The Week in Retail 102

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SYMBOL GROUPS

BACK IN THE MARKET SPAR SCOTLAND UNVEILS NEW STORE FORMAT

FORECOURTS

JOBS BOOST

EG GROUP TO DELIVER THOUSANDS OF JOBS FORECOURTS

ELECTRIC AVENUE GRIDSERVE OPENS IN NORWICH

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● ASDA TRIALS

ONE-STOP-SHOP FOR PET PARENTS

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SHOPPERS TURN TO STORES TO COPE WITH RISING COSTS

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ACS SUMMIT22 LOOKS TO THE FUTURE

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Issue 102 Wednesday 27th April 2022

AMRIT SINGH H & JODIE’S WALSALL

D E G R A H C R E P U S ?

E S R R A U S O E Y L A E AR YS

G R OW Y R O G E T KS CA N I R D T F O VER OF S I R D .1 O N IS THE R E T S N O M

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T H E W E E K I N R E TA I L

EDITOR’S COMMENT

Fight for the right As we went to press this week, news broke that Kellogg’s is taking the government to court over its HFSS legislation, which would prevent some cereals being prominently displayed in stores because of their high sugar content.

Kellogg’s says the rules, which come into force in England in October, fail to consider the nutritional value of the milk added to the product. However, the government said the new rules would help tackle childhood obesity.

In a statement, Kellogg’s said it had “tried to have a reasonable conversation with government” over the issue without any success – hence its legal challenge.

Reports suggest the government is determined to fight Kellogg’s legal case as it might allow other manufacturers to suggest ways their products’ fat, sugar and salt content could be reduced if served with other ingredients, in a way it feels could undermine the new regulations.

A hearing on the issue was due to take place today (27 April) at the Royal Courts of Justice in London. I wonder how many other manufacturers are planning similar moves?

Meanwhile, another high-profile court battle in the offing sees Camelot up against the Gambling Commission in the wake of its decision to award the next licence to operate the lottery to Allwyn Entertainment. Call me a cynic, but we’ve seen two positive stories about Camelot in the same number of weeks.

Firstly, we heard that 90% of National Lottery retailers visited correctly asked for ID as proof of age on their first ‘Operation 18’ mystery shopping visit – rising to 95% for second visits. Then this week Camelot says it achieved retailer satisfaction scores of 75% for the year 2021 to 2022, rising to 78% in the three months to the end of March.

It wouldn’t surprise me if we start to see some positive news about Allwyn Entertainment very soon.

This one could also run and run, as Camelot’s contract isn’t due to end until 2024.

LIZ WELLS, DEPUTY EDITOR

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 3

£6m BRAND ON TV INVESTMENT FROM MARCH

CONTENTS

WEDNESDAY 27 APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102

6

10

25

THIS WEEK’S NEWS

COVER STORY

CHARITY

Camelot achieves its best retailer satisfaction score in decade and McColl’s shares more than halve in value after a “mixed trading” report.

CJ Lang opens its first companyowned store in five years under its new ‘Spar Market’ format with a major focus on fresh.

A team of 24 grocery, wholesale and convenience industry colleagues are set to cycle 300km in the hills of Bosnia to raise funds for landmine charity MAG.

21 Events

24 Sustainability

9

Covid-19 update The latest coronavirus-related news.

12 In-store tech

Retailers, suppliers and industry experts

The Co-op is to scrap use-by dates from all

met this week in Birmingham for The

its own-brand yoghurts in a bid to reduce

Mark Rogers, Retail Director for Roadchef,

Association of Convenience Stores’ first

explains the company’s decision to

major face-to-face event in three years.

install EDGEpos in nine Spar stores in its motorway service stations.

18 Forecourts Gridserve opens it first compact electric forecourt as part of a £1bn UK-wide

22 Retail sales Supermarket sales fell by 5.9% over the 12 weeks to 17 April 2022, according to new figures from Kantar.

23 Cost of living

charging infrastructure investment and EG

Food and fuel sales continue to fall as

Group plans to deliver more than 32,000

households cut back due to cost-of-living

jobs globally over the next five years.

concerns.

food waste.

26 Picks of the week A look at the latest new products and marketing campaigns.

31 Out the box: pet zones Asda’s new ‘pet zones’ help shoppers pick up everything from insurance to accessories for their furry friends.

33 Before you go...

Our latest Retail Randoms.

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 5

NEWS DIGEST

THIS WEEK’S NEWS FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/

MORRISONS MAKES CUTS Morrisons is launching one of its biggest price cuts in recent years by reducing prices on more than 500 products and

NATIONAL LOTTERY

Camelot achieves best retailer satisfaction score in decade

The company says the steady increase in retailer satisfaction can be traced back to the strategic review it carried out in 2017.

introducing new and improved multi-saves. The lower prices cover 6% of Morrisons’ total volume sales with products from across the store being reduced.

PAYPOINT SURVEY PayPoint has opened its annual survey that offers retailers the chance to give direct feedback on overall customer experience and satisfaction, as well as thoughts on how to improve operations. The survey takes a maximum of 15 minutes to complete and offers retailers the chance to win one of 30

National Lottery operator Camelot says it achieved retailer satisfaction scores of 75% for 2021/22 – the highest score in a decade.

In total, 95% of National Lottery retailers surveyed were either satisfied or very satisfied with the level of service provided

by Camelot.

The news comes weeks after Camelot failed in its bid for the next National

Lottery licence, losing out to Allwyn Entertainment, which is due to take over in 2024. Camelot has initiated proceedings in the High Court against the Gambling Commission in the wake of its decision.

Camelot says the steady increase in retailer satisfaction can be traced back to the strategic review it carried out in 2017.

Jenny Blogg, Camelot’s Retail Director, said: “It’s amazing to see that all of the initiatives we’ve introduced in recent years to make things better for our retail partners are paying off. It’s particularly impressive in light of the ongoing challenging conditions that retailers are experiencing.

“Our retail partners have shown so much dedication in driving National Lottery sales – and, in turn, returns to Good Causes – and even more so when the going got tough.”

£100 Amazon vouchers.

LIDL SEEKS SITES Lidl has called on the British public for support in identifying sites for new stores. The discounter is offering a finder’s fee to people who successfully identify suitable sites. The fee is either 1.5% of the total freehold purchase price or 10% of the first year’s rent for leaseholds.

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Reach makes further cuts to retailers’ profit Publisher Reach has not included prorata profit margins as part of increases to the cover price of the Daily Mirror and Daily Star.

From 2 May, weekday editions of the Mirror will increase by 5p to £1, with the Saturday edition increasing from £1.60 to £1.70. In Scotland, weekday editions will go up to £1.10. The same increases of 5p and 10p will also apply to the Daily Star.

However, the move means that their profit margins will reduce from 20% to 19.5% for weekday editions and from 20% to 19% on Saturdays. Profit margins on sales of the Daily Star will also reduce from 20% to 19% on all editions, except Sundays.

NFRN National President, Narinder Randhawa said the decision “lets down the very people who have kept the news trade going for many years”.

NEWS DIGEST

THIS WEEK’S NEWS FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/

TRADING

McColl’s shares fall after ‘mixed trading’ report

The retailer’s shares more than halved in value after it reported softer Easter trading, impacted by reduced consumer spending and continued supply chain disruption.

McColl’s Retail Group has reported “mixed trading” since its last update on 28 February 2022.

The retailer said that while a recovery in trading performance had continued during the first half of March, it experienced softer trading through the Easter period, impacted by reduced consumer spending and continued supply chain disruption across the industry.

However, the retailer’s Morrisons Daily stores continue to perform strongly, delivering like-for-like sales growth that is at least 20% better than non-converted, comparable stores, and ahead of the total convenience market.

All Morrisons Daily conversions in 2022 have benefited from the introduction of a Morrisons food-to-go proposition.

The retailer said the Morrisons Daily store conversion programme continues at

Asda is to invest more than £73m in tackling the cost-ofliving crisis for its customers and staff. The supermarket has ‘dropped and locked’ the price of over 100 family favourites until the end of the year. In addition, 120,000 shop floor staff will see their pay rise to £10.10 per hour from July.

CO-OP WINS QUEEN’S AWARD pace with 69 stores opened in FY22 so far.

As a result of the challenges, the retailer now expects adjusted pre-tax earnings for the current financial year to be no higher than the level achieved in FY21.

The Group says it remains in discussion with its key commercial partners and lenders over a potential financing solution that would resolve its short-term funding issues. The retailer’s shares more than halved in value on the news.

Consumer confidence in freefall Consumer confidence fell by seven points to -38 in April, new data reveals.

GfK’s Consumer Confidence Index shows all five measures of confidence were down in comparison to the 25 March announcement and the headline score was just one point off the lowest on record.

Joe Staton, Client Strategy Director GfK, said: “The cost crunch is really

ASDA PRICE

hitting the pockets of UK consumers and the headline confidence score has dropped to a near-historic low. The scores looking at the next 12 months for our personal finances at -26 and the general economy at -55 are worse than the 2008 financial crash. The personal finance score for the next year is also worse than the initial Covid shock in 2020.”

Co-op has been honoured with a Queen’s Award for Enterprise for Sustainable Development.

The award recognises the reach and depth of the Co-op’s work on reducing the impact of its operations, its focus on the UN sustainable development goals and its commitment to initiatives that affect its environmental impacts.

FORECOURT FUTURE Henry Stewart Conference Studies is hosting a three-part online course on the future of petrol filling stations. The course will offer insight from industry figures from Christie & Co. Get 50% off the cost with the code CHRISTIE50. To view the full course summary and register, click here.

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 7

01.09.2022

Live music EVENT A musical celebration for grocery and convenience colleagues

TICKETS £

60+ VAT

SPONSORSHIP AVAILABLE For more information visit groceryaid.org.uk/events/checkout-scotland or contact peter.steel@groceryaid.org.uk

BOOK NOW

Money raised from this event will go to GroceryAid, the grocery industry charity A Registered Charity Reg No. 1095897 (England & Wales) & SC039255 (Scotland). A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England & Wales No 04620683

NEWS SPECIAL

COVID-19 UPDATE

Omicron can ‘evade previous immunity’

CENTRAL ENGLAND CO-OP REVAMPS API MANAGEMENT

Research shows that even if you have had Covid before, you can still be infected again even if fully vaccinated.

Central England Cooperative has teamed up with digital transformation technology company WSO2 to upgrade its API management and system integration.

The partnership will enable the retailer to sync databases between different locations and create insights, files, and reports.

The project is set to kick off in the first half of 2022 and is expected to help the retailer system integration and

infectious than Delta and can evade immunity from past infections and vaccination.

Dr. Gemma Recio, of Institut Català de Salut, Tarragona, Spain, said: “In other words, people who have had Covid-19 cannot assume they are protected against reinfection, even if they have been fully vaccinated.”

“Nevertheless, both previous infection with other variants and vaccination do seem to partially protect against severe disease and hospitalisation in those with Omicron.”

access management needs

TECH SOLUTIONS

A

Spanish healthcare worker has caught Covid-19 twice within 20 days, in what is thought to be the shortest-known gap between infections.

The 31-year-old fully vaccinated woman first tested positive on 20 December 2021, and did not develop any symptoms; however, on 10 January, she developed a cough and fever before taking another PCR test which came back positive.

The European Congress of Clinical Microbiology & Infectious Diseases says the Omicron strain is much more

meet its API management,

for both on-premises and cloud-based deployments.

WSO2 serves more than 800 customers in over 80 countries and was selected by the Co-op based on its “advanced technical capabilities and solutions for securely delivering APIs, applications, and digital services”.

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 9

NEW ST

SPAR SC

Back in th

Spar Scotland has opened its first company-owned store in five yea

T

he last few years have seen a remarkable transformation in fortunes for the Spar Scotland brand under the stewardship of CEO Colin McLean and his much-changed senior management team as the 102-year-old business continues to re-establish its position as the largest Scottish convenience wholesaler and retailer. The latest step on that journey sees the business open its first company-owned store in five years.

Having offloaded a number of under-performing stores, Spar Scotland now seems to be back in the acquisition game, this time with a much clearer focus on stores that can deliver on all the fronts that matter.

MARKET FORMAT Spar Dalbeattie in Dumfriesshire is the first store in Scotland to open under the new Spar Market format and the first new company-owned store of any description since way back in 2017.

Formerly a third-generation family run convenience store trading as Kinnaird’s Nisa Local, the new Spar Market store is hailed by the company as “the first of its kind in Scotland” and marks a step-change in Spar’s fresh food and produce offering.

The Dalbeattie store has a very strong focus on fresh fruit and vegetables and chilled foods, aiming to cater for key shopping missions like ‘making a meal’ and ‘grab and eat’.

The store was officially opened on Friday 22 April with an in-store launch event hosted by store manager Marie McMinn and her team. A proudly community-focused store, every member of the team that works

10 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 102 / WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022

at the store lives locally. The launch event saw customers take the opportunity to pick up free goody bags, spin the wheel to win prizes, and to sample some treats. The event also saw two local organisations – Alma McFayden

TO R E S

COTLAND

he Market

ars under its new ‘Spar Market’ format with a major focus on fresh.

with many local suppliers featured at the large deli counter and in the fresh produce fixture. These include Irving’s Bakery, Mitchells of Castle Douglas, Irthingvale Wholesale, Lockerbie Cheddars and Galloway Preserves to name but a few.

FOOD-TO-GO Spar Dalbeattie also features a CJ’s food-to-go counter for customers looking for a food on-the-go offer. The CJ’s counter offers ready-to-eat hot breakfast rolls throughout the morning and extends into the evening with a selection of hot food.

This is complemented by a range from award-winning craft Scottish baker Browning’s, offering a wide selection of bakery products, morning goods and cakes.A self-serve Costa Express coffee machine, Tango Ice Blast and frozen Calippo slush machine tap into the current trend for premium on-the-go drinks.

Spar Scotland Company-Owned Stores Operations Director Brian Straiton commented: “We are delighted to

Care Home and Dalbeattie Playgroup – receive donations of £1,000 each from Spar Scotland.

Spar Scotland’s long-standing commitment to locally sourced products is reflected in the store’s range

have acquired the Kinnaird’s store. We have acquired a successful family-run business and recognise all the great work that James Kinnaird and his team have undertaken in the local community over many years.

“We are very excited to be back in the property market to acquire new convenience stores as part of our business strategy of adding an additional three to four stores per year to our company-owned estate.

“Spar Market is an exciting new fresh, chilled and produce store format for Spar Scotland that will really help to differentiate and grow from our traditional Spar customer offer.

“As a genuinely Scottish family business we share many similar values with the Kinnaird family. We want to maintain all the great work that they have done, and build upon these, whilst adding additional Spar Scotland products and services to the store.”

The store’s existing home shopping delivery service will continue and will be bolstered with the introduction of the Snappy Shopper platform and app.

“We are very excited to be back in the property market to acquire new convenience stores as part of our business strategy of adding an additional three to four stores per year to our companyowned estate.”

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 11

I N-S TO R E T E C H

ROADCHEF

Roadchef driving forward with ED

Mark Rogers, Retail Director for Roadchef, talks to The Week In Retail about the company’s decision to install EDGEpos in nin

T

he EPoS journey for Spar in Roadchef has been a particularly important part of the business strategy. A temporary Epos platform was installed whilst Mark and the team looked at the different solutions in the market and tried to understand the different providers available to them, and what they were looking for. What really sped up the transition to EDGEpos was the introduction of Self-Checkout tills in other areas of the business, and the introduction of Electronic Shelf Edge Labels, which Henderson Technology adopted early on. “We needed to understand not only what we needed today, but also how we could future proof our business for tomorrow. This was a key factor in our decision. We needed to ensure that we were offering the right solution for our customers, and all our store colleagues,” says Mark.

EDGEPOS FEATURES “The features we could not live without are endless. One of the features for the stores teams is the Reduced to Clear printer and Handheld Unit.

“This has removed a big task for them as previously they would have had to spend time working out what the reduction level and amount was. This of course flows through to the financial performance of the stores also and improves the store margins.

“The ease of the tills is fantastic also.

Our store teams really enjoy how simple the tills are to use. EDGEpos has removed

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DGEpos

ne Spar stores on their Motorway Services.

“We needed to understand not only what we needed today, but also how we could future proof our business for tomorrow. This was a key factor in our decision.”

MARK ROGERS Mark Rogers is responsible for the different retail brands within the Roadchef business including Spar and looks after the retail strategy and customer offerings within the businesses.

ROADCHEF Roadchef is the oldest services on the motorway, with around 50 million visitors per year. It has positioned its services as the high street under one roof, offering its customers a unique offer.

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 13

I N-S TO R E T E C H

ROADCHEF

a lot of the old clunky functions on the till, and they love the speed of the tills.

When we have had colleagues working on the EDGEpos tills from other areas of the business, they are often jealous as the EDGEpos tills are so easy to use!”

EDGEPOS SELF-CHECKOUT “Our customers find the EDGEpos Self-Checkout simple and effective to use. The Self-Checkout has a pre-recorded voice that talks the customer through each step, and they often feel like there is a cashier helping them. We certainly could not live without this product in-store.

“We are trying to offer our customers an effortless way of use in our Spar stores.

We are in a world where customers expect to see self-serve in-store; not everybody wants to be served by a cashier – some people just want to serve themselves.

“Self-serve is no longer a nice product to have, it is now a minimum requirement for customers in-store. And the fact that Henderson Technology could offer us the hybrid Self-Checkout option that fits onto our customer model was a huge plus for us.”

HEAD OFFICE “The Head Office system for us was a crucial part of our discussions with Henderson Technology. When we worked with other third-party suppliers, all individual stores teams had to change prices in each store which was potentially risky. With EDGEpos Head Office we now have full control and operations such as price changes are now all managed by one team instead of individual store teams. We know that this improves our overall mar-

gin. EDGEpos also gives us real time reporting and performance which we did not have before.”

CONCLUSION “For anybody looking for a new EPoS partner to work with, look at EDGEpos.

Ask yourself ‘What do you need today?

And what will you need tomorrow.’ Hen-

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derson Technology will not only work with you as to what needs delivered today but will also scope out what you need for the future within your business too. Be brave with what you want for the future, the team at Henderson Technology are always open to dialogue of what your requirements are. It’s a great partnership.”

The future of retail technology is here

Give your customers control EDGEPoS Self-Checkout gives retailers more choice to utilise space and staff throughout the store, enhancing the customer shopping experience.

Ë Beat the queues Ë No additional counter or floor space required Ë Reduce overhead costs Ë Satisfy customer demands Ë Increase store productivity Ë Now over 100,000 customer transactions via EDGEPoS Self-Checkout on a weekly basis across the UK

EDGEPoS Self-Checkout works seamlessly with:

Fully integrated with BP, Texaco, JET, Gulf and other leading fuel brands.

Keep your shelves talking with EDGEPoS ESELs The EDGEPoS Electronic Shelf Edge Label (ESEL) System is a tool used by retailers to display specific product pricing on shelves.

Electronic display modules are fixed to the front edge of the retail shelving. Ë Accurate pricing Ë Shelf edge influence Ë Enhance your shopper experience Ë Increase margin instantly Ë Utilise assistant hours in different areas of the store Ë Reduce wrong pricing customer complaints Ë Instant promotion changeovers and price changes

� +44 (0)28 9094 1900

� www.henderson.technology

� sales@henderson.technology

@_HendersonTech

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•1947-2022•

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FUL

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WE’RE CELEBRATING SO GET THE CRISPS IN!

LOOK OUT FOR OUR EXCITING ON-PACK PROMOTION supported by social, digital and trade activity

DON’T MISS THE SALES & PROFITS PARTY

STOCK UP NOW!

GOLDEN WONDER

75 WONDERFUL YEARS

Golden Wonder is celebrating… so get the crisps in!

This year, Golden Wonder is celebrating 75 years as a much-loved British snacking icon.

T

his year, Golden Wonder is celebrating 75 years as a much-loved British snacking icon. Founded by baker William Alexander in Stockbridge, Edinburgh in 1947, it’s been an unforgettable family favourite ever since.

Matt Smith, Marketing Director at Tayto Group (owners of Golden Wonder) says: “We really felt 75 years of delivering fully-flavoured crisps and snacks is a major milestone worth celebrating – particularly in Scotland where the brand was born. We wanted our devoted consumers to be part of the celebration by giving them just what they want – their favourite flavours in packs that bring back wonderful memories – as well as offering them the opportunity to create some new memories.”

Flavour is at the heart of this year’s anniversary celebrations. Loyal fans recently voted to bring back their all-time favourite flavours. Beef & Onion and Chip Shop Curry will return to the Golden Wonder range this month, initially on a limited edition run, in classic 1970s packs.

Cheese & Onion, Golden Wonder’s flagship flavour which launched in 1962, will also join this heritage range in impulse pack and six-pack multipack formats. Both formats

feature an on-pack promotion to win one of 75 experience vouchers. And there’s also 10% off at experiencedays.co.uk for every entrant.

The on-pack promotion is also running across Golden Wonder’s recently launched £1 crisps range which is performing ahead of expectations.

Golden Wonder’s big anniversary comes at a time of resurgence for the brand – particularly in Scotland. Over one-third of Golden Wonder’s total sales are in Scotland – where they over-trade in symbols and independents.

Matt shares the secret to 75 years of success for the much-loved brand: “Our fans say, ‘I buy Golden Wonder because it tastes better, the flavours are stronger, they are unique.’ The fact we’re still here 75 years after we started is a testament to us making brilliant products. It’s all about flavour for us – we won’t put our names to anything that doesn’t taste great!”

“And we have no plans of stopping! So here’s to another 75 years – or more – of fully-flavoured crisps and snacks with more punch per crunch!”

The promotional packs are available now and the campaign is being promoted across social, digital and trade channels throughout 2022.

Find out more here.

DON’T MISS OUT ON THE PARTY – STOCK UP NOW!

FORECOURTS

GRIDSERVE

Gridserve opens first compact electric forecourt The new site in Norwich forms part of Gridserve’s £1bn UK-wide investment being rolled out into its charging infrastructure network.

G

ridserve has opened its first ‘compact’ electric forecourt in Broadland Gate Business Park in Postwick, Norwich, featuring 36 chargers with up to 350kW of power.

The forecourt features the latest charging technology, supplied by 100% renewable energy, and helps to pave the way for mass electric vehicle adoption.

The Norwich site forms part of Gridserve’s £1bn UK-wide investment being rolled out into its charging infrastructure network.

The forecourt more than doubles the number of high-powered chargers in the region. Norwich and the wider East

of England region currently have comparatively low electric vehicle charger coverage compared to other regions in the UK – hosting just 29 chargers per 100,000 people compared to the UK average of 42 per 100,000 people.

The electric forecourt also enables visitors without electric cars to find out more about them, while sampling well-known brands including Costa Coffee, M&S Food, and WHSmith, along with super-fast WiFi and bookable meeting pods.

Toddington Harper, Chief Executive of Gridserve, said: “Giving drivers the confidence to switch to an electric vehicle and enabling a widespread transition

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away from fossil fuel vehicles is a central aim of our electric forecourts. That’s why we have put the consumer at the heart of our design, with our electric forecourts serving the needs of local communities in their transition to electric vehicles.

“Norwich electric forecourt showcases a brand-new design, where we have been able to provide both charging and a great customer experience in a smaller footprint than our first site at Braintree. By elevating the facilities above the chargers, we make the best use of the space available and are able to deliver a great EV experience without compromise.”

FORECOURTS

EG GROUP

Promise to deliver 32,000 jobs globally over five years The company plans to roll out its bakery chain Cooplands and fast-food brand LEON across its forecourt network and EG foodservice concessions at Asda locations.

E

G Group has unveiled plans to create more than 32,000 jobs globally over a five-year period.

In the UK, the Group will deliver many of these jobs from rolling out its bakery chain Cooplands and fastfood brand LEON across its forecourt network, new-to-industry (NTI) sites, and EG foodservice concessions at Asda locations.

Cooplands plans to open 30 outlets a year through to 2026, including cafés inside NTIs, and convenience stores on EG forecourt sites.

EG Group will also create new jobs by accelerating openings for its existing third-party brand partners, notably Starbucks and KFC, including drivethrus on the group’s UK forecourts and on Asda carparks ‒ with these foodservice outlets operated by EG and its colleagues.

The group plans to add about 22,700 UK jobs between January 2022 and December 2026, and around 9,700 new jobs will also come from organic growth in EG’s nine additional markets.

To supplement this growth strategy, EG has increased the average hourly pay to £10.05 for UK employees. This follows two previous pay rises for more than 10,000 UK colleagues in 2021, in recognition of the cost-of-living pressures they currently face.

In addition, EG’s recently augmented benefits package for colleagues includes an increase in its life assurance policy, support via the company’s Employee Assistance Programme, operational quarterly bonuses, discounts at EG brands, and continued access to development, such as professional qualifications.

Mohsin Issa and Zuber Issa, Co-Founders and Co-Chief Executive

of EG Group, said: “As EG continues to go from strength to strength, we will be creating a large number of new jobs over the coming years, particularly in our successful foodservice business ‒ which remains a significant growth opportunity globally. We are proud to be a business founded in Britain that invests in job creation worldwide, while focusing heavily on the training and development of colleagues.”

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 19

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

TAKE-HOME GROCERY FIGURES

Shoppers look to retailers to help with rising cost of living Kantar data shows that Aldi and Lidl are the fastest-growing retailers in the past 12 weeks to 17 April.

S

upermarket sales fell by 5.9% over the 12 weeks to 17 April 2022, according to new figures from Kantar. For the first time since the pandemic began, sales are also in decline by 0.6% compared with two years ago.

Kantar’s figures reveal the level of products bought on promotion, currently at 27.3%, has decreased 2.7 percentage points as everyday low-price strategies come to the fore.

The data shows that Aldi is the fastest-growing retailer this period. The grocer’s sales increased by 4.2% over the 12 weeks to 17 April, followed closely

by Lidl which was up 4%. Over one

million extra shoppers visited Aldi and Lidl, respectively, over the past 12 weeks compared with this time last year.

Online grocery sales were down by almost 15% compared with 2021 and, over April, online’s share dipped by 1.5 percentage points.

Fraser McKevitt, Head of Retail and Consumer Insight, Worldpanel Division, said: “While online shopping is definitely here to stay, it’s less of a necessity now.

Shopper confidence about heading out and about and getting back to store has gone up and half a million fewer households bought over the internet compared with last year.”

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In addition, the figures reveal the war in Ukraine has increased public awareness of supply pressures and there was evidence of some stocking up as consumers prepared for limited availability along with higher prices.

The increased demand saw the cooking oil market grow by 17% over April. Sunflower oil and vegetable oil grew even faster, up by 27% and 40%, respectively.

The data also shows sales over the latest four weeks fell by 4.1% as people returned to the office, as well as restaurants and pubs, and the average basket size dropped by 4.5% to £22.39.

BUSINESS INTELLIGENCE

RETAIL SALES

Retail sales fall as cost-of-living crisis hits Office for National Statistics data shows fuel sales fell substantially, while food sales continued to fall, dropping for the fifth consecutive month.

F

ood sales volumes fell 1.1% in March, with households cutting back due to cost-of-living concerns, data from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveals.

The ONS said that the decrease was also due to more shoppers preferring to eat out and socialise after Covid-19 restrictions came to an end.

The data also reveals a 3.8% decrease in fuel sales volumes as soaring petrol and diesel costs put motorists off making unnecessary journeys.

Overall sales volumes fell 1.4% in March, although they remain 2.2% above pre-Covid levels of February 2020, the research shows.

In addition, online sales fell 7.9% in March, as shoppers reduced spending on non-essential items.

ONS Director of Economic Statistics, Darren Morgan, commented: “Retail sales fell back notably in March, with rises in the cost of living hitting consumers’ spending. Online sales were hit particularly hard due to lower levels of discretionary spending.

“Fuel sales also fell substantially, with evidence suggesting some people reduced non-essential journeys, following record-high petrol prices, while food sales continued to fall, dropping for the fifth consecutive month.”

Helen Dickinson, Chief Executive of the British Retail Consortium, said:

“The cost-of-living squeeze has many consumers thinking twice about major purchases, while their expectations of future financial situation plummeted to lows not seen since the financial crisis.

“Consumers face even more challenges as the energy price cap rose to a record high this month.”

She added: “Retailers are themselves squeezed between rising costs of

operations, exacerbated by the situation in Ukraine, and weaker demand from customers.

“Higher global commodity prices, rising energy and transport costs, and a tight labour market are all taking their toll.

“As a result, it is likely that retail prices will continue rise over the course of 2022.”

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 21

EVENTS

SUMMIT22

Exploring the future of convenience

The Association of Convenience Stores’ biggest event of the year saw the launch of this year’s Raj Aggarwal Trophy, which celebrates exceptional community retailing.

R

etailers, suppliers and industry experts this week met at ACS Summit22, in Birmingham, to discuss what’s happening in the sector and what might happen in the future. Speakers included Mike Hollis, Retail Director at Bestway Retail, Mandeep Singh of Premier Sheffield, and Corinna Trainor from Trainor Bros Spar.

Spar UK boss and chair of the ACS board, Louise Hoste, also launched the Raj Aggarwal Trophy for 2022 – a trophy launched in the memory of independent retailer Raj Aggarwal – which celebrates exceptional community retailing.

Entries for the award are now open.

ACS Summit22 also hosted two masterclasses exploring high priority issues affecting the convenience sector: preventing underage sales and the upcoming high fat, salt and sugar regulations. Recordings will be available for members shortly via the Member Portal.

ACS Chief Executive and conference chair, James Lowman, said: “Summit22 is our first live face-to-face major conference since April 2019, and we are delighted to have been able to bring together people from across our industry to discuss and explore where our sector is now and what the future might look like for convenience stores.

“I would like to thank each and every person who took the time to attend Summit22 to be a part of the discussion, our speakers for providing their fascinating insights and the sponsors of this year’s conference.”

Throughout the conference, there was a keen focus on the importance of well-being.

This was explored through the expertise of Music Psychotherapist Rebekah Duncalfe, of Meraki Creative Therapies, and looked at what wellbeing means, how retailers can support the wellbeing of others, and how this applies to the convenience sector.

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 23

S U S TA I N A B I L I T Y

CO-OP

‘Best-before’ scrapped in favour of ‘use by’ on yoghurts The convenience retailer’s new guidance aims to encourage shoppers to check the quality of the product and use visual cues to establish its suitability to consume.

C

o-op is to scrap use-by dates from all its own-brand yoghurts in a bid to reduce food waste and combat the 42,000 tonnes of edible yoghurt that is thrown out by UK homes each year due to guidance printed on-pack.

The industry-first move will see Co-op replace on-pack ‘use by’ guidance with ‘best before’ dates on its entire range of own-brand yoghurts. Co-op’s new guidance aims to encourage shoppers to check the quality of the product and use visual cues to establish its suitability to consume.

Research from WRAP has shown that 50% of yoghurts are thrown away in unopened packs and 70% of the all the yoghurt wasted in the home was due to yoghurts ‘not being used in time’, with the date label cited as the reason.

Nick Cornwell, Head of Food Technical at Co-op, said: “Yoghurt can be safe to eat if stored unopened in a fridge after the date mark shown, so we have made the move to best before dates to help reduce food waste. The acidity of yoghurt acts as a natural defence and we’d encourage shoppers to use their judgement on the quality of their yoghurt if it is past the best before date.”

Cornwell added: “We encourage more retailers and brands to review their on-pack guidance and make the switch to best before dates for yoghurts.”

Catherine David, Director of Collaboration and Change WRAP, said: “Wasting food feeds climate change and costs money. Applying a best before date helps give people the confidence to use their judgement to eat beyond a best before date and use more of the yoghurt they buy – protecting the planet and their pockets.”

Co-op will introduce best before dates to its own-brand yoghurts from May and will have the full range amended by October 2022.

24 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 102 / WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022

CHARITY BIKE RIDE

BIKE BOSNIA 2022

Retail team get on their Bikes Against Bombs

A team of 24 grocery, wholesale and convenience industry colleagues, including The Week In Retail’s Antony Begley and Helen Lyons, are set to cycle 300km in the hills of Bosnia to raise funds for landmine charity MAG.

F

rom 10 to 15 June 2022, 24 intrepid grocery, wholesale, convenience and on-trade experts will cycle across the western Balkans in just four days. Among the cyclists will be The Week In Retail Publisher Antony Begley and Sales & Marketing Director Helen Lyons.

Starting in Dubrovnik and finishing in Sarajevo, the team will cross 300km of hilly terrain in a country which is still heavily contaminated with landmines.

This year’s Bikes Against Bombs fundraising challenge raises money and awareness for the Manchester-based landmine clearance charity Mines Advisory Group (MAG).

Since 2015, over 90 people from the sector have cycled across Vietnam, Cambodia, Sri Lanka and Laos to raise money for MAG. In 2021 the team also completed seven rides in the UK. This year’s Bike Bosnia challenge is the sixth overseas ride and will be powered by leading healthy snacking brand Graze.

The challenge is the brainchild of Neil Turton, MD of Sugro, and Tom Fender, Development Director of TWC.

Sarah Tavener, Head of Philanthropy at MAG, said: “Bikes Against Bombs has been an outstanding industry initiative which has already helped generate an extraordinary £730,000 for MAG. The continued support of the convenience and wholesale sector is hugely appreciated, and every pound of support we receive really does make a significant difference.”

Key sponsors of the challenge include The Wholesale Company, IT Retail Systems, and Kwickeshopper.

Antony Begley added: “While our thoughts are all with Ukraine, it wasn’t so very long ago that eastern Europe was torn apart by another conflict and, unfortunately, the legacy of the war that marked the break-up of the former Yugoslavia is still affecting innocent people today in the form of landmines.

That’s why we will be cycling hundreds

THE TEAM ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ● ●

Clare Bocking Mital Morar Matt Goddard Patrick Sewell Debbie Robinson Tom Gittins Neil Turton Tanya Pepin Tom Fender Helen Lyons Antony Begley Kirsty Cooper Gemma Newton

● Jo Murray ● Louise Monkman ● Elliot Sleath ● Andrew Pheasant ● Stephanie Green ● Amy Searle ● Simon Robinson ● David Visick ● Josh Williams ● Steven Joyce

of kilometres across Bosnia in June, most of it uphill. We will be raising much-needed money for MAG that will help reclaim vast tracts of land that are still unusable all these years later – and remain mortally dangerous.”

Find out more.

IF YOU CAN SUPPORT HELEN OR ANTONY TO HELP SAVE INNOCENT LIVES, PLEASE DO.

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 25

NPD AND MEDIA

PICKS OF THE WEEK – ROBINSONS

ROBINSONS LAUNCHES BENEFIT DROPS

Four-strong range will provide shoppers with a convenient way to gain vitamins on-the-move.

Robinsons continues to help retailers unlock

Benefit Drops can be displayed on clip strips

on-the-go soft drink sales with new Benefit Drops,

in the fridges at the front of stores to encourage

which offer shoppers a convenient way to gain

impulse buys and keep the brand at the front of

additional vitamins on-the-move.

shoppers’ minds. The rollout of the range will be

Available from April, the mini packs will be available in four flavours, each with a different added functional benefit.The new Benefit Drops range consists of:

supported by a below the line media campaign and on social media from April.

Phil Sanders, Out of Home Director at Britvic, said: “We know that being on-the-go can sometimes be a barrier for people when it comes to

● Vitality: Peach, Mango & Passion Fruit with added vitamin B3 ●

Immunity: Orange & Guava flavour with added vitamin C

● Boost: Raspberry, Strawberry & Acai with added B6 ● Focus: Lemon, Lime & Ginseng with added B3 and Zinc

26 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 102 / WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022

staying hydrated throughout the day. As more shoppers return to being on the move, as does the need for portable and flavourful refreshment options.

“Our current Minis range is worth £6m in RSV, making it the biggest pocket squash brand in the category and the perfect brand for retailers to drive their impulse squash sales.”

NPD AND MEDIA

PICKS OF THE WEEK – MONSTER

MONSTER GROWTH The new variants will bring excitement to the energy fixture and help drive sales for retailers.

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) has added

Point-of-sale materials including shelf strips,

two new variants to its Monster energy drink range:

totems, wobblers, free-standing display units and

Monster Ultra Gold and Monster Khaotic.

more are available from My.CCEP.com.

Ultra Gold has “the fresh flavour of biting into

Martin Attock, Vice President of Commercial

a perfectly ripened golden pineapple”. Its flavour

Development at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners

and shiny gold packs are designed to appeal to

GB, commented: “Monster has led the diversifica-

new and existing fans of the brand.

tion of the energy sector in recent years, which has

Khaotic is a shake-up of one of the original

helped energy drinks appeal to more consumers,

Monster Juiced variants launched more than a

on more occasions, by offering the choice and

decade ago when real fruit juice was first combined

great taste of soft drinks, but with added functional

with the functionality of energy drinks. It brings a

benefits.

tropical orange twist to a lightened-up version of

“The latest great tasting variants will bring

Monster’s traditional energy blend. Street artist

excitement to the energy fixture and help drive

Risk is responsible for the bold and bright pack-

sales for retailers, offering new flavours – with

aging design.

and without sugar – alongside the high-octane

Both new variants are rolling out now in plain and price-marked 500ml packs.

marketing and in-store activation that Monster is famous for.”

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 27

NPD AND MEDIA

PICKS OF THE WEEK – KP SNACKS

KP SNACKS ADDS TO £1 PMP RANGE

Two new SKUs will roll out in stores this month to help retailers capitalise on shopper trends.

KP Snacks has extended its £1 price-marked pack

core flavour and Discos is a familiar and well-loved

range with the addition of two new SKUs – Hula

brand that consumers recognise and trust, the

Hoops Big Hoops Salt & Vinegar £1 PMP (70g)

new Discos £1 PMP has been designed to drive

and Discos Cheese & Onion £1 PMP (70g).

increased impulse sales.

Rolling out in stores this month, the new prod-

Matt Collins, Trading Director at KP Snacks,

ucts support retailers by capitalising on shopper

said: “We are delighted to be growing our £1 PMP

trends. More than 80% of retailers say £1 PMPs

portfolio with Big Hoops Salt & Vinegar and Discos

are must stocks and 40% of snack shoppers say

Cheese & Onion. We are confident this format will

they are more likely to buy a product in PMP format.

continue to show strong growth going forward. In

The new Big Hoops Salt & Vinegar PMP joins

the past twelve weeks, KP Snacks’ £1 PMP range

Hula Hoops Big Hoops BBQ Beef, the bestselling

has grown in value at +15.4% as the hero Food

£1 PMP in the convenience channel.

to Go category continues to grow.

Meanwhile, Discos Cheese & Onion £1 PMP

“As we continue to expand our extensive PMP

is the second Discos flavour to launch in the pop-

portfolio, we are keeping retailers at the forefront of

ular format, following the launch of Discos Salt &

our decision-making by selecting the top flavours

Vinegar £1 PMP last year. Cheese & Onion is a

and brands that we know will drive sales.”

28 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 102 / WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022

NPD AND MEDIA

PICKS OF THE WEEK – WESTONS CIDER

LARGEST-EVER MARKETING CAMPAIGN NOW UNDERWAY Supported by an on-pack promotion, consumers have the chance of winning a luxury vacation.

Westons Cider is ramping up investment behind its

to the Tesco Group, including Booker and One

Henry Westons brand, kicking off a burst of marketing

Stop, the on-pack promotion will appear on more

activity ahead of the summer cider season.

than four million bottles of Henry Westons Vintage,

The campaign includes a £1.1m out-of-home

Henry Westons Signature Vintage, Henry West-

investment which is expected to reach more than

ons Cloudy Vintage and Henry Westons Vintage

48 million adults across the UK.

Rosé, in addition to the Organic 3-litre bag-in-box

The activity, which runs in four bursts through-

between now and September.

out the year, consists of an outdoor advertising

The range of destinations, centred around

campaign featuring static and full-motion adverts

food and adventure, and on-pack design featur-

in central locations across London, Birmingham,

ing a holiday-ready Henry, is set to appeal to a

Manchester, Bristol, Cardiff and Nottingham in

cross-section of cider drinkers as the brand seeks

addition to 48- and 6-sheet adverts.

to recruit younger consumers to the category.

The adverts will feature Henry Westons Vintage

Henry Westons is also scaling up its in-store

(ABV 8.2%), alongside the brand’s new on-trade

promotion between now and September with retail

offering, Henry Westons Vintage Draught (ABV 5.2%).

out-of-home activations highlighting the on-pack

The outdoor media campaign will be supported

promotion, the full Henry Westons range, and

by an on-pack promotion offering consumers the

Henry Westons Vintage – currently the number

chance to win a luxury vacation to either New

one SKU in the convenience sector and second

York, Santorini, Singapore or Iceland. Exclusive

in total retail.

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 29

NPD AND MEDIA

PICKS OF THE WEEK

KEEP IT F’REAL Leading self-serve milkshake

PRICE-MARKED WINE

COCKTAIL HOUR Kopparberg has launched three

brand F’real has unveiled Birth-

Gallo Family Vineyards is intro-

ready-to-drink cocktails in 250ml

day Cake and Banana flavours.

ducing price-marked labels to

slimline cans. The new flavours –

The new flavours will be availa-

its White Zinfandel and White

Strawberry Cosmo, Cherry Storm

ble to F’real stockists from July

Grenache wines in May. The

and Lemon Collins – use Kop-

2022. The brand will support the

peelable labels, with a price

parberg vodkas and gins and are

new flavours with a social media

mark of £6.49, are intended to

inspired by classic cocktails the

campaign, as well as digital

help price consistency across the

Cosmopolitan, Dark ‘N’ Stormy

assets and free PoS for retailers.

market and stand out on shelf.

and the Tom Collins.

COFFEE-TO-GO

PINK WINE

TAILS YOU WIN

Weetabix On The Go is reviv-

Chilean winery Cono Sur has

Bacardi has launched its Tails

ing its Caffé Latte flavour this

launched a pink version of a

ready-mixed cocktail brand, orig-

summer due to strong sales

Sauvignon Blanc blend into its

inally created for the hospitality

and growing demand for cof-

Bicicleta range. The wine is

industry, into the off-trade. The

fee-flavoured drinks. During its

mostly Sauvignon Blanc, with a

range is made using the Bacardi

first limited-edition run in 2021,

splash of Pinot Noir to add berry

portfolio of premium spirits and

the flavour accounted for 30%

flavours and make it pink. The

includes Rum Daiquiri, Whisky

of Bestway’s total Weetabix On

£7.50 RSP wine launched in Nisa

Sour, Gin Gimlet, Espresso Mar-

The Go case sales. RSP £1.

stores and is 12.5% ABV.

tini, and Passion Fruit Martini.

30 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 102 / WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022

NOW THAT’S A GOOD IDEA…

OUT THE BOX A new feature from Farmstead reminds you what’s in your refrigerator to reduce food waste.

Pets rejoice

Asda’s new ‘pet zones’ promise to create a one-stop-shop for pet parents.

Asda has launched a ‘pet zone’ in selected stores to help shoppers pick up everything from insurance to accessories for their furry friends.

WHAT’S NEW ABOUT THIS? This is a properly dedicated pet aisle, catering for both dogs and cats at all life stages offering a variety of brands, following the retailer’s deal with six specialist brands.

For example, teaming up with Petface allows Asda to feature an extensive range of accessories and toys, including eco-toys from Petface Planet, along with UK-produced fragrances and grooming products from Bugalugs.

The selection of brands aims to offer something for every budget, enabling customers to pick up ‘specialist’ and harder-to-find products more conveniently, such as Denzel’s Brunch Bites and Bugalugs ‘One in a Million’ dog cologne.

HOW DID THE DECISION FOR PET ZONE COME ABOUT? There’s been a boom in the number of pets acquired since the start of the pandemic, with more than 3.2 million households in the UK now thought to have adopted or bought a pet.

As a result of that trend, it was only a matter of time for one of the big retailers to dedicate a full aisle to furry friends,

with consumers demanding greater choice in the category.

WHAT’S ASDA SAYING ABOUT IT? “We’re partnering with some brilliant brands to bring a wide range of pet products to these stores – including items that would usually only be found in specialist retailers,” Matt Harrison, Senior Director of Partnerships and Business Develop-

ment at Asda, said. “We’re pleased that through partnerships with innovative brands we’re able to offer products for pets of all ages and satisfy the needs of our customers in these five stores.”

IS IT AVAILABLE NATIONWIDE? No, it is currently being trialled in Gateshead, Eastlands, Minworth, West Bridgford, and Caerphilly stores.

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 31

BEFORE YOU GO

RETAIL RANDOMS

R

GREGGS FACTO A new nationwide cost of living index has named Lichfield, Staffordshire as the place where people must work the longest to afford a Greggs sausage roll.

InvestingReviews.co.uk [https:// investingreviews.co.uk/] studied 100 British towns and cities, measuring how long a typical full-time employee must work to afford a takeaway sausage roll from the bakery.

The survey found the hardest-earned sausage rolls were in Lichfield (4mins and 54secs) followed in joint second by Middlesbrough, Nuneaton, Truro and Hereford (all 4 mins and 48secs).

People in those towns typically had to work around 65% longer than more affluent Londoners (2mins 58secs) to afford their sausage roll.

Greggs’ spiritual home of Newcastle-upon-Tyne — where the late John

Gregg opened his first shop in 1951 — came 30th in the top 100. Geordies had to work an estimated 3mins 46secs to scrape together the necessary funds.

Modelled on The Economist magazine’s worldwide Big Mac Index, the Greggs Sausage Roll Index exposes the

regional inequalities that persist despite the government’s flagship levelling-up agenda.

It was calculated using Greggs sausage roll prices and local median hourly pay estimates provided by the Office of National Statistics.

K A E T S S I M E H T T O SP It looks like times are tough in the American Midwest. An Aldi store in Minneapolis has been forced to remove steaks from the chiller due to a high incidence of theft.

This even though the store is already security tagging its meat.

Customers seeking something juicy to go with their French fries are requested to approach a member of staff.

However, the only law enforcement officers you’re likely to see in the store are the grammar

police. The sign explaining the bare shelves could have come straight from an advert for a proof-reading course, what with its misused apostrophe in ‘associates’ and the contraction of ‘thank you’ into a single word.

While we’re at it, that hyphen in front of ‘sorry’ is a bit frivolous and the use of title case on every single word is quite frankly offensive. And the sign is hanging at a slight angle.

Other than that though, good job!

WEDNESDAY 27TH APRIL 2022 / ISSUE 102 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 33

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