SLR May 2020 edition. by 55 North

MAY 2020 | ISSUE 205

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MARK YEXLEY

JTI answers your Menthol Ban questions

ALASTAIR WILLIAMS

Cigar champions STG grow in Scotland

FORECOURT UPDATE

TESTING TIMES

Coronavirus testing extended to local retailers

SLR Rewards 2020 postponed p24

The latest forecourt developments

MENTHOL MONEY

Vaping set for sales boost

HEALTHY PROFITS

Grow sales with healthier snacks

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Bagged Sweets, Shaker Cups & more! To order or open an account, Contact Shaun Spendlow: 01506 420007 shaun.spendlow@bobbysfoods.co.uk www.bobbysfoods.co.uk

May 2020

Contents

Contents ISSUE 205

NEWS p4

Coronavirus Social distancing rules strengthened as First Minister suggests covering up. p5 Coronavirus Holyrood and Westminster unveil further support for struggling businesses. p6 Coronavirus The convenience industry rallies to support NHS staff and vulnerable persons. p8 Coronavirus Costcutter pops up to give an isolated community a local shop. p9 Coronavirus The National Lottery switches funding focus with £600m to tackle the impact of the pandemic. p12 News Extra Coronavirus An Usdaw survey suggests assaults on shopworkers have rapidly increased. p20 Product News Lucozade Sport launches a new initiative to support Britain’s fitness instructors. p22 Off-Trade News Data from TRDP suggests the coronavirus outbreak is driving a surge in spirits sales.

INSIDE BUSINESS p24 SLR Rewards The Covid-19 pandemic has forced the postponement of the SLR Rewards until 18 November. p26 Research Digest It appears the coronavirus is ‘forcing’ consumers to buy locally – and they’re liking it! p28 Menthol Ban Q&A JTI’s Mark Yexley answers questions submitted by local retailers in Scotland. p30 Hotlines The latest new products that suppliers want to see on your shelves. p50 Under The Counter One upside to the coronavirus outbreak would be UTC having to cover his face up. FEATURES p32 Cigars SLR catches up with Alastair Williams of cigar category leader STG for a market update. p34 Vaping A big shift to online buying may represent a significant long-term threat for the category. p40 Healthy Snacking As more consumers seek healthier snacks, it’s worth checking if your range fits the bill. p42 Forecourts It’s been a busy first few months of the year for Scotland’s vibrant forecourt sector.

ON THE COVER p16 Covid-19 Free testing for coronavirus is extended to include local retailers after SGF steps in.

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MAY 2020 | SLR

News CORONAVIRUS Enforce the rules or face the consequences

SOCIAL DISTANCING RULES BOLSTERED AMID TALK OF COVERING UP Social distancing regulations introduced to slow the spread of coronavirus have been extended to protect workers. The adjustments to the regulations include formalising the two metre distancing rules to all businesses that remain open. Businesses that do not take all reasonable measures to enforce the rules could be fined or ultimately prosecuted. The move follows a call from trade union Unite Scotland for the Scottish Government to follows its Welsh counterpart by legislating over social distancing in the workplace. Furthermore, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon has said there could be “some benefit” in people covering their faces while shopping but added it was “not a substitute” for existing lockdown restrictions.

UK ministers are considering the scientific evidence for proposing similar advice. The guidance is not mandatory and will not be enforced. Sturgeon emphasised the advice related to cloth items such as a scarf rather than medical grade facemasks. She admitted that evidence about the usefulness of face coverings was limited, but that there may be “some benefit” in enclosed spaces with multiple persons where safe social distancing is difficult.

CORONAVIRUS Charity steps up support

HOME DELIVERY

GROCERYAID LAUNCHES COVID-19 FUND

PayPoint partners Deliveroo, buys Yodel’s Collect+ stake

GroceryAid has established a Covid-19 fund to provide enhanced support for grocery colleagues during the coronavirus outbreak. The industry charity has raised a fund of £1.5m to ensure support will reach colleagues who need it. Measures include: Q Mental Health Support: a Health & Wellbeing portal offers ‘in the moment’ emotional and practical support for grocery colleagues dealing with shock, anxiety and stress. Help is also on hand from an artificial intelligence counsellor. Both are available to all grocery colleagues from day one of working in the industry. Q Bereavement Financial Assistance: financial assistance for the loss of a loved one through Covid-19 is available to grocery colleagues who lose a partner, or the immediate family of a colleague who has passed away as a result of Covid-19 whilst working in the industry. Q Crisis Grants: Non-repayable grants are available for grocery colleagues with a year’s industry service who face unexpected financial emergencies due to Covid-19. Find out more information about how you can help at groceryaid.org.uk. If you need support, GroceryAid’s confidential helpline is open 24/7 on 0808 802 1122.

A new deal gives qualifying PayPoint retailers the chance to be fast-tracked onto Deliveroo’s network Some PayPoint stores will offer household essentials, while otherswill focus on providing refreshments PayPoint has also taken full ownership of the Collect+ parcel network, after paying £6m to Yodel for its half of the business.

SLR | MAY 2020

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News CORONAVIRUS More financial help revealed

GOVERNMENTS UNVEIL FURTHER SUPPORT FOR AILING BUSINESSES Both Holyrood and Westminster have stepped up their efforts to help businesses ride out the coronavirus outbreak. The Scottish Government has released around £220m in a new package of measures that includes £120m to extend the Small Business Grant scheme to ensure that, in addition to a 100% grant on a first property, small business rate payers are eligible to a 75% grant on all subsequent properties. A further £100m is available to protect the self-employed and viable micro and SME businesses in distress due to the pandemic. This fund will be channelled through local authorities and enterprise agencies to target those ineligible for other Scottish or UK government schemes.

A £45m Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund is also available to companies that have up to now fallen through the cracks of other business support measures – like food and drink wholesalers. The UK-wide Bounce Back Loan Scheme will help small and mediumsized businesses to borrow between £2,000 and £50,000. The UK government will guarantee 100% of the loan and there won’t be anything to pay for 12 months. Loan terms will be up to six years, with a low rate of interest. To help people find the help available to them, an online financial support check tool has been launched by the UK Government. The step-by-step tool can be found at www.gov.uk/business-coronavirussupport-finder/y.

CORONAVIRUS Covid-19 starts to take its toll in convenience

CORONAVIRUS CLAIMS LIVES OF RETAILERS INCLUDING INDUSTRY LEGEND RAJ AGGARWAL Award-winning store owner and wellknown convenience industry figure Raj Aggarwal has become one of the first local retailers to succumb to Covid-19 in the UK. The 51-year-old – who was a former SLR Rewards judge – passed away on 9 April, leaving behind a wife and family. Spar retailer Raj owned stores in Leicester and Sheffield. He was an active NFRN member and sat on the Independent Board of the ACS. NFRN National President Stuart Reddish said: “Raj was such a lively character and a legend when it came to retailing.” When the coronavirus first took hold in the UK, Raj donated trays of bread to local charities supporting the homeless. His last post on LinkedIn read: “Next stop Glenfield Hospital, Leicester, dropping off tea, coffee and biscuits for our frontline NHS staff who are doing an amazing job. #strongertogether”

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Other fatalities include newsagents Krishnasamy Chiyamalan from Dartford in Kent and Watford’s Himanshu Patel as well as Waqar Hussain Choudary, who ran a c-store in the Milton area of Glasgow. One of the many tributes to Waqar on the Glasgow Times website summed up his character as follows: “If you asked for five sour dummies, he would give you six.”

Raj Aggarwal: selﬂess to the end

MAY 2020 | SLR

News CORONAVIRUS Retailers and wholesalers do their bit

£25k from Camelot boosts NFRN’s Hardship Fund Camelot has given £25,000 to the NFRN’s Covid-19 Hardship Fund to help independent retailers in financial crisis. The fund aims to alleviate some of the financial pressures that independent retailers may be facing. Assistance in the form of a grant is available to members suffering severe hardship. The NFRN will contact members it believes could benefit from a grant. Others suffering hardship can apply via the NFRN website.

Futureproofing pays off for Bestway Wholesale Recently published figures show that Bestway Wholesale revenues grew 13% to £2.3bn in 2019 from £2.1bn in 2018 as the company invested in technology and supply chain to drive value into the future of its business. Volumes were positively influenced by the continued

CONVENIENCE INDUSTRY RALLIES TO SUPPORT HEALTH WORKERS AND VULNERABLE As the nation slipped into the second month of lockdown, big hearted retailers and wholesalers moved quickly to get behind Britain’s NHS staff. Numerous initiatives to help self-isolators and other vulnerable groups were also launched. Examples – of which there are literally too many to mention them all – include Dundee-based Spar Scotland wholesaler CJ Lang donating of 1,400 boxes of Cadbury Heroes to frontline staff at the city’s Ninewells Hospital. The wholesaler also donated 8,000 sandwiches to good causes. Charity Dundee Bairns, which usually works to ease ‘holiday hunger’, distributed the sandwiches via community larders and food banks.

CJ Lang gives Cadbury Heroes to NHS heroes McColl’s pledged to provide essential food and goods to staff at Great Ormond Street Hospital for free, including sandwiches, bread, milk, eggs, biscuits, tea and coffee. McColl’s is also providing coffee free of charge for all NHS workers from all of its stores.

Retailers nationwide are also offering free home delivery to elderly, vulnerable or self-isolating people. Eros Retail boss Harris Aslam praised his “amazing team” and said shops and businesses across the country had “gone the extra mile” to ensure no-one has been neglected.

focus on customer channels to deliver added value.

TRDP and Basket team up for home delivery The Retail Data Partnership has partnered with shopping app Basket to offer retailers a Home Delivery/Click & Collect solution “with minimum fuss and at a very competitive price”. Basket’s online technology shows customers items a store has in stock, while TRDP is offering an upload service that will ease the pain of collating the images and other information the app requires.

Edinburgh Festival off The Edinburgh Festival will not take place this August due to concerns around Covid-19. It is the ﬁrst time in over 70 years that the event – which attracts somewhere in the region of four million visitors to Edinburgh – will not take place. Retailer Taz Ali, whose 500sq ft Mace store sits in the heart of what he described as an “absolutely deserted” city centre, said the announcement was “not

CORONAVIRUS The sector’s essential role is recognised

POLITICIANS PRAISE CONVENIENCE WORKERS MSPs have praised the vital ‘frontline’ role of Scotland’s 44,000 convenience store staff during the Covid-19 crisis. Senior Scottish Labour MSP Anas Sarwar lodged a Parliamentary Motion highlighting the outstanding effort convenience stores have made in supporting vulnerable customers. The Motion has been endorsed by MSPs from across the political spectrum at Holyrood. The Glasgow MSP said: “Shopkeepers in Scotland’s independent convenience stores are the unsung heroes of the coronavirus pandemic. They have worked tirelessly to ensure that vulnerable people are receiving essential groceries and other products, particularly in rural locations where they are often the only shopping option. “When we applaud the key workers who are fighting the coronavirus on the frontline, let’s not forget the shopkeepers.”

Scottish Grocers Federation Chief Executive Pete Cheema commented: “We are delighted that MSPs from all political parties have recognised the outstanding work being done by convenience retailers in ensuring that customers have access to essential groceries and vital services. More and more people are recognising that convenience stores have become the new emergency service.” Meanwhile, Business Secretary Alok Sharma wrote an open letter thanking those working in retail during the coronavirus pandemic. The letter acknowledged the hardships retailers are currently facing, and give thanks to all of those continuing to work and who are following the government’s direction. Sharma said: “I want to pay tribute to all of you who continue to work tirelessly in the retail sector to ensure that the public can continue to access the goods they need in these challenging times.”

CORONAVIRUS

Surge in demand for Snappy Shopper E-commerce Home delivery platform Snappy Shopper has reported a fivefold increase in store numbers on the back of demand from retailers and customers during the coronavirus crisis. Snappy Shopper’s platform sales soared 534% in the five weeks after the lockdown started on 23 March compared to the five weeks before. Platform customers increased by 360% over the same period and average basket spend has grown by 51%, from £21.52 to £32.49, during the Covid-19 pandemic. The company’s boss Mark Steven said Snappy Shopper’s top retailers were regularly generating home delivery sales in excess of £10,000 per week. Initially launched and trialled in Dundee, Snappy Shopper is now available to convenience stores across the UK mainland.

good news at all”. KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST NEWS AS IT HAPPENS – FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SLRMAG

SLR | MAY 2020

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More than meets the eye!

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76%

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News CORONAVIRUS Costcutter comes to the rescue

GET UPDATED ON THE

RETAILER HUB Visit: www.TNLRetailerHub.co.uk to access the following information: • Latest lottery news (including COVID 19 updates) • Current POS • Training content • Responsible Retailing • Redeem your retailer rewards* • Tips to help maximise your sales

*Only eligible National Lottery Retailers can claim rewards. Ts & Cs apply, visit www.tnlretailerhub.co.uk for more details

COSTCUTTER POPS UP TO HELP ISOLATED COMMUNITY

As convenience retail plays an everincreasing role in supporting local communities during the Covid-19 pandemic, Costcutter has opened a new pop-up shop in the village of Fangfoss, North Yorkshire, to ensure residents have easy access to everyday essential items. Previously located in nearby Dunnington – while the existing Costcutter store underwent an extensive refurbishment – the pop-up shop has been relocated to the village pub’s car park in Fangfoss to deliver a convenience provision for the community. For the people of Fangoss, essential shopping during the current crisis had

been difficult due to the distance between their homes and the nearest supermarket, particularly for those individuals reliant on public transport and being advised to avoid travelling wherever possible. Costcutter worked with portable retail specialist Rapid Retail to deploy the 8.5m x 2.9m pop up shop, which is fully branded and fitted out in line with the group’s static stores. It offers store cupboard staples, fresh and frozen goods, and beers, wines and spirits. The pop-up store also offers home delivery on orders for elderly and vulnerable customers.

WHOLESALERS Suppliers must reconsider priorities, says Pervez

CORONAVIRUS

BESTWAY CALLS FOR FAIR SHARE OF STOCK

Postmasters guaranteed payment

Bestway Wholesale boss Dawood Pervez has urged suppliers to reconsider their priorities as the wholesaler faces ongoing issues getting hold of retail stock during the coronavirus outbreak. Pervez thanked suppliers who have “wholeheartedly supported” Bestway but asked those who are still basing volumes on precoronavirus numbers to consider the massive change in shopping habits, with more people visiting c-stores since the outbreak began. The problems mean Bestway is not accepting new customer registrations from retailers, although a good supply of cateringsized packs and pet products means it is once again welcoming caterers and pet businesses. “The role of the independent

All independent Postmasters who keep their branches open during the coronavirus pandemic will receive guaranteed remuneration by the Post Office. Postmasters will receive 100% of their remuneration for April and 90% for May. Eight thousand independent Post Offices will benefit from this guarantee, which will be kept under review if public health advice to stay at home continues.

local community store has never been more important,” said Pervez. He added: “We’ve been working with our suppliers and campaigning on behalf of independent retail stores and community shops to stress the importance of supply through our sector, so that vital products can directly reach people’s homes whilst staying local in the face of social isolation.” To further help vulnerable shoppers, Bestway has fast-tracked enrolment of stores onto the Uber Eats convenience home delivery programme; over 2,000 orders have been placed in the last few weeks. Bestway is also registering Local Authorities and NHS trusts who need products to support those who are vulnerable or shielding.

SLR | MAY 2020

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News CORONAVIRUS Huge sum to help the most vulnerable

LOTTERY SWITCHES FUNDING FOCUS WITH £600M TO TACKLE CORONAVIRUS IMPACT Charities and organisations affected by the coronavirus outbreak in the UK are being given access to a comprehensive package of support of up to £600m of repurposed money from The National Lottery. Whether it is funding for good causes that combat loneliness and isolation, provide support for the elderly, or projects that support physical and mental health in the community – the extensive funding package span the arts, community and

charity, heritage, education, environment and sports sectors. So far, the funding includes: Q Up to £300m over the next six months going UK-wide to groups best placed to support people and communities at this vital time; Q A £50m Emergency Fund from The National Lottery Heritage Fund to address immediate pressures in the heritage sector over the next four months; Q an accelerated £16.4m

of investment from sportscotland that will help protect the jobs of an estimated 1,600 members of staff working in the sector. Q Creative Scotland has repurposed over £10m to keep funding ﬂowing to those in most immediate need due to the impact of the Covid-19 crisis. Resources have also been redeployed to ensure those working across Scotland’s arts, screen and creative industries can keep working .

CORONAVIRUS New fund to help colleagues facing hard times

BRC BIDS TO RAISE £10M TO SUPPORT COLLEAGUES The British Retail Consortium has joined forces with retailTRUST and RWRC (the home of Retail Week and World Retail Congress) in a bid to raise £10m for retail colleagues who are facing financial distress as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. The fundraising campaign, ‘CaRe 20 – Caring for Retail during Covid-19’, aims to raise £10m to provide the financial, emotional, physical and vocational support for retail workers and their families who may be ineligible for government support during the health emergency. CaRe20 will offer a lifeline to those on retail’s frontline who are putting their customers’ health and wellbeing before their own, including contractors and temporary staff, those who have already been left out of work, and employees who may need more than just financial help. Emotional and physical support will also be required by some of those who still have jobs as they cope with the stress of meeting heightened demand in essential stores and risking exposure to Covid-19 daily. BRC Chief Executive Helen Dickinson said: “There has never been a more

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important time for us all to support one another. The retail industry is facing its biggest challenge in decades with many colleagues under enormous emotional and financial strain. Supporting the wellbeing of those in the front line is essential. This underlines the need for a strong government response to the crisis, and it is why initiatives like CaRe20 are so important. We urge everyone to offer their support and kindness to the millions of retail workers across the country at this difficult time.” The money raised will support thousands of people working in retail. Funds will also be made available to employees of retail’s supporting industries, including the food distribution, pharmaceutical and medical supply sectors.

GET UPDATED ON THE

RETAILER HUB Visit: www.TNLRetailerHub.co.uk to access the following information: 1. Visit www. TNLRetailerHub.co.uk 2. Click: Sign up 3. Enter your Retailer Number, Name and Email Address

THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT A huge thank you for all your hard work at this very difficult time. Wishing you well – stay safe

MAY 2020 | SLR

DRIVING SOFT DRINK SALES The soft drinks category is worth £1.7bn to independent

retailers and, with so many new products and launches coming to market, it is vitally important to stay on top of your range to make sure you’re making the most of your sales. Jemma Healy from Lucozade Ribena Suntory joined Peter Takkar and Manmeet Laghmani at their Effingham Mini Mart store to find out how small changes to your soft drinks display can grow sales.

Meet the retailers The store as it stands JEMMA HEALY CATEGORY CONTROLLER LUCOZADE RIBENA SUNTORY Peter & Manmeet’s is one of the best I’ve been to in a while. From the outset, they’ve got a beautiful layout out the front with fresh fruit and vegetables, and as you go in its really clean and tidy and really easy for a customer to shop. What I liked about Peter and Manmeet’s chiller was that they had really understood what products sell well and they have multiple facings to cater for availability. What we looked at today was more around segmentation.

Lessons for your store Remember that shoppers shop by mission, so ensure that you group drink types – like sports and energy, colas, or flavoured carbonates – together on shelf.

Try to block vertically by segment where possible, to allow shoppers to more easily see the drink type they are looking for. Ensure that drinks designed to “drink now” are the focus of the front of your chiller – helping to ensure that impulse shoppers can find what they want easily.

PETER TAKKAR AND MANMEET LAGHMANI EFFINGHAM MINI MART, SURREY We’ve been here since April 2017. Since taking over, we’ve completely refurbished the store. Everything – from fridges to floors, from the shopfront to the ceiling – is brand new. We’ve put in a lot of effort and a fair bit of money doing it up. We have a very local customer base as well as a lot of passing traders and builders who come in for breakfast, hot pastries or coffee in the morning. We also have a lot of older customers who pop in for their essentials – papers and milk, for example. It’s a wide range of shoppers, we serve pretty much everyone here! Our biggest soft drink sellers are Red Bull, Lucozade Sport and regular Coke. I think it’s important for smaller independent stores like us to work with companies like LRS to tap into their knowledge to optimise our soft drinks sales.

90%

THE AMOUNT THE FIVE HIGHEST-VALUE SEGMENTS* CONTRIBUTE TO SOFT DRINK SALES

*Carbonates, energy, water, juice and sport

50%

OF SOFT DRINKS ARE BOUGHT ON IMPULSE

MAKING SIMPLE CHANGES DROVE SALES IN PETER AND MANMEET’S STORE:

£8,060

PREDICTED ANNUAL SALES INCREASE BASED ON EPOS DATA FROM THE LAST SIX WEEKS

17%

TOTAL SALES INCREASE IN PETER & MANMEET’S ENERGY DRINK SALES

THE CHANGES WE MADE IN STORE 1. CATER FOR SHOPPER MISSIONS

BEFORE

AFTER

The first change we made was to bring smaller and emerging segments like breakfast drinks, protein drinks and Natural Energy together on one shelf so that they have a much bigger presence of these drinks within the chiller.

2. SEGMENT SPORTS AND ENERGY

BEFORE

AFTER

The second change we made was all about the sports and energy segment. Previously, this was spread over four shelves. What we did was consolidate this to allow shoppers to more easily buy from this segment.

3. MAKE ‘DRINK NOW’ THE FOCUS

BEFORE

AFTER

TO SEE MORE OF PETER AND MANMEET’S SHOP AND FOR MORE ADVICE AND TIPS FOLLOW LRS ON TWITTER AT @LRSUNTORY

The third change was to ensure all of the ‘drink now’ products are at the start of the chiller. When we came in, drink later products like large format juices were at the start. It’s important to make sure that impulse products are at the start of the fixture and there when the customer walks in.

News Extra

Coronavirus | In-store abuse

NewsExtra DRIVING GROWTH IN CIGARS – P32 CORONAVIRUS New figures suggest the lockdown is getting to shoppers

Convenience Matters with the SGF Convenience retailers in Scotland are continuing to provide an outstanding level of service to our communities – particularly in ensuring that vulnerable customers receive deliveries of essential groceries. This remarkable effort has been praised by MSPs at Holyrood and MPs at Westminster. There is a growing recognition of the key role local shops have been playing in giving Scotland’s communities the resilience to get through this crisis. The motion tabled at Holyrood recognised that convenience staff are on the front line and has received support from MSPs of all parties. But retailers need to protect their businesses. We must ensure we still have a thriving convenience sector when this crisis is over. Retailers must make use of all the ﬁnancial support available: use the Employment Allowance to reduce employers NICS; claim the full amount you can under the business rates-related grant scheme; if you need to furlough staff the HMRC Job retention Scheme is now open. Remember – you will pay no business rates at all for the next 12 months. The pressure on staff has been relentless: increased footfall, responsibilities to enforce social distancing to protect customers and staff, dealing with difﬁcult customers. It can often take some time for the impact of these pressures to hit people fully. It is very likely that we might see widespread post traumatic stress amongst staff. To help deal with this we are continuing our partnership with the Retail Trust. They provide high quality welfare and support services for our colleagues in the industry. These services will continue to be available to SGF members for the long-term.

SLR | MAY 2020

SHOPWORKER ASSAULTS DOUBLE AS TENSIONS RISE An Usdaw survey has revealed a disturbing rise in the already unacceptable level of abuse directed towards shopworkers during the lockdown. UK shopworkers have been verbally abused, threatened or assaulted every week during the coronavirus emergency, according to a survey conducted by shopworkers trade union Usdaw. A similar poll for 2019 found the average was nearly once a fortnight, suggesting incidents have doubled in the last month. While not all shopworkers suffer to this extent, some experience much worse – with one in six abused on every shift. Usdaw’s survey of 4,928 shopworkers found that since the Coronavirus outbreak: Q 62% of UK shopworkers experienced verbal abuse Q almost a third were threatened by a customer Q 4% were assaulted, which amounts to more than 3,500 incidents every day when averaged across all retail workers. Usdaw believes the ﬁgures are an underestimation because the survey analysis assumes each respondent was only assaulted once and it was conducted in mainly larger trade union organised stores, which tend to be safer than smaller nonunionised workplaces. The union called for urgent action to tackle the problem and Shadow Home Secretary Nick Thomas-Symonds has sought assurances from government that tackling these crimes is a policing priority throughout this crisis. Usdaw’s General Secretary Paddy Lillis said: “We are shocked that violence, threats

and abuse have doubled during this national emergency. At a time when we should all be working together to get through this crisis, it is a national disgrace that people working to keep food on the shelves for their local communities are being abused and assaulted. “Urgent action is required. Our message is clear, abuse is not part of the job. “Life on the frontline of retail is normally pretty tough for many shopworkers and has become much worse during the Coronavirus emergency. Shopworkers are on the frontline of feeding the country, providing an essential service in very difﬁcult circumstances, working long hours in busy stores, facing abuse from customers and of course concerned they may contract Covid-19. “The safety of our members is absolutely paramount, but they tell us that some of the shopping public are resisting social distancing measures in stores and can become abusive when asked to queue and maintain a two-metre gap. Our message to the public is there is no excuse for abusing shopworkers, please treat our members with the respect they deserve.

“So there needs to be action to help protect staff. We want the Government to legislate for stiffer penalties for those who assault workers; a simple standalone offence that is widely recognised and understood by the public, police, CPS, the judiciary and most importantly criminals. Retail staff have a crucial role in our communities and that role must be valued and respected, they deserve the protection of the law.” Respondents to the survey recorded a catalogue of shocking incidents that included verbal abuse, swearing, spitting, threatening behaviour and violence. Flashpoints included limiting purchases, asking customers to pay by card rather than cash and attempts to carry out social distancing. There were also reports of customers deliberately coughing or sneezing on staff. One respondent said: “We have been threatened with violence and have had to make police reports about members of the public threatening to ‘bash our faces in’ when we leave the store after our shifts. We are regularly subjected to verbal abuse, usually surrounding low/zero stock and restrictions on certain products.”

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To our National Lottery retail partners, In these exceptional times, I wanted to say a huge thank you to you and your colleagues for your support, both in the past but particularly at the current time. The Covid-19 crisis has thrown new challenges at us on an enormous scale and I firmly believe that we can meet that challenge by working together. As the retail sector finds itself under great pressure, this has raised some questions about the sale of National Lottery products â&#x20AC;&#x201C; so I thought it would be useful to provide you with some context. The National Lottery was set up by Parliament back in 1994 to raise money for Good Causes and, as you know, each ticket sold raises vital funds for people and projects across the UK. This funding has never been more crucial than it is now, as The National Lottery plays its part in helping the country respond to, and recover from, the Covid-19 crisis. It is for this reason that The National Lottery Community Fund recently announced that up to ÂŁ300 million will be used to support the most vulnerable in communities across the UK. This is the largest funding response to Covid-19 in the UK, outside of central government. And with more funding still to be announced, thanks to National Lottery players, hundreds of millions of pounds will be distributed to charities and local voluntary organisations over the next few months to help support people during this difficult time â&#x20AC;&#x201C; from helping support food banks, to causes that combat loneliness and isolation, support for the elderly and projects that support health in the community. I know that for you and your business, your priority will of course be the well-being of your teams and maximising safety in your stores. Our retail team is here to answer any questions that you may have on this, including safe ways to play our games and claim prizes in retail. This includes offering players a Lucky Dip, as it minimises contact with players and speeds up the process. Importantly, we are encouraging National Lottery players to buy their tickets in retail only as part of their essential shop. On behalf of everyone at Camelot, I would like to thank you again for everything you do to support us and The National Lottery. All my very best wishes and please stay safe and well.

Nigel Railton CEO, Camelot

Comment

RESPECT AT LAST? We can argue forever about whether it should have been done a long time ago, but the fact remains that it’s extremely welcome news that local retailers, their staff and the people they share homes with are now eligible for coronavirus testing. It is not overstating the point to say that retailers and their teams are literally risking their lives every day in order to provide communities across Scotland with the products and services that they absolutely require. Once again local retailers are demonstrating beyond any shadow of a doubt how far they are prepared to go in order to look after the people in the communities they serve. There are too many examples to mention but I can say without fear of contradiction that Scotland’s local retailers have covered themselves in glory over the last couple of months – and one positive thing to come out of the ungodly mess that is coronavirus is that our sector finally appears to be gaining a little of the respect that it has so long deserved. MSPs and MPs have been increasingly forthcoming in formally recognising the efforts of local retailers across Scotland the rest of the UK and we can only hope that a legacy of Covid-19 will be a re-evaluation of the importance of convenience retailers to communities across Scotland. We may finally be able to shed our ‘corner shop’ personal and instead be recognised as progressive, positive, compassionate and ridiculously hardworking pillars of our communities. Where would Scotland have been in the last eight weeks without convenience stores? There are too many tear-jerking examples of local retailers demonstrating outstanding commitment to their communities, but one example that is worth highlighting is that of Linda and Dennis Williams in Edinburgh. In less than a month they have generated over £9,000 in donations for their Community Hardship Fund and are busy handing it out in small bundles to people in their community who really need a hand right now. The idea is so simple but so effective – and it’s one that is easy to replicate in communities throughout Scotland. This crisis has seen our industry rise to the challenge and then some. My hope is that these efforts won’t be lost in the mists of time once this is all behind us. This is a vital industry in so many senses. Let’s hope Holyrood is finally beginning to understand that.

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

ANTONY BEGLEY, PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

SLR | MAY 2020

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Covid-19 Testing For Key Workers

Cover Story

COVID-19 TESTING EXTENDED TO LOCAL RETAILERS Free testing for coronavirus has been extended to include local retailers, but only after an 11th hour intervention by the Scottish Grocers’ Federation. BY ANTONY BEGLEY

he UK Government has extended Covid-19 testing to essential workers with symptoms and people who live with essential workers and have symptoms. This includes workers involved in the sale of food including convenience retailers and their staff. The Scottish Government’s interpretation of the new extension, however, failed to include local retailers and instead speciﬁed only supermarket workers. The error was picked up by the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) on Saturday and Chief Executive Pete Cheema quickly wrote to the Scottish Government to highlight the glaring error and was rewarded with a response on Monday conﬁrming that convenience retailers would also be included in the free testing package as they are considered essential workers by Holyrood. As a result of SGF’s intervention, access to Covid-19 testing in Scotland has been widened and will now be determined via a prioritisation matrix for key workers that includes a broader range of private sector workers and essential services. Understandably, priority will still be given to health and social care workers who will be primarily routed through NHS testing at local NHS facilities. The UK Government programme in Scotland, however, is additional capacity to supplement NHS testing. Testing is now being extended to include “all symptomatic people categorised as key workers and members of their household”. The Scottish Government website states: “We need to ensure those critical to the sustained functioning of the economy and public services have access to testing that

SLR | MAY 2020

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Covid-19 Testing For Key Workers

Cover Story

enables them to continue their vital work.” The original wording detailing the extension of testing listed retail workers within a group designated as “staff directly involved in delivering other essential services” but speciﬁcally referred only to “supermarket workers”. Thanks to SGF’s intervention, local retailers are now also included.

WHEN TO GET TESTED? Q The test is only guaranteed to be accurate if someone is symptomatic so testing is still targeted at those key workers who are selfisolating because they are symptomatic, or have household members who have symptoms. Q Retailers and their staff should get tested in the first three days of coronavirus symptoms appearing, although testing is considered effective up until day five. Q No testing should be undertaken after day five, unless it’s for a specific reason which will be agreed on a case by case basis by local microbiologists. Q If you are self-isolating because a person you live with has symptoms, you can refer them for testing.

NEGATIVE TESTS AND RETURNING TO WORK Q Even if a key worker has had a negative result, it’s important to still apply caution. Q If everyone with symptoms who was tested in their household receive a negative result, the employee can return to work if their work cannot be done from home, providing they are well enough, and have not had a fever for 48 hours. Q If, after returning to work, they develop symptoms they should follow the NHS Inform guidance and self-isolate. Employees should discuss their return to work with their employer.

TEST RESULTS AND STAYING SAFE Q The test will conﬁrm if an individual who is showing symptoms of the virus actually has it. It will not conﬁrm whether they have had it and have now recovered.

WHAT HAPPENS TO THE TEST RESULTS? Q Results under the UK testing programme are communicated to individuals directly by text message and are intended to be fed back into public health records in due course. The target for sending results is by text within 48hrs.

ARRANGING A TEST IF YOU ARE A KEY WORKER Eligible key workers will be notiﬁed of where www.slrmag.co.uk

MAY 2020 | SLR

Cover Story

Covid-19 Testing For Key Workers

email the same day inviting them to either book an appointment or get sent a home self-testing kit. Q Those using self-referral can indicate their preference prior to registering details. Q The UK programme is expected to include an option for booking a home-test to be delivered where attendance at a drive through centre is not practicable. Q A call centre is available by phone, to help people with the process and deal with test result queries.

OBTAIN A LOGIN FOR THE EMPLOYER REFERRAL PORTAL Q In order to obtain a login, employers of key workers should email portalservicedesk@ dhsc.gov.uk with two email addresses that will primarily be used to load key worker contact details. Q Once employer details have been veriďŹ ed, two login credentials will be issued for the employer referral portal Q Employers should then login at coronavirus-invite-testing.service.gov.uk/ DaraTestDemand/Login to make referrals.

SELF-REFERRAL PORTAL

to go to get their test through the booking arrangements described below. Testing under the UK programme in Scotland is currently conducted in drivethrough sites operating at: Q Glasgow Airport Q Edinburgh Airport Q Aberdeen Airport Q University of the Highlands and Islands campus in Inverness These facilities are run by private sector organisations on behalf of the UK Government. This guidance will be updated as additional testing capacity is deployed. A limited number of home test kits are also available.

EMPLOYER PORTAL Q A new website has been established to improve the process of booking tests. Q Eligible employers can register and refer staff for appointments or eligible key workers will be able to book a test directly for themselves or members of their household. Q After they have entered their details on the portal, individuals will receive a text or 18

SLR | MAY 2020

Q Go to self-referral.test-for-coronavirus. service.gov.uk to sign up if you are a key worker and you or a member of your family is symptomatic. Q Any questions from employers or key workers about accessing testing, the website, or results should be made through opshub@dhsc.gov.uk.

HOME TESTS Q Home test kits are an option where key workers are unable to attend a drivethrough centre, subject to availability. This option is covered in the booking process. Q Essential workers who have completed a self-referral may have the option, depending on available capacity, to book a home-test kit. Q Amazon and Royal Mail are the commercial partners being used to deliver Home Testing nationwide. They do not have access to the results or any health data.

HOW HOME TESTING WORKS Q After you complete a self-referral and order a home-test kit, the test would then be delivered the next day, and the essential worker or household member would selfadminister the swab, packing it up as per the included instructions. Q A Royal Mail courier will arrive the day after to collect it and take it to the lab. The aim is that results will then be received via text within 48 hours. www.slrmag.co.uk

CIGARETTES THE ‘NEW DUAL’ RANGE A NEW DISTINCTIVE BLEND IN A UNIQUE DUAL PACK PLUS: This new distinctive blend is also available in Mayfair New Green Sterling New Superkings Green Berkeley New Superkings Green Benson & Hedges New Superkings Green

CIGARILLOS NEW STERLING DUAL CAPSULE LEAF WRAPPED TOBACCO LEAF WRAPPED STICK WITH A PEPPERMINT CAPSULE FILTE FILTER

VAPES LOGIC COMPACT NEW EXTENDED RANGE NOW INCLUDES 9 MENTHOL FLAVOURS

LOGIC EPIQ E-LIQUID AVAILABLE IN MENTHOL FLAVOURS

NICOTINE POUCHES NORDIC SPIRIT 100 TOBACCO FREE WITH 100% A FRESH MINT FLAVOUR

WE’VE GOT THE ALTERNATIVES

News

Products

Spar Scotland nets new ﬁsh line Spar Scotland has strengthened

ProductNews

its frozen ﬁsh offer with a line from new supplier Downies of

FRESH CHALLENGES FOR VAPING – P34

Whitehills. Frozen Breaded Haddock is available to Spar retailers now with an RSP of £4. Downies of Whitehills is a family-run business with over 150 years of experience in the ﬁshing industry.

Marmite launches new six case size Marmite has unveiled a brandnew shelf-ready six pack, created for retailers who are looking for less cash outlay per trip to the wholesaler while still wanting to have high volumes on-shelf. Rolling out now, the case contains six 125g jars. The launch is supported by Marmite’s £2m multimedia messaging campaign. Marmite 6 Case has a wholesale price of £8.99.

SPORTS & ENERGY DRINKS

WE NEED FITNESS EXPERTS, SAYS LUCOZADE SPORT

Lucozade Sport has launched ‘Keep Us Moving’ – an initiative to support the nation’s ﬁtness coaches, instructors and personal trainers by incentivising them to help the nation to stay active during the coronavirus outbreak. Fitness experts across the country have the chance to host online classes through Lucozade Sport’s Instagram and YouTube TV channels. The classes will be available for free and all trainers will be paid for each piece of content used by the channel in return for their expertise, with an initial £100,000 fund up for grabs. The initiative is backed by Lucozade Sport ambassador Anthony Joshua. It is open to all qualiﬁed coaches and trainers across a diverse range of sports, from community group leaders to professional coaches.

‘Keep Us Moving’ is an extension to Lucozade Sport’s Made To Move platform, through which £30m has been invested since 2016 to inspire the public to get active. The new fund aims to provide a ﬁnancial boost for coaches during the crisis which has seen gyms, leisure and community centres close in order to halt the spread of the virus, resulting in an increasing appetite for digital ﬁtness content. The content series will feature daily accessible home workout routines from Monday to Friday, with schedules for the following week announced every Sunday. Anthony Joshua said: “I hope trainers across the country will take the opportunity to join me in keeping Britain moving together with Lucozade Sport. Fitness experts, we need you!”

CONFECTIONERY

Sweetstake promo returns Mars Wrigley has announced the return of its Sweetstake promotion, with top prizes of £20,000 and a new charitable partnership with National Emergencies Trust (NET) for its Coronavirus appeal. The promo runs throughout summer 2020 across the Mars, Revels, M&M’s, Galaxy Minstrels, Maltesers, Twix, Galaxy Ripple, Snickers, Starburst, Skittles and Extra brands. It is supported by POS and overlays, alongside social media activity. Given that all football leagues are currently suspended, winners will be decided on the outcome of virtual games instead. The prize pool consists of £20,000, £1,000, £500, £20 and £5 cash prizes plus millions of free pack coupons. Mars Wrigley will match the value of every prize claimed with a donation to NET in order to reach a target donation of £500,000.

CONFECTIONERY

Win the captain with Cadbury and Maynards Bassetts Cadbury is teaming up with Maynards Bassetts this summer for the biggest joint promotion yet from the two Mondelez brands. ‘Win the Captain’ gives shoppers the chance to win a day with an international football captain. Captains up for grabs include Eden Hazard, Virgil Van Dijk and Harry Kane. Lucky consumers can also win thousands of other prizes, such as stadium tours, e-sports and bubble football games.The promotion runs from May to July across 100 product lines including tablets, bags, singles, multipacks, large bags and biscuits. Best-selling lines – including Cadbury Fingers, Dairy Milk, Twirl, Wispa, Wine Gums and more – have an on-pack mechanic inviting shoppers to purchase. Other participating SKUs feature an off-pack promotion where consumers enter barcode and batch code details online to be in with a chance of winning. Mathieu Maggi, Brand Manager for Cadbury Dairy Milk, said: “We’d encourage retailers to get involved and to create real excitement and theatre in store.” Retailers can order posters to help communicate the promotion to shoppers in store by visiting deliciousdisplay.co.uk.

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

SLR | MAY 2020

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Products

News

Meatless Farm beefs up sales ﬁgures Plant-based food manufacturer Meatless Farm has been identiﬁed as the fastest growing meat alternatives brand. BISCUITS

It recorded a 149% sales

Spar and Brownings back Marie Curie with biscuits

increase when comparing the

Spar Scotland has teamed up with Brownings the Bakers to produce a twin-pack of #stayathome Empire biscuits. Priced at £1.60, the twinpack is available exclusively in Spar stores. Sixty pence from the sale of each product will go to Spar’s charity partner, Marie Curie, who is supporting the NHS during this critical time. Spar boss Colin McLean said: “Marie Curie nurses are doing a phenomenal job helping terminally people and their families at what is already the most challenging moment in their lives. We hope consumers will support this campaign and as a result support Marie Curie.”

91% of shoppers had tried meat

12 weeks to 25 January 2020 with the same period in 2018/9, according to Nielsen data. On top of that, Kantar found free products in the past year, driving a 9.6% growth in the category.

Border’s bar hits Scotmid Border Biscuits has launched its Dark Chocolate Ginger bars into the convenience channel following January’s initial roll out in Sainsbury’s. Packs of ﬁve are now on sale in Scotmid stores, with plans in motion for listings in wholesalers. The bars will be available in cases of 14 x 120g multipacks (RSP to be conﬁrmed).

Regional Manager

(Scotland and Northern England) Motor Fuel Group, the UK’s largest independent petrol station operator, is looking for a Regional Manager based in Scotland to lead a team covering around 100 contract managed sites, using your skills and experience to grow the business across fuel, food to go and store ranges. Candidates will need: • A proven record of delivering standards and performance across multiple sites in the independent, motor fuel or grocery multiples sector. • To have successfully developed and managed a regional team. • Great commercial acumen. • The ability to communicate and influence a range of stakeholders. • Strong financial planning and control skills. In return we offer a competitive salary and benefits package. Visit www.motorfuelgroup.com go to the Vacancies section and apply online now!

www.slrmag.co.uk

MAY 2020 | SLR

News

Off-Trade

Growth in off-trade won’t save brewers, says BBPA The UK brewing industry’s

Off-TradeNews

largest trade association has warned that increased sales in the off-trade alone cannot stave off devastation for the country’s brewers. The warning from the British Beer and Pub Association came as the Government rejected its call for a blanket deferral of beer duty payments due on 25 April relating to beer produced in March, when pubs were forced to shut down overnight. A plea to defer beer duty for the whole of the next quarter (April-June) also fell on deaf ears.

Distilleries give 10% of sales to help hospitality workers Tobermory, Bunnahabhain and Deanston Distilleries are donating 10% of all product

WHAT’S FRESH IN FORECOURTS – P42 CORONAVIRUS Shoppers seek solace in the hard stuff

Covid-19 drives spirits surge Sales of spirits in the convenience channel have soared during the coronavirus outbreak, according to The Retail Data Partnership. Data from the EPoS supplier indicates the Rate-of-Sale (RoS) in the past few weeks is running 53% higher than at the start of 2020. “We are used to a fall in RoS early in the year for products that ﬂy off the shelf over Christmas, with a gradual recovery occurring in February and March. We saw the same pattern in the ﬁrst 11 weeks of 2020, but since the 9th of March we’ve witnessed a

substantial surge in RoS,” said a TRDP spokesperson. “Our next-day sales ﬁgures give no indication of any slow-down. This is good news for Spirits suppliers, which have obviously seen their sales hit hard in the on-trade.”

Another unexpected outcome in has been a dramatic increase in the range of Spirits being sold – up by 34%. TRDP suggested this could be because retailers have not been able to source their normal range of products.

sales through their online stores to The BEN – in aid of Scottish hospitality industry workers

RTDs

affected by Covid-19.

Hooper’s conjures up ‘ginger man’ memories

The BEN – the Benevolent Society of the Licensed Trade of Scotland – is facing an unprecedented demand for its services, as the circumstances of hundreds of thousands of hospitality workers change because of the coronavirus outbreak.

Pernod Ricard UK announces new Commercial Director

Nostalgic British alcoholic drinks brand Hooper’s is once again drawing inspiration from memories of the ‘ginger man’ with the creation of two new ﬂavours – Classic Cherryade and Rhubarb & Custard –alongside a fresh new look and feel. The new ﬂavours will be initially available in the convenience channel to Nisa retailers in the second week of May. Both are ABV 4% and gluten free. They will be available in cases of 12 x 500ml glass bottles (RSP £2) alongside the existing Dandelion & Burdock variant.

Pernod Ricard UK’s current Business Development Director Ian Peart has been promoted to Commercial Director, effective from 1 July 2020. He replaces Chris Ellis. Peart joined the drinks giant in 2006 as Field Sales Director and has held several positions in the Commercial team. For the last three years, as Business Development Director, he has been responsible for identifying, developing and accelerating growth opportunities for Pernod Ricard in the UK. Ellis has decided to leave the

DIGESTIFS Jägermeister climbs aboard the home delivery bandwagon

Jägermeister offers £5 Deliveroo credit Mast-Jaegermeister has extended its nationwide partnership with Deliveroo to July as the Covid-19 pandemic continues and consumers increasingly turn to home delivery. As part of the deal, 200,000 bottles of Jägermeister and Jägermeister Cold Brew Coffee feature a neck collar with a code redeemable on the Deliveroo app for a £5 credit when spending £20 with the delivery service.

The promotional collars run across 35cl, 50cl and 70cl bottle formats. The partnership is supported digitally, with Jägermeister’s YouTube channel offering ‘big night in’ suggestions. Mast-Jaegermeister UK Marketing Director Nicole Goodwin said: “With these specialty bottles of Jägermeister we are providing our consumers and customers products and promotions that will support them during this uncertain time.”

business after 16 years. KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST NEWS AS IT HAPPENS – FOLLOW US ON TWITTER @SLRMAG

SLR | MAY 2020

www.slrmag.co.uk

*RRP: For the avoidance of doubt, retailers are free at all times to determine their selling price.

SLR REWARDS POSTPONED TO NOV 18TH

In light of the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, it is with a heavy heart that we announce that the SLR Rewards are being postponed until Nov 18th.

Beer, Cider, Wines & Spirits Retailer of the Year Q Premier Dundee University Q Premier Smeaton Stores, Kirkcaldy Q Spar Havannah Street, Glasgow Biscuits Retailer of the Year Q Eurogarages Spar Duncansfield Q Best-one Redding Supermarket Q Spar Dalrymple Confectionery Retailer of the Year Q David’s Kitchen Falkirk Q Eurogarages Spar Hamilton Q Londis Solo Convenience Store, Baillieston Q Spar Leuchars Crisps & Snacks Retailer of the Year Q David’s Kitchen Falkirk Q Eurogarages Spar Lomondgate Q Spar Camelon Food to Go Retailer of the Year Q Brysons Londis, Prestwick Q David’s Kitchen Falkirk Q Nisa Pinkie Farm Convenience Store, Musselburgh Q Spar Havannah Street, Glasgow Forecourt Retailer of the Year Q Brysons Londis, Prestwick Q Jet Nisa Ardeer, Stevenston Q Premier Racetrack Autoport Services, Glasgow Fresh, Chilled & Frozen Retailer of the Year Q Premier Dundee University Q Nisa Pinkie Farm Convenience Store, Musselburgh Q Spar Renfrew Newstrade Retailer of the Year Q Joes, Loanhead Q JR McKinnes, Dalry Q Premier Turriff

THE FINALISTS

t will come as no surprise, under the current extraordinary circumstances, but we are postponing the most rewarding event in retail until later in the year. The SLR Rewards are now rescheduled for November 18th at the same Radisson blu venue in Glasgow. The coronavirus lockdown has meant that we have been unable to carry out the on-the-road judging for this year’s Rewards as planned. As it stands, we still have no clarity on how the coronavirus pandemic will pan out in future so we have taken the decision to move the event back to late in the year. Our sincere hope is that the crisis will be well and truly over by then and we would be utterly delighted to welcome the industry together on November 18th, both to recognise and reward some of Scotland’s best retailers, but also to celebrate the vitally important role that Scotland’s local retailers have played, and continue to play, in communities across Scotland in these challenging times. We have already consulted with shortlisted retailers and received feedback that was unanimously understanding, so we feel that this is the right thing to do. There will be plenty of time in future to celebrate retail excellence. For the time being, the priority must remain on serving Scotland’s communities with compassion and vigour in the way that only the local retailing industry can do. We will provide updates throughout the year but in the meantime, keep up the outstanding work – and stay safe.

Soft Drinks Retailer of the Year Q Day-Today Barassie Q Eurogarages Spar West Highway, Clydebank Q News 24, Glasgow Q Spar Boswell Park, Ayr

Vaping Retailer of the Year Q Premier Racetrack Autoport Services, Glasgow Q Spar Havannah Street, Glasgow Q Wazs, Broxburn Community Involvement Retailer of the Year Q Day-Today Bourtreehill Q Londis Solo Convenience Store, Baillieston Q Nisa Pinkie Farm Convenience Store, Musselburgh New Store of the Year Q David’s Kitchen Kirkcaldy Q Spar Freuchie Q Spar Havannah Street, Glasgow

Best Refit of the Year Q Highclere Food Store, Inverurie Q Premier Racetrack Autoport Services, Glasgow Q Nisa Bellshill Q Nisa Pinkie Farm Convenience Store. Musselburgh Responsible Retailer of the Year Q Family Shopper Blantyre Q Londis Solo Convenience Store, Baillieston Q Premier Racetrack Autoport Services, Glasgow Scottish Brands Q Eurogarages Lomondgate Q Greens of Ellon Q Nisa Pinkie Farm Convenience Store. Musselburgh Sustainability Q Greens of Ellon Q Highclere Food Store, Inverurie Q Premier Dundee University Q Premier Watson’s Grocer, Moniaive Team of the Year Q Best-one Whitburn Post Office Q Day-Today Lochside Q Premier Smeaton Stores, Kirkcaldy ThinkSmart Innovation Award BP Mearnskirk Day-Today Redburn Road, Prestonpans Premier Racetrack Autoport Services, Glasgow

SLR | MAY 2020 www.slrmag.co.uk

THE DEADLINE IS APPROACHING… Make sure you’re ready in time for 20th May Mark Yexley,

Communications Director at JTI UK, says:

Any Questions? From 20th May, all cigarette and hand rolling tobacco products sold in the UK must carry ‘track & trace’ coding and the UK security label. By the deadline, retailers must have registered for an Economic Operator ID (EOID) and a Facility ID (FID) for each store. Without these, retailers cannot buy cigarettes or hand rolling tobacco from wholesale, cash & carry or via tobacco company representative. If you have not already done so, register for your EOID and FID here - https://eutpd.uk.delarue.com

Scan the code below with your smartphone camera to access www.jtiadvance.co.uk/ trackandtrace Or speak to your JTI sales representative.

Inside Business

Research Digest

RETAIL CRIME, AS WELL AS ITS COST, ROCKETS The British Retail Consortium has published its latest annual Retail Crime Survey which reveals the number of violent or abusive incidents – as well as the cost of crime to businesses – continues to rise. The latest data from Barclaycard shows that sales in local food and drink stores grew by a 30.5% in March with sales in supermarkets up 21.3%. In the week before social distancing measures were introduced, sales in local businesses shot up a huge 80%. The data also reveals that travel fell by 40.5% and fuel purchases decreased by 4.2% as shoppers spent more time at home. Online purchases rose by 5.5% while total in-store transactions dropped 4.0%. Conﬁdence in the UK economy fell to 25% yet more than half of shoppers chose to buy locally to support independent businesses. Total consumer spending dropped 6.0% year-on-year in March as measures to tackle coronavirus were introduced. Esme Harwood, Director at Barclaycard, said: “The coronavirus pandemic continues to impact everyday life in the UK, and this is naturally reﬂected in where and how Brits are spending their money. It’s no surprise that essential spend has increased as tighter movement restrictions have meant consumers are largely staying indoors, and therefore unable to visit the high-street, socialise in person, or travel.”

Shoppers ‘forced to buy locally’ – and they’re liking it

New research from Barclaycard has found that coronavirus is ‘forcing’ consumers to buy locally – and that they are enjoying the experience.

hoppers across the UK are being ‘forced’ to turn to local stores and markets for their essentials and are trying to avoid stockpiling while also being increasingly aware of looking out for others in their community. That’s part of the ﬁndings from new research from Barclaycard which suggests that over half (55%) of consumers want to increase their support of nearby businesses as a result of the lockdown – principally by using local shops and markets. From data from across the UK, respondents in Edinburgh are the most likely to feel this way, with

Scottish sales hit record low

he latest SRC-KPMG Scottish Retail Sales Monitor for March 2020 has found that total retail sales in Scotland have hit their lowest ever level since the Monitor was ﬁrst introduced in 1999. In March, Scottish sales decreased by 14.5% on a like-for-

SLR | MAY 2020

65% planning to focus more of their spending locally. Barclaycard, which processes almost half of all card transactions, found that specialist food and drink stores, such as off licences and convenience stores, saw spend grow by 30.5% in March as the nation chose to buy locally and support independent businesses. The ﬁndings also show that 41% of people have checked in on vulnerable neighbours to see if they need help with shopping and that almost threequarters (71%) say they have made a conscious effort not to stockpile food.

like basis compared with March 2019, when they had decreased by 4.1%. Total sales in Scotland decreased by 13.0% compared with March 2019, the lowest ever recorded by the Monitor. Adjusted for deﬂation, the decrease was 12.2%. Total Food sales, however, increased by 12.1% versus March

2019 and the 3-month and 12-month averages remained above the UK’s levels of 5.1% and 2.4% respectively. Total Non-Food sales, on the other hand, plummeted by 33.6% in March compared to March 2019, when they had decreased by 5.6%. Again, this was the worst ever recorded by the Monitor. www.slrmag.co.uk

100% OF OUR

BOTTLES AND CANS ARE

RECYCLABLE Proud founding SIGNATORY of UK Plastic Pact 100% of manufacturing waste

is diverted from landfill 99% of GB owned brand

portfolio below/exempt from SUGAR LEVY

Time to

Inside Business

Menthol Ban Q&A

THE MENTHOL BAN: YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED

SLR | MAY 2020

www.slrmag.co.uk

Menthol Ban Q&A

Inside Business

With the Menthol Ban just around the corner, we put JTI UK Communications Director Mark Yexley in the hot seat to answer questions submitted by local retailers in Scotland.

MOHAMMED RAJAK, DAY-TODAY BRIDGETON: Can you clarify precisely which products the Menthol Ban applies to? We’re getting conflicting advice around whether products like e-liquids and crushball cigarettes are included and it would be great to get some comprehensive, accurate advice. “I can confirm that only Menthol and Capsule cigarettes are affected, including those with a crushball filter, and the ban only applies to hand-rolling tobacco if it is supplied with mentholated filters or papers in the same product. Cigarillos such as Sterling Dual Capsule Leaf Wrapped, mentholated e-liquids like those available in the JTI Logic Compact range, or tobacco-free nicotine pouches including Nordic Spirit are not affected by the ban and will therefore still be available.”

SHAHID ALI, NISA MINTLAW With the current confusion caused by the coronavirus pandemic we need all the help we can get from suppliers to help us understand the Menthol Ban and its implications. Do you have any resources we can access to help with that process? “JTI’s dedicated Menthol Ban microsite www. jtiadvance.co.uk/mentholban2020 contains all the essential information retailers need, as well as FAQs and a comprehensive educational video. Not to mention a number of consumer facing pages which retailers can direct their customers to. We have also recently launched a new interactive training module which retailers and their staff can use to measure how prepared they are.”

UMAR MAJID, NISA BELLSHILL It’s clear that shoppers don’t really understand the Menthol Ban at all and are not prepared for it. We are trying our www.slrmag.co.uk

best to communicate it to them, but do you have any advice on the best way of educating them as we near the deadline? “The best thing retailers can do is ensure they and their staff are knowledgeable about the upcoming legislation and aware of the alternative options available to adult smokers from 20 May so that they can answer any questions with conﬁdence. Our dedicated Menthol Ban microsite includes a number of consumer facing pages which retailers can also direct their customers to in order to ﬁnd out more information.

DAN BROWN, NISA PINKIE FARM CONVENIENCE, MUSSELBURGH: Where do you think the biggest opportunities lies after the Menthol Ban kicks in? Obviously, a lot of shoppers will shift to plain cigarettes but what other alternative products should retailers be stocking in preparation for the ban? Do you believe products like tobacco-free nicotine pouches and leaf wrapped capsule cigarillos are worth getting behind? “JTI expects most adult smokers to stay within the cigarette category and remain brand loyal. That’s why we are launching the New Dual range, a distinctive tobacco blend in a unique dual pack, with two sections of ten cigarettes. “The launches include New Sterling Dual and New Benson & Hedges Blue Dual, and the distinctive blend will also be available in Sterling New SK Green, Benson & Hedges New SK Green, Berkeley New SK Green and Mayfair New Green. In addition, the new Sovereign Dual range also contains a new Flow Tech centre hole in the ﬁlter, which provides further differentiation within the market. “Of course, others will make choices based on their preferences and may seek alternatives.

JTI is determined to provide those smokers with innovative new products that meet their needs. We recently launched Sterling Dual Capsule Leaf Wrapped cigarillos, which contain a peppermint capsule that smokers can click to release a menthol flavour. “On top of that, we have extended our Logic Compact vaping range to include nine menthol flavours, and our Logic EPIQ e-liquids are available in five menthol flavours. Our Nordic Spirit tobacco-free nicotine pouches are also available in a fresh mint variant, providing yet even more choice. “Whatever adult smokers do after the menthol ban, JTI has the alternatives covered.”

FERHAN ASHIQ, DAY-TODAY PRESTONPANS With the current Covid-19 situation affecting store visits, will I still be able to swap non-compliant stock? “JTI representatives will exchange Menthol and Capsule stock held by every retailer who our sales reps visit as part of our standard 12week call cycle. Whilst the current COVID-19 situation is clearly unprecedented, we are determined to continue to support our trade partners through this period of uncertainty. “Should your local JTI representative not be able to visit your store immediately following the Menthol & Capsule Ban on the 20 May 2020, please ensure that you keep the JTI Menthol and Capsule stock that needs swapping separate from other stock. “When appropriate to do so, your JTI representative will begin visiting again so please ensure stock has been separated in readiness for their visit. In the meantime, should you require assistance, please contact your JTI representative by phone, visit out trade website JTI Advance or call the Customer Care Line on 0800 163503.” MAY 2020 | SLR

Hotlines

Product News & Media Watch

Lucozade Energy Citrus Chill Lucozade Ribena Suntory This new lemon & lime ﬂavour is available in now in cases of 12 x 380ml packs – both plain and pricemarked at £1.19 or 2-for-£2.20. It builds on the launches of Apple Blast and Watermelon & Strawberry Cooler, the latter of which delivered sales of more than £2.1m in its first six months on shelf. For more information, call Lucozade Ribena Suntory on 08702 408601 or visit www. lrsuntory.com.

Cathedral City Sandwich Slices Saputo Dairy UK Both Mature and Lighter Mature Cathedral City Sandwich Slices (150g, 6 slices, outers of 13 units) are available now with a £2 RSP. The ‘Sandwich Slice’ format offers larger cheese slices that cover an entire slice of bread. A new packaging design shouts about the “perfect fit”. For stock enquiries retailers should email nuneaton. customerservices@saputo.com.

graze price-marked packs Unilever The graze £1 PMP line-up comprises the brand’s best-selling sweet and savoury punnet products, including Lively Lemon ﬂapjack, Cocoa Vanilla ﬂapjack, Smoky Barbecue Crunch and new Salt & Vinegar Crunch. All are available now in shelf-ready cases of nine. The PMPs have been designed to make purchasing decisions easier for shoppers, whilst also enabling retailers to tap into the healthy snacking opportunity. For more information visit unilever.com.

SLR | MAY 2020

Snacks stack up for Doritos Doritos is taking its triangular snack to new heights with new Doritos Stax, marking the brand’s biggest ever launch and its first foray into the canister snacks segment. Packaged in a recyclable triangular tube, three variants are available now in the convenience channel: Ultimate Cheese; Sour Cream & Onion; and Mexican Chilli Salsa. All are available in cases of 12 x 170g packs with an RSP of £2.50. The launch is supported with a TV ad that documents the rise to stardom of a young musician rewarded for making a bold choice that changed his life forever. In addition to the ad, the launch benefits from out-ofhome and digital advertising campaigns, as well as inﬂuencer partnerships. The media activity will reach over 50 million adults, 15 million of whom belong to Doritos’ target Generation Z audience. Clafoutie Sintive, Marketing Director on Sharing Snacks at brand owner PepsiCo, said: “We know that Doritos appeals to Generation Z, a generation that notoriously looks for brands that challenge the status quo, so we’re confident that the launch of Doritos

Plant-based soups Baxters Baxters has unveiled its first-ever range of tinned plant-based soups. The three-strong vegan-friendly range comprises Jackfruit, Three Bean & Chipotle; Sri Lankan Sweet Potato; and Butternut Squash & Lentil Dhansak. The new soups were inspired by traditional recipes from around the world including Mexico, Sri Lanka and India. The range is initially exclusive to Tesco, with further listings to follow later in the year. To find out more visit baxters.com.

Stax, coupled with our bold ﬂavour choices and the innovative packaging, will bring younger shoppers to this segment.” For more information on Walkers products, telephone 0800 274 777 or complete the form on the Walkers trade website at countsformore.co.uk/ contact-us.

Menthol JUULpods JUUL Labs To coincide with the ban on ﬂavoured tobacco products, JUUL has unveiled new Menthol JUULpods, available now in 4-packs with an RSP of £10.99. It is estimated that around 1.7 million UK smokers choose menthol or crushball cigarettes. Retailers interested in stocking the JUUL range should call 0808 164 1301 or email uksales@ juul.com. More information on Juul products can be found at juul.co.uk.

Napolina pulses and grains Princes Group This new range of four ready to serve pulses and grains ncludes quinoa, chickpeas, red kidney beans and cannellini beans. All are available now in cases of 6 x 150g cans, with an RSP of 70p per can. The products are low in fat and a source of protein, and the range is vacuum packed to ensure there is no liquid to drain. The launch is supported as part of a wider £2m Napolina campaign that includes a TV ad and a raft of digital activity.

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Product News & Media Watch Red Bull Zero Red Bull

Logic Compact Intense JTI

Red Bull has rolled out Red Bull Zero, a new zero-sugar product with a different taste from Red Bull Sugarfree. Plain cans (cases of 24 x 250ml, RSP £1.29) are available now with a PMP following in the summer. The launch will be supported by in-store and out-ofhome activity driving awareness in the Zero category, which is currently enjoying growth of over 20%. To find out more, email customerservice.uk@redbull.com.

3-in-1 Kensitas Club pouch JTI

Following its grocery roll-out last year, Logic has expanded distribution of its Logic Compact Intense range into the independent and wholesale channels. The range of nicotine salt pods is available in five ﬂavours – Amber Tobacco, Peppermint, Berry Ripple, Banoffee and Chai Latte – in 18 mg/ml strength and RSP £5.99. To find out more, speak to your local JTI representative, call 0800 112 3401 or visit jtiadvance. co.uk.

Classic Crispy resealable Florette

The pouch includes 30g of tobacco, 100 papers, and 77 filter tips. The inclusion of filters is a first for the brand. It is available in cases of five with the same £11.70 RSP as the 2-in-1 version and taps into the increasing popularity of value rolling tobacco in Scotland – currently growing 17.5% year-on-year. For more information, retailers should speak to their local JTI Sales Representative, call the help desk on 0800 163503 or visit jtiadvance. co.uk.

Salad brand Florette has relaunched its best-selling Classic Crispy mix in a new resealable pack (170g, RSP £1.50) which features a resealable tab at the top of the bag. The packaging also includes a guarantee, offering consumers their money back if they are not satisfied with the freshness. For stock enquiries, call Florette on 01543 250 050 or email madewithsunshine@ﬂorette.com.

MEDIAwatch

Hotlines

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The unboring choice Barr Soft Drinks has launched a £5m campaign for its Rubicon brand that encourages young soft drinks consumers to ‘make the unboring choice’. The largest-ever investment in the brand is spearheaded by a new TV ad supported by a range of digital and social media, alongside a suite of eyecatching in-store POS.

So, what’s for tea? Birds Eye has launched a new campaign in response to the coronavirus outbreak. Running in place of existing activity, ‘So, what’s for tea’ provides families with ideas and life hacks to help them through the lockdown. A TV ad featuring home-shot footage is supported by social and digital activity that highlights the resources available.

Co-op cancels Easter The Co-op pulled its planned Easter ad campaign and instead used £2.5m of airtime to highlight the work of FareShare, a charity that tackles hunger and food waste. A new ad featured real Co-op staff from around the country speaking through a video-conferencing app, adhering to the government’s guidelines on social distancing.

Pringles pauses the game Boursin Inspiration Bel UK

Matcha Blends Clearspring

Boursin’s new range bids to attract a new younger audience to the cheese brand. It launches with two ﬂavours, Boursin Inspiration India and Boursin Inspiration Mexico. Both will be available to retailers in cases of 6 x 125g tubs with an RSP of £2.20 after an initial Waitrose-exclusive roll out. The launch is supported by a wider marketing campaign that includes shopper marketing, promotions and experiential activity. To find out more, visit boursin. co.uk.

Four new additions to Clearspring’s Organic Japanese tea bag range include Matcha Ginger, Matcha Three Mint, Matcha Genmaicha and Matcha Turmeric. All are available in packs of 20 sachets with an RSP of £3.69. Packs are available in cases of four from several specialist outlets including GreenCity and Highland Wholefoods. To find out more retailers should call 0208 749 1781, email sales@clearspring. co.uk or visit clearspring.co.uk.

Pringles has teamed up with Xbox to “bring gaming to the real world”, with an ad showing two gamers as they customise the world around them – pressing the pause button on a game of football, for example. Backed with social activity, the TV ad looks to cement Pringles as the ideal snack for gaming fans while Britain’s lockdown continues.

Cathedral City stays at home The cheese brand is back with a new ad that inspires viewers to make the most of life under the lockdown and create their own cheddar dishes. The ad runs across ITV, C4 and Sky, as well as on catch-up. It is backed by several other initiatives to support people during the pandemic, including a social campaign to share cheese hacks.

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

MAY 2020 | SLR

Feature

Cigars

SO FAR, SO GOOD FOR CIGARS SLR catches up with Alastair Williams of cigar category leader STG to find out how the market is performing and hear what the company is doing help drive the category forward in tough times. BY ANTONY BEGLEY

hese are curious times for every category in local retailing and Cigars is no exception. The category has been in slow decline for a long time now, but it’s nonetheless proving remarkably resilient. “The total cigar market in Scotland is down 9.9% on an MAT basis to February this year [IRI],” says Alastair Williams, UK Country Director at Scandinavian Tobacco Group (STG) UK, the dominant player in the cigar market in Scotland with a 64.3% share. “But certain segments of the market continue to perform well. Medium and large cigars are actually in growth by value, up 3.5% MAT. That means they have slightly grown their share of the total market and well worth paying attention to, particularly Henry Wintermans Half Corona. Miniature cigars continue to drive and dominate the market, as they have done for some time and the Miniatures share of the market has grown by 0.5% MAT. Miniature cigars now account for 73% of the total cigar market in Scotland so they remain the key lines to focus on for Scotland’s local retailers.” With STG owning three of the four bestselling products in Scotland – Signature Blue, Signature and Signature Finos Blue – Williams’ comments are worth noting, particularly as the company continues to grow its share in Scotland, up 4.2% until February 2020. That share is set to increase further with the recent launch of the innovative new Signature Dual Filter Cigarillos range. Launched in February, the new cigarillos come in a convenient and stylish pack of 10, with an RSP of just £4.95. The key product feature of Signature Dual

is that it has an acetate ﬁlter containing a peppermint capsule under a lasered marker to give a smooth smoking experience which may appeal to cigarette smokers looking for something new. In addition to the capsule, it’s made with Virginia leaf tobacco and has a natural leaf wrapper.

Leading brands in Scotland

MARKET UPDATE The big question is how the market will hold up amidst the current new world order. “At this stage it’s star far too early to say how coronavirus is affecting the category,” comments Williams. “So far, our sales out of the factory have held up remarkably well but we’re receiving a little anecdotal evidence that sales in stores may be softening a little. What we’ve seen in recent times is a big increase in sales of multipacks, which makes sense, as it appears that consumers are shopping less often but buying more when they do.” Williams also believes there is a marked shift away from supermarkets and into convenience retail. “The independent channel is seeing its share grow as shoppers presumably don’t want to have to cope with the queuing that’s

b e c o m e prevalent in supermarkets,” he says. “Value for money continues to be a major trend but the premium end of the market is holding up better in Scotland than across the rest of the UK, which is an interesting point for retailers to note.” As the category leader, STG continues to take its role seriously, says Williams. “With over 64% of the market it’s really incumbent upon us to lead from the front and continue to help driving the category. That’s why the launch of Signature Dual Filter Cigarillos is so exciting for us. It extends our offering to the Scottish tobacco market and it feels like a natural extension to the range. We’re conﬁdent it will prove a very welcome addition to the UK’s biggest cigar brand portfolio.”

THE WAY AHEAD “As for the future, no one can predict anything with any conﬁdence,” concludes Williams. “All we can do is keep focusing on doing what we do well and that’s the same advice I’d give retailers. Focus on the brands that are driving the biggest sales and always ensure you have both premium and value for money options available for your shoppers.”

The Cigar Market in Scotland 32

SLR | MAY 2020

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Vaping

Feature

FRESH CHALLENGES FOR VAPING Coronavirus may be helping to grow sales of vaping products in convenience stores but a big shift to online buying may represent a significant long-term threat for the sector. BY ANTONY BEGLEY

hese are challenging times for retailers with all semblance of normality fast fading into the rearview mirror. Covid-19 is changing the sector beyond recognition, but while the world may have been turned on its head, there’s no question that local retailing is at least being rewarded for its outstanding efforts over the last month or two with hugely increased takings in the till. Many categories have beneﬁtted with vaping among them but with every opportunity comes a challenge. Sales in-store may be increasing for many retailers but a recent report from the UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) suggests that there may be a sting in the tail of the coronavirus sales hike: vapers and smokers across the country are making the switch in huge numbers to online and telephone-based home delivery services for their vape devices and products. Despite the closure of thousands of specialist vapeshops under lockdown, the vaping industry in general is, according to UKVIA, “experiencing phenomenal demand”. This is in large part due to vapers and smokers shifting to online retailers and, to a certain extent, to home delivery services. UKVIA cites Vape Club, a dedicated online retailer, which has reported a 150-200% increase in business that has required the company to double the amount of product it normally stores. Similarly, Edinburgh-based VPZ, one of the largest independent vape retail chains in the 34

SLR | MAY 2020

UK, has shifted from selling products via its 155 stores around the country to solely online and is seeing huge volumes.

FUTURE CHALLENGES The threat to convenience stores here is clear, and one that UKVIA recognises. If consumers get used to buying online it may become difﬁcult to tempt them back to stores when the Covid-19 pandemic is behind us. UKVIA Director John Dunne says: “We respect the government’s decision for the lockdown but it’s vital that smokers and vapers can still access vape products as they are 95% less harmful than conventional cigarettes. “The huge response from the vaping sector represents a monumental effort and reﬂects the entrepreneurial and agile nature of the sector but vapers and smokers should also not forget that convenience stores shops remain open and will be selling vape products. “Whilst vapers and smokers have been able to turn to online shopping we are very aware that for many there is a desire to speak to face-to-face about their situations and vaping needs. We’ve already seen MPs writing to Government to point out the key role that physical stores play in providing specialist advice to customers and to ensuring that the country meets it smoke free goals.”

FUTURE OPPORTUNITIES Ensuring that the vape category is well presented in-store with strong availability, then, has never been more important for

local retailers if they are to secure long-term growth in the category. Duncan Cunningham, UK Corporate Affairs Director at Imperial Tobacco & blu, comments: “The impact of covid-19 is being felt throughout the industry and we appreciate the challenges this presents for retailers operating under such difﬁcult conditions. The stories of community support being offered by the exceptional retailers within our industry as they go above and beyond to maintain their essential service to consumers nationwide are outstanding. “The health and welfare of our employees and business partners is our top priority. Given the fast-paced nature of developments relating to Covid-19, we continue to keep these plans under constant review. We encourage any retailers requiring further information or advice regarding supply to their business to speak to their dedicated sales rep.” While coronavirus is massively disrupting the local retailing sector at the moment, there is still plenty for retailers to get excited about in the vaping category. Despite only being around a decade old, the UK market continues to develop and evolve at pace from both a commercial and technical perspective. The key challenge for local retailers, believes Cunningham, is in ensuring store staff are knowledgeable about the category and able to offer good advice to shoppers who need it more than ever, particularly as the impending Menthol Ban is set to drive more growth into the category as www.slrmag.co.uk

Vaping

Feature

GET ORGANISED FOR GROWTH Vaping brand blu offers the following advice: Q use PoS and countertop units to drive visibility Q create attractive, well-organised displays to draw the eye of customers to certain products as soon as they enter the premises Q ensure staff are knowledgeable about the category so they can offer good advice to shoppers Q offer a broad range of best-selling brands Q stock at least one open and one closed system from a big brand

smokers seek out menthol alternatives. He says: “Many shoppers entering the vape category will have little or no existing knowledge of what the different products or brands are, or which liquid strength or ﬂavour might be the best ﬁt for them. The retailers who can offer knowledgeable advice to these shoppers will be the ones that see the most success and truly establish themselves as a destination store for vapers. Familiarising themselves and their staff with the different products and terminologies will allow retailers to advise customers on what products are right for them.”

NICOTINE SALTS Much of the latest NPD from the major vaping brands has been around nicotine salts which are absorbed more rapidly and deliver more intense, smoother, deeper flavours and a vaping experience that may be more familiar to consumers who used to smoke cigarettes. JTI has recently launched updated ‘nicsalt’ ranges under its Logic brand. A new Logic Compact Intense range has been introduced into the independent and wholesale channels featuring a variety of flavour pods. The range is available in 18mg strength and five flavours: Amber Tobacco, Peppermint, Berry Ripple, Banoffee and Chai Latte. The pods are compatible with the Logic Compact device and have an RSP of £5.99 for a pack of two. Nick Geens, Head of Reduced Risk Products at JTI UK, comments: “We’re pleased to introduce the range of nicotine www.slrmag.co.uk

MAY 2020 | SLR

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Feature

Vaping

salt flavour pods into the independent and convenience channels to extend and develop our Logic portfolio. The Intense range offers a great profit opportunity for retailers catering to those customers looking for an enriched vaping experience.” Similarly, JTI has updated its Logic EPIQ range to include nicotine salts and 70/30 e-liquids for an enhanced vaping experience. With an RSP of £2.99, the new formats tap into the growing demand for high quality e-liquids at an affordable price point. The Logic EPIQ nicotine salts range (18mg) is available in a variety of flavours including Amber Tobacco, Peppermint, Berry Mint and Forest Fruits. The 70/30 e-liquid range (3mg) offers advanced vapers who regularly use mod devices and seek a bigger vapour plume a higher VG proposition. Flavours include: Coconut Macaroon, Mint Royale, Berry Crumble and Cherry Apple. The myblu Intense range also features nicotine salts with a starter kit including a pod-mod vape device and USB charger, along with 2 x Intense Liquidpods, at an RSP of £19.99. The Intense Liquidpods within the kit include both Menthol and Golden Tobacco variants, two of myblu’s best-selling e-liquid flavours.

of having a good range of menthol vaping products available. It is estimated that over a quarter of UK adult smokers – roughly 1.7 million people – currently smoke menthol or crushball cigarettes. US giant JUUL Labs has launched a new Menthol flavour JUULpod just in time for the ban, offering adult smokers a wider range of alternatives to combustible cigarettes. Menthol JUULpods join the existing portfolio of flavours which includes Glacier Mint, Mango Nectar, Golden Tobacco and Alpine Berry. John Patterson, JUUL Labs UK Sales Director, says: “JUUL Labs’ focus is to provide adult smokers with an alternative to combustible cigarettes, and combating underage use of our products. “Smoking related diseases are responsible for almost 96,000 deaths in the UK annually [ONS 2018]. Smokers should first and foremost try and give up combustible cigarettes – but if they can’t or won’t, it is critically important to provide access to potentially less harmful nicotine products.” Menthol JUULpods are available with a 4-pack on sale at an RSP of £10.99.

MENTHOL BAN It seems likely that the Menthol Ban which kicks in on 20 May will see many adult smokers give vaping a try, possibly for the ﬁrst time, which reinforces the importance 38

SLR | MAY 2020

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Feature

Healthy Snacks

SNACKING GOES ON A HEALTH KICK

With more and more consumers seeking healthier options when it comes to choosing snacks for consumption throughout the day, it’s worth checking if your range fits the bill. GRAB A SLICE OF CHEESE SALES Convenience, health and protein are key trends, and with 38% of consumers seeing cheese as a good source of protein [Mintel, Oct 2018] and 54% as a source of calcium, cheese snacking presents a strong sales opportunity for retailers, and continues to grow in both value (+7.5%) and volume (+6.1%) in the convenience sector and is now worth over £64.2m [Nielsen, Nov 2019]. The number one selling cheese snack product is Mini Babybel [Nielsen, Sep 2019] and is growing at 19.7% year on year in convenience. The brand enjoys 100% consumer awareness among parents and young adults. Gaelle Vernet, Group Marketing Manager at Mini Babybel, says: “There are 650 Mini Babybel unzipped, eaten and enjoyed every minute in the UK. Loved equally by adults and kids alike, on account of its portion controlled, natural and protein-rich format, Mini Babybel offers a quick and nutritious grab-and-go snack perfect for convenience customers.” Mini Babybel is available in a range of pack formats, including a net of 12, a net of six, a net of three and a single to target all cheese snacking missions. Try merchandising the on-the-go formats (nets of three and singles) within the food-to-go and meal deal areas of stores to drive sales and encourage impulse purchases.

ho doesn’t love a snack? Virtually no-one, that’s who, because some 96% of the population eat snacks with 69% of those snacking at least once a day [Mintel, 2018]. The crisps and snacks market is worth an enormous £3.2bn [Nielsen, Feb 2020]. But the category is changing, principally driven by growing demand for snacks seen by consumers as being healthier and less guiltinducing. KP Snacks has added over £142m of growth to the category in the last few years, and one man who knows a thing or two about it and this trend to healthier snacking is the company’s Trading Director Matt Collins. Collins says: “The KP Snacks portfolio is currently growing in value at +8.4%, ahead of the overall category which is still performing well but at a slower rate of +2.6% [Nielsen, Feb 2020]. Vitally, the KP Snacks portfolio now includes 32 products that are 100 calories or fewer per

SLR | MAY 2020

pack including POM-BEAR, Hula Hoops Puft, Skips, Popchips and

Space Raiders.” It’s clear that health conscious consumers want products that are better for them and also for the environment. “Snacks can be enjoyed as a part of a balanced diet and retailers are following this mindset by giving more range space for lighter alternatives,” says Collins. “We’ve been a signiﬁcant part in this change and through our ‘Taste for Good’ programme have been working on improving the health credentials of our products and the way we market them for a number of years.” Collins highlights Popchips, Hula Hoops Puft and KP Nuts as key products to range. He explains: “Popchips is growing in value at 17.9% [Nielsen, Feb 2020] and comes in at under 100 calories per serving and with a third less fat than the market leader. The core range includes BBQ, Sea Salt, Sour Cream & Onion and Sea Salt & Vinegar. “Hula Hoops Puft is another popular permissible snack option and since the launch of Puft, the Hula Hoops brand saw a rise in RSV by +11%, clearly stating the demand for healthier options [Nielsen, 2019]. “Some 28% of people are also interested in a high protein product like nuts [Mintel 2018] and the relaunch in May 2019 of KP Nuts included a pack redesign to call out the protein and ﬁbre contents to appeal to healthconscious shoppers.” Another snacking giant fully aware of the shift towards healthier consumption is Mondelez International. Susan Nash, Trade Communications Manager at the company, says: “We know over a third of consumers have long been actively cutting down their sugar consumption [ShopperVista, April 2018]. At Mondelez our teams have spent years developing lower sugar recipes for some of our most iconic brands which offer more choice but still taste great. We’ve recently launched 30% less sugar variants www.slrmag.co.uk

Healthy Snacks

across the chocolate, sugar confectionery and biscuits categories to enable Scottish retailers to tap into the lower sugar trend with greattasting alternatives.” Mondelez has also pledged to bring 100% of its chocolate and biscuit products typically bought for children to under 100 calories, as part of its commitment to helping consumers live healthier lifestyles. For example, recent launch Cadbury Dairy Milk Freddo Treasures contains just 76 calories offering parents a suitable treat for their families. “Indeed, the nation’s number one chocolate brand has introduced a reduced sugar variant to its much-loved range: Cadbury Dairy Milk 30% Less Sugar,” says Nash. Available in an 85g tablet and 35g single bar, Cadbury Dairy Milk 30% Less Sugar contains no artiﬁcial sweeteners. Cadbury has also introduced a new pack format for convenience retailers to respond to growing consumer demand for wellbeing offers through portion control. Cadbury Dairy Milk Mini Bars are available as single bars in a specially-created countertop dispenser unit for the convenience channel, to allow

retailers to tap into this clear demand with a category-leading brand. The little treat contains just 96 calories per bar while a larger pouch pack containing eight individually wrapped bars is also available. Meanwhile, Mondelez has also been working on its sugar confectionery portfolio, adding a 30% Less Sugar variant of Maynards Bassett Wine Gums. With approximately 19g less sugar per 100g, the new recipe allows consumers to enjoy a less-sugar treat from the classic Wine Gums brand. The healthier biscuits sub-category is also in growth and now accounts for 24% of the total biscuit market [Nielsen, Aug 208]. In fact, it has contributed to more than half of the total category growth in the past two years [Nielsen, Jul 2019]. Worth £76m, belVita is the UK’s number one breakfast biscuit brand and the range now contains a 30% less sugar variant. Whatever way you look at it, retailers have never had more choice when it comes to offering their shoppers an appealing range of healthier snack products.

Feature

KP MUST STOCKS KP highlights the following brands as must-stock healthier options for local retailers: Q Popchips: worth £32m RSV and growing in value +17.9% Q Hula Hoops: worth £13m RSV and growing in value +15.4% Q Penn State: worth £8.5m RSV and growing in value +3% Q POM-BEAR worth £37m RSV Q KP Nuts worth £63m RSV and growing in value +8.2% Q Butterkist: worth £44.3m RSV [Nielsen, Feb 2020]

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MAY 2020 | SLR

Feature

Forecourts

WHAT’S HAPPENING IN FORECOURTS?

It’s been a busy first few months of the year for the forecourt sector in Scotland as it remains buoyant and vibrant. SLR looks at a few of the key developments.

he forecourt sector in Scotland has started 2020 the way it ended 2019, buoyant and lively with the key players also keeping busy and giving forecourt retailers plenty to help them keep motoring. It hasn’t all been plain sailing, of course, thanks to coronavirus. The Petrol Retail Association estimates that around 100 UK ﬁlling stations have already closed and many retailers are seeing volumes plummet by up to 85%. Sites with a strong convenience offering, however, have reported signiﬁcant sales growth of up to 50%, once again reinforcing the importance of a great store on the site. To bring you up to speed, SLR offers a review of some of the main recent developments in Scotland.

FUEL DUTY FROZEN The recent Budget saw fuel duty frozen for the 10th successive year, despite signiﬁcant pressure for change. In his Budget, Chancellor Rishi Sunak said: “I have heard representations that after nine years of being frozen, at a cost of £110bn to the taxpayer, we can no longer afford to freeze fuel duty. 42

SLR | MAY 2020

“I’m certainly mindful of the ﬁscal cost and the environmental impacts. But I’m taking considerable steps in this Budget to incentivise cleaner forms of transport. And many working people still rely on their cars. So I’m pleased to announce today that, for another year, fuel duty will remain frozen.” Sunak also backed electric vehicles with a commitment to spend £500m to support the rollout of new rapid charging hubs for electric cars, which he said would ensure that drivers were never more than 30 miles away from being able to charge their vehicle.

CERTAS BACKS NHS Certas Energy is offering free hot drinks to all NHS and emergency service workers visiting its sites. Workers can receive their free hot drink by presenting their work ID or Blue Light Card at any forecourt operated by Certas Energy – with no obligation to make an additional purchase. The offer will continue for the duration of the crisis. All sites owned and operated by Certas Energy Retail remain open as usual to support key workers, businesses and local communities. Richard Billington, Retail Director at Certas

MFG SEEKS REGIONAL MANAGER FOR SCOTLAND Motor Fuel Group, the UK’s largest independent petrol station operator, is looking for a Regional Manager based in Scotland to lead a team covering around 100 contract managed sites. The Regional Manager will cover Scotland and the North of England and will use their skills and experience to grow the business across fuel, food-togo and store ranges. Candidates will need: Q A proven record of delivering standards and performance across multiple sites in the independent, motor fuel or grocery multiples sector; Q To have successfully developed and managed a regional team; Q Great commercial acumen; Q The ability to communicate and inﬂuence a range of stakeholders; Q Strong financial planning and control skills; In return MFG is offering a competitive salary and benefits package. Visit the MFG website for more info: www.motorfuelgroup.com/ vacancies

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Forecourts

Energy, said: “Our NHS and emergency services are working heroically to save lives during this challenging period. As a small way of saying ‘thank you’, we’re pleased to be offering free hot drinks to all blue light workers. “We have a duty to serve the communities in which we operate and support our frontline heroes. With many of our petrol stations located in rural areas where there is limited choice for accessing essential services, we’ve seen ﬁrst-hand the important role that forecourts can play in local communities.

SIMPSON INKS JET DEAL

Hugh Simpson, Director of Simpson Oils, comments: “Having been a Phillips 66 wholesale distributor since 2009, our decision to appoint JET as our supplier for our ﬁrst venture into forecourt retailing with Ormlie felt like a natural progression. And it was certainly the right decision as we’ve been very impressed with all aspects of JET’s supply package and the positive impact the fuel brand has had on our retail business.

JET ADDS HIGHLAND SITE

Simpson Oils has signed a long-term supply contract with Phillips 66 (JET) for JETbranded fuel supply for its second Scottish Highlands forecourt, Francis Street Service Station in Wick, Caithness. The 3 mlpa 16 nozzle site is JET’s second most northerly site in the UK – the furthest north being Simpson Oils’ other JET-supplied site, JET Ormlie Filling Station in Thurso. Simpson Oils acquired Francis Street in September 2019 and has since made some infrastructure improvements, with further plans in place to install new pumps, update the forecourt shop and hopefully add JET ULTRA Premium Unleaded to the fuel offering. The Francis Street site is located in a prime position on the A99 and attracts a mix of local residents and transient customers, and also beneﬁts from high tourist trade during peak holiday periods as it is located on the North Coast 500 tourist route around the north coast of Scotland. www.slrmag.co.uk

JET has strengthened its presence in the north of Scotland with West End Filling Station in Dingwall joining the fuel brand’s network. Highland Fuels, a longstanding JET Approved Partner in Scotland, has won the contract to directly supply Phillips 66 fuels to the 2.4 mlpa site, using the JET brand under licence from Phillips 66. West End Filling Station is owned by independent dealers, Elaine Houston and Steve Cunningham, who took over the site in 2006 and also own Bridgend Service Station in Fife. West End is located in a prime location on Strathpeffer Road, one of the main routes in and out of Dingwall and not far from the town centre, industrial premises and housing. Since joining the JET network in early November, the forecourt has been fully re-imaged in the latest JET brand and beneﬁts from a range of forecourt design improvements to create a safe, friendly and welcoming environment for customers. The 19-nozzle forecourt and 2,000sq ft Mace-branded convenience store attract a steady stream of customers and commuters

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from Dingwall and the surrounding areas. The forecourt also experiences a marked uplift in footfall during the summer months with tourists visiting the Scottish Highlands. Onsite facilities include two jet washes, Paypoint, Lottery, a cash point and two Costa coffee machines. The site also boasts a fantastic food-to-go offering and an extensive alcohol selection, with a wide range of malt whiskies and Scottish gins. Steve comments: “The JET brand is well known in the area and we really liked their new image. Due to the layout of our forecourt, we can only accommodate smaller tankers so the option to have Phillips 66 fuels delivered by Highland Fuels’ smaller tankers to a JETbranded forecourt was the ideal solution for West End. We also get the added bonus of being able to offer our customers JET ULTRA Premium Unleaded fuel, which is proving very popular. “We’re up against tough local competition, with a large Tesco store and forecourt in the town centre, but with the JET brand now in place, I’m conﬁdent that we will attract more customers than ever before.” Highland Fuels now owns and operates 15 forecourts across Scotland, three of which are JET-branded. The company also supplies dealer sites across Scotland under the Thames and Highland Fuels brands.

MFG DONATES £600K Motor Fuel Group (MFG) has announced that its forecourt customers raised a huge £597,565 for charity in 2019. MFG supports several UK charities MAY 2020 | SLR

Advertising Feature

EPoS Systems | Henderson Technology

HENDERSON TECHNOLOGY

CELEBRATES 10 YEARS OF EDGEPOS AND ITS 600TH INSTALL

EPOS (electronic point of sale) systems are essential to running a good convenience store and retail forecourt sites.

hen the Henderson Group made the decision in 2010 to develop its own EPOS system to fulfil the demanding and innovative needs of retailers in Northern Ireland, the business undertook a task that was completely different to any other EPOS company. They designed the EDGEPoS system around a number of experiences within the retail environment. Over the past ten years EDGEPoS has continued to develop by responding to retailer requests and market research in order to integrate innovative third party offerings. This allows Henderson Technology to offer a cost effective way of supplying an award winning EPOS system which can include Self-Checkout, ESELs, Scan & Go App, Pre-Order and Pre-Pay Food to Go and Grocery App; and the 2019 Mobile App of the Year, Gander, which shows in real time an individual store’s reduced items to their community of shoppers in their area. It is essential to provide a reliable EPOS system to the convenience market, which allows each retailer to be flexible in the way they run their business. EDGEPoS offers three key sectors to retailers – Operational Efficiency, Security and Business Development. Henderson Technology offers the complete system in a 60 months lease agreement, taking out any initial upfront payment. New Hardware, EDGEPoS Software, 24 / 7 / 365 Software Support and Hardware Maintenance are included in the agreement, and retailers will never be charged for upgrades over the five year period. Some key features included on EDGEPoS are Self Populating PLUs, Customer Loyalty integration, Local Accounts, Advanced Age Checking, Sales Based suggested Ordering, Automated Report Scheduling and Password Audit Trail to name a few. Fuel is fully integrated with full bunkering

facilities. The upcoming Self-Checkout launches for BP and Texaco sites will allow more fuel sites to offer a Self Serve option in-store. Andrew and Scott Aitken, owners of JET Rigg Service Station and JET Bypass Service Station in East Lothian talk about their decision to invest in new EPOS systems for both sites.

DID YOU UNDERTAKE RESEARCH INTO DIFFERENT SOLUTIONS? “Yes – we did a lot of research! We did more leg work for this till system than for any previous system. We really wanted to ensure it was the right ﬁt for our business. We ﬁrst met our chosen supplier, Henderson Technology, at an industry event. It was very evident from our research that Henderson Technology’s EDGEPoS system would offer everything we needed for the sites and a whole host of value-added fuel features.”

WHAT INFLUENCED YOUR DECISION TO GO WITH HENDERSON TECHNOLOGY? “Henderson Technology’s EPOS system is directly linked to JW Filshill wholesaler, which offers a lot of beneﬁts such as smoother ordering and better control over stock holding. It also gives us far superior accountability on occasions when customers have no means to pay because you can recall a sale from a day, a week or a month ago, giving you better control over the fuel. The whole operation is much slicker as it is quicker at processing cards, the scanner is much more efﬁcient and we no longer have merchant copies of credit card receipts so we’re saving in till rolls.” Henderson Technology is in the top ten largest EPOS companies in the UK and celebrates ten years of EDGEPoS and the 600th install in March 2020.

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT SALES@HENDERSON.TECHNOLOGY OR VISIT WWW.HENDERSON.TECHNOLOGY 44

SLR | MAY 2020

www.slrmag.co.uk

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Forecourts

including Help for Heroes, NSPCC, RNIB and Air Ambulances UK. Customers can donate either through its cash collection boxes, or in some stores via its charity partner Pennies – the digital charity box – by topping-up for charity when paying by card. William Bannister, MFG’s Chief Executive Ofﬁcer, said: “Our nationwide network of service stations and stores, provide a key range of products and services for our customers. We value this relationship but, at the same time, we want to use our market leading position to raise money for charities that are known to us all. “We thank everyone for their kind donations and our target is, of course, to exceed this ﬁgure in 2020.”

Darren Nickels, Retail Technology Operations Director, Henderson Technology

POINT FOUR CERTAS DEAL Certas Energy has concluded a tie-up with EPoS specialist Point Four that provides Gulf Dealers with industry-best arrangements on latest technology EPoS and Point of Sale Solutions. Point Four’s next generation software opens up additional revenue opportunities for forecourt retailers in areas such as Online Ordering and Click & Collect, Home Delivery, Self Service, Self-Scan and Digital Media. “We’ve utilised the size and scale of Certas Energy to secure this advantageous arrangement for Gulf Dealers which offers them competitive rates on a range of products and services and the potential to develop a host of new income streams,” explains Alex Friendship, Head of Retail Development, Certas Energy. “It’s that latest example of a tieup with a market leading supplier to improve the fortunes of Gulf Dealers by reducing their costs and driving up their proﬁtability.” “Point Four and Appy Shop are delighted to be recognised as a preferred EPoS and Online ordering partner for Certas Energy and their Gulf forecourts,” conﬁrms James Widdowson, Group Sales Director, Point Four. “We are all very excited about the extra revenue potential that this can achieve for Gulf Retailers.”

territories for our highly regarded EDGEPoS product and we anticipate this appointment will support our efforts in building further on the success and growth of our customer base across the UK and beyond.”

between membership of the scheme and increased site visits. “Gulf Dealers can now talk to their customer groups via SMS, email and a dedicated phone app and tailor offers to speciﬁc groups to boost in-store proﬁts and strengthen community ties. They also have the tools to delve deep into the shopping basket of a customer and respond accordingly with dedicated calls to action.” The arrangement with Spar puts at the disposal of the Gulf network its wealth of retail experience, consumer insight and market knowledge, along with a vast range of local products, including the widest possible choice of fresh foods and food to go options. “Our Scottish network is at the heart of our operation and we are committed to growth by offering dealers a much more pragmatic business partnership than any that they’ve had with other fuel suppliers,” concludes Billington. Richard Billington, Retail Director,Certas Energy.

GULF ADDS OOMPH Gulf Retail is continuing to grow usage of its innovative Oomph loyalty platform, having recently signed a deal with Spar. Oomph utilises latest technology to drive new revenues to dealers and is the only fuel loyalty programme that gives dealers access to customer data and allows them to tailor offers to suit. “It’s an absolute game changer for many retailers,” says Richard Billington, Retail Director at Certas Energy. “Even though it’s still in its relative infancy, we are seeing impressive results and a direct correlation

HENDERSON PROMOTES NICKELS Northern Ireland-based Henderson Technology, which is increasingly active in the Scottish forecourt sector, has announced the appointment of Darren Nickels to the role of Retail Technology Operations Director. Ron Whitten, Chief Financial Ofﬁcer of Henderson Group, said: “Since joining the Henderson Group in 1998, Darren has been a key part of the growth of our technology services. I am pleased to announce his formal appointment to the board of Henderson Technology. “We have identiﬁed key growth sectors and 46

SLR | MAY 2020

www.slrmag.co.uk

Safety never looked so good We want customers to feel safe, so weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ve upgraded our new forecourt design with brilliant LED lighting â&#x20AC;&#x201C; it helps you stand out too. Find out all about us at jetlocal.co.uk, or get in touch at betterwithjet@p66.com

Better with

A Brand New Gulf

We have revitalised our forecourt image for todayâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s marketplace. This modern, fresh and eye-catching look is designed to widen the appeal of our forecourts, attracting new customers and helping our Retailers increase visibility at all times of the day.

Contact your local Area Manager

Call 0345 456 6300 gulfoil.co.uk/retail

UTC

BOOHOO MAKES A BOOBOO Online retailer Boohoo clearly wasn’t having a good day at the office when it decided it was a good idea to sell “fake” face masks as a fashion item while allegedly failing to provide their own warehouse staff with adequate real PPE. Retail union Usdaw was understandably not best pleased at this attempt to “profit from a national crisis” and the NHS was apparently none too thrilled either. Boohoo has since agreed to stop selling the masks.

THE SELFISOLATION BLUES Self-isolation has many downsides, as this Scottish Sun reader admirably demonstrated last month by putting his free Sun poster to good use in his window. At least, UTC is assuming it’s a ‘he’, leaving himself wide open to accusations of sexism.

REMOTE TOURISM

If lockdown is getting you down and you fancy zooming away to somewhere more exotic like, say, The Faroe Islands, then the auld boy is here to make your day. The remote wee island, half way between Iceland and Norway, has launched a world-ﬁrst ‘virtual tourism’ solution. Bear with us... Using you iPad or PC, you can now take virtual control of an actual Faroe Islander and use your on-screen remote control and send him or her hiking, kayaking or on a helicopter trip from the comfort of your sofa. The perfect way to virtually explore the island. At least that’s what the press release says. UTC was less than impressed, saying that he’d rather get his remote control kicks from the 27-year-old Scalextric set he ﬁshed out of the loft last week.

SLR | MAY 2020

DESTROYING BEER UTC has demolished a few pints of beer himself over the years but he was witnessed openly weeping during a recent Zoom call with his colleagues when he learned that the British Beer & Pub Association had unveiled a formal protocol and guidance to help pubs to destroy beer in their cellars and claim the duty back on unsold beer without falling foul of the lovely man from HMRC. The auld yin disappeared halfway through the Zoom call to visit his local boozers to see if the landlord needed any help getting rid of his surplus beer. Selﬂess to a fault, he truly is.

www.slrmag.co.uk

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