DISCUSSION

Can indies be cutting-edge?

Driven largely by technology, a number of new retailing concepts and trends have emerged in the last 24 months. FFD assembled a panel of independent shop specialists and asked whether any of these ideas could take hold in delis and farm shops.

By Tom Dale, Illustrations by Garen Ewing

MEET THE PANEL

Nigel Bogle, founder, The EPOS Bureau Sangita Tryner, owner, Delilah Fine Foods, Nottingham Charlie Furnivall, operations manager, Tre, Pol & Pen, Launceston, Cornwall Julie Mills, Shrewd Foodie Food & Drink Consultancy, formerly of Booths and Keelham Farm Shop

RECIPE BOXES

With Waitrose harnessing the consumer power of recipe box brand Mindful Chef to drive interest in its Cooks’ Ingredients range, is the concept something the indie retail sector should consider adopting?

“We’re already doing this in our own little way,” says Tryner. “People want meal solutions – those industries wouldn’t be growing in the way they are without that demand.”

With uncertainty around COVID still lingering, Delilah o ered an at-home Valentine’s meal kit in lieu of an in-store event. “We put the kit live on Friday and by Monday already had more sales than we would ever get through the door,” she says. “You’re missing a trick if you don’t have some sort of product like this now.”

Furnivall is also keen on the concept. Tre, Pol & Pen has recently hired a chef with cookery school experience to boost the o er, and, he says, the concept ties in with the store-wide brief at the farm shop: “as easy as possible”.

“That’s what consumers want,” he says.

Bogle and Mills have both seen a rise in collaborations between celebrity chefs and independent retailers. Business owners are utilising their food-world connections to harness the brand power and authority of chefs and restaurateurs.

“Find a great local restaurant and do a tieup with them,” says Mills. “That way you’re making the most of both businesses’ reach. Both of you get that PR and coverage from it.

“It’s a win-win.”

And for Bogle, the growth in the market is too big to ignore when the execution is already at the ngertips of most independent retailers.

“It’s a huge opportunity for indie food retail. If they’re not doing recipe boxes with the whole process of the cooking etc., they’re providing certain things like intelligent vouchers.

“As people buy certain ingredients, the tills are watching and if you’re at or close to a set of ingredients that match a particular recipe, then it’ll produce a recipe for you on the receipt; The EPOS Bureau has been doing that for a few years now.”

You’re missing a trick if you don’t have some sort of product like this now

If they don’t deliver – so to speak – then you are going to be slammed online, and that’s going to be quicker than 15-minutes

Nigel Bogle, The EPOS Bureau

SUPER-FAST DELIVERY

15-minute grocery delivery businesses such as Getir and Gorillas are popping up in major cities in the UK and take-up has been strong. Should this trend worry the traditionally ‘slow’ retail experience of delis and farm shops, and are there any take-aways we can apply to our industry?

“I can’t see a need for it in our customer base,” says Furnivall of Tre, Pol & Pen. “We’re in a remote, rural location, so I don’t think our customers are really considering that as something they need.”

Bogle agrees. Demand for this delivery model is very low among The EPOS Bureau’s customers, though he concedes that convenience is of increasing importance to consumers. “Several farm shops we work with during the pandemic created drive-thru farm shops, so there obviously is a demand.

“But super-fast delivery for delis? Part of the enjoyment is walking in, enjoying the theatre, and engaging with a knowledgeable server – it’s a point of di erence and we shouldn’t be ashamed of it,” he says.

Tryner, of Nottingham city-centre deli Delilah Fine Foods, believes that in making ambitious claims like those made by Getir, businesses are doomed to fail. “If you’re promising something like that you have to hit it more o en than not, and I think it’s a promise too far.”

She says that Delilah o ers 24-hour delivery but will frequently deliver on the same day. “They’re bowled over by that service because they’re not expecting it.”

Echoing Tryner’s thoughts, Mills says that you’re inevitably going to be disappointing customers, and that will be plastered all over social media. “A few bad reviews and the service is over,” she says. “We should be aware of the trend, but it’s not the customer that we should be aiming for.”

Bogle added that the potential for damage to your brand is not worth the risk. “You’re putting your whole brand in the hands of the company tasked with delivering in that short window, and if they don’t deliver – so to speak – then you are going to be slammed online.

“That’s going to be quicker than 15-minutes, and it’ll spread,” he says. “Obviously there’s a market for this sort of thing, but for our sector there are a lot more downsides than positives, and I don’t think it suits this type of business.”

Retail consultant Mills agrees that independent retailers should keep one eye on the trend toward convenience. “We should be concerned because that little bit of the market is going to be squeezed, but fundamentally we just need to get better at what we do well: service and expertise.”

The 15-minute delivery model, says Mills, is for those consumers who know exactly what they want, and who want it now. “Customers should be coming to us knowing they want something amazing, but not what it is, and it’s our job to inspire them,” she says.

CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

NO-CONTACT AND SELF-SERVICE

Amazon Fresh led the way in nocontact, walk-out retailing, and Tesco, Aldi and others have followed suit. This is a trend that arguably began with self-service tills, but is there space in independent retail for this sort of tech?

“If you’d o ered me self-service tills here at Tre, Pol & Pen at the start of the pandemic, then yes,” says Furnivall. “Now, though, people are looking for that interaction, to nd out more about the products from sta .”

He says he doesn’t believe it’s an investment that would ever pay for itself, and that in installing self-checkouts, he would lose an opportunity to ask customers the most vital question: “Did you nd everything you were looking for?”.

“I totally agree,” says Tryner. “Being a city-centre store, putting a self-service till in doesn’t help to distinguish us from the Marks & Spencer down the road.”

Bogle adds: “It’s a psychological thing as well. You’re nudging your business in the direction of Tesco Metro. “Both stores sell a camembert, but how does the customer know which is better if you lose that opportunity for interaction.” Tryner says she would lose more trade than the little gained from servicing the few customers who need convenience. “I’d be more interested in why my sta member isn’t serving my customers as quickly as they’d like to be served.”

However, Bogle says that he has seen an increase in interest in this sort of tech among its clientele over the past 18 months, and, as a result, is currently developing a slim, lowpro le self-service unit suitable for indies. These businesses, though, are those already with a convenience o ering or larger food halls with more supermarket-esque operations, says The EPOS Bureau MD. “It’s a rst foray for us and we’re interested to see what the feedback is in a year’s time.”

“However, the thing with these tills is that they’re not replacing sta . I go up and can’t scan my lemon, then have to stand there – like a lemon – while I wait for someone to come and help me,” he adds, questioning whether the technology really solves an issue in independent retail.

For Tryner, the chance of giving a customer a bad experience is too high. She cites the frustration of having to have your shopping bag checked for anomalies and the distrust this

Being a city-centre store, putting a selfservice till in doesn’t distinguish us from the Marks & Spencer down the road

displays. “Before the technology gets all the way there – or we do – it would do more harm than good to my business.”

Furthering the discussion of the practicalities of self-service technology for small businesses, Mills says that the investment of time and resources would be immense and ongoing for a questionable return. When dealing with small producers whose labels may not have consistent barcodes, and with everchanging ranges, she says, you risk missing the convenience mark entirely. “If you’re going to do it, you’re going to have to do it very well, so doing it for that one customer is a bit of a false economy.”

ONLINE, NATIONWIDE GROCERY DELIVERY

The pandemic saw independent retailers rushing to e-commerce. Some have seen the potential and are now offering their ranges for nationwide delivery. 44 Foods, a fully online farm shop has been launched during the pandemic, and Tre Pol & Pen is looking to offer its full range, including chilled, for next-day delivery in the coming months. Is this a service that all indie retailers should consider adding to their offer?

“During the pandemic, so many people were introduced, or reintroduced, to the world of independent food retail and as we creep back into normality, the accessibility of farm shops is – frankly – a bit of a hassle,” says Mills. And this is why, she says, retailers need to o er these consumers a more convenient way to access their o er, to capitalise on that loyalty that was developed during COVID.

For Furnivall, Tre, Pol & Pen’s recent move to selling its full range online was a “nobrainer”. “The stock is there. The customer base is there. It’s just another avenue, another way of selling.”

“We missed the boat of the pandemic,” he says, but is con dent that the shop’s o er has the appeal to keep its largely tourist-based clientele coming back out of season.

“It gives people who don’t necessarily have experience that independent retail brands can o er that people are seeking.

“In Charlie’s case, people want that Cornish experience from Tre, Pol & Pen,” she says. “As good as a website can be, it can’t get you emotionally like a great retail space can. It’s the memory of that experience that you have that keeps you coming back.”

Tryner agrees: “People come to your website because it’s you.”

But, says Bogle, it is precisely this that can make the transition to online so di cult. “There is so much information involved in running a deli – from the prices on the shelves, which may be uctuating, to the information on the cheese label in your deli counter, and even the stories inside your head. Transferring that to your website is huge.”

“The level of detail you have to get to in order to scale a truly nationwide, full farm shop-style grocery delivery system online is immense,” he says. “But not impossible.”

The one thing that no independent is doing well with their online o er according to Bogle is harvesting the data. The opportunity in that data for speci c targeted marketing and tying up in-store and online is huge, he says.

“I think online is a huge opportunity in our sector. Consumers expect it these days and expectations have been ramped up over the pandemic.”

“But, it comes at a cost, and you need to think seriously about what your capacity is and how you can – and want to – engage with consumers online.”

The stock is there. The customer base is there. It’s just another avenue, another way of selling.

Charlie Furnivall, Tre, Pol & Pen

the access to a shop like ours a chance to have that rural food experience. People in London don’t have the options we have here, and they are really interested in produce from the South West.”

For Tryner, whose deli Delilah has o ered next-day delivery for years, the issue is growing the brand’s presence online with a small team. Through the pandemic, Tryner saw success with experiential at-home boxes like wine and cheese tastings, and wants to keep growing the o er. “It could be massive, as we proved in the pandemic. Where we struggle is our expertise and knowledge of how to get the word out, rather than the service we’re providing.”

Referencing the recent collapse of online artisan retailer Farmdrop, Mills says that, while anyone can start an online shop with the tools available today, it is the authenticity and

DELIPOP & VENDING MACHINES AUGMENTED REALITY

While initially the Delipop model – a type of centralised click-and-collect service – seems about as far away from our industry as it’s possible to be while still selling foodstuffs, the introduction of vending machines – for milk and other fresh and chilled goods – in indies up and down the UK is not a million miles away conceptually. Could this trend be of use to our sector in an age obsessed with convenience? Augmented reality has entered the retail space. M&S and others are exploring how the concept can assist customers with wayfinding and product information. This may be some way off, but the potential for this in a retail world where storytelling is as important as in ours is difficult to ignore.

“The main positive with this concept is that it’s pretty low cost,” says Mills. “So, while it may be a narrow opportunity, you can use it to help manage waste and extend your opening hours with little risk.”

Mills cites the success of the vending machines installed by Andy Swinscoe at the Courtyard Dairy in Yorkshire. “They have a good position on a busy road which must help, but it gives people the opportunity to grab some cheese from him during the week even if they work full time.”

Mills admits that rural locations are far more suited to this o er than urban areas, a sentiment shared by Tryner.

“If we were to try that here in Nottingham city centre, I think ‘Please help yourself’ would have to be our catchphrase,” she says. would have to be our catchphrase,” she says. “If I wanted Delilah in the outskirts and the “If I wanted Delilah in the outskirts and the suburbs, then maybe, possibly, one day. But not suburbs, then maybe, possibly, one day. But not this side of my lifetime, maybe my kids’.” this side of my lifetime, maybe my kids’.”

Furnivall also saw the bene t in extended Furnivall also saw the bene t in extended opening hours as people return to an o ceopening hours as people return to an o cebased, full-time life post-COVID, though was based, full-time life post-COVID, though was uncomfortable about losing the chance to get uncomfortable about losing the chance to get the brand message across and upsell.

The Dublin Meat Co., a customer The Dublin Meat Co., a customer of The EPOS Bureau, has launched vending machines into gyms in the Irish capital selling ready meals made with the family butcher’s meat under the brand Fit Foods. The move proved so successful that the machines are now being installed in Lidl stores in the city. For Bogle, this shows the scope of tech-infused diversi cation for canny retailers. This was – perhaps unsurprisingly – the most divisive retail concept discussed. For Tryner, the deli experience is about knowledgeable sta selling the story of a product, and, as you would need the sta either way, “why would adding something virtual be worth it?”

“It’s a massive investment,” she says. “You’d spend hours programming in information, only to have to change it a few months later.”

For her, this is a gamble the multiples can a ord to take a risk on, but not Delilah.

In contrast, Mills was e usive in her enthusiasm for the concept and saw potential in connecting producers and consumers in-store. “The way nding element may be redundant in our sector,” she says. “But if we had QR codes on shelf edges that linked to videos from the producers which tell the customer all about the product, they’re going to sell it far better than you or I can.”

“Where provenance is of increasing importance to consumers, there is a real

QR codes on shelf edges that link to videos from the producers are going to sell it far better than you or I can

Julie Mills, Shrewd Foodie

opportunity here,” she added.

Clearly sold on the concept, Mills also saw the potential for improving sta training with a similar QR-based system.

Bogle says that with a little creativity, it would not be too di cult to use QR code technology to add some digital theatre into a retail space.

“I can de nitely imagine walking into my local deli and scanning a shelf edge for the story of a product,” says Bogle. “This technology is already very much out there, and I think that it’s very much closer, and more simple, than people think.”

Citing the simplicity of generating QR codes in most web browsers, and free video hosting platforms like YouTube, he believes that the e ort and cost involved would be lower that the e ort and cost involved would be lower than expected. than expected.

“I wouldn’t want to see the whole shop “I wouldn’t want to see the whole shop plastered in these things, but for certain plastered in these things, but for certain products it could be very useful. Whether it’s products it could be very useful. Whether it’s to talk about the provenance, the process or the to talk about the provenance, the process or the allergens.” allergens.”

At Tre, Pol & Pen, Furnivall has installed At Tre, Pol & Pen, Furnivall has installed some A4 boards alongside certain lines with some A4 boards alongside certain lines with the relevant producer’s story. These, he says, the relevant producer’s story. These, he says, have helped foster the connection between have helped foster the connection between supplier and consumer that is such a core part supplier and consumer that is such a core part of many independent retailers’ businesses. of many independent retailers’ businesses.

However, the transition to a digital system However, the transition to a digital system may be some way o . “While I can see the may be some way o . “While I can see the potential, it seems a little out there for our potential, it seems a little out there for our market. It’s not something we’re thinking about market. It’s not something we’re thinking about right now,” he says. right now,” he says.