RETAIL THE WEEK IN Issue 7thWednesday121September 2022 UTI AND STI TESTS DELIVERED STRAIGHT TO YOUR DOOR + Brought to you by: POLITICS HANDHELPINGTEAMINGUP HOME DELIVERY BOOKER WHOLESALE AND JUST EAT GROW PARTNERSHIP NEW PM TO COST-OF-LIVINGTACKLECRISIS SUPPORTCOMMUNITY SERVICES PAYPOINT SUPPORTENERGYAWARENESSRAISESOFBILLSSCHEME ● ACS calls for approachconsistenttoHFSS ● Kids go bananas for HealthyProgrammeLiving ● York gets first Go Local Extra Commercial Partner:
Meanwhile, hardline Brexiteer and controversial figure Jacob Rees-Mogg was appointed as Britain’s business minister. Many commentators believe his appointment could prove a risky move as the gov ernment is set to continue with a series of difficult labour negotiations this autumn, which could be interesting given Rees-Mogg’s inflammatory nature. Let’s just hope he’s not caught sleeping on the job again. At least things seem to be moving quickly and Truss is expected to sanction a freeze on household energy bills to prevent steep hikes this winter, and possibly beyond, at a cost of tens of billions of pounds.Unsurprisingly, what Truss has said so far has not gone down well with retail union Usdaw, which says it is “totally underwhelmed” by what it has heard. “It appears we are destined for more of the same until we can get a general election and a Labour Government,” Usdaw General Secretary Paddy Lillis said. As The Week in Retail went to press, Truss was clashing with Labour Leader Keir Starmer on energy and tax cuts at first Prime Minister’s Questions.Atthisstage it is hard to know what to think, I guess the devil will be in the detail of her plans, and only time will tell.
willTimetell
The story of the week has been the appointment of new prime minister Liz Truss; sadly there’s no getting away from it. Immediately after her appointment, Truss pledged to cut taxes to reward hard work and boost business-led growth and investment, and to take action to deal with energy bills and secure the UK’s future energy supply.
THE WEEK IN RETAIL EDITOR’S COMMENT
LIZ DEPUTYWELLS,EDITOR
WEDNESDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2022 / ISSUE 121 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 3
Truss revealed her new-look cabinet, which fea tures Kwasi Kwarteng as chancellor of the exchequer and Jacob Rees-Mogg as business minister, shortly after her Kwarteng,appointment,theson of Ghanaian immigrants, is the country’s first black chancellor. He quickly acknowledged the “extraordinary challenges” that families and businesses across the UK are facing. He stressed that the government will immediately focus on supporting families and businesses to nav igate the gas crisis this winter and next, supporting the economy to grow, and be committed to fiscal sustainability.Hesaidministers need to be “decisive and do things differently”, which means relentlessly focus ing on how to unlock business investment and grow the size of the British economy, rather than focusing on “how we redistribute what’s left”.
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THIS WEEK’S NEWS New shared banking hubs will provide a cash lifeline for 13 communities, and Booker Wholesale and Just Eat strengthen their partnership.
COVER
Utilita customers can now top up their credit at any Payzone store or PO branch. 13 Services Paypoint raises awareness of the Energy Bills Support Scheme. 15 Bill payments PayPoint agrees multi-year contract extensions with energy firms Utilita and Scottish Power. 17 Regulations The ACS calls for a consistent approach to HFSS regulations across the UK. 18 Retail sales August’s food value sales were propped up by inflationary pressures, according to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor. 19 Consumer spending Supermarket shopping sees its largest year-on-year uplift since February 2021, according to the latest Barclaycard data. 20 Community Scotland’s Public Health Minister Maree Todd sees first-hand the benefits of SGF’s Healthy Living Programme at an in-store event at Spar Bo’ness. 21 Picks of the week 28 Out the box: at-home testing On-demand delivery app Zapp teams up with digital health firm Certific to launch a rapid delivery service for UTI and STI tests. 31 Before you go...
The appointment of Liz Truss receives a mixed reaction, as trade bodies outline the support the retail industry needs from the new prime minister. 14106 Covid-19 update 12 Bill payments
STORE OPENINGS York retailer Abhishek Sidhpura extends his relationship with Parfetts and opens the city’s first Go Local Extra store. STORY
CONTENTS WEDNESDAY 7 SEPTEMBER 2022 / ISSUE 121 WEDNESDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2022 / ISSUE 121 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 5
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Retailer’s ‘pay later’ receipt wall banking hubs to provide cash lifeline for residents
In addition, Hussain wants to give away 20 to 30 free hot meals dur ing the winter and is hoping to work with the parish council on a voucher scheme.
Retailer Abid Hussain, from Teesside, has a “wall of receipts” with thousands of pounds in unpaid shopping left by customers without the money to buy food and other essentials. Abid, who runs the Family Mart convenience store on High Street, Lingdale, told Teeside Live that his staff have been giving items “on tick” for years, but more so in recent weeks and months. “Some are a bit embar rassed; they promise you next week. I don’t count it. But there must be £2,000 worth of receipts on the wall, it goes right round,” he said.
Another 13 locations have been chosen for shared banking hubs to 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. Trickier enquiries are dealt with by representatives from each of the major banks who each visit once a week.The new shared banking hubs will be in located in Brechin in Angus, Forres in Moray, Carluke in Lanark shire, Kirkcudbright in Dumfries and Galloway, Axminster in Devon, Barton-upon-Humber in Lincoln shire, Lutterworth in Leicestershire, Royal Wootton Bassett in Wiltshire, Cheadle in Staffordshire, Belper in Derbyshire, Maryport in Cumbria, Hornsea in Yorkshire, and in Kilkeel, County Down.
John Howells, chief executive of Link, told BBC Radio 4’s Today pro gramme: “Cash is disappearing at a frightening rate, and so are ATMs and branches and it is not acceptable to leave communities without access to cash.”
ACCESS TO CASH 6 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 1XX / WEDNESDAY XX XX 202X Aviemore ‘22 We’re Back! To find out more contact the SPAR 22ndTradeshowScotlandTeamon01382512000ThursdaySeptember2022TradeshowThankyoutoourkeysponsors!ExhibitionareaisnowSOLDOUT! NEWS DIGEST FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/ THIS WEEK’S NEWS Shared
The banking hubs enable customers of any bank to access their accounts, deposit cash and cheques, and withdraw money at any time.
• Up to 6% rebate • Delivery to your store –anywhere in Scotland • A smooth onboarding process including market leading aftercare support • Dedicated yourcontactDevelopmentBusinessManagertosupportongoingbusinessneedswith GROW YOUR BUSINESS SymbolGroup of the Ye ar WINNER
Booker’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 increas ingly looking to have anything and everything delivered to the door . That’s why convenience stores are among the fastest-growing 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 cap italise on this surge in demand.”
The SGF has issued a pre-action letter to Circularity Scotland Limited (CSL), which was appointed by the Scottish govern ment in 2021 to administer the country’s Deposit Return Scheme (DRS). With the scheme due to go live next August, SGF is of the opinion that the proposed retailer handling fee levels will “not cover the costs borne by retailers following the introduction of DRS. This will impact on their sustainability and business survival is at risk with potentially thousands of businesses facing closure next year.” CSL proposes that, for manual take back, retailers will receive 2.69p per container, while for automated returns the fee will be 3.55p for the first 8,000 containers and 1.35p for each additional container.
Booker Wholesale and Just Eat strengthen partnership
andSparScotlandOfficialwww.sparscotland.co.uk@SparScotland@SparScotlandCJLang&SonLimitedTofindoutmorejoinourawardwinningteamemailRecruitmentManager,CraigLynn:craig.lynn@cjlang.co.uk
NEWS DIGEST FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/ THIS WEEK’S NEWS
Londis, Premier, Budgens and Family Shopper stores will soon be able to offer a range of fresh food, everyday essen tials, 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 let Booker stores reach thousands more customers in their local areas.
HOME DELIVERY CJ Lang & Son Ltd, Longtown Distribution Centre, 78 Longtown Road, Dundee, DD4 8JU www.cjlang.co.uk
SGF threatens legal action on DRS
The partnership will enable Booker stores to reach thousands more customers in their local areas.
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In the meantime, researchers have invented a phone app that can detect Covid in people’s voices with “poten tially high precision” using artificial intelligence (AI). Results can be provided in less than a minute, but users will be required to give information about their medical history, smoking status and demographics and record some respiratory sounds.
The app was created using 893 audio samples taken from both healthy and non-healthy people.
Forecourt retail specialist Suresite Group has partnered with fuel and retail service provider TSG UK to introduce a new point-to-point encryption payment solution developed specifically for the forecourt market. Orion aims to offer a onestop-shop as hardware, installation, software and customer support are all housed together from one provider. What’s more, addressing a longstanding issue among forecourt retailers, those adopting the new solution will have just one point of contact.
What’s more, severe Covid cases, direct Covid healthcare pressures, direct Covid deaths and ONS community pos itivity estimates have all decreased.
SURESITE AND TSG SOLUTIONNEWLAUNCHPAYMENT
Wafaa Aljbawi, a researcher at the Institute of Data Science at Maas tricht University in the Netherlands, said: “These results show a significant improvement in the accuracy of diag nosing Covid-19 compared to state-ofthe-art tests such as the lateral flow test. The lateral flow test has a sensitivity of only 56%, but a higher specificity rate of 99.5%. This is important as it signifies that the lateral flow test is misclassifying infected people as Covid-19 negative more often than our test.”
WEDNESDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2022 / ISSUE 121 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 9
Whileadvice.hospitals and the wider healthcare sector remain “extremely busy” overall, the summer BA.4 and BA.5 wave is subsiding and direct Covid severe illness is now a much smaller proportion of this, the UK chief medi cal officers and NHS England national medical director said. “Covid remains present in the com munity, and we may see an increase in cases with BA4.6 and BA.2.75 circulat ing but we do not expect this to lead to an immediate increase in hospital pressures,” they said in a statement.
The UK’s Covid alert level has moved from 3 to 2, based on UKHSA
UK Covid alert reduced to level 2
The summer BA.4 and BA.5 wave is subsiding.
NEWS SPECIAL COVID -19 UPDATE
SOLUTIONSTECH
The new device is backed by TSG’s team of service engineers and field technicians, accepts all major bank and fuel cards, and is eventnumerousretailersserviceItPCI-approved.circumventscustomerissuescreatedwhenhavetoringaroundprovidersintheofapaymentproblem.
Retail trade bodies have this week been outlining the support the sector needs from the new prime minister.
Liz Truss has this week been voted in as the new Conservative Party leader and Prime Minister. A longtime favourite to win the elec tion, the former Foreign Secretary beat ex-Chancellor Rishi Sunak, garnering the support of 81,326 Conservative mem bers, compared to 60,399 for him.
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Helping hand
POLITICSCOVER
Truss is yet to announce a full plan to tackle the cost-of-living crisis but has pledged cuts to National Insurance con tributions and to introduce green energy levies to help with rising prices. Media reports suggest the govern ment is planning to pay energy firms to subsidise bills so that customers will not be expected to repay the sup port. The reports suggest energy bosses believe that a ‘government-backed superfund’ from which they could bor row to subsidise bills “is the only game in town”. Further details are expected to be revealed on Thursday (8 September), the reports suggest.
7TH SEPTEMBER 2022
BIRA In addition, the British Independent Retailers Association’s chief executive Andrew Goodacre urged Truss to look at support for the high street and deliver. He said: “In the short terms we need to see financial support given to the smaller retailers who are facing 50% increases in energy costs. The new Prime Minister needs to bring forward a Covid-19-type response by introduc ing a 100% rates relief for the rest of this tax year. At the same time, we need to improve consumer confidence for the all-important final quarter of the year.
Goodacre added: “Independent retailers are integral to high streets. High streets are integral to communities and so they need support and protection form this toxic economic situation. For many smaller retailers, Covid-19 has drained them of cash, and we must not let perfectly viable businesses disappear from the communities they serve.”
Paddy Lillis, Usdaw general secretary, said: “What we need are urgent plans to eliminate low-pay and insecure work, along with tackling the cost-of-living crisis and action on energy prices. The new PM would do well to adopt Keir Starmer’s plan for an energy price cap freeze that will help protect against future price shocks, along with Labour’s New Deal for Workers. “With an estimated 12 million households facing fuel poverty, the British public will be disgusted with a new Prime Minister that prioritises unfunded tax cuts and attacking trade unions over tackling the cost-of-living crisis that the Tories themselves have created. That would be a disaster for the country.” BRC Welcoming the announcement of Truss, Helen Dickinson, chief execu tive of the British Retail Consortium, said: “She will need to demonstrate strong leadership as the cost-of-living crisis deepens. Retailers continue to play their part, keeping prices as low as possible and helping households by offering discounts to vulnerable groups, expanding value ranges, raising staff pay, and offering reduced-cost or free children’s meals. The retail industry is ready to work with the new government to shore up consumer confidence and help deliver economic growth.
To do this the government needs to give certainly to the energy bills being paid with no more increases.
Meanwhile, the appointment of Truss has received a mixed reaction from across the retail industry. USDAW Retail trade union Usdaw called on Truss to put aside the promises of tax cuts for higher earners and threats of divisive trade union restrictions that featured prominently in her leadership election campaign.
WEDNESDAY 7TH SEPTEMBER 2022 / ISSUE 121 / SLRMAG.CO.UK I 11
“This will allow households (and businesses) to budget and plan ahead. Find another way of stimulating demand is to reduce VAT, and this should also be considered.“Inthemedium term, the govern ment needs to introduce a grant or loan system that encourages smaller busi nesses to invest in energy-saving tech nology, therefore reducing the demand for energy. This could also be done in the form of tax breaks and wholesale reform of the business rates system.”
POLITICSSTORY increases linked to inflation, and giving greater scope to hold down prices, pro tect jobs, and support the economy.”
“Businesses need clarity on the gov ernment’s intentions as soon as possible so they can understand the inflationary impact of any policy decisions. One immediate way the government can help retailers support their customers is to freeze the business rates multiplier for all retail businesses for the next financial year, protecting the industry from rates
Customers with a Utilita smart Quantum gas or Talexus electricity meter can top up at any of the 24,000 combined Payzone stores and Post Office branches.
Simon Lambert, commercial director for Payzone Bill Payments, said: “We are very pleased to welcome Utilita on board to make paying bills easier for thousands of people across the UK. “Utilita is the latest energy contract acquisition, and we look forward to announcing many more in the coming months.“Utilita is one of the big eight energy suppliers and we’re pleased to be improving the lives of customers, postmasters, and Payzone retailers with this latest partnership for energy bill payment solutions.
Post Office and Payzone win long-term contract with Utilita
“This is an exceptionally challeng ing time for families, individuals and vulnerable people across the country as energy prices continue to climb. We must not forget that millions of peo ple rely on cash to budget, save and survive, and many more people will turn to budgeting with cash as energy bills become more burdensome on their finances. Our post office branches and Payzone stores provide a convenient location to pay bills or top up energy cards using cash as well as enabling customers to complete other everyday banking transactions involving cash.”
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BUSINESS SERVICES BILL PAYMENT
Post Office and Payzone have won a contract with Utilita, the special ist 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. Gas and electricity top-up cards for a wide range of energy and utility com panies can be paid in cash at post offices or Payzone stores, as can bills.
The £400 discount will be paid to consumers over six months with pay ments starting from October 2022, to ensure households receive financial support throughout the winter months.
PayPoint is working with Citizens Advice to support the organisa tion’s campaign encouraging pre pay energy customers to make sure their details are up to date with their supplier ahead of the launch of the Energy Bills Support Scheme in October.
The campaign will be promoted in all PayPoint locations via receipt advertis ing and social media channels through out September. Information will also be sent directly to PayPoint’s retailer partners advising of the campaign and where to direct consumers for more information, including the dedicated Citizens Advice webpage
Steve O’Neill, Corporate Affairs and Marketing Director at PayPoint, com mented: “Our retailer partners continue to play a pivotal role in delivering vital community services across the UK, par ticularly in helping us distribute over £100m in government support funds over the past year through our Cash Out service.
Paypoint works with Citizens Advice to raise awareness of Energy Bills Support Scheme
BUSINESS PAYPOINTSERVICES
Prepayment meter customers will be provided with EBSS Energy Bill discount vouchers or Special Action Messages from the first week of each month, issued via email or post. Cus tomers will be able to redeem these at their usual top-up point, including Pay Point locations. Customers with smart prepayment meters will either receive the discount directly or via vouchers.
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“The upcoming Energy Bills Sup port Scheme will be another important service for the millions of consumers who use PayPoint regularly to top up and we’re delighted to be working with Citizens Advice to raise awareness of the scheme to ensure that funds reach the members of our communities that need it most.”
The campaign will be promoted at all PayPoint locations via receipt advertising and social media channels throughout September.
STORE OPENINGS
GO LOCAL EXTRA
York retailer Abhishek Sidhpura has extended his relationship with Parfetts and become part of the Go Local Extra network. The 1,350sq ft Beckfield Lane store is the city’s first Go Local fascia store. Abhishek, who has operated the store since he acquired the premises in 2017, also has another store in Ripon, which he has operated since 2019. The store, which employs a team of 10 people, has undergone signifi cant store improvements as part of its move to Go Local Extra. This includes Go Local Extra branding, a new front York gets its first Go Local Extra store
Abhishek Sidhpura’s Beckfield Lane store has undergone renovations and improvements since changing symbol group. counter unit, and an improved store layout with increased shelving space for greater stock variety. Abhishek said: “With the combina tion of a fresh new look and a range of relevant new offers and promotions, we are serving the local community by giving them a competitive convenience store that ticks all the boxes.”
New range additions to the store include an enhanced food-to-go offer, featuring Tango Ice Blast and hot beverages.Abhishek added: “The entire Par fetts team have been very positive, and getting hold of competitively priced stock has not been an issue. The sup port is also first class with a team who are always on hand to help us operate more“Whatefficiently.Ilike is the feeling that, as retailers, we’re more than just a num ber – there’s a genuine family feel to the whole setup, which is great and perfectly suited to me as a businessman and the future development of the store.
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“It’s great to be able to rely on this level of professional support and guid ance without any interference in the day-to-day running.”
P
Vant added: “During the current period of energy and cost-of-living cri ses, we also want to do whatever we can to make sure that people are set up to take full advantage of national sup port initiatives like EBSS, which is why we will continue to work with Citizens Advice to amplify their consumer infor mation services across our full network of 28,000 retailer partners nationwide.”
BUSINESS PAYPOINTSERVICES UK. 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.” The contract extensions follow the launch of a PayPoint campaign in part nership with Citizens Advice. Ahead of the Energy Bills Support Scheme (EBSS) starting in October, the campaign encourages prepay energy customers to make sure their details are up to date with their supplier. When the EBSS com mences, prepayment meter customers will be provided with redeemable Energy Bill discount vouchers or Special Action Messages from the first week of each month. Customers will be able to redeem these at their usual top-up point, includ ing any PayPoint location.
ayPoint has secured multi-year con tract extensions with Utilita, the spe cialist pay-as-you-go energy supplier, and energy company Scottish Power. 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: “PayPoint will always strive to ensure consumers have consist ent, local access to top-up their energy accounts wherever they are based in the
Multi-year contract extensions with energy firms secured Extensions mean Utilita’s 800,000 customers and Scottish Power’s five million customers will continue to be able to top-up gas and electricity across PayPoint’s network of 28,000 UK retailers.
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Trade body responds to Welsh Government consultation on introducing restrictions on high fat, salt and sugar products.
● The Welsh Government is proposing to restrict ‘temporary price reductions’ of HFSS products and meal deals including HFSS products.
● The Welsh Government is seeking views on how to define HFSS products, via differing nutrient profiling models.
● The Welsh Government is propos ing to restrict the siting of HFSS products on free-standing dis play units in addition to at store entrances, at the tills, and at the end of aisles.
ACS calls for consistency to HFSS regulations across UK
REGULATIONSHFSS
In its submission, ACS calls for the Welsh Government to ensure that the regulations are fully aligned with those being introduced in England to ensure consistency, reduce the burden on busi nesses across the food supply chain and avoid confusion among retailers.
The Association of Convenience Stores has responded to the Welsh Government consultation on intro ducing restrictions on high fat, salt and sugar (HFSS) products highlighting the impact on retailers and need for a consistent regulatory approach across the TheUK. consultation looks at HFSS products in terms of placement, pro motions, and defining what products are impacted. The Welsh Government’s pro posals are like those being introduced in England on HFSS products, but there are some key differences:
Regarding the restrictions on the placement of HFSS products, ACS has called for an exemption for small shops under 280sq m (3,000sq ft), including shops operating under a symbol group. There are currently no set timescales for the introduction of the proposals after the consultation period.
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BUSINESS RETAILINTELLIGENCESALES
Food sales increased 3.8% on a total basis and 3.3% on a like-forlike basis over the three months to August, above the 12-month total average growth of 0.8%, according to the latest BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor.
UK retail sales increased 0.5% on a like-for-like basis from August 2021, when they had increased 1.5%, this was above the three-month average growth of 0.1% and below the 12-month average growth of 0.7%. Susan Barratt, chief executive of IGD, said: “Food and drink sales vol umes spent the entire month of August in negative territory, with value sales propped up by the ongoing inflationary pressures that are being steadily fed through the supply chain. IGD’s latest Shopper Confidence Index data shows another record-breaking low, down six points from July. Confidence has been steadily declining over recent months, but now we can really see that people are worried about their personal finances. “August has been dominated by increasing inflation, with talks of this going even higher, along with energy price increases. People are reacting –taking action now to try and get ahead. Our data shows that shoppers are invest ing more time in how they can save money by planning more and searching for value with private label options and seeking out discounts.”
The BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor shows food was in growth year-on-year for the month of August.
The data also reveals that food was in growth year-on-year for the month of August.Themonitor shows overall sales increased by 1.0% in August on a total basis, against an increase of 3.0% in August 2021. This is above the threemonth average of 0.7% and below the 12-month average growth of 2.5%.
Helen Dickinson, chief executive of British Retail Consortium, com mented: “With some predictions of inflation reaching 20% in the new year, households and retailers are preparing for a particularly tough time ahead. As retailers face into their own rising costs from all directions, they continue to do all they can to protect customers from price rises.”
Sales growth slows
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onsumer card spending grew 4.7% year-on-year in August –the smallest uplift since March 2021 – as rising living costs hampered the retail sector, according to new data fromTheBarclaycard.figuresreveal that spending on essential items grew 7.2% year-on-year – its highest growth since December 2021. Supermarket shopping saw its largest year-on-year uplift (4.7%) since February 2021, while specialist food and drink stores returned to growth (0.6%) for the first time in eight months. These uplifts are likely due to rising inflation, BarclaycardHowever,said.spending at supermarkets and food and drink specialist stores has declined compared to July 2022 –down -3.6% and -1.6%, respectively, with nearly half of Brits (47%) seeking to obtain more value from or to reduce the cost of their weekly shop. Of these shoppers, 55% are cutting down on lux uries or one-off treats for themselves, and 53% are buying budget or ownbrand goods over branded items – an increase compared to July’s data (52% and 47%, respectively). Spend on fuel rose 23.9%, its lowest growth in 12 months, owing to a slight decline in petrol and diesel prices and drivers opting to reduce vehicle use to save money. More than one in 10 workers are choosing to walk or cycle to work instead of driving due to rising fuel costs, and 11% have started to commute by public transport.
BUSINESS CONSUMERINTELLIGENCESPENDING
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Food retailers boosted by rising inflation
José Carvalho, head of consumer products at Barclaycard, said: “The cost-of-living crisis is clearly leading Brits to cut-back on some non-essential purchases to ensure they can afford the increasing costs of their weekly grocery shop and household utility bills. Yet, despite these inflationary pressures, con sumers have still been keen to enjoy the summer weather by eating and drinking out and going on staycations.
“However, an energy price rise on the horizon means the majority are understandably very concerned about whether their finances can stretch far enough to afford rising household bills.”
Barclaycard data shows supermarket shopping saw its largest year-on-year uplift since February 2021, while specialist food and drink stores returned to growth for the first time in eight months.
C
Spar Scotland boss Colin Mclean said: “Our ongoing work with the team at the Healthy Living Programme is another vehicle from which we can encourage school children and teenag ers to really look at their eating habits.”
HEALTHY LIVING PROGRAMME
Commenting on the event, Kath ryn Neil, SGF HLP lead, said: “It was a great opportunity for the HLP team to demonstrate the work that they carry out with local convenience stores and linking the communities together. Now more than ever it is important to lead a healthier lifestyle and it is promising to witness the work that convenience stores are carrying out to achieve the awareness of a healthy lifestyle.”
S
Through Spar’s sponsorship with the SFA, Scotland and Celtic midfielder Lisa Robertson was on hand to speak to the pupils about fitness and the importance of leading a healthier lifestyle.
COMMUNITY
The pupils are now tasked to return to school and lead an assembly to the rest of the pupils and discuss what they learnt. The HLP team will then visit the schools in November and carry out a big breakfast event which will be funded by the Spar store. The 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.
cotland’s Public Health Minister Maree Todd saw first-hand the benefits of SGF’s Healthy Living Programme (HLP) at an in-store event at Spar Bo’ness last week.
Kids go bananas for Healthy Living Programme
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The HLP team demonstrated the work that they carry out with local convenience stores at an in-store event last week.
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 offers customers.
The food manufacturer has developed an online tool that displays recipes based on the food items most commonly found at the back of theWEDNESDAYfridge.7TH
PREMIER FOODS CAMPAIGN AIMS TO TACKLE FOOD WASTE
PICKS OF THE WEEK – PREMIER FOODS
The national in-store execution for ‘Fresh Take on Food Waste’ will run from September to October in selected stores. There will be in-store POS marketing support to help raise awareness of the campaign among shoppers.
Premier Foods has launched a new campaign to help consumers transform their leftovers into meals.‘Fresh Take on Food Waste’ is an online tool, developed alongside WRAP UK, that displays recipes based on the food items most commonly found at the back of people’s fridges. Users can select the ingredient they want to use up and then pick from a bank of recipes to make at home that have been developed by Premier Foods’ chefs. Shoppers can access the website by scanning a QR code located on the top-selling products within Premier Foods’ Homepride, Loyd Grossman, and Sharwood’s cooking sauce ranges. Andrey Sokirkin, brand director for cooking sauces and accompaniments at Premier Foods, said: “Every year, an astonishing amount of food is wasted in UK homes – the equivalent of 490,000 bin lorries, according to WRAP UK. “Through this campaign we want to encourage consumers to take simple, easy steps in making leftovers go a little bit further, and the versatility and affordability of cooking sauces makes them the ideal choice for people wanting to do just that. ‘A Fresh Take on Food Waste’ is all about championing those overlooked ingredients that often get thrown away and changing the way we look at leftovers. It’s been great working with our chefs to develop these recipes and I look forward to seeing our customers get creative in the kitchen and doing their bit to reduce their food waste.”
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PICKS OF THE WEEK – FANTA FANTA REVEALS 2022
HALLOWEEN CAMPAIGN AND ON-PACK PROMO
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Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has revealed this year’s Fanta Halloween campaign, including an on-pack promotion offering prizes and surprises. From 12 September, shoppers are invited to scan QR codes on limited edition, ghoulish packs of Fanta to find out instantly whether they’ve won an epic prize from a £50k pool of goodies. Prizes range from cauldrons of cash to home entertain ment systems and supplies for the ultimate scary movie night in. Those who don’t win will receive exclusive digital content to scare their friends and family with instead.
The promotion will be supported by a multi-million-pound market ing campaign which includes the return of 2021’s TV ad, paid social media, digital and out-of-home advertising. In addition, free POS materials will be available whilst stocks last from My.CCEP.com by mid-September.“Worthmore than £270m and in 13.3% growth, Fanta is the no.1 flavoured carbonates brand in GB and has become synonymous with Halloween in recent years,” Martin Attock, vice-president of commer cial development at Coca-Cola Europacific Partners GB, said. Last year’s activity saw 12% value growth for the brand.
What’s more, this year marks the first time Fanta Lemon, Fanta Fruit Twist Zero, Fanta Grape Zero, and Fanta Raspberry Zero are included in the brand’s Halloween activity.
“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 flavours this time around. Retailers can create in-outlet theatre with the front-of-store and aisle-end displays –where HFSS-compliant ranges like Fanta have a key role to play. This, 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.”
The new device can be ordered from Eco Vape Wholesale E-liquids manufacturer Eco Vape and vape coils producer Aspire have teamed up to list what has been described as the UK’s first hybrid product designed to meet an increasing demand for higher capacity disposable devices. The new device boasts a nicotine salt range of e-liquids, providing the customer with over 24 flavours from the Eco Vape Bear Flavours range. The Aspire R1 is capable of more than 3,500 puffs and, because it is rechargeable, has a “significantly reduced impact on the environment”. It is launching into 927 forecourt stores in Sep tember 2022. According to recent retail data, the top 10 products have sold over 20 million units (through registered tills) in the last twelve-week reporting period alone, with an average retail price of £6.14 per unit for an estimated 600 puffs. This compares
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The new Bear + Aspire Hybrid R1 promises more than 3,500 puffs. to the R1’s 3,500 puffs for an recommended selling price of £9.99. “We have been working hand in glove for two months with Aspire fine tuning the e-liquid to pro duce what will be a game-changing product in the industry. The Aspire team have been the epitome of professionalism and it is our pleasure to work with them,” Robert Sidebottom, group managing director, Eco Vape, said. Shay Kastro, Global BD & marketing director, Aspire, added: “Working with Robert and the team at Eco Vape has been a delight, their vision for the future of vaping is perfectly aligned with ours at Aspire and we look forward to the success of the ‘Bear + Aspire R1’ and the many benefits it will provide millions of vapers in the UK and beyond.”
PICKS OF THE WEEK – ECO VAPE
ECO VAPE PARTNERS UP TO LAUNCH NEW HYBRID DEVICE
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CHILDREN’S SOCIETY
FINGERS
‘Sign with Fingers Big and Small’ aims to ensure that deaf people do not miss out on moments in the future. Spearheaded by a film on video-on-de mand, connected TV and YouTube, the campaign also features lessons with sayings such as ‘Fancy a cuppa?’ or ‘Having a good day?’ to help kickstart people’s BSL learning journey. Illustrated animations of these phrases will feature on digital billboards, on YouTube and in social activity on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. These illustrated phrases direct to BSL lessons, taught by the lead actor in the film, on the ‘Sign with Fingers Hub’, which also includes links to The initiative encourages people to learn some British Sign Language additional resources and learning, provides deaf awareness and inclusion advice, and discusses the various other communications methods deaf people use beyond BSL.
CADBURY FINGERS TEAMS UP WITH NATIONAL DEAF
PICKS OF THE WEEK – CADBURY
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Cadbury Fingers has partnered with National Deaf Children’s Society to launch a new integrated marketing campaign urging the nation to learn British Sign Language (BSL).
“The new campaign encourages the nation to learn some British Sign Language – a lan guage in which hands and fingers play a crucial role,” Susanne Nowak, Senior Brand Manager for Cadbury Biscuits said. “The launch of the new campaign presents a big opportunity for retailers, who should stock Cadbury Fingers for all to con sume and share.” Brand owner Mondelez urged retailers to stock up on Cadbury Fingers to ensure they are prepared for the buzz it expects to be generated from the campaign, which includes out-of-home, digital, social, influencer and partnership activities.
Vape manufacturer Geek Bar has launched its J1 Pod in the UK, featuring a disposable pod refill system and a rechargeable battery. Developed with the UK market in mind, the J1 Pod allows consumers to switch flavours at a lowerAvailablecost. through specialist vape retailers and convenience stores, it has a recommended retail price of £8 for the pod system while a twin-pack of 2ml pod refills will cost £5. The 500mAh battery can be recharged via a USB device. Featuring the latest KA mesh coil technology, the J1 Pod aims to provide more vapour and a more consistent flavour. What’s more, it hopes to offer an alternative vaping experience for people looking to give up smoking tobacco products.
Meanwhile, it boasts the company’s newly designed packaging, which features a more visible age restriction warning against the sale to minors.
The J1 Pod offers 11 different flavours: Ginger Soda, Tropical Skittles Blast, Orange Vanilla, Tropical Fruit, Lime Cherry, Mango Smoothie, Watermelon Ice, Pink Lemonade, Kiwi Pas sion Fruit Guava, Cheesy Blueberry Jelly, Lime Cactus. The devices are lightweight and compact, suitable for on-the-go vaping and prefilled with 20mg of nicotine as well as up to 2ml of e-liquid. Offering 600 puffs per device, they are designed for mouth-to-lung vapers in particular, who want to replicate the experience of smoking through a consistent throat hit. Geek Bar’s latest device has been developed specifically for the UK and offers a pod refill system.
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POD REFILL SYSTEM WITH RECHARGEABLE BATTERY
GEEK BAR LAUNCHES
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● Keeping fixtures easy to navigate by brand blocking, so that products are easy to find.
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● Leveraging key events, like Freshers Week, using POS, supplier and brand assets.
PICKS OF THE WEEK – ROCKSTAR
● Stocking PMP ranges offering variety and value.
● Considering digital pre-shop communica tion through social media or by geo-target ing shoppers.
Rockstar is rolling out a new global messaging campaign to drive awareness of the Britvicowned energy drink brand. Over 900,000 samples, targeting Fresher’s Week specifically, will be handed out during September with a further 500,000 samples and experiential activity across universities.The‘Fuel Every You’ creative is running across PoS, as well as in and around convenience and impulse stores. The aim is to provide a call to action for consumers with variations of the ‘Fuel Every You’ message, including ‘Fuel The Do It All You’.
“With many away from home for the first time, they will be looking for offers and bargains, new ideas and tastes, quick meals, snacks and drinks to fit in with their busy lifestyles.” The campaign will see samples and experiential activity across universities.
“Students are in many ways the ideal custom ers for the convenience retailer as they are likely to visit often, buy on impulse and are keen to try new things,” Ben Parker, GB Retail Commercial Director at Britvic said.
ROCKSTARFRESHERSKICKSTARTSWEEK
● Within large stores, considering stocking up on HFSS-compliant products for student promotion.
● Where appropriate, linking with other cat egories such as crisps, snacks and nuts offering drink and snack promotions at key times of the day, such as mid-morning or afternoon.
● Leveraging activation based on key passion points for students.
Rockstar also provided its top tips for mer chandising during the freshers period. It suggests:
CALLINGCHRISTMAS
HUMMUS LOVE Eat Real has added a new Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar flavour to its Hummus Chips range. The new addition is vegan along with being free from gluten, artificial colours, flavours and ingredients. The 45g grab bags have an RSP of £1.20 while the 135g sharing bags have an RSP of £2. CHOCOLATE FUN Milkshake and smoothie brand F’real has expanded its UK port folio of self-serve shakes with the new Chocolate Fudge Brownie. The new flavour will be availa ble to stockists from the end of September, launching in a new cup design. Downloadable pro motional assets are available.WEDNESDAY
NPD AND MEDIA PICKS OF THE WEEK CLUB TROPI-CORONA Corona has rolled out a new alcoholic sparkling water made with fruit juice in three exotic flavours – Guava & Lime, Rasp berry & Lemon, and Grapefruit & Lemongrass. Launching in an 8 x 330ml format, they contain 96 calories and 2.4g of sugar per can.
CASK STRENGTH Orkney-based single malt dis tillery, Highland Park, has added a new whisky to its Cask Strength series. Launching as a permanent addition to the High land Park range, Highland Park Cask Strength Release No.3 has been created using the traditional ‘straight from the cask’ method.
Smirnoff has added the new Mango & Passionfruit Twist pre mix RTD to its growing flavour portfolio. The new 250ml format is being rolled out across the offtrade from September onwards, available to purchase as a single slimline or a price-marked pack. RSP £2.39.
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McVitie’s Christmas line-up includes the new-for-2022 Bliss fuls Belgian Milk Chocolate & Cream and the revamped Vic toria and Family Circle sweet biscuit assortments. Jaffa Cakes Orange & Cranberry is also back for 2022.
FRUITY VODKA
UTI and STI tests
HOW IS IT SIGNIFICANT FOR RETAIL? Covid testing made the idea of medical testing at home a reality for people who had never thought they would use this kind of service before. There are some conditions for which the need for proper medical examination is absolutely nec essary, but digital health start-ups –which largely made their debut in the past decade – aim to convince a bigger slice of the population that remote test ing and diagnosis should be embraced.
Zapp will deliver the tests same day, promising medical centre visit. Certific’s service can be accessed through a secure and private application with guided screen ing to reduce inaccurate results, diag nosis, and what it described as “the unnecessary prescription of antibiotics”.
WHY IS THERE A NEED FOR THIS? There were approximately 317,000 cases of STIs diagnosed in England during 2020, and according to data from Stati sta, 51% of these were chlamydia. Sim ilarly, 40% of women are expected to suffer from a UTI during their lifetime, with 4.8 million women in the UK suf fering from one each year. Yet, testing and treatment for these infections are not accessible enough. According to the two companies, other providers can take a week to pro cess test results, which delays diagno sis and treatment, leaving the patient uncomfortable or unknowingly infect ing others. Certific offers same-day results combined with Zapp’s help to get the tests to patients fast. The delivery service will enable patients to receive same-day turna round of results and diagnosis for STIs, and results and diagnosis for UTIs in 60 minutes – without the need for a
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n-demand delivery app Zapp has teamed up with digital health firm Certific to intro duce a rapid delivery service for UTI and STI Customerstests. can now order testing kits for UTI and STI screening (including gonorrhoea and chlamydia) via Zapp to receive diagnosis and treatment for these common infections.
NOW THAT’S A OUT THE
O
Steve O’Hear, VP of Strategy at Zapp, said. “We were the first rapid delivery company to stock Covid-19 tests and we launched the first dedicated ultra-fast delivery Period Store earlier this month, and we’re excited to build on this with our move into medical testing which will enable patients to order STI and UTI testing kits safely, quickly and conveniently.”Nowimagine a world where the physical connects with the digital via c-stores: it might just be a win-win for everyone involved – including patients.
ThepartnershipwithZappwillenableustogivepatients24-houraccesstomedicaldiagnosticswiththesameconvenienceofotheressentialitems.
A GOOD IDEA… THE BOX
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“The partnership with Zapp will ena ble us to give patients 24-hour access to medical diagnostics with the same convenience of other essential items. Covid-19 has proven that patients can perform simple medical tests to a standard that we can diagnose, with out needing to see them,” commented Dr Jonathan Andrews, Chief Medical Officer of Certific.
Retail could play a significant role in this. “The needs of our customers are the key drivers of our catalogue and hence we stock thousands of products to give customers the best possible selection for when they ‘need something now’,”
A new feature from Farmstead reminds you what’s in your refrigerator to reduce food waste.
tests at your door to make testing for these infections accessible.
THE SCOTTISH BUYING GROUP FOR INDEPENDENT RETAILERS SINCE 1976 Delivery direct to store, small minimum order 14,000quantities.SKU count across all categories including Food to Go Access to the excellent Co-op Fresh Range 3 weekly promotion cycle available Year round Seasonal sales opportunities Fascia and branding opportunities through the well established brand Rebate scheme for qualifying members, spend level applies Extensive supplementary Direct to Store ranges and services Central Invoicing*, 1 weekly statement and 1 Direct Debit Scotland’s best kept retail secret, working with independent retailers for over 40 years providing access to one of the leading convenience retail groups while allowing you to run your store, your way with great ranges and great support delivered direct to your store. www.pgma.co.uk If you want to remain independent and have the support of PGMA behind you, drop us an email at pgma@pgma.co.uk or call Martin Devlin, Commercial Manager on 0131 343 7607. Scan here to be taken direct to the PGMA website
TAKING THE BISTO A TALE OF TINOPOLIS
BEFORE YOU GO RETAIL RANDOMS
If you need to beef up your sauces and condiments sales, then you could do worse than rip off the World Gravy Wrestling Championships.Asin-store events go, it’s a bit more exciting than guess ing the weight of a Victoria sponge. Back after a two-year coronavirus-induced break, the 12th annual Championships were held at the Rose ‘N’ Bowl Pub in Rossendale, Lancashire on 29 August to raise funds for East Lancashire Hospice.
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Ever wondered where tin cans come from? No, neither have we. However, the answer is Llanelli. Spe cifically, Tata’s Trostre works, which makes tinplated steel and counts Heinz among its customers. The works, which celebrates its 70th birthday this year, knocks out around 400,000 tonnes of coated steel a year. That’s enough to make a whopping 7.5 billion cans. If these were laid end-toend, there would be nothing to put beansLlanelliin. has a rich history of tin pro duction and was known as ‘Tinopolis’ in the late 19th century. Which goes
to show that, despite their numerous breakthroughs in the arts and sciences, the Victorians were a fairly unimagina tiveThebunch.seaside town’s connections to the grocery industry don’t stop at canned goods, though. In 1958, six years after Trostre started production, the first supermarket in Wales opened in Llanelli.TheCo-operative store was described as “the most modern and hygienic food store in the principality” and shoppers were lured through its doors with the promise of gift parcels and free entry into a cake weight guessing competition. Guessing the weight of a cake? The Victorians would have been giddy at the prospect.
The event is straightforward: competitors wrestle in a pool of gravy for two minutes, with points given for fancy dress and entertainment value. Wrestling ability doesn’t appear to be that im portant. The fire brigade is on standby, ready to hose down contestants after matches.
Lloyd Clarkson won the men’s event, with Imogen Young claiming the women’s crown.Commenting on proceedings, a laconic Carol Lowe –the Rose ‘N’ Bowl’s manager – said: “It’s very messy.”
Make sweet profits Grow your confectionery sales Chances to win monthly and quarterly cash prizes Join the 4,500+ retailers who have already signed up “It’s already helped us to grow our sales in such a short period of time” Samual, Valley Convenience Store Manager and the latest winner of a £1,000 Buy A Gift Voucher with For further detail please contact the team at Mercieca E: perfettivanmelle@mercieca.co.uk scan the QR Code to access a membershipcopydigitalofthebrochure copy of membershipthebrochure
