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 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