Ulster Grocer October 2020

GROCER ULSTER

OCTOBER 2020

N O. 1 M AG A Z I N E F O R T H E LO C A L G R O C E R Y S E C TO R

TM

Over 45 years at the heart of the Northern Ireland food industry

VIVO BECOMES FASTEST-GROWING RETAIL BRAND IN NI

GROCER ULSTER

OCTOBER 2020

N O. 1 M AG A Z I N E F O R T H E LO C A L G R O C E R Y S E C TO R

TM

Over 45 years at the heart of the Northern Ireland food industry

PROGRESS ON HALTING CHEAP FOOD IMPORTS AMID BREXIT CHAOS

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ouse of Lords passage of two Agriculture Bill amendments, aimed at blocking imports of cheap food produced to lower standards post-Brexit, has provided some comfort for the local agri-food sector as controversy continues to surround Boris Johnson’s Internal Market Bill.

Peers voting in the Lords on September 22 backed one amendment, requiring produce imported under post-Brexit trade deals to meet or exceed domestic standards, by a majority of 95.

Prompted by concerns over potential imports such as hormone-treated beef and chlorinated chicken from the US post-Brexit, it will go before the House of Commons this month.

A second amendment proposed by former NFU Mutual Chairman Lord Curry, strengthening the role of the Trade and Agriculture Commission created earlier this year, passed by a majority of 107.

“If the amendment is approved by the House of Commons in October, it would give the Commission new powers to give independent advice about the impact future trade deals would have on food and farming standards,” said Victor Chestnutt, president, UFU. “It would then be up to parliament to decide whether to accept or reject the trade deal on offer.”

UFU is among members of a Northern Ireland Business Brexit Working Group, through which it has also raised concerns over the Northern Ireland protocol aimed

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STORE FOCUS: FATHER AND SON TEAM CONOR AND DAIRE RYAN HAVE REIMAGINED CENTRA A1 BANBRIDGE TO INCLUDE THE CONVENIENCE RETAIL BRAND’S FIRST DRIVE THRU

at keeping the NI/RoI border open if the UK fails to reach a trade deal with the EU. While the UK government has pledged full access to the GB market for Northern Ireland producers, UFU says any additional costs or red tape associated with the protocol could place local businesses at a competitive disadvantage.

Compliance with EU customs rules under the protocol would include controls on animal products imported from GB to NI, but Agriculture Minister Edwin Poots has said border control posts will not be ready in time for the December 31 deadline ending the Brexit transition period.

Both the NI Retail Consortium and Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA), also members of the Working Group, have expressed further concern over the impact of any costs associated with the protocol on the affordability of staple foodstuffs.

“You could even see the scenario where a GB supplier of a product to Northern Ireland takes a view that the Northern Ireland market has become too expensive to service,” said Michael Bell, chief executive, NIFDA. Meanwhile, the PM’s Internal Market Bill, introduced at the beginning of September with a stated aim of protecting jobs and trade across the UK, has raised concerns over its implications for the border with the Republic of Ireland.

It has been widely condemned for

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ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS: UNVEILING THIS YEAR’S SHORTLIST & PLANS FOR A SOCIALLY DISTANCED PHOTOCALL AT THE CULLODEN ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16

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contravening international law, with critics ranging from every living former prime minister to EU officials and US representatives including President Donald Trump’s special envoy to Northern Ireland Mick Mulvaney and Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden. Biden has warned any failure to honour the Good Friday Agreement would prevent the US from reaching a post-Brexit trade deal with the UK. Under pressure, the PM last month agreed to a Bill amendment affording MPs the right to vote on any elements of the Bill breaching international law in relation to Northern Ireland. And the NI Assembly voted on September 22 to reject the Internal Market Bill.

BUSINESS SUPPORT AVAILABLE FOR BREXIT TRANSITION Economy Minister Diane Dodds is urging local businesses to take advantage of support offered by Invest NI and InterTradeIreland to prepare for the end of the Brexit transition period on December 31.

Invest NI is offering services such as an online assessment tool, Brexit preparation grant, and online tutorials. InterTradeIreland is extending support on customs, supply chain, rules of origin with online learning supplemented by specialist webinars aimed at the cross-border market.

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BIG NIGHT IN: A GROWING OPPORTUNITY FOR RETAILERS (THIS YEAR MORE THAN EVER), UG LOOKS AT THE LATEST LAUNCHES & ACTIVITY FROM KP SNACKS, FANTA, FERRERO, PREPHOUSE & PLADIS

ENERGY, WASTE & ENVIRONMENT: POWER NI HIGHLIGHTS ITS FOCUS ON COMMUNITY & BUSINESS SUPPORT AS WELL AS EFFORTS TO LEAD ACTION ON THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY IN NI

email: info@ulstergrocer.com Volume 55 Number 6 OCTOBER 2020 Editor: Alyson Magee E: a.magee@independentmagazinesni.co.uk Tel: 028 9026 4175 Contributors: Michele Shirlow Sales Manager: Chris Keenan E: c.keenan@independentmagazinesni.co.uk Tel: 028 9026 4266 Art Editor: Helen Wright Production Manager: Irene Fitzsimmons Ulster Grocer c/o Independent News & Media Ltd, Belfast Telegraph House 33 Clarendon Road Clarendon Dock Belfast BT1 3BG www.ulstergrocer.com @ulstergrocer www.facebook.com/ulstergrocer Subscriptions: £27.50 per annum £37.50 per annum (outside UK) Designed & Produced by: Independent News & Media Ltd Tel: 028 9026 4000 Printed by: W&G Baird, Antrim Tel: 028 9446 3911

EDITORIAL COMMENT

www.ulstergrocer.com

BREXIT CHAOS & CONFUSION CONTINUES

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n last month’s editorial, I expressed the hope a second wave of Covid-19 would be averted, but unfortunately Northern Ireland is facing a steep rise in positive cases alongside many other regions of GB and the Republic of Ireland.

Mention was also made last month of leaving behind the panic buying of March, yet that unwelcome trend appears to be returning too in some parts of the country.

Food Force Ireland held an Online Conference over September 22-24, replacing its usual Direct Trade Supplier Day at the Culloden with a virtual event held over three afternoons.

On the third afternoon, delegates got to hear from retailers and suppliers interviewed on the shop floor about their experiences throughout the panic buying of March and the lockdown; offering great insight into the hard work, planning and investment required to stock shops and keep staff members and customers safe.

The entire conference was very well executed, thanks to Saville’s in Duncrue (now trading as Visavvi for audio visual AV/IT solutions and Sparq for conference and live events).

Anchored by Food Force Ireland Trading Controller Debra Johnson, the conference seamlessly moved from one guest speaker to another, interspersed with promotional grocery videos.

With the supplier representatives all well-known figures from trade, it was an enjoyable experience to watch them pop up on screen on their factory floors, in their own homes or even memorably in one case, in a few TikTok screenshots…

And while Kantar has been keeping us up to date with wider grocery trends in Northern Ireland, the Food Force Ireland speakers offered some great insight into their specific category performance.

Further coverage of the conference will follow in next month’s Ulster Grocer.

And it’s not just the pandemic looming over everyone’s heads right now, with the

December 31 deadline fast approaching, ending the Brexit transition period.

Many of the wider populace are no doubt too fatigued by the lockdown and on-going restrictions to be paying attention to Brexit, other than awareness than Boris Johnson is pissing off just about everyone in the western world with the Internal Market Bill.

However, for the grocery and wider agri-food chain, the ongoing chaos and confusion of Boris getting Brexit done is a source of serious stress and strain on an already overburdened sector.

Is the Good Friday Agreement under threat and a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland again a possibility?

Will border control posts for animal products crossing the Irish Sea be ready for December 31? What will happen if they’re not? What costs and paperwork will be involved, and who will bear the burden?

Will the Northern Ireland agri-food import and export markets become uncompetitive? Will major (and minor) players pull out? Will food prices go up?

Will range diminish?

All questions we are no closer to answering. One positive is the House of Lords vote in favour of Agriculture Bill amendments supporting a requirement of standards meeting or exceeding the UK’s own for food imports post-Brexit (see p3).

Of course, the amendments still require passage in the House of Commons this month.

The other good news is, elsewhere in the magazine you’ll find a much more positive tone including innovative store profiles, a range of great tips for the Big Night In opportunity and the shortlist for this year’s Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards. Congratulations to all those making the cut.

Enjoy,

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NEWS

IMPORTANCE OF LOCAL SUPPLY CHAINS HIGHIGHTED BY FOOD FORCE IRELAND

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rading throughout the Covid-19 pandemic has highlighted the importance of a local grocery food chain, Food Force Ireland (FFI) Chairman Jonathan Crawford told delegates during the Nisa’s buying group’s Online Conference held over September 22-24.

Replacing its annual Direct Trade Supplier Day, to provide a safe forum for showcasing suppliers’ products alongside retailer success stories and challenges during the ongoing pandemic, the conference included afternoon sessions across three days.

Hosted by FFI Trading Controller Debra Johnson, the programme included speakers from Retail NI and Food NI; category updates from Kerry Foods, Britvic NI, Hovis, Tayto, Dale Farm, PRM and Coca-Cola Hellenic; retailer and supplier videos; and the annual Food Force Ireland Supplier of the Year Awards.

From left, Tim Gault, Gary Gillespie, Conleith Gilligan and Patrick Donaghy from Kerry Foods celebrate their triple win at the Food Force Ireland Supplier of the Year Awards 2020.

Kerry Foods celebrated a triple win, picking up the titles of Chilled Supplier of the Year, Account Manager of the Year (Patrick Donaghy) and the Special Recognition Award (Conleith Gilligan).

Ambient Supplier of the Year of the

Year went to Tayto, Bread Supplier of the Year to Hovis and Soft Drinks Supplier of the Year to Britvic.

Praising the entrepreneurial spirit and passion for retail exhibited by FFI members throughout the pandemic, Crawford said: “Never before have our supply chains come under so much pressure as they did in mid to late March, and it worked in so many ways that other supply chains didn’t.

“Local manufacturers supplying direct to our stores proved the best way to do it and, again, that’s the strength of Food Force. Over the years, keeping those relationships going is what is important to us.

“I believe the next six months, with throwing Brexit in there as well, it’s again our local supply which will be so important to our stores.”

Further coverage of the event will follow in our November edition.

RETAIL LEADERS HONOURED AT IOD LOCAL PRODUCERS DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR AWARDS RECOGNISED FOR ‘BIG

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etail industry leaders Brian Reid and Michael McCormack were among those honoured at the annual Institute of Directors Northern Ireland (IoD NI) Director of the Year Awards sponsored by AIB. Brian, CEO of Deli-Lites was named International Director of the Year and Michael, managing director of the Musgrave Group, was named Large Business Director of the Year at a ceremony held virtually for the first time due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Reid co-founded Deli-Lites in 1998 and Michael McCormack, MD, is responsible for the day-to-day running Musgrave Group - Large of over 10 bustling departments from Business Director of the Year. production, new product development, sales and marketing to packaging.

Meanwhile, McCormack joined Musgrave in 2007 and looks after the company’s 10 Marketplace branches were he continuously demonstrates his skills of leadership, strategy, purchasing and negotiation within the fast-moving consumer goods industry.

“A huge congratulations to all this year’s winners, once again proving that the economy here in Northern Ireland benefits from a wealth of leadership talent across the private and public sector, each of them Brian Reid, CEO, Deli-Lites performing to the very highest standards,” International Director of the said Gordon Milligan, chairman, IoD NI. Year.

AND BOLD FLAVOURS’ AT GREAT TASTE

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orthern Ireland producers Hannan Meats, Baronscourt Estate, Buchanan’s, Little Bakehouse and Craic Foods have all received the coveted top award of three stars in Great Taste 2020.

Organised by the Guild of Fine Foods, the prestigious awards this year recognised 172 Northern Ireland products out of 5,317 awards from 12,777 entries. Regional winners and the Great Taste 2020 Supreme Champion will be announced at a virtual event this month.

The local three-star awards include Wild Sika Venison French Rack from Baronscourt Estate; Koji Pork Ribs from Great Taste favourite Hannan Meats; Irish Peat Smoked Bacon from Buchanan’s; Abernethy Lemon Curd from Little Bakehouse’s and Black Garlic & Porcini Sea Salt from Craic Foods.

The awards were recalibrated this year to allow for social distancing restrictions and remote judging after lockdown had an impact one week into the Great Taste schedule.

“The current pandemic may be continuing but the Great Taste stars shine brightly for Northern Ireland’s producers who, once again, have demonstrated what a talented region we are when it comes to food and drink,” said Michele Shirlow, chief executive, Food NI. “It is so pleasing to see their innovation, hard work and great taste acknowledged in these prestigious awards.”

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NEWS

CLANDEBOYE ESTATE TO INVEST £2M IN NEW FACTORY

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landeboye Estate is to invest over £2m to expand its yoghurt business, building a new factory on its grounds to boost production and grow sales in international markets.

The investment supports the creation of 13 jobs across a range of production and management roles and includes contribution of £470,000 from Invest NI towards the new factory and machinery.

“Over the last 12 years, Clandeboye Estate has built its farm-based artisan yoghurt brand into a premium offering,” said John Hood, director of Food and Drink at Invest Northern Ireland. “Our support over the years has helped it to grow in RoI and now GB, with major retailers such as Aldi, Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Asda stocking its products.

“We are delighted to continue to support Clandeboye with this new investment, which will assist it to quadruple its production capacity and double its workforce in the Ards & North

From left, John Hood, director of Food and Tourism, Invest NI; Bryan Boggs, general manager, Clandeboye Estate Yogurt; Lady Dufferin, Clandeboye Estate; Mark Logan, estate manager; and Mark Bleakney, southern regional manager, Invest NI.

Down area.”

Bryan Boggs, general manager of Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, said: “As the only yoghurt manufacturer in Northern Ireland, our mission is to grow Clandeboye Yoghurt as sustainably as possible and to maintain the high quality of our natural yoghurt offering.

Everything from grazing to production takes place within the Clandeboye

MUSGRAVE NI TRIALS NEW SYSTEM TO REDUCE FOOD WASTE

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usgrave NI has unveiled a new trial process for the donation of surplus food to local charities.

Partnering with FareShare, the UK’s largest charity fighting hunger and food waste, and powered by FoodCloud technology, Musgrave is trialling Pictured at SuperValu Limavady are, a new digital platform linking from left, Seamus Crossan, scheme manager of Belmont Cottages, APEX stores with their local charities Housing Association, one of the local and community groups. charities to avail of the new initiative; “Through our retail brands Louise Tolerton, Musgrave Northern Ireland; and Ryan Elder, SuperValu SuperValu, Centra and MACE, Limavady.

Musgrave is committed to making changes which will make a real difference, before it’s too late,” said Desi Derby, marketing director for Musgrave in Northern Ireland.

“By partnering with FareShare and FoodCloud, we are reinforcing our commitment to ensure that no food is wasted when it is fit for human consumption but is used to alleviate food poverty through our support for food re-distribution charities.”

The new technology will initially be trialled in SuperValu Limavady, SuperValu Cookstown and Centra Banbridge. More than 10 local charities will be able to avail of the service.

FareShare is directly tackling food poverty in Northern Ireland by collecting surplus food from industry and supermarkets and redistributing it to frontline charities and community groups that support vulnerable people.

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Estate, with milk sourced from the Clandeboye herd and local producers – a complete ‘farm to spoon’ journey.

“Over the last 12 years, Invest NI’s ongoing guidance has been invaluable to the growth of our company. This will give us the capacity to produce up to 80 tonnes of yoghurt per week, over four times what we normally produce.”

COCA-COLA HBC TAILORS #YOUTHEMPOWERED PROGRAMME TO COVID-19 IMPACT

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oca-Cola HBC has launched a special edition of its #YouthEmpowered programme to support young people disproportionately From left, award-winning Irish author affected by Covid-19. and actress Stefanie Preissner; Miles Karemacher, general manager, CocaThis free digital Cola Hellenic Bottling Company; and resource will be Cathy Kearney HR manager, Retail available to 18-30 Services BWG. years olds seeking insights and training; helping to build confidence and resilience as they navigate new career and learning opportunities.

Delivered through online content, training modules and mentoring support, the #YouthEmpowered initiative has provided free life and business skills training to over 2,000 young people across the island of Ireland since it was launched in 2017.

Available for free at ie.Coca-ColaHellenic.com, the #YouthEmpowered programme resources cover a series of engaging topics, including how to develop resilience and improve your self-confidence and sense of self, a step-by-step guide on building a professional online presence, as well as helpful interview hints and tips from Coca-Cola HBC professionals that will support young people bridging the gap back to employment or education.

NEWS

MAXOL AND HENDERSON GROUP RENEW CONTRACT WITH £425M DEAL

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axol, Northern Ireland’s leading forecourt and convenience retailer, has renewed its strategic alliance with the Henderson Group.

The new deal, worth £425m over five years, strengthens the partnership between the two family-owned businesses which was forged more than a decade ago in 2009.

Under the terms of the new deal, Maxol will supply fuel under the Maxol brand to 30 Henderson Group-owned service stations over the lifetime of the deal.

Meanwhile, Henderson Group will continue to supply 24 Maxol service stations under the SPAR brand, with its strong emphasis on supporting local suppliers, over five years.

Maxol will introduce SPAR dailyDeli, to enhance choice and convenience for their customers throughout the day, at six new sites by the end of April 2021 including Glenabbey, Townparks in Antrim, Eglinton, Scarva Rd in Banbridge, Portrush and Saintfield.

GREATER REGULATION RECOMMENDED TO COMBAT RETAIL CRIME

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ffording retail employees the same level of protection as emergency service workers, and mandating Victim Impact Statements to ensure courts see the full scope of crimes committed, are among proposals made by a parliamentary group to address the growing problem of retail crime.

Members of the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Retail Crime at the UK Parliament have submitted the proposals in response to the Sentencing Council’s consultation on assault offences.

The response submitted on September 15 focuses on issues impacting retailers, particularly independent retailers operating local news and convenience stores.

The APPG was founded to highlight the cost of retail crime to the high street (£600m a year), improve understanding of how this type of crime affects small businesses and the impact of incidents of retail crime on high streets if left unchecked.

Members of APPG wrote: ‘Being involved

From left, Paddy Doody, sales and marketing director with the Henderson Group; Ron Whitten, chief financial officer with the Henderson Group; and Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group.

Maxol will also invest in Henderson’s on-the-go coffee brand as new Barista Bar coffee equipment will be installed at each of their 24 company-owned sites and further in-store refreshes are planned over the next two years at 15 locations across Northern Ireland.

“This contract renewal demonstrates the great strength of our long-term relationship and the success of our partnership with the Henderson Group,” in incidents of robbery where threat or aggression can have an enormous impact on the victim, their colleagues and on the communities which they serve.

‘Small and micro retailers are too often targeted because they do not have the sort of security that larger retailers have, and are open from early in the morning until late into the evening, often with few or only one member of staff on duty. This makes them particularly vulnerable.

‘The members of the APPG on Retail Crime would like to see the use of Victim Impact Statements made mandatory.

‘The members of the APPG on Retail Crime understand the constraints that the Sentencing Council and the Courts operate under, and believe that sentencing must reflect fully the harm on both the shop worker who was the victim of the assault but also the knock-on effect on the business and the community which it services.

‘To improve confidence in the retail community, it would be helpful to have shop workers as a specific group of key workers that serve the public and should therefore be protected within the sentencing guidelines.’

said Brian Donaldson, CEO of The Maxol Group.

Paddy Doody, sales and marketing director, Henderson Group, said: “We have enjoyed a strong strategic partnership with Maxol which has brought huge benefits to both brands over the past 11 years. As two locally-owned, family-run businesses, we’re proud to collaborate and bring further opportunities to our network of retailers across Northern Ireland.”

RETAIL NI WELCOMES NORTH-SOUTH INTERCONNECTOR DECISION

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decision by Infrastructure Minister Nichola Mallon to grant planning approval for the North-South Interconnector has been welcomed

by Retail NI. “Retail NI has consistently supported the Interconnector and we welcome the decision of Minister Mallon to grant planning permission,” said Glyn Roberts, chief executive, Retail NI. “This is excellent news for our economy as it is an investment in the future of our energy infrastructure and securing electricity supply.

“In the longer term, it will mean lower energy bills for our members.

I hope that we will now see rapid progress for this vital project in Northern Ireland and no more unnecessary delays.”

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STORE FOCUS

CENTRA A1 BANBRIDGE A FATHER AND SON TEAM HAVE REIMAGINED THEIR STORE TO INCLUDE CONVENIENCE RETAIL BRAND CENTRA’S FIRST DRIVE THRU, WHILE SUPPORTING 20 LOCAL JOBS

Conor and Daire Ryan, co-owners.

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onor Ryan and his son Daire saw the great potential and opportunity with the A1 Centra site and, after acquiring the business earlier this year, have just completed a major revamp unveiling the new look Centra A1 Eatery at the beginning of September.

The newly transformed 4,790-squarefoot store, well positioned on the major cross-border commuter route, represents one of the largest infrastructure projects in the area to date with £1m of investment and supporting 20 jobs. The site closed in March and the significant investment involved extensions to the store, as well as increasing the parking availability for customers.

“This stretch of the road has needed a service offering like this for a long time, and we are both proud and excited to be behind this newly-developed store,” says Conor. “We’re confident that Centra A1 will cater for all customers; from those who travel along the road daily, and need a quick caffeine fix, families and groups of friends on the road to Belfast and even local people living within close range of the store.”

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INVESTMENT Over recent years, Centra has been investing heavily in both new and existing stores as Musgrave continues with its ambitious growth strategy. Centra A1 Eatery is the latest store to be reimagined.

Located on the Halfway Road leaving Banbridge towards Belfast, the store includes a Drive Thru facility serving Frank & Honest coffee, Ireland’s largest bean to cup gourmet coffee brand.

THIS STRETCH OF THE ROAD HAS NEEDED A SERVICE OFFERING LIKE THIS FOR A LONG TIME, AND WE ARE BOTH PROUD AND EXCITED TO BE BEHIND THIS NEWLYDEVELOPED STORE The drive thru concept is a first for Centra and marks an exciting new phase for the retail brand, Nigel Maxwell, Centra sales director, explains: “At Centra, we are continually looking for new ways to grow our portfolio

of stores across Northern Ireland. We recognised that in a location like this, where commuter traffic is at its peak, that customers require different services and I think they will be very impressed when they come in store or use the Drive Thru.”

FOOD TO GO Centra store refreshes have been underpinned by the focus on redefining convenience - providing shoppers with a healthier offer and innovative ranges, particularly in food to go which is a strength for the brand.

The A1 Eatery is no different. The bright and contemporary store offers customers an expanded food-to-go offering with hot and cold food deli counters providing a range of options from gourmet deli-made sandwiches to hot meals. A full carvery with rotisserie chicken is available as well as freshly squeezed orange juice - meaning every mealtime is covered.

The store’s Moo’d ice cream counter offers customers an array of treats from gorgeous ice cream to milkshakes and whirlies – all available with toppings galore.

STORE FOCUS

Owner Daire Ryan with Centra Ambassador Pete Snodden at the new Drive Thru facility

COFFEE IS KEY A Frank & Honest barista bar caters for all coffee lovers with homemade baked goods available. A real success story for Musgrave, Frank & Honest continues to go from strength to strength, becoming market leader just two years after its launch; currently Ireland’s fastest-growing coffee brand and available in over 800 stores throughout the island of Ireland.

Providing customers with a range of food-to-go options as well as a great cup of coffee was key for co-owner Daire.

FOR A STORE IN A LOCATION LIKE OURS, A BUSY COMMUTER ROUTE, ENSURING WE GOT OUR FOOD TO GO AND COFFEE OFFER RIGHT WAS CRITICAL “For a store in a location like ours, a busy commuter route, ensuring we got our food to go and coffee offer right was critical,” he says. “We are delighted with what we can offer customers and believe we have all bases covered.”

Additional amenities including a caféstyle seating area for customers to dine in

The relaxing dining area

Wide range of food counters including a barista bar and Moo’d ice cream

and take some time out with USB charging points and customer Wi-Fi also available.

NEXT GENERATION Nigel Maxwell continues: “Our next generation of Centra stores respond to the changing needs of the busy consumer and provide a more social and relaxing environment.

“On a busy route, such as the A1, customers are looking for some time out from a journey or somewhere to catch up on emails while working on the road. The store provides that option and in addition, for families who may need a pitstop while travelling, there is a children’s play area.”

Toilet facilities, electric car charging ports and 24/7 fuel complete the list of amenities for the new store.

As well as meeting the consumer’s needs in terms of its offer, the latest developments in Musgrave’s welldocumented Sustainability Agenda have been implemented at A1 Eatery. Frank & Honest coffee draws customers in, not only for its taste, but also for its efforts to become a more sustainable coffee brand with all takeaway cups fully compostable.

Opening during the Covid-19 pandemic has meant the introduction of social distancing signage and floor

WITH OUR DRIVE THRU FACILITY, WE HAVE INTRODUCED A FIRST FOR THE BRAND markings, hand sanitisers throughout the store, protective screens at the tills and the wearing of face coverings for customers – all important measures to ensure colleague and customer safety is maintained.

“Throughout the pandemic, the safety of our colleagues and customers has been key,” says Nigel Maxwell. “Across our network of stores, we have worked with our retailers to ensure the appropriate safety measures are in place.”

AWARD WINNING Centra has been leading the way in delivering healthy and inspiring food that is value for money and supports local producers. Just last year, the retail brand was named Convenience Retailer of the Year at the UK-wide Retail Industry Awards.

Centra A1 Eatery has all the components to ensure customers enjoy a fantastic experience whether in store or via the Drive Thru.

Daire says: “With our Drive Thru facility, we have introduced a first for the brand which is fantastic however it is now about ensuring we provide the high level of customer service that customers expect from a Centra store. We are excited for the journey ahead and look forward to welcoming our customers to sample the offer.”

Children’s play area 9

RETAIL NEWS – INDEPENDENTS

CAMELOT ADDS NEW FEATURES TO NATIONAL LOTTERY

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amelot has announced an upcoming change to Lotto, which will see around a million people win a fiver in certain Must Be Won draws. From Saturday, November 7, players matching two main numbers in a Lotto Must Be Won draw where no one matches all six main numbers to win the jackpot outright will also scoop a share of the jackpot – winning £5 in addition to their free Lucky Dip (previously the jackpot was only shared between cash prize winners) – while each of the other prize tiers can still expect to receive a share of the jackpot, resulting in boosted prizes.

This is the first time a cash prize has been available for matching two main numbers on Lotto – meaning retailers can expect even more positivity and footfall around Lotto Must Be Won draws in the

NFRN REVAMPS ITS WEBSITE

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he Federation of Independent Retailers (NFRN) has given its website a major makeover.

Now found at TheFedOnline.com, the site has a vibrant new look, simpler navigation and exciting new content to give users a significantly enhanced digital experience.

A clear and simplified menu makes it easier to search for benefits, deals, services and news.

It has also been designed for ease of use on any computer platform, whether desktop, laptop or mobile.

“Besides giving the Federation a vibrant new platform, it really showcases the huge portfolio of benefits and guidance that is available and better reflects the organisation’s positioning as the voice of the independent retailer with a modern platform for members and potential members,” said Stuart Reddish, national president.

The new site will contain breaking NFRN and industry news, latest deals and benefits and advice on employment matters and legislation.

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Corey Skeffington, a young footballer from Coalisland, Co Tyrone is the latest local winner, scooping £250,000 on a National Lottery Scratchcard.

future.

“In terms of Lotto, the changes we made a couple of years ago are continuing to prove really popular – particularly the Must Be Won draws where, when the jackpot isn’t won outright, it rolls down to all of the other cash prize winners,” said Neil Brocklehurst, commercial director, Camelot.

“But we’re always looking at ways to make our games even better, and one thing that Match 2 winners were regularly telling us was that they wanted a share of the jackpot too.

“So, from later this year, when we have

a Lotto jackpot Rolldown, everyone could scoop a share. As well as their free Lucky Dip, Match 2 winners will win £5 – and we expect that all other prize tiers will continue to receive a share of the jackpot.

“Thanks to National Lottery players, an average of £30m is raised every week for good causes across the UK. Given what the country is going through, this is even more important right now, with up to £600m in National Lottery funding being used by charities and organisations to help those affected by coronavirus – including £300m to support the most vulnerable in communities across the UK.”

RETAIL NI WELCOMES NEW COVID-19 SUPPORT SCHEMES T wo new Covid-19 support schemes, announced by Economy Minister Diane Dodds in September to assist high growth SMEs and help retailers to grow online sales, have been welcomed by Retail NI. “Both schemes are welcome, and we would encourage applicable businesses to apply,” said Glyn Roberts, chief executive, Retail NI. “There is no doubt that Covid-19 has hugely accelerated

the demand for online sales and it is now essential that every retailer needs to be able to sell or market their products online.

“Independent retailers, given their diversity and choice of products, should be at the forefront of driving online sales and also shaping new and reimagined high streets as we begin the long recovery process.”

ONE4ALL GIFT CARDS EXPANDS ITS OFFERING

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ne4all Gift Cards has announced new retail partnerships with five of the UK’s leading brands – Xbox, Nintendo, Spotify, Rituals and Dr Botanicals.

The latest move will allow the UK’s leading multi-store gift card to be redeemed in an additional 33 new stores nationwide, across the beauty and gaming sectors.

The news follows One4all Gift Cards recent expansion into the UK’s leading supermarkets, being stocked at Tesco, Morrisons and Co-op stores last year, as well as in the Post Office and online.

The new retail additions mean One4all Gift Cards are now accepted by over 55,000 national brands in-store and online across the UK.

RETAIL NEWS – SYMBOLS

CSG INVITES CUSTOMERS TO SHOP LOCAL FOR EVERYDAY VALUE

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ostcutter Supermarkets Group (CSG) has launched a big value deals campaign with top brands to help reward shoppers for their continued support for local stores.

CSG’s Shop local for everyday value campaign sees major brands including Walkers, Coca Cola, Robinsons and PG Tips back major promotional offers, boosted by comprehensive print, outdoor and online advertising, as well as digital leaflet and social media support for retailers.

“25% of people are now shopping at their closest store more often*, in order to support their local communities,” said Sean Russell, marketing director, CSG. “At the same time, some 47% have started keeping a closer eye on what they spend and are making shrewder shopping choices.

Meanwhile, CSG says its Bringing Summer Home campaign has achieved four times more than the original target for shopper engagement.

“We want to reward our shoppers’ loyalty and celebrate their savvy spending, with great value deals and market-leading offers. I think many will be pleasantly surprised about the breadth and quality of our food range once they are in store and feel they can now do a full shop in their local.

“We also want to thank our retailers for the incredible efforts they made

throughout the pandemic and continue to make as we adapt to new ways of working.

CSG’s Shop local for everyday We will do value campaign was launched everything we last month. can to help them to convert the new customers, who discovered our stores during the crisis, into loyal, lifelong customers.”

CSG’s Shop local for everyday value campaign will include advertising in Best magazine, Tabmo, Mail online and Metro, backed by outdoor advertising, in-store banners, POS, dumpbins, shelf stripping, leaflets and social media. * Source: Nielsen

HENDERSON TECHNOLOGY MARKS 10TH ANNIVERSARY WITH MILESTONE INSTALLATION

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enderson Technology has marked 10 years of its award-winning EDGEPoS till system by completing its 600th installation of the technology in Maxol Glenabbey.

The company made the decision in 2010 to develop its own EPOS system so that it could better meet the demands of retailers in Northern Ireland and over the last 10 years, has continued to develop the technology to offer retailers an all-encompassing solution; fulfilling the needs of the modern-day consumer.

What makes the EDGEPoS system unique is that it is built entirely around retail experiences and can adapt and be amended to consider and integrate third party offerings, allowing Henderson Technology a cost-effective way of introducing new features.

Throughout the last decade, the technology has grown to offer selfcheckout stations; Electronic Shelf Edge Labels; Scan & Go Apps and pre-pay food-to-go options. As well as improving convenience and efficiencies within the stores, the system also allows retailers to

From left, Darren Nickels, head of Henderson Technology; Brian Donaldson, CEO of the Maxol Group; and Ron Whitten, chief financial officer with the Henderson Group

be flexible and introduce changes swiftly, without having to reconfigure or install new systems.

Brian Donaldson, CEO of the Maxol Group, which has been a partner of Henderson Group for over 10 years says the EDGEPoS will be hugely advantageous for its 25 outlets across Northern Ireland.

“Appointing Henderson Technology to supply their market-leading EDGEPoS technology within 17 of our company owned sites across Northern Ireland, has been an overwhelmingly positive experience for The Maxol Group,” he said. “The decision was made following extensive research and a rigorous

tendering process over the last number of months and we have great confidence in this market-leading technology.

“EDGEPoS is at the forefront of retail innovation and the investment we are making in this system will bring significant benefits to, first and foremost, our customers who will see an improved speed of service in our stores.

Operationally, the system will provide our independent licensees who run the sites with extensive sales and payments information, tighter business controls and data-driven insights to help them manage and develop their offering.”

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RETAIL NEWS – MULTIPLES

LIDL LEADS MULTIPLE RETAILER GROWTH IN NI

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idl has again led NI grocery market growth, with value sales up 11.1% in the 52 weeks to September 6, while local symbol groups boosted their sales by 16.6%, according to the latest data from Kantar.

“The Northern Irish grocery market grew by 8% during the 52 weeks to 6 September 2020,” said Emer Healy, retail analyst at Kantar. “That figure accelerated over the latest 12 weeks, with sales up by 10.4% as people continued to spend more time at home.

“Sales at Asda were up by 3.1% and at Sainsbury’s by 7.6%. Sainsbury’s was the only retailer to see an increase in shopper

frequency over the latest 52 weeks, which grew by 4.8%. Asda customers meanwhile made the biggest additions to their weekly food shop and volume sales were up by 19.2%.

“Tesco, which holds the biggest share of the market, increased its sales by 9.2% year on year, adding 0.4 percentage points to its market share. It was also the only retailer to recruit new shoppers in the past year, which contributed an additional £12.7m to its overall growth.

People buying more in store, up 12.2%, and average prices growing by 2.8% both contributed to its success.

“Lidl took the prize for the strongest

NAKED ENTERS PLANTBASED BACON CATEGORY

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innebrogue Artisan, the manufacturer behind the UK’s only nitrite-free bacon brand Naked Bacon, has launched a plantbased bacon line.

Britain’s biggest bacon brand introduced the ‘Without the Oink’ alternative in 600 Tesco

stores last month.

Naked Without the Oink bacon joins the Naked plantbased range launched earlier this summer which includes Naked Without the Moo mince, meatballs and burgers and Naked Without the Oink sausages.

The plant-based bacon not only replicates the taste of traditional bacon, it is also high in protein and a source of fibre, B12, zinc and iron.

“At Finnebrogue we believe in producing gorgeous food which is good for our customers and good for the planet; this is at the core of every product we produce,” said Denis Lynn, chairman of Finnebrogue. “We looked at what was wrong with the plant-based bacon products already on supermarket shelves in order to figure out how to make our plant-based bacon the best it can be.

“It’s not quite the same as the real thing, but we think it’s getting there and amazingly it’s high in protein and a source of fibre, B12, zinc and iron.”

As well as Naked Without the Oink Bacon, Tesco will be listing additive-free Naked pork sausages for the first time and four new Naked Veg & Proud lines: Spicy Bean Burger, Beet Burger, Caulimasala Sausages and Smoky Red Pepper Sausage.

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performing retailer once again and its growth accelerated from last period. The retailer grew its sales by 11.1% over the 52 weeks and gained 0.2 percentage points in share. Like Tesco, this was driven by significantly larger trips, with volumes up 15.4%, and higher average prices, up 0.6%.

“As we edge back to normality and schools reopen, typical school lunch box categories have been in strong growth in the latest 12 weeks. Popcorn, a popular children’s snack, grew by 58%, while cheese and butter where up by 8.4% and 11.9%. Household food wraps like clingfilm and tinfoil also grew by 19.8%.”

HENDERSON RETAIL OPENS £3M NEWBUILD EUROSPAR MILLISLE

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enderson Retail has officially opened its £3m, state-ofthe-art EUROSPAR community supermarket on Moss Road, Millisle, bringing 25 new jobs to the local area.

The build, which began pre-lockdown and lasted eight months, replaces the original SPAR store on Main Street, retaining its 15 employees.

Henderson’s Retail Director Mark McCammond said the store is an investment in the local community. “We have retained the 15-strong team from the original store, brought 25 new job opportunities for the area, and shoppers will benefit from EUROSPAR’s extensive range of locally-sourced fresh foods,” he said.

“The new supermarket will feature thousands of additional lines when compared to the former store, an enhanced value proposition, plus Tesco price match on over 1,000 lines and a MAXOL service station; the first in the town for over 15 years.

“This is the third store operated by Henderson Retail to open in the past couple of months after SPAR Carnmoney Hill and the reopening of EUROSPAR Glenwell. We’ll continue to invest in our local communities to bring a safe way of shopping, alongside value and top-quality services and amenities.”

Pictured are David Miskimmin, area manager, EUROSPAR Millisle (second left), Gregory Cochrane, store project manager, Henderson Retail (centre), Joanne Knox, store manager, EUROSPAR Millisle (second right) and store staff at the official opening of the £3m community supermarket.

ADVERTORIAL

MUSGRAVE CROWNS STORE OF THE YEAR WINNERS WHILE THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC RESULTED IN THE ANNUAL AWARDS CEREMONY BEING CANCELLED, MUSGRAVE HAS UNVEILED THE WINNERS OF ITS COVETED TITLES OF STORE OF THE YEAR FOR SUPERVALU, CENTRA AND MACE

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cCool’s SuperValu in Ballymoney claimed the title of SuperValu Store of the Year for the third year running while Lilley’s Centra, Dublin Road in Enniskillen was announced as the Centra Store of the Year alongside the Foodmarket category title. Kavanagh’s Centra Waterloo Place was the HiConvenience category winner.

For MACE the overall title, and category

winner for over 1800 sq ft, went to Toland’s MACE in Waringstown following an extensive redevelopment last year while Hoey’s MACE Finaghy Road North was honoured with the category title for under 1800 sq ft.

In the company-owned categories, the top awards went to SuperValu Downpatrick and Centra Carrickfergus.

SuperValu Fruitfield in Richhill, which is

The team from McCool’s SuperValu Ballymoney with owner Peter McCool (back centre).

owned and operated by Neville and Philip Woods, was announced as this year’s Newcomer of the Year.

The awards also saw SuperValu Limavady clinch the crown for Fundraising Store of the Year for Action Cancer for a sixth year in a row and Hoey’s MACE, Finaghy Rd North winning Fundraiser of the Year for NI Chest Heart and Stroke, both Musgrave’s charity partners.

Una Lilley (front left) and her team from Lilley’s Centra Dublin Road, Enniskillen.

Norman Bennett, Musgrave NI, with Sarah Doherty (front centre) and team from Kavanagh’s Centra Waterloo Place.

Sharon Horsall and owner, Deirdre Toland from MACE Waringstown.

Declan Hoey (front centre) and team from Hoey’s MACE Finaghy Road North and Alastair Patterson from Musgrave NI.

Austin McGrath, Musgrave NI, with owner, Philip Woods of SuperValu Fruitfield.

Elaine Sharvin and her team at SuperValu Downpatrick with Trevor Magill, MD, Musgrave NI (front left).

The team from Centra Carrickfergus with Trevor Magill, MD, Musgrave NI.

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FOOD & DRINK NEWS

WHY I AM SO PROUD OF OUR ENTERPRISING AND RESILIENT FOOD INDUSTRY

BY MICHELE SHIRLOW, CHIEF EXECUTIVE, FOOD NI

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’ve drawn huge encouragement from the resilience and gritty determination demonstrated by food and drink companies over the recent months of the coronavirus pandemic.

I will admit that I was really concerned that the lengthy lockdown in particular would see many food and drink companies, and SMEs with limited resources, pulling down the shutters for good. They’ve proved my fears unfounded.

While the Covid-19 challenges of course remain, and have changed, our members have adapted, surmounted the threats and are continuing to do worthwhile business.

They have kept a tight grip on cash control and are looking to a more prosperous future by creating novel products aimed at opportunities, for instance, from the growth in home cooking. Surveys indicate that home cooking will continue to be important across Northern Ireland. And it’s a trend that both producers and retailers will have to factor into their plans.

Another important market trend is the growth of interest among shoppers in family butchers, farm shops, smaller grocers, greengrocers, delis and other specialist food shops.

There’s been an expansion in such retail outlets in the province, and shoppers are increasingly turning to such shops for recipes and other cooking advice.

Petrol filling stations, furthermore, are now selling more local food products as shoppers turn to convenience in a trend that developed during the lockdown because of the lengthy queues and empty shelves at many supermarkets.

The lesson here is that there are obviously opportunities developing in such outlets for many more of our artisan and smaller food and drink companies.

While the long queues are certainly a feature of the past, shoppers still seem to be turning to the specialist food stores in their localities for products and ideas. In addition, many farms, including Ballylisk in Portadown and Chestnutt’s in Coleraine, are offering a retail alternative for products, especially fresh milk.

Among the most enterprising examples are Carnbrooke Meatts in Lisburn, Springmount Farm in Ballygowan - which has created a farm shop at the entrance to the farm - Mill Bank in Saintfield… and Alexanders of Market Hill, which has opened a new artisan food hall.

Our bigger meat and dairy processing companies and others, of course, played a vital role in feeding the nation and expanded sales in Britain and the Republic by demonstrating great flexibility, versatility and low food miles in responding to the requirements of the supermarkets and other leading retailers.

As I write this column, there’s a suggestion that the current row between the UK and the EU over a potential trade deal and the prospect on a breakdown could result in major national supermarkets withdrawing from Northern Ireland. Such a development would be devastating for our food industry, and I hope it doesn’t come to pass.

Our industry’s resilience is also seen in some really exciting and novel products launched during the crisis by our member companies that reflect the trends towards home cooking as well as continuing health concerns.

Forest Feast in Craigavon, a leader in healthy snacks, came up with two novel ranges for home snacking. Dromara’s Abernethy Butter has just launched a new flavoured butter, a delicious chilli and smoked paprika; Ballylisk Cheese in Portadown has created a creamy brie; Carol’s Stock Market in Derry has introduced two natural broths packed with ingredients that strengthen the immune system – mushroom, miso and ginger and cottage bone broth; Omagh’s Kennedy Bacon developed ready-to-eat bacon for sandwiches and pizzas; and Krazi Baker in Dromore is also focusing on reduced sugar and gluten-free shortbread biscuits.

Mac Ivor’s Cider in Portadown has introduced a new cider in cans. Glastry Farm in Kircubbin won significant business with Henderson/EUROSPAR for its luxury ice cream and low fat, vegan sorbet.

The confidence flowing throughout the industry has seen significant investments announced by smaller companies like Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt in Bangor, McCracken’s Real Ale in Portadown and Buchas Dog Kombucha in Belfast.

We’ve a vibrant, resilient industry that’s surmounting one of the biggest challenges Northern Ireland has ever faced and is positioned for growth in the months and years ahead. No-one can pretend there aren’t challenges ahead, but food and drink producers have risen in style and I for one am mightily proud of them.

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ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS 2020

SHORTLIST UNVEILED FOR 2020 AWARDS SOCIALLY-DISTANCED PHOTOCALL TO BE HELD AT THE CULLODEN FOR WINNERS, HIGHLY COMMENDED & SPONSORS ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 16

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lster Grocer is pleased to unveil the shortlist for this year’s Marketing Awards and extend our gratitude to competitors and sponsors for their patience.

In a normal year, the shortlist would have been unveiled in the April or May edition, with winners and highly commended entrants subsequently announced at the GroceryAid Grocers’ Ball in May and showcased in the Summer edition of Ulster Grocer.

However, the Covid-19 pandemic saw the Grocers’ Ball first delayed and then cancelled for 2020.

While our deadline for entry fortunately preceded lockdown, our independent judging panel had to assess the entries remotely for the first time.

Sincere appreciation goes to Michael Maguire and Sam Butler for their patience, organisation and diligence in the onerous process of judging collaboratively at a distance.

One change in the shortlist this year, introduced in response to feedback, has been to reduce the number of shortlisted entrants to three per category. A number of regular entrants

felt this would elevate the honour of shortlisting.

Congratulations to all competitors for making 2020 another excellent year for the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards, with a high standard apparent across the 10 categories.

During the week of October 5, when this edition goes out to readers with the shortlist, we will notify successful entrants winning and highly commended in each category.

And, all being well, we will host a socially-distanced photocall at the Culloden Estate & Spa on the afternoon of Friday, October 16. Winners and highly commended entrants, together with their category sponsor, will be allocated timeslots for their photo opportunity, with all precautions undertaken to maintain a safe environment.

Precise details will be provided to all attendees ahead of the photocall, contingent of course on the event meeting Covid-19 regulations introduced by the Northern Ireland Executive on an evolving basis.

Widely regarded as the highest

 LEADER IN MARKETING

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ponsored by MXB, a new accolade, the Ulster Grocer Leader in Marketing, will be recognised in the 32nd Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards.

Unlike the nine other categories, there was no formal entry mechanism for this award with nominations instead invited informally. For this reason, while entrant numbers in this category were strong, we will not shortlist entrants but instead

marketing accolade Northern Ireland grocery stakeholders can achieve, the Ulster Grocer Marketing Awards are recognised as a mark of professionalism, raising awareness for companies shortlisted, highly commended and winning each category.

As well as a new Leader in Marketing accolade, awards include Best Digital Marketing Campaign, Best Sustainability Initiative and the Lorraine Hall Young Marketeer Award, recognising up and coming stars in memory of the cofounder of Forest Feast.

Further categories include Best Marketing Campaign, Best Brand, Best In-Store Consumer Sales Promotion, Best New Product Launch/Relaunch, Best CSR Initiative/Charity Partnership and Best Export Marketing.

Sponsors on board for this year’s Awards include Aqua Twist, Carn Coldstore, Electric Ireland, Forest Feast, HFM, Hunky Dorys, Invest NI, Mash Direct, MBNI Truck & Van and mxb.

Winners and highly commended entries will be showcased in the November edition of Ulster Grocer, and across its digital platforms.

SPONSORED BY

solely name a winner in the next edition.

The new award aims to complement the prestigious Lorraine Hall Young Marketeer Award by recognising individuals at a more advanced stage, or the end, of their career; having made a notable contribution to the field of sales and marketing within the wider grocery sector.

We invited nominations outlining why

individuals should be recognised – for example, companies, brands, roles and campaigns on which they have worked and any additional contribution of note from mentoring to CSR work.

SPONSORED BY TM

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ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS 2020 - SHORTLIST SPONSORED BY

 BEST DIGITAL MARKETING CAMPAIGN ■ DALE FARM - DROMONA

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efore this campaign, Dromona had never fully ventured into the world of digital marketing. The brand focused on the long-standing providence and heritage of the product.

This naturally, was reflected in the marketing strategy. As time has moved on, media behaviours have changed.

The consumer demand for instant, on-the-go, short-form, added-value content from brands has been a critical focus in FMCG marketing strategies.

Companies leading the charge in this

sub-category are heavily focusing on digital marketing; a cost-effective and agile way to bring customers closer to the brand narrative. More importantly, the digital focus aligns with the media preferences of their target audience; digitally connected, sharing their stories and putting value in brands that do the same.

Acknowledging this trend and finding a logical route to bring Dromona into that world was seen as a key driver of brand equity and sales growth.

■ FRUICE - NO AWKWARD BITS

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ruice No Awkward Bits was a strategic response to an increasing decline in growth for Fruice in a competitive market. In 2019, Fruice saw reinvestment and additional marketing focus which resulted in the creation of the new and engaging No Awkward Bits campaign.

This was a digitally-led campaign with video on demand, social media and Fruice’s first on-pack offer which utilised QR codes to encourage consumers to share funny ‘awkward moments’ from their personal lives on the microsite

to win prizes. The digital activity was complemented by radio, outdoor advertising and experiential event activation which drove awareness and traffic to the digital platforms. Fruice’s campaign has been hugely successful, returning the brand to growth for the first time in almost a decade. The on-pack offer achieved +700 entries, the Microsite had +16,000 users and +20,000 views and, on social, over 1.4 million people were reached with 18,000 engagements.

■ NATURO PETFOODS - IT’S ONLY NATURAL

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aring for an animal comes naturally for all pet parents, and this sentiment was built on to create the It’s only Natural campaign.

Naturo is the fifth largest dog food brand and the number one natural wet dog food in the UK, produced

by Mackle Petfoods. There are 34 different products available across 21 recipes. Just as caregiving is natural, so is Naturo Petfoods, made from 100% natural ingredients, the majority of which is locally sourced.

The campaign focused on the natural health benefits of Naturo for pets, which mirrored the natural instinct of a pet parent to care for their dog/ cat. Two videos (20’ and 60’) were created for the campaign, supported by online adverts.

Primary objective: drive quality brand engagement with Naturo to help deliver incremental in-store sales.

Secondary objective: continue to maintain and strengthen brand awareness of Naturo.

SPONSORED BY TM

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ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS 2020 - SHORTLIST SPONSORED BY

 BEST SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE ■ DIAGEO NI

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iageo has a long and proud tradition of innovation, creativity, and sustainability, and this attitude has carried through to the present day. Its success relies on the long-term sustainability of the communities and environment on which it depends. Diageo is committed to operating in a sustainable manner, whether it be sourcing the raw materials it uses to make its brands, running its manufacturing safely and efficiently,

or mentoring how its brands should be served in a bar or restaurant.

Managing sustainability is vital to future success. Diageo is dedicated to improving its sustainability for its business and brands, from grain to glass. In 2019, it made a bold sustainable move, by investing £16m to reduce the amount of plastics used in beer packaging by removing the plastic ring carriers and shrink wrap from multipacks of Guinness, Harp, Rockshore and Smithwick’s.

■ FINNEBROGUE ARTISAN

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n 2019, Finnebrogue Artisan developed an Environmental Risk Register, a database providing it with an extensive assessment of each of its suppliers and their global impact. The assessment begins at conception of the product and follows each stage of production, through to the product reaching the end user. It incorporates architecture of the facility, the location and climate in that region as well as the transport needed to supply Finnebrogue Artisan with the product. This ensures staff from all departments source from suppliers with minimal transport to reduce costs and keeps an official record of joint cost reduction projects.

■ HENDERSON TECHNOLOGY/GANDER

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ood waste is a huge issue and has recently been described as an ‘environmental, economic and moral scandal’ by Ben Elliott.

Recent Northern Ireland figures show that in total, Northern Ireland’s councils collected 230,942 tonnes of LAC (local authority collected) municipal waste between October and December 2018, similar to the 232,012 tonnes collected during the same three months of 2017.

Environmentally, food waste is

a crisis, one of today’s growing issues and it is forecast to increase substantially by 2030 unless serious action is taken. Worst yet, a significant proportion of this waste is completely avoidable.

However, for retailers reduced food can cost them up to 7% of their turnover. At a time when margins are being squeezed, this is revenue sitting on their shelves and that shoppers locally would love to buy; they just don’t know it is there.

SPONSORED BY TM

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ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS 2020 - SHORTLIST SPONSORED BY

 LORRAINE HALL YOUNG MARKETEER ■ STEPHANIE TARES - HENDERSON WHOLESALE

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tephanie is brand manager for Henderson Wholesale’s convenience channel and marketing manager for the Henderson Retail estate. She has worked in Henderson’s marketing department since May 2017.

Stephanie started out in the marketing team as a marketing assistant and has worked her way up over the last three years through a variety of different roles. She is responsible for driving multiple brand metrics such as growing market share, increasing SPAR’s NPS, increasing brand favourability, building experiential and tactical marketing

campaigns which, in turn, have increased retail and wholesale sales across the group.

Stephanie has spearheaded brand campaigns such as the Tonight’s Tea InSPARation campaign which she oversaw from idea conception through to execution, CSR campaigns such as the Marie Curie In-store Tea Parties in SPAR stores across NI, raising £77,142 for the charity in just four hours in 2019 and local marketing campaigns to promote own label products, achieving +133% increase in product sales in the first three weeks.

■ JONNY AGNEW - HENDERSON WHOLESALE

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or just over a year, Jonny Agnew has been the food development marketing executive for Henderson Wholesale, working closely alongside their NPD department to devise and launch new own brand ranges. His key achievements include launching a new brand delivering £236,862 in 13 weeks for the company; launching the range extension for SPAR enjoy local Bakery delivering

£839,504.89 in retail sales and launching The Greengrocer’s range of fruit and veg, driving £14,161,236.78 worth of sales. Before joining the client side at Henderson’s, he worked on the advertising side of the industry for Pale Blue Dot Creative in Belfast (three years) and before that Rothco Accenture in Dublin (1 year and 2 months).

■ ELLA THACKRAY - MXB

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lla is an enthusiastic and passionate digital marketeer who at the tender age of just 25 has already created an outstanding track record in delivering digital solutions for a world class roster of clients. She is a pioneering and inquisitive marketeer driven by innovation and embracing disruptive change. Already Ella is making waves, shaping marketing strategies for B2B and B2C sector clients and has a compelling base of industry specific knowledge within FMCG, retail, construction, property and tech sectors.

A young creative mind with a keen eye for measurement, she knows instinctively how to tailor a digital strategy to achieve quantifiable campaign deliverables.

Positive, eager and collaborative, Ella works on educating colleagues and has been instrumental in building MXB’s capabilities in cutting-edge digital and social techniques. She hosts monthly skill share workshops both internally and externally for colleagues and clients, providing expert insight via blog pieces whilst also applying insight and learnings directly to client projects to get results.

SPONSORED BY TM

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ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS 2020 - SHORTLIST SPONSORED BY

 BEST MARKETING CAMPAIGN ■ BOOST DRINKS - RED BERRY LAUNCH

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s Northern Ireland’s number one soft drink within the local independent convenience channel, Boost wanted to give back to the local community. Its strategy was to develop a comprehensive marketing campaign which involved partnering with a NI charity and using Boost’s resources and new product launch (Red Berry 500ml variant) to raise money and awareness for said charity. Air Ambulance NI (AANI) was chosen as the perfect charity partner

for Boost and a comprehensive PR and Marketing campaign helped not only meet these goals but exceed them. A fundraising target of £10,000 - £15,000 was set and £25,000 was raised. In addition to this, as a result of the marketing of the charity partnership with Boost, there was a significant increase in awareness of AANI and its lifesaving work throughout the province which all goes to help sustain this incredible charity.

■ HENDERSON WHOLESALE - FESTIVE IN’SPAR’ATION

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ood shopping at Christmas can be a stressful experience.

Findings show that shoppers are taking steps to reduce the stress by breaking down their shopping into shorter visits, looking for inspiration to make Christmas cooking easier and shopping specifically with retailers who are offering quality, local food. The Festive InSPARation campaign delivered a Christmas Made Simple for shoppers by focusing on easy recipes from an award-winning chef, using local ingredients, all available in-store. The campaign raised the stores’ ‘foodie’ profile through its use of high-end food photography in a through-the-line campaign, the cornerstone of which was a glossy magazine that became the mainstay of homes across NI during the Christmas period. The Festive InSPARation campaign turned consumer perceptions of shopping for Christmas food at SPAR and EUROSPAR on their head. All KPIs increased during the period including consideration, NPS and store visits; a campaign which

simultaneously showed breadth of range, provenance of food and offered tips for amateur chefs while continuing to present great value, driving LFL retail sales by 3.9% over the period.

■ LIDL NI

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idl was the only grocer retailer in NI to increase its market share to a record 6% in six months (2019), recording the highest NPS and satisfaction scores in the industry. In the process, Lidl NI enjoyed sales growth of 7.6% and volume growth of 6.7% (2018-19) exceeding its ambitious sales targets for the period despite operating in a highly competitive sector and facing challenging economic pressures. The results were the product of a major step change in the brand’s communication strategy, namely: the

first Northern Ireland-specific marketing investment in six years; a change in the creative and messaging strategy by bravely positioning consumers as either Lidl Lovers, Likers or Loathers; and a structured laydown of marketing activity planned in advance with a mixture of long-term brand building and short-term sales activation. It was supported by a major investment programme through store network expansion, portfolio upgrading, CSR initiatives and local supplier sourcing.

SPONSORED BY TM

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ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS 2020 - SHORTLIST SPONSORED BY

 BEST BRAND ■ FINNEBROGUE ARTISAN – NAKED BACON

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aked Bacon is owned by Finnebrogue Artisan, one of the UK’s leading artisan food producers. The family-owned business made its name as the only food manufacturer in the UK and Ireland that can produce nitrite-free bacon. The Naked brand has had phenomenal growth since its launch in 2017.

The purpose-built Naked Bacon factory has recently had an additional production line inserted due to the fast-paced growth and increasing retailer demand. It first launched in Sainsbury’s and is now available in Tesco, Asda, Waitrose. The brand has also recently announced a breakthrough into the hospitality sector in a partnership with restaurant chain LEON. Finnebrogue Naked Bacon is the only bacon available to the UK and Irish consumer that is made without nitrites.

■ HOVIS BAKERIES IRELAND – ORMO

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RMO, one of Northern Ireland’s most iconic brands, is now at an all-time five-year MAT value-share high of 13.6% and is the number one or two brand in each of the Other Traditional Bakery segments it operates in. This growth has been achieved by a three-year marketing and product innovation strategy.

Key components of the strategy are: ORMO to achieve number one for quality across all standard tier segments; ORMO to achieve

number one across the three key brand attributes of quality, taste and freshness in independent Consumer Brand Equity Tracking; develop consumer insight-led product and packaging innovation; and develop and invest in impactful, integrated marketing campaigns to support all ORMO innovation product quality initiatives. This strategy has well and truly put ORMO back as one of Northern Ireland’s most iconic food brands.

■ TAYTO GROUP - TAYTO

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aced with an ageing audience, 2019 was a year where Tayto relaunched, and targeted 16-22 year olds, reflecting the brand proposition of Generous Exuberance and the umbrella hashtag #TAYTOHAPPY. The integrated marketing strategy was executed across platforms and channels online, via social, in-store, above the line, below the line, through sponsorships and experiential. New packaging was created across the entire range and was launched via an integrated advertising campaign on TV, outdoor and digital.

Promotional activity in-store and across social media platforms prompted impulse purchase, and experiential activations kept the brand front of mind at key events and locations.

The brand finished the year having increased sales, enhanced distribution and ROS, successfully launched new variants, and having re-invented itself for a new generation. Growth priorities including sharing packs and limited edition launches exceeded targets and social media reach was six million across three platforms.

SPONSORED BY TM

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ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS 2020 - SHORTLIST SPONSORED BY

 BEST IN-STORE CONSUMER SALES PROMO

TM

■ COCA-COLA HELLENIC NI - SCHWEPPES

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ypically, NARTD promotions are driven by promotional pricing and discounts eroding category value not only for the brand but also total revenue into retailers’ tills. Consumers are seeking more personal experiences in their shopping trips so, by creating value-added promotions that benefit the consumer and also the retailer, Schweppes developed a plan for 2019 based on this.

■ HENDERSON WHOLESALE - 12 DEALS OF CHRISTMAS

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enderson Wholesale implemented a 12-week tactical in-store promotion consisting of market leading weekly deals. The activity took place in 480 stores under the SPAR, EUROSPAR, VIVO and VIVOXTRA brands. The 2019 creative campaign was based on the infamous Twelve Days of Christmas song where the local Belfast Ukulele Jam gave a ‘tongue in cheek’ rendition featuring each weekly deal. Now in its fourth year, the 12 Deals of Christmas campaign keeps growing from

strength to strength, delivering a 17% increase in retail sales (2019 v 2018) and a 6% increase on average basket spend v Quarter 3 2019.

Furthermore, the campaign supported a change in consumer perception, as 80% of respondents stated the offers were better than or comparable to supermarkets’ offers. This in-store promotion demonstrates how a well-planned, timely and integrated marketing campaign can deliver great results at Christmas - the most competitive period of the year.

■ MUSGRAVE NI - SUPERVALU VALUE TO SING ABOUT

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he SuperValu campaign entitled Value to Sing About has brought personality to the SuperValu brand and produced enhanced sales by outlining to customers its value across the store. The in-store execution directs customers to simply following the yellow signs highlighting great value across the store. This campaign focuses on the ongoing in-store promotions on value, showcasing three key areas which includes 200 special offers, hundreds of SuperValu own brands,

which can be up to 40% cheaper than well-known brands, and over 300 products price-matched against Tesco, during a threeweek promotional cycle. This 360’ campaign was featured across TV on demand, outdoor marketing, radio, digital and extensive in-store POS. Overall, the value campaign has and will continue to be a huge success for SuperValu throughout 2020 and has already shown significant success in this short period of time in proving customer savings.

SPONSORED BY TM

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ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS 2020 - SHORTLIST SPONSORED BY

 BEST NEW PRODUCT LAUNCH/RELAUNCH ■ COCA-COLA HBC NI - HONEST ORGANIC COFFEE

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he popularity of cafe culture has brought RTD coffee to the centre stage of the global marketplace.

As consumers look for alternatives to carbonated beverages and energy drinks, on-the-go and highly convenient RTD coffee is becoming more popular with many brands capitalising on this opportunity and space. With the RTD coffee category worth €1m in Ireland and projected to continue to grow 4.5% over the next five years, Coca-Cola HBC spotted an

opportunity to play within the category and therefore launched the Honest Organic Coffee range into the Irish convenience market in May 2019.

The campaign included driving the availability of the Honest Organic Latte and Mocha flavours in key on-the-go convenience outlets and supporting with a fully integrated marketing campaign to drive awareness and trial.

Sources: Canadean, 2018 YTD Q3; Mordor Intelligence; Fortune Business Insights.

■ HENDERSON WHOLESALE – THE CHEF

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or over 120 years, Henderson has supplied Northern Ireland with the best food from across this isle and beyond, working daily with local suppliers and producers alike to put the very best produce into its stores. But in 2018, it felt that there was something missing, a product its shoppers needed but it wasn’t yet providing - it’s important to the Group to do everything it can for its shoppers, so Henderson invested £500,000, built a kitchen and hired some of Northern Ireland’s best professional chefs to develop and cook world favourite recipes using the best ingredients right here in Northern Ireland. The Chef brand now offers retailers a robust range of pre-prepared meals and its busy shoppers a perfect alternative to a home-made meal. Since launch, retail sales continue to grow at 7.4% per week.

■ TAYTO GROUP - TAYTO

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aced with an ageing audience, 2019 was a year where Tayto relaunched, and targeted 16-22-year-olds reflecting the brand proposition of Generous Exuberance and the umbrella hashtag #TAYTOHAPPY. The integrated marketing strategy was executed across platforms and channels online, via social, in-store, above the line, below the line, through sponsorships and experiential New packaging was created across the entire range and was launched via an integrated advertising campaign on TV, outdoor and digital. Promotional

activity in-store and across social media platforms prompted impulse purchase, and experiential activations kept the brand front of mind at key events and locations. The brand finished the year having increased sales, enhanced distribution and ROS, successfully launched new variants, and having grown total crisp sales, particularly within the convenience sector. Growth priorities including sharing packs and limited edition launches exceeded targets and social media reach was six million across three platforms.

SPONSORED BY TM

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ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS 2020 - SHORTLIST SPONSORED BY

 BEST CSR INITIATIVE/CHARITY PARTNERSHIP ■ BOOST DRINKS - AIR AMBULANCE NI

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s Northern Ireland’s number one soft drink within the local independent convenience channel, Boost wanted to give back to the local community. Its strategy was to partner with a NI charity and use Boost’s resources to raise money and awareness for said charity. Air Ambulance NI (AANI) was chosen as the perfect charity partner for Boost and a comprehensive PR and marketing campaign helped not only meet these goals but exceed them. A fundraising target of £10,000 - £15,000 was set and £25,000 was raised. In addition to this, as a result of this charity partnership with Boost, there was a significant increase in awareness of AANI and its lifesaving work throughout the province which all goes to help sustain this incredible charity.

■ HENDERSON WHOLESALE - CANCER FUND FOR CHILDREN

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ancer Fund for Children receives less than 0.5% of its income from government funding and relies on the support of corporate partners like EUROSPAR and ViVOXTRA to provide emotional support to young people impacted by cancer and their families. With the Make it to £1 million campaign in 2019, we smashed our fundraising goal of £1m in just eight years, two years ahead of target. This is the first time any corporate partner

of Cancer Fund for Children has raised anywhere near this amount and in such a short space of time.

Over the last nine years, we have come together as a business, retailer team and a community and have now raised a phenomenal £1.2m.

Cancer Fund for Children connects, empowers and strengthens young people and, with Henderson’s support, has been able to do this for thousands of young people living with cancer in Northern Ireland.

■ MUSGRAVE NI - ACTION CANCER

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his entry is for a charity partnership that has surpassed all others in terms of its financial impact. Charity partnerships are common in the business community with many corporate organisations working with local or national charities to give something back in their communities. However, very few partnerships have the longevity of this one or have ever dreamed about raising such a phenomenal amount of money.

As a result of a long-standing partnership with Action Cancer, SuperValu and Centra retailers have reached a landmark fundraising target of £3m - one of the largest amounts ever to be raised by a company for an individual charity in NI. The partnership goes back 18 years to 2001 with its retailers supporting the vital work of Action Cancer and making a tangible and valuable impact to the people of NI.

SPONSORED BY TM

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ULSTER GROCER MARKETING AWARDS 2020 - SHORTLIST SPONSORED BY

 BEST EXPORT MARKETING ■ CRUST & CRUMB BAKERY

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ocated in the tranquil, rolling grasslands of Co Fermanagh and Co Cavan, Crust and Crumb consists of three state-of-the-art production facilities, one of which being a dedicated gluten-free site has gone from strength to strength since formation. It prides itself on driving industry standards in quality, service and innovation. Crust and Crumb has established itself as an industry leader, receiving numerous awards and widespread recognition

for its products and the standards of its operations. Crust and Crumb is Ireland’s largest manufacturer of ambient, chilled and frozen commercial and gluten free doughbased products. It specialises in producing own-label pizza bases, topped pizzas, flatbreads, gluten free pizzas, wraps, pittas and naans.

It creates fresh prepared foods in partnership with leading retail and foodservice customers in Ireland/UK and around the world.

■ NATURO PETFOODS

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reated in 2009, Naturo is the leading brand in the Mackle Pet Food portfolio. Naturo is the super-premium wet dog food offering, made with 100% natural ingredients that are fresh and locally sourced. Currently, Naturo exports (Europe and Rest of World) account for 7.5% of total business.

Naturo is available in 13 countries globally. Following on from success in 2018 expanding in the European market, gaining Greece as an export country, Naturo was able to extend product ranges available in existing export countries and secure a new contract in South Korea in 2019.

■ WHITE’S OATS

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hite’s, an established brand leader of porridge oats and granolas in Northern Ireland recognised that its brand had a good fit with existing export market demographics. It concluded that through a marketingled approach, there could be significant opportunities for the company to grow its presence further in the UAE territory. A plan to develop White’s brand in terms of market share, points of distribution and in turn derived gross margin was given strategic priority along with additional investment to

achieve success. The company has now implemented category management with a new distribution partner and has agreed to launch with new trade customers in the coming months.

The impact of the plan will see the company’s gross margins in the UAE territory move from £40,000 to £227,000 over a three-year period.

Market share is set to move from 0.45% to 3%* over the same period. (*source: UAE total hot cereals against carrefour value and market share in hot cereals based on 52 weeks ending Sept 19).

SPONSORED BY TM

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ADVERTORIAL

WHY USE SOCIAL AND INFLUENCER RELATIONS TO LAUNCH PRODUCTS AND DRIVE SALES

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ith the increasing popularity of social influencers, there is no denying that this form of digital marketing is a great way for brands to enhance their marketing efforts. And, it is exactly why many have chosen to work with social influencers to promote a new product, event or brand message.

At Rumour Mill, we have done this to great success for a number of clients as leveraging influencers is highly effective and we have been able to demonstrate significant return on investment for clients. 92% of consumers say that recommendations from individuals considered to be their peers are more trustworthy than any other form of advertising.

For the launch of restaurant Six

by Nico, we engaged with a mix of influencers to share teaser content ahead of the opening, plus hosted an influencer only VIP launch event. As a result, the teaser campaign achieved a 162,500 reach; two million potential reach with Facebook growing from zero to 7.5k likes and Instagram from zero to 8.2k followers. On launch night, Instagram figures grew by almost 2.7k within 24 hours. This all cumulated in over 5,000 bookings within the first six weeks of opening.

When introducing your new product or service to customers, we highly recommend working with influencers to boost your marketing reach and establish trust.

Social media influencers have a knack for describing something in an appealing way that resonates with their audience. Whether it’s a trip to a distant city or a Influencer new line of clothing, Syngle Girl using Gander. they are able to paint an interesting digital story that encourages browsers to mimic their lifestyle decisions. So, when it comes to educating your target audience about your new product, choose influencers that reflect the 28

Darren Nickels, head of Henderson Technology with Alice Morris, Team Gander.

demographics and lifestyle of your brand.

Our client Gander utilised influencers that supported its values and mission to reduce food waste - a specific and unique campaign that reached further than expected. Gander’s aim was to achieve app downloads, active user engagement and campaign awareness. Through adopting a social-first approach, the campaign exceeded all expectations.

Gander achieved over 41,000 downloads within months; culminating in 8,000–10,500 active weekly users. It also placed in top 12% of app downloads nationally with 45% more reduced-price food sold = 45% more kept from waste. Influencer campaigns delivered over 6m social media impressions on Instagram alone, with one influencer generating around 1,600 downloads.

During periods of influencer outreach, Gander saw up to a 500% increase in downloads compared to a purely organic rate.

Influencers have

a large reach and a loyal following.

They have built this following based on detailing their lifestyles through superior digital storytelling. These Followers observe the trends that influencers promote and often try the products that the influencer suggests.

They have literally been ‘influenced’.

Encouraging influencers to talk about your new product on social media is a simple yet effective way to get started with your product launch. Find your brand influencers, reach out, and establish a relevant hashtag that the influencer can use to promote your product.

There are so many ways to elevate your social marketing, but ultimately you want to use social media and influencers to translate into sales, either online or offline; as well as increase brand awareness. At Rumour Mill, we have established a vast portfolio of influencers who we love to collaborate with and help bring brands to life.

If you need help navigating this form of communications, please get in touch via hello@rumourmillcomms.com / www.rumourmillcomms.com / 028 90682185.

COVER STORY

Laura and Andrew Short with Henderson Group Sales and Marketing Director Paddy Doody.

VIVO BRAND HITS 100TH STORE MILESTONE BECOMING FASTESTGROWING RETAIL BRAND IN NI

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iVO, the convenience store brand owned by the Henderson Group, has become the fastest-growing retail brand in Northern Ireland after opening its 100th store in the summer; ViVO Essentials, Tattyreagh.

The £450,000, 1,700-square-foot new build replaces the previous structure to stand in the area, which was operated for years by Mrs Grugan, who recently celebrated her own 100th milestone – her 100th birthday, and officially declared the store open by cutting the ribbon alongside management.

The store is independently owned and operated by father and daughter team, Andrew and Laura Short, and they have brought 15 new jobs to the local area, as well as a host of new services alongside six bays of fresh, locally sourced products.

Laura, who manages the store, says it is unlike any other in the area providing essential services to the community: “Our store is a state-of-the-art 1,700-squarefoot store and the only convenience store easily accessed by our neighbours, and at this uncertain time, we’re proud to provide new employment in our

Martin Agnew and Donal Bryce, Henderson Group, Mrs Grugan and family, store management Laura and Andrew Short, and Jamie Graham, Henderson Group.

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community as we continue to navigate this pandemic.

“Local shoppers can also be assured of strict hygiene and safety measures in store following local government guidelines.

“We’re very proud to get the new store over the line and open for our

COVER STORY local shoppers. We haven’t had the smoothest of starts with the build being disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic; however we are part of a fantastic team with Henderson Group, and they have advised us with their depth of knowledge brilliantly.

“Being part of the Henderson family also means access to some of the top fresh and to-go retail brands available in Northern Ireland right now.

“These include Barista Bar coffee, a hot and chilled food deli bar, and extensive array of fresh foods which are all new services to the area, as well as the latest tech innovation in-store with EDGEPoS Scanning from Henderson Technology, enabling ease of operations for staff.

“With services such as National Lottery, Paypoint, free-to-use ATM, a new sixpump MAXOL forecourt with extensive parking and our very own off licence, the store is a huge asset for the local area, and we’re excited to join the network of independent retailers operating under this successful brand. It is exciting and an honour to be the 100th ViVO store in Northern Ireland, to have Mrs Grugan on site to see how it has developed, and officially declare it open.”

This is a significant moment for the ViVO brand itself, as Paddy Doody, sales and marketing director at Henderson Group, explains: “The ViVO brand brought a fresh approach to community retailing when we launched it in Northern Ireland over 20 years ago, and it has evolved to complement

the way consumers shop.

“Henderson Group opened the first ViVO store in Northern Ireland in Ahoghill in 1998 and the brand grew steadily, with 45 more stores opening in the next 10 years. Since 2017, the brand has experienced significant growth with 54 further stores opening in just three years.

There are now over 800 staff employed under the ViVO brand.”

Paddy attributes the growth of the ViVO brand to the demand for convenience and locally owned and operated stores that provide all the daily essentials, right on your doorstep.

“We can attribute the fast growth of the brand to the rise of the basket shop, with more and more shoppers only buying what they need for now instead

of ‘The Big Shop’ as it is traditionally known,” he says. “ViVO caters for those within urban and rural communities, providing essential services and amenities close to home, and local, own-brand and big brand products that compete with the larger supermarkets.

“We will continue to invest in our value proposition for our shoppers, ensuring retailers are able to effectively compete in the market place, and continue to provide for local communities which are tentatively stepping back out to their local stores which have provided a safe and essential service over the past months.”

Paddy also commended the Shorts for opening their business during an extremely difficult time. “Building and opening a business is a significant achievement at the best of times, so to be faced with a global pandemic and subsequent lockdown and still be able to complete the construction of the store and open for the community in good time is a huge achievement for Andrew, Laura and the wider family and team,” he says.

“All at Henderson Group wish them every success with this special store that will go down in our history books.”

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MY LIFE IN THE GROCERY TRADE EAMON CANNING, MANAGING DIRECTOR, HEMPFUL BRIEFLY OUTLINE YOUR EMPLOYMENT HISTORY As a young lad, I travelled a lot and worked in many industries from hospitality and construction to language training. Finally, I settled back home in Derry and created my own finance consultancy and bookkeeping business.

In this role, I worked with many SMEs throughout Northern Ireland which helped develop my business management skills. In 2015, I began to explore the opportunity in industrial hemp and Hempful was established in 2016.

WHAT DOES YOUR ROLE INVOLVE? Predicting the future. You just have to keep your eye on the road at all times.

The hemp industry presents so many challenges and opportunities, it’s a rollercoaster of a ride. Currently my main role within Hempful, outside of managing all departments, is to ensure we stay at the forefront of innovation. But the most important role I have at Hempful is to ensure we keep to our purpose. We are led by Hempful’s values, ethics and principles.

BRIEFLY OUTLINE A TYPICAL DAY On a typical office day, I’ll get to work at 7.30am, start with a cup of coffee and catch up on some emails. I enjoy this quiet time in the morning to get into the detailed jobs like financials. It’s always a productive time for me because there aren’t any disturbances and sometimes

milestones on the journey. We have won some awards for our CBD oils. Aldi Ireland stands out as a huge moment, not just for Hempful but for the Hemp and CBD industry. But just the other day whilst delivering to a local store, the owner said her customers are so happy with the quality and value of the Hempful products. These types of comments and feedback stand out.

just involves cleaning up. At 10am, I usually have some progress meetings with staff. These tend to be brief and task orientated and then more detailed every couple of weeks. By this time, I may start to make phone calls or have external meetings. Lunchtime – Hemp Bar demolished and ready to go. Early afternoon is usually a time for more physical work, packaging our display stands. Then back to the office for more correspondence, phone calls and meetings. Finally and most importantly, I review the day, tick off all the tasks I completed, progress made. And then I will plan out the next day, tidy up and go home around 5ish.

PROUDEST MOMENT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE At Hempful, there have been so many

BEST THING ABOUT BEING INVOLVED WITH THE LOCAL RETAIL INDUSTRY I came into the retail industry only recently, but I have to say passion for local food is phenomenal. As with anything, it’s all about the people.

WHAT DO YOU LIKE TO DO TO UNWIND AWAY FROM WORK? I have the pleasure of two young boys to keep me busy most of the time. But when I do get the chance I love to sail dinghy sailing on Lough Swilly.

TELL US SOMETHING ABOUT YOURSELF THAT NOT MANY PEOPLE MAY KNOW In light of the fantastic result from our local Coleraine team in Europe, I was in the Coleraine squad under Kenny Shiels for the European adventure in 1997 against Grasshoppers Zurich. I have great memories playing with Coleraine as a young lad and it was brilliant seeing Oran getting a big scalp in Europe.

BIG NIGHT IN

A GREAT WAY TO INCREASE BASKET SPEND MATT COLLINS, TRADING DIRECTOR AT KP SNACKS, LOOKS AT THE BIG NIGHT IN OPPORTUNITY

CONVENIENCE MARKET INSIGHT Convenience has now become the number one channel for top-up missions (1) with the average UK consumer visiting a convenience store 3.5 times a week and spending £6.28 on 2.6 items (2).

Stocking a key range that caters for the top-up mission is vital and promotions with themes such as Big Night In can be a great way to increase that basket spend as 51% of shoppers say they are more likely to visit from their local store if they offer these (3).

BNI CATEGORY INSIGHT Worth £1.2bn, the Sharing segment is

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strong and growing. 38% of all convenience bagged snack sales are sharing (4) and KP Snacks have a range of products that covers all of consumers’ ‘together time’ needs. In the NI marketplace specifically, sharing formats are driving market growth at +26.3%, with KP Snacks driving this growth at +21.2%. Hula Hoops are driving growth at +16.5% vs LY, McCoys +13.1% and Raiders +26.6% vs LY (5).

While consumers are spending more and more time at home at the moment, family distractions are ever more important whether it be movie night, a board game or a BBQ during the summer months. Independent stores help families by stocking everyday treats to add fun and excitement to these occasions.

Taste is a critical element of ‘together time’, with 51% of shoppers saying ‘flavour’ is the number one purchase driver when buying crisps or snacks (6).

91% say spending family time together is very important (7), and a great way to do that can be with a film or Netflix boxset at home. 48% of consumers eat crisps, snacks and nuts when watching a film at home (8) and 45% say snacks are a must have for an evening in with family (9).

Stocking family snacking favourites will help capitalise on sharing segment growth. We offer a range of tasty snacks perfect for a night at home, from our best-selling KP Nuts, perfect when paired with cold drinks, to McCoy’s Muchos and Fiery steak which are both packed full of flavour. Coming in at under 100 calories per serving, popchips provide a more permissible snack option without compromising on a big flavour hit – perfect for consumers who are looking for a tasty healthier product to share. For even more of a treat, Tyrrells is the perfect brand, offering a range of premium crisps, nuts and popcorn for summer occasions.

PMPs are also hugely important in convenience, with 83% of retailers saying that PMPs sell faster than non-PMPs (10). Our PMP portfolio is currently worth £52.7m RSV (11) and growing, out-performing market

PMP growth at a staggering +26.5% (12). We offer retailers 21 PMPs across the KP family and continuously look to add value to retailers with both variety and promotion.

Our new McCoy’s Fiery Steak crisps are available in Grab Bag and PMP formats for example and were launched at the start of this year following the success of Muchos.

MERCHANDISING ADVICE Stocking the right range is crucial to making the most of the Big Night In occasion, but it’s equally important to have the right promotions and displays in place to entice the shopper. Retailers can help encourage cross-category purchases by grouping products such as snack foods, bottles of wine and beer, as well as sharing bags of crisps and nuts. By making a few small changes and ensuring key SKUs are always visible, retailers might see some surprising results: ➜ Big Night In fixture: Dedicated fixtures and promotional offers that make shopping easy are a good way to drive impulse purchases – 51% of shoppers are more likely to visit their local store if they offer themed promotions eg Big Night In (13) ➜ Cross-category purchase: Encourage trial and boost cross-category buying amongst shoppers by positioning nuts and crisps in the beers, wines & spirits aisle, for example ➜ Interruption: Window posters and shelf barkers are great ways to catch the eye on the path to purchase and encourage impulse sales – 42% of shoppers buy on impulse (14) ➜ Secondary display: Retailers should implement more than one site of bestsellers at high footfall areas of the store – Displays unlock further purchase with 1 in 20 shoppers buying from secondary display (15)

Sources: 1, 2 & 3 - HIM 2018; 4 - Nielsen Total Impulse, MAT unit Sales, data to 25.01.20; 5 - MAT IRI, TOTAL N.I. Impulse 12.07.20; 6 - Mintel 2018; 7 & 8 - HIM 2018; 9 & 10 - Mintel 2018; 11 & 12 - Nielsen Scantrack 16.05.20; 13, 14 & 15 - HIM 2018.

BIG NIGHT IN

THE PLAYFUL SIDE OF HALLOWEEN

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anta Orange was launched in Ireland in 1963 and is enjoyed by consumers more than 130 million times every day around the world. With a light and refreshing orange flavour, Fanta Orange is a favourite amongst Irish consumers seeking refreshment with natural flavours and no artificial colours.

The original Fanta Orange recipe was reformulated in recent years to reduce its sugar content, helping consumers to manage their sugar intake. It now contains just 4.5g per 100ml. Fanta Orange Zero was also introduced to provide consumers with a zero Sugar, zero calorie option.

THIS HALLOWEEN, FANTA IS TAPPING INTO THE PLAYFUL SIDE OF HALLOWEEN. THIS ISN’T ABOUT GHOSTS, ZOMBIES OR THE DEAD. IT’S ABOUT THE LIGHTHEARTED, HILARIOUS, CREATIVE AND SILLY SIDE OF A HOLIDAY EVERYONE LOVES In early 2020, Fanta moved to a taller, more stylish Sleek Can; a first for the soft

drink industry in Ireland and Northern Ireland.

Fanta is synonymous with Summer and Halloween, aiming to surprise and delight young adults with playful campaigns and new variants. This Halloween, Fanta is tapping into the playful side of Halloween. This isn’t about ghosts, zombies or the dead. It’s about the lighthearted, hilarious, creative and silly side of a holiday everyone loves. The meeting point of internet culture and dressing up.

Keep your eyes peeled this October for our new campaign featuring two new TV ads, digital, OOH and exciting in-store execution.

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BIG NIGHT IN

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BIG BRANDS FOR THE BIG NIGHT IN

he popularity of the big night in has seen growth steadily increase since early April this year, as people have settled into new routines. Whereas the initial response to social distancing guidelines and the changing supermarket experience was to prioritise essential products and shop around to find the right items, basket spending subsequently increased across more categories from fewer visits per shopper each week. That trend is widely expected to continue further even as restrictions begin to be relaxed, with more social occasions and gifting opportunities likely to lead to further demand for popular, shareable products.

Levi Boorer, customer development director for Ferrero UK & Ireland, said: “People having to eat more meals at home, coupled with the ability to experiment more with dishes, has led to shoppers looking for a wider variety of products and options to bring more excitement to different consumption occasions.

“These factors go hand in hand with the popularity of the big night in, which shoppers are increasingly looking to as a way to ease the pressures that they are facing during the week. Many are taking on more than before, with home schooling and an extended working day meaning that a big night in can give a much-needed escape to the sofa.”

Confectionery is among the categories that can provide a treat during those moments of relaxation and enjoyment, so it’s therefore important that shoppers can access products that will enhance their experience at home and add a

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special feel to an occasion. Without the usual opportunities to go out when looking to celebrate or simply relieve a bit of pressure, more exciting treats that can be shared are helping to fill that gap and bring households together. Within that trend, Ferrero has seen strong performance across a number of its core boxed chocolate ranges, particularly the renowned Ferrero Rocher brand.

In particular, the 300g box of Ferrero Rocher (24 pieces) was the fastest growing SKU, and biggest contributor to category growth in the 12 weeks to 12th July 1, making it a must stock product for retailers’ big night in offering. Alongside this, Ferrero’s portfolio of boxed chocolates that are ideal for the big night in occasion includes Ferrero Collection

and Raffaello – which both contain individually wrapped chocolates – as well as the popular ranges from Thorntons, Continental (142g) and Classic (262g).

With the new-look nights in having to cater for the entire family at the same time, it is important that shoppers can access products that can be enjoyed by everyone. Kinder chocolate has been loved by families for generations and has recently been growing at a faster rate than the category (16-pack +45.8%1), as shoppers have turned to brands that provide a guarantee of quality, certainty and reassurance. Even though they are happening more often now than ever, big nights in are still a special occasion within a household, so shoppers want to be confident that the products they are buying specifically to mark that occasion are going to please family members and make those shared moments more special.

“When looking at how the changing shopper habits have impacted the big night in occasion, it is clear that product availability and visibility in store is playing a key role. Products that fit well within the occasion – including sharing confectionery – are, by their nature, non-essential and more about bringing positive experiences to the household. As a result, people shop with the occasion in mind first and foremost, and then seek products in store that tie in with that, instead of having specific ‘big night in’ products on their shopping list,” Boorer concludes.

1 12 weeks to 12.07.20. Nielsen Scantrack

BIG NIGHT IN

STOCKING PRODUCTS TO COMPLEMENT EVOLVING SOCIAL LIVES AND ROUTINES SCOTT SNELL, VICE PRESIDENT OF CUSTOMER AT PLADIS UK & IRELAND, LOOKS AT MARKET TRENDS

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t the beginning of the Covid-19 crisis, there was undoubtedly a surge in popularity for the ‘big night in’ occasion as consumers stayed at home. While most people across the UK are now adjusting to post-lockdown life, many shoppers are still favouring time spent with others in their own home or garden. This means that it’s more important than ever for retailers to stock products which best complement the evolving social lives and routines of people across the UK. Something all retailers should consider is the possibility of localised lockdowns and, with this, a change in shopper habits on a local level.

Therefore, it’s a safe bet for independent retailers to stock up on the bestselling snacks which lend themselves to a host of ‘big night in’ occasions.

Snacking in the UK is currently worth £11.9bn (1), with £500 spent on snack foods every second (2). Amidst this, biscuits is one of the largest categories that shoppers choose when it comes to snacking (worth £2.7bn in retail - 3 - with 23% share - 4 - of total snacking) – making it a key category to look to in order to drive ‘big night in’ sales.

TAPPING INTO TRENDS During lockdown, shoppers enjoyed more hot drinks moments at home and we see this routine continuing.

Therefore, biscuits which best accompany this 40

occasion are must-stocks. pladis brands account for £527m (5) of the Biscuit category, so our core bestsellers – including McVitie’s Chocolate Digestives and McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes – are great choices for retailers.

Moments of ‘togetherness’ have also become an integral part of day-to-day life, as shoppers spend more evenings indoors at home. We’d suggest stocking up on sharing formats, such as our Flipz brand and McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes Nibbles.

SAVOURY SNACKING Similarly, retailers should ensure they are capitalising on the £2.3bn (6) crisps & snacks category to drive ‘big night in’ sales – another key segment of the wider snacking sector. Some of our top-performers here are Jacob’s Mini Cheddars (worth £68.4m - 7) and Jacob’s Twiglets (worth £11.3m 8). Both of these products boast a loyal following, and it’s our core range of savoury bagged snacks that’s driving the greatest growth.

To help independent retailers maximise savoury snacking ‘big night in’ sales, we’ve recently launched Jacob’s Mini Cheddars Smoky BBQ – a flavour which makes up 32% of sales for the brand in the convenience channel (9) – in PMP format.

Sharing formats have played an important role in bringing families and households together during a tumultuous 2020, and when you couple this with the fact that PMPs generate a third of the sales in the convenience channel (10), we’re confident we’ve launched a product which will resonate with ‘big night in’ shoppers, whilst helping independent retailers drive sales in the category.

BETTER BISCUITS 2.0 In order for retailers to continue to thrive it’s vital that they remain stocked up on the core, bestselling products which generate footfall and drive sales.

We offer specific ranging and merchandising advice for the convenience channel through our Better Biscuits platform. We’ve outlined one key tip per store type that will help independent retailers maximise sales the most.

Commuter Cluster: Beacon brand with McVitie’s to help shoppers spot your fixture quickly.

Primary Travel: Introduce branded shelf stripping for grab-and-go formats.

Local Convenience: Place sharing, treat-lines at the top of your fixture to drive visibility for higher-priced biscuits.

Rural Route: Place more functional products like your best-selling own-label lines towards the bottom of the shelf and higher value treat lines at eye level to encourage shoppers to trade up.

Village Convenience: Place everyday and lower value biscuits on the bottom shelf, with pricing progressing as you move up.

MINDFUL MERCHANDISING Retailers should consider creating a dedicated ‘big night in’ display in-store, based around the most desirable products and pack formats for this occasion.

A well merchandised ‘big night in’ display with paired products and cross-category promotions will always encourage incremental purchases and help drive profits.

Sources: 1, 2, 4, 5 & 6 - Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 29.12.19; 3 - Kantar Worldpanel 52 w/e 30 Dec 2018; 7 & 8 – Nielsen data to w/e 22.02.20 MAT; 9 - Kantar 20 w/e 23.02.20. Value sales; 10 IRI Convenience 52 we 27.01.19.

FOOD TO GO

CREATING FOOD TO GO TO MEET CONSUMERS’ NEEDS STUART JEFFREY, POT BRAND AND SNACKING BRANDS LEAD AT UNILEVER UK&I, LOOKS AT THE LATEST TRENDS IN THE CATEGORY different consumer needs, for example, our king pots provide the perfect speedy meal for those with a bigger appetite.

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s the UK’s number one instant mini meal provider (1), we know that shoppers are looking for quality, affordable options, and although they want quick and easy meals, we know they aren’t willing to sacrifice on taste.

This is why we are constantly innovating our range to meet shopper demands and ultimately create a snacking portfolio that delivers on taste and convenience. For example, we recently refreshed our popular Pot Pasta range, offering fans the Italian flavours they know and love with an improved recipe.

FOOD ON THE GO Even though we have seen huge growth in people eating at home this year, we are starting to see growth again in the foodon-the-go occasion (2).

Our quick and easy snacking solutions from Pot Noodle and Pot Pasta, offer a range of cuisines and flavours that are perfect for any meal on the move – simply add hot water and you’re good to go. Our original Pot Noodle range is also time-saving and available in 11 delicious flavours, offering noodle lovers oodles of delicious diversity. With a range of pack sizes available, we meet a range of 42

FLAVOUR We make sure that all our products are full of flavour so that people can enjoy those on-the-go moments in between the demands of working and socialising.

Fans certainly love the delicious variety of our Pot Noodle flavours, which boast the highest repeat purchase rate in the category (3) and include the likes of Chicken & Mushroom, Original Curry and Beef & Tomato.

Our flavour creations don’t stop there - pasta fans everywhere can also rejoice in the fact that we offer our Pot Pasta range; the perfect Italian escape that is full of flavour. Our portfolio of Italian delights includes Spicy Arrabbiata, Bolognese, Tomatoey Mozzarella and Creamy Carbonara.

HEALTH For many of us, health is a top priority right now and given that on-thego occasions are increasing (2), it is important that our food to go is meeting consumers’ needs. We’re constantly innovating and listening to our fans when it comes to health concerns, which is why we have made improvements across our entire range.

This year, we have given our Pot Pasta recipe a refresh, giving fans a quick and

easy low-fat snack that is a source of protein. Our new Lost the Pot Noodle range also has 30% less saturated fat versus competitors (4) and can be enjoyed by simply adding hot water and the flavour sachet. For when shoppers have more time, they can jazz up their noodles with extra ingredients - may that be meat or vegetables.

TOP TIPS FOR SELLING MORE SNACKING PRODUCTS: Maximise different occasions: Stock up and tap into the wide range of on-the-go snacking occasions including different flavours and formats.

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Ease of navigation: Clearly display all the different ranges available and consider using POS materials and fixtures for extra stand-out on shelf.

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Stock the best sellers: Keep shelves full with the bestselling flavours. For Pot Noodle stock Chicken & Mushroom, Original Curry, Beef & Tomato. Pot Pasta favourites are Carbonara and Tomatoey Mozzarella while Roast Chicken and Curry are best sellers when it comes to Lost the Pot.

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Price visibility: Shoppers are less likely to make a purchase if they are unsure of the cost. Ensure the price of each product is clearly labelled. Make use of the wide range of PMPs available.

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Staff knowledge: As with all new products, staff knowledge is crucial.

Ensure all staff are well-informed on key product attributes and health credentials.

Sources: 1 - Nielsen Retail Measurement Service for the Mini Meals - Snack Pot segment for the 52-week period ending 28/12/2019; 2 - Kantar Usage Panel, weekly diary data, 1w/e 17th May ’20 uplift in consumption occasions per individual vs.

2 weeks ago, total food and drink carried out occasions; 3 - Kantar 52 w/e 17 May; 4 -Low in saturated fat – over 30% less sat fat vs competitors (compared to 44 similar products currently sold in the UK, January 2020)

FOOD TO GO

HIGH GROWTH RATE FORECAST FOR FOOD TO GO

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he UK food-to-go sector is forecast to grow by 26.4% between 2019 and 2024, more than doubling the 12.5% growth rate predicted for the wider UK food and grocery retail market.

The figures are forecast by IGD, which expects the value of food to go to rise from £18.5bn to £23.4bn over the fiveyear period.

“Food-to-go remains a key growth opportunity for businesses, and one that appears particularly attractive given the structural and growth challenges being faced by UK supermarkets and hypermarkets right now,” said Rhian Thomas, head of Shopper and Food-toGo Insight at IGD. “While there continue to be good opportunities for growth in this area, the gap will continue to grow between those businesses who are actively targeting food-to-go growth and those who simply want a presence in the channel.”

CONVENIENCE, FORECOURTS AND OTHER RETAILERS, SUCH AS SPAR, CO-OP, TESCO EXPRESS AND BOOTS: Sales will increase from £2.9bn in 2019 to £3.8bn in 2024 (+5.4%) Market share will increase from

15.5% in 2019 to 16.1% in 2024 “Convenience and food-to-go are increasingly intertwined, as food-to-go success becomes increasingly critical to the prospects of most convenience stores,” said Thomas. “Similar principles apply to the forecourt channel, where the added need to encourage dwell time among shoppers will grow in importance as the factors influencing where and how people stop on the road shift.

“Consumer expectations around convenience and forecourt food-to-go are rising fast, creating an opportunity for businesses to invest and upgrade, or else risk getting left behind.

“The good news here is that there’s lots of growth to go for.

Those businesses who focus more on emulating competitors rather than investing in how they can innovate will meet the big challenges.”

SUPERMARKET SUCH AS ASDA, TESCO AND SAINSBURY’S: Sales will increase from £1.5bn in 2019 to £1.8bn in 2024 (+3.6%) Market share will move from 8.1%

in 2019 to 7.8% in 2024 “Expanded food-to-go and foodservice zones are a key strategy for these retailers to bring more shoppers into stores and encourage them to spend more while they’re there,” said Thomas.

COFFEE SPECIALISTS, SUCH AS COSTA COFFEE, STARBUCKS AND CAFFÈ NERO: Sales will increase from £3.3bn in 2019 to £4.3bn in 2024 (+5.2%) Market share will increase from 17.8% in 2019 to 18.2% in 2024 FOOD-TO-GO SPECIALISTS, SUCH AS GREGGS AND SUBWAY: Sales will increase from £5.0bn in 2019 to £6.3bn in 2024 (+4.6%) Market share will move from 27% in 2019 to 26.9% in 2024 QUICK SERVICE RESTAURANTS (QSRS), SUCH AS MCDONALD’S, BURGER KING, KFC AND FIVE GUYS: Sales will increase from £5.8bn in 2019 to £7.2bn in 2024 (+4.5%) Market share will move from 31.5% in 2019 to 30.9% in 2024

AGRI-FOOD NEWS

LMC SUPPORTS ALL-ISLAND IRISH GRASS FED BEEF PGI

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mplementation of the first step towards gaining Protected Geographical Indication (PGI) status for all-island Irish Grass Fed Beef has been welcomed by the Livestock and Meat Commission (LMC) for Northern Ireland.The Republic of Ireland’s Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine (DAFM) is running a national opposition procedure in relation to the PGI application.

A national opposition procedure must be undertaken before an application can be submitted to the European Commission, with DAFM running a consultation until September 11.

“Irish Grass Fed Beef is a name and a product which is very familiar to producers and processors of quality beef raised on a grass-based diet on pasture

Ian Stevenson, CEO, LMC.

grazing farms throughout the island of Ireland from Ballintoy to Bantry,” said Ian Stevenson, chief executive, LMC. “The reputation of grass-fed beef from our farms has long been known by a wide range of customers in many markets who seek the consistent quality, taste and appearance that comes with the product.

Registration of Irish Grass Fed Beef with a PGI status is something that would be

LACK OF RIVER MANAGEMENT THREATENS POTATO CROP

welcomed by industry stakeholders as well-earned recognition for a quality and geographically-distinct product.”

While the proposed application is limited to the member state area of Ireland, Stevenson said LMC owns the community trademark for Greenfields and supplies beef for export under Irish Grass Fed origin labelling alongside RoI. “The applicant group and responsible department in the Republic of Ireland are both fully aware of Northern Ireland’s legitimate interest in participating in, or joining, the application for registration of a PGI for Irish Grass Fed Beef and we look forward to further constructive engagement with industry and officials on both sides of the border as the very sound case to register a PGI for Irish Grass Fed Beef is developed,” he said.

REOPENING OF CRANSWICK COUNTRY FOODS WELCOMED

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The aftermath of heavy rainfall and ineffective river maintenance in Co Down.

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combination of heavy rainfall and poor management of rivers by local river agencies, has led to unnecessary field flooding and crop destruction in areas of Northern Ireland, according to the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU).

“A large amount of rain has fallen across the country and while we are unable to control the weather, the lack of river management has been the catalyst causing field flooding and wide spread damage of crops in the process,” said William Irvine, deputy president, UFU. “This could have been easily avoided if the maintenance of rivers had been more effective and the correct river infrastructure had been put in place by local river agencies.

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“It’s a high investment for potato growers to grow quality potatoes for both the seed and processing markets only for them to be submerged in the field. With the average cost of production in the region of £2,500 per acre, the financial implications have the potential to be devastating for a familyrun farm business.

“It’s even more devastating when the flooding could have been prevented and comes down to poor river maintenance which is not our farmers’ responsibility, and yet it creates another challenge for them to overcome. Years of ineffective river maintenance results are now having costly implications for our growers.”

ews of Cranswick Country Foods in Cullybackey reopening, after a two-week closure resulting from a Covid-19 outbreak, has been welcomed by the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU).

“It is positive news that Cranswick has reopened and it will be well received among our pig producers,” said Victor Chestnutt, president, UFU. “The UFU committed a lot of time and resources to minimise the impact of Cranswick’s closure, hosting discussions with ministers, officials and pig processors, to get the factory up and running again as soon as it became a safe environment for staff and farmers to return to.

“The safety of everyone remained a priority while we worked to ensure that the pig trade was not disrupted and farmers were not left struggling to house pigs for lengthier periods than initially planned.

“We want to thank the processors for working together, helping us to get to this stage. We encourage them to continue working together in such an effective manner, maximising the throughput of pigs and alleviating any backlog which may have been starting to occur on farms.”

AGRI-FOOD CO-OPERATION SCHEME OFFERS £30,500 FOR FARMERS & FOODIES

New applicants are welcome to join the scheme The Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme offers support to smaller producers who wish to avail of funding interventions to help progress a new idea, new product, process or technology. By joining together with others in their supply chain, they can see their ideas come to fruition with 50 days expert help from a Facilitator dedicated to the group, as well as an array of other measures to develop the skills of the group members.

Up to £30,500 of support measures are available to each group and includes Specialist Mentoring, Training, Business Tools, Study Tours and Co-operation Support.

One group currently availing of support from the scheme is the The NI Soft Fruit Growers, which combines three separate fruit growers from the Mid Ulster area into a collaborative supply chain that supports best practise techniques and joint product offering to the market. One of the participating members in the group, Peter Donnelly, focuses his business on growing high quality strawberries for both the local and national market.

Peter explains the benefits to his group: “The Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme has made a real tangible difference to both my farm and to the other growers. By coming together as a collective, we have been able to utilise the programme in a number of ways, such as in depth international and best practice training to improve the yield and quality of our produce. This has allowed us to keep pace with larger growers on quality and investment. We have also benefited by gaining additional accreditation for the group with funding

provided for the Red Tractor scheme, which allows us to deal with much larger buying organisations, and in turn making our individual businesses much more sustainable in the long term. Without the support from the Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme & the scheme Facilitator, none of this would have been achieved and certainly not at the same speed and efficiency if we were to do it individually”.

Countryside Services Ltd is the managing agent for the scheme on behalf of DAERA.

The Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme is open to producers in the Agricultural and Horticultural sectors, as well as the Food Tourism and Artisan sector.

For Expression of Interest Forms and further information contact: agrifood@countrysideservices.com or by phoning 028 87788207 • www.countrysideservices.com

The Agri-Food Co-operation Scheme is funded by the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs

EXPORT NEWS

UFU WELCOMES SIGNIFICANT STEP IN UK BEEF DEAL WITH USA

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ews of two Northern Ireland processors, WD Meats and Foyle Food Group, among four UK agrifood businesses officially eligible to export local beef to America has been welcomed by the Ulster Farmers’ Union (UFU).

The two companies have been listed by the US Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety Inspection Service, a significant step following access being granted in March of this year.

“This is great news for the beef sector in NI and it has been long awaited by our beef producers,” said Sam Chesney, beef and lamb chairman, UFU. “It has been almost 20 years since UK beef was eligible for sale in the American market

after bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) stagnated our industry and all UK beef imports into the States were banned in the mid-1990s.

“We are very glad that UK beef has been given the green light again and that two local red meat plants, Foyle Campsie and WD Meats, have gained access.

“Being able to avail of more external markets will create better returns for our primary producers who have been under significant financial pressure the past few years. In particular, the offal market has been very volatile this year due to the pandemic and we hope this access to the US market will create higher demand for products that have taken a serious hit in sales.

“NI beef producers produce trustworthy, traceable beef, farmed to some of the highest animal welfare, environmental and food production standards in the world which we are hugely proud of. This break though with America highlights that their officials have recognised the high-quality products that we have to offer, and we are confident that they will be well received

by American consumers.

“We would urge UK government officials and industry stakeholders to continue their work in ensuring there is no delay getting products exported to the USA and we appreciate their work to date on this.”

ORGANIC HEMP BARS SECURE LISTING WITH ALDI

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n innovative range of natural health bars developed by Hempful, an organic foods company based in Derry, have secured a listing across Aldi’s 142 stores in the Republic of Ireland.

Currently distributed in Northern Ireland by Belfast-based confectionery distribution business WJ Shaw’s, the bars all contain hemp, with two of the variants also infused with CBD Oil. The new bars are made from natural ingredients in Derry and are high in fibre, have no added sugar, no added sweeteners, are suitable for vegans and have fewer than 10 ingredients.

Hempful was formed by accountant

Eamon Canning on the back of his passion for healthy foods, sustainable living and a longstanding curiosity in the benefits of plant foods, including natural hemp and CBD Oils.

“This interest in hemp led me to undertake extensive research into the therapeutic benefits of the plant which

MASH DIRECT’S CARROT & PARSNIP SECURES MORRISON’S LISTING

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ash Direct has secured a national listing with Morrison’s, to stock its Great Taste award-winning Carrot and Parsnip as part of a range of the brand’s 46

ready-to-eat vegetable accompaniments produced on its family farm.

From September, six Mash Direct SKUs arrived in 170 Morrison’s stores nationwide, providing consumers with farm fresh vegetables. Shoppers will now be able to purchase Mash Direct’s Carrot & Parsnip, Green Cabbage, Potato, Cheese & Onion Croquettes, Beer Battered Onion Rings, Beer Battered Chips and Bubble & Squeak SKUs in the ready meals aisle.

This national listing is central to Mash Direct’s accelerated growth strategy and is meeting consumer demand for high-

have been accepted for many centuries worldwide,” said Canning. “I visited numerous locations across Europe, engaging with multiple hemp growers, processors and producers.

“The perfect partnership was realised with a pesticides and herbicides free farm in the Northern mountains of Croatia.

“This led me to set up a business in Derry initially to produce CBD oils using hemp grown in Croatia and processed into oil by the most respected and successful Croatian laboratory based in Austria. Blending of the oils and bottling was carried out at our own small production unit here in Derry.”

quality and versatile convenience meals.

The category has seen strong demand in recent months and is now worth £3.9bn.

“This development is central to our growth strategy and means more consumers across the UK can enjoy our range of high-quality, healthy, convenient ready-to-eat vegetable accompaniments at the family table,” said Lance Hamilton, sales director at Mash Direct.

“This is a great opportunity for Mash Direct to showcase our heritage varieties of vegetables on our family farm, grown specifically for superior flavour. We have a strong working relationship with Morrison’s, and we are looking forward to building our reputation in these new stores.”

MARKETING NEWS

BOOST BACKS CONVENIENCE CATEGORY WITH £1.2M MARKETING INVESTMENT

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oost Drinks has launched its biggest and most exciting marketing campaign to date, Choose Now, together with a complete brand refresh.

Driving reappraisal while shaking up a fixed repertoire, Boost has injected £1.2m into the Choose Now campaign, spanning TVC, digital, social media and OOH. The Choose Now campaign focuses on living in the moment while juggling multiple jobs, hobbies and passions at once, and will be rolled out across key regions in Great Britain and Northern Ireland.

The TVC, launching on September 18 across major TV stations such as Sky, Channel4 and ITV, is upbeat and fun with a cinematic look and feel to engage the audience. The digital creative will be upweighted on YouTube in a series of 6”, 10” and 30” videos.

Aiming to drive shoppers into store, the OOH displays will mirror the TVC creative, highlighting everyday people as hustling heroes on-the-go. Launching on

September 21, the OOH advertising will span across 59 roadside sites in Great Britain, 6 sheet roadside sites, 48 digital, as well as 175 TFL Bus supersides across London.

In addition to the TVC and OOH, the brand has tapped into the experiential space with nationwide sampling, gifting 140,000 first year students with Welcome Boxes boasting the full Energy range to drive flavour awareness.

On top of this, the existing website will be relaunched, the entire Boost portfolio packaging has been refreshed,

BUTTERKIST TEAMS UP WITH NOW TV TO LAUNCH ULTIMATE MOVIE NIGHT

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P Snacks has launched a Butterkist Ultimate Movie Night promotion, giving consumers the chance to win one of 10 premium prize bundles, which include a TV, an at-home entertainment system, and a 12-month NOW TV Sky Cinema Pass.

The on-pack promotion will run across the full Butterkist range including Sharing, £1 PMP and Multipack, and aims to improve the in-home sharing experience by giving consumers the perfect combination of entertainment and snacks.

The partnership expands on an ongoing Butterkist microwave popcorn promotion, offering consumers a half price NOW TV Sky Cinema Pass. Both promotions will be available until the end of November.

With a shared goal of enhancing the in-home sharing experience, the

partnership will help consumers make their BNI (Big Night In) feel like a BNO (Big Night Out). The Ultimate Movie Night bundles have been created to drive excitement and demand for CSN products which have seen a surge in popularity and complements an ongoing KP Snacks campaign to help convenience retailers retain shoppers and bigger basket spend.

“In recent months there has been a marked increase in savoury snacking occasions, with CSN being the fastest growing snack and showing up in 70% more convenience baskets during lockdown[1],” said Matt Collins, trading director, KP Snacks. “Using the strength of our brand portfolio and family favourites like Butterkist, we hope to help our retail partners meet changing consumer demands and adjust to new norms.

“The partnership between Butterkist and NOW TV has already been hugely

and independent retailers will be kitted out with brand new POS. Boost’s bold repositioning has been designed to further elevate the brand and drive incremental sales.

The product packaging refresh saw revamped logos unique to each range, as well as an updated energising visual for both the cans and bottles. Every element has been designed to give the products a more premium feel, helping them standout on shelf, driving a higher propensity to purchase.

“Our marketing campaign this year is bigger and better than ever before, and we’re absolutely thrilled to see the new TVC campaign and OOH bring this new position to life,” said Adrian Hipkiss, marketing director.

“As we approach our 20th year, it was important to us that we took the brand to the next level with our biggest investment to-date, and we could not be more excited to share this with independent retailers and wholesalers.” successful. To continue this momentum, we are pleased to announce a second wave of activity and offer consumers the chance to win even greater prizes. This will also offer a strong sales opportunity for retailers, with 51% of shoppers being more likely to visit their local store if they offer promotions[2].”

The Sharing segment is strong and growing.

Worth £1.2bn, the largest within CSN, it is currently experiencing growth of +98%[3]. Butterkist is the UK’s largest popcorn brand at £48.3m RSV[4] and is significantly outpacing category with growth of +31.4%, vs total popcorn at 8.7% [5].

[1] Kantar Usage 2020 [2] HIM 2018 [3] Nielsen Scantrack 11.07.20 [4] Nielsen Scantrack 16.05.20 [5] Nielsen May 2020

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ENERGY, WASTE & ENVIRONMENT

ALPRO UNVEILS AMBITIOUS 2025 HEALTH AND SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENTS

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lpro, one of the first worldwide companies specialising in plant-based foods and drinks, is celebrating 40 years since its foundation with the release of a new five-year health and sustainability action plan, Feeding the Future With Plants.

The report was announced during a celebratory anniversary event at Wevelgem, Belgium, in the presence of local dignitaries Alpro General Manager Sue Garfitt and Danone CEO Emmanuel Faber.

“Alpro is playing an important role in maintaining a healthy society and planet,” said Garfitt. “We are leading a worldwide food revolution by creating a broad plant-based category which is becoming an indispensable part of a healthy and sustainable life.

“The diets we have adopted are no longer sustainable for the planet, so we have to change the way we look at food production and consumptions.

Millions of people are more aware of the personal and environmental benefits of plant-based foods and our mission is to achieve a fundamental dietary shift to more plant-based

KEY MEASURES TO BE ACHIEVED BY 2025 INCLUDE: • Catalyst for net-zero operations with concrete climate ambitions for zero carbon, zero water, zero waste • Defining clear action plans for the transition to regenerative agriculture, focusing on biodiversity and water use in particular • Closing the loop on packaging with 100% recyclable packs (today, Alpro is at 76%) and introducing plant-based alternatives to yogurt in paper-based packaging • Reducing water footprint per product by 60% • Turning 50% of volume into a recognised source of fibre (today, Alpro is at 36%) • Bringing even more diversity into the portfolio, using at least nine different plant-based ingredients (today, Alpro uses seven) • Applying transparent, easy-toread Front of Pack (FOP) nutrition labelling to 100% of products

NEW ASSURANCE FIRST FOR PLASTIC POLLUTION REDUCTION B usinesses in the food and beverage sector can now take significant verifiable steps to manage plastic waste and its impact on the environment, following the launch of the world’s first best-practice standard for Responsible Plastic Management (RPM).

According to the Pew Foundation, the flow of plastic into the world’s oceans will nearly triple to 29 million metric tonnes per year by 2040 if no action is taken. This could increase even further with single-use masks, gloves and aprons

used to fight Covid-19 transmission now littering beaches and polluting our waters along with vast amounts of other plastic debris.

Now, by signing up to the RPM Standard and Program, organisations can demonstrate their commitment to taking proactive steps to better measure, reduce and re-use the plastic coming into – and going out from – their businesses.

Once companies have completed the five-step RPM programme, an assessment by independent global assurance

eating by 2025. This new report translates this mission into concrete commitments.”

Alpro developed its first plantbased drink 40 years ago as part of an idealistic attempt to fight hunger in underdeveloped countries with soya-based alternatives to dairy products. Launching into European markets, the brand initially filled a niche for vegans, the lactose intolerant and allergy sufferers.

Today, Alpro products are regularly purchased by one in three UK households and feature in shopping baskets around the world as an ethical, healthy and tasty choice.

“We started as a small company, but dared to go further,” said Garfitt. “Now millions of people are more aware of the health and environmental benefits of plantbased foods and drinks. People are making a conscious choice to include more plant-based foods in their daily lives.

“We are committed to changing the way the world eats for the better, and driving the global ‘food revolution’ that Danone has called for.”

Emmanuel Faber, CEO of Danone,

company Lloyd’s Register will enable successful organisations to be certified and listed publicly in the RPM online directory.

RPM was founded as a not-for-profit, international organisation, by experienced assurance and sustainability specialists Peter Marshall and Dave Garforth.

“Consumer awareness of plastic pollution has never been higher and we wanted to help organisations understand how they can play an important role in ensuring that waste is mitigated and out of the oceans and environment,” said Marshall.

“One of the current issues facing the industry is that there is no official standard which helps organisations create an effective management plan.

ENERGY, WASTE & ENVIRONMENT said: “I am very encouraged that policymakers are beginning to recognise the importance and urgency of evolving the food system towards a more sustainable path, working with nature instead of against nature. We welcome strong international commitments like the European Farm2Fork strategy. This initiative encourages consumers to adopt healthier and more sustainable eating habits, including more plantbased foods and drinks as part of the planetary diets scientific experts are calling for. It shows how the trend towards healthy and sustainable products is becoming unstoppable and the role food companies play in supporting flexitarian diets that are good for the planet and good for health.”

To keep up with the rapidly growing demand for plant-based products, and to support its ambitions for 2025, Alpro also announces an investment of €30m in its production sites at Kettering, Northants, and Wevelgem, Belgium.

Within this, the UK site, which employs 200 people, will receive a significant proportion of the investment to develop a new high-speed packaging line to produce 75 million extra packs of soya, oat, rice and coconut drinks a year.

The investment reflects Alpro’s trajectory from niche product to a top 30 UK grocery brand and the rapidly growing demand for plant-based products.

So, while we may hear that companies have committed to reducing their plastic waste, it’s unlikely that these plans will have been independently verified.

“Let’s be honest – it’s a lot easier to say you’re doing something if you’re not actually held accountable by a third party. The new RPM programme will help organisations drive real change by providing a framework for improvement – and then measuring them on progress.”

Certified organisations can access the RPM Trust Mark to illustrate their commitment to tackling this issue of plastic pollution to buyers, stakeholders and external parties.

Complementing existing best practice industry standards, the RPM programme starts with an audit of existing policies

JUST LIVE A LITTLE INTRODUCES FULLY RECYCLABLE PACKAGING

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ocal granola producer Just Live a Little is now supplying its luxury, handcrafted products in fully recyclable packaging in line with its longstanding commitment to sustainability.

The Portaferry-based business has transferred its entire range, including new low sugar, coconut chia granola and whole almond granola lines, into 400g recyclable doypack pouches.

“All our bags and boxes have now been replaced by the new recyclable packaging which is also much more flexible in terms of on-shelf presentation,” said Jill Crawford, commercial director, Just Live a Little.

“We’ve been moving steadily in this direction for some time and it reflects the company’s focus on waste elimination and the environment.

“Our base at Portaferry on picturesque Strangford Lough, an internationally recognised area of scientific interest, has meant environmental preservation has seldom been far from our thoughts. It just takes time and the essential finances for a smaller producer like Just Live a Little to replace its longstanding packaging. All our granolas being supplied to retailers will be in doypacks

by October.”

The new packaging is resealable, and was also developed in response to

and processes.which can take place either onsite or remotely. From there, an organisation’s credentials will be verified and a manageable, tiered programme will be officially implemented. Annual reviews will take place to ensure companies are on track to meet commitments in the avoidance, reduction, re-use and recycling of plastics and to ensure continued compliance.

Kimberly Carey Coffin, global technical director – Supply Chain Assurance at Lloyd’s Register, said: “Unfortunately, the Covid-19 pandemic has resulted in many plastic management programmes taking a backseat, but the news of PPE pollution further emphasises the longterm importance in addressing plastic

requests from the company’s leading customers for recyclable packs. Just Life a Little’s customer base includes Waitrose, Tesco, Sainsbury and Ocado in Britain as well as Aldi Ireland and major retailers in Europe, Asia and the Middle East such as Auchan and Carrefour.

Just Live a Little produces five luxury oat-based granola flavours as well as healthy flapjack bars and high protein trail mixes for energy.

The company was formed by Jill and husband David in the kitchen of their farmhouse in 2011.

responsibility. Whilst it is accepted that the preventative measures necessary to protect our communities are essential at present, the generation and irresponsible management of more plastic is not the answer.

“The launch of RPM is an important step for socially and environmentally conscious companies across the globe and we urge them to take their first steps in reducing plastic waste. The system is the perfect journey for businesses to take, allowing them to truly understand their actions in manageable steps. More importantly, it helps to drive measurement and effectively demonstrates how certain actions can make a positive impact on the environment.”

ENERGY, WASTE & ENVIRONMENT

POWER NI: LET’S GROW TOGETHER MARK LIGGETT, COMMERCIAL MANAGER AT POWER NI, REFLECTS ON THE ENERGY SUPPLIER’S CONTINUAL FOCUS ON COMMUNITY AND BUSINESS SUPPORT AS WELL AS ITS EFFORTS TO BECOME ONE OF NORTHERN IRELAND’S KEY PLAYERS AT THE FOREFRONT OF ACTION ON THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY

ENERGISING COMMUNITIES “At Power NI, we have been Northern Ireland’s leading electricity supplier for almost 90 years. We not only provide energy solutions to local businesses, farms and household customers, but we give something back to our local communities.

“In April, we launched a Community Response Fund where Power NI staff nominated 29 groups from their local areas to receive funding. We also supported Young Farmers’ Clubs and 13 of our existing partnerships with charities and organisations, helping them to provide on-the-ground support. This ranged from delivering meals and food parcels to manufacturing scrubs bags and PPE visors for frontline workers.”

POWERING LOCAL BUSINESSES Power NI has always had a strong focus on powering the local economy and Northern Ireland’s vibrant businesses.

Mark explains: “We’re delighted to continue our support this year as SME Partner of NI Chamber’s Learn Grow Excel programme, particularly at a very challenging time for our businesses.

We’ve provided the energy behind many local export success stories and remain the largest supplier to the business sector with over 40,000 SMEs on our books.

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TAKING ACTION ON THE CLIMATE EMERGENCY Mark continues: “We have a duty to provide our customers with greener energy choices. Our mission within Power NI and our parent company, Energia Group, is to provide our customers with innovative, technology-led solutions while contributing to decarbonisation and the protection of our environment. Our aim is to grow sustainably, with over €1bn invested in the energy market across NI and RoI, focusing on renewables, flexible generation and customer solutions.

“We’re delighted to build on our established partnership with Business in the Community NI as an official Champion in the Business Action on Climate campaign. The campaign challenges organisations to address the climate crisis by working to achieve ambitious reduction targets for their greenhouse gases emissions.

Mark commented: “We encourage other businesses to join us in signing the pledge. It’s time for us all to play our part in the Green Recovery, and this campaign is a way for Power NI to demonstrate we have made a serious commitment to reducing our environmental impact.

We’re delighted to be working with a team of climate champions to inspire other businesses to do the same.”

EVOLVING TO BE MORE THAN JUST YOUR ENERGY SUPPLIER Power NI continues to grow as a modern, customer-centric utility, offering energy saving technologies as well as developing new Electric Vehicle charging solutions for commercial fleets.

Mark continued: “We aim to lead the market by innovating our products and services for the future digital and decarbonised economy. We will work with customers on their sustainability journey, from the basics such as energy efficiency measures and grant funding, through to reducing the carbon intensity of their business by supplying green energy from local renewable sources.

“As well as having tragic impacts on the health of our community, Covid-19 has also caused damage and disruption in our business sector. We have been working together with our customers over the last few months to weather this storm. Like all storms, it will pass, and we are committed to growing our range of products and services, helping in the recovery of our local economy and tackling climate change.”

Discover how Power NI is evolving to be more than just your energy supplier, by visiting www.powerni.co.uk/ letsgrowtogether

BUSINESS NEWS

MINISTER ANNOUNCES £1M INVESTMENT

BY PRIORY PRESS PACKAGING

E

conomy Minister Diane Dodds has announced packaging manufacturer Priory Press Packaging is investing over £1m in new machinery as part of plans to grow the business into new markets.

The Minister visited Priory Press Packaging and other companies in the Ards and North Down area to hear feedback on how businesses are coping with the challenges associated with Covid-19.

The Co Down SME currently supplies printed carton packaging for manufacturers across a range of sectors including food and beauty.

“The new machinery will allow the company to increase export opportunities

From left, Diane Dodds, Ernest McConville, chairman, and Mark McConville, managing director, Priory Press Packaging.

and the overall productivity of its business,” said Dodds. “It comes after the company spotted a niche gap in the market and will allow it to diversify to supply products for the pharmaceutical market.”

Invest NI has been working with Priory Press since 2011 and has offered a range of support including trade market visits, job creation, skills development of staff and technical product assistance. This latest offer of £91,800 will support the company to invest in new machinery and create two new jobs.

Mark McConville, managing director of Priory Press Packaging, said: “Invest NI’s long-term support has been invaluable and has been key in bringing our business to the level it is today. It is also helping us secure our ISO accreditation for the Pharmaceutical Packaging Standard, which is important for us to be credible within the sector and will open doors with potential clients.”

KIRKS HOME BAKERY ON A ROLL WITH NEW MERCEDES-BENZ SPRINTER

From left, John Kirk and Robert Kirk with their new Mercedes-Benz Sprinter and X-Class.

Mercedes-Benz delivery van is helping Belfast-based Kirks Home Athird

Bakery rise to the challenge of adapting to the fast-changing business landscape.

Supplied by MBNI Truck & Van, the Sprinter 314 CDI is powered by a fuelefficient 143 hp engine that drives the rear wheels – the same model is also available with front-wheel drive. It has a long L3 body and high H2 roof.

The new van is now working alongside Kirks Home Bakery’s two previous Sprinters, which arrived via the same Retailer. All are delivering freshly baked bread, rolls, scones, cakes and other tasty treats six days per week to customers

based in and around the city.

“We’ve had five Sprinters in succession now, but never more than two at a time,” said John Kirk, a director of the family firm founded by his parents Robert and Sonya more than 25 years ago. “Rising demand for our products, however, persuaded us to set a third on the road.”

The vans supply Kirks’ two ownbrand shops – one in central Belfast, the other in Ballyhackamore – as well as a host of independent outlets, including cafes and deli bars, across the city.

WORK & PENSIONS SECRETARY VISITS HORTICULTURE TRAINING SITE IN LARNE A n innovative approach in the support given to vulnerable people looking for work will be key to UK government plans for successful economic recovery following the Covid-19 pandemic, according to the Work and Pensions Secretary.

During a two-day fact-finding visit to Northern Ireland, Dr Thérèse Coffey said the extraordinary circumstances arising from the global health emergency would require an agile response. Her trip included seeing how different social enterprises have tailored their work for vulnerable jobseekers.

Rounding off her stay with a visit 52

to Access Employment, in Larne, the Secretary of State saw how the enterprise is helping people with a learning disability to develop their skills, experience and confidence to find a job.

This included a tour of its repackaging enterprise, Candyrush, which gives participants training and experience in areas such as stock control, warehousing and packaging, as well as Larne Community Allotments, which provides training in horticulture – growing fresh fruit and vegetables that can be sold through its garden centre shop and café.

From left, David Hunter, CEO of Access Employment; Secretary of State for Work and Pensions Thérèse Coffey; and Hazel Bell, chair of Access Employment.

APPOINTMENTS

ABP FOOD GROUP APPOINTS A CHRIS MARTIN TO BOARD Chris Martin

gri-food business ABP Food Group has appointed Chris Martin as a non-executive director to its Board.

Martin has over 35 years’ experience of working in retail and consumer-facing businesses in Great Britain and Ireland.

Formerly CEO of Musgrave, he was best known for operating the Supervalu, Centra and Musgrave Marketplace brands in Ireland and Musgrave’s retail and food service operations in Spain.

Prior to this, he was CEO of Mothercare plc, group finance director of Storehouse plc and had various roles at PizzaHut and Asda. Martin is a chartered accountant, fellow of the Institute of Grocers and a fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

ABP is a leading beef and lamb processor employing 11,000 people across 51 manufacturing sites, two of which are situated in Northern Ireland. It also holds a 50% stake in Linden Foods as a result of a joint venture with Fane Valley.

GENESIS BAKERY APPOINTS NEW GENERAL MANAGER M

ark Mitchell has been appointed as general manager of Magherafelt-based bakery Genesis Bakery, which is also currently recruiting for a national sales manager.

Formerly MD of Wrightbus (International), Mitchell had undertaken several senior roles there over the past seven years, and also has a wealth of experience in the food sector, having previously held management roles in a variety of Northern Ireland’s leading food companies.

“We are delighted that Mark has joined us,” said Paul Allen, executive chairman, Genesis. “He brings a lot of experience and strengths to the team and even in

the short time he has been with us, we have been delighted at how well he has fitted in and the positive impact he has had on the business.”

Mitchell’s appointment was made as the bakery’s drive to strengthen the team continues. Genesis is also recruiting for a new national sales manager post for the island of Ireland. It’s a role that will ensure Genesis maintains strong links with its existing high-profile customers from supermarkets to symbol groups, as well as identifying and securing new opportunities for business growth.

“A lot of hard work has gone into turning Genesis around from administration two years ago,” said Allen.

Mark Mitchell

“We’ve completed a very successful rebrand and are also driving forward our market expansion plans. Bringing on a new national sales manager to boost the team is part of continuing that journey of improvement.”

Formerly CEO at Tayto, Allen took over Genesis when it went into administration in 2018, saving more than 250 jobs.

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SHELFLIFE

To see your product featured in Shelf Life, contact Chris Keenan at c.keenan@independentmagazinesni.co.uk or Tel: 028 9026 4267

PLADIS UNVEILS A ‘DEAD GOOD’ SALES OPPORTUNITY

lobal snacking company pladis is encouraging consumers to have G A Dead Good Night In with its 2020 Halloween range from McVitie’s Cakes.

This year’s ‘dead good’ selection from McVitie’s Cakes comprises five new products which all don vibrant, standout sugar skull-themed packaging.

Tapping into the mass appeal of seasonal events, pladis is launching three new products under two of its biggest brands – McVitie’s Jaffa Cakes and McVitie’s Digestives – as well as additional NPD under its Halloween-exclusive McVitie’s Funny Bones range.

“Halloween presents a prime opportunity for retailers to stock novel, seasonal products, which encourage consumers to make impulse purchases,” said Claire Hooper, head of Marketing

– Cake, at pladis UK&I. “Given that cakes are a more impulsive buy than other sweet snacks[1], it’s undoubtedly an important category for retailers to focus on during the season.

“This year the seasonal sales opportunity for cakes is bigger than ever. Halloween celebrations are likely to take a different form, with many shoppers swapping parties and trick or treating for watching scary movies or hosting smaller gatherings at home. Cakes are perfectly suited to these at-home occasions, so this presents a unique opportunity for retailers to boost sales in the cake category – and give shoppers a festive reason to celebrate.

“We’ve also launched a digital and social media campaign which calls on shoppers to celebrate A Dead Good Night In in recognition of this ‘new normal’.

We’ve enlisted the help of a group of parent celebrity influencers to encourage families to get creative together with some simple Halloween craft activities, which will drive the ‘Halloween at Home’ message and bring the McVitie’s range front-of-mind among shoppers seeking Halloween treats.”

BALLYMALOE CRANBERRY SAUCE

B

allymaloe Cranberry Sauce is made with whole cranberries, sugar, water and nothing else. It is bursting with a delicious fruity flavour which is attributed to the whole cranberries and long, open-top cooking time.

It is delicious when eaten with traditional roast meats such as turkey, chicken and ham. For a delicious twist on a classic sandwich, mix it through some mayonnaise for a mouth-watering pink mayo. It is also scrumptious when enjoyed with brie type cheeses.

Widely available across Northern Ireland retailers, essential for your Christmas grocery shopping list!

1 pladis Path to Purchase Study 2018 (36% of Cake purchases made on impulse, compared with 32% for Sweets and Chocolate and 27% for Biscuits)

MR EDWARDS & MR FREDERICK KING M r Edwards & Mr Frederick King started pickling crunchy fresh veg in Belfast in 1896.

Since then, we’ve carried on the tradition, making our unique, Belfast recipe pickles so deliciously tangy they’ll give any taste bud a decent tickle.

The Edward’s Brand holds a strong heritage and is a well-

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recognised Northern Irish pickle brand. With a loyal customer base, Edwards prides itself on reputation for its ‘unique local taste’.

Check out our recipe section for some great menu ideas using Edwards pickles!

Widely available across Northern Ireland retailers, Christmas wouldn’t be complete without it!

CLASSIFIEDS

WANT YOUR COMPANY TO GET NOTICED? ADVERTISE HERE...

CONTACT CHRIS KEENAN ON 028 9264 4267 OR EMAIL:

c.keenan@ independentmagazinesni.co.uk

CLASSIFIEDS

WANT YOUR COMPANY TO GET NOTICED? ADVERTISE HERE...

CONTACT CHRIS KEENAN ON 028 9264 4267 OR EMAIL:

c.keenan@ independentmagazinesni.co.uk

GROCER ULSTER

TM

Over 45 years at the heart of the Northern Ireland food industry

CLASSIFIEDS

Q&A TELL US ABOUT YOURSELF I’m a new mum, a wife, an academic and a food blogger! I’m the manager of the Food and Drink Business Development Centre at Ulster University Business School, where I teach on the MSc Food Design and Innovation programme, as well as collaborating with industry on a range of research projects relating to consumer shopping behaviour.

IN THE HOT SEAT DR LYNSEY HOLLYWOOD, MANAGER, FOOD AND DRINK BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTRE, UU

WHAT DOES A TYPICAL DAY INVOLVE? My day usually begins at 5am when I get wakened by Hugo, our one-year son, looking for his breakfast. After we get ready, we usually go for a walk down to the beach or the marina before dropping him off to nursery at 8am. I then set about planning my day (no two are the same) aiming to start into emails by 8.30am. My day will typically consist of lots of meetings about different research projects, PhD supervision, preparation for the new MSc Food Design and Innovation course among other things. At 5pm, I pick Hugo up from nursery and we go another quick walk and have dinner. Once he is in bed by 7.30pm, I usually continue working through emails or reviewing papers/chapters. At 9pm, my hubby and I typically try and do a Joe Wicks workout, then it’s supper and bedtime usually about 10.30pm.

WHAT HAS BEEN THE HIGHLIGHT OF YOUR CAREER TO DATE? In 2016 I was surprised and delighted to find out I had won the award for UUSU Inspirational Lecturer of the Year. Given the number of really impressive academics teaching at Ulster University and the fact it was nominated by the students themselves, I really was so honoured to receive this award.

WHAT DO YOU ENJOY MOST ABOUT YOUR JOB? The freedom to think. I really feel so privileged in my job, that we as academics have the opportunity to research whatever interests us. We might not always have the luxury of getting projects funded in that particular area but still it doesn’t stop you from being able to forge a career in doing research you enjoy.

WHAT IS YOUR MOST DIFFICULT TASK? I often have too many plates spinning at any one time, whether this relates to teaching or research so my biggest challenge is trying to coordinate conflicting deadlines.

WHAT IS THE BEST ADVICE YOU HAVE EVER RECEIVED? 58

It’s a bit of a cliché, I know, but it has to be ‘Carpe Diem’. After hearing a talk on seizing the day when I was 16 years old, this became my mantra. I am all about seizing new opportunities, new experiences and living life to the full – this is probably why I often have too many plates spinning.

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST GRIPE? I absolutely hate free riders on a team. I love working in teams and feel you can achieve so much more when everyone pulls their talents and resources together so I get really frustrated if others don’t pull their weight.

WHAT TALENT WOULD YOU LIKE TO HAVE? Where do I start? I would love to be able to speak a foreign language fluently. I was just never naturally gifted at languages.

WHAT ARE YOUR FUTURE PLANS/ AMBITIONS? Some ambitions I have include furthering my knowledge in consumer insight and growing my publication record in this area. I am not sure what the future holds but I would be keen to be more involved in supporting our local food and drinks

industry through consultancy.

WHOM DO YOU MOST ADMIRE? My husband. He handles people and situations with such grace and charm and never sweats the small stuff. His positive outlook on life and seeing the best in people makes me want to be a better person.

WHERE IS YOUR FAVOURITE PLACE? Home. I absolutely love to travel but nothing beats being at home with family and friends. We moved to Bangor last year and haven’t looked back. I love life by the sea.

WHAT IS YOUR FAVOURITE FOOD PRODUCT? As a food blogger (@downthehatchni) I am always discovering amazing local food and drink products. One of my favourite food products has to be milk. It’s nutritious, so versatile and really tasty. I drink nearly one pint a day – we definitely produce the best milk here in Northern Ireland.

HOW DO YOU RELAX? Socialising with friends. We love to eat out and try new places.