascia Guide – Family Shopper

Feature

MAKING VALUE COUNT Offering a unique discount format specifically geared for local retailers, Family Shopper brings together the strenght of symbol retailing with the great value available in the discount channel.

SLR April 2019.indd 71

amily Shopper is a discount format for independent retailers that brings together the strength of symbol retailing with the great value available in the discount channel. It has been specifically developed to help independent retailers capture the growing sales and profits from the discount sector. The unique discount format provides retailers with everything that shoppers would expect from a convenience store including chilled, alcohol, grocery and tobacco along with services such as Lotto and Paypoint. This is then combined with the best of the discounters covering a fantastic range of £1 non-food items such as stationery, kitchen utensils and party accessories, with a broad seasonal offering and a frozen section. All Family Shopper stores offer a simplified range that removes duplication. Also merchandising in full trays makes the format easy to operate while

minimising back stock and easing cash flow. Family Shopper retailers can take advantage of ‘Spend & Save’ where retailers can earn up to 5% discount on their non-tobacco purchases, along with delivery at cash & carry prices, ordering on line and having the ease and convenience of shopping at branches. This helps to maintain the exceptional availability which in turn offers better customer service. Family Shopper does not operate any membership or joining fees and installs the fascia and imagery free of charge. A wide range of additional services such as recycling, energy savings, free Epos and drop shipment are also available that have been specifically created to add value and keep costs low. The group continues to attract interest from independent retailers nationwide. By continuing to focus on choice, price and service, the group remains committed to helping Family Shopper retailers grow their sales and profits.

16/04/2019 10:10:21

SLR April 2019.indd 72

16/04/2019 10:10:22

Fascia Guide – Costcutter

Feature

Costcutter offers ‘best in sector’ commercial terms and a comprehensive support package to help you thrive in the modern convenience retailing environment.

THRIVING TOGETHER

he convenience retail landscape may be continuing to experience unprecedented amounts of change but our fundamental objective – to help independent retailers thrive – remains the same. Helping our independent retailers thrive means investing in the offer, insights and innovations our retailers need. As a result, our retailers are now able to engage more shoppers to attract them in store and spend more, while also making it as easy as possible to run their business and reduce costs through an extensive package of business services. We have also been rewarding our retailers’ loyalty with our best-in-sector commercial terms that includes no fees or surcharges and a rebate of up to 6%. This, coupled with the economies of our scale, removes the need for timewasting trips to the cash and carry. And, with storage space limited at many stores, our smaller minimum order commitments, combined with regular deliveries, helps ensure that retailers are able to keep their shelves stocked. As a result, we have been attracting some of the best store owners in the sector to join Costcutter Supermarkets Group. Today that means not only being able to choose from our well-recognised Costcutter, Mace, SuperShop and Simply Fresh brands, but also being able to opt to become a Co-op franchise store. For entrepreneurial retailers who are looking to grow their business, the successful launch of our new supply www.slrmag.co.uk

SLR April 2019.indd 73

deal with the Co-op in May last year is clearly a major factor in the decision to join our Group, as we bring together their wholesale strength and grocery retailing expertise with our in-depth understanding of the independent convenience sector. Our retailers now have access to a broad product range, allowing them to become strong and competitive in areas such as food-to-go, chilled and fresh. Our range now includes Co-op’s own brand products, which is a major draw for shoppers helping to deliver increased footfall and sales. Having delivered sales and profit growth among participating stores since launch in 2017, our unique Shopper First Programme is now expanding into a second phase. The Shopper First Programme has now been given its own visual identity, and the subtitle ‘Drive Five to Thrive’, highlighting the five key pillars of activity retailers are being urged to focus on, in order to grow their business. These include broader and deeper shopper insights; advice on how to create the right brand engagement; detailed space guidance to maximise profit; ‘always on’ category and range advice; and advice on store execution through POS, technology and staff training. In fact, for many of our retailers it is small, incremental changes and a focus on consistently high store standards which have delivered the strongest results and we will continue to share best practice and secrets to success across our network. APRIL 2019 | SLR

16/04/2019 10:10:25

Feature

Worker Protection

TECH OFFERS SOLUTIONS TO KEEP WORKERS SAFE

With the latest SGF and ACS crime reports highlighting the growing problem of abuse of shopworkers, a number of tech solutions offer affordable ways of looking after your team in-store.

t’s hard to miss the horrendous impact that verbal and physical abuse has on shopworkers across the country and the latest SGF and ACS Crime Reports seem to very clearly indicate that, far from getting better, the problem may actually be getting worse. In the constant struggle against retail crime it is vital that Scotland’s retailers leave no stone unturned when it comes to finding affordable solutions that can help mitigate the impact for their staff. One of the major challenges that faces the industry is lone workers. With costs rising steadily and the national minimum wage rising yet again this month, many retailers have no choice but to have a single member of staff on at certain periods during the week. While this is recognised as being unwise and potentially dangerous, the fact remains that the economics of running a retail business these days mean that many stores simply have no choice.

LONE WORKER SOLUTION One company supporting clients in the retail sector to ensure the safety of lone workers is Safe Shores Monitoring. The company’s lone worker technology has been developed over the last 20 years and offers retailers an affordable, practical way of ensuring the safety of their staff. Safe Shore Monitoring CEO Tom Morton says: “The BRC/SRC annual retail crime survey reports a number of harrowing examples of situations that highlight the growing problem of attacks on retail staff. “Current market conditions mean retailers are finding it harder to make ends meet, and with fewer staff on the shop floor, sadly this means they are more vulnerable to this rise in crime and need to find cost effective security solutions.” Once such solution is Safe Shores Monitoring’s Companion app which turns any smart device into an affordable and discreet personal safety alarm which

can be linked to a central control room. A wireless SOS button can also be deployed throughout the building and carried by individual staff. The Companion app operates across mobile and WiFi networks to open a 2-way audio link when SOS is activated, enabling staff to access a high level of protection when working, locking up or carrying cash. Morton says: “According to the survey, a large proportion of victims of retail crime found police response to be poor. This is mainly because police forces face difficult resourcing issues themselves. Our system supports the workers, the employer, and law enforcement.” The Safe Shores Monitoring Alarm Receiving Centre (ARC) provides a ‘Police Preferred Specification’ service which means their highly-trained staff can provide verified crime alerts to police control rooms directly when users signal need for help. “Safe Shores Monitoring is certified so that it can bypass the 999 system to ensure rapid response,” explains Morton. “This, combined with the system’s location services and its ability to connect to in-store CCTV, actually supports law enforcement to act rapidly and secure a conviction where required.” The Companion app also contains an advanced fall detection sensor, an effective alert system when isolated retail staff experience accidents. Morton concludes: “Stopping this rise in threats and attacks on retail staff is a massive challenge that needs to be addressed through multiple approaches. Deployment of solutions such as Companion help to act as a deterrent and support moves to secure stiffer penalties for those who assault shop workers. When linked to police certified response centres, these solutions enable rapid response, delivers peace of mind and improves the wellbeing of undersiege retail industry staff.”

ON THE ROAD SOLUTION Send For Help has revealed that the number of safety devices used by UK transport and logistics firms rose by 280% in the year up to December 2018. “We’re seeing that an increasing number of companies are realising the importance of protecting drivers against attack or injury, not just the vehicle and stock,” says Paul Watson, Sales Director for Send for Help. “They have a responsibility for their Duty of Care to staff, and are increasingly looking for solutions to achieve this.” Send for Help produces keyfob sized GPS safety devices that drivers can always carry with them. The company has direct links to police control rooms, so it can bypass the 999 system and receive a faster emergency response if clients are in danger. Once the ‘SOS alarm’ button on the device is pressed, a user can speak to a controller at Send For Help’s fortified alarm receiving centre, who will act according to the user’s specified escalation plan – whether that’s calling an ambulance, alerting the police, asking the worker’s supervisor to check in on them, or just confirming a false alarm. The device sends its GPS location to the monitoring centre, so operators can direct help to where it’s needed — even if users are on the move. End users or their managers can specify how they want alarms managed and provide relevant personal information via a 24/7 online portal. “Retailers recognise the advantages of personnel protection when they look at the implications of legal costs and compensation as well as bad publicity if someone gets injured or assaulted,” adds Watson. Clients typically pay a £10 monthly fee for each device. For more information, visit www.sendforhelp.co.uk.

For more information, visit www.safeshoresmonitoring.co.uk 74

SLR | APRIL 2019

SLR April 2019.indd 74

www.slrmag.co.uk

16/04/2019 10:10:25

Cost-Effective Staff Safety Solution Free trial available Police preferred specification Advanced fall detection Call recording and evidence gathering Integrates with CCTV

Find our more at: www.safeshoresmonitoring.co.uk SLR April 2019.indd 75

16/04/2019 10:10:26

Helping you to make an extra 3% Gross Profit Ease of use

Simple to use touch screen till software

Backoffice admin software

Cigarette Gantry integration

Indepth reporting and analysis

Touch screen handheld device to control the shop from the shopfloor

Supplier Data links with all major Wholesalers

Credit Card integration

Weekly health check reports to guide you to improve your sales and margin.

Access to background database with over 100,000 products

Benefits of MPos ✓ Built around a retailer, not a computer user ✓ Simple to use till, powerful admin tools ✓ Built from retailers perspective ✓ Reduces labour by downloading products, price changes, invoices and promotions

✓ Reduces labour by allowing one click order generation and one click invoice downloads - easily shave off 10 hours of work per store

✓ Increased control on stock; all stock deliveries downloaded and all stock adjustments emailed to the owner; NO stock is unaccounted for

✓ Emails store performance to the user with real actionable data once a week rather than stats heavy reports that overwhelm the user

✓ Based in Scotland with excellent support and training program

✓ Easy to use Hand Held terminal to control the store from shop floor ✓ Integration with Credit Card terminals, Zapper, Cigarette Gantry, Loyalty Schemes and more ✓ Developed and supported by people that know the retail trade

So How much Could our System make for you? We can demonstrate a 3% uplift in Gross Profit in using our system.

£5,000 £10,000 £15,000 £20,000 £25,000

£7,800 Current Weekly Turnover Extra profit per annum

£15,600 £23,400 £31,200 £39,000

Even a Single Lane system can more than pay for itself in the first 4 months!

MHouse, 349 Shields Road, Motherwell, ML1 2LD

Tel: 0800 242 5360 email sales@mhousesolutions.com

SLR April 2019.indd 76

16/04/2019 10:10:26

EPoS

EPOS MADE IN SCOTLAND

Feature

MPOS: FAST FA CTS

Q Simple to use touchscreen till software Q Backoffice admi n software Q In-depth report ing and analysis Q Supplier data lin ks with all major wholesaler s Q Credit card integ ration Q Cigarette gantr y integration Q Touchscreen ha ndheld device Q Access to back ground database with ov er 250,000 products Q Weekly heath ch eck reports

Running a modern convenience store efficiently means having access to the power and insight that only a high-grade EPoS system can deliver. We take a closer look at a home-grown platform from MHouse Solutions in Motherwell.

ith the complex nature of the modern store, it’s all but impossible to operate efficiently without the insight that only a good EPoS system can deliver. There are many systems on the market offering powerful capabilities and insights at great value pricing, and one of these is the homegrown Mpos system from Motherwell-based MHouse Solutions. With so many moving parts in the typical store, it’s impossible to truly understand how the business is performing without quick, easy access to all the vital data retailers need to keep improving and developing their stores. “Information is power and it’s never more true than in the case of epos systems,” says Faisal Sattar, Director of Mhouse. He adds: “EPoS systems like ours have evolved into a must-have decision making tool for any c-store owner, an essential tool that generates profits for them.” Modern EPoS systems have come a long way from the days when they were little more than glorified tills, accounting for cash and giving change to customers. Sattar says: “Systems like our Mpos report on and manage every aspect of the business covering pricing, promotions, staff, security, stock,

www.slrmag.co.uk

SLR April 2019.indd 77

ordering, merchandising even advising on what’s selling, what will sell best and where to put it on your shelves and in your store to sell it faster.” He also advises that Mhouse can demonstrate an uplift of 3% in gross profit using their system by giving storeowners much greater control over a wider range of store procedures. The Mpos smart system is constantly being developed and improved, adding new features with time and money saving ideas, making operations faster and more efficient and the life of the store owner more secure and easier. For Sattar, a great EPoS system starts at the counter. “The key functions and innovations of an EPoS system start at the counter with a sleek, simple to use touch screen but it’s behind the scenes in the back office system that they really make business-changing differences,” he says, “with seamless, indepth reporting and analysis on every aspect of the store’s operations, direct data links to the major suppliers allowing downloading of supplier price changes, invoices and promotions, one-click order generation and stocking with increased control – all deliveries are downloaded and all adjustments advised to the owner. “Perishable and older stock is managed, no

stock goes unaccounted for, staff numbers are managed, card payment machines are integrated, plus access to a background database of quarter of a million products so, the system can compare your prices against other operators, as well as the RSPs and then advise what action to take. “There’s also integration of cigarette gantry machines and loyalty programmes and while it’s doing all this, it emails store performance reports to the owner with actionable data rather than heavy statistics which can overwhelm the user.” All this saves time, cuts costs and increases security and puts the operation into the hands of the store owners as it can be operated from a simple handheld touchscreen unit. “A world where Amazons Go stores embed automated scanning and have no checkouts seems a bit far-fetched in local retailing outlets for now,” says Sattar, “though it’s being watched with interest, since smart EPoS providers already have the tech ready to go.” For Sattar, the future is all about the customer. He concludes: “The guiding light for the future is wherever the customer is the EPoS can be there to help with services and payments. It’s all about convenience and it always will be.” APRIL 2019 | SLR

16/04/2019 10:10:27

UTC

BRANDING: YOU’RE DOING IT WRONG Designers, in UTC’s experience, are a bunch of self-important, whiney, thin-skinned divas. And he cites this example of baffling corporate branding as proof that designers don’t actually live in the real world. This one looks like it was clearly designed by committee. His best guess was that it was a competition to see how many logos you can get on a shelf talker. And that’s pretty much all he had to say on the subject.

STONE THE CROWS Say what you like about Tesco, they clearly know their stone fruits. UTC can confirm that Tesco has been named ‘Stone Fruit Retailer of the Year’. As if that wasn’t commendable enough, this is the second year running that they’ve won that highly coveted accolade. The award was made by South African growers association HORTGRO for Tesco’s “innovative activities” that included on-pack labels, online promotions and featuring South African stone fruit on the staff canteen menu. Joe Baines, the man with the best job title in the world – Tesco Stone Fruit, Top Fruit and Cherry Buying Manager – said: “Stone fruit changes incredibly quickly and dynamically throughout the season. You have to be aware of what’s happening as it happens.”

Joe Baines, Tesco Stone Fruit, Top Fruit and Cherry Buying Manager.

ROCKET STORE FOR DOUGHNUTS In UTC’s personal circle, a dark and murky place, the word ‘rocket’ is widely used as a sort of gentle form of rebuke. As in “he’s a pure rocket, that boy”. So, imagine one of the auld yin’s iron-filings eyebrows raised in astonishment when he read that Krispy Kreme is set to open Scotland’s first-ever ‘rocket store’.

SLR | APRIL 2019

SLR April 2019.indd 78

Several rockets that UTC knows immediately sprang to mind – and most of them enjoy the odd doughnut or two, luckily enough. Turns out it isn’t a store for rockets after all. It’s a store shaped like a space rocket, for reasons that the auld boy couldn’t be bothered reading about.

www.slrmag.co.uk

16/04/2019 10:10:28

A4_press_ad_soldout.pdf

22/03/2019

11:52

CMY

SLR April 2019.indd 79

16/04/2019 10:10:29

OneScotlandâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Stop nShop 1 o

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Fort Matilda Industrial Estate, Greenock, Scotland, PA16 7QF. Tel: 01475 721099. Fax: 01475 784644. Email: enquiries @goldencasket.co.uk www.millionssweets.co.uk millionssweets

SLR April 2019.indd 80

@millionssweets

/BuchanansConfectionery

Onepounders

16/04/2019 10:10:36