RN - 30 June 2023

CONTENTS

Editor Jack Courtez @JackCourtez 07592 880864

News editor

Megan Humphrey @MeganHumphrey_ 07597 588972

Features editor

Charles Whitting

@CharlieWhittin1 020 7689 3350

Senior features writer

Priyanka Jethwa @PriyankaJethwa_ 020 7689 3355

Head of design

Anne-Claire Pickard

Senior designer

Jody Cooke

Junior designer

Lauren Jackson

Production editor

Ryan Cooper Sub editors

Jim Findlay, Robin Jarossi

Production coordinator

Chris Gardner 020 7689 3368

Editor in chief

Louise Banham @LouiseBanham

Deputy insight & advertorial editor

Jasper Hart @JasperAHHart 020 7689 3384

News editor

Alex Yau @AlexYau_ 020 7689 3358

Specialist reporter

Dia Stronach 020 76893375

Hot weather plus poor chiller maintenance equals an expensive headache for shop owners and managers.

Across last weekend there were dozens of examples of major supermarkets with empty aisles because of equipment failures. One engineer claimed that unlike in traditionally warmer countries, the kit and set-ups we use just weren’t designed or installed for the type of prolonged hot spells we’ve now experienced year on year.

With every shop looking to cut costs, things like maintenance visits, equipment cleaning and refrigerant top-ups can look like easy wins, but it’s certainly a gamble with severe consequences.

Head of commercial

Natalie Reeve 020 7689 3367

Senior account director

Charlotte Jesson 020 7689 3389

Account director

Lindsay Hudson 020 7689 3366

Account manager

Megan Byrne 020 7689 3364

Account manager

Marie Dickens 020 7689 3372

Managing director

Parin Gohil 020 7689 3363

Cover image: Getty Images/Muharrem huner

Jack Courtez

@JackCourtez 020 7689 3371

Thousands of pounds of repair or replacement costs, lost stock, lost sales and increased refuse collection costs are the financial harms, but it can be worse. RN’s investigation back in 2021 found that one in six fires in food stores are caused by chillers. It showed that the average shop chiller fire takes place when the temperature outside is double the UK annual average.

The good news is that the same steps you took to cut bills earlier this year will also cut your chance of chiller malfunction – adding doors, increasing the operating temperature (where safe) and making sure all vents are clear of debris. One tip that often escapes mention is that full chillers and freezers use less energy and put less strain on motors and compressors. This is because the less cool air that escapes from doors opening, the less the unit has to work to replace it. Hopefully, your availability in store is excellent, but if there are gaps, remerchandising to put a section of ambient lines such as take-home soft drinks in chillers can help.

The same is true of chest freezers and ice cream mini-freezers. If your stock holding is low these can often have a lot of space inside. Putting bags of ice cubes at the bottom and the standard goods on top not only saves energy and reduces cash tied up in more expensive stock, it makes the lines inside more visible and accessible too.

Consider where your freezers are placed, too. I’ve seen many slush machines and Wall’s freezers up against windows in direct sunlight, and one shop even claimed that a redesign putting freezers away from external south facing walls had saved them a pretty penny.

HEADLINES

3 INDUSTRY NEWS Shop margin squeeze in core categories revealed Outside laundrette provider looking to partner with local shops

5 SYMBOLS & WHOLESALE Epicurium reveals plans for new tool kit for stores

6 N EWS & MAGS Intermedia claims magazine

12 PRICEWATCH

Make more from tobacco accessories

14 WOMEN IN CONVENIENCE

Symbol groups outline steps to support female shop owners

16 STORE ADVICE Dealing with staff absences

19 EXPERT OPINION

‘Supermarkets

22 FINDING THE RIGHT SUPPLIERS How stores find the right suppliers

EXCLUSIVE

Margin squeezes on bestselling lines revealed

by Jack Courtez jack.courtez@newtrade.co.uk

A turbulent year for store margins has resulted in dramatic increases and decreases in the profitability of the most important lines and categories for independent shops.

The Retail Success Handbook: What to Stock 2023, released this week, uses sales data from thousands of local shops, recommended prices and wholesale data to determine the bestselling lines and the average profit margin.

Year-on-year analysis by RN of 339 top lines across 13 categories revealed a 1.7% overall fall in percentage margins.

While overall margins on the top 25 lines in some categories rose significantly, such as chocolate blocks rising from 22.3% to 26.2%, others such as confectionery sharing bags moved in the other direction, falling from 29.7% to 24.6%.

Sometimes, the category trends were driven by wholesale pricing on specific suppliers. For

Snappy and ITS in EPoS deal

instance, in the worst-hit category – confectionery sharing bags, the margin on half of Haribo’s products in the top 25 lines fell from 48% to 27.1%. Other times, like in Vodka, the margin squeeze was mirrored across nearly all supplier’s lines.

Anger over poor retailer margins has led store owners to take action.

Nearly 100 retailers are part of a WhatsApp group helping to name, shame and avoid low-margin products.

Group member Serge Notay, owner of Notay Stores in Batley, West Yorkshire, told RN: “For years, stores have operated policies of setting a minimum percentage on tobacco, and it’s now widespread across categories.

“We’re seeing suggested margins of 22% or below, and it’s not sustainable. As my old Costcutter regional manager used to say: ‘You can’t stock everything, you have to be brutal’. It’s time for stores to take this approach by building planograms and deciding ranges on cash margins as well as sales,

including increasing facings of high-margin lines and cutting facings of low-margin lines.”

Margin change by category

From the biggest drop to the smallest, the categories with overall margin declines across the top 25 lines were: confectionery sharing bags (29.8% to 24.6%), beer (23.4% to 21.1%), carbonated soft drinks (36.3% to 32.9%), vodka (20.5% to 18.7%), cigarettes (5.6% to 5.4%) and single chocolate bars (26.9% to 26.7%)

The categories with overall margin increases across the top 25 lines were: chocolate blocks (22.3% to 26.2%), energy and sports drinks (36% to 38.8), fruit soft drinks and juices (32% to 34.3%), cider ( 24.7% to 26%) and single sugar confectionery (28.1% to 29.6%).

Margin change by supplier

The suppliers with significant overall margin declines across their lines in the top 25 lists were: Haribo (37.6% to 27.1%),

Halewood Spirits (23.1% to 19.2%), Diageo (21% to 19.2%), Budweiser (23.3% to 21%), Ferrero (22.8% to 20.7%), JTI (5.7% to 5.4%), Mars Wrigley (28.5% to 27%) and Red Bull (35.1% to 33.4%)

The suppliers with significant overall margin increases across their lines in the top 25 lists were Nestlé (24.1% to 29.1%), Heineken (19.7% to 21.5%), EuroShopper (34.3% to 37.1%) and Mondelez (22.3% to 23.1%)

Suppliers including Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, Imperial, Kellogg’s, Loch Lomond and Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I showed no significant overall change.

Lines on promotion or that did not make the top 25 in either year were excluded from the analysis.

When approached regarding margin issues, suppliers commonly claim wholesale pricing is at the discretion of wholesalers.

l For more advice, order The Retail Success Handbook: What to Stock from your news wholesaler

Shop beats ATM fees with Euronet

An independent retailer in Scotland has successfully brought back freeto-use ATM services for his local community after switching from NoteMachine to Euronet.

Dan Brown, of Pinkie Farm in Musselburgh, East Lothian, is one of thousands of NoteMachine partnered stores that has had charges introduced on their previously free-to-use ATM.

He told RN he had been with the company for 10

years, but swiftly began fighting to regain a free ATM for his customers after a 99p per transaction cost was introduced at the end of 2019.

Despite NoteMachine claiming it had no choice but to introduce fees on thousands of its machines, rival Euronet said it could still operate a free-to-use machine from Brown’s store and installed it this month.

“It’s really helped attract more footfall and

ensure we continue offering a vital community service,” Brown added. “We were unable to change provider until this year as we were on a contract.

“Our previous provider kept adding charges and the commission was also dropping off at the same time. Now we’ve got one of the only free cash machines in the area. We don’t have any charges, as they pay to rent the space from us.”

Brown said he already had a contact at Euronet prior to the end of his previous NoteMachine agreement.

However, he had encouraged the local community and MSPs to petition against ATM charges and join campaigns to protect access to cash.

He added that, while the company is seeking expansion, Euronet’s criteria for taking on stores would be determined on a case-by-case basis.

Snappy Shopper has partnered with EPoS company ITS, giving more than 1,400 retailers across the UK access to home delivery services.

The deal will give retailers real-time stock, pricing and sales updates when they use Snappy Shopper’s services.

ITS counts 1,429 retailers across Booker, Bestway, Spar, Simply Fresh and Unitas symbol groups among its customer base.

ITS managing director Tanveer Mirza said: “Providing retailers with data is an additional way for them to see their businesses grow.”

‘Most wanted’ list urged

Police forces need to create a ‘most wanted’ list of prolific shoplifters, the ACS urged last week, as it revealed more than 1.1 million thefts occur per year in convenience stores.

The trade body published its annual crime report last week, with 77% of retailers believing the cost-of-living crisis had led to an increase in theft, with meat, alcohol and confectionery listed as the most commonly stolen items.

Nearly three-quarters (68%) of incidents were carried out by repeat offenders.

In a bid to crack down on people repeatedly targeting stores, the ACS urged more funding for rehabilitation, the prevention of antisocial behaviour within communities and crime-prevention measures such as the ‘most wanted’ lists.

EXCLUSIVE 650 Daily stores opened

Morrisons has opened nearly 650 Daily convenience stores, with 400 of them being former McColl’s sites.

The figure was revealed in Morrisons’ results for the 13 weeks ending 30 April. It said 107 Daily stores opened in the period and expects to have almost 1,000 sites by the end of the year.

Morrisons chief executive David Potts added: “Convenience continues to be a strong area of focus and growth. Converted stores continue to see a significant sales uplift as we work through the McColl’s estate.

“By the year end we expect to have a significantly enhanced position in the important UK convenience sector.”

Wholesale sales grew 20% annually, fuelled by new supply deals with local shops.

BAT seeks female panellists

BAT is set to launch a retailer panel, with equal gender representation at the forefront.

In an email to retailers, the firm said it was seeking female store owners interested in joining the panel. BAT added the decision was influenced by last year’s Women in Convenience event, organised by RN owners Newtrade Media.

The panel would allow panellists to “shape future business plans and ideas”, while giving access to category insights, business updates and an opportunity to be a voice for independent retailers.

Laundry deal promises stores increased footfall

by Megan Humphrey megan.humphrey@newtrade.co.uk

Independent retailers are being recruited to install outdoor self-service laundry stations, with the supplier promising footfall, extra sales, commission and a new unit for smaller stores coming soon.

Revolution Laundry is owned by ME Group, which has more than 6,000 systems installed in 12 countries. The unit, 3.2m long and 2.3m wide, houses two washing machines and a dryer, either 9kg or 20kg.

Shoppers can pay £11, or £5.50 respectively, for a 30-minute wash, with the choice of a £3.50 dry using contactless payment.

Business development manager for West and East Midlands, Carl Woolley told RN the firm is looking to expand further into convenience.

“We already have machines in over a hundred convenience sites across the UK,” he said. “There is a tendency for people to think it’s only those on lower incomes who use laundry services, but that’s not true. They are used by those who don’t

want to use their own domestic machine, for things like quilts and dog blankets, as well as big families, where one wash can get everything done.”

When asked about what criteria stores need to meet to qualify for a machine, Woolley explained: “Retailers will need to have access to three-phase electricity, which most do because they use chillers. The machine will also need to be relatively near a foul drain. In addition, we prefer the store to be in a populated area.”

Stores operating one of the self-service units will be responsible for the payment of the utilities associated with it, but the commission offered “should cover this and more”.

“We work on a commission structure of between 15 to 20%,” said Woolley. “We also give a payment of £750 upfront. The minimum we offer is 15%, which we like to say half goes on utilities and the rest on the running of the machine.”

The site is maintained by engineers free of charge, who can attend once a week if used regularly, but typically

every three weeks. As part of the package, Revolution Laundry also provides stores with free point-of-sale material and marketing advice, tailoring promotions to demographics.

When asked why retailers should invest, Woolley said: “The biggest benefit is footfall. A recent survey we did with users showed that 80% stay on site for the duration of their wash. We also know people travel long distances to use these machines, in some cases up to 20 miles. We’ve found increasing prices to be a challenge, but with the price of electricity coming

down, it’s made the proposition more attractive for business owners.

“We do everything that we can to help make this work for selected retailers. We understand that, at first, the idea might feel overwhelming, but we are here to work closely with retailers to make sure it works for them.”

At present, the machine itself is only available in a row of three, but Woolley revealed that UK retailers will soon have access to a new model currently being used in France, of one machine on top of the other, making it more accessible for more stores.

Store losses to illicit sales increase

Convenience stores are losing out more to the sale of illicit tobacco and alcohol compared to the same time last year, according to HMRC’s latest tax gap report.

Published last week, the statistics estimate the tax lost due to the illicit trade in tobacco alone has increased 15% in the past year alone to £2.2bn. The figures make

last year the highest year since 2005 for tax losses on tobacco, with £1 in every £6 spent on tobacco going to the black market. While the estimated share of illicit rolling tobacco declined, the share of illicit cigarettes increased.

In addition, the alcohol tax gap including beer, wine and spirits is estimated to be £1.37bn

(duty and VAT combined) for 2021-22, with the illicit trade’s market share predicted to have decreased.

In response, ACS chief executive James Lowman is calling for tougher enforcement to tackle the illicit trade. “It is important to recognise that although the tax gap is considered to be low, the sale of illicit or

non-duty paid alcohol or tobacco has a detrimental impact on the economy, the safety of our communities and is damaging to retailers who operate on the right side of the law,” he said.

“We are urging HMRC and trading standards to ensure that the focus remains on tackling the sale of non-duty and illicit products.”

Epicurium tech helps shops find niche lines

by Dia Stronach dia.stronach@newtrade.co.uk

Epicurium is to launch a toolkit to help retailers find the right unique products for their stores on its website, which now takes online orders from every customer type.

The healthier-snacking wholesaler’s managing director, Ben McKechnie, told RN: “It’s easy to say, ‘let’s cut back on range to focus on price’, but that leaves you trying to compete on price with supermarkets and – even worse – discounters.

“You’re never going to win that battle, so you’ve got to connect with your local market by offering something different.”

The company said the new website tailors offers, prices and promotions to suit the needs of each customer.

This will be supported by a guidance-and-advice section for retailers, set to launch this summer.

McKechnie said the toolkit would include resources such as planograms and ranging advice, designed to help independent stores capitalise on the areas where supermarkets struggle.

He said convenience

Bleed kit installed in store

One Stop has praised a franchisee who supported a knife-crime charity.

The Liam Taylor Legacy was set up after the murder of Liam ‘Fish’ Taylor, 19, in January 2020.

Set up by his mother, Julie Taylor, the organisation works to make lifesaving bleed kits available in the Coventry area.

On 16 June, Gitesh Adeshara, of One Stop Winsford News, Coventry, hosted an event to mark the installation of a bleed kit in his store, with help from The Liam Taylor Legacy. Attendees included local councillors, community members and deputy mayor Mal Mutton.

stores had an advantage over multiples when it came to the unpredictable market of trending products such as Prime and spicy pickles.

“Supermarkets find it hard to capitalise on those, but a convenience store is in a prime position to tap into these trends,” McKechnie said.

He added that non-core products from popular brands do well in convenience stores that can adapt their product range

to

better fit their local consumers.

Epicurium experienced success recently with products such as mealreplacement drink Huel, sales of which increased by 75% after it was put on promotion in May.

The new site may not be the only change in the near future for Epicurium.

When asked about importing, McKechnie said efforts had been scaled back after Brexit and Covid-19, but that it

was “definitely something we’re looking to do”.

McKechnie also thinks HFSS represents an opportunity for smaller retailers to bring in less well-known products.

“It’s levelled those big brands,” he said. “By pushing them into the aisle instead of the gondola end, you’ve got the challenger brands with stronger packaging alongside the bigger ones, and they’re doing very well because of it.”

Courier service from Bobby’s Foods

Bobby’s Foods is launching a delivered-by-courier service on new products.

The wholesaler’s bagged sweets range was launched with courier delivery in September, and Bobby’s is hailing the system as a success.

The previous directto-store van delivery method is still available on most products, but 20

products from Bobby’s Food’s new range will instead be delivered by courier.

The system means Bobby’s can improve its range and availability, as the company will be able to make quick drops of products there would not have been space for in standard delivery vans.

Products available for

courier delivery include the new War Heads range, Asian gum brand Hi-Chew, and strawberry Rip Rolls, which are returning to sale.

Retailers can place orders for delivered-bycourier products through their Bobby’s rep as normal or through a Bobby's Foods depot, and the delivery will be made

within three to five days.

Payment is then made on their next Bobby’s visit, or can be organised separately.

Retailers can receive £10 off on any order of 10 products in this range (excluding bagged sweets, Bonds, or van products for which alternative promotions are ongoing).

One Stop’s head of business development, Taranjit Dhillon, said: “We would like to thank Julie Taylor for her hard work in her community, and Gitesh Adeshara for being a proud representative of One Stop’s values.”

Bestway MyCheckr rollout

A Bestway-owned store is using facial-recognition software to enforce agerestricted purchasing.

Central Convenience Store in Southampton is using MyCheckr, a device that shows if a customer purchasing goods such as alcohol or tobacco appears to be underage.

A screen turns green if the customer passes the check, and red if they appear too young. The customer is then asked to present ID.

MyCheckr said it would be rolling out the devices in other Central Convenience stores “over the coming months”.

Paper price reduction

Newsprint and magazine paper prices are beginning to fall, with hopes the reductions will slow the above-inflation price rises damaging retail sales.

Print paper broker Ian Maxted told publishers last week: “I’m pleased to say paper prices are starting to soften and we’re starting to get reductions for prices in the second half of 2023, and that trend should continue.”

He explained the cost of paper production had been hit by strikes, the war in Ukraine and rising energy bills, leading one mill to consider stopping production.

However, one news publisher said optimism should be guarded. They added: “It’s still nearly double what we were paying two years ago. Add that to fuel, wages and transport, and we’re facing the same cost of doing business crises that most other businesses are.”

Telegraph director ditched

Another director has been removed from the Telegraph Media Group as part of plans by banking groups to recoup debts by selling the company.

Documents filed on 7 June and published last week show the two members of the Barclay family described as “holding the purse strings” were removed – Howard and Adrian Barclay. Philip Peters lost his position on the same day.

Richard Neale was removed five days later on 12 June, leaving one original director left.

EXCLUSIVE

NEWS & MAGS Subs customers revert to buying mags in stores

by Jack Courtez jack.courtez@newtrade.co.uk

Magazine subscription customers are reverting to buying in stores, according to Jamie Wren, commercial marketing director at distributor Intermedia.

Speaking at the company’s Intermedia Live event on 21 June, he said magazine subscriptions were “easier than ever to cancel”, contributing to a 1.3% drop in subscription copies sold.

Wren explained: “People are cancelling subscriptions and maybe becoming more promiscuous purchasers who go to find magazines on newsstands.”

Online strategies also came under fire from publishing consultant Amanda Wiggington, who described publishers’ “incessant focus on digital scale” as the “crack cocaine of the 2020s”.

“We’ve been so focused on scale, we’ve lost sight of what’s really important,” she added.

Wren suggested publishers should focus on “profitable newsstand distribution”, including through independent

stores. He said 33% of titles were in year-on-year newsstand growth and that, while the number of independents had fallen in the past decade, “what we are finding is that what’s left are more quality stores, with more specific range retailers.”

In contrast, the state of magazines access in discounters such as Wilko, Aldi and Lidl was described as “a basket case”, while the big grocers were shown as stable.

Despite the positive story for independent newsagents and convenience stores, challenges are also emerging.

Wren claimed the move towards more independ-

ent shops joining symbol groups – which can control what titles get ranged in these sites – was making it harder for publishers to get launches and niche titles into independently owned stores.

Falling indie access to a full range of magazines is also being driven by publishers pulling copies from lower-sell-throughrate stores, such as smaller shops.

Wren told publishers that “taking copies out of the marketplace, that we know are less likely to sell is a huge, important part of making your newsstand sales more profitable”.

Asked about alloca-

Group managing director John Bardsley addressed publishers at Intermedia Live

tions to independent shops, John Bardsley, group managing director of Intermedia parent company InterGo Group, told RN that distributors and wholesalers should support independents in receiving “their choice of range”, but added: “We have to match the objectives of the publisher with those of the retailer and sometimes those things can be different. It’s our job to make those objectives meet.”

Intermedia claimed magazines were becoming a ‘premium’ item and encouraged publishers to consider increases of between 50p and £1, rather than the usual 25p-35p.

Scottish papers increase prices

Two Scottish newspapers have announced price rises, but only one has protected retailer terms.

Reach’s Daily Record increased by 10p on every edition from 26 June with its 19% margin maintained, adding an extra 1.9p in retailer profit per copy.

Saturday editions now stand at £1.30 with the same 18.5% margin, add-

ing 1.85p profit per copy.

The Sunday Mail will retail at £2.60 with the same 19% margin, adding 1.9p profit per copy.

At National World’s The Scotsman, RN understands prices will rise by 20p across all editions from 3 July, but retailer terms will be cut by 0.5 percentage points on most days.

Weekday editions will

carry a £2.10 cover price and a reduced 22% margin, adding 3.45p profit per copy.

Saturday editions will rise to £2.60, with margins falling to 22%, adding 3.2p profit per copy.

Scotland on Sunday will cost £2.70,but margins are maintained at 22%, adding 3.05p per copy sold.

Even with the cuts, the National World brand’s

terms sit above the national average, whereas Reach’s Daily Record’s terms are near the lowest.

Fed national president Muntazir Dipoti responded: “I urge other publishers to consider not only the effect these price increases have on their readership numbers, but also how retailers are affected by the cuts to margin.”

FED NEWS

Circularity Scotland collapse a ‘disaster’

by Jack Courtez jack.courtez@newtrade.co.uk

The company responsible for running Scotland’s axed deposit return scheme (DRS), Circularity Scotland, entered administration last week after drinks companies refused to prop up the company.

On 20 June, Circularity Scotland ceased trading – five days after the British Soft Drinks Association (BSDA), British Beer & Pub Association (BBPA) and Scottish Retail Consortium (SCRC) announced they would provide no further support to the company.

The collapse was described as a “disaster” for the company’s 60 staff by the minister responsible for DRS in Scotland, Lorna Slater, who herself faced job uncertainty last week.

On the same day as the company’s collapse, Slater survived a no confidence vote in the Scottish Parliament by a margin of just 13 votes.

The end of Circularity Scotland could dent the chances of Scottish

Yorkshire

Fed making changes

retailers acting as a pilot study for the UK-wide DRS, ahead of its launch in October 2025.

RN understands from industry sources the idea of a pilot in Scotland had been gaining momentum following a Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) meeting between ministers and industry earlier this month.

However, the plan was based on Scotland already having the infrastructure in place to run the pilot, which would have probably included Circularity Scotland.

The Fed’s national vice-president Mo Razzaq expressed “enormous sympathy” for staff at Circularity Scotland and called on the Scottish government to use its experience to inform a UK-wide deposit return scheme.

He said: “Looking to the future, we feel there is a compelling case for one organisation to run a bottle and can return scheme for the whole of the UK.

“If each of the four nations has its own organisation, the system is

likely to be more complex, bureaucratic and expensive for retailers, drinks producers and consumers.

All of this will get in the way of our shared objective of a successful deposit return scheme curbing litter and waste of the planet’s resources.

“We believe it would also be helpful now for Scotland to review the strengths and weaknesses in the planning for its own deposit system so that we can help shape the creation of a stronger system for the UK.

“More research into the

successful launch of systems in other countries around the world, would also help inform our thinking.”

Until an administrator’s report is published, the complete scale of the collapse is unclear.

A joint statement from the BSDA, BBPA and SRC said their members had invested “tens of millions of pounds”.

The Scottish-government-owned Scottish National Investment Bank is expected to lose £4.5m of the £9m it loaned to Circularity Scotland.

Less cash makes tech critical

Fed members have warned their sales are increasingly vulnerable to tech outages as more customers move from cash to card.

Fed Yorkshire district vice-president Ian Smith has had repeated internet outages this month, making card processing impossible for five days of trading. “It’s costing £500 to £600 a day. In the

past, people would simply pay in cash, but so few customers carry anything other than cards, and we have no cash machine close by for customers to use.

“All we can do is remind people that’s it’s best to carry a bit of cash around with them just in case.”

For a three-day outage, Smith was offered just £17

compensation from his internet provider, Three.

It was a similar story for Fed members impacted by an issue at card payments provider Paymentsense on 16 May.

Stores using broadbandpowered card terminals have reported investing in ‘back-up’ devices from companies such as LoPay, Doji and Sum-Up.

However, Smith claimed the contingency plan was “unaffordable” for many smaller stores.

Data from UK Finance shows cash now accounts for just 15% of all transactions, though the figure in the average convenience store or newsagent is higher and influenced by the age and affluence of the customer base.

Fed chief operating officer Graham Stafford has said the plan to replace the Fed’s two most senior committees with one senior committee was “moving forward”.

The so-far-unnamed group of 28 retailers will replace the Fed’s national council and national executive committee, which collectively seat 38 retailers.

The move is designed to cut cost and boost the decision-making speed at the Fed.

Each district is to receive one seat for every 600 Fed members, there are also seats for the national, vice- and deputy vicepresidents.

RN understands the members that will make up the committee have now been confirmed.

Stafford told RN: “Preparatory work undertaken by Fed staff prior to conference means the transition will be as seamless as possible.”

The Fed promotes insurance

The Fed is promoting car, van and home insurance to members through an affiliate partnership with Quotezone.co.uk.

Members receive a £25 Love2Shop voucher when they take out a policy through the Fed’s website, while the Fed also receives a commission for each policy purchased.

Messages sent from the trade group last week said: “You can compare home, car and van insurance quotes from online and see how much you can save.”

Circularity Scotland chief executive David Harris addressing attendees at its DRS conference last year

YOUR VIEWS

Publishers are killing the newstrade

Having read last week’s issue of RN, I agree with David Robertson and his views on the latest margin cuts for retailers for the Times.

It’s disgusting what they are doing to those who work so hard to sell their products.

Running a home news delivery business that has been providing a service for over 40 years, and delivering to more than 650 customers, we are seeing longstanding customers – those who you thought would never stop taking newspapers – cancelling their order.

We get praised for our reliability and service, and have got a team of excellent delivery drivers.

Unfortunately, this isn’t enough. People are getting fed up with price increases.

An elderly customer popped into our office

recently to cancel her Telegraph subscription, and told us that an over£1,000-a-year print subscription was ridiculous when compared with what she was paying four years ago.

We keep increasing our charges to cover our overheads, but we can’t keep increasing at the same rate as the price increases.

With margins decreasing, it makes it impossible to make any profit.

When Covid-19 happened, we started to do groceries, which I feel should now be our main aim.

We can control the prices, instead of being dictated to.

Publishers say they are supporting print and retailers, but I find that hard to believe.

The younger generations aren’t interested in papers, and not enough is being done to encourage them to buy.

I wish for a day when we can order our papers directly from the publishers and be in control of our

BUSINESSES MUST GET BEHIND GREEN THINKING NOW

James Bielby, chief executive, FWD

Sustainability is trending and for a good reason. Businesses are now scrutinised for their sustainable practice as consumers increasingly shop smarter and greener.

Whether it’s generational or not (Generation Z is reportedly the most committed to sustainability, with shoppers willing to spend up to 10% more for eco-friendly products), the demand for sustainably sourced products from a repu-

margins.

Thank you for your magazine – I look forward to reading it every Thursday, mainly to keep up with the – often depressing –news in the News & Mags section, or for Neville Rhodes’ brilliant views on the industry. Keep up the good work.

Kevin Passmore Passmores Ltd, Yeovil, Somerset

A News UK spokesperson responded: “Our retail partnerships are incredibly important to us, and we appreciate the challenges the whole industry faces as we all deal with unprecedented inflationary costs.

“We’re incredibly appreciative of the hard work of our retail partners, both in supporting loyal print customers and working with us in partnership to maintain the print subscription business.

“For our part, we are always looking at ways to reduce costs without adversely impacting margins for our retail partners. On this occasion, despite our best efforts, that has not been possible. The margin will, however, increase from 9 December.”

VIEW FROM THE COUNTER with Julie and Joey Duhra

I (Joey) spent the morning playing five-a-side football with some of our old regulars.

When we were opening early and closing late, having the energy to do things like this would have been a stretch.

Having the right staff who can open up or cover is the secret to unlocking your time, and we feel really blessed to have them. When you find excellent team members, you wonder how you ever did it without them.

I’ve been receiving lots of cold calls from card providers, one of them was Handepay, owned by PayPoint. They promised me £1,000 if they couldn’t beat my provider.

I handed over the necessary information and they came back and said that they couldn’t beat it – the bloke said it was the first time this had happened.

I pursued the £1,000, which we'd give to charity, only to be told to read the terms and conditions. Apparently, there is a clause that says that the offer doesn’t apply to any store that’s a member of a group like the Fed, Premier or even just Booker. From the sounds of the terms, there won’t be many stores out there it does apply to.

WHAT WE’VE LEARNED THIS WEEK

When it comes to football, I may feel young at heart, but my body might disagree.

table seller has increased significantly.

The environmental impact of consumer goods and its suppliers seems as big an issue now as Fairtrade was at its inception 30 years ago.

Retailers need to show what they are doing for our planet, as this is making their shop more attractive to consumers buying food and drink.

This is why FWD unveiled our Carbon Zero Roadmap at our annual

conference last month. This exciting project allows us to look at the bigger picture of wholesale and its environmental impact now.

We are committed to working with our members to meet a stretching 2040 Net Zero target.

By aligning ourselves with this goal, we are urging retailers to get on board, too. It isn’t something that can be achieved overnight, but instigating sustainable practices –however small – in busi-

ness, can result in lasting changes for the future.

As a starting point, FWD has created a Carbon Calculator for the wholesale sector, which is free for our members to use. In turn, retailers can support the supply chain by looking at things they can do to reduce their carbon footprint, such as reducing plastic waste, using local suppliers where possible and putting doors on chillers.

The road to carbon zero starts here.

No 50% Yes 50%

Funkin goes alcohol-free

Funkin Cocktails has launched its first alcohol-free variety in a Passion Fruit Martini flavour. The new variety has initially launched in Tesco ahead of a wider rollout in 4x200ml packs at an RRP of £6.75. As part of its wider rollout, it will also be available as a single can (RRP £1.80). Funkin’s existing alcoholic Passion Fruit Martini line is worth £6.7m, and represents £1 in every £3 spent on RTD cocktails. RRP £1.80, £6.75 (4x200ml)

New cookies from Baker & Baker

Baker & Baker has added a Cadbury Dairy Milk Chocolate & Orange variety to its cookie range. The bakery range comes with four cookies per bag and is designed to be baked fresh in store. The Chocolate & Orange variety will accompany the two existing flavours in the Cadbury range: Dairy Milk and Caramel, which now both feature a new recipe including an improved cookie dough and softer texture.

On sale now

TWE takes Pride in Squealing Pig

Treasury Wine Estates has launched its first outdoor campaign for Squealing Pig as it looks to grow sales. It will kick of with a presence at Brighton & Hove and Manchester Pride events this summer as the category sponsor of both festivals. It will also be supported by in-store and social media activity, focusing on its Italian Pinot Grigio Rosé, New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc and Mendoza Malbec varieties

Campaign spans outdoor, in-store PoS and social media

Schweppes campaign launch

Coca-Cola Europacific Partners has unveiled a new multimillion-pound campaign for Schweppes called ‘Born social’. It spans TV, digital and outdoor advertising, alongside paid social media and influencer activity. The supplier said the campaign builds on the brand’s success as “the number-one mixer brand in the off-trade by value and volume”, suited for upcoming social occasions throughout the summer.

Campaign spans TV, digital and outdoor advertising, and social media

Consumer trial from Sanpellegrino

‘Treat yourself to a taste of Italy’ is the new summer campaign from Sanpellegrino, spanning outdoor and digital media in close proximity to stores – directing customers to shops including independents. The campaign will be supported by sampling across Manchester and London as the brand aims to increase awareness. The brand will also activate a pop-up Sanpellegrino ‘piazza bar’ on London’s south bank on 8 July. Campaign spans outdoor and sampling

Brioche’s on-pack Kids Pass promo

Brioche Pasquier is launching an on-pack promotion to tie in with the school holidays offering shoppers the chance to win a 12-month Kids Pass. Between 10 July and 3 September, 2,000 12-month Kids Passes will be up for grabs via promotional packs of Brioche Pasquier Pitch. To enter, shoppers scan the QR code to visit the competition site and enter their contact details as well as the product batch code. Campaign runs until 3 September

SPECIALIST CHOICE

Ufit launches protein puddings

Vadasz adds to condiments range

Vadasz’ new Hot & Sweet Jalapeño Relish combines sweet pickled jalapeños, green peppers, apple, onion and spices.

RRP £4.75

Contact vadaszdeli.co.uk

Highland Park whisky launch

Orkney-based distillery Highland Park has launched its new cask-strength No4 scotch whisky, ahead of its 225th Anniversary in September.

RRP £80

Available from The Whisky Exchange

Raspberry shake from Barebells

Barebells has added a Raspberry flavour to its range of milkshakes. The new variety contains 24g of protein and no added sugar.

RRP £2.50

Available from Spar, Budgens and Londis

by Jasper Hart jasper.hart@newtrade.co.uk

Weetabix‘s recently acquired protein brand Ufit is expanding beyond drinks with the launch of its first dessert range.

The range is launching in Creamy Caramel and Double Chocolate varieties, both available in 250g pots at an RRP of £2. Each variety contains 25g of protein per pot, with no added sugar. They will be available in wholesalers later this

year following launches in Morrisons this month and Asda on 24 July.

According to the supplier, the launch caters to increasing customer demand for food and drink which help to optimise performance throughout the day, of which addedprotein products are a large part.

According to Statista, the global protein ingredients market is set to grow to almost £90bn by 2030.

This growth means everyday consumers are

now more interested in accessible protein products, instead of them just being aimed at athletes and gym-goers.

Since its acquisition by Weetabix last year, Ufit’s sales have increased by 216% annually, and led to a 30% headcount increase, according to the brand’s managing director, Austin Bailey.

The supplier will support the launch with outdoor advertising and influencer activity across social media.

Cricket prizes up for grabs through KP and Bestway

KP Snacks has partnered with Bestway Wholesale for the third year running to offer retailers the chance to win hospitality tickets to the final of The Hundred cricket competition.

There are seven pairs of tickets to the final at Lord’s Cricket Ground.

These tickets guarantee a VIP experience, including access to an executive box.

Travel and accommodation expenses are also covered.

Ten runners-up will also win £100 of wholesale credit each.

Every time retail-

ers buy six of the eight core brands involved in sponsoring The Hundred – Popchips, Butterkist, Pom-bear, Tyrrells, KP Nuts, Hula Hoops, McCoy’s and Skips – in any format from Bestway, they will be entered into a free prize draw for a chance to win.

The competition runs until 20 July.

Matt Collins, trading director at KP Snacks, said: “By stocking up on our core lines, retailers will drive their crisps, snacks and nuts sales while being in with the chance to win prizes.”

PRICEWATCH

Profit checker Tobacco accessories

Behind the numbers

As personal finances continue to be squeezed, the proportion of roll-your-own sales within total tobacco continues to climb. This means retailers need to get their pricing right on accompanying accessories. Where are the opportunities?

Swan Extra Slim Filter Tips 120pk is this

week’s big outlier: 77% of retailers are selling it at above its most-common price of £1, with some going up to £1.50. Compare this to the same brand’s Menthol variety, with a mostcommon price of £1.20, that just 25% of retailers are charging above. There’s also an opportunity to push margins on Zig-Zag Cut Corners

50pk, which 61% of retailers are charging above its most-common price of 30p. Some are going as high as £1 – over three times the price.

Retailers can also reassess premium pricing – 33% are charging as much as £2.75 for OCB Premium Slim Papers & Tips 32pk, 76p higher than the most-common price set by 66%.

TOP PRODUCTS

Rizla King Size Silver 32pk

Rizla Green Medium Thin 50pk

Swan Menthol Extra Slim 120pk

Rolling tobacco has always been more cost-effective for customers, but with the cost-of-living crisis, sales have grown with people switching from cigarettes. We’ve always stocked a pretty good range of the necessary accessories – across the board there’s only about four or five flavours and they all have regular customers where we are. We’ve also got regulars from when the menthol ban kicked in, so people switched to flavour cards to compensate. If someone does smoke rolling tobacco, it’s a package purchase along with accessories.

Sue Nithyanandan

STORE Costcutter

Epsom

LOCATION Epsom, Surrey

SIZE 2,600sq ft

TYPE Residential

Rizla

Rizla

Rolling tobacco is definitely more popular and people are looking at lines like Benson Blue – that’s taken off at the cheaper end of the premium brands. I’m also finding that hardened smokers like a bigger pack now, people are being price-conscious. The 30g is still more popular, but we’re selling more of the 50g. Flavour cards are also big now, at about 25p each, and menthol tips are also popular. Some tobacco pouches now come with papers and filters. Amber Leaf is now in an all-in-one box with filters and tips, and Players has one as well.

Must-stock products

Price distribution chart

Percentage of stores selling above, below and at the most-common retail price

How are wholesalers tackling gender inequality?

Megan Humphrey finds out what wholesalers are doing to address gender discrimination to better support female retailers working in their symbol groups

Female retailers are calling on wholesalers to better priortiise the female-specific issues they face working in convenience. In a recent survey conducted by Women in Convenience, 1.8% said they don’t feel treated equally by their wholesaler. In addition, a recent steering group held by the initiative revealed that there is a severe under-representation of women on symbol group retailer panels or development groups, demonstrating a need for change.

Speaking of her experience, one retailer told RN: “I feel like I’m always the one stomping my feet, trying to raise awareness about the issues that I face being a female in the sector. I don’t want to feel like I’m only being included as a boxticking exercise. Instead, I want them to see that I have something valuable to contribute.

“I want them to take the bull by the horns, and approach me themselves, and see action when they show interest. As retailers, we shouldn’t be the ones pushing them to make this a priority. It needs to be a two-way conversation.”

NISA

When asked how Nisa is prioritising gender equality, head of retail Victoria Lockie explained: “At Nisa, we know that by leading from the front on equality internally we are encouraging the same behaviours to be adopted within our retailers’ stores and within the broader sector.

“As a symbol group working with many independent retailers, it can be a challenge to achieve equal gender representation at our working groups. Independent retailers work incredibly hard and for long hours throughout the entire week.

“We know equality is important for our retailers, but we also know that time isn’t always available for them to take conversations fur-

ther. Nisa retailers run successful independent businesses, and many with their own equality targets. The challenge as a symbol group is to ensure all the individual retailers, we work with recognise the importance of equality and how this can be incorporated into their own business practices.”

Discussing the ways in which Nisa is specifically working to support female retailers, Lockie said: “We regularly discuss what more we can do to support female retailers and our colleagues. Our managing director, Peter Batt, is a fabulous ally for equality and we often speak about further steps we can take to ensure all our retailers feel supported and listened to.

“We have a retailer working group that has a good level of female representation. It is vital that we

hear from a wide range of retailers from various backgrounds, each with different experiences of convenience retail. We are also considering creating a series of meetings directly aimed at female retailers so I can directly hear about any issues they are experiencing within the industry in a private and safe environment.

“For the very first time this year we are planning a Nisa female retailer panel session at the Nisa Expo in October. The Expo is a fantastic opportunity to spread the message of equality to many of our retailers at the same time and I’m hoping the panel session will give several of our successful female retailers an opportunity to tell their stories and demonstrate their impact on the industry.”

Lockie stressed on a personal

We are also considering creating a series of meetings directly aimed at female retailers

level, that she is an ambassador for Diversity in Wholesale (formerly Women in Wholesale). “I’m in a fortunate position whereby I know I can have an influence on promoting equality in the broader sector and that is forever on my mind when I’m engaging with Nisa retailers,” she said.

BOOKER

The symbol group confirmed to RN that it has increased the number of women on the Premier Development Group and Londis Development Group this year, and will be doing the same for its Budgens Group.

A spokesperson said: “It is our intention to continue to investigate and drive more representation through our customer listening groups. We would love to hear from our retailers what opportunities they would like us to help them with.”

Booker also recently launched its own colleague network, named Women in Booker, on International Women’s Day to help colleagues be at their best and be at a place where they can get on.

All employees received Inclusive training through its e-learning portal, but all retailers also have access to free Diversity & Inclusion training through its training provider, CPL.

BESTWAY

Director of human resources, Angela Underwood has been with Bestway for three and half years, and claimed “ever since, we have thought about how we develop our own strategy for diversity and inclusion”.

She confirmed that there is an equal gender split across most levels at Bestway, with the company prioritising development of senior

leaders. Underwood explained how visibility of females in senior positions is essential in encouraging women to put themselves forward for similar roles, and ensures female retailers feel supported.

“We’ve thought a lot about how we can create a level playing field for our workforce at depot level,” said Underwood. “We have a talent development programme, and this is our way of taking people who are at all levels in the depot, and developing them through leadership and operational skills training.

“We’ve been doing this for up to six years. A lot of the time at the start it was only men putting themselves forward, and we wanted to inspire other female staff members by encouraging more women to come forward. We tend to have a cohort of 20 people. Last year, 15% were female, and this has now gone up to 35%.”

Underwood went on to praise female retailers and their staff. “A lot of the shops we run have store managers who are women, as well as deputies, assistant store managers and supervisors,” she said.

“When I go out and visit our shops with our retail director, I would say 70% or more of the general managers we meet are women, and that’s really impressive.”

Ensuring female staff feel equal, supported, and safe remains a priority for Bestway. “We have a lot of incidents of crime in our stores, and that worries me a lot, particularly when the safety of our female retailers is under threat,” said Underwood. We are doing what we can to support them and our onthe-ground staff to ensure they are looked after.

“We are very strong in pushing support. We have champions

across the region to ensure that is available to them. Within human resources, we have a dedicated team for convenience retail. We are reactive when there is an incident.”

Underwood revealed plans for the wholesaler to launch a new programme, focused on supporting female staff. “We are talking about running an initiative around everyone being welcome at Bestway,” she said.

“It won’t just be for colleagues, but also for customers. We want to recognise that there is room for improvement, and we want to do something about that.”

ONE STOP

Head of retail operations Rhiannon Whelan confirmed One Stop has an active ‘Women at One Stop’ network, and discussed how its benefit for store owners.

“The network aims to support women by providing better access to resources surrounding a number of gender-related topics,” she said. “These include women’s health, well-being and career development among many others.”

Head of One Stop franchise John Miller added: “In all franchise operations, we seek to have representation of our female franchisees, whether in forums, meetings, internal communications or external marketing.” l

We would love to hear from our retailers what they’d like us to help them with

Nisa invited female retailers to its most recent International Women’s Day celebrations at its head office

Retailers discuss how the industry needs to change at the inaugural Women in Convenience event

STORE ADVICE

Dealing with staff absences

The RN team finds out how retailers deal with being short-staffed in planned and unplanned circumstances

Everyone has to have some time away from work now and again, whether it’s for a holiday, a special occasion or an illness – even people working in shops run by family members.

Whether you have a large team of employees or a core group of family members putting in shifts, running a shop halts for no one Retailers always need to ensure there is a smiling face behind the till regardless of absences. Planned absences should be easy to deal with, if enough notice is provided.

“It’s quite straightforward dealing with holiday requests,” says Harj Dhasee, from The Village Store in Mickleton, Gloucestershire. “The requests come over and we check

that they’re not clashing.”

When it comes to absence because of sickness, it’s important that retailers tread the line between ensuring the well-being of the store and the welfare of their staff.

While you don’t want to let staff make a habit of calling in sick, you won’t enjoy great staff retention with an unsympathetic and suspicious attitude to illness and emergencies. It’s important to strike a balance to build trust.

“We’re not strict with sickness – we don’t ask for doctor’s notes –because we have a lot of youngsters doing flexible work,” says Nirav Modhvadiya, from Desford Shop & Post Office in Leicestershire.

For retailers looking to ensure

staff are happy, or even keen, to cover shifts, an overtime payment can get that response a bit faster.

“We’ll pay people extra for working overtime or if they’re coming in with one hour’s notice. I can afford that and it gives them that incentive,” says Bay Bashir, from Go Local Extra Belle Vue Convenience in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire.

D an Brown, from Lothian Stores in Musselburgh, East Lothian, has been stung by staff absences before. He tries to overstaff when he can –despite the financial impact – so if someone is off, he still has cover.

To see what other stores are doing, go to betterretailing.com/advice

BAY BASHIR

We pay people extra if they’re working overtime

Be open with staff

If a staff member can’t come into work because they’re sick or have an emergency, that’s one thing. If they can’t come into work and you’re not made aware of it until they don’t show up, that’s another thing entirely.

“You have to be an open book and let them come to you, whatever’s on their mind,” says Bay Bashir, from Go Local Extra Belle Vue Convenience in Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire. “If you aren’t open, people won’t talk to you.

“We have 30 staff and they can all come to me, I don’t judge anyone. I’ve got the keys to every store, my phone is always on and I always answer it if I can. So, if I get a call from someone saying they can’t come in, I can always go and do it myself.”

Bashir’s wife has made things easier by being the approachable figure for female members of staff who might not want to talk to him about an emergency absence.

Build up your part-timers

To ensure he can cover staff absences, Nirav Modhvadiya has created a large staffing pool, but kept them all parttime at his Desford Shop & Post Office in Leicestershire.

This means he’s never relying on any single person too much. No one in his 15-strong team works more than 40 hours a week, and this means he always has options to cover any absences.

“Not every business can do it – we’re in quite a big village, with a population of 6,000 – but I worked out that it was the best option for both sides,” he says.

“We can get them more holidays, which means they’re happier, and that means we can keep them for longer. If they weren’t getting that amount of time off, they might go elsewhere.”

With many staff members still living with their parents, he can also always call them if too many sick days are being called in.

STORE ADVICE

It’s about accountability

Harj Dhasee plans out his staffing rotas at The Village Store in Mickleton, Gloucestershire, to ensure every member of staff works one bank holiday over the course of the year, so no one ends up working too much on public holidays and “everyone gets a fair share” of time off.

While he and his managers can usually find part-timers to cover unplanned absences, he recommends talking to staff when they’re back to find out if anything needs to be done.

“It’s about accountability,” he says. “If they’re off sick, there’s nothing you can really do about it, and it can cause issues for the team. If they’re constantly calling in sick, then you need to set up a ‘back to work’ interview so you can talk it through, find out if there’s a problem and then go from there.

“If you’re really concerned, you can put them on a performance improvement plan.”

Upskill your team

Dan Brown, from Lothian Stores in Musselburgh, East Lothian, struggled with absences during the pandemic and got caught in a downward spiral where he was relying on a smaller pool of people to cover, which brought morale down, added pressure and resulted in further absences. He’s turned it around by upskilling his team as much as possible.

“The more the team knows, the less likely we are to have to rely on one or two people who know all the systems,” he says. “Now if we’re missing a key person, there is always someone else who can pick it up. We’ve really tried to emphasise training right from the start.

“We have someone off with a broken foot at the moment, but we have people ready and excited to jump into key operating positions because of their training. That longerterm investment means some of our younger people are now supervisors.” l

COLUMNIST

Roberts

Dealing with stealing Bryan

There have been a few reports recently on the mounting pain being caused by shoplifting in the UK. The cost is thought to be in the billions, and a number of retailers are reporting that a lot of thieving has shifted from stealing to sell towards stealing to eat. This is by no means a problem limited to the UK – big US retailers such as Walgreens and Target have also reported that theft has become a massive drain on profitability.

Walgreens, in particular, has been aggressive in trying to address the problem with new store formats and merchandising techniques that seem to involve putting most of the shop behind Perspex screens, or transforming entire stores into Argos-style counter services.

The line between shrink prevention and sales prevention is a very fine one, and I worry retailers in the UK might be crossing that line. The most elegant solutions I’ve seen so far have been in Morrisons and Tesco, both of which are trying locked cabinets for spirits and champagne. These require the shopper to press a button, which summons a staff member, who

then goes to the cabinet to give the customer what they want. If someone takes, say, three bottles of Jack Daniel’s, security can then be alerted to ensure the appropriate checkout process is observed.

L ess elegant solutions I’ve witnessed have included a widespread deployment of dummy boxes, laminated photos or simply locking spirits up – expecting shoppers to find a colleague to unlock the cabinet. Dummy boxes and laminated pictures are well and good, but the wait for a colleague to go into the warehouse, unlock the spirits room and retrieve the item comes at too high a cost in terms of time and friction. Many shoppers would simply get the item elsewhere.

Other tactics have included placing items such as coffee, meat, protein bars, booze and premium chocolate in security boxes, while Tesco has also been deploying tag nets on BWS and non-food items like Lego. These are relatively frictionless, and just involve a quick box or tag removal at checkout.

A nother problem for retailers is shoppers walking out. Sainsbury’s has been trying to address this by forcing shoppers to come in via entrance gates. Shoppers who use

* Vapes under fire

+ I’VE BANGED ON about this before, but I get the feeling the vape sector is heading for a much more interventionist stance from government. Stories about the negative health impact of vaping on younger consumers, underage sales, littering and the lack of a systematic recycling system mean the mood music is heading towards a degr ee of state involvement. Much of this concerns manufacturers, but I expect there will also be fallout for independent retailers.

self-scan or self-checkout have to scan their receipts on the way out for the exit gates to open. Shoppers do not seem to enjoy either having to print out receipts, however, or the ‘guilty until proven innocent’ atmosphere this creates.

The problem is that honest customers are having to pay the price for the less-law-abiding. I understand why retailers are putting these measures in place, though, as the impact on a store’s performance and profitability can be massive.

Independent retailers I have spoken to have said, however, they might be better placed than some of the multiples to address crime, as they have smaller stores, are generally more observant and have decent CCTV.

Shoplifting has been around for as long as shops have existed, and this problem gets much worse during times of economic turbulence and hardship. I get the sense retailers feel utterly unsupported by an overstretched police force that won’t come out for crimes involving less than £200, with punishments likely to be no more than a fine or a rap on the knuckles rather than anything more substantial

As with abuse and violence towards shop workers, the retail industry justifiably feels unsupported when it comes to shoplifting; shoplifters are aware it is a potentially lucrative crime with effectively no punishment. I hope you are all successfully managing the problem and that it will subside as the cost-of-living crisis abates.

With shoplifting on the rise and with little support from the police, stores are having to find new ways to combat crime

Bryan Roberts is a leading grocery retail and shopping expert

Retailers feel utterly unsupported by an overstretched police force

WIN THE WEEKEND

How we helped one lucky couple take some well-earned time off – and why it is important

Time off in retail can sometimes feel like the impossible dream. Research tells us that 49% of retailers hadn’t had a day off between September 2020 and September 2021; figures backed up by independent research from SBF GB&I, makers of Lucozade and Ribena, which showed that 27% of retailers had not had a day off in more than three years.

In a survey of 500 retailers, 78% told us they “value the health of their business over their own physical or mental health” – and a third of all retailers say they simply “don’t want to leave their business in the hands of anyone else”.

To raise awareness of this, SBF GB&I gave one lucky retailer a cash prize and the help they needed to take two days out of their business to unwind, recharge and relax. The winning store was Greens of Bassingham in Lincolnshire, run by Tracy Raybould & Michael Saunders.

SBF GB&I partnered with high-profile award-winning retailer Paul Cheema, who has more than 30 years’ experience in retailing and runs two stores near Coventry, to manage Tracy & Michael’s shop while they spent their prize money and took some well-earned time off.

While they spent time away from their daily responsibilities of newspapers, deliveries, cashing up and locking up, Paul and his team of SBF GB&I support staff looked after their store, allowing them peace of mind to relax knowing their store was in good hands.

40%

It's so important that retailers take time out of their business so they can recharge, reset, and take stock of the hard work they do. Win The Weekend started out with the idea that we could change one person’s life. If we could do that and help them understand how they can take some time out of their business and look after their mental health a little bit better, then why not raise that issue right across the wider convenience community?

There's been a brilliant response from Tracy & Michael’s customers, who recognise that they do so much for their community and rarely take a break away from the store.

We really do hope that by seeing how Tracy & Michael can take time out of their own store and reading the advice we’re pulling together in our Win The Weekend handout, other retailers will take a step back, look after themselves and put the steps in place to make sure they are doing so on an ongoing basis.

From talking to our retail friends, we’ve learned that it can be hard to make this change, but everyone can help train staff and put new processes in place to encourage time off. Not only does it allow retailers to save their own time, but also to realise they're not putting anybody out by taking a little bit of time for themselves and stepping away from their business.

64%

OF RETAILERS SAY PAPERWORK AND FINANCE ARE THE BIGGEST DRAINS OF THEIR TIME OF INDIE RETAILERS SAY NO-ONE ELSE CAN RUN THEIR STORE CORRECTLY

52% OF INDIE RETAILERS SAY THERE IS NO-ONE ELSE AVAILABLE WHO CAN MIND THE SHOP IN THEIR PLACE

We never managed to go on family holidays because my mum and dad did everything in the shop. They went home literally just for sleep. A lot of retailers are in their store for 12, 16 hours a day, seven days a week. They're not getting time with their family; they're not getting time for a break. Their break sometimes is going to the Cash & Carry.

It’s very important for retailers to take time away. It’s easy to get stuck in a box seven days a week. But when are you slowing down, giving yourself time to think, spending time with family? There are 1,001 things that go on in a convenience store every day. Is someone taking a chocolate bar, nicking a bottle of wine or driving off with fuel?

We need to take it away from thinking “is this going to happen?”. If you keep thinking of the “what if?”, you're never going to give your brain that time to switch off.

It's very easy to focus on the negatives within your business. But let's focus on the positives. How do we make our businesses better? How do we give our ourselves more time? How do we give responsibility to our teams, and help them get better as team members and people as a result?

ANDREW PHEASANT HEAD OF KEY ACCOUNTS, SBF GB&I

PAUL CHEEMA SPECIAL GUEST RETAILER

TRACY RAYBOULD & MICHAEL SAUNDERS GREENS OF BASSINGHAM

Why did you enter Win The Weekend?

It's important in retail to keep up with current thinking, how products are changing, how customers are changing and what's happening in the economy. Reading trade press is really important – and occasionally we come across these competitions which we like the look of. Win The Weekend was attractive because we thought we might win!

What did you do with your time off?

We took a mini spa break, some nice relaxing time out in a place with no phone reception – which really helped! We also got some great people to come and support our own team, so we could go with peace of mind – which we very, very rarely get.

This time out gave us the ability to be able to think about and plan the extra things we can’t usually contemplate because of the day-to-day running of our business. Although we live here and we love it here, you've got to have a wider perspective otherwise you don't run your business to the best of your ability. And that's really important, not just for us, but for the customers we serve.

How difficult is it for you to get time off?

It is very difficult to get time off purely because of the number of hours we cover between us. We've got a fab team but there are certain things they can’t do.

Even when we do get time off, it's not really time off. We still do the ordering, we're still looking at messages, responding

WIN THE WEEKEND II

to customers on the Facebook page and the website, sorting out the figures, answering questions.

How have your customers responded?

We've been blown away really by the reaction of our customers. We got more than 200 comments from people on a Facebook post we made telling them about our trip away. It is so kind that those customers have all told to us “You deserve it” and “we wouldn't have wanted anybody else to win it”. It’s truly amazing.

Would you encourage others to enter?

Definitely. This has been really good for us. It's a really good opportunity for retailers to do things they perhaps wouldn't be able to do.

Do YOU struggle to get time off? Or do you know another store owner who is deserving of a break for their hard work? We are delighted to announce that SBF GB&I will be running Win The Weekend again later this year – and we are expanding the scheme to help even more retailers get the time off they so richly deserve.

We will offer 10 lucky retailers a two-day break at a local spa near to them, and we will help cover their absence in store through our network of experienced retailers and SBF GB&I retail experts. To be in with a chance of entering simply email your name and your store name and address, with the subject line “WIN THE WEEKEND 2” to SBFTrade@hanovercomms.com

To download our Win The Weekend booklet, containing hints and tips from six leading retailers talking about how they manage to get time away from their business, go to www.suntorybeverageandfood-europe.com/enGB/gbi/competitions/win-the-weekend/

"For a lot of people that run small businesses, it’s their life, their livelihood. It's where you live, where you work, and where the people that you care about are. And that means it's really difficult to just switch off."

FINDING SUPPLIERS

Supply in demand

Retailers should play the long game when looking for business partners, writes Max

Schwerdtfeger

Retailers have much to gain from using local suppliers in their store, from cutting costs and emissions in their supply chain to improving their reputation with new and existing customers.

They should focus on flexibility and availability when it comes to finding the right set of local suppliers to ensure they are keeping costs down and providing what their customers need in terms of price and quality.

The need for this approach, while always there to a point, has been exacerbated by recent supply issues, as well as the cost-of-living crisis, which, in some cases, have required retailers to reassess where their produce is sourced from.

According to a Newtrade Insight report published in the first quarter of 2023, 28.5% of retailers said they were looking to work with more local suppliers to cut costs and their carbon emissions.

Additionally, last year, Newtrade Insight revealed that just 4.3% of retailers said they were happy with the service they were receiving from suppliers when it comes to providing value for customers.

Satisfaction with suppliers is affected by numerous things, the most pressing being the margins retailers are getting for the produce they are then selling to customers, as well as availability.

Some retailers previously told RN that the Covid-19 pandemic had affected their ability to get the right products on their shelves when it was needed.

This, in turn, accelerated the need to shop locally, as it became easier to ensure supply when the suppliers were only a few miles away, shortening delivery chains and allowing more fresh produce to be brought in at shorter notice.

It also gave retailers an advantage when measured against major supermarkets, especially during the pandemic.

This appears to be the case still, to a certain degree, with some retailers reporting that while the pandemic may be over, the persisting supply issues make it more beneficial to stock locally sourced goods.

Working with local suppliers comes at the risk of increased cost, but the benefits can outweigh them in the long run if the right partnerships are made and retailers have more control over what they’re bringing in.

Chloe Taylor-Green, from Spar Western Downs in Staffordshire, says categories that involve

VELOVELOVELO

LOVEVELO THEFACTTHAT

DISCOVER THE UK’S NO.1 NICOTINE POUCH*

AVAILABLE AT VAPERMARKET.CO.UK

Speak with your local BAT Representative

This product contains nicotine and is addictive. For adult nicotine consumers only.

*Based on NielsenIQ RMS data for the Nicotine Pouches category for the 12-month period ending 04/02/2023 for the UK total retail market (Copyright © 2023, Nielsen Consumer LLC)

FINDING SUPPLIERS

fresh produce, such as fruit and vegetables, lend themselves well to utilising local suppliers as they allow retailers to be more flexible with the amount of produce they bring in and stock.

“We’ve always had a free flow when it comes to fruit and vegetables, so customers can buy what they need,” she says.

According to Taylor-Green, this allows for more flexibility and allows customers to only buy what they need at any particular moment.

“Buying fresh fruit and vegetables from local suppliers means you can order what you need, and you don’t end up with surplus stock that you have to throw away,” she adds.

“What we have done is change what we order day-to-day. We have

a local butcher that we get pies from, but we might not necessarily want the same produce in the winter that we do in the summer. By using local suppliers, you have greater choice.”

This flexibility when it comes to the type of stock retailers bring in not only prevents waste and surplus stock, but also helps customers find what they need, which is particularly important in the context of the cost-of-living crisis.

Taylor-Green explains that customers tend to use convenience to buy what they need in the moment, rather than do whole weekly or fortnightly grocery shops.

This means there are 21 opportunities to sell meals in a week, so retailers need to be flexible in the products they offer, and sourcing local suppliers can help with this.

Providing this flexibility potentially comes at a cost, but the benefits for stock availability outweigh them, according to Alan Mannings, of Shop on the Green in Chartham, Kent.

Mannings says by using local suppliers, he has been able to avoid some of the supply issues and kept his store stocked with essential products.

“Local suppliers may be more expensive, but availability is the most important thing,” Mannings says.

He adds that since the beginning of the cost-of-living crisis, he has tried to use more local suppliers, citing the positive reaction of customers and supply reliability, all of which make the extra cost worth it.

“I have started dealing with them a lot more in the past year. I’m always looking for more local suppliers,” he says.

“I didn’t struggle to get eggs during the recent supply issue; I have a local supplier who I trust. Reliability and availability balance out the increase in costs.”

Sometimes, working with local suppliers is about more than just about ensuring you have best produce in your store. It can also be an essential part of how you operate in the local community.

Judith Smitham, from The Old Dairy – Pydar Stores in Truro, Cornwall, said her customers expect her to have certain goods in her store,

Buying fresh fruit and vegetables from local suppliers means you can order what you need

FINDING SUPPLIERS

identity” of the area and the need to support nearby businesses.

“Cutting down food miles is very important – the further things have to come, the more expensive they are,” she says.

“About 10% of our stock is local. Cornwall has a strong identity, and this influences what we buy. Our customers expect us to have certain products and to use local suppliers. Lots of things need to be made in the county,” Smitham adds.

“Using local suppliers is essential. It is not a nice-to-have.”

“We are very lucky that we know all of our local suppliers. We go to trade shows and we listen to what our customers want.”

To connect with local suppliers, Smitham says it’s about having local knowledge as local suppliers don’t

advertise in trade press. “However, social media can help, and the local business Facebook groups help us find suppliers as they can promote themselves,” she adds.

When dealing with local suppliers, especially new ones, retailers should take into account a number of considerations if they want to build a long-term partnership.

Firstly, there are opportunities for retailers and local suppliers to work together to promote products on offer, either through word of mouth or social media.

According to Christine Hope, from Hopes of Longtown in Herefordshire, the best way to build a long-term relationship with a local supplier is to approach it from “a mutually beneficial” perspective.

This could, in some cases, mean

encouraging local suppliers not to lower their prices, to ensure they both stay in business and remain a long-term partner.

It is helpful for retailers and local suppliers to work together on marketing their products, including through in-person customer engagement and social media.

When it comes to which local suppliers to work with, Hope says she found considerable success with local suppliers from the hospitality sector, which have been very useful for “top-ups” and for “balancing cash flow”.

Chris Cobb, from Cults Stores, in Aberdeen, says there has been a change in which suppliers he deals with since the Covid-19 pandemic, driven by availability of produce, quality and cost.

He cites Warburtons stopping supplying him during the Covid-19 pandemic to enable it to prioritise supermarkets as an example of a driver for using local suppliers.

“During Covid-19, Warburtons essentially said it would only supply supermarkets, so we went to local bread suppliers. We started off small with them, and have increased that since,” he says.

“We’ve found that sales from our bakery have more than doubled because the produce is fresher, and we can get it into our store quicker than we did before.

“We are doing a lot more with local. I would say at least 25% of our store is now local products, and 15% of our daily sales come from our locally sourced bakery.

“Working with local suppliers means we can react to things a lot quicker, even if it is phoning a local supplier one day and asking if they have stock available. We can do it with seasonal categories, such as ice cream in the summer.

“I would say look at what other retailers are doing and reach out to suppliers – they will want to work with you.”

MAJOR SUPPLIERS

While there may be clear advantages to working with more local suppliers when it comes to cost and availability, major FMCGs also strive to work with retailers and help them engage with their communities and improve their practices.

Examples of this include customer outreach and community events, as well as advice on how to promote services and products.

In March 2023, Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I found that 28% of

The further things have to come, the more expensive they are

independent retailers hadn’t taken any time off in three years and 40% hadn’t in the past 12 months. It subsequently launched its Win the Weekend competition, which paid for a weekend break for one independent retailer.

At the Independent Achievers Academy 2022, many retailers reported how they had worked closely with major suppliers to engage with customers and market new products and services, including hosting community events.

Social media is a key tool for doing this, with retailers stating how they’ve successfully used platforms such as Facebook to promote how they are working with major suppliers.

One example is Coca-Cola Europacific Partners, which in December 2022 awarded £1,000 to Trudy Davies, who runs Woosnam & Davies News in Llanidloes, Powys, for worthy community causes.

An example of a major supplier working with retailers to improve sales of products was JTI’s Nordic Spirit Perfect Store competition, which was designed to generate product awareness and customer engagement. l

ADVICE COLUMN

Ben Parker

Grow soft drinks sales through on-the-go occasions

We know shopping habits have changed over the past few years, and so have the reasons for picking soft drinks in convenience stores. The biggest opportunity we see this year for retailers to take advantage of is on-the-go formats, with soft drinks being the most-bought on-the-go item in the channel.

We calculate that on-the-go soft drink occasions present a sales boost of £8,400 per year for the next three years, for each convenience store in the UK today1.

Brand, price and quality are the top considerations for on-the-go shoppers, with many now expecting a higher standard of choice than in the past. Value is also key, so retailers should ensure they are communicating both quality and value by putting power brands, such as Pepsi Max and 7Up, front and centre in store. As shoppers are looking for easy, single-serve bottles they can grab and go, ensure that you’re stocking the right formats to cater to this.

Meal deals are another great way to showcase value to shoppers. Cola and energy drinks are priorities for these shoppers, but fruit-based soft drinks – such as Robinsons Ready to Drink – and fizzy and flavoured water can also help drive sales.

For further insights on shopper missions and how you can boost your sales, visit Britvic’s atyourconvenience.com

Retail commercial director, Britvic

In partnership with

CONFECTIONERY

Sweetening the deal

Anne Bruce explores the trends shaping sugar confectionery and the product launches that can invigorate a store’s offer

The sugar confectionery market is currently locked in a clash of priorities. Healthy eating, indulgence, calls for further HFSS legislation and the cost-of-living crisis all play a role. It is also awash with launches, as well as trends driven by social media and the rise of American confectionery lines.

“Most people go to convenience shops to get a quick fix for their cravings, and that’s why sweets are one of the most popular items sold in convenience. A large portion of revenue comes from impulse purchases,” says Kathryn Hague, head of marketing at confectionery wholesaler Hancocks.

Wych Lane in Gosport, Hampshire, says his shop’s sugar confectionery range is hugely popular. American confectionery is the standout performer, but he also carries European and British confectionery.

“Demand is growing day by day. We see really good sales with no signs that customers are changing their behaviour,” he says.

The shop has become a destination for sugar confectionery fans, not just impulse buyers, partly through its successful use of social media. “We have a big social media following, we have 6,000 Facebook followers and 1,000 on Instagram, we do lots of promotions on social media and customers come from far and wide,” Mamode adds.

LEANING ON LAUNCHES

Confectionery is an exciting category, with launches and social media stoking demand. Sours are on trend, specifically with children, Mamode reports, with the “hazardously sour” brand

Toxic Waste hotly favoured.

“The sour flavour profile has increased by 24% year on year,” says Steven Watt, managing director of confectionery distributor Rose Marketing UK. Rose Marketing is launching a Candy Castle Crew Mutations range later this year, including hard candies and gel candies, with flavour profiles from simply sour to a hardcore extreme.

Clare Newton, trade marketing executive at Swizzels, says flavours are driving launches. “New flavours will shape future sugar confectionery innovation with a wider range of flavours available and a broader variety of sophisticated sweets targeted at adults,” she says.

Fruity flavours are another trend in gums, says Hannah Lee, senior brand manager for Extra at Mars Wrigley, which has a new strawberry and lemon Extra Refreshers gum.

“New shoppers account for more than 80% of fruit gum growth and, at present, fruit gum is growing faster than mint, with 23% growth year on year,” she says.

A large portion of revenue comes from impulse purchases

Image credit: Getty Images/Beats3

CONFECTIONERY

LAUNCHES

l Confectionery distributor World of Sweets has revealed new products for Novelty Warheads. New Candy Pops allow customers to push a button to see Wally’s head twist open to reveal a sour strawberry flavoured lollipop. Packs of 12 x 8g are available with an RRP of £1.29.

l World of Sweets is also stocking the brand new licence from Pez, which includes toy brand Playmobil with Police Officer, Firefighter, Princess and Knight varieties. Packs of 12 x 17g have an RRP of £2.

l Bebeto is launching two vegan lines, Fizzy Vegan Peach Hearts and Fizzy Vegan Ring Mix, to the core 150g range. The Peach Hearts are soft gummy heart-shaped sweets with a fizzy, tangy coating, with peach flavour, and the Ring Mix are chewy, gummy ring-shaped sweets in strawberry, apple and raspberry flavours with a tangy, fizzy coating. Both are vegan approved and halal certified.

l Chupa Chups has diversified its Big Babol chewing gum portfolio with new Green Apple aimed at teen shoppers. Big Babol Green Apple is available in six individually wrapped pieces per pack.

l World of Sweets’ Candy Realms brand has introduced new Value Bags – Sour Bears, Jelly Blue Babies and Sour Dummies. Each is vegan, with an RRP of £1 for 190g.

l As a licensed partner, Rose Marketing UK will be launching new lines with Slush Puppie, including Sipz Liquid Candy and Candyfloss this year.

l Swizzels recently launched new Minions Sherbet Dips with three flavours – Fizzy Orange, Sour Apple, and Tangy Berry – and frozen Drumstick-flavoured Squashies slush drinks.

l Mars Wrigley has launched Sugar Free Extra Refreshers Strawberry Lemon to entice new consumers to the category. The fruity gum will be available in stores nationwide from early summer with an RRP of 65p for a single pack and £2.75 for a bottle.

Suppliers also highlight that wider food industry preoccupations, particularly HFSS legislation, will impact what products are launched.

“Manufacturers will continue to innovate with HFSS-compliant ‘fruit-snack-like’ products, and they are likely to continue to surge within the confectionery sector,” says Gabriella Egleton, senior brand manager of confectionery company Kervan Gida UK.

However, as the cost and availability of sugar alternatives, such as dextrose, are a challenge, innovation is likely to be slow, and demand cannot be relied upon.

Jay Patel, of Jay’s Budgens in Crofton Park, London, says: “I would say we have two types of customers. Some people are very aware of issues such as sustainability and health, and some don’t care.”

AFFORDABLE TREATS

The cost-of-living crisis is having an impact on sales, with prices going up and pack sizes being reduced. Margins are not as good as they once were, sitting at around 25% to 30%. Patel focuses on fair prices across the board, with some price-marked packs (PMPs). Sweets are mostly bought by children, so they need pocket-money prices.

“Customers have less to spend these days,” he says. “Where someone might come in and buy three items, now they just buy two. We do have some PMPs, but we

always make sure our prices remain fair. In some shops in tourist areas, you see lines that we are selling for £1.25 going for £2.75, but you can’t do that in a small local shop.”

Retailers should therefore focus on using confectionery to generate add-on sales. “People do come in to buy sweets and then pick up something else as well, such as crisps or bakery products or drinks,” says Mamode.

With the summer holidays now coming, retailers also highlight a move to larger pack formats.

“People are buying more sharing packs and multipacks to take with them somewhere. We are selling tubs of sweets and bags and so on, normally customers will just buy an individual bag,” says Patel.

Susan Nash, trade communications manager at Mondelez International, adds: “We’ve seen that shoppers are increasingly looking to enjoy evenings at home as a more cost-effective way to spend time together. This subsequent increase in the big-night-in occasion can be catered to with our gifting and sharing formats.”

A final point for retailers to consider is that point-of-sale display is key to attracting impulse sales. Aisle-end displays are good places to stock eye-catching novelty items – placed at a low heights so children can spot them – or for easy-to-grab impulse items.

“Themed shelving and displays in store are a great way for retailers to encourage promotional sales and appeal to customers of all ages,” says Hancocks’ Kathryn Hague. l

WORLD FOODS

Food for thought

The UK’s love affair with international cuisine continues to fuel year-onyear sales growth as Britons shun traditional sauces and snacks for more spicy and exotic varieties. Convenience stores play a key role in raising the profile of world food among different neighbourhood shoppers – a survey by Mintel found that 74% of consumers agree that world cuisine flavours make at-home cooking more exciting. Innovation is key in the world-

food flexi-scratch sector, which is why manufacturers have focused on developing existing products as well as bringing in new product ranges, which appeal to both scratch and convenience cooks.

Three-quarters of consumers, according to Mintel, are looking for nutritionally based dishes.

Upuli Ambawatta, brand manager, world-food portfolio, at Empire Bespoke Foods, says Indian food makes up more than one-third of ambient world food, and it remains

Sales of world food are growing, driven by new flavours, and this is an area where convenience retailers can really stand out in their communities, says Simon King

the most popular world cuisine in the UK, followed by Mexican and Chinese.

“Indian food continues to evolve, with shoppers exploring new cuisines from across India, and one in five people eating Indian food at least once a week,” Ambawatta says.

“Oriental cuisine is also gaining popularity and has the highest growth contribution to the overall world-food category. We find younger (16-to-34-year-old) shoppers are the most receptive to new cuisines.”

Giuseppe Vullo, brand manager at Grace Foods UK, suggests that retailers can build tasting events around their world-food offering.

“We would be delighted to support any retailer doing this,” Vullo says. “To ensure they get the most out of an event, retailers need to really plan the event and nail down exactly who their target market is.

“Also, keep it simple as shoppers of-

SUPPLIER VIEWPOINT

Authenticity plays a major role. Customers’ intention in buying world-food products is to recreate dishes they have tasted while traveling or for those who are adventure seekers to taste something new.

Having access to authentic ingredients and cooking techniques is very important when creating an authentic meal.

All our world-food brands at EBF are authentically sourced and produced to cater to the best-quality taste experience.

A mega-trend influencing our innovation is healthier eating as purchase decisions are heavily influenced by the healthiness of the products they buy.

ten don’t have a long time to engage in events, so simple, clear communications are really important.”

“Suppliers say an ongoing trend is the development of plant-based cuisines and healthier meal options.”

Food-for-home purchasing in convenience stores is growing, with 69% of shoppers visiting convenience stores at least once a week, according to Mintel.

“ Those in tighter financial situations have turned to items with longer shelf lives, and families are seeking convenience when getting ready-to-cook meals,” Ambawatta says.

VARIETY IS THE SPICE OF LIFE

Cambridge retailer Ronak Patel, who operates a Budgens and two Nisa stores in the city, says his stores feature a large variety of world food, with his offering including Indian, Chinese, Turkish, Polish, Irish and

One-third of world cuisine shoppers would like to see more products that include ideas on how to make dishes healthier. More are purchasing in convenience, and they are more aware of nutritional benefits and ingredients used in products than ever before.

The EBF group includes a range of world-food cooking pastes, ingredients, meal kits and sauces in the growing category of Asian and Oriental cuisine.

Products include a plantbased award-winning vegan Fish sauce and Pad Thai sauce, winner of the Great Taste Awards 2021 and many more. Meal kits include a range of favourite South East Asian dishes under Thai Taste, Malay Taste and Nem Viet brands.

Empire Bespoke Foods has just launched Master Cook, its own authentic Indian range of pea-protein-filled plant-based Indian meal kits and heat-andeat dals.

One in five people eat Indian cuisine at least once a week

Upuli Ambawatta

Brand manager, world food portfolio, Empire Bespoke Foods

WORLD FOODS

SUPPLIER VIEWPOINT

Big-bag rice formats used to be targeted towards traditional ethnic consumers, but recently we have seen a big shift in this. Now, with an increase in the consumption of rice by more generic households, we’ve seen an uplift in sales as the format appeals to a wider market.

Consumers are now looking for quality, but at the best cost per serving. We are focusing a lot more on highlighting to consumers the cost benefits of dry rice, with clearer labelling regarding servings per pack, so consumers can really see how much they can save by buying bigger bags.

As the cost-of-living crisis hits, UK shoppers are having to become more savvy and they are looking to make effective swaps. Switching to dry rice from microwavable or pouch rice is an easy switch – you get the same end result, but dry rice is much cheaper per serving.

American products.

Patel says that he’s looking to find a new supplier of Indian food.

“If we were in London, we’d have a handful of suppliers at our doorstep, but because we’re based in Cambridge, not many suppliers are willing to come this far,” Patel says. “That’s the difficulty I have found with the Indian suppliers. We currently have an external supplier, but it’s not a large business. We think there’s a far greater need to expand that from a more professional organisation because customers are wanting more Indian food.”

COOKING FROM SCRATCH

Ken Singh, owner of BB Superstore in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, says his world-food offer is centred around ingredients. “We’ve got curry powder, turmeric powder, cumin powder and fennel seeds,” Singh says.

“During lockdown, we introduced ingredients into our store and we’ve found that they are doing pretty

well. There aren’t many stores in the area that stock anything like this. Our supplier is Lubna Foods, based in Bradford, so I have to go further from my store to buy these products.”

Singh advises fellow retailers that the ingredients he stocks have long best-before dates, which can give retailers a good idea about sales over a certain length of time without needing to throw them away. “Most of these lines have two- or three-year shelf lives. If you’re not selling them in that time frame, this product area is not for you,” he says.

WORKING WITH SUPPLIERS

Patel says that working with suppliers has paid dividends in his business.

“Some of the suppliers we use offer sale or return, which is a good idea to test the water with customers,” Patel says. “Tell the rep how much space you want to dedicate, and just monitor it weekly. If it’s increasing, give it more space – that’s how we

Sale or return is a good idea to test the water with customers

Harry Dulai Managing director, Surya Food

WORLD FOODS

SUPPLIER

VIEWPOINT

Giuseppe Vullo

Brand manager, Grace Foods UK

It’s absolutely better to source from UK importers. The time difference alone, particularly dealing with Caribbean or Asian products, can be challenging. Also, UK importers, such as ourselves, understand the home market better and are able to meet the needs of the buyer more accurately.

The UK has one of the world’s largest Jamaican diasporas, but a Mintel poll found that almost half of UK consumers who are looking to try a new world-food category would opt for Caribbean food, so we know there is a demand for Caribbean food among UK consumers with or without Caribbean heritage.

went from a one-metre display to four metres.

“We now monitor it monthly and it’s increasing every month. We spoke with the rep and it’s about getting the right products and getting word of mouth out.

“You could start off with a few shelves of ambient and chilled, and choose a supplier who’s willing to work with you and offer you products on a sale-or-return basis.”

Jeet Bansi, owner of Meon Vale Londis in Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire, says retailers looking to develop a world-food offering should start small, see what their customers are buying and look at the demographic around the store.

“Build the range from there. That’s exactly what we’ve done,” Bansi says.

“We’ve taken recommendations, and we’ve asked customers what they want; we have a dedicated member of staff that looks after this area and they’ve taken ownership of that.”

PROFITABLE PRODUCTS

Singh says social media is a good tool to make sure customers are aware of new products and to hammer home your store’s point of difference. “People come from further afield to buy ingredients and you can make healthy margins on them,” he adds. Bansi says that world food accounts for 15%-20% of sales per week.

“It’s a very good way of driving footfall and increasing basket spend,” he says.

“We’ve got Asian and Oriental food items, and we’ve also got some Mexican as well – it’s categorised in the same aisle, which makes it easy for customers to shop.” l

MAGAZINES

week BARBIE

Opportunity of the

Kennedy Publishing’s assistant head of editorial, Sophie Prewett, explains how the upcoming Barbie movie will generate extra sales of the magazine dedicated to the doll

Sophie Prewett

What is the title about, and how has it been performing?

Barbie has had enduring appeal since the brand was founded in 1959.

Mattel is committed to maintaining Barbie’s position as the most diverse doll brand on the planet, and we reflect that in the magazine with our values of diversity, creative expression and learning through play.

Since Kennedy acquired the title in 2018 it has gone from strength to strength, with sales growth currently up by 21% year on year.

How vital are independent retailers to the success of the title?

Independent retailers are key to Barbie magazine’s commercial success. In fact, the magazine’s sales through independent retailers are up by 6% year on year.

With the release of the Barbie movie in July, we expect brand awareness to be at an all-time high, so anticipate this rising during the summer.

How do you recommend retailers stock the title ahead of the film release?

We’re expecting to see the magazine’s sales increase as a result of the movie’s release. A way for retailers to capitalise on this popularity would be to give Barbie a double facing at the front of shelves near other girls’ titles, such as Frozen and Disney Princess.

How does the title continue to stand out in a crowded category?

Since January, we’ve refreshed the magazine’s design to maximise appeal at point of sale, using illustrations alongside

NEW SWIMMING TITLE IS SURE TO MAKE A SPLASH

Retailers on the lookout for niche and specialist titles – which are enjoying a resurgence – will be excited to hear more about Swim, a newcomer to the sports category.

doll photography to create eye-catching covers with fluoro colour pops that jump out from the magazine shelves.

Alongside that, we include high-value Barbiebranded product competitions in every issue, worth a minimum of £100, which is always highlighted to buyers on our covers.

We pack every issue with three themed chapters exploring brand themes, from fashion design with Barbie Extra to aspirational careers content from the You Can Be Anything brand, to ensure our readers get the most value possible for money.

Wellbeing Suite

As the only title focused on all aspects of swimming, from cold-water dips and mustsee lidos to triathlon training plans and environmental concerns, it offers the kind of relevant, tailored content that today’s readers are looking for. Given the fantastic initial feedback we’ve received, we believe it will reinvigorate the category.

Interviews with Olympic players and competitive swimmers blazing a trail in their events sit alongside stunning photography and real-life success stories.

Seasoned Channel swimmers have been giving tips on technique, regular pool-goers have offered opinions on etiquette and outdoor swimmers have been divulging their favourite hotspots.

Working with experts and locals alike, we are proud to be contributing to the dynamic and growing swimming community.

We have only just launched our third issue, so it is early days, but sales-wise there has been a distinct uptake, thanks to the great exposure we’ve been given, notably by independent retailers.

We’ve come across much enthusiasm out there for the world of aquatics, and we predict Swim is set to make a splash in the sports-magazine market.

Anne Guillot, marketing and circulation executive, GMC Publications

Assistant head of editorial, Kennedy Publishing

THIS WEEK IN MAGAZINES

WOMEN’S WORLD CUP 2023 TRADING CARDS

l The Women’s World Cup kicks off in Australia and New Zealand on 20 July.

l Featuring special material cards plus limitededition lines, every player selected from each team will be available to collect.

ROAR BOTZ

l This collectables launch from Topps features a mash-up of robots and animals, with shoppers able to build up their own Roar Botz army.

l NewsPro anticipates high sales through the summer months for independent stores as the collectables category continues to grow.

POPIN

l This new children’s magazine offers readers adventure and learning, packed full of stories, games, puzzles and craft fun for all the family.

l It boasts a variety of children’s character concepts, and is definitely one to get on your shelves and promote.

DRAGON BALL TRADING CARDS

l The most powerful warriors from four chapters of the long-running franchise have come together for the first time.

l Fans can collect 240 cards, including holographic ones and 12 limited editions.

GOLF MONTHLY

l Golf Monthly is packed with all the information golf players need to improve their game.

l It includes tips, drills and advice from the top Tour Pros and UK’s top coaches, and also features in-depth reviews of the latest equipment on varying budgets.

MATCH OF THE DAY

l Every issue of the bestselling football title is loaded with facts, stats, quizzes, activities, posters and skills advice.

l This edition comes free with a packet of Match Attax trading cards, helping to entice buyers to the magazine.

On sale 29 June

Frequency irregular

Price £1.50, starter packs

£7.99, multipacks £6.99

Distributor Panini

Display with Super Mario Trading Cards

Barcode N/A

On sale 22 June

Frequency irregular

Price £2.99

Distributor Topps

Display with LOL Surprise! We are Queens! Sticker Collection

Barcode N/A

SPECIALIST CHOICE EUGENE DIAMOND, DIAMONDS NEWSAGENTS, BALLYMENA, COUNTY

On sale 22 June

Frequency monthly

Price £5.99

Distributor N/A

Display with Fun To Learn Peppa Pig Barcode N/A

On sale 15 June

Frequency monthly Price £14.99

Distributor Frontline Display with Seymour Barcode 5010791106299

UNCUT: ULTIMATE MUSIC GUIDE

What is it?

These special issues are produced by music magazine Uncut. Each edition has a spotlight on a legendary music star.

Who buys it?

On sale 29 June

Frequency irregular

Price £2.50, starter packs

£7.99

Distributor Panini

Display with Pokémon sticker collections

Barcode N/A

All ages. It is at the high end of the price scale, but people don’t mind because they get 172 pages-worth of content.

Bestsellers Music

On sale 29 June

Frequency monthly

Price £5.50

Distributor Marketforce

Display with Cycling, Boxing News Barcode 9770017181313

On sale 28 June

Frequency weekly

Price £3.99

Distributor Frontline

Display with FourFourTwo Barcode 9771756625090

Partworks and collectables

Inserts weights were unavailable for last weekend’s editions. RN apologises for the disruption.

Scale of third-party advertising insert payments