SLR October 2022 Edition

Method

1. Peel and chop the onions; wash, peelmushrooms and slice; wash, deseed andthe garlic.

2. Heat the oil in a pan then slowly brown the onion over a gentle heat.

3. Add the mince, stirring to stop it from sticking.

4. Add the remaining ingredients, apart from the spaghetti, bring the sauce to the boil, cover and then lower the heat and simmer gently for 15-20 minutes, givingtomatoes, chop them up using a spoon when in the pan.

that’s

water to the boil, add the spaghettiand follow the instructions on the packet for

a large pan

to sauce to taste. Drain the spaghetti and serve with sauce.

Contents

NEWS

p4 Store Openings Eddy’s Food Station brings its store tally to five with launches in Ceres and Leuchars.

p5 Deposit Return Scheme SGF threatens DRS administrator Circularity Scotland with legal action over handling fees.

p6 Symbol Groups The David Sands Group joins Spar Scotland in a major coup for wholesaler CJ Lang.

p8 Store Sales Greens Retail snaps up Wilson Rea’s KeyStore More store in Lanark.

p10 Parcels A new agreement with DHL Express will see parcels delivered directly to Post Office branches.

p11 Vaping The number of Brits vaping reaches record levels, according to a new Action on Smoking and Health report.

p12 News Extra Legislation The Energy Bill Relief Scheme offers businesses help with soaring energy prices.

p26 Product News Fanta unveils its frightful Halloween campaign and belVita’s new promo is full of positive energy.

p29 Off-Trade News The 19 Crimes brand moves into sparkling wine and VK refreshes its range ahead of a major campaign.

INSIDE BUSINESS

p31 2 Minutes Of Your Time David Harris SLR catches up with the boss of Circularity Scotland, the body that will administer the country’s deposit return scheme.

p32 CJ Lang Conference Spar Scotland’s renaissance continued last month when Aviemore hosted its tradeshow and conference, one of Scotland’s biggest retail events ever.

p34 Checkout Scotland 2022 GroceryAid Scotland’s first-ever music festival was a massive success last month.

p39 Case Study Snappy Shopper Our SLR Home Delivery Retailer of the Year Daniall Nadeem’s Motherwell store takes home delivery to the next level.

p40 Hotlines The latest new products and media campaigns.

p58 Under The Counter The Auld Boy finally figures out why Eeyore the donkey looks more miserable than he does.

FEATURES

p42 Medicated Confectionery Winter is coming and, with no social distancing to prevent diseases spreading, throat sweets are set to make a return.

p44 Cigars The cigar segment still generates sales for independent retailers, despite tobacco’s general woes.

p46 Christmas With the World Cup providing a neat pathway into Christmas, there’s plenty of scope for growth this festive period, even if Scotland won’t be in Qatar.

p50 Bottled Water Bottled water’s health credentials keep driving sales despite a fresh flow of challenges.

p52 Crisps and Snacks The savoury snack category is booming just now, providing retailers with a big sales driver.

p54 Beer and Cider Premium beer and cider brands are driving off-trade sales as the cost-of-living crisis continues to bite.

p56 Sustainability Leading producers continue to put sustainability front and centre, highlighting opportunities for retailers to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.

ON THE COVER

p16 Back with a live event for the first time since 2019, the 20th SLR Awards recognised the very best of Scotland’s convenience retailing sector.

Shared banking hubs provide cash lifeline Brechin, Forres, Carluke, and Kirkcudbright have been chosen for shared banking hubs that ensure services are available in areas where the last bank branch has closed, reports suggest. The hubs, run by the Post Office, enable customers of any bank to access their accounts, deposit cash and cheques, and withdraw money at any time. Representatives from each of the major banks visit once a week.

SGF appoints new public affairs lead

SGF has promoted Luke McGarty to the role of Head of Policy & Public Affairs. McGarty, who has worked for the organisation over the past five years, will take on the lead role in public affairs during a crucial time for SGF members and the retail sector. He will be replaced by Jamie Mackie who has a background working with MSPs in the Scottish Parliament.

Watchdog could approve McColl’s takeover

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) has indicated it could push through the takeover by Morrisons of convenience chain McColl’s after the supermarket firm offered to address competition concerns. Earlier this month, the CMA raised concerns over 35 locations where it saw the potential for reduced competition between McColl’s, Morrisons, and Motor Fuel Group.

National Living Wage increase welcomed

The Living Wage Foundation has announced new rates for the real living wage of £10.90 per hour and a higher rate of £11.95 in London. The government’s so-called ‘National Living Wage’ is currently £9.50, with lower National Minimum Wage rates for younger workers. The annual increase has been brought forward from the traditional November announcement due to the cost-of-living crisis.

Eddy’s Food Station hits a high five

Eddy’s Food Station, the convenience store chain launched by Morning, Noon & Night veteran Stephen ompson, has launched a further two stores – taking its store count to ve.

e two Fife stores – Spar Ceres and Spar Leuchars – were previously owned by John Mitchell and have been in the Mitchell family since 1923. e fourthgeneration business was established by John’s greatgrandfather, with John taking control in 2007.

John said: “I’ve given it a lot of thought and it nally felt like the right time. It’s been an incredibly busy and rewarding few years, but I am looking forward to taking some time away from retail and embracing a change in lifestyle before I decide where to focus my e orts.”

e stores – located on 2-6 Main Street, Ceres and 43 Main Street, Leuchars – have been rebranded as Eddy’s Food Station stores.

Stephen ompson, Chief Executive at Eddy’s Food Station, said: “ ese acquisitions are a key step in growing the Eddy’s brand and it also secures a future for the 36 sta employed across the Ceres and

LEGISLATION Government acts to support businesses Local shops welcome mini-Budget

Chancellor Kwasi Kwarteng has unveiled measures to stimulate growth and cut taxes in the short term.

e measures included in Kwarteng’s miniBudget include:

Q 40 new Investment Zones, providing targeted tax reliefs for new businesses;

Q Corporation tax rates will be frozen at 19%;

Q e April 2022 rise in both employee and employer National Insurance rates will be reversed;

Q e Annual Investment Allowance will be permanently set at £1m from April 2023;

Q Beer, cider, wine and spirit duties will be frozen at their current levels from February 2023;

Q Reducing the basic rate of income tax to 19% from April 2023.

In response, ACS Chief Executive James Lowman, said: “We welcome that the government’s plan aims to stimulate growth and incentivise investment by businesses. In the last 12 months local shops have invested £605m in improving services, making their businesses more sustainable, and creating secure local jobs.”

Lowman added: “ e biggest issue facing local shops in recent months has been the cost of energy. e support being provided in the coming six months will act as a lifeline for thousands of businesses, but the government must continue to support local shops in 2023.”

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Leuchars stores. We are very much on track to open 30 stores within ve years and these key locations in Fife play a big part in our growth strategy.

“We are incredibly proud of what Eddy’s, a totally new brand, has achieved so far. e two stores have an excellent reputation in Ceres and Leuchars and we’re focused on giving both communities a service they can rely on, and a brand they can trust.”

Mike Leonard, Head of Retail at Eddy’s Food Station, added: “ ese are our rst two stores in the Fife area and will really set the tone for how the brand shows up in the region. is is an important step for Eddy’s and one we’re really paying attention to.”

QUEEN ELIZABETH II Independent retailers mourn the Queen

Independent retailers across the UK are mourning the death of the country’s longest-reigning monarch.

SGF Chief Executive, Dr Pete Cheema, said: “The many decades of dedication and service by Queen Elizabeth II are a very special legacy which will live on. Our thoughts are with the Royal Family at this time.”

In addition, the SGF will be sending a letter of condolence to the Royal Family.

NFRN National President Jason Birks said: “Independent retailers are saddened by the death of HM Queen Elizabeth II. She served with unswerving duty, dedication and commitment. May she rest in peace. Our thoughts are with the King and his family.”

AS IT HAPPENS

SGF threatens legalaction on DRS

e SGF has issued a pre-action letter to Circularity Scotland Limited (CSL), which was appointed by Scottish Government in 2021 to administer the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).

With a year to go until the introduction of the scheme in August 2023, SGF believes that the retailer handling fee levels, as presently proposed by CSL, will not cover the costs borne by retailers.

For manual take back, CSL has proposed that retailers will receive 2.69p per container, while for automated returns – through reverse vending machines – the fee proposed by CSL will be 3.55p for the rst 8,000 containers received and 1.35p for each additional container.

Commenting on the move, SGF Chief Executive, Dr Pete Cheema, said: “SGF has repeatedly called for CSL to explain how these retailer handling fees were calculated and to this end have met with both Lorna Slater, the Minister responsible for DRS, and CSL directly to highlight the signi cant risk to convenience operators, and have provided evidence to CSL that the retailer handling fee is insu cient.

“CSL has refused to review the retailer handling fee, suggesting if SGF members can’t make it work with this fee, they should opt out and not participate in the scheme, placing their businesses at risk. However, as they know, the regulations make that practically impossible.

New Nisa boss steps up to Batt

“We instructed our legal team to send a pre-action letter to Circularity Scotland Limited as the scheme administrator requesting that the relevant information be made available as a matter of urgency and to provide clarity around how and on what basis the proposed retailer handling fees was set, given it is the responsibility of retailers to set the fee and not the scheme administrator. e letter details our concerns in an accurate and carefully considered way.”

LEGISLATION

Government unveils Energy Bill Relief Scheme

The government has unveiled its new Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which will support thousands of local shops and other non-domestic businesses for six months.

Co-op sells forecourt estate to Asda for £600m Co-op is to sell its forecourt business to Asda for £600m. The deal includes 129 sites across the UK and represents 5% of Co-op’s retail estate of 2,564 stores. The stores being sold delivered net sales of £863m and pro forma pre-tax earnings of £53m for the 12 months to June 2022. Co-op will reinvest the proceeds from the sale into its core convenience business.

Greens appoints Polley

Greens Retail has appointed Kevin Polley to the newly created role of Fresh Foods & FTG Development Manager. He joins the c-store chain having served as Fresh Food Development Manager at Nisa for 15 years and has worked for McColl’s and Sainsbury’s. Polley said: “Greens Retail are investing in a longterm vision to create a customerled chain of convenience stores becoming a destination for fresh foods and food-to-go.”

SGF launches energy cost crisis survey

Fletcher has been replaced by Peter Batt (seen above at last month’s Nisa Expo) with immediate e ect to allow a managed handover.

Batt has extensive experience in retail and trading, having been Co-op’s Divisional Managing Director in the South, and brings with him both commercial and operational experience from his roles outside of Co-op.

Shirine Khoury-Haq, Co-op Chief Executive, said Fletcher “leaves behind a huge legacy”.

She added: “I have the upmost con dence that Peter will hit the ground running to support our Nisa partners.”

In addition, the Co-op revealed that a er Food Chief Executive Jo Whit eld has decided to move on a er six years with the company.

Former Commercial Director Matt Hood will become Managing Director of Co-op Food, responsible for both the commercial and operational areas of the business.

The scheme will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers in the UK whose current gas and electricity prices have been significantly inflated in light of global energy prices.

It will apply to fixed contracts agreed on or after 1 April 2022, as well as to deemed, variable and flexible tariffs and contracts. Furthermore, the scheme will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023.

Read reaction to the scheme on page 12.

SGF has launched a survey to assess the impact of rising energy bills on its members. The SGF said: “Many businesses are struggling to cope with rising energy bills and the possibility of energy prices quadrupling over the coming months may mean producers and retailers will have to pass those costs on to customers.” Visit surveymonkey. co.uk/r/GYL3VQH to complete the survey.

Jisp celebrates one year of Scan & Save

Jisp is celebrating its Scan & Save solution’s first anniversary. Since launching with Nisa last September, Scan & Save’s growth has accelerated, and it is now operational in over 170 Nisa stores. It has seen thousands of shoppers make more than 500,000 scans, with 330,000 money-saving vouchers issued, and 292,000 redemptions made.

seeks clarity around how and on what

SYMBOL GROUPS Nisa unveils new Chief Executive

Nisa Chief Executive Michael Fletcher is to leave his role in early October to pursue a new career path, supporting multiple businesses.

Bestway helps Pakistan

Bestway Wholesale is fundraising to support the victims of the floods in Pakistan. Along with the Bestway Foundation, the wholesale arm is raising funds through depot collections and JustGiving.com. The Foundation intends to work closely with charities on the ground and deliver aid through its support networks in Pakistan. Bestway Group has also unveiled financial and material support to the people of Pakistan of $1m.

Post Office and Payzone win contracts

Post Office and Payzone have won a contract with Utilita, a specialist pay-as-you-go smart energy supplier, to make paying bills easier for thousands of customers across the UK. The long-term contract means that customers with a Utilita smart Quantum Gas or Talexus electricity meter can top up their gas and electricity at any of the 24,000 combined Payzone stores and Post Office branches.

Consumer confidence hits new low

Consumer confidence fell by five points in September to -49, setting yet another record low, according to GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index. Four measures were down compared to previous figures, while one measure was flat. Joe Staton, Client Strategy Director at GfK, said: “Especially worrying are the two key future-facing indicators on personal finances in the coming year and the economy in the next 12 months.”

Post Office reopens

Bainsford Convenience Store, a Londis branded store in Falkirk, has introduced a post office counter. It is the first time the community has had a local branch since the previous one closed in Grahams Road in December 2017. Postmaster Ramanathas Tharmarajah will offer 56 hours of service a week, opening from 9am to 5pm, Monday to Sunday.

David Sands Group joins Spar Scotland

Convenience retailer David Sands Group has joined Spar Scotland.

David Sands is a family-owned, h-generation business that has over 200 years of grocery retailing in Scotland. e company launched the David’s Kitchen brand of convenience retailing/foodservice local stores in 2013. Today the company has four stores operating around Scotland, including the award-winning Pinkie Farm store in Musselburgh.

Spar Scotland wholesaler CJ Lang’s boss Colin McLean said: “Over the past four years our business has changed dramatically, and we are now attracting the very best Scottish retailers to join Spar Scotland because of our competitive wholesale package [which includes] our value proposition; Spar own label; depth of range across chilled, ambient and frozen; our new Spar Scotland brand positioning; and

all delivered by our best-in-class delivery proposition.”

Dan Brown, Managing Director at Pinkie Farm, added: “We’ve seen the changes over the past few years in Spar Scotland and we are very excited to be joining them on the next stage of their journey.”

Keith Fernley, Managing Director at David’s Kitchen, said: “We’ve been impressed by their overall package and their delivery proposition, and this gives us a

Booker Wholesale and Just Eat strengthen partnership

Londis, Premier, Budgens and Family Shopper stores will soon be able to o er a range of fresh food, everyday essentials, drinks, and tobacco for delivery within 25 minutes.

As Just Eat has a customer base of over 18 million and a delivery reach of 97% of UK postcodes, the partnership will enable Booker stores to reach thousands more customers in their local areas.

Booker Wholesale’s sales team will promote Just Eat delivery to their store customers as a preferred partner. Retailers can also sign up via the Booker Retailer Bulletins. Once a site is live on the food delivery platform, it can then begin receiving orders from the Just Eat app and website.

Amy Heather, Strategic Accounts Director at Just Eat, said: “Consumers are increasingly looking to have anything and everything delivered to the door – not just their favourite takeaway. at’s why convenience stores are among the fastestgrowing sectors for delivery.

“Just Eat’s position as the UK’s leading food delivery app coupled with Booker Wholesale’s scale means we’re well positioned to help Londis, Premier, Budgens and Family Shopper retailers capitalise on this surge in demand.”

solid platform to invest in our business for the future.”

David Sands added: “Moving towards a Spar Scotland partnership with C J Lang & Son Ltd gives us the opportunity to develop our business into the future as well as provide the local communities where our stores are situated with an even better service. Having the support of the Spar brand means we can o er shoppers a wider range of products.”

Peebles KeyStore Express changes hands

Retailer Ashok Pothugunta has taken over the KeyStore Express store in Eastgate, Peebles.

Pothugunta started his retail career as a shop assistant in Mayfair, London, and rose to be an area manager before opening his own store near Portsmouth 10 years ago. He recently opened his first Scottish shop at Spar Selkirk.

He told Peeblesshire News that he plans to bring back online delivery with Snappy Shopper, bring in some Co-op fresh food lines, and hopes to extend the opening hours from 6am to 10pm.

The KeyStore Express store was previously run by Stewart and Patricia Robb, who will now retire.

STORE OWNERSHIP

HOME DELIVERY The partnership will enable Booker stores to reach thousands more customers

Introducing New Attached Caps

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*Including Coca-Cola Original Taste, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, Diet Coke, Fanta, Sprite, Dr Pepper and Lilt. Switch to attached caps across all formats completed by 2024. ©2022 The Coca-Cola Company. All rights reserved. All brand names are registered trade marks of their respective owner.

Scotland’s unemployment falls to record low Scotland’s unemployment rate has fallen to a record low, according to new figures from the Office for National Statistics. The data shows that the unemployment rate for those aged 16 and over was 3.1% between May and July. This was down on the period between April and June this year when the rate was 3.2% and is the lowest level since records began in 1992.

Crossgates Post Office reopens

Crossgates Post Office, in Fife, reopened this week in the Costcutter store on Main Street. The newly agreed opening hours will see customers able to use the facility between 10am and 3pm, from Monday to Friday. However, it will not be available on weekends. The current post office opened in March 2021 after the previous Crossgates branch closed in 2017 when the postmaster resigned.

Scottish consumers focused on sustainability Scots feel strongly that retailers that don’t back sustainability will lose out, according to research from TWC and the SWA. The TWC Trends research shows that 63% of Scottish consumers agree that retailers who don’t take sustainability seriously are likely to lose out in the future. In addition, 27% of Scottish consumers agreed that environmental and sustainability issues are influencing where they shop for groceries.

Scotmid seeks next top food and drink products Scotmid has teamed up with Scotland Food & Drink for a second year to give local producers the chance to win a promotional listing in its stores. The competition is open to all Scottish food and drink suppliers. Five products will be rewarded with a promotional slot for a three-week period in Scotmid stores during 2023.

Greens Retail snaps up Wilson Rea’s Lanark store

Greens Retail has acquired the KeyStore More store in Lanark from well-known Scottish retailer Wilson Rea.

Wilson opened the site 10 years ago and has built up a strong trade and reputation adjacent to a Pay at Pump station at West Port, Lanark.

e store changed hands on 1 September 2022 and will gradually transition from KeyStore More to Greens of Lanark over the coming weeks. Substantial investment into the premises will signi cantly enhance the in-store o ering and experience, including various energy e ciency measures.

David Bateman, Head of Retail at Greens, said: “We’re thrilled to be launching into Lanark by way

of acquisition of an already strong performing store. e store shall bene t from signi cant investment over the coming weeks to create a store that further delivers for the local community.”

Wilson joins Greens Retail in a Store Support Manager position, taking with him over 30 years of convenience retail experience. He said: “It has been a di cult decision to pass over the helm to Greens Retail, though a er spending some time with the Greens Retail head o ce and store teams, I am very pleased that our store will be transitioning over to one of Britain’s elite convenience retailers.”

Wilson added: “Greens of Lanark will be tremendous for

Theft, abuse and violence still widespread in retail, says SGF

the local community, customers, and colleagues by only further improving our already strong store standards and o ering.”

e store’s sta will transition to Greens Retail, with Fraser Stewart taking over as Store Manager.

Wilson concluded: “I look forward to continuing to work with the colleagues within my new role of Store Support Manager at Greens Retail’s stores.

“I would like to thank all my loyal sta for their continuous support over the last 10 years and especially during the last few months. ank you to our loyal customers for your continuous support over the years. is is not a goodbye but a new beginning.”

PayPoint agrees multi-year contract extensions with energy firms

PayPoint has secured multiyear contract extensions with Utilita, the specialist pay-asyou-go energy supplier, and energy company Scottish Power.

Every retailer that responded to the SGF’s 2022 Crime Report su ered some level of the , abuse or violence in the previous year.

e biggest trigger for aggression and abuse continues to be the enforcement of age restrictions and challenging customers for proof of age, the reports nds. Almost all (95%) of retailers also reported experiencing some form of hate crime monthly.

e report also reveals that the annual cost of store crime for survey participants totalled £2.3m.

SGF Chief Executive, Pete Cheema, said: “Retailers and sta provide an essential community service, and it is completely unacceptable that they are forced to turn up to work and face threatening abuse or violence.

“We have taken great strides with the introduction of the Protection of Workers Act, which came into force last August. Our report shows, however, that 100% of retailers are regularly a ected by crime, seriously impacting the well-being of both workers and their families. Every incident is one too many.

“ e evidence is clear that in-store crime remains shockingly high and until there is signi cant improvement to the gures we are seeing, the SGF will be calling for a zero-tolerance approach.”

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The extensions, effective immediately with no disruption to existing services, mean Utilita’s 800,000 customers and Scottish Power’s 5,000,000 customers continue to be able to top-up gas and electricity across PayPoint’s network of 28,000 UK retailers.

Danny Vant, Client Services Director, PayPoint, said: “Our multi-year contract extensions with Scottish Power and Utilita are a continuation of that commitment to almost six million people and are great news for our retailer partners who help deliver these vital services at the heart of communities across the UK.”

CONTRACT WINS

CRIME SGF report reveals the cost of store crime

Convenience sector ‘resilient’

The convenience sector generated more than £45bn in sales over the past year, with that figure set to grow to over £48bn by 2025, according to the ACS’ 2022 Local Shop Report. The report also reveals that 71% of stores in the convenience sector are run by independent retailers, convenience stores have invested over £605m over the past year, and over 405,000 colleagues work in the sector.

Food-to-go mission changing

The number of out-of-home eating occasions increased by 5% year-on-year in the 12 weeks to 8 August, new research reveals. The latest MealTrak results, from wholesale experts TWC in partnership with foodto-go and out-of-home tracking programme MealTrak, show forecourts are rebounding well, with a 29% increase in occasions in the latest 12 weeks compared to 2021. Convenience stores saw an 8% growth in the past 12 weeks.

Northfield Post Office reopens

The Premier Express in Northfield, Aberdeenshire has helped restore post office services to the area six months after the previous counter was closed. The new counter, in Byron Square, will offer nearly 60 hours of vital post office services a week. Northfield Post Office was previously located within a Spar store 173ft away from the new counter.

Retail sales edge up

Scottish retail sales rose 6.2% year-on-year in August, according to new SRC figures,. Adjusting for shop price inflation, the year-on-year rise in sales volumes was 1.1%. Paul Martin, UK Head of Retail at survey sponsor KPMG, said: “With Christmas just three paydays away, it’s likely the brakes will be firmly applied on non-essential spending for most people.”

Post Office partners with DHL Express

a household name with global reach. ey recognise the value our postmasters bring to their customers with their expert knowledge of the parcel market and the long hours their branches are open giving people a convenient and secure location to pick up their packages.”

Post O ce has secured an agreement with DHL Express that will see parcels delivered directly to its branches as part of DHL’s Service Point network.

Customers making a purchase online will have the option to choose their local post o ce as the collection point. DHL will deliver parcels directly to the branch and the postmaster will process customer collections at the counter. DHL Express customers will

receive a message regarding their parcel delivery via text, email or via DHL’s on-demand delivery service, and can select to collect their parcel from their local post o ce.

e click-and-collect service will initially be trialled at branches in Northern Ireland before rolling out to more than 1,000 branches across the rest of the UK from the start of the New Year.

Nick Read, Chief Executive at the Post O ce, said: “DHL is

Ayrshire store reopens after revamp

Stevenston’s Post O ce and Convenience Store in Ayrshire has reopened a er a 13-day re t to make the shop more accessible to customers.

e re t has enabled most aisles to have a two-metre-wide gap and for the shop to increase its range.

e revamped Premier store has already welcomed its rst mobility-restricted customers back. Ena, a long-time customer who uses a mobility scooter, took advantage of the wide aisles and low counters.

Owner Robin Bawa said: “It’s just a great feeling when your plan works. We set out to do the re t so we could accommodate our locals who have not been able to get out and about in local stores.

“Today we had a visit from one of our customers who used to come to us and use post o ce all the time however due to her health she couldn’t walk and started getting deliveries from us. Today she came a er she heard that her scooter could get into the shop. Absolutely brilliant. at’s what the re t was all about.”

In addition, the store is looking to add at least six members of sta – including a cashier, shop oor assistant, and delivery drivers – to its existing team.

Ian Wilson, Chief Executive of DHL Express UK, said: “Post O ce with its reputation as a trusted institution as well as its nationwide footprint make it an ideal Service Point partner to extend our delivery options in a way that will give recipients even more convenient choices and total con dence that their parcels are in good hands.”

Since opening its network to external carriers last year for the rst time in its 360-year history, Post O ce has grown the number of branches o ering click-andcollect to almost 5,000.

COMMUNITY HLP’s Cook at Home programme launches in One O One stores

One O One Convenience Stores is encouraging customers to eat better with the launch of a new scheme in partnership with the SGF’s Healthy Living Programme.

The ‘Cook at Home’ initiative rolls out exclusively in a selection of One O One stores and online for home delivery customers. The initiative will showcase a new healthier recipe every week that can be easily made at home.

The aim is to encourage families to cook meals at home and enjoy the benefits of a home-cooked meal using fresh ingredients that are readily available.

The National Chef for Scotland, Gary Maclean, has filmed short step-by-step videos to support the initiative.

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STORE REFITS Ayrshire store becomes more accessible

PARCELS The service will roll out to more than 1,000 branches across the UK from the start of the New Year.

reaches record levels in Great Britain, report reveals

e number of people vaping has reached record levels in Great Britain with an estimated 4.3 million people who are regular vapers, according to a report by Action on Smoking and Health (ASH).

e data suggests 8.3% of adults in England, Wales and Scotland vape, up from 1.7% a decade ago. Of the 4.3 million vapers, about 2.4 million are ex-smokers, 1.5 million current smokers and 350,000 have never smoked a cigarette. Cheeseman said vaping among the latter tended to be “rare” and “experimental”.

e report also shows e-cigarettes were becoming especially popular among young people, with 18- to 24-year-olds the biggest consumers in 2022, at 11%. is has grown since 2021, when they had the lowest vaping rate at 5%. People 55

and over now have the lowest rate, at 5.9%.

e report found 28% of current smokers had never tried an e-cigarette, with 21% saying they did not want to substitute one addiction for another. In addition, 23% thought vaping was not similar enough to smoking and 10% said they were concerned e-cigarettes are not safe enough. A third of adults said they believed vaping was more, or equally as harmful, as smoking.

In 2022, 35% of current vapers also smoked. Among this group, those who vaped daily smoked fewer cigarettes than those who did so less frequently.

One in ve former smokers said they used a vape to help them quit, but more than half (56%) who are ex-smokers said they had been vaping for more than three years.

Kids go bananas for Healthy Living Programme

Scotland’s Public Health Minister Maree Todd has seen rst-hand the bene ts of SGF’s Healthy Living Programme (HLP) at an in-store event at Spar Bo’ness.

Senior pupils from both Bo’ness and Kinneil Primary Schools took part in the event, participating in sporting activities before touring the store, where they learned about the healthier products that Spar o ers customers.

rough Spar’s sponsorship with the SFA, Scotland and Celtic mid elder Lisa Robertson was on hand to speak to the pupils about tness and the importance of leading a healthier lifestyle.

e pupils are now tasked to return to school and lead an assembly to the rest of the pupils and discuss what they learnt. e HLP team will then visit the schools in November and carry out a big breakfast event which will be funded by the Spar store. e events are intended to link the store with the community, encourage parents and children to visit the store and increase the awareness and sales of healthier products.

COMMUNITY Healthy Living Programme celebrated at in-store event

Scottish Grocers’ Federation

Convenience Matters with the SGF

It was a long time in coming but the recent announcement by the UK Government about its Energy Bill Relief Scheme for businesses was a welcome step.

This move provides retailers with much needed support, but they will require help for significantly longer than six months with their energy bills if they are going to see real benefits.

Six months is not long enough for them to operate sustainable business models if they need to take key decisions around planning staff recruitment, investment in their businesses and modernising their stores. Uncertainty is not good for business, for the retailer or the customers they serve.

Scottish Grocers’ Federation conducted an energy survey over the month of September with members. The findings show how concerned members are about their energy bills. For example, retailers are experiencing a wide spectrum of energy cost increases, ranging from 50% to as high as 800%. Also 100% of respondents are concerned about the increases, with 78% worried that it could put their business at risk.

Indeed, some have said it may limit their capacity to employ an adequate number of staff and affect the produce they stock due to the costs of having chillers and refrigerators switched on, meaning fewer chilled and frozen items available in store. SGF has also been inundated with calls from retailers in recent months around the challenges presented by soaring energy costs.

So yes, the Energy Bill Relief Scheme will help but long-term support with energy bills will be required to build up business confidence and support an economic recovery.

Government unveils Energy Bill Relief Scheme

The government’s new support scheme will be equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households.

e government has unveiled its new Energy Bill Relief Scheme, which will support thousands of local shops and other nondomestic businesses for six months from October.

rough the scheme, the government will provide a discount on wholesale gas and electricity prices for all non-domestic customers in the UK whose current gas and electricity prices have been signi cantly in ated in light of global energy prices. is support will be equivalent to the Energy Price Guarantee put in place for households.

It will apply to xed contracts agreed on or a er 1 April 2022, as well as to deemed, variable and exible tari s and contracts. It will apply to energy usage from 1 October 2022 to 31 March 2023, running for an initial six-month period for all non-domestic energy users. e savings will be rst seen in October bills, which are typically received in November.

Prime Minister Liz Truss said: “I understand the huge pressure businesses, charities and public sector organisations are facing with their energy bills, which is why we are taking immediate action to support them over the winter and protect jobs and livelihoods.

“As we are doing for consumers, our new scheme will keep their energy bills down from October, providing certainty and peace of mind.”

e government will review the operation of the scheme in three months to inform decisions on future support a er March 2023.

e Association of Convenience Stores welcomed the package. Chief

Executive James Lowman said: “We will continue to work closely with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy on longer-term solutions to the energy crisis facing convenience stores and other businesses, including ways to incentivise investment in energye cient technology.”

NFRN National President Jason Birks added: “ e government has said it will review the situation in three months, and we need rm assurances that ongoing nancial support will be available as long as it is needed to see us through this crisis.

“It is about the survival of small businesses, helping them to remain at the heart of their local communities and continue to provide vital services.”

Company owners are warning of potential job losses and increased costs for customers when the scheme ends in April.

Julie Dunn, Operations Manager at wholesaler Dunns Food and Drinks, said: “ ese measures give much-needed certainty to us and our customers, especially a er a di cult few years.

“Whilst six months of support may not help all businesses, it does

bring some relief within the retail and hospitality sectors to allow trading through the vital Christmas period.

“However, it’s important to stress this is not a silver bullet that is going to x all the problems facing the sectors.”

Meanwhile, the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) has written the Chancellor of the Exchequer urging government’s recognition of the need to support forecourts businesses facing soaring energy costs this winter.

Gordon Balmer, Executive Director of the PRA, said: “While I welcome the government’s recognition of the need to support businesses, six months of relief does not provide forecourts with su cient support to survive these critical times.

“If the price of energy rises, our members will face the prospect of having to raise the margin they earn on fuel with the consequent impact on pump prices and ultimately in ation.”

e PRA wants the government to extend its support in the form of the energy price cap to forecourts to a year, with the option to renew for an additional year.

LEGISLATION Government aims to help businesses cope with soaring energy prices

SANDS OF TIME

It wasn’t a particularly well-kept secret, but Spar Scotland CEO Colin McLean’s announcement at the company’s recent tradeshow and conference that David Sands’ stores were joining Spar still managed to cause a kerfuffle and raise a few eyebrows into the bargain. David is a notoriously canny businessman and the decision will not have been taken lightly – so it was a major PR coup for CJ Lang and the timing couldn’t have been better for McLean.

Being able to unveil his latest recruit added an extra layer of sparkle to an already impressive event, but it also came at a time when the symbol group market is in a state of flux. Or perhaps turmoil is a better way to describe it, at least in certain quarters.

Nisa’s woes are well documented, and David Sands is unlikely to be the last Nisa customer to make for the exit. What happens next at Nisa is anyone’s guess – they don’t have their troubles to seek – but one thing is for sure: Spar Scotland securing David Sands is the clearest indication yet that Spar Scotland is genuinely back in the game and its proposition is a credible one. The logic runs something like this: “If it’s good enough for David, it’s good enough for anybody.”

The last few years have had a remarkable effect on our industry and the current challenges we’re encountering continue to change the face of local retailing in Scotland. With costs skyrocketing, the old rules of thumb have gone out the window. Everything is up in the air, and everything is up for grabs.

Many of the leading symbol groups, including Spar, are rubbing their hands, of course, but their game has changed too. For years, pretty much all of them preached but rarely practised a policy of ‘quality, not quantity’ when it came to recruiting stores. These days, they are being much more selective. Very few of them want small stores doing £10k or £15k a week. So, is the market set to polarise even further? And what will happen to small stores where retailers used to be able to make a half-decent living but can’t any longer because their operating costs have doubled or tripled?

These are worrying times for our sector and the light at the end of the tunnel is still a very long way away for many.

EDITORIAL

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

News Editor Liz Wells lwells@55north.com

Features Editor Gaelle Walker gwalker@55north.com

Web Editor Findlay Stein fstein@55north.com

ADVERTISING

Sales & Marketing Director

Helen Lyons 07575 959 915 | hlyons@55north.com

Advertising Manager

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

DESIGN

Design & Digital Manager

Richard Chaudhry rchaudhry@55north.com

EVENTS & OPERATIONS

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

Scottish Local Retailer is distributed free to qualifying readers. For a registration card, call 0141 222 5381. Other readers can obtain copies by annual subscription at £50 (UK), £62 (Europe airmail), £99 (Worldwide airmail).

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DISCLAIMER

ANTONY BEGLEY, PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

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

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

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

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

Scottish Local Retailer is produced monthly by 55 North Ltd.

©55NorthLtd.2022 ISSN1740-2409.

**Recommended retail price.

Ribena is a registered trade mark of Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ltd. © Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ltd. All rights reserved.

SHAMLY SHINES AT SLR

SLR AWARDS – AGAIN!

Back with a live event for the first time since 2019, the 20th SLR Awards recognised the very best of Scotland’s convenience retailing sector. Shamly Sud was star of the show, collecting five awards before being named Scottish Local Retailer of the Year for the second year in a row.

Shamly Sud and her family were smiling last month a er claiming the Scottish Local Retailer of the Year award for the second year in succession at the SLR Awards.

e glittering event was an extra-special one for SLR as it marked the 20th anniversary of the Awards. Held at Glasgow’s Radisson blu hotel on 7 September, it saw Shamly – the driving force behind the Premier Racetrack chain of stores – scoop ve awards as well as the highly coveted top prize.

Her stunning Premier Racetrack Pitstop store in Bearsden claimed four of these: Forecourt Retailer of the Year, New Store of the Year, Sustainability Retailer of the Year, and the # inkSmart Innovation Award.

e Young Scottish Retailer of the Year award went to Girish Jeeva, in recognition of the £300,000 investment and the work he has put into creating a fantastic Premier store in Barmulloch, aged just 28.

Danielle Couse, from the Nisa Motherwell Road store in Bellshill, was named Unsung Hero for her pivotal role in running the store’s ourishing home delivery business while Graham Watson picked up the Community Retailer of the Year gong for his outstanding e orts serving his local community over the last year. is marked the second year in a row that Graham, owner of Premier Watson’s Grocer in Moniaive, has won this category.

ere was a moment of re ection when the family of the late Mohammed Issa MBE took to stage in special recognition of his achievements over a lifetime in the industry. Mohammed was co-founder of the 1st Stop 2 Shop store chain and a community champion in Dundee who raised money for numerous local and national charities.

In the much-sought-a er symbol group categories, Spar Scotland took the Community Initiative of the Year award while Premier was named Symbol Group of the Year.

Alongside the awards, the evening, hosted by comedian and TV and radio presenter Des Clarke, also saw guests treated to a cookery demonstration by celebrity chef Nick Nairn.

Burts doubles RNLI donation

Burts Chips will double its initial donation to charity partner the Royal National Lifeboat Institution (RNLI), after the success of sales from its limited-edition Prawn Cocktail flavour that launched in April to coincide with the second year of the partnership. The flavour has done so well that Burts will now give the lifesaving charity £20,000 towards the crucial work it does in saving lives at sea.

New Müller pot cuts 500 tonnes of virgin plastic Müller Milk & Ingredients is to remove 500 tonnes of virgin plastic from its annual production of cream pots by switching to recycled plastic packaging. The company has converted 75% of its cream volume to rPET pots which are 100% recyclable and contain 82% recycled material. The new have been rolled out across Müller’s 150ml and 300ml cream range, across both its brand and private label offering.

Rockstar kickstarts Freshers Week

Rockstar handed out more than 900,000 samples during Fresher’s Week as part of a new global messaging campaign to drive awareness of the energy drink brand. A further 500,000 samples were distributed during experiential activity across universities last month. A ‘Fuel Every You’ creative ran across PoS, as well as in and around convenience and impulse stores.

Puree dead brilliant GoGo squeeZ, a range of fruit puree and yogurt pouches, has teamed up with Disney Classics and Disneyland Paris for a new on-pack promotion. Over a thousand prizes are up for grabs, including a VIP stay at Disneyland Paris. Packs feature modern Disney Classics visuals created exclusively for the partnership. The promotion is supported by in-store POS, social, digital and influencer activities.

Product News

Fanta reveals 2022 Halloween campaign and on-pack promo

Coca-Cola Europaci c Partners has li ed the shroud from this year’s Fanta Halloween campaign, that includes an on-pack promotion o ering prizes and surprises.

Shoppers are invited to scan QR codes on limited-edition packs of Fanta to nd out instantly whether they’ve won a prize from a £50,000 pool of ghoulish goodies. Prizes range from cauldrons of cash to home entertainment systems and supplies for the ultimate scary movie night in. ose who don’t win will receive exclusive digital content instead.

e promotion is supported by a multi-million-pound marketing campaign which includes the return of 2021’s TV ad, paid social media, digital and out-of-home advertising. In addition, free POS materials are available from My.CCEP.com whilst stocks last. is year marks the rst time Fanta Lemon, Fanta Fruit Twist Zero, Fanta Grape Zero, and Fanta Raspberry Zero are included in the brand’s Halloween activity.

Martin Attock, Vice President of Commercial Development at Coca-Cola Europaci c Partners

GB, commented: “Fanta Zero is doing particularly well and led growth during the spooky season in 2021, which is why we’re including more of our popular zero sugar avours this time around. Retailers can create in-outlet theatre with the front-of-store and aisle-end displays – where HFSScompliant ranges like Fanta have a key role to play. is, combined with our £50,000 prize pool and the other marketing activity we have planned, will help Fanta and our customers achieve another year of strong growth at Halloween.”

SNACKS KP Snacks launches £50k retailer giveback

KP Snacks has unveiled a £50,000 prize draw to support retailers and their staff amidst the ongoing financial pressures they are facing.

Highland Spring has unveiled a new rail freight facility in Blackford, Perthshire as part of its drive to transport goods sustainably and reach net zero by 2040.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon o cially opened the facility (31 August), which will save 3,200 tonnes of CO2 every year. Each train carries the equivalent to 22 HGVs and will transport containers of water more than 350 miles to Highland Spring’s external warehouse in Daventry daily. e move will see 40% of the water supplied from the Blackford bottling plant carried by train.

e project has been 10 years in development and is part of Highland Spring’s long-term strategy to invest in and develop innovative solutions to provide healthy hydration in an environmentally sustainable way.

Nicola Sturgeon commented: “Getting the Highland Spring Rail Freight Facility to the point of opening and operating has been a complex task and everyone involved should be immensely proud of their achievements.

“Removing more than 10 million lorry miles from Scotland’s roads in the rst 10 years of operation will go a long way to improving the environment and lives of those close by as well as helping the country as a whole achieve net zero. I am con dent other businesses will now follow suit.”

KEEP UP WITH THE LATEST

Running until midNovember, the McCoy’s giveback offers retailers the chance to win one of 100 £500 cash prizes. Retailers at participating wholesalers will be entered into the free prize draw when they buy five cases of McCoy’s Grab Bags or £1 price-marked packs.

A KP/ACS survey found half of retailers are feeling more negative than this time in 2021. Half also reported their personal finances have worsened because of the costof-living crisis. Every retailer in the poll said their day-to-day costs of running their business had also increased.

To address these difficulties and give further support to retailers, KP is donating £20,000 to GroceryAid from McCoy’s sales. The donation will improve convenience retailers’ access to emotional and practical support as well as financial aid.

SOFT DRINKS Ghoulish goodies are up for grabs

BOTTLED WATER First Minister opens new transport hub Highland Spring in sus-train-ability drive

Clearspring extends Fruit Purée range

New belvita promo taps into Positive Energy

Breakfast biscuit brand belVita has launched a new promotion as part of its ‘Positive Energy’ campaign that gives shoppers the chance to win one of 250 prizes instantly.

Promotional packs across the belVita range – including its three brand-new non-HFSS additions: belVita Fruit Crunch (Raisin & Currant and Apple & Pear) and belVita So Bakes Filled Apricot – are available from now until 31 October.

Spotify and Net ix gi cards are up for grabs, along with Lifestyle vouchers

and one-month Headspace subscriptions. Additionally, all entrants during the promotional period will be enrolled into a grand prize draw, with ve lucky winners bagging a £650 gi card for a participating retailer of their choice or a month’s grocery shopping.

To be in with a chance of winning, shoppers simply purchase any belVita product, visit positiveenergy.belvita.eu, enter the last eight digits of the product’s barcode and complete a short online form to nd out instantly if they are a winner.

Everyone’s a winner with Lucozade Zero

Lucozade Energy has launched Zero Losers, the rst ever on-pack promotion across its Lucozade Zero range, where a prize is guaranteed with every entry.

By scanning a QR code on pack, Lucozade Zero shoppers will receive one of many instant prizes, including a top prize of £5,000 cash for 10 lucky winners. Many more shoppers will be given cash prizes of £250 or £20. Free bottles of Lucozade Zero are among the other prizes available.

e promotion is live now across multiple pack formats including 500ml, 4 x 380ml (excluding Orange) and 900ml (Pink Lemonade only).

e promotion is supported by a signi cant

marketing campaign, which includes out-of-home, radio, PR, social media and instore activity. e campaign aims to reach 89% of adults at least six times.

Zoe Trimble, Head of Lucozade Energy at Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I, says: “We know that zerosugar drinks are driving growth within the so drinks category. is means there is a huge opportunity for retailers to attract even more consumer interest in this growing segment through this bespoke new promotion.

“Stores should stock up on our popular range of Lucozade Zero drinks – including bestselling Lucozade Zero Pink Lemonade – to make the most of the buzz around Zero Losers.”

Amy Lucas, Brand Manager for belVita at Mondelez, commented: “We’re excited to o er shoppers hundreds of chances to win some incredible prizes, and to help retailers drive incremental sales o the back of the launch of our three brand-new non-HFSS additions.

“We advise retailers to stock up on the belVita product range –particularly the new belVita Fruit Crunch Raisin & Currant, belVita Fruit Crunch Apple & Pear, and belVita So Bakes Filled Apricot – to build excitement and tap into additional sales from new shoppers as well as loyal belVita fans.”

New Irn-Bru Energy campaign offers hundreds of gaming prizes

Organic brand Clearspring has added three new Organic Fruit Purées to its purée range: Apple Banana Strawberry, Apple Mango Coconut and Pear Apple Peach. The new trio, which each contain a combination of three fruits, builds on Clearspring’s existing Organic Fruit Purée offering, which comes in a selection of single fruit and twofruit blend varieties. Each pack contains two long-life, ambientstored, sealed pots.

Tyrrells unveils ‘best-ever’ veg crisps

KP Snacks is trumpeting the launch of what it’s calling its “best-ever” vegetable crisps, the result of “investing in and developing unique processes designed to produce the perfect vegetable crisp consistently”. Tyrrells Veg Crisps is available in three flavours: Veg Crisps with Sea Salt, Veg Crisps with Balsamic Vinegar & Sea Salt, and Sweet Potato Crisps with Sea Salt.

Florette goes festive

Barr Soft Drinks has launched an eyecatching new campaign for Irn-Bru Energy to drive trial and visibility for the brand and generate incremental sales for retailers in the fast-growing £177m Scottish energy drinks market.

The campaign includes a consumer competition giving shoppers the chance to instantly win over 200 video gaming prizes, as well as entry into a grand prize draw to win their ultimate gaming set up. In addition, student sampling at every college and university in Scotland will put over 100,000 cans into the hands of energy consumers.

A full suite of in-store/depot POS is available, including digital assets.

Florette has launched new limited-edition seasonal packs as it bids to bring “a burst of muchneeded fun and engagement to the fresh produce fixture this Christmas”. The brand’s bestselling SKUs, Classic Crispy (115g and 170g) will be transformed into ‘Father Crispy’ and Mixed (150g) will undergo a similar festive makeover, becoming ‘Have a holly, jolly Mixed-mas’.

Premier Foods has a fresh take on food waste

Premier Foods has launched a campaign to help consumers transform their leftover ingredients into new meals. ‘A Fresh Take on Food Waste’ is an online tool that displays recipes based on the food items most commonly found at the back of people’s fridge. Users can select the ingredient they want to use up and then pick from a bank of recipes to make at home.

BREAKFAST Hundreds up prizes up for grabs

SPORTS & ENERGY A prize for every entrant in new promotion

SPORTS & ENERGY

O -Trade

READER OFFER

With the rising cost of living squeezing household budgets nationwide, shopper demand for value is driving sales across the tobacco category. To help retailers cater to this demand, Imperial Tobacco has partnered with SLR to give five lucky readers the chance to win £50 worth of Rizla stock for their store, including its popular Rizla Combi range, which offers both papers and tips in one place for the ultimate in convenience.

As more adult smokers move into the roll your own category to get greater value for money, many are also looking for accessories like Rizla Combi that cater for this growing appetite for value. The majority of consumers who use standard king size papers, also use paper filters, so prefer the convenience of combi packs, as they get both papers and tips in one pack.

Thanks to its added convenience format and its higher RRP at £1.20*, Rizla Combi makes 28% more revenue than Rizla’s standard King Size Silver and offers retailers better margins1 Rizla Combi also benefits from an extensive brand heritage, with its King Size format originally invented way back in 1977. Since then, its grown to become the No.1 fastest selling format from Rizla2

With Rizla Combi offering customers great value from an iconic and established brand, and great profit potential for retailers, it is a must stock product. So, make sure you enter the competition now to be in with a chance of winning free stock to help you tap into this rising demand for value in your store.

Five lucky retailers will win £50 worth of Rizla stock for their store so to be entered to win this fantastic prize please email imperial@secnewgate.co.uk stating “SLR Rizla Combi Competition” in the subject line of the email, please also supply your name, store name, full address and postcode along with a contact telephone number to be in with a chance of winning.

Entries must be received by Monday October 31st 2022, the five winning entries will be picked at random by SEC Newgate on behalf of Imperial Tobacco and will be notified via email.

*Based on ITUK RRP as at September 2022. RRP: For the avoidance of doubt, customers are free at all times to determine the selling price of their products.

Treasury Wine Estates has unveiled a new addition to its 19 Crimes portfolio, moving the brand into the sparkling wine category for the rst time.

Launching this month, 19 Crimes Sparkling White (75cl, RSP £10 to £12) is an Australian sparkling wine aimed at recruiting millennials “into the category through disruption and de ance of convention”. With a taste pro le aligned to current consumer trends, TWE says it’s ideal for party occasions.

e launch will be supported by an integrated marketing

BEER

campaign that will include in-store activity, social-led content, in uencer engagement and PR from October through to the festive season.

Ben Blake, Head of Marketing EMEA at Treasury Wine Estates, said it was an easy decision to launch in the build-up to Christmas.

He added: “We expect 19 Crimes Sparkling White to recruit more millennial consumers and encourage repeat purchase of this much-loved brand.”

Don’t lick the wall, please

As PR stunts go, this one’s a bit different.

To mark the launch of its new Pilsner, Brooklyn Brewery commissioned New York-based street artist Danielle Mastrion to paint a mural using paint mixed with the new brew onto a wall in the brewery’s home of Brixton, South London.

Brooklyn, which is hailing the mural as a world-first, also invited locals to contribute to the artwork at a blank canvas event, which saw experts and amateurs alike pick up stencils and paintbrushes to make their mark.

New Brooklyn Pilsner (4.6% ABV) is described as “a bright golden, premium lager that layer clean malts with a balanced wave of bright hops, crowned by an instantly refreshing finish. Made to be enjoyed by everyone, it offers light toasty flavours and spicy, subtle citrus hop notes.”

It is available in 33cl bottles, as well as 33cl and 50cl cans.

WINE Brand adds some fizz in the run-up to Christmas 19 Crimes gets sparkled

LATEST

CATCH THE PREMIUM BEER AND CIDER WAVE – P54

VK refreshes range ahead of biggest-ever campaign

VK has unveiled a new logo and packaging design in a bid to position the RTD brand as “relevant, playful, and cool”.

e new packaging builds an identity around each avour, with colourful labels highlighting the product. is di erentiation between each SKU comes as part of the #WEAREVK campaign, which builds a character around each avour of the alcopop.

With 44% of RTD consumers citing range of avours as a key purchase driver, the rebrand clearly highlights the breadth of avours VK o ers.

Following the rebrand, VK launched its biggest-ever mass awareness campaign, which will see 27 million impressions reach consumers across eight di erent touchpoints over two months.

is activity includes the brand’s rst ever digital out-of-home campaign, with geo-driven data targeting VK’s key 18–24-year-old consumer audience. A digital van tour is also boosting impressions across 11 key cities with a large target audience, including Edinburgh.

Online, three million consumers will be reached through ITV video-on-demand, ITV2, ITVbe and YouTube, with further targeted display impressions on mobile, audio plays through Spotify, and across the brand’s social channels.

An on-pack promotion also supports the new campaign, with 10 bottles featuring a Glow Up sticker hidden in VK Mixed Packs. Lucky winners that nd a Glow Up bottle will receive a year’s supply of VK.

Cîroc pours some passion into limited edition

To capitalise on the current popularity of avoured spirits, Diageo’s super-premium vodka brand Cîroc has launched new limitededition Cîroc Passion (37.5% ABV).

Available now in a 70cl format (RSP £38) until stocks last, Cîroc Passion is inspired by the tropics and o ers subtle notes of pineapple, mango, citrus and hibiscus.

e bottle design uses bright, vibrant colours to give a strong stand-out on shelf and draw attention to the brand’s signature metallised orb in the centre.

Nick Pearson, Brand Manager for Cîroc at Diageo GB, commented: “Cîroc vodka is renowned for its super-premium quality and diverse portfolio which caters to celebratory and social occasions. We are extremely excited to launch limitededition, Cîroc Passion and are con dent the combination of the avour and the brand will be a hit.

“New avours are crucial for retailers who are looking to get customers excited about their drinks range, and this is no exception.”

RTDs

Smirnoff launches Mango & Passionfruit variant as RTD

Diageo’s Smirnoff brand has added a Mango & Passionfruit Twist premix RTD (4.5% ABV) to its portfolio to capitalise on the popularity of the flavoured vodka.

Smirnoff Mango & Passionfruit Twist launched on 1 March and is already one of the top-three-selling flavoured vodkas in the UK. The new RTD mixes the spirit with lemonade and is available to the off-trade now in 250ml cans with a £2.39 RSP. Pricemarked packs are also available.

The launch is supported as part of Smirnoff’s £2m marketing investment in its flavour range which includes broadcast and digital advertising, social media and consumer activations.

Flavoured vodka continues to grow at +51.9% and Diageo’s pre-mix brands currently account for 59% of the total sub-category’s sales.

The new RTD follows a raft of NPD from Smirnoff including its bestselling Raspberry Crush.

Carling back on box

Molson Coors has launched a £6.6m marketing campaign for its flagship lager Carling, which sees the brand back on screens with its first TV ad in two years. The new campaign is built around the concept that people’s friends – ‘mates’ – make them who they are and champions everyday, relatable stories of ‘mateship’. Activations across TV, social and video-on-demand are tied together by the strapline ‘We’re Made by Our Mates’. A second phase of football-related ads will launch in November.

Get a Halloween glow with Bacardi

As Halloween fast approaches, Bacardi has unveiled new glowin-the-dark bottles. With their bat-inspired designs, the limitededition bottles are described as “the perfect decoration to take your Halloween parties to the next level”. The bottles are available now across Bacardi Carta Blanca and Bacardi Spiced variants, with an RSP of £17.

White Claw targets clubbers

Following its £4m summer marketing campaign, hard seltzer brand White Claw is set to double its on-premise late night footprint with a series of clubbing partnerships across the UK. As part of a longer-term approach to transform White Claw into an all-season beverage, the brand is targeting venues championing high-energy music genres including Glasgow’s Polo Lounge and Manuka.

Tropical seltzer

AB InBev has launched Corona Tropical, a 4.5% ABV hard seltzer made with real fruit juice that is available in both single and 8 x 330ml cans. The new gluten-free drink comes in three flavours: Guava & Lime, Raspberry & Lemon, and Grapefruit & Lemongrass. All contain 96 calories and 2.4g of sugar per can. The launch is supported by a digital and out-of-home campaigns.

FLAVOURED SPIRITS New launch is inspired by the tropics

RTDs

DAVID HARRIS

SLR catches up with David Harris, Chief Executive of Circularity Scotland, the body that will administer the country’s deposit return scheme (DRS).

WHAT ATTRACTED YOU TO THE ROLE?

I’ve worked across the plastics recycling and packaging industries for over 25 years, so to say that the circular economy is something I’m interested in is an understatement. Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme will be one of the most signi cant environmental infrastructure projects ever introduced in the UK, and the most comprehensive scheme of its kind anywhere in the world. Having the opportunity to play a key role in its success was something I could never pass up.

WHAT DOES THE ROLE INVOLVE?

With a project as signi cant and multi-faceted as the DRS, and in an organisation that is essentially a startup and growing in size and scale every day, my role is making sure the sum of all Circularity Scotland’s parts is working together to achieve the same shared goal. We also have an unrivalled bank of specialist skills and in-depth experience within CSL’s Executive Team, so as CEO I make sure this is drawn upon regularly to help shape and inform everything we do.

WHAT’S IT LIKE WORKING ON SUCH A HUGE PROJECT?

It’s a privilege. Like all projects of this scale, the challenges are not

insigni cant, but the results will be worth it. I think I speak for everyone at CSL when I say that it’s a wonderful feeling to be involved in something that will have such a signi cant impact on Scotland’s environment – it goes beyond being just a job.

HOW ARE THINGS GOING?

We are working at pace to ensure that the scheme runs e ectively and coste ciently as possible from August 2023. Circularity Scotland was set up by industry to act as a scheme administrator only last year, and in that short time we’ve achieved a number of major milestones.

We’ve secured £18m in commercial loans to support the set-up phase of the scheme, appointed Bi a as the o cial logistics partner and built a strong Executive Team that has unparalleled experience in developing and implementing complex and large-scale projects. Su ce to say, we now have in place many of the resources we need to ensure that the scheme is a success and there is a clear roadmap until the scheme goes live and beyond.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE YOU FACE?

ere are many challenges associated with a project of not just this size, but also its scale – every business that

produces or sells drinks in a plastic, glass or aluminium container will have obligations as part of the DRS. Now, the most important challenge we are facing is ensuring all these businesses know their obligations, big or small. O cial registration for producers opens on 1 December, with registration for retailers to follow early next year.

We know that there are a lot of questions – particularly for how this will a ect local retailers – so we’re encouraging all businesses to sign up for updates on our website, which takes just a couple of minutes and will keep them informed and help them plan for the scheme going live. Our website also has an extensive list of FAQs that will give them all the information they need.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR CIRCULARITY SCOTLAND?

Our focus now is xed rmly on creating a DRS scheme in Scotland that will run as e ciently and cost e ectively as possible, and helping businesses navigate their way through registration and understanding what steps they have to take. But it’s not just businesses that will have a role to play. Once registration has closed in March, we will be turning our attention to helping consumers in Scotland understand what DRS will mean for them when it is implemented next August.

FACTFILE David Harris has been involved in Circularity Scotland since it was formed and has worked across plastics recycling and packaging industries for over 25 years, with leadership roles at British Polythene Industries plc and significant involvement in developing plastics recycling in the UK. His wealth of expertise includes management of complex international enterprises and the formation of private high growth businesses.

SPAR SCOTLAND

RENAISSANCE CONTINUES

The renaissance of the ‘sleeping giant’ Spar Scotland continued with last month’s tradeshow and conference at Aviemore, one of the biggest Scottish retail events ever.

BY ANTONY BEGLEY

SPAR SCOTLAND 2022

AWARD WINNERS

As part of the event, four Spar stores received awards to celebrate the incredible work they have been doing throughout the year.

The four category winners across independent and company owned stores are:

Q Independent Community Retailer of the Year

Jamie and Denise Howse, Spar Bellabeg

Q Company Owned Community Store of the Year

Spar Halbeath

Q Independent Retailer of the Year

Spar Blantyre

Q Company Owned Store of the Year

Spar Garthamlock

When Colin McLean was appointed CEO of Spar Scotland four years ago, few could have predicted how dramatically he would turn the business around.

McLean himself probably wouldn’t have dared predict the level of success he has enjoyed and the speed and scale of the turnaround.

From a business facing an existential threat, McLean and his carefully created senior management team have taken a business that was on its knees and turned it into a professionally run and highly pro table one in just a few years. Yes, they’ve had some luck along the way, with blazing summers and pandemic-fuelled sales growth, but as McLean himself pointed out in his presentation at last month’s Spar Scotland tradeshow and conference, it’s only by having a well-run business that you can fully capitalise on opportunities like these when they come along.

SLEEPING GIANT

ere’s little doubt that Spar Scotland is back in the game or, as McLean o en phrases it, the

sleeping giant has awoken. Last month’s show was the latest milestone on the road to recovery and was appropriately themed ‘We’re Back’.

Hosted in Aviemore, the event was among the largest retail events ever held in Scotland, with over 800 delegates attending over two days including a ra of independent Spar retailers, company-owned store sta , CJ Lang colleagues and a selection of the great and the good of the industry.

And that’s not including over 180 suppliers who were there to show o their latest wares at the accompanying tradeshow.

e news that generated most interest was the announcement that David Sands was moving his four stores into Spar Scotland, despite his father Lynsey’s vehement proclamation many years ago that he would “never work with Spar again”. e timing of the move was immaculate, allowing McLean to get the event o to an energetic yer. He will undoubtedly be hoping many other retailers will follow Sands’ lead in the weeks and months ahead, particularly given the current turmoil in the symbol group market.

Generating less buzz in the room but probably more importantly, McLean also revealed the company’s latest accounts. As yet they haven’t been formally signed-o , but the last nancial year was a very solid one for the business. Pro ts are up once more, and all indicators are pointing in the right direction.

SHOWCASE

e event was C J Lang’s rst face-to-face event in over two years and was the perfect opportunity for McLean to recognise and thank Spar Scotland’s customers, retailers, colleagues and suppliers.

He said: “Our 2022 tradeshow has been a great opportunity to engage with our independent retailers, Spar Scotland store colleagues and suppliers face-to-face. We are absolutely delighted with the support we’ve received.

“We made a bold move in taking a fresh new approach and the transformation over the last four years has been astonishing. We have achieved four years of pro table sales growth, we have a robust nancial platform to build upon,

better business alignment, greater consistency of store operations and a great way of working. We are also modernising the Spar Scotland store business by securing additional investment and planning.

“ at extends to the modernisation of the brand in Scotland through our partnership with the Scottish FA and regular advertising on STV all taking our brand to a wider audience across the country.

“Spar is the most-recognised symbol group in the country, and it has been great to see independent retailers appreciating this opportunity. CJ Lang & Son is a Scottish company, with a strong family background, working in partnership with community focused retailers and stores.

“We are fully committed to building not only our own business, but the Spar stores owned by our independent retailers. Our ambitious plans have everything in place to support retailers in the Spar family. e only symbol group to move independent convenience store businesses forward is Spar Scotland.”

DAVID SANDS RETURNS TO SPAR

Possibly the biggest news from the conference was the announcement that the David Sands Group had joined Spar Scotland. The group includes four stores, three branded as David’s Kitchen and the Pinkie Farm store in Musselburgh managed by outgoing SGF President Dan Brown.

Spar Scotland CEO Colin McLean was clearly thrilled to be able to make the announcement, another major milestone for him and his team as they continue to rebuild the once ailing Spar brand in Scotland.

He commented: “Over the past four years our business has changed dramatically, and we are now attracting the very best Scottish retailers to join Spar Scotland because of our competitive wholesale package. We are delighted that David and his team have decided to continue the next part of their journey with Spar Scotland and would encourage others to take a fresh look at what we can now offer.”

David Sands said: “Moving to Spar Scotland gives us the opportunity to develop our business into the future as well as provide the local communities where our stores are situated with an even better service. Our vision is to continue to develop a solid business not just for today but for future generations. We believe that Spar Scotland is the only symbol group who can supply all that required support and more.

“We have been extremely impressed with the proposition Spar Scotland has to offer. The team understands what our customers want and how we want to make sure we deliver on their needs. The customer is at the heart of what we do and it’s great to see that Spar Scotland shares these same values.”

THEY CAME, THEY SAW, THEY CHECKED IT OUT!

GroceryAid Scotland’s first ever Checkout Scotland music festival was a massive success last month with over 600 industry colleagues gathering for an event to be remembered.

BY ANTONY BEGLEY

It was two years in the planning but last month’s Checkout Scotland was a huge success on every count for the GroceryAid Scotland Committee whose unbelievable e orts were more than rewarded with an event that will surely goes down as a highlight of this year’s industry calendar.

It also perfectly set the scene for next year’s event and work has already begun on Checkout Scotland 2023, with the date set for 31 August for what is likely to be an even bigger and even more impressive return.

Over 600 industry colleagues gathered at Barras Art & Design to enjoy a day of live music, DJs and fun – a much-needed day to relax and kick back a er another very challenging year for the trade.

Despite being held at the start of September, the weather was mercifully kind with the sun shining throughout the day, allowing attendees to make full use of the outdoor space as well as the main arena.

Headline acts included Sophie EllisBextor, e Feeling and Scouting for Girls while DJ sets from Rebecca Vasmant, Cassi and George Bowie – and our very own Jim Harper, co-chair of the GroceryAid Scotland committee – made sure that everyone had a banging day out.

MASSIVE SUPPORT

e event was made possible thanks to the generous support of a ‘who’s who’ list of industry suppliers including AG Barr, headline sponsor for the event. Countless activations on the day allowed revellers to sample a wonderful and occasionally weird selection of products, tuck into some amazing food and generally have a cracking day out among friends and industry colleagues from both the convenience and grocery retailing sectors.

Company rivalries were put to one side for the day and the industry simply set out to have a fantastic time – and help keep putting GroceryAid on the map in Scotland.

AWARENESS OPPORTUNITY

Jim Harper of One-O-One Convenience Stores and co-chair of the GroceryAid Scotland Committee commented: “I think everyone that attended will agree that Checkout Scotland was just a truly fantastic event. It was so much fun, and it was so good to be able to bring the convenience and grocery sectors together for a special day.

“First and foremost, the event was created to help raise awareness of GroceryAid and the

fantastic work that the charity does for industry colleagues who have fallen on hard times – and we know there are many of those. e demand for GroceryAid’s services is, unfortunately, at an all-time high. Events like Checkout Scotland help make sure that more people know that there is somewhere they can turn if they ever need help of any kind, be that emotionally or nancially. GroceryAid provides all of its services absolutely free of charge, so it’s vital that the industry comes together on days like this to help ensure that the charity is able to help everyone who contacts them.”

Joint co-chair of the GroceryAid Scotland Committee Peter Steel added: “Checkout Scotland was the result of a huge, huge e ort by the Scottish Committee, and we would like to thank every single one of them. ey have helped massively increase awareness of GroceryAid and how it can help our industry colleagues and that represents a step-change. e more people that know they can turn to GroceryAid if they need to the better.

“It was a brilliant day. We will de nitely back next year and we hope to make it even bigger and even more memorable. I would encourage anyone who wants to get involved either by sponsoring Checkout Scotland 2023 in some way or just to buy tickets, to get in touch by emailing checkout@groceryaid.org.uk today.”

NEW ON-PACK PROMOTION

Northern Ireland.

Bringing our world-class food and drink to your table.

Invest Northern Ireland is delighted to attend the 2022 Scottish Grocers’ Federation Conference. We look forward to meeting delegates and introducing 10 Northern Ireland producers who have joined SGF under the Invest NI banner this year, offering award-winning drinks and snacks, meat and dairy products.

Armagh Cider

www.troughtonspremium.com

Hinch www.hinchdistillery.com

Noisy Snacks

Clarke Millar Foods www.clarkemillar.com

Lakeland Dairies www.pritchitts.com

www.noisysnacks.com Punjana/Thompson’s Tea www.thompsonstea.com

Finnebrogue www.finnebrogue.com www.betternaked.com

Milgro www.milgro.co.uk

Woodlab Distillery www.symphoniaspirits.com

Contact Michelle Charrington at michelle.charrington@investni.com M: 07817 173514

Nort hern Ireland. Altogether more.

Glens of Antrim www.goacrisps.com

TAKING HOME DELIVERY TO A NEW LEVEL

There are many stores in Scotland absolutely smashing home delivery – as the shortlist for this year’s SLR Awards clearly demonstrated – but the retailer who rose above all the rest in the eyes of the judges was Daniall Nadeem, who runs an outstanding home delivery operation from his Nisa store on Motherwell Road in Bellshill.

Daniall and his team have been doing home delivery for a long time and take it very seriously. One look at the store makes that obvious: the huge car park is adorned with wallto-wall banners advertising the store’s Snappy Shopperpowered home delivery service. You literally can’t miss it.

e fact that the store does around £16k a week in home delivery sales alone goes some way to explaining Daniall’s enthusiasm for the service, but that’s not why he won the award. What impressed the judges most was the way the home delivery side of the business is run. It is, e ectively, treated as a separate business that has its own team and even its own part of the store as a mini HQ. A corner of the storeroom is dedicated to home delivery with its own till and its own despatch area.

Daniall is more than ably supported by his colleague Danielle Couse who knows the home delivery side of the business inside out and back to front. e store operates a simple but e ective despatch solution which is e ectively just a series of doocots broken down by postcode.

Orders come in, a picker collects the items and places them in the appropriate doocot and the driver collects them for delivery. Simple, but clean and e ective.

Danielle has even created a very slick training manual which documents how the entire home delivery system works and which is used to get new sta members up to speed as quickly as possible.

By physically separating the home delivery side of the business from the shop oor side, the store is able to maximise e ciency and customer service. It’s simple stu but it makes an enormous di erence at an operational level and it hugely impressed the judges.

Daniall Nadeem recently scooped the SLR Home Delivery

Retailer of the Year award for his outstanding operation that takes home delivery to the next level.

J1 Pod

Geek Bar

Geek Bar’s new disposable pod refill system has been developed with the UK market in mind. It features a KA mesh coil, which Geek Bar says “provides more vapour and a more consistent, mellower flavour,” and a 500mAh battery that can be recharged via USB. The device has an RSP of £8 and twin-packs of 2ml pod refills RSP at £5. These come in 11 different flavours, including Ginger Soda, Tropical Skittles Blast, Orange Vanilla, Tropical Fruit and Lime Cherry.

Chocolate Fudge Brownie f’real

Milkshake brand f’real has added a Chocolate Fudge Brownie flavour to its range, which is available to stockists now. The launch follows two summer releases, Birthday Cake and Banana, and f’real says the new rich and indulgent flavour is “the ideal treat for cosy, autumnal nights in”. Digital POS, media screen content and social assets are available to download from the f’real website to help retailers promote the new flavour.

Juic’d Tropical Fruit Sour Punch

Boost Drinks

Boost’s latest addition to its Juic’d big can range is available now in cases of 12 x 500ml with an RSP of £1 per can. The launch is supported under the brand’s ongoing crosschannel marketing strategy which includes out-ofhome, digital, social media and in-depot activations. The 500ml can segment is now the fastest-growing in the energy drinks category, with 28% growth in symbols and independents.

Chicago goes to town with NPD

Chicago Town has added seven new products to its range of Chicago-inspired pizzas which feature new trend-led flavour combinations, new bases and new premium toppings.

First up, the frozen pizza brand has introduced ‘premium tiers’ to its Takeaway and Deep Dish ranges. New to Takeaway, the ‘Weekender’ delivers all the indulgence and taste of a takeout with two new, first-to-frozen topping choices, Salt & Pepper Chicken and Philly Cheesesteak. Both RSP at £5.73.

New to Deep Dish, ‘The Ultimate One’ offers two new flavour choices aimed at younger consumers looking for interesting and special ingredients. Besides new toppings, both products – Chilli Pepper Crust with Picante Nduja, and Black Pepper Crust with Peppered Cheesesteak – offered flavoured crusts, are HFSS-compliant and have a £3.05 RSP.

Inspired by ‘Tavern Style’, a favourite in Chicago, the brand has launched an entire new range of sharing pizzas with super-thin and crispy bases. The ‘Crispy Chicago Thin’ range has a £5.19 RSP and rolls out in two variants: Loaded Cheese and Sausage ‘N’ Pepperoni.

Finally, Chicago Town has also launched Tiger Crust Cheesy Garlic Bread, featuring the brand’s Tiger Crust base and topped with garlic sauce, mozzarella and cheddar. It RSPs at £2.50.

The NPD will be supported by a £3.7m marketing spend for 2022. Chicago Town will be back on TV in the fourth quarter of the year, focused on football spots to link into ‘Weekend Together’ occasions. This comes in addition to video-on-demand, out-of-home, digital, shopper marketing, PR and commercial partnership campaigns.

Vimto Zero Fruit Drops World of Sweets

Full of original Vimto flavour and containing no added sugar, Vimto Zero Fruit Drops are made using real fruit juice and natural colours, are a source of Vitamin C and are also compliant with England’s forthcoming HFSS regulations. They are available in branded shelf-ready display cases of 12 x 36.5g packs with a £1 RSP. The new product is exclusively available from World of Sweets.

Philadelphia Intense Mondelez

Philadelphia Intense is a soft white gourmet cheese that delivers an intense taste experience and an extra creamy, aerated texture. The range is available in two flavours – Garlic & Herbs and Herbes de Provence – in cases of 6 x 140g with an RSP of £2.25 per pack. The launch is supported by a multichannel campaign spanning several months, including outdoor, video-ondemand, digital and in-store activities.

Cathedral City Plant-Based Saputo Dairy

Cathedral City has launched its first plant-based range, developed around the taste of the cheese brand’s creamy cheddar, and currently available exclusively from Tesco in multiple formats including Block (280g, RSP £3.60), Sliced (150g, RSP £2.30) and Grated (150g, RSP £2.30). The launch is supported by social media, online and instore shopper marketing to drive awareness and trial.

Ristorante PMPs

Dr. Oetker

This new range of five convenienceonly price-marked packs comprises Pepperoni-Salame, Funghi, Pollo, Mozzarella, and Speciale. All feature the price flash of ‘£3.50 each or two for £5’ and are available now. The launch follows a multimillion-pound refresh for Dr. Oetker Ristorante that included a packaging redesign, a new advertising platform called ‘Brighten Your Day’, and ‘Play It Italian’, a £2m marketing campaign.

Jacob’s Christmas Caddies pladis

Jacob’s has added a Mini Cheddars Nibblies Cheddar & Smoked Paprika variant to its Christmas Caddies range. The first of two new lighter additions to the range, it contains 30% less fat than other baked cheese snacks and biscuits.

The 250g tub launches alongside a new non-HFSS recipe for Mini Twiglets, which is both high in fibre and 60% lower in salt. Both RSP at £2.79.

Green & Black’s Smooth Mondelez

Green & Black’s has added a Smooth range to its Organic tablets portfolio. Both Plain 50% Cocoa and Mint flavours are available in cases of 15 x 90g tablets with an RSP of £2 per bar. The launch is supported by in-store, out-of-home, cinema and digital activities. The range has been developed to deliver a smoother mouthfeel and taste experience, and attract new consumers who have found dark chocolate too bitter in the past.

Ribena Sparkling Zero Sugar

Suntory B&F GB&I

The latest Ribena Sparkling variant offers the taste of a carbonated soft drink in Blackcurrant flavour, without the addition of sugar. It is available in 500ml ‘drink now’ (RSP £1) and 2-litre ‘drink later’ (RSP £1.29) formats. The rest of the Ribena Sparkling range also has a new refreshed look, with updated and modern pack designs, including packs of Ribena Sparkling Zero Sugar.

Soreen Scream Mini Loaves Samworth Brothers

Soreen is back for Halloween with Scream, a limited-edition range of multipacks that have an RSP of £1 and contain five Lunchbox Loaves that are individually wrapped with eye-catching Halloween-themed packaging. Two flavours are available: Cherry Jellies, which has a surprise jelly centre, and Toffee Apple. Both contain fewer than 101 calories per bar and are veganfriendly.

Here’s the ding...

Mars Wrigley has launched ‘Do What Makes You Ding,’ a new global campaign for its Extra gum brand that seeks to tell the world that “you should never hold you back from being your fullest you”. The campaign runs across television, digital and social channels. A film will be followed with a social programme featuring influencers from across the globe.

Give deafness the finger

Cadbury Fingers and the National Deaf Children’s Society are urging people to learn British Sign Language. ‘Sign with Fingers Big and Small’ aims to ensure that deaf people do not miss out on moments. Spearheaded by a film on video-on-demand and YouTube, the campaign also features lessons with sayings such as ‘Fancy a cuppa?’

Not to be sniffed at

Decongestant oil brand Olbas has unveiled a new TV ad that debuts this month. The ad spearheads a £1.5m pound media investment and features new animated character, Lauren, who is suffering from a cold. Activity also includes a strong PR programme to ensure the brand and retail sales are supported during the peak cold and flu season.

Take the world

Aspire R1 Eco Vape Wholesale

Eco Vape and coils producer Aspire have launched what is described as the UK’s first hybrid product designed to meet an increasing demand for higher-capacity disposable devices. The Aspire R1 boasts a 24 flavour nicotine salt range of Eco Vape’s e-liquids. The new device is capable of more than 3,500 puffs and, because it is rechargeable, has a “significantly reduced impact on the environment”. It launches with an RSP of £9.99.

Budweiser has unveiled ‘The World Is Yours To Take,’ a new global campaign to mark its sponsorship of the FIFA World Cup. The campaign is anchored by a cinematic film featuring Lionel Messi, Neymar Jr, and Raheem Sterling alongside a diverse group of fans making their way through the player’s tunnel towards the World Cup pitch.

Campaign & a half

Cadbury has launched a new marketing campaign for Dairy Milk with the tagline “It’s the glass & a half that makes the taste & a half”. The campaign will run until the end of the month, achieving a reach of 80% of adult consumers. Distinctive assets featuring familiar, in-home settings will be rolled out on digital, social and out-of-home.

The common cold and the seasonal u came back before we had a chance to kiss our record-breaking hot summer goodbye, but that is good news for the medicated confectionery category.

One of the many retail casualties of the pandemic was this segment, as people masked up and did their best to avoid interaction for the better part of two years. Nowadays, daycare and schools are back, and so are commuting, o ce workers and indoor shopping. Couple this with less mask wearing and no social distancing, and viruses and bacteria look set to have a eld day. And with it, retailers can nally bene t again from selling throat and cough sweets to the hoarse local shopper.

COLLATERAL DAMAGE

“ e various hygiene and physical distancing measures implemented by Member States to reduce SARSCoV-2 virus transmission have likely played a role in reducing in uenza virus transmission,” the World Health Organization said about the 2020-21 period. In Europe, seasonal u was also recorded at “baseline levels” throughout the 2020-21 season, according to the body.

is had a signi cant e ect on the medicated confectionery market, with sales of gum, mints and medicated confectionery falling signi cantly between 2019 and 2020, according to Mintel. “Medicated confectionery manufacturers should be poised to promote the throat-soothing, cough-

THE RETURN OF THE COUGH

Winter is back and with no social distancing in place anymore fending off diseases, throat sweets are set to make a return.

BY ELENA DIMAMA

taming properties of their products as consumers unused to living with cold and seasonal u are once again faced with a need for these products,” Marcia Mogelonsky, Director of Insight, Food & Drink, at Mintel, says.

SILVER LINING

However, relief candy as a category has grown by a signi cant 35% over the past year – highlighting just how important it is for retailers to get their ranges ready for this season, according to Nielsen data.

Halls saw a whopping 50% yearon-year growth in the past year, with penetration rates up 63% year-on-year. “Whether it be for menthol clearing or gentle soothing, shoppers will look for brands they know and trust instore. Singles are the most important format across the category, making up 61% of sales,” Susan Nash, Trade Communications Manager at Mondelez International, explains.

“Products that are developed to help target speci c issues at an early onset such as blocked noses drive high sales volumes, such as best-seller Halls Mentholyptus Extra Strong which provides menthol clearing feeling,” she adds. “Similarly, the Halls Soothers range, including best-selling avour Blackcurrant, is developed to help gently soothe sore throats.”

NEW OPPORTUNITY

“Looking at products whose texture is mentioned on-pack launched between July 2019 and June 2021, more than half have a hard texture, which

allows them to dissolve slowly in the mouth, providing throat or cough relief. Chewy, runny and so textures, while less common, are also used in medicated candy,” Mogelonsky adds. “A combination of textures could add a new dimension to medicated candy, and such products are likely to have special appeal to children, for whom a range of textured and popping confectionery is already on the market.”

As children return to school and other group activities, their exposure to seasonal viruses and germs will also rise. “Just as parents may be caught short by not having cough, cold or u medications on hand when classes start, they are also likely to need to stock up on child-friendly throat soothers or cough tamers,” she notes.

Lozenges could also enjoy a new lease of life, following research which showed that throat lozenges containing a combination of benzydamine hydrochloride and cetypyridinium chloride may have a virucidal e ect against Covid-19.

Researchers at the Microbiology and Immunology Institute of the University of Ljubljana in Slovenia conducted a study involving throat lozenges with a xed combination of those two components and found that when used in a high concentration it resulted in “the fastest action when it comes to destroying the virus as it reduced viral concentration by 99.99%”.

Although the study is yet to be peer reviewed, the results have been described as a “positive step in nding ways to manage the spread of Covid-19”.

NOT JUST ANY SMOKE

BY ELENA DIMAMA

“Cigars are an important part of the tobacco category because they drive footfall in-store and particularly as a driver of pro t in tills.” is is the resounding sentiment of Alastair Williams, Country Director at Scandinavian Tobacco Group UK (STG), who has spoken to SLR about the category and the role it still plays in convenience.

“ ey typically o er up to three times the margin that cigarettes do,” he adds, noting that – for STG – its Moments Blue brand o ers up to 18% margin when sold at its RSP.

BUOYANT YEAR

It has been a good year so far for cigars in the UK, up by 7.6% in value terms on last year at just under £291m. is has been driven by the rise in the cigarillo segment, which is now worth just over £99m and accounts for over 46% of all cigar volume, according to data by IRI MarketPlace.

However, the more traditional cigar segments are all in decline of around 3-4% which is likely to be due to a combination of factors such as some smokers moving into vaping or pouches, and/or people cutting down due to the ongoing cost of living crisis, Williams explains.

By all accounts cigarillos have been the stars of the show, with the category seeing strong growth; it is now worth circa £8m a month, with a market share of 46.4%.

CHRISTMAS AROUND THE CORNER

“Each year, cigar sales follow a very similar seasonal pattern, with

a spike in volume in December,” Mark McGuinness Head of Marketing at JTI UK notes.

“As the winter months approach, retailers should stock up to take full advantage of this seasonal pro t opportunity.”

e sentiment is shared by Williams, who believes that retailers should “get their range right so they can enjoy those extra sales and rewarding pro t margins.

“It tends to be larger cigars that people will gravitate towards as a bit of a Christmas treat when they are in celebratory mood and typically have more time to enjoy it,” he adds. “Make sure you have

brands like our Henri Wintermans Half Corona in stock as it is the UK’s best-selling medium/large cigar, and a real festive favourite.”

JTI also has product highlights to o er, including the Sterling Dual Capsule Leaf Wrapped, which includes a mentholated Virginia blend tobacco and capsule lter that when crushed releases a peppermint avour. “It o ers a good value and high-quality product, with an a ordable RSP of £5.30 for a pack of 10 and £10.40 for a pack of 20 cigarillos. We’d recommend retailers stock up on both the 10s and 20s formats to o er more choice to customers and

make the most of this successful brand,” McGuinness explains.

DOUBLE TROUBLE

e cost-of-living crisis and tobacco’s old foe, the illicit trade, are still expected to complicate things for retailers, but cigars are providing a rare glimpse of hope this winter.

“Value will almost certainly become more important in cigars and indeed across all categories within convenience stores,” Williams says. “It’s worth reminding retailers that cigars are exempt from the plain packaging legislation. We recommend retailers stock them on the middle shelf of the gantry where they are visible, and more likely to be purchased by adult smokers who can see them.”

e issue of illicit tobacco is not going anywhere either, with the latest research from Kantar highlighting that 37% of smokers have recently bought some form of illicit tobacco.

“Law enforcement agencies depend on Scottish retailer support to take action, so the participation of retailers is crucial when it comes to tackling the problem head on,” Ian Howell, JTI’s Fiscal and Regulatory A airs Manager says. “By encouraging more people to report suspicious activity to the relevant authorities, retailers can help protect their local communities. Educating and training sta on illicit tobacco is also vital, as the more sta who are aware of the issue and the warning signs to look out for, the better.”

The cigar segment still generates sales for independent retailers, despite tobacco’s general woes.

TIME TO SCORE THIS CHRISTMAS?

With the World Cup providing a neat pathway into Christmas, there’s plenty of scope for growth this festive period, even if Scotland won’t be in Qatar.

This festive period promises to be another strong one for local retailers in Scotland. Christmas is always a good trading period, but a little extra spice will be added to the festive season this year by the World Cup, with the rst match due to kick-o in Qatar on 20 November.

Steve Clarke and his men might not be there to take part but there will nonetheless be enormous interest in the competition across Scotland, even if that’s fans following Andy Murray’s ‘anyone but England’ mantra.

e greatest interest is likely be generated by the matches involving the home nations who have made it to the nals – England and Wales – but most games are likely to generate footfall and sales. Likely to be particularly popular are the important ones like the rst match, the seminals and, of course, the nal itself on 18 December.

And let’s not forget the home nations clash on 29 November when Wales take on England.

Even if the home nations don’t make the latter stages, there is still bound to be huge excitement around the

competition and that’s certain to translate into busy stores and a spike in sales throughout the entire month of the global festival of football.

And all of that is before we even start thinking about traditional Christmas celebrations that are likely to see people forget their economic woes and treat themselves as a way to brighten up the tail end of what has been another very di cult year for many.

CHOC FEST

Christmas means chocolate for a lot of consumers and the major suppliers have been working hard to refresh and update their ranges to give shoppers more reason than ever to visit their local store.

“Mondelez International is central to Christmas confectionery, leading the market with the number one SKU in seven sub-categories –seasonal sharing, advent calendars, selection boxes and tree decorations, just to name a few,” says Susan Nash, Trade Communications Manager.

“It’s clear that shoppers trust Mondelez to bring them the

WORLD CUP KEY DATES

WORLD CUP OPENER

SUNDAY 20 NOV

QATAR V ECUADOR, 4PM

HOME NATIONS MATCHES

MONDAY 21 NOV ENGLAND V IRAN, 1PM

USA V WALES, 7PM

FRIDAY 25 NOV WALES V IRAN, 10AM ENGLAND V USA, 7PM

TUESDAY, 29TH NOV

WALES V ENGLAND, 7PM

QUARTER-FINALS

3-6 DECEMBER

SEMI-FINALS 9-10 DECEMBER

THIRD PLACE PLAY-OFF 17 DECEMBER, 3PM

FINAL 18 DECEMBER, 3PM

VICTORIA LINE

New for 2022, an ultra-premium assortment joins the McVitie’s Victoria collection and is set to stir up the appetite of both biscuit lovers and chocoholics alike.

McVitie’s Victoria Chocolate Creations comprises a decadent selection of 12 biscuit varieties enrobed in layers of luxurious thick milk, dark and white chocolate. Available in a 400g box (RSP £6.75), this indulgent assortment will help retailers generate incremental sales as a seasonal gift that’s sure to impress.

products they love come Christmastime, with total seasonal sales growing over 6% last year [Nielsen, Jan 2021]. In seasonal biscuits, Mondelez also has a strong presence, growing over 3% last year [Nielsen, Jan 2021] with topperforming products from Cadbury Biscuits and Oreo.”

Cadbury’s range of sharing pouches such as Cadbury Dairy Milk Classics and Cadbury Roses are shopper favourites in the category, with the Cadbury Heroes pouch achieving the number one SKU position in grocery. Cadbury Puds made a much-anticipated return last year and was quickly a hit with shoppers becoming the season’s number one NPD. Additionally, the Cadbury Mini Snow Balls bag was the nation’s number one sharing novelty treat last Christmas.

chunks that can be broken o and enjoyed each day in the lead up to Christmas. Retailers can join in with the fun by encouraging their shoppers to take part in the ‘One Chunk A Day

So, what trends will be prevailing this time around? Nash advises: “White chocolate is increasingly popular among consumers. In response to this, Mondelez International has rolled out a ra of new Cadbury White products, including Cadbury White Jingly Bells and a Cadbury White Hollow Santa.

In addition, Mondelez has rolled out a redesign across its seasonal range, which will see shoppers’ festive favourites given new and elevated looks. ese are sure to drive shopper excitement and engagement in-store, as well as stand out on-shelf.

including Cadbury White Jingly Bells and a

“Last year the advent category saw growth of 21% year on year. To cater to this, Mondelez International has launched the Cadbury Dairy Milk Advent Bar. Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate is sectioned into 25 individually-numbered

of 21% year on year. To cater to this, Mondelez

Brand new for 2022, Cadbury Mini Snow Balls Bar sees the combination of the number Christmas sharing novelty product, Mini Snow Balls, with the nation’s top-selling chocolate, Cadbury.

“ is unique treat comes in the iconic Cadbury heartland tablet format which is perfect for both sharing and self-treat occasions,” says Nash.

SWIZZELS’ TOP THREE TIPS THIS CHRISTMAS

1) PREPARE FOR A ‘TIGHT’ CHRISTMAS!

As over 53% of shoppers are having to reduce spending to pay their bills [TWC Trends, Summer 2022], value-for-money confectionery continues to be a hugely popular choice. It’s important to stock the right confectionery to appeal to the masses.

Over half (58%) of shoppers also prefer retailers that sell products with price on the packaging [TWC Trends, Summer 2022], so retailers should stock a range of value products from popular brands to boost sales.

2) MERCHANDISE SEASONAL TOGETHER

To make it easier to find, retailers should create a section in-store that highlights this range – in a high-footfall location.

3) DON’T UNDERESTIMATE THE IMPORTANCE OF DISPLAYS

At the start November, retailers should create a Christmas-themed display in a high footfall area. This could include Christmas-themed confectionery and also sharing and gifting formats, as shoppers will be looking to take advantage of spending the festive period with loved ones.

“Retailers can use this irresistible proposition to drive their fast start to the season and repeat purchase rate.”

Also new in the market in 2022 is Cadbury Dairy Milk Winter Mint Crisp in a 360g block format, making it a great small gi for Cadbury lovers. It’s available in a new and impactful gi ing design that is sure to stand out on-shelf driving incremental sales and encouraging shoppers to ‘trade-up’.

Oreo has brought a playful twist to Christmas with seasonally coloured cremes through the classic Original avour. Oreo Festive Colours

Football tournaments provide a major pro t opportunity for retailers, with a 74% upli during the last World Cup in 2018 [IRI, 20182019]. Most football fans will not be able to attend matches this winter and may instead be watching the football at home, so these national packs will help fans feel part of the occasion with a competition o ering shoppers the chance to win Irn-Bru’s o cial ‘Stay At Home’ kit.

e kits will include branded woolly jumpers, slippers and socks to keep fans warm while they watch the winter tournament.

Irn-Bru grew three times faster than the total carbonates category during the Euros last year [IRI, Jul 2021], so there is a huge opportunity for retailers to drive incremental sales with these limited-edition packs.

e on-pack promotion will be supported by a strong digital and PR campaign plus high impact in-store and in-depot displays and eyecatching POS.

DONT HAVE A HOLE IN YOUR

STOCKING.

is perfect for sharing, with three 114g roll packs which include red, green and white coloured creme options.

e iconic Cadbury Heroes tin is a must stock for the Christmas season and this year, Mondelez has rolled out a new version. Cadbury Heroes Who Am I? features all the treat-sized shopper favourites you’d expect, but with a brand-new in-built game for all to enjoy while they share and indulge in the chocolates.

Toblerone is popular with premium chocolate shoppers, and Christmas is the perfect time for shoppers to ‘trade up’ and treat themselves and those around them. is year Mondelez has rolled out a Toblerone Selection Box, lled with three 100g bars and 14 treat-sized Tinies in milk, white, and dark avours. is selection box is perfect for retailers who want to tap into the high-end seasonal gi ing opportunity with a well-loved premium chocolate brand.

Finally, the brand-new Cadbury Favourites selection box is ideal for seasonal indulgence, o ering shoppers several of their favourite Cadbury Dairy Milk treats in one, including a sharing bag of Buttons, a box of Fingers, a Twirl bar and 100g tablet.

e impactful design sets out the product proposition clearly for the shopper, and includes the label ‘for someone special,’ making it a perfect personalised gi for any festive occasion.

STAY AT HOME

Irn-Bru is taking its usual le eld approach to major events by launching a special ‘Stay At Home’ kit to mark Scotland’s non-appearance at the forthcoming World Cup.

Barr So Drinks says it will drive retailer sales this winter with an on-pack promotion urging shoppers to celebrate the footy at home.

e promotion will be available in the following format packs: 330ml multipack cans x 8 (6 + 2 free) £3 PMP (Reg, Sugar Free, Xtra); 500ml can (Reg, Xtra) 79p PMP; and 330ml x 24 multipack cans (Reg, Sugar Free, Xtra) plain.

BULLISH APPROACH

Also expecting a strong, World Cup-fuelled festive period is Red Bull, which is encouraging retailers to stock up on low and no sugar lines to keep in line with current trends. e company says sugar-free variants have been growing penetration by 48.8% and, in independent markets, low or no sugar variants have seen faster growth than full sugar, with 21.8% growth vs full sugar’s 16.9% [Kantar, Feb 2011].

e company is reminding retailers that Red Bull Energy Drink 250ml is not only Red Bull’s most familiar and best-selling SKU but it’s also the single most valuable so drink in the UK. Red Bull Energy Drink 250ml alone is worth over £160m to the Total Sports & Energy category, delivering 10% of all Sports & Energy drink sales in the UK [Nielsen, Jun 2022].

Despite reduced shopper missions in the last 12 months, Red Bull has continued to resonate with consumers with single formats still in growth of 16.5% YTD [Nielsen, Jun 2022] and this festive season is another fantastic opportunity for retailers to capitalise on the strength of the brand.

HYDRATION STATION

BY GAELLE WALKER

BOTTLE BIGGER SALES

Highland Spring’s top tips for better water sales

Q Stock plain, sparkling and flavoured water to encourage healthy hydration.

Q Position fast sellers on the bottom shelf in the chiller.

Q Keep bottled water to the left/ right depending on traffic flow.

Q Give at least two facings to maximise visibility for shoppers.

Q Restock after the breakfast and lunchtime periods.

Q Have top-selling lines at pay points to encourage impulse purchases.

Q Include a range of different sizes and pack formats to cater to all consumers’ needs including single serve bottles, larger formats and multipacks.

Q Aim to include a range of bottle tops in your offering too. Highland Spring offers both traditional caps and sports caps, great for on-thego occasions.

BUBBLING UP

Four refreshing facts about bottled water

Scotland’s bottled water market continued to motor in 2022 as “onthe-go occasions” came back with a welcome bang and the consumer trend towards “healthy hydration” continued to refresh sales over the warm summer season.

However, with the squeeze on consumer spending expected to tighten over the coming months, and Scotland’s deposit return scheme going live in under a year’s time, the category looks set to face a fresh swell of challenges in the months ahead.

According to Mintel’s UK Bottled Water Report 2022: “Price in ation will drive a rapid increase in average prices, boosting the appeal of free water sources and the money-saving bene ts of carrying reusable water bottles.

“Tap water usage will also be supported by the permanent shi towards at-home working and the rise in ownership of at-home soda makers.”

e report also questions whether the implementation of the DRS might “present an additional deterrent for many people to use bottled water”.

However, despite these obstacles, the category certainly still presents local retailers with a wealth of opportunities to drive sales and pro ts.

e enduring focus on health and hydration will continue to drive usage of bottled water and, as Mintel’s report suggests, there is also “a lot of potential for bottled water market size to expand by increasing communication around the health bene ts of including additional ingredients with links to energy provision which would allow products to capitalise on health claims, taste and avour”.

e avoured water category has already been making sizeable waves according to the Highland Spring Group, with the total avoured water category witnessing annual sales growth of 16% in the year to 16 July 2022 compared to 2021.

Q 70% of UK adults have purchased a bottle of water of any type in the last three months (Mintel UK bottled water market report 2022).

Q 41% of UK adults drink bottled water because they believe it is healthier than other drinks (Mintel UK bottled water market report 2022).

Q Food-to-go sales increased by 32% in Scottish stores in the 12 weeks to May 2022 (Highland Spring).

Q Plain sparkling water sales grew by 51% in the 12 weeks to May 2022 (Highland Spring).

“As with all good o erings, it’s important that retailers continue to o er customers choice,” Highland Spring’s Marketing Controller Mike Buckland says.

“In the so drinks category, stockists should ensure to stock plain, sparkling and avoured water to encourage healthy hydration.

“It’s also important to ensure that o erings include products and brands customers know and trust, as they o en gravitate towards their favourite brands.”

Bottled water’s health and hydration credentials continue to drive sales despite a fresh flow of challenges.

“A key consumer trend continues to be health and wellbeing, which continues to be a driver for consumers and their purchasing habits.”

Buckland continues: “ is includes low and no sugar, and low-calorie options of popular products, but we’re noticing that consumers are looking for so drink brands with strong health credentials and natural ingredients that will quench their thirst and taste good.

“Research shows that 38.3% of bottled water occasions were for health reasons in 2021, and we don’t expect this to change as we move into 2023.”

Retailers should also be aware of “the new wave of low and no alcohol drinkers” who are opting for alternatives to traditional alcoholic products and more open than ever before to healthy alternatives such as plain or avoured sparkling waters,” Buckland adds.

And with sustainability and environmental stewardship now rmly on the shopper agenda, brands which can clearly demonstrate their green credentials also look set to win a greater share of sales going forward, Mintel says.

Highland Spring, whose bottled products are 100% recyclable recently opened a new rail freight facility in Blackford, Perthshire in a move designed to further its goal of reaching net zero by 2040 (see Product News, p26).

GET READY FOR DRS!

SCOTLAND’S DRS GOES LIVE ON 16 AUGUST 2023

There’s now well under a year until the implementation of Scotland’s new Deposit Return Scheme, transforming the way in which local retailers currently manage single use drinks containers.

Covering soft drinks and alcoholic beverages, including PET plastic bottles, metal cans, and glass bottles, Scotland’s DRS has the goal of ensuring that 90% of drinks containers are recycled and aims to drive the country’s move to a circular economy.

From 16 August 2023, retailers will have to collect and store returned bottles and cans and pay out consumer deposits.

Local retailers have two key options when it comes to collections: they can commit to a reverse vending machine (RVM) which will allow them to claim a fee of 3.55p per container for the first 8,000 containers returned each week and 1.35p for each additional container.

Or, they can chose to manually handle returns, which offers an enhanced fee of 2.69p per container.

Scheme administrator Circularity Scotland claims it will arrange for regular collections to stores and can arrange extra one-off collections if required.

Formal registration for the scheme is set to open in December and retailers are encouraged to sign up to the Circularity Scotland website now to receive all the information they will need to help them prepare.

Visit circularityscotland.com for more information.

ALL THAT AND A BAG OF CRISPS

The savoury snack category is booming providing retailers with a big sales and profit driving opportunity.

BY ELENA DIMAMA

Crisps and snacks have continued to be a critical sales driver for retailers, with the category being the second-biggest segment making up 44% of snacking occasions over the last ve years.

Trips to convenience stores for savoury snacks are growing year-onyear at 6.4% and performing ahead of other food & beverage and sweet snacking.

UP AND UP

Scotland’s love a air with crisps has also continued, leading to a signi cant overtrade (35% share in Scotland vs 30% in GB) and crisps continue to grow ahead of the market (+9.5%), according to research.

Despite worries about the cost-of-living crisis, sales of sharing snacks continue to power ahead, making big bag formats a must-stock for independent retailers, Matt Smith, Marketing Director for Tayto Group, notes: “£1 PMP

snacks are growing three times faster than the market (+16.1% vs +5.2%) as we continue to increasingly socialise at home instead of going out.”

“£1 PMP sharing crisps are also ying o the shelves, growing at +31.1%,” he adds. What’s more, price-marked packs continue to play a strong role within savoury snacking, according to Kirsten Reid, Impulse Category Management Channel Lead at PepsiCo, “o ering the reassurance of value to shoppers which in turn creates con dence in local retailers and how they price their products”.

And over the last ve years, savoury snacks have delivered consistent value growth of 2.4%.

A WELCOME TREAT

“For retailers, this means the category is well positioned for growth and continues to innovate and adapt to consumer needs,” Reid says. “ ere is a real opportunity for retailers to capitalise on this and to see greater returns from savoury snacking. Our HERO 25 range of bestselling SKUs is perfectly positioned to help retailers maximise their crisps and snacks sales.”

Stocking the right sharing format is “key to unlocking growth” on special occasions, such as sporting events or big nights in, according to Reid. “Within our own portfolio, sharing packs across our core Doritos range (+3.8%), Sensations (+7.8%), and Pipers (+47%) have performed strongly since last year, as consumers seek larger formats that can be enjoyed with multiple people.”

In the meantime, recent research by Tayto Group found that 57% of consumers said that PMP snacks are even more important in the current climate.

“As a brand committed to o ering great branded value, PMPs account for over 90% of Golden Wonder Snacks sales – an even higher proportion than the previous year,” Smith comments.

“ e majority of independent retailers we spoke to were clear that they would rather stick with a £1 PMP with less weight than maintain pack size and increase the price to £1.25. Based on this feedback, and the fact that our £1 PMP snacks range is outperforming the market (28.2% vs 5.2%), Golden Wonder will be sticking to £1 PMPs as we are committed to delivering our promise of ‘more punch per crunch’.”

SNACKPARTNERS BACK

KP Snacks has relaunched its SnackPartners website, delivering advice and support for retailers and wholesalers with an array of guides including Perfect Store and Perfect Depot, and retailer case studies.

The hub hosts information and valuable insight into the category, providing data on trends, retailer viewpoints, and advice on ranging and merchandising.

LAUNCHES GALORE

On the back of the favourable climate for snacking, brands are ramping up launches.

Scottish snack rm Mackie’s of Scotland, for example, has added a Boxing Day Curry avour to its crisps line-up.

Set for a limited initial run of 250,000 packs, the new 150g share bags will be sold from a range of retailers across Scotland, to be announced in the coming weeks. In addition, Mackie’s has established a range of festive avours that return to shelves year a er year, including Pigs in Blankets and Turkey & Stu ng.

“ e Mackie’s brand has become synonymous for o ering customers unique and innovative snacks during key events throughout the calendar year: from Burns Night to Christmas,” David Wishart, Head of Sales at Mackie’s Crisps, says. “Our new Boxing Day Curry crisps will continue to build on this reputation and present customers with a limited-edition pack to savour and enjoy over the 12 weeks up to and including Christmas.”

KP Snacks has also revealed a host of new launches, starting with the roll-out of what it’s calling its “best-ever” vegetable crisps. Rolling out this month, the new and improved Tyrrells Veg Crisps is available in three avours: Veg Crisps with Sea Salt, Veg Crisps with Balsamic Vinegar & Sea Salt, and Sweet Potato Crisps with Sea Salt.

TOP TIPS FOR RETAILERS

Locate a secondary display in a high footfall area –especially on Thursday to Sunday when people are looking for their BNI treats

SOMETHING’S BREWING

Premium beer and cider brands are driving off-trade sales as the cost-ofliving crisis continues to bite.

BY GAELLE WALKER

ZERO-IN ON ALCOHOL FREE

With consumer demand for low and no alcohol options still on the up, convenience retailers are also being urged to allocate more space to this increasingly important segment, which up until now has been dominated by the multiples.

According to the Westons Cider Report 2022, 6% of consumers now engage within no and low cider. Westons says that retailers should “expect value growth to continue, as volume per buyer increases.”

Thatchers’ Chris Milton agrees: “The popularity of alcohol-free options continues to rise and will play a key role in drink selection this festive season.

“Shoppers know there are now great tasting alcohol-alternatives readily available, and that’s why retailers shouldn’t compromise, and should have the UK’s number one alcohol-free cider, Thatchers Zero, on their shelves.”

Forget pinching: as the cost-of-living crisis gets worse, the pressure on consumers is becoming more vicelike grip than needling pinch – and it’s a grip that will only continue tightening as we barrel towards the cold winter months.

is pressure is, many retailers attest, prompting shoppers to forgo expensive nights out at the pub in favour of quality o -trade tipples to enjoy in the comfort of their own homes. As a result, premium ciders and beers, including cra and world varieties, continue to drive growth and breathe life into the category.

IRI Senior Insight Manager Alex He ernan explains: “Premium and cra ciders have continued to outperform mainstream cider in the o -trade, and we expect this to continue.

“ is may seem like a threat, but the trade down from pubs and bars into o -trade premium will outweigh any trade down from premium into mainstream or value cider,” he says.

“As promotions de-escalate and prices increase, shoppers will be looking for the biggest return on the pound they can get. is does not necessarily mean buying cheaper options but feeling comfortable parting with money for something that will make them happy.”

Helping them to do just that is the ra of premium beer and cider brands now available which in 2022 have worked to emphasis their quality and taste credentials with impactful marketing campaigns and new products.

e atchers brand did exactly that with its recent launch of atcher Blood Orange Cider.

Designed to attract new shoppers into cider, the fruity- avoured launch is being supported by a multi-million-pound investment, including digital, broadcast video, billboard and sampling.

“ atchers Blood Orange is keeping the excitement and interest in the cider xture alive for consumers who like experimenting and trying something new,” atchers O -Sales Director Chris Milton says.

“ atchers has grown in value in Scotland by 35% over the last two years – making it the must stock cider,” he adds.

e trend towards more premium drinks is also being witnessed in the lager category, as John Price, Head of Marketing at KBE Drinks says: “ e ‘drinking less but better’ trend has seen consumers increasingly willing to spend more to treat themselves to better-quality and authentic beer and cider options.

“ at’s why premium world lagers like Kings sher and Sagres are a great option for convenience retailers to stock, as they can typically be charged at a minimum of 30% more than other more mainstream options.

“As the cost-of-living crisis bites it’s sensible to assume that many consumers will prefer the lower-cost option of drinking at home rather than in their local pub or bar, which presents an obvious opportunity for the o -trade.”

Set to kick o on Sunday 20 November, the 2022 FIFA World Cup also looks set to “prove favourable to convenience retailers, as more consumers may choose to watch the matches at home rather than in their local pub beer garden,” Price concludes.

CRAFTY TIPS

Invigorate your craft beer sales with these tips from Brewdog:

Q Seize the opportunity to upsell to larger more valuable pack sizes and formats. Nine of the top 10 craft beer SKUs all contain four or more products.

Q Make more of mixed packs which “significantly over index with first time buyers,” and act as a “great introduction to craft beer or gifting product”.

Q Display key and “signpost brands” such as BrewDog at eye level.

Q Location is key when buying craft – 76% of shoppers want chilled beer from the fridge in c-stores. If chiller space is available, craft should be sited here.

Q Focus on multipacks as the key format, with the four-pack can the most important format for craft beer and BrewDog shoppers.

Q Seasonal displays to cater for late summer entertaining and upcoming seasonal events such as Halloween and Bonfire Night can create valuable in-store theatre.

GREEN POUND

Sustainability is among the key challenges – and opportunities – for local retailers in Scotland. It’s becoming increasingly clear that more and more shoppers are choosing to buy (or avoid) retailers and brands according to their perceived sustainability credentials.

Leading producers and suppliers have certainly embraced this trend and sustainability is front and centre for many of them.

Lucozade, for example, has recently launched a new multimedia campaign called ‘It’s On’ which has been created to “bring to life the positive energy that embodies Lucozade and that feeling you have when you’re ready to take on

whatever’s ahead” while also highlighting sustainability: the main character in the ad kicks things o by throwing his empty Lucozade Energy bottle into the recycling bin.

e growth of the ‘green pound’ represents an enormous opportunity for retailers and it’s a trend that is only going to go in one direction.

Miriam ompson, O -Trade Category Marketing Executive at BrewDog, comments: “We are increasingly seeing customers making conscious decisions about brands which hold sustainable and eco credentials.

“In 2020 we made a commitment – to Make Earth Great Again. We are determined to rapidly and fundamentally change the way we work as we aspire to set a new global

Leading suppliers and producers continue to put sustainability front and centre, highlighting opportunities for retailers to appeal to environmentally conscious consumers.

POUND

standard for sustainability. We know we won’t be perfect, but we want to strive to do our best and encourage other businesses to do the same, showcasing that business can be a force for good.”

BrewDog says it is the rst carbon negative beer business, meaning that it removes twice as much carbon from the atmosphere as it emits each year.

“We are also doing all we can to drive our emissions to zero,” adds ompson. “From productions to supply chain, we calculate our impact and design removal initiatives.

“We use many techniques to reduce our Scope ree emissions and aim for carbon savings across every aspect of the business, including our supply chains, focussing on the most important areas.

“ e key actions we are taking include maximising the use of our waste; switching to renewable electricity; packaging improvements, including moving almost entirely away from bottles to cans; improving our brewing e ciency; and reducing ights.”

So far, BrewDog says it has reduced its electricity use by 43% and water consumption by 55%. “But we’re not stopping there,” says ompson. “We plan to achieve net zero production emissions from our Ellon facility by 2023 and aim to plant over 1.1 million native trees in our Lost Forest and restore peatland, to avoid signi cant volumes of CO2e being released into the atmosphere.”

ROAD RAGE? WHO NOSE?

You couldn’t make it up. Plant-based food giant Beyond Meat’s Chief Operating Officer (ironically, COO for short) has been arrested for allegedly biting a man’s nose during a bust-up in a parking garage in Arkansas.

Douglas Ramsey – who looks about to go for the photographer in his mugshot below – was charged with third-degree battery and “terroristic threatening,” which Under The Counter said is just American legalese for “acting like a bampot”.

The COO/bampot is now out on 10 grand’s-worth of bail. A preliminary police report said he became involved in a dispute with another driver and bit the unfortunate fellow, “ripping the flesh on the tip of the nose”.

UTC thought that a nose about (pun intended) in Dougie’s CV could go some way to explaining his egregious behaviour. It turns out that, prior to Beyond Meat, the nostril nibbler spent 30 years with US meat packer Tyson Foods.

It can be no coincidence, the Auld Boy proposed, that the company shares a name with boxer Mike Tyson, who achieved notoriety way back in 1997 – when UTC was merely middle-aged – for biting off and spitting out a chunk of rival pugilist Evander Holyfield’s right lughole.

But at any rate, let’s pray that when the case comes to court and Ramsey is hauled before the beak, he isn’t tempted to sink his teeth into it.

DONKEY WRONG

A long-time customer of William Hill, Under The Counter has watched his coppers disappear on the backs of a fair few donkeys over the years. He therefore feels a special connection with the much-put-upon beasts of burden.

So he was horrified by some news from Nigeria which, as UTC explained, went some way to explaining why Eeyore always looks like he’s lost a tenner and found a lump on a testicle.

If reports are correct, it’s not just his tail that Winniethe-Pooh’s downbeat chum might struggle to keep hold of in future. For – in perhaps the world’s weirdest customs bust – 16 sacks containing thousands of donkey penises were seized last month at Lagos international airport, en-route to Hong Kong.

Now what could someone want with thousands of equine members? According to UTC, their consumption is said to boost sexual prowess, although he suspiciously refused to elaborate further.

The intercepted consignment was falsely declared as “cow male genitals”. Credit is due, then, to the diligent customs official who could tell the difference. Apparently, a pungent smell coming from the sacks gave the game away. Who knew that donkey dangly bits were so rank?

“So, there you have it,” the Auld Boy concluded. “Winnie might poo, but Eeyore’s willy smells worse.”

BRIGHTON SHOCK

There has long been rumour and speculation circulating around SLR Towers as to the existence of a tattoo, or indeed tattoos, on Under The Counter’s withered old frame.

The Auld Boy remains tight-lipped on the subject, preferring to cloak himself in what he calls “an air of mystery”. Surprisingly – or not if you know UTC – “air of mystery” smells just like stale tobacco smoke.

However, even if he is packing some hidden tats, Under The Counter has some way to go to rival fellow pensioner Keith Gordon. The 66-year-old, who bears the mantle of Britain’s ‘most tattooed man,’ hit the headlines recently when he was chucked out of an unnamed supermarket after an employee – who was clearly a bit needled themselves – told Keith he wasn’t welcome in the store.

The former civil servant hails from Romford and was topping up his suntan in Brighton at the time.

Amazingly, the self-styled ‘coolest looking guy in Essex’ was tattoo-free until he was 52. Now he’s covered in more ink than a Sunday newspaper, with next to no bare skin left at all.

A “shocked” Keith later complained to the supermarket in question and received a 20 quid shopping voucher for his pains.

Which, as Under The Counter pointed out, must pale into insignificance when compared to the pain of a needle penetrating your eyelids 50 times a second.