Scottish Grocer January 2017

January 2017

HEALTHY New Year HEALTHY New Customers HEALTHY Sales & Profit Want to know how?

Contact Ann on

0131 343 7602

www.EatBetterFeelBetter.co.uk facebook.com/eatbetterscotland

HealthyLiving - SG - Ashley.indd 1

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Run your whole store with one device

PayPoint services, EPOS and card payments all in one device

Visit paypoint.one or talk to your local Territory Development Manager

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contents January 2017

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NEWS 4 Bottle scheme battle 5 Budget cuts business rates 6 Plans for sugar tax 7 Retailer runs 1,000 miles 8 Tobacco update: cigarettes 10 Fewer vacant units 12 Best food sales since 2014 14 SG interview: Imran Saeed 20 Iceland takes on Iceland 22 Awards profile: Dairy Award (independent) 24 Awards profile: Confectionery Retailer of the Year

FEATURES 34 Scottish Speciality Food Show 36 New Year, new fascia/franchise 63 Free from 64 New Year, new shop 74 Burns night 80 Hot beverages 86 Cereal bars 90 Dairy drinks 93 Sugar free 96 Bottled water 98 Spring confectionery

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BUSINESS, PROPERTY AND LEGAL 28 Migration and retail MARKET NEWS 30 Biscuits going mini 31 Saving water 32 Porridge first 33 Chunks of choice January 2017 l

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ArranDistillers - SG - Ashley.indd 1 Arran BurnsAd SLTN 340x245.indd 1

www.robertburnswhisky.com

14/12/2016 09:53 25/11/2015 16:29

EDITOR John McNee 0141 567 6032 john.mcnee@peeblesmedia.com

GROUP ADVERTISING MANAGER Catherine Wheeler 0141 567 6026 catherine.wheeler@peeblesmedia.com

PRODUCTION MANAGER Caroline Maciver 0141 567 6063 caroline.maciver@peeblesmedia.com PRODUCTION ASSISTANTS Claire Alexander 0141 567 6064 claire.alexander@peeblesmedia.com Faye Stacey 0141 567 6042 faye.stacey@peeblesmedia.com

DESIGN MANAGER Linda Park 0141 567 6065 linda.park@peeblesmedia.com ASSISTANT DESIGN MANAGER Ashley Johnston 0141 567 6030 ashley.johnston@peeblesmedia.com

CIRCULATION & SUBSCRIPTIONS Russell Pharo 0141 567 6025 russell.pharo@peeblesmedia.com

Member of the Audit Bureau of Circulations Printed by Headley Brothers Scottish Grocer (monthly) £69.00 (UK), £80.00 (overseas) Enquiries to Russell Pharo russell.pharo@peeblesmedia.com © Peebles Media Group 2017

Peebles Media Group The Albus, 110 Brook St, Glasgow, G40 3AP Telephone: 0141 567 6000 E-mail (advertising): scottishgrocersales@peeblesmedia.com ISSN 1759-1252

welcome Editor’s comment

by John McNee, editor, Scottish Grocer

How did we get here?

Cast your mind back to January 2016 and ask yourself if you would have believed then that in just 12 months we would find ourselves in the predicament we’re in now.

A United Kingdom on the verge of withdrawing from the European Union.

Donald Trump about to assume the office of President of the United States of America. And Scottish Grocer magazine in the hands of John McNee. Who could have foreseen that?

The world, as the past year has proven, can be an unpredictable place.

Change happens, whether we’re ready for it or not. In the world of convenience retail, it can happen very suddenly indeed.

The most successful retailers are often the most adaptable. They do their best to keep on top of trends and, when the market shifts, so do they. In this issue, we feature a number of retailers changing the way they do business.

There’s Tarun Thapar of Knightswood Newsagent, investing in a refit so that he can move away from news and mags, and offer more grocery and soft drinks.

There’s Shahid Parvez and his family, who have stepped away from c-stores and thrown all they’ve got into the burgeoning world foods market, with the launch of their new business.

There are numerous stories, within the pages of our New Year, New Fascia/Franchise feature, from retailers making new connections to develop their stores.

And then there’s Imran Saeed, of Duns News Plus, who would much rather change career altogether.

When I spoke to Imran, he complained that, in his opinion, the trade press is much too positive, that we give too much attention to retailers who are doing well, providing an inaccurate picture of the real hardship faced by the independent sector. I’ll make no comment on that except to say my email is john.mcnee@peeblesmedia.com, my number is 0141 567 6032, you can follow me on Twitter (@ScotGrocerEd) and if, like Imran, you have something to say, I’d like to hear it.

Scottish Grocer is a source for the latest news affecting the industry and a conduit through which suppliers can promote products and offer category advice. But it is also a platform for retailers across Scotland to make their voices heard. My aim for 2017 is to ensure that we hear from as many of those voices as possible.

After all, in this world of constant change, there’s only ever one thing you can truly rely on: people. We should never lose sight of that.

Happy New Year and have a great January.

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news

Do you have a star in your store?

WITH nominations in and the judging underway for the majority of categories in the 2017 Scottish Grocer Awards, nominations have now opened for the final very special category: Employee of the Year, sponsored by The National Lottery.

Entry is open to all staff members below the level of store manager in independent and symbol stores and co-ops.

Store owners or managers can suggest any employee for the award.

The judges will be looking for enthusiasm, dedication and responsibility.

So, if you have someone working in

Germans putting bottles back into bottles Occus voluptas dem

GERMAN consumers are recycling more thanks to a bottle deposit scheme, says a report from plastic packaging group Forum PET. In news that could interest campaigners for and opponents of a similar scheme proposed for Scotland, 93.5% of all PET bottles in the country and 97.9% of one-way deposit PET bottles are now being recycled, says the report.

Dr Isabell Schmidt, director of Forum PET, said: “PET bottles take the lion’s share in recycling rates compared to other forms of packaging.

“Consumers keep the material cycle running at a high level by returning bottles, much to the benefit of the environment.”

And her organisation’s figures show that 34% of all recycling in Germany is made up of PET bottles.

She added: “The year 2015 saw PET bottles containing an average of 26% recycled materials compared to 24% in 2013.”

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your shop who combines responsible retailing with an enthusiasm for selfimprovement through training and is always willing to go the extra mile for the store and your customers, enter online at www.scottishgrocer.co.uk.

Nominations close on Friday 19 January and short-listed nominees will be visited in their places of work by the judging panel, representing the sponsor and Scottish Grocer with an independent industry expert, by the middle of February.

The final three nominees will be invited to the awards event in March for the announcement of the overall winner.

The Scottish Grocer Award for Employee of the Year 2016 went to Katherine MacDonald of Spar, Polbeth, West Lothian.

Lochhead takes deposit campaign to Holyrood Former minister sponsors deposit scheme event

Richard Lochhead MSP says lessons should be learned from the carrier bag charge and make bottles worth something to the consumer.

FORMER environment minister Richard Lochhead is leading calls for the creation of a Bottle Deposit Return scheme with the support of Scottish and international pressure groups.

The SNP MSP for Moray took his case to Holyrood in December, sponsoring a presentation from John Mayhew, director of the Association for the Protection of Rural Scotland.

The APRS has been campaigning for a bottle deposit scheme and says its research shows that almost eight out of ten consumers support the idea.

And international environmental group Greenpeace has launched a petition for a new bottle return scheme saying that a recent poll showed that 93% of people in Scotland are concerned about the effect of plastic litter in

the ocean on marine wildlife and birds.

AG Barr was the last manufacturer to scrap its bottle deposit scheme in 2015 saying that having peaked at a return rate of 99% in the 1950s, less than 53% of bottles were being returned in the 21st century.

A spokesperson said: “We believe the focus should remain on continuing to educate the public on the importance of recycling and changing consumer behaviour in relation to litter.”

John Mayhew said the APRS began its campaign because it is sick of the sight of litter in the countryside and Richard Lochhead added: “The lesson learned from the carrier bag charge is that if we attach a value to something like empty cans and bottles, which have become such a blight, people will be less likely to throw them away.

“It doesn’t take long for the public to show support for a policy which makes a real difference.”

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Budget brings better news Industry bodies welcome business rates reduction RETAIL bodies in Scotland were broadly happy with the preliminary Scottish budget announced by finance secretary Derek Mackay in December and particularly welcomed the changes to business rates.

Mackay exercised new powers to reduce business rates poundage by 3.7% to 46.6p.

He also announced that the threshold for the large business supplement will be increased to £51,000 restricting liability to the very largest businesses and excluding 8,000 business properties.

And he decided against increasing income tax rates.

Pete Cheema, chief executive of the Scottish Grocer’s Federation said: “These are exactly the measures we have argued for. We made the case for these measures when the cabinet secretary attended our cross party group meeting in November. ”

Mackay used new powers to reduce business rate poundage.

Cheema added that the SGF will encourage opposition MSPs to support these measures when the draft budget goes to a parliamentary vote.

Scottish Retail Consortium director David Lonsdale said the SRC had asked the Scottish Government to prioritise economic growth by not hitting retailers with increased costs and he said it looked like the finance secre-

tary had taken that to heart.

He continued: “Retailers will be supportive of much of what was announced today, although as ever they will reserve full judgement until all the detail becomes clear.

“The government is right not to increase income tax rates. Taking almost £500m out of the pockets of consumers would have been damaging to the Scottish economy at a time when inflation and council tax are rising.”

Lonsdale sees the decision to continue matching the headline poundage rate in England as sensible, but is disappointed that this year’s doubling of the large business rates supplement has not been reversed.

He said: “The doubling of the supplement took no account of trading conditions, which makes it all the more pressing that the Barclay Review of Rates delivers a modern rates regime.”

Pat puts down his editor’s pen THERE was laughter among the sadness as Peebles Media Group said goodbye to one of the team’s longest serving members.

Colleagues gathered to party with Patrick Duffy, managing editor of Scottish Grocer, who retired in November.

Patrick was with the company 33 years, and will continue to assist with the Scottish Grocer Awards.

Patrick’s farewell gifts included whisky, Royal Concert Hall vouchers, a Montblanc pen and a personalised bottle of Irn-Bru.

McColl’s takes over Co-op store estate THE Co-op has been given the go-ahead to sell 298 c-stores to McColl’s Retail Group.

The Competition and Markets Authority gave the all clear for the £117m deal in December.

And 3,800 staff employed in the stores will transfer to McColl’s on the same terms.

The chief executive of McColl’s, Jonathan Miller, said: “We are delighted that the CMA has approved our acquisition of these quality convenience stores.

“This is a transformational deal, which substantially accelerates our growth strategy and expands our neighbourhood presence for the benefit of our customers.”

Co-op chief executive Steve Murrells said the stores being sold did not allow it to provide a suitable own-brand range for its members.

The stores being sold have an average size of 1,700 sq ft, below the Co-op’s ideal sized store of between 3,000 and 3,500 sq ft.

Energy help RENEWABLE energy company Good Energy has launched a new online platform, allowing businesses to choose where their energy comes from.

The Selectricity platform matches businesses with local renewable energy generators to help give them more control.

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news

Scotmid’s Malcolm Brown and Patricia Edington receive the award from St Andrew’s First Aid’s Stuart Callison.

Scotmid named charity champs SCOTMID Co-operative has celebrated being named St Andrew’s First Aid’s firstever ‘Charity Champion’ BEST-IN, the own-label by announcing 15 new range from Bestway bikes will beisdonated Wholesale, runningto a the charity’s Cycle Patrol team. promotion till 31 January The association between offering independent the co-operative and St t on retailers up to 80% profi Andrew’s return, onFirst overAid 300started lines in in when the society its2015 product range. announced it would fund All promotional lines in the new volunteer Family Fortuneuniforms promotion for years funds arethree available viawith Bestway raised the sale Direct,from Bestway andof Batleys single-use carrier websites, the newbags.

Bestway Scotmid Co-operative’s Head of Corporate Communications Malcolm Brown said: “Scotmid Cooperative are absolutely delighted to have received such a prestigious award.”

Ignam, cum am veris id

Sugar tax draft law published THE Westminster Government has published draft legislation on a sugar levy scheduled to come into force from April 2018.

Under the proposed legislation, soft drinks producers will pay an additional levy on non–alcoholic beverages containing added sugar at a quantity of five grams per 100ml or greater.

Though the levy rate was not included in the draft, it has been speculated that it is likely to be 18p per litre for drinks with more than 5g of sugar per 100ml and 24p per litre for drinks with more than 8g per 100ml. In effect this means a 330ml can of Irn-Bru, Pepsi or Coca-Cola would attract an additional 8p tax.

The draft legislation was produced following consultation with key stakeholders, which found 95% of medical and health bodies in favour of the levy, while 78% of manufacturers and associated trade bodies

were opposed to the move, according to the government.

Gavin Partington, director general of the British Soft Drinks Association, said: “Evidence worldwide does not suggest that taxes of this sort have any impact on levels of obesity.

“In 2013, Denmark scrapped its fat tax because of its economic impact and abandoned plans for a tax on sugar. Evidence from France shows that while sales of

soft drinks initially fell after a tax was introduced in 2012 they have increased since.”

Jane Ellison, financial secretary to the Treasury, said the soft drinks levy will form a “central pillar” in the government’s plan to tackle childhood obesity.

“We recognise the work of market-leading companies, and acknowledge the investment costs associated with reformulation work,” she said.

Cross Party Group piles on the pressure THE increasing financial pressure on retailers was the focus of the first official meeting of the Cross Party Group on Independent Convenience Stores, held at the Scottish Parliament in November.

Cabinet Secretary for the Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Keith Brown MSP, spoke on the Scottish Government’s approach to supporting business before taking questions from the crowd.

Subjects under discussion included the increase in the National Living Wage, National Insurance, auto-enrolment pensions, business rates and the cumulative impact on Scotland’s small businesses, particularly those in rural communities.

Brown also agreed to facilitate a meeting between the group’s representatives and the Westminster Government, so 6l

that they could speak to power on nondevolved matters.

SGF’s head of policy John Lee said: “I think that’s a big commitment and a real achievement for the group at this early stage.”

The group will meet again on 17 January.

• SGF chief executive Pete Cheema sent out a personal end-of-year report to all the federation’s retail and corporate members highlighting “a year of real achievement” in 2016.

“Many of our achievements this year have been made possible by investing time and resources in the ‘creating effective partnerships’ strand of our public affairs strategy,” said Cheema.

“I believe that we have delivered on behalf of this trade in 2016. We will build on this is 2017 and are committed to demonstrating real value to our retail and corporate members.

“We will continue to invest in both technology and people in 2017 and ensure our events offer something practical to retailers. We are looking forward to new challenges and opportunities in 2017.”

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Bruce hits 1,000 Bestway launches advice programme BESTWAY Wholesale has launched a new category management programme to help independent retailers develop their core categories.

The initiative, which includes print and online resources, offers independent category advice, planograms, muststock lines and sales insight to help retailers stock and display the best range for their stores.

They can be found at bestway.co.uk/categoryadvice and batleys.co.uk/ categoryadvice

BROWNLIE’s of Biggar retailer Bruce Morgan has raised £2,500 for McMillan Cancer Support by running 1,000 miles in a year.

Bruce and his wife Donna support the cancer charity at their award-winning c-store and, as well as having collection boxes on the counter, they like to complete a special challenge to boost funds every year.

One year Donna participated in the Glasgow to Edinburgh cycle and in 2016 Bruce set himself the 1,000-mile challenge.

Shortly after Bruce crossed the final finishing line to take his total past the target, Donna said: “Part of the challenge was that he had to do one organised race every month throughout the

year. This started in the snow in Carlisle in January, took in a race up the hills in Crieff and the Edinburgh marathon among others, before finishing among 7,500 Santas in the Glasgow Santa Dash in December.”

But it hasn’t been a case of the

loneliness of the long distance runner for Bruce. Donna has been at every event, carrying the bag and shouting encouragement, while sons Stewart, 9, and Ewan, 8, took to the field with their dad for the final event in December.

Donna said: “It was tough for him at times, in the very cold weather in November and the dark nights in October but he persevered and completed it.”

Donna said she is very proud of Bruce for the achievement but laughed that she hadn’t seen his trainers since he crossed the line in Glasgow.

Donna and Bruce are now looking for a new challenge to help raise more funds in 2017.

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news: tobacco update

Be compliant Retailers are advised to prepare now for EUTPD2

Companies lose plain packs battle THE Court of Appeal has dismissed a case brought by some of Britain’s largest tobacco companies over the Westminster Government’s plain packaging rules.

In its decision handed down in November, the court dismissed all appeals brought by British American Tobacco, JTI, Imperial Brands and several paper manufacturers.

The companies argued the law unlawfully deprives them of their intellectual property by banning the use of all marketing on packages, including logos, colours and special fonts.

They initially challenged the rules in the High Court in May 2016 but lost the case, with Judge Justice Green calling the legislation “valid and lawful in all respects”.

WITH plain packs now filtering through to gantries across the country, tobacco firms are advising retailers to prepare for the next big change on the way – the loss of small packs.

From 20 May, in line with European legislation, retailers will only be allowed to sell cigarettes in packs of 20 or more.

Imperial Tobacco has been working to communicate the changes on the horizon through its Partnering for Success platform, which includes regularly updated START packs.

The next round of START pack updates will be sent to retailers this month, and will help to identify which compliant tobacco products are likely to be suitable for smokers who have previously purchased small pack formats.

The update will also provide independent retailers with a clear stock management and stock rotation guide, to help them minimise the risks of having noncompliant stock come 20 May. “It’s a ‘one brand, one shelf ’ technique that works by anchoring brands in the same position on the gantry, making them easier and quicker to find,” said An-

The transition from regular packs to plain packs is already well underway and firms are now advising retailers to prepare for 20 May.

drew Miller, head of field sales at Imperial Tobacco UK. “As the changes are currently underway, we’re encouraging our retailers to begin to adopt this solution now – to get used to it while they still have branded stock on shelves.”

Jeremy Blackburn, head of communication at JTI, reckons there’s enough change going on without retailers needing to change their gantries.

The company has most recent-

ly been focusing on making consumers aware of the changes through the mainstream press and packchanges.co.uk.

“That’s been really important, because retailers were telling us consumer awareness was really low,” said Blackburn. “We’ve got 180 reps across the UK visiting stores every six to eight weeks.

Conversations will be taking place about what retailers need to do next and best practice in terms of selling through stock.”

Philip Morris plans to ‘replace cigarettes’ TOBACCO giant Philip Morris has said it aims to bring an end to the days of people smoking cigarettes, with the launch of a new ‘smokeless’ system.

IQOS is an electronic device that heats specially-designed tobacco sticks at temperatures well below combustion levels. As it heats but does not burn tobacco, IQOS generates no smoke or ash but a flavourful vapour containing nicotine, which the company says does not adversely affect indoor air quality and produces less smell than cigarette smoke.

Philip Morris UK and Ireland managing 8l

The new IQOS system from Philip Morris.

director Martin Inkster said: “The UK launch of IQOS marks a major milestone towards achieving our objective, in the

UK and globally, to replace cigarettes with non-combustible alternatives to the benefit of adult smokers, our company and wider society.

“Our goal is to convert existing adult legal age smokers to these products and we have every intention of using today’s highly efficient distribution and retail networks once a meaningful consumer demand exists.”

Launched at a dedicated store in London, Philip Morris UK said it will be developing plans to distribute the product wider in 2017 and eventually nationwide.

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news

Fewer shops now vacant Scottish shopping centres worst hit in Britain ● Dundee and Brechin lead empty space charts ● Research suggests that business rates will impede new stores from opening in Scotland’s high streets, despite the country showing strong potential for growth.

Scotland in top four for growth SCOTLAND offers great growth potential for retailers but business rates are likely to hit investment on the high street, according to a recent survey on behalf of law firm TLT. The research, carried out

by Conlumino, revealed that travel hubs are seen to have the best growth prospects and the ability to support click and collect services plays a part in increased investment.

And Scotland was identified as one of four regions, along with the South West of England, the West Midlands and London, as having potential for more shops.

Head of retail and consumer goods at TLT, Perran Jervis, said: “Developments like the £41m Edinburgh Gateway and Dundee Station will attract investment from retailers given the fit with their priorities to meet changes in the way people shop.”

But he added: “Business rates will likely hit investment in the high street, with 44% of retailers planning to reduce the number of new store openings as a direct result.”

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LESS of Scotland’s town centre retail and leisure units were lying empty at the end of 2016 than four years earlier, says the Local Data Company.

In its latest report, compiled with the Institute for Retail Studies, University of Stirling, LDC reveals that the national vacancy rate of these units had fallen to 11.7% from 13% in 2012.

This is the fourth consecutive year that the figure has dropped.

The report also reveals that while retail park vacancy for the whole of the GB has fallen, Scotland has the highest rate, remaining at 7.8%.

Scottish shopping centres have the highest vacancy rates across the country at 16.9% but this is a decrease from 17.6% last year.

At its height in 2013 Scottish shopping centre vacancy stood at 18.8%.

Among Scotland’s cities, Dundee has the highest vacancy rate at 22% and Brechin has the highest vacancy rate for a Scottish town at 24%.

Inverness was the only Scottish

Professor Leigh Sparks: “Cities are leading the way and identifying the appropriate mix of retail and leisure that may play a role in retaining footfall across cities and towns.”

city to not experience an increase in its vacancy rate, with a drop of 2.9%.

Longniddry in East Lothian has the lowest vacancy rate at 0% while East Kilbride, with a reduction of 16% in its vacant units, recorded the biggest improvement.

Professor Leigh Sparks, Institute for Retail Studies, University of Stirling, said: “Since 2013, Scottish ‘all vacancy’ has reduced from 12.4% to 11.7%.

This is reflective of broad economic changes as well as local restructuring within cities and towns.”

Over 4,000 retail jobs lost A report from the Scottish Government says the total number of jobs in the retail industry in Scotland fell by 4,360 between 2014 and 2016, including the loss of almost 1,100 in the 12 months to March 2016.

The Business in Scotland report puts the number of people employed in retail in Scotland at

252,400 in March last year.

David Lonsdale, director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, said: “Retail remains Scotland’s largest private sector employer but these new figures highlight the impact that profound structural, economic and regulatory change is having on the industry.

“This is being driven by chang-

es in shopping habits, stiff competition, and burgeoning government-imposed regulatory costs including the new national living wage, apprenticeship levy, and escalating business rates.”

Lonsdale added that the SRC expects the apprenticeship levy to cost retailers in Scotland around £12m a year.

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Chicken Chargrills come in convenient packs of two portions, and are available in two delicious flavours: Original and Barbecue.

These versatile 100% chicken breast fillets can be heated in the microwave and are a quick and easy solution for any mealtime. Add to a creamy pasta dish, serve with a salad, or make a delicious burger in a flash.

Contact our commercial team to stock up now: 07342 083 744 moyparkchicken.com #sharethegoodness

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news

Three months of growing sales Total food sales record their best quarterly performance and best 12-month average since 2014

Smith chooses Menzies

FOLLOWING three successive months of year-on-year growth, total food sales in November 2016 helped take the threemonth average to its highest since January 2014 and contributed to the best 12-month average since September 2014. This is revealed in the latest report from Scottish Retail Consortium KPMG Retail Sales Monitor.

The monthly figure for total food sales was flat against November 2015, declining by 2.2%.

This contributed to a threemonth average increase of 0.4% and brought the 12-month decline to 0.8%.

In the same month, total nonfood sales declined by 2.7% compared to November 2015 but, when adjusted for the estimated effect of online sales, total nonfood sales are judged to have increased by 1.1% against November 2015.

Scottish Retail Consortium director David Lonsdale said: “To-

WHSMITH has selected Menzies Distribution to provide retail logistics for all of its UK stores.

The partnership will see Menzies Distribution operate from the three WHSmith distribution centres in Birmingham, Swindon and Dunstable as well as delivering to stores from its own depots.

Food sales in November were flat against November 2015 while total Scottish sales declined by 1.5% against the same month a year earlier.

tal retail sales in Scotland recorded a third successive month of real-terms positive growth, albeit at a pace less marked than in October. This promising news was underpinned by further improvements in grocery sales, which grew for a third month in a row.”

Lonsdale said that Black Friday online sales had helped boost the non-food figures and that

this demonstrated a “continuing move towards online shopping.”

Looking ahead, he added: “The signs for 2017 are less positive. Both retailers and consumers will be concerned by potential headwinds which could see household disposable incomes squeezed; notably forecasts about rising inflation and planned increases in council tax.”

PayPoint publishes profits

PAYPOINT has reported a rise in profit of almost 16% for the six months to 30 September 2016.

The bill payment service said adjusted half-year operating profit before impairment charges 12 l

rose to £24.7m, growing from £21.3m a year earlier.

It reported that although revenue reduced by 1.1%, adjusted operating profits increased by 15.6% leaving it with a balance sheet showing cash of £49.6m and an undrawn credit facility of £45m.

Chief executive Dominic Taylor said: “Overall results are in line with our expectations.

“The commercial trials of our new PayPoint One terminal and

Core EPOS were successfully concluded with the official launch in September. The platform has been well received and will enable us to drive further growth in retail services which is central to our strategy.”

Taylor said the company expects to have PayPoint One in around 4,000 sites by the end of the financial year.

He added that a main focus in the future will be implementing organisational improvements and process efficiencies to improve its retailer offering.

One stop for learning SYMBOL group One Stop has created an e-learning tool kit for its franchisees.

The programme has been designed to ensure that franchisees and their store teams are compliant with Trading Standards and current UK retail legislation.

It also looks at issues such as how to hold on to staff.

President Ash ASH Amirahmadi, senior vice president of sales at Arla Foods UK, has been elected chairman of The Dairy Council.

He said: “It is a privilege to take on the role of chairman of this organisation which has a proud record in communicating the many benefits of dairy.”

Gavin steps in GAVIN Darby, chief executive of Premier Foods, has been elected Food and Drink Federation President 2017.

Among his duties he will chair the FDF executive committee.

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Stock the range in store now!

For category advice go to www.deliciousdisplay.co.uk

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news: sg interview

Market news EXTRA

Winery marks three decades PERTHSHIRE fruit winery Cairn O’Mohr is celebrating its 30th year of wine making in Scotland with a new design for its bottles.

The Errol-based business, owned by Ron and Judith Gillies, has been making berry wines since 1987.

Evolving their Celtic designs, the new labels include an updated graphic of the Cairn O’Mohr peacock.

“We can’t believe we have made it to such a significant milestone,” said Ron. “We are excited to see the new bottles hit the shelves.”

“Where’s our Living Wage?”

Frustrated retailer Imran Saeed hopes he can secure some positive changes for convenience retailers as part of the Cross Party Group at Holyrood – before he leaves the trade for good ONE of the most memorable moments of the recent meeting of the Cross Party Group on Independent Convenience Stores at Holyrood was when Imran Saeed, of Duns News Plus, raised his hand to speak.

Intending to ask a question of Keith Brown, the Cabinet Secretary for Economy, Jobs and Fair Work, Imran spoke passionately for over five minutes about the increasing pressures piled upon small businesses, from the increase in wage costs, to banking, to business rates.

“And I didn’t even talk about what I wanted to talk about,” he told Scottish Grocer.

An outspoken critic of PayPoint, Imran was invited to attend the CPG meeting by SGF president Abdul Majid, after the pair clashed on the PayPoint Pay Fair page on Facebook.

“I hate PayPoint. That’s what I went to speak about. I really don’t like the way they treat us,” he said. “But in the context of the meeting I couldn’t bring that up.

Imran Saeed: “I hate PayPoint. That’s what I went to speak about. I really don’t like the way they treat us.”

We had to ask questions, which is why my question was ‘where’s our living wage?’.

“As retailers, we’re expected to

Gruffalo joins the pack YORKSHIRE Tea has replaced the Yorkshire landscape on its packaging with the Gruffalo’s Child as part of the brand’s ongoing partnership with the children’s book character and the Woodland Trust.

The limited-edition design, launching this month, is part of Yorkshire Tea’s campaign to plant one million trees.

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Imran Saeed’s store in Duns, Berwickshire was purchased by his father in 1999. While it has been a great business, lately times have been hard.

pay a living wage to our employees, but we don’t get the same consideration.”

Imran said neither he nor his father (who owns the business) had known the trade to be so difficult as it is today.

“When Dad first came here his task was to get the takings up. He got up to £20,000 a week without alcohol or groceries. He was always innovating, but trends change. And we’re not making money like that any more, while our costs just keep going up.

“The recession didn’t hit us that hard in Duns. You won’t find a shop here that’s closed, but the majority of them will not be paying rates, because they’re un-

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20/12/2016 15:14

Advertorial

Innovate, motivate and grow IN a fiercely competitive marketplace, where productivity is paramount, workplace innovation can make the difference between success and failure.

Though you could be forgiven for thinking workplace innovation is about seeking out crazy ideas, in truth it is simply about a company making the best use of its greatest asset – its people.

To reach its full potential a company must ensure it is making the most of its employees, enabling them to utilise their skills, experience and creativity in their everyday tasks.

Research has shown that increasing employee motivation and wellbeing within the workplace plays an important role in reducing employee stress, enhancing job satisfaction and wellbeing, improving mental health and increasing retention.

Beyond that, a company willing to invest in workplace innovation can improve productivity and profitability, as has been the case for Joseph Robertson.

A fourth generation, family-owned business based in Ab-

ScottishEnterprise - SG - Ashley.indd 1

erdeen, Joseph Robertson has completely reinvented itself over the last eight years.

Originally providing frozen fish to the food service market, it now supplies a range of chilled products to retailers across the UK, including supermarket own-label brands and its own Swankies and Get Hooked brands.

The business has gone through a transformation that has seen turnover go from £8m to £32m, while jobs have increased from 50 to 225.

Ryan Robertson, great-greatgrandson of the company’s founder, is certain the transformation wouldn’t have been possible without workplace innovation – and the assistance of Scottish Enterprise.

“We’re quite a small business in terms of this industry. Being family owned we don’t have the same capabilities or resources as some of the big guys like Young’s and Birds Eye. We have to do something different to stand out and establish ourselves in the market,” he said.

“One thing we pride ourselves

on as a business is our ability to be innovative, creating new products to take into the marketplace.

We’re always on the lookout for new ideas, trying to be first to market with new innovations that set us apart.

“Scottish Enterprise have been working pretty closely with us for the last 15 years or so and the growth of the business is down in part to the programmes they have created for us.”

Ryan entered the business four years ago, working his way through the departments, and last year participated in the company’s Management Development Programme, organised by Scottish Enterprise, which aims to give ambitious and talented young middle managers the tools and mentoring to reach senior management level.

“It was probably a year that the whole course lasted, during which we were set goals and targets, and working on a combined project for the business that we could implement to try to bring value to it,” said Ryan.

“The biggest thing that we got out of the programme was a sense of common shared values.

It’s helped everyone in the group grow within their roles and realise how key they are to the success of the business.

“Being in Aberdeen, we have to compete with the big salaries in the oil and gas industry. But this programme has helped us to hold onto everyone and keep progressing their careers while

moving the business forward. It’s definitely been a worthwhile programme.”

The company was recognised for its efforts with the Investing in Skills Development Award at 2016’s annual Grampian Food Forum Awards. And Ryan reckons it’s a model that could easily be employed elsewhere.

“A lot of the skills and one-onone mentoring involved in the programme would, I think, be very useful to a lot of other businesses,” he said.

“What it shows is a willingness to invest in the future. Times are tough right now, but it’s important for businesses not to be scared, to put investment in now to get reward for it further down the line.

“We’ve seen growth year on year for the past 10 years and the support mechanism Scottish Enterprise provides has definitely played a key role in how our business has been able to adapt.

“We’re trying to stay ahead of the market and the fact we’re a relatively small business, compared to the main players in our industry, means we’re always forced to try to look one step ahead. With funds, resources and the knowledge they’ve been able to pass on, Scottish Enterprise has allowed us to do that.”

To find out more about workplace innovation and the support available visit www. scottish-enterprise.com/ workplace-innovation

12/12/2016 15:44

news: sg interview

der the threshold. We’re over the threshold so we have to pay £6,000 a year. We’ve been to appeals, but it’s a waste of time.

“We try and do things the right way and just get more obstacles thrown at us. The local Co-op has more footfall, a bigger store and 50 dedicated parking spaces, but somehow I’m paying more than them per square metre. Where’s the fairness in that?”

It isn’t only the council that Imran feels has piled the pressure on. The banks too, he says, have been less than helpful.

“Banks are definitely an issue. They make out that they’ve set so much aside for loans for small businesses. But they’re giving nothing. All they’re doing is turning overdrafts into loans.

“At one time we had an overdraft for £30,000 and we needed that. Businesses rely on overdrafts. And they’re killing us by taking them away. How we’ve survived, I don’t know.”

These are issues he raised at the CPG, and was broadly happy with the response he received.

“The cabinet secretary seemed quite knowledgeable on the trade and I liked that,” he said.

However, as a member of the CPG on Convenience Stores and the Economy, he will be returning to Holyrood this month, when he aims to get stuck into the subject of PayPoint.

“Everyone complains about PayPoint, but you have to actu-

Though ostensibly a CTN, Duns News Plus pays £6,000 a year in business rates. As well as selling news, tobacco, snacks and confectionery, it offers hardware, household goods and a wide selection of wool.

ally do something,” he said. “We got rid of ours in August. There’s no point just talking about it.

“The point about it is it’s a loss maker. We collected £81,000 for them last year. Our commission was only £963. And for every £100 in that £81,000 we’re charged 55p. As a retailer, you’re not making any money. You’re expected to make that back from the footfall, but that’s nonsense.”

Imran believes that to make the service fair for retailers, commission should be uncapped, banking the money should be free and charges for terminals, broadband and termination should be re-

moved – an argument he has so far failed to win with PayPoint.

After missing two Direct Debit payments last year, Imran said PayPoint threatened to terminate his contract, so he let them.

“That’s what I tell people now.

If you’re worried about breaking your contract, just miss a couple of Direct Debits and they’ll break it for you. It’s made no difference to our takings.”

Imran admits he might be feeling a bit braver than some retailers because he has one eye on the exit. Duns News Extra is currently on the market and he is hoping to start a new career as a private-

hire taxi driver.

However, while he’s still in the convenience trade, he’s willing to do everything he can to help the CPG with its aims – and bringing his gripes with PayPoint to the attention of parliament.

“I honestly don’t know what we might achieve,” he said. “It was a really good meeting. At least they’re listening. But we’ve got to get the point across that small businesses are being ignored.

“People aren’t willing to speak up. I’m more than happy to speak up, but then I’m leaving the trade. And I wouldn’t come back to it.”

Grocer Company auction raises £1,300 THE Scottish Food Trade Association held its 127th annual members dinner in Glasgow in November. Speaking at the dinner this year was Tam Cowan, who suggested a charity auction in support of the Grocer Company of Glasgow, who were the sponsor charity for the dinner.

Bidding for a chance to join Tam on one of his popular restaurant reviews, members engaged enthusiastically and following a three-way battle between Stuart McGhee of D. 16 l

McGhee & Sons, Allan Jess of A.P. Jess group and Keith Rataj of Quality Foods (Aberdeen) the winning bid came from Keith Rataj who, along with a guest, will enjoy Tam’s company at a restaurant of their choice.

Following a meeting of the directors of the Grocer Company it was agreed that the full amount be donated to the Radio Clyde Cash for Kids appeal, providing an estimated 32,000 grants for hot meals for kids in and around Glasgow over Christmas.

Colin Millar (left), clerk of the Grocer Company of Glasgow and David Blackwood (right), preses of the Grocer Company of Glasgow present the cheque for £1,300 to Alan Edwards of the Clyde2 Breakfast Show.

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20/12/2016 14:23

ForumInsurance - SG - Ashley.indd 1

19/12/2016 12:39

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GrocerAwardsDPS2017 - SG - Ashley.indd 1

14/12/2016 10:46

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GrocerAwardsDPS2017 - SG - Ashley.indd 2

14/12/2016 10:46

news

Own label bouys up supermarkets Lanarkshire is to be the home of the new distribution centre.

Aldi is the only retailer to record double digit growth

Lidl moves to Eurocentral

PREMIUM own-label products bucked the supermarket trend ahead of the 2016 festive season, recording a 13% year-on-year increase in sales against continued slow growth for supermarkets overall, according to market researcher Kantar Worldpanel.

With year-on-year supermarket sales up by 0.7% for the 12 weeks ending 4 December, Aldi was the only retailer to record double-digit sales growth over the period covered.

Its premium Specially Selected brand helped the discounter increase sales by 10% year on year and took its share of the grocery market up to 6.2%.

Iceland was the next fastest growing retailer with an 8.6% rise in sales to give it 2.2% of the market.

Among the giants, Tesco saw the volume of its sales grow faster that its value.

Its value sales grew by 1.6% to increase its market share to 28.3%.

At Sainsbury’s, sales fell by 0.6%, and its market share fell by

LIDL is creating a new Scottish distribution centre on a 50-acre site at Eurocentral alongside the M8 in Lanarkshire.

The discounter will be operating from the Titan 122,000 sq ft building within Eurocentral until its 624,000 sq ft premises is built.

Adrienne Howells, head of warehouse expansion at Lidl, said: “We are delighted to have sourced such a property so close to where our warehousing operation will eventually be based.”

Private review SOLUTIONS 4 Retail Brands has produced a review of the retail sector during its 10 years of activity.

It is available at http:// www.s4rb.com/a-review-of10-years-in-private-brandretail/

Tesco maintains its place as the market leader but its volumes are increasing faster than its sales value.

0.2 percentage points to 16.5%.

Asda sales continued to drop, but the decrease of 4.7% was slightly slower than in previous months.

Morrisons sales declined by 1.4%, but, over the period surveyed, it recorded its highest ever online sales.

Head of retail and consumer insight at Kantar Fraser McKevitt

said: “Despite widespread anticipation of higher prices shoppers are yet to feel the pinch of rising inflation, with a typical basket of everyday groceries 0.1% cheaper than this time last year.

“Top-tier private label finds its way into 12% of shopping trips, with 88% of consumers now buying from these lines.

“In the past 12 weeks, 6.3% of own-label purchases were from premium lines such as Tesco Finest and Sainsbury’s Taste the Difference, well ahead of the 5.7% recorded last year.”

Nielsen research for a similar 12-week period found that, after a brief recovery, UK supermarket sales fell for the first time in five months.

It says the value of general merchandise fell by 4.3% and that even the discounters were feeling the pinch with Aldi’s annual growth dropping to 8.5% and Lidl’s falling dramatically to 2.7%.

And Nielsen figures reveal that 29% of supermarket sales during the period were on promotions.

It’s Iceland vs Iceland The country is arguing that the supermarket name is deceptive THE government of the Nordic island Iceland has launched legal action against the British retailer that uses the same name.

The country is challenging Iceland Foods’ exclusive ownership of the European-wide trademark registration for the word Iceland which it says is preventing companies from the island from promoting goods and services abroad.

Susan Sneddon, a director in 20 l

the intellectual property and technology team at Scottish law firm Maclay Murray and Spens, said: “It will be interesting to see how the dispute plays out.

“Trade mark law protects against the registration of trade marks in various circumstances.

These include where the trade mark consists of a sign that designates a geographical origin, where the trade mark deceives the public as to the origin of the

supermarket’s goods and services and where the trade mark does not have distinctive character.

“The Icelandic government is alleging that the supermarket’s trade marks will confuse the public into thinking the supermarket’s goods come from Iceland.”

She added: “It appears that this may be driven by the fact that the supermarket is opposing a number of trade mark applications made by Icelandic companies for

trade marks including the word Iceland.”

Iceland Foods was founded in 1970 and operates more than 800 stores with 23,000 staff across the UK and once had Icelandic majority shareholders.

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20/12/2016 12:34

Advertorial

A new day for healthy living ONE day can change the way convenience store customers think about healthy food.

In the years since its creation, the SGF Healthy Living programme has achieved significant success in encouraging the promotion of healthier food in Scotland’s independent and symbol stores.

Supported by the Scottish Government, it is recognised as an essential part of the drive to improve the diet, health and wellbeing of the Scottish nation.

In 2017, the programme aims to reach more consumers (particularly those in economically deprived areas), taking the concept of Eat Better Feel Better to many more food and drink categories and fixtures.

And key to its success will be the participation of retailers, who in 2016 helped to break new ground in the campaign.

The SGF Healthy Living Programme is well known for its branding and pointof-sale material, drawing attention to healthier products like fruit and vegetables. Last year it expanded its scope, supporting in-store activities that captured the imaginations of shoppers in numerous participating stores across the country.

Among these is the Big Breakfast, which sees stores (such as Broadway Premier in Oxgangs) partnering with local schools to ensure all the pupils receive a healthy breakfast, highlighting its importance to parents and children.

And it’s had its own ‘spin-off’ with the development of Healthy Living Day, an in-store event in which retailers offer free samples of healthy food to their customers. With support and information provided by the Programme, and the opportunity to offer promotions and boost sales, the event has proved very popular with the retailers who have already taken part.

“The Healthy Living Day is something I’d like to see develop more this year,” said SGF Healthy Living Programme director Ross Kerr. “We want to do a lot more work with individual stores to help them develop an interest within their community in what is and is not healthy.”

Though the Programme has made great strides in raising the prominence of fruit

and veg in Scotland’s c-stores, the aim now is to spread the message that there is much more to a healthy diet.

“We’ve already worked with a few shops to go through the different categories and identify what would fulfil the Scottish Government’s definition of the word ‘healthy’,” said Ross. “If you go into cereals, for instance, porridge oats would be one, Weetabix another and so on.

You then go to the likes of pasta, breads, pulses, and there are products within those categories that would pass.

“We can either group these products together in their own ‘healthy’ category, similar to gluten free, or build a block around them and have a healthy fixture within the category that is sign-posted by

POS material to identify the products that are healthy.

“We can see this becoming more prevalent as retailers see the response from customers.”

The message for retailers is there are increased sales and profits to be had by getting healthier food right. And there has never been a better time to get involved with the SGF Healthy Living Programme.

Call the SGF Healthy Living Programme on 0131 343 7602 to arrange a store visit

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19/12/2016 12:41

awards profile - dairy award (independent)

Dairy to differ Winner:

Day-Today, Wallyford, East Lothian The Dairy Award (for independent stores) 2016 – sponsored by Müller Milk & Ingredients Interview with Mohammed Aslam, owner.

Winner details Size: 3,000 sq ft Symbol: Day-Today Staff: 13

THE story of Day-Today, Wallyford is one of a constantly evolving store in the hands of a man who just won’t take ‘no’ for an answer.

Mohammed Aslam first became aware of the building when a friend asked him for advice on turning the then dilapidated empty pub into a convenience store.

Aslam thought it was a good site for a viable operation but, after consulting surveyors and analysts, his friend decided not to proceed with the purchase. Aslam asked if the friend would mind if he tried to buy it instead and his friend had no objection.

Having employed his own surveyors, Aslam was advised against setting up shop on the site and was told he’d be lucky to achieve a turnover of £25,000 a week if he did. Aslam thought differently and, having backed his own judgement, recorded a turnover of £35,000 in the first week of operation.

That was in 2013 and the store now regularly turns over £65,000 to £70,000 per week.

And, with projects underway to build 2,000 houses, a school and a dog track close to the shop, the owner has no plans to slow down.

In fact, work is beginning this month to double the sales space of the store which will create jobs for another 15 staff members.

Deciding to open a convenience store on the site is not the only time Aslam has gone against the consensus and been proved right.

When he wanted to install a lottery terminal, Camelot said there was no need as the Post Office next door had one. But the Post Office was closed on a Wednesday afternoon and shut early on a Saturday, the two big lottery days, so Aslam convinced the provider to give him a terminal for a trial period and it proved to be so popular that it was quickly made permanent.

There were similar stories with Paypoint and a cashpoint machine.

The Post Office had a cash machine but charged for withdrawals. It took Aslam some time to convince a provider to put one in his store but once

Hours: 6am - 10pm, seven days ● Aslam already had a convenience store in Niddrie when he opened the Wallyford store in May 2013. ● There are 24-hour Asda and Tesco supermarkets within a 10 minute drive of the store. ● In March the Post Office next door is closing.

Aslam has been successful in his application to take over the service and will be opening a Post Office counter in store. ● Future plans include adding a Subway counter and Costa Coffee to the store’s facilities.

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An empty pub in the heart of Wallyford was converted to bring a convenience store to the village and the locals quickly became regular shoppers there.

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16/12/2016 14:56

The Day-Today store in Wallyford offers more than groceries with a cash machine, lottery terminal and Paypoint service and its owner ensures it competes with the supermarkets on the price of essentials as well as offering special promotions as featured in the symbol group’s leaflet and in-store specials. In dairy the store sells upwards of 170 2L jugs every day plus more in pint and litre packs.

it did and offered free withdrawals, the Post Office machine was closed down within two months.

The Day-Today machine now records 8,000 withdrawals per month and Aslam says it is the busiest machine in East Lothian.

When it comes to dairy, Aslam says the path to success is simple.

He said: “Merchandising is the priority, it’s all about showing the price.”

He continued: “Milk is important in convenience stores, we are selling around 170 to 180 2L jugs per day and that doesn’t include litre bottles and pints.

“We make sure we compare on price with the supermarkets and do promotions for milk and chill all dairy products.”

In the Wallyford Day-Today, chilled food is very important.

Aslam explained: “Chilled is very popular now, more popular than grocery.

“People are short on time and pizzas or ready meals are a quick solution at the end of a busy day.”

Aslam’s Wallyford store is now selling close to 500 cases of chilled and frozen food in a week.

There is a wide range of regular shoppers in the store and the shelves reflect this.

Aslam said: “We have a mixed community in Wallyford, with working people and others on benefits which means big brands are right for some people but others are looking for a cheaper alternative.

“Take baked beans, for example. Some want Heinz but about two out of 10 can’t af-

ford those and will choose the Day-Today tin at about half the price.

“So, if we are doing five faces of beans we will do three of Heinz and two of Day-Today.”

Aslam is not content just to appeal to one village. He distributes 10,000 leaflets every three weeks to communities in Tranent, Prestonpans and throughout East Lothian.

supported by

Joe Walker, national account manager, Müller Milk & Ingredients, left, and awards host Alistair McGowan, right, present the Scottish Grocer Dairy Award (independent stores) to Mohammed Aslam, Day-Today, Wallyford, East Lothian.

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16/12/2016 14:56

awards profile - confectionery retailer of the year

A sweet success Winner:

Spar, Market Street, Forfar Confectionery Retailer of the Year 2016 – sponsored by Mars Chocolate UK Interview with Mohammed Asif, owner

Winner details Size: 1,800 sq ft Symbol: Spar Staff: 7

THE first thing you see when you go through the door into Spar, Market Street, Forfar is a pair of £1 stands, but the shop creates an impression for consumers from the moment it comes into view.

Owner Mohammed Asif explained: “We had a bit of a face-lift at the start of 2016 with new signs and making things look fresh.

“The windows had previously been half blank but we removed the coverings to make them completely clear.

“If people can see inside when they are driving past and see that the shop is well lit with good displays it does attract customers.”

And on the £1 stands he said: “Any £1 lines have a big uplift.

“We have the Spar £1 stand and if anything is in the last month before its sell-by-date, rather than put a half price sticker on it, we make it £1.

“We never sell out-of-date stock.”

Asif says price is crucial and it is vital to display prices but believes that price-marked packs can lead to confusion.

He said: “We are loyal to Spar and

will only go to the cash & carry if customers are asking for something we can’t get through Spar, so we do not have a lot of PMPs. “We don’t want to confuse people.

If we have a PMP at one price and another price on offer from Spar or one of our own manager’s specials it could create confusion.

“Of course price is important and we always try to offer our customers the best price we can and make it easy for them see what they will be paying.”

All the major supermarkets have stores in Forfar and Asif believes his shop continues to be successful through a combination of cleanliness, stock, staff and availability.

He said: “We are competitively priced and always keep the standards high.”

Asif has had the store since 2011. It had previously been a kitchen showroom and had lain empty for a number of years before he took over the premises, so he was starting from scratch.

He says sales have increased

Hours: 6am - 10pm Mon - Sat 7am - 10pm Sun ● With a family background in retailing, Asif opened his own store in 1985. The family now operates seven stores including another one in Forfar. ● Following a face-lift of the store in early 2016, the space given over to chilled goods has been extended. ● Within Forfar, Asif can count Tesco, Asda, Aldi, Lidl and Farmfoods among his competitors. ● The store dedicates 15% of its floor space to confectionery.

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During refurbishment early in 2016, Spar in Market Street, Forfar cleared its windows so that passers-by can see into the shop.

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16/12/2016 15:00

FR TE Y 2 DA R G A IN NU OS JA C L 19 AY ID 7 01

Do you have what it takes to win our...

EMPLOYEE OF THE YEAR AWARD?

Staff are the lifeblood of any business. Without their skills, determination and quality, delivering business targets would be almost impossible. Your staff provide something special and here is the chance to thank someone for their dedication, ideas and hard work. We want to hear why your employee is Scotland’s Employee of the Year.

Entry is open to staff members below the level of store manager in independent and symbol c-stores and co-ops.

WE’D LIKE NOMINATORS (STORE OWNERS OR MANAGERS) TO GIVE US: A short introduction to your nominee – including his or her full name, their role in the business and their history in the store.

Your reason for the nomination. Tell us what makes your employee special.

JUDGES WILL BE LOOKING FOR EVIDENCE OF ANY OF THE FOLLOWING CRITERIA: Enthusiasm for the job, the business and the customers it serves.

Examples of dedication and hard work.

Excellent awareness and implementation of all responsible retailing requirements.

A real interest in retail and in making the best of the business through key retailing skills and activities such as merchandising and customer service.

Enthusiasm for self-improvement through training and development, and keenness to help others develop their skills.

Evidence of ‘going the extra mile’ to make something work well.

Evidence of a special relationship with the store’s customers.

supported by

Enter online at www.scottishgrocer.co.uk For further information call 0141 567 6041

EmployeeoftheYear - SG - Ashley.indd 1

20/12/2016 15:49

awards profile - confectionery retailer of the year

The Spar, Market Street, Falkirk operates on a policy of keeping the standards high in cleanliness, stock, availability and staff. The prime duty of the staff is to keep the displays organised throughout the day so that stock is visible and prices are prominent. The addition of a self-serve coffee machine has helped keep sales rising every month and goods on the £1 stand are always popular.

every year since and are still showing small increases on a monthly basis.

But that doesn’t mean the store will be standing still.

Having introduced a selfserve coffee machine in the summer of 2016, Asif is planning to enhance his hot food offering and is bringing in a fresh cakes feature early this year.

And, to ensure it is serving its customers’ needs, the shop recently held a shopper survey with very positive results.

Asif explained: “We asked customers what they thought of availability, service and convenience in the shop.

“Over a period of three months 1,000 customers took part and the result was 95% satisfaction.”

The store has a large wines and spirits area and Asif 26 l

makes sure all the staff are up to date on all legislation including health and safety and the temperature requirements for frozen and chilled stock and that everything is fully documented.

When asked what he does with confectionery to make him an award winner, Asif says he doesn’t treat it any differently from other categories within the store.

He said: “We try to be good all round, with good ranges, good presentation and good promotions.

“We do well with the big impulse sellers of soft drinks and confectionery through a well trained staff staying on top of merchandising and display throughout the day.”

To celebrate the store’s confectionery retailer award, sponsor Mars gave Asif a

hamper of chocolate goods which he raffled in store and donated the proceeds to a local charity.

He said: “We value our customers and this was a good

way to share our success with them while helping in the community.

“Plus it was a good way to let them know that we had won the award.”

supported by

Bep Dhaliwal, trade communications manager, Mars Chocolate UK, left, and awards event host Alistair McGowan, right, present the Scottish Grocer Confectionery Retailer of the Year Award to Mohammed Asif, Spar, Market Street, Forfar.

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16/12/2016 15:00

We help people all over the country.

GroceryAid makes life better for grocery people in need. From factory to store, we help everyone. With your support we can do more. Call 01252 875925, email events@groceryaid.org.uk or visit www.groceryaid.org.uk to find out how you can help.

Real lives. Real problems. Real help.

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GroceryAid is the trading name of the National Grocers Benevolent Fund. A registered Charity Reg. No 1095897 (England & Wales) & SCO39255 (Scotland). A company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales no 4620683

GroceryAid - SG - linda.indd 1 CAR0198_GA_Rainbow_A4_AW1.indd 2

20/12/2016 14/04/2015 14:30 11:43

business, property and legal

Migration controls will affect retail The United Kingdom’s vote to leave the European Union has raised questions over the future rights of thousands of EU and EEA citizens to work in Britain. Employers face uncertainty too, as they may no longer be able to tap into the migrant workforce pool.

How much do retailers in the UK rely on EU workers?

Workers from across the EU are embedded in the UK retail sector in various roles.

The high number and low cost of these workers play an integral part in the retail sector, both functionally and in relation to costs. While the retail sector takes just 4% of its workforce from the EU, the grocery supply chain could be hit hard. There are over 60,000 seasonal workers recruited from EU countries each year to assist with harvests and, according to the Financial Times, 96% of EU workers currently employed on farms would fail a ‘UK Visa Test’.

Additionally, low skilled and low wage jobs, for example in warehouses packaging food, are predominately filled by migrant workers from Eastern European countries.

An increase in costs along the supply chain will be passed along to retailers.

Won’t these workers be allowed to remain in the UK? At present, the UK Government has given no guarantees about the status of the EU nationals who are already living in the UK, but it seems highly likely they will be able to stay. However, we don’t know if there will be controls placed on them, such as a minimum residency requirement or, for example, a requirement to earn above a minimum threshold. Any new controls around earnings could hit those businesses which rely on EU nationals hard, from fruit farms

by Alison Weatherhead Alison Weatherhead is a director in the employment and pensions practice with Maclay Murray & Spens LLP. Alison.Weatherhead@mms.co.uk

to retailers. Such controls will also place additional compliance burdens on employers and this usually means costs.

focus on staff training becoming more important. Increased competition for staff may lead to increased wages and costs.

What can a business do to help valued foreign workers stay?

Employers may want to encourage EU nationals to apply now for residency certificates or permanent residency if they are eligible. Looking further ahead, businesses that usually rely on a non-UK workforce will need to engage with whatever new system the Government introduces to control migration. We don’t know yet what that will look like, but it is likely to be a version of the current points-based system. This requires employers to be licensed before they can sponsor migrants. Any sponsorship also comes with enhanced monitoring and tracking obligations which are onerous and time consuming. All businesses will need to consider local recruitment, with a

Will areas like licensing be affected?

Yes. Holding a licence to sell alcohol or late night refreshment will be conditional on not breaching immigration laws, including employing illegal workers.

What other considerations does the Brexit vote bring?

Employers must take steps to ensure their current workers are not subjected to discrimination based on their race and nationality. The anti-migrant and anti-EU rhetoric, which has become so prevalent in the media, has no place in the modern workplace and employers should take steps to remind and train staff as Equality Act claims are costly and very damaging to their reputation.

Keep up to date to avoid fines or even closure WHATEVER system is imposed on immigrants, employers need to keep up-to-date on legislation to avoid seeing their businesses closed or licences denied, according to Steve Cook, CEO of HR firm Empire.

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“It is extremely important that businesses conduct the correct ‘right to work’ checks – especially now that there is so much pressure on the government to control immigration,” he said. “Employers can be sent to

jail for five years and have to pay a crippling fine if they are found guilty of knowingly employing someone whose leave has expired, who does not have the right to work or who do not have the right to enter or remain in the UK.”

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Christie & Co is a specialist property adviser in the retail, hospitality, care, childcare, leisure and medical sectors. With offices across the UK, it focuses on advisory, consultancy, valuation services, brokerage and can provide access to finance across its key sectors.

Buy businesses.

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Business. Built around you

Annandale Herald, Lockerbie

Portpatrick Store & Post Office, Stranraer

Freehold £225,000 • No alcohol • One bedroom flat included T: 0141 352 7300 6810976

Freehold £340,000 • Turnover for Y/E 2015: £325,000 • 4 bed house included T: 0141 352 7300 6810958 Usave, Whins of Milton Freehold/Leasehold £120,000 / £15,000 • Excellent location • T/O for Y/E 2015: £310,000 T: 0141 352 7300 6810967

Govanhill Superstore, Glasgow

6810965

Freehold / Leasehold £230,000 / £70,000 • Licensed, ATM, PayPoint & Lottery • Weekly sales £10,000 T: 0141 352 7300

RS McColl, Stewarton

6810938

Leasehold £20,000 • Retail sales £329,313 (53 weeks) • Gross profit £87,682 (inc. commissions) T: 0141 352 7300

Homecare Discount Store, Saltcoats

Premier, Keith

Freehold £220,000 • High footfall location • Large store with upstairs storage T: 0141 352 7300 6810978

Freehold / Leasehold £295,000 / £185,000 • Turnover for Y/E 2015: £682,564 • 3 bed owner’s accommodation T: 0131 557 6666 5218507

Keystore & Post Office, Bellshill Leasehold £150,000 • Net sales c.£16,500 per week • PO income c.£112,000 per annum T: 0141 352 7300 6810926

CONSULTANCY

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DEVELOPMENT

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FINANCE

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INSURANCE

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INVESTMENT

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TRANSACTIONS

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VALUATION

christie.com/business-search Christie&Co - SG - Ashley.indd 1

12/12/2016 16:05

market news

A new kind of energy ENERGY drink brand Rockstar has added two new flavours.

The zero-sugar Rockstar Revolt comes in 500ml cans in Killer Citrus and Killer Cooler varieties.

Adrian Troy, marketing director at brand owner AG Barr, said: “Rockstar Revolt will appeal to the growing number of consumers who want zero-sugar energy, but don’t want it to look, feel, perform or taste different to full-sugar energy.”

Berry good vaping JTI has added Berry Mint and Strawberry flavours to its range of Logic PRO vaping capsules.

Both are available in two nicotine strengths, 6mg and 12mg, joining the current four flavours - Tobacco, Menthol, Cherry and Vanilla.

Each is available in a pack of three capsules at an RRP of £3.99 in new packaging which JTI says will unite its entire e-cigarette portfolio.

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Going mini with a laugh AS part of its £20m Sweeet campaign, McVitie’s has launched Penguin Mini Biscuits in a multipack of penguin-shaped biscuits.

The multipack has an RRP of £1.69 and includes six inner bags featuring new penguin characters and a selection of jokes.

They will be available from early January.

McVitie’s brand director Kerry Owens said: “McVitie’s Penguin is a well-established and well-loved family favourite so we are incredibly excited to introduce this new format to the market.

“The new biscuits allow us to bring chocolate-filled chuckles and liven up snacking.

“As the largest NPD for the

brand for several years, we anticipate strong shopper

New nibbles THE Hobnobs range is growing with the addition of Hobnobs Nibbles.

The launch follows a successful first year for McVitie’s Digestives Nibbles which McVitie’s said recorded sales of £12m in 2016.

Rolling out now, Hobnobs Nibbles are predicted to continue this success.

They are available in a 120g pouch for £1.89 and an 80g PMP pouch for £1 and the launch is being supported by a £3m campaign as part of the £5m spend on promoting the Nibbles range.

demand to see it on shelf instore.”

Pots of sweet new flavour

PUDDING maker Pots and Co has introduced a new range consisting of Dark Chocolate Ganache and Mango, Lime and Coconut Pot flavours with an RRP of £2.19.

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Filling the gap with attention to health demands FOOD firm Moy Park has developed a new range of Chicken Chargrills.

Marketing manager Briege Finnegan said: “The range was developed to address a gap in the chilled, coated poultry category for a new convenient product suitable for different meal occasions.

“It will provide a quality, chilled alternative to what is currently available in the frozen category.”

Chicken Chargrills come in Original and Barbecue variants and the launch is being supported by a marketing campaign that includes digital media.

Finnegan added: “From consumer research we know that health, convenience and quality are priorities for consumers.

“To address these needs the range is made with 100% chicken breast meat and is baked rather than fried.”

Saving water CRISP manufacturer Walkers has halved the amount of water and carbon used to grow its potatoes in water stressed areas.

This was achieved through brand owner PepsiCo’s ’50 in 5’ commitment, launched in 2010.

The company’s European senior director of agriculture David Wilkinson said: “Around 100 British farmers growing potatoes for the nation’s favourite crisps are now equipped to grow potatoes

using less water and emitting less carbon.

“We’re continuing to explore

new ways to reduce carbon and water usage and use resources more efficiently.”

Crafting new packaging WHOLEMEAL bread brand Allinson’s has launched a new range and rebranded its portfolio.

Marketing director Janene Warsap said: “The redesign elevates the quality and craft credentials to appeal to the more discerning consumer.”

Arrival of more from America CONFECTIONERY supplier Innovative Bites has become the UK distributor of Trolli Candy.

It will initially supply 12 of the brand’s lines, including Sour Glowworms and Pingummis.

Founder of Innovative Bites Vishal Madhu said: “Trolli is an American

favourite when it comes to gummy product.

“As we increase our foothold as the UK’s largest supplier of confectionery and American goods, we are delighted to secure another exclusive partnership.”

Adding heritage to the label DANISH beer brand Carlsberg is relaunching its Export variety in February with a £15m campaign.

Redesigned packaging is being introduced to reflect the brand’s Danish heritage.

Vice president of marketing Liam Newton said: “In our eyes, the dramatic change in the UK beer market requires bold action, and a bolder approach, and this lies at the heart of our revitalisation of Carlsberg.

“By reminding people of where Carlsberg comes from and adopting some of the positive attributes from the people of Denmark, we believe we will have a powerful platform from which to connect with millennials in a meaningful way.”

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market news

Ready to celebrate the Bard ESPECIALLY for Burns Night, Strathmore Foods has brought back its range of limited-edition McIntosh haggis ready meals.

It expects to sell a total 400,000 packs of its limitededition Wee Burns Supper, Wee Vegetarian Burns Supper and its Haggis and Mince pies along with the brand new 860g Burns Supper ready meal.

Marketing manager Sarah McDonald said: “Burns is the busiest time of year for McIntosh of Strathmore.

“We’re the perfect convenience product to allow people to enjoy Burns without the hassle of peeling, chopping, mashing and boiling their potatoes and neeps.

“Our meals offer everything you need for a perfect Burns Supper in minutes.”

The range is being supported by a radio advertising campaign as well as social media and online competitions.

• Turn to page 74 for our focus on Burns Night 2017.

Oats are on the go crunchy apple pieces.

Head of marketing at brand owner Emmi, Laura Grove, said: “We’ve developed a convenient breakfast product that is low in sugar with slow release energy, without compromising on taste.

“It is a first to the market,

ONKEN says it has created a category first with the launch of its new Porridge2Go range.

Available in 150g single serve pots, the porridge is made up of oats and semi-skimmed milk and is available in two flavours, Classic and Apple with

and the chilled food-to-go fixture, with the ingredients already mixed and ready to enjoy hot or cold.

“We’re always listening to consumer feedback, so we’ve created a product that taps into the trend for a healthy breakfast option for the food-to go shopper.”

Secret in the jar TWO culinary cultures have been brought together to create the Nonya Secrets range of cooking sauces.

Chinese and Malay influences have gone into the recipes which Nonya founder Maureen Suan Neo says have been passed down through generations of her family.

She said: “Nonya cooking blends Chinese ingredients with various distinct spices

and cooking techniques used

by Malay and Indonesian communities.

“From a fragrant Sambal Curry Mix to a rich Rendang, these ready-to-use sauces remove the need for time-consuming preparation whilst delivering the intense, complex flavours that epitomise this culinary style.”

Each 170g jar includes a recipe suggestion.

Chocolate is in the mix MARS Chocolate Drinks and Treats has extended its range of cookie mixes with the launch of new Galaxy Double Chocolate Brownie Mix and Skittles Cookie Mix. The Galaxy mix, with an RRP of £2.38, makes 12 brownies 32 l

with real chocolate chips inside and the Skittles mix, at £1.84, makes eight fruit flavoured cookies.

General manager Michelle Frost said: “By adding even more familiar confectionery favourites to our cookie mixes

range, we hope to provide even more consumer appeal and drive category growth further.”

The Mars range of baking mixes also includes Bounty, Galaxy and M&M’s Cookie Mixes.

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Cat casserole MEATY chunks with a new texture for cats are to be found in new Whiskas Casseroles from Mars Petcare.

Mars says the casseroles look just like the stew cat owners will be tucking into themselves as the cold nights set in.

Available from this month with an RRP of £4.50, the casseroles come in Poultry, Fish and Fish & Meaty varieties in packs of 12 single-serve pouches.

The launch is being supported by a £10m marketing campaign including a new Whiskas TV ad in February as well as Youtube advertising, social media activity and in-store activity.

Senior brand manager Gina Head said: “Over the last 12 months, Whiskas has been transformed to deliver its

best-ever recipes, in addition to featuring award-winning life-stage messaging on pack.

“Whiskas Casseroles, with its meaty texture, looks just like the casseroles we love,

as well as being complete and balanced to keep cats happy and healthy.

“It is sure to drive value growth for the cat category.”

And cat owners are being given the chance to win a casserole dish when their pets try the new product.

Head said: “Whiskas will give pet owners the chance to win one of 100 premium casserole dishes when they try the new tasty product and review it online.”

Head also revealed that £3.75 PMPs of the new casserole varieties are to be made available to convenience stores later in the year.

In 2016 Whiskas introduced Creamy Soups to the petcare category and says the launch drove premiumisation by attracting cat owners to the wet food category.

Label appeal STUTE Foods has created new labels for its No Sugar Added jams.

It says the new labels are designed to expand the appeal of the brand beyond those looking for a special diet for health reasons.

Untapped sales GLOBAL drinks company Diageo has launched the new phase of its My Store Matters programme saying it has identified a £455m untapped alcohol sales opportunity.

Category development manager Claire Kendall said: “We have developed easy-to-follow and simple to activate principles under three core pillars, ‘Inspire.Display.Sell’, which we believe will help retailers tap into this opportunity and grow their alcohol sales.

“The three core principles provide retailers with a simple to follow and formulaic system for best practice category management.”

Look abroad ENERGY drink Carabao has launched its expansion into Europe by sponsoring Limassol FC in Cyprus.

Roll with it COUNTRY Choice has launched a range of mini savoury snacks.

Available in sausage roll and cheese and onion roll varieties, both wrapped in puffy pastry, each snack weighs in at 24g.

A spokesperson said: “Both can be cooked from frozen in around 25 minutes and can then be displayed for up to 12 hours in a sealed bag at room temperature.”

Thin in the afternoon

BISCUIT brand Oreo has introduced a thin variant.

Brand owner Mondelez International says Oreo Thins are designed for the mid-afternoon nibbling occasion.

Brand Manager Helen Potter said: “The product offers a new, more sophisticated eating experience that answers consumer desires for a lighter everyday treat whilst still delivering on great Oreo taste.”

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Scottish Speciality Food Show 2017 22 - 24 January SECC

Taste all the fun of the Fayre FINE food distributor Cotswold Fayre will be showcasing a selection of new additions to its product portfolio for 2017 at Scotland’s Speciality Food Show.

Visitors to the Cotswold Fayre stand (N37) will also be able to sample an array of new products such as craft beer from Glebe Farm, pavlovas and muffins from Flower & White and a range of snack bars from Baru.

“There is no doubt that the fine food market is growing in Scotland as convenience stores and forecourts join specialist farm shops and delis in seeking to offer customers something different from the norm,” said regional area manager for Scotland, Marcelo Cifuentes.

“I am looking forward to re-visiting and meeting new independent retail buyers over the coming weeks and at the show.”

Marcelo Cifuentes

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Scotland’s Speciality Food Show 2017 runs at the SECC in Glasgow on 22-24 January. It attracts many new distributors and has a launch gallery for new, innovative companies featuring Persie Gin, Dukkah Delights, Tartanice and many others.

Best in show The Scottish Speciality Food Show 2017 brings an array of fine and artisinal products to Glasgow’s SECC this month

WITH exports growing higher due to the weak pound, as well as a thriving home market, the Scottish food and drink sector has reached record turnover, according to the Scottish Government.

This month, retailers who take food seriously have a chance to meet some of the artisan producers and specialist distributors who are making the sector one of the most successful in the country.

At the centre of the show is the Launch Gallery, for young, innovative companies selected for their originality and quality, including Dukkah Delights, a Scottish Company launch Egyptian Dukkah for the first time; Tartanice luxury Scottish ice cream, and Sri Spice, hand-made curry kits from Fife.

They will be joined at the show by a number of new exhibitors, including: Trackle-

ments pickles and chutneys; Orkney Distilling, with its new gin; Franklin & Son artisan soft drinks; Mhor Bread – artisan bread and cakes from Perthshire; McQueen Gin from Perthshire; Island Bakery from Skye with delicious biscuits and cakes, and Perthshire Preserves.

Together with established exhibitors such as Crystals Shortbread, Little Doone Foods, Stewart Tower Dairy, Poporopo Popcorn, Orkney Food and Drink, Stoats Porridge Bars and Great Glen Charcuterie, food outlets, both retail and catering, will be able to source many delicious and interesting products.

Katy Rodgers from Knockraich Farm Shop and Café said: “I found many great new prod-

ucts and it’s so encouraging to see the quality of the products at the show improve so dramatically.”

Scotland’s Speciality Food Show director Mark Saunders said: “With many food retailers reporting a buoyant summer season, we are hoping for a good attendance and strong orders. We are now firmly established as one of the top food and drink buying arenas and we aim to make that buying experience as easy, efficient and inspiring as possible – this year will not disappoint.”

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Who’s at this year’s show?

A Taste of Arran Alfie & Co Coffee Roasters All That’s Delicious Annie D’s Scottish Confectionery Anthony Rowcliffe & Son Ltd Ashers Bakery Ltd Balvenie St. Ice Cream Brodies Melrose Drysdale & Co Ltd Cairn O’Mohr Country Wines Ltd Cairndale Labelling Systems Campbell’s Shortbread Campbell’s Fudge Ltd Cullisse Chain Bridge Honey Farm Chocolate Tree Chrystal’s Shortbread Cindy’s Tea Clash Farm Coco Chocolatier Cocoa Kalula Cotswold Fayre Cottage Delight Ltd Cows & Co Cress Co Divine Chocolate Dukkah Delights Ecobags Equi’s Ice Cream ESC Packaging French Flavour Ltd Galloway Chillies Galloway Lodge Preserves Gardiners of Scotland Limited Global Brands Ltd Gordon & Durward Great Glen Charcuterie GreenCity Wholefoods Grown UP Foods Ltd

K53 K5 N26 M14 L41 N45 L21 M54 L29 N61 M41 L45 L73 K41 L62 M62 LG80 M2 M42 LG64 N37 L26 LG78 K65 L61 LG72 K29 M25 N65 M10 N38 L65 M37 M21 K49 M9 L42 LG58

Heather Hills Farm Isabellas Preserves Island Organic Bakery Ltd Isle of Skye Sea Salt Jaw Brewery Ltd Jollys Of Orkney Kingscroft Logistics Kwan’s Kitchen Lessadds Syrups Link Print & Packaging Ltd Little Doone Foods Ltd Luss Smokehouse Mackies Ltd Mason’s Yorkshire Gin Ltd McQueen Gin Metro Drinks Mhor Moray Distillery New Alliance Nutural World Ltd Ogilvy Spirits Orkney Bakery Orkney Creamery Orkney Distilling Orkney Food And Drink Ltd Our House Of Spice Pentic Price Ticketing Persie Distillery at Auchenflower Perthshire Preserves Pont Packaging Poporopo Popcorn Ramsay of Carluke Rawnchy Riverside Inverclyde Ross’s Of Edinburgh S.Luca of Mussleburgh Scotia Spice Foods Ltd Select Drams

M33 M6 L50 N49 N57 K11 L49 M26 LG70 N53 M38 LG66 L54 N17 M45 L36 N42 LG62 M22 LG48 LG52 K13 K9 L20 K9 & L20 L3 M30 LG84 M49 K61 L22 L9 LG60 K57 L2 L34 N9 M46

Senga’s Chilli Kitchen Shaw Meats Silesia Grill Systems Simple Simon’s Pies Sloemotion Sole Mates Source Climate Change Coffee Spice Kitchen Online Ltd Spice Pots Sri Spice St Andrew’s Farmhouse Cheese Company Stahly Quality Foods Ltd Stateside Treat Emporium Stewart Tower Dairy Stewart’s Stirling Gin Stoats Porridge Bars Summerhouse Drinks Ltd TartanIce Taste of Yorkshire The Chilli Experience The Chocolate Smiths The Devenick Dairy The Little Herb Farm The Moniaive Chocolatiers The Scone Kitchen The Toddy Man The Tracklement Company The Veg Company The Very Lovely Sauce Company The Whisky Sauce Company Ltd The Wooden Wine Cooler Company Walkers Shortbread Welovemanfood Woods Brownie Co Yockenthwaite Farm Zafire Foods www.scotlandsspecialityfoodshow.com

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LG56 N50 K1 M4 N25 N1 N22 N14 M18 LG68 L77 K33 LG74 K45 M1 N30 L69 K37 LG54 L25 N64 N41 N29 L33 M34 LG82 N6 L40 LG76 LG50 N46 M50 K25 N33 L30 N8 N58

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20/12/2016 15:51

New Year, new fascia/franchise

Face the future Fascia and symbol brands can offer retailers a new lease of life – but what are they offering for 2017?

THE early new year can be a relatively quiet time, a lull following the holiday-period rush, which consumer-facing businesses can use to make changes, tidy things up and prepare for the coming months.

And for convenience store owners that can include considering the options offered to retailers by the many fascia and franchise firms and brands who operate the symbols that consumers have become very familiar with over the years.

The UK has faced up to some tough economic challenges in recent times but it’s fair to say that convenience retailing in general and symbol stores in particular have turned in some of the most successful responses to the challenges.

In a period when consumer confidence has been low the fascia organisations have successfully presented a package that has been perceived as good value for money as well as local and convenient.

In particular, the symbol organisations have, by building networks of stores that offer serious promotional opportunities to FMCG brands, put themselves in a position of much greater negotiating strength with suppliers than in years gone by.

And that in turn has meant the stores that operate under the increasingly well-known symbols have been able to compete on price with supermarkets in ways that once wouldn’t have been thought possible.

The various fascia now ap36 l

Fascia and franchise companies and brands have provided the buying power and marketing and merchandising systems that have helped many local independent stores compete with giant supermarkets to a degree that might once have been thought impossible. Current research suggests the convenience channel will be one of the fastest growing sections of retailing over the next five years.

pear on stores in urban, suburban and rural sites. Some of the symbol organisations have developed very serious marketing programmes that include TV advertising and good social media operations.

But are fascia or symbol groups still doing as well as in recent years? Are they still recognised by experts as forming a style of retailing that will continue to grow?

Well, things have been changing quite fast in the last

couple of years.

The grocery industry research and education charity IGD has been very positive in its forecasts for convenience retailing in general and very complimentary about the work done by symbol or fascia groups. It has noted significantly improved ranges, value and standards.

But things just might have been getting a little bit tighter in the last 24 months.

Booker Wholesale, which

already had a major symbol group presence through Premier and Family Shopper, took over the fascia operations of Musgrave. And there were significant changes at Nisa also.

For a considerable time it looked as if the giant grocery multiples would increase their own estates of c-store-sized small supermarkets indefinitely. They don’t simply provide competition for the consumer pound, they also make it considerably more difficult for independents and symbols to secure attractive sites for new stores.

And of course the major discounters Aldi and Lidl and high street discounters such as Poundland saw major estate development in the period after the 2008 financial crisis.

But nevertheless the apparent willingness of consumers to shop local and the emergence of new types of shopper, like time-pressed Millennials, have helped c-stores and many symbol outlets to do well in very tough times.

So where are we now, what’s the outlook for the convenience retailing industry and what might we see as it develops over the next few years?

There have been some changes to the way that IGD categorises forecourt stores but in some of its latest analysis the organisation sees convenience retailing as accounting for 37.5% of a UK grocery market it values at £179.1bn.

So it sees convenience retailing as worth around £67bn.

Looking forward through the next five years it sees the overall grocery market as like-

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ly to grow by just under 10% to reach £196.9bn in 2021. And while it expects sales of the major supermarkets and hypermarkets to stabilise it still sees convenience retailing as third-fastest growing retail channel after online grocery and discounters.

Convenience retailing will grow, it predicts, by almost 12% over the five year period to be worth just under £42bn in 2021.

But in the 12 months to March this year IGD found that the number of symbol stores actually fell by 0.7% to just over 15,000 – a 30% share of all convenience stores operating in the UK. At the same time the number of unaffiliated independent stores grew for the first time in many years, up almost 2% to reach just over 19,000.

So what is going on? Are fascia and symbol stores on the slide? IGD doesn’t think so. It sees the decrease in the number of fascia, franchise and symbol out-

lets and the increase in the number of independents as closely linked and in large part a result of a rationalisation in the symbol store scene. Some shops that didn’t fit the symbol models, which didn’t apply the required merchandising disciplines and promotional compliance appear to have been let go, it reckons.

Convenience is now facing increased competition from other channels that have also spotted the trend for top-up shopping.

- Joanne Denney-Finch, IGD But it stressed that there were still “notable elements of growth” in symbol retailing. Specifically it mentioned Booker acquiring Londis and Budgens symbol operations and reinforcing Premier as the largest single fascia group and it also said

Spar added stores.

The organisation sees food to go as a major area of opportunity but warns that everyone will be after a share of the convenience pie.

Joanne Denney-Finch, IGD chief executive, said: “Convenience is now facing increased competition from other channels that have also spotted the trend for topup shopping, such as supermarkets and food discounters.

“Offering shoppers the ability to save time will therefore become increasingly important to convenience retailers as this competition intensifies.

“We expect to see them building loyalty by giving shoppers convenient and effortless ways to get the products, meals and food-to-go options they want, in the shortest time possible. Whoever manages to get this combination right has a unique opportunity to build on these changing shopper habits and become a real top-up shopping destination.”

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New Year, new fascia/franchise

It’s important to know what you’re getting into when considering a new symbol group. Here’s our checklist.

Pick your partner THERE are obvious benefits to partnering with a symbol group – access to better deals, a stronger support network and the allure of a recognisable name over the door, to name a few examples. And a growing number of shopkeepers are singing the praises of franchise retailing. But every operation offers something different and it’s down to retailers to make the right call about which group best suits them. So how do you choose and how do you qualify?

COSTS As with anything else in business, you really should consider all aspects of costs.

Those will include cost of goods – just how competitively priced is the wholesale service at the heart of the symbol package? Does it feature structured pricing based on the quantities you buy? Are there costs of membership?

And if a refit is required, how

If you’re switching symbol groups or joining one for the first time, will you need to carry out a refit? If so, will there be help with costs, planning and project management? Will you have to meet given standards? Does the fascia organisation have a dedicated EPOS system? Can you use your own EPOS system if you prefer?

much is the symbol group willing to chip in?

SIZE The size of your shop could well decide the best symbol or fascia for you. In the past

Food to go is becoming increasingly important to convenience stores (and the grocery market in general). Does your prospective symbol or franchise partner have arrangements with branded food-to-go suppliers?

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some small shops haven’t qualified for a number of fascia schemes. That has changed with the launch of a number of new symbols specifically aimed at smaller shops.

At the other end of the scale some fascia operators now offer solutions for retailers with a lot of floor space. More and more these concepts are designed around chilled, fresh food and food to go, and as such require significant investment in refrigeration and food prep areas.

Make sure the deal you’re considering suits the size and aspirations of your business.

OBLIGATIONS What’s the length of the agreement? If you wanted to get out of it what would be involved?

Do you have to agree a minimum spend of wholesale purchases?

RANGE One of the advantages of being an independent retailer is the flexibility to respond quickly to changes in convenience shopping. As consumer habits evolve, having access to a wide range becomes ever more important.

How appropriate to your store’s needs is your symbol group’s range? If you need substantial amounts of fresh produce and chilled goods does your group provide those lines? Do they have arrangements with a specialist distributor? And is the supply line strong enough to maintain your availability?

OWN-LABEL AND VALUE LABEL If you’re facing direct competition from discounters or pound shops, a good ownlabel or value-label range can

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provide you with much-needed ammunition in the fight.

How does the fascia or franchise firm arrange supply of own-label and value label lines? Are they of good quality? And do they provide good margins for retailers?

PROMOTIONS Many retailers regard promotions as vital to their success, especially those serving cashconscious customers.

Does your prospective symbol partner run attractive promotions as part of a regular programme? Are they supported by marketing activity like promotional leaflets and web and social media activity?

HELP AND ADVICE Does the fascia or franchise service offer help with planograms, merchandising and

What’s the regular promotional programme like? Are you required to participate in promotions? Are there must-stock items that you are required to sell? And does your potential symbol partner have a range of competitive own-label products?

other aspects of marketing?

Can you get assistance with training or issues like workplace pensions? If you enter difficulties, will the group be there to support you?

TECHNOLOGY Does the symbol group have its own dedicated EPOS system and ordering system?

If not, does it have a recommended provider?

Similarly, is the group going to help you keep updated with mobile apps, in-store beacons and other new technology that can help to grow your business in the future?

PARTNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES Over 700 SUBWAY® stores now open in non-high street locations including convenience stores, transport hubs, forecourt sites, and visitor attractions

l High rental returns l Excellent dual branding opportunities l Increased customer market share l Flexibility in terms of space and design l On-going training and support l Proven control systems l Waste managed at less than 1%

To find out more visit

www.subway.co.uk/property or contact Alice Chalmers 07908 548559 SUBWAY® is a Registered Trademark of Subway IP Inc. ©2016 Subway IP Inc.

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Be part of the winning t

Supported locally by the largest Scottish based sales team in

To join our award-winning group, contact Marketing on 01382 CJLang - SG - Ashley.indd 1

13/12/2016 14:46

51

g team!

m in the symbol sector!

82 512000 CJLang - SG - Ashley.indd 2

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Offering Post Office services brings in new customers so you can boost sales

1

Adding a Post Office can attract new customers so you can drive retail sales

2

Post Office customers withdrawing cash or benefits have money to spend in store

Get paid a fee for Post Office transactions

PostOffice - SG - Ashley.indd RaPo_DPS_ad.indd All Pages1

4

99% of bank customers can access their cash at the Post Office

14/12/2016 09:39

5

Free point of sale, free staff training, and free Helpline

PostOffice - SG - Ashley.indd 2

Entrepreneurs with a vibrant retail business Engaged with their local community

A Post Office Local is combined with your retail till, so you don’t lose valuable retail space

7

What we’re looking for:

Forward-thinking and innovative — able to benefit from the extra footfall a Post Office can bring Business managers with excellent teambuilding skills and experience.

We’re looking for convenience retailers or large CTNs to combine Post Office services with a strong retail offer.

Post Office services will increase footfall so you can grow sales. The Post Office local counter sits alongside your retail till and doesn’t take up valuable space.

The Post Office is open when your shop is, so customers can pop in early or late

Visit: runapostoffice.co.uk

14/12/2016 13/12/2016 09:39 15:02

A trusted brand Londis... supporting Scottish retailers to grow their business locally Londis has over 1,900 members across the UK and is part of Booker Group, the UK’s leading food and drink wholesaler.

Londis works in partnership with its independent retailers to provide local communities with all they need from a convenience store.

As well as the strength of a wellestablished nationally recognised brand, Londis supports retailers with better pricing, award winning own label ranges, fantastic value promotions, a market leading supply chain and bespoke store development to suit their local market and to help them succeed in today’s competitive convenience market.

■ Great value promotions every 4 weeks ■ Award winning Fresh range with over 1,250 lines.

■ Award winning own brand ranges Euro Shopper, Happy Shopper and Farm Fresh.

■ A best in class online web ordering system (Londis Webshop).

■ Spend & Save discount scheme; earn up to 4% discount ■ Support from our dedicated Store Development and Retail Development teams.

■ Tri Temperature fleet delivering all your ambient, fresh and frozen needs on one delivery.

■ Free Membership of the ACS.

The benefits of the Londis offer include: Londis is a flexible symbol partner ■ FREE Membership that’s simple to do business with. It is ■ FREE Marketing Support with FREE a fully delivered service solution and leaflets and Point of Sale support package to suit progressive ■ Competitive Wholesale Prices

Londis - SG - Ashley.indd 1

independent retailers with stores over 500sq ft. The strength of being part of the Booker Group means that we can offer you the best range of products at the best possible prices and we aim to ensure this by price checking the Top selling 300 lines on a weekly basis.

At Londis we are dedicated to helping our retailers Make More and Save More Money, and in 2016 have helped our retailers Make and Save over £21k.

Combine this with the quality of our store development, smart planning, local knowledge, range optimisation and expert merchandising and we believe we can help any independent retailer improve their cash profit.

We continue to focus on delivering Better Choice, Price and Service for our Independent Retail Partners and supporting them to grow their business locally.

14/12/2016 10:49

“Londis provides a fantastic package. It’s helped me increase my profits, so I’m happy!”

Bryan Craig Londis Crianlarich

Join Londis today and watch your profits grow FREE

Membership

FREE

Leaflet Scheme

FREE

EPOS System

NEW

Discount Scheme

A new and LOWER cost Londis that’s SIMPLER to do business with

joinlondis.co.uk Londis - SG - Ashley.indd 2 74478_Lon_Recruitment_A4_v3.indd 5

14/12/2016 15:57 10:09 08/12/2016

Lifestyle Express: run your business your way but backed with the best support in the business LIFESTYLE EXPRESS As we head into a brand new year, the pressure remains for retailers to stay ahead of the game. Whether you’re competing against other independent retailers, symbol stores, the supermarkets or the discounters, it’s vital that you stand out from the competition. At Lifestyle Express we understand this, and this is why we provide our retailers with the very best support, industry expertise and benefits of a national symbol group, while you maintain your independence and run your business your way.

At Lifestyle Express we offer retailers a comprehensive, award-winning retailer package with a proven track record, including bespoke store planning, industryleading planograms and ongoing advice on range and store merchandising. Our popular, great-value own brand ranges offer excellent margins to retailers as well as offering a strong point of difference.

We also offer a range of fantastic moneysaving deals on store services, but with no membership fees or hidden costs. And there’s no minimum store size or minimum turnover required, just the potential to grow.

And that’s not all. Lifestyle Express retailers can also benefit from regular cash back, as well as being able to buy goods at cash and carry prices. We run regular promotions to help you compete locally which are proven to build business and increase your sales and profits.

Last year we launched two brand new premium store formats: Lifestyle Extra and Lifestyle Value. These contemporary-style stores provide retailers with the perfect format to best reflect their trading location.

Last October, we also launched our premium grey fascia to provide a contemporary new look (pictured below).

fast facts

Average store size: 800 square feet Average store turnover: £12,000 per week Available fascias: Lifestyle Express, Lifestyle Extra, Lifestyle Value Number of UK stores: 1,640, including more than 300 Scottish stores Cost of joining: there is no cost to join or membership fee Minimum store size/turnover: there is no minimum requirement to join Lifestyle Express.

With a nationally recognised fascia and branding, Lifestyle Express helps you to compete within the convenience market where we know first impressions really count.

With Lifestyle Express you can benefit from: • 30% GROWTH IN SALES On average, independent retailers achieve a 30% increase in retail sales after joining Lifestyle Express. We’ve carried out extensive research and identified a comprehensive range of bestselling products. By stocking these, and using our industry-leading planograms, you won’t fail to see a surge in sales.

• ESSENTIAL ONGOING SUPPORT We have a team of Core Range Advisors who work with retailers to identify opportunities

to boost your sales and profit. By working with our advisors, you’ll know you have a fantastic mix of key products at different price points to suit all your customers’ needs. Retailers also have access to a Retail Development Manager who will provide expert advice on how to successfully grow your business.

• EARN CASH BACK Lifestyle Express is the only symbol group to reward retailing excellence. We run regular incentives for our retailers, all with the opportunity to earn cash back, just for stocking the bestselling products, displaying POS and adopting best retail practice. For retailers, it’s a win-win situation.

HOW TO JOIN To join Lifestyle Express and get your business moving in the right direction couldn’t be easier.

Visit your local Landmark Wholesale Member Depot and ask to speak to someone about Lifestyle Express.

Or call John Farrell on 07852 248120 or email john.farrell@lmkcc.co.uk Or you can visit our website at www.lifestyleexpress.co.uk where you’ll find everything you need to know. Fill in an enquiry form and someone will be in touch shortly.

Landmark - SG - Ashley.indd 1

16/12/2016 09:52

No other Symbol Group gives you Cash Back!

I want to make my own decisions about how to run my business and with Lifestyle Express I get the best of both worlds: the freedom to do things my way, but with a fantastic own brand, incredible promotions and the best support in the business.

Uzair Ali Lifestyle Extra, Motherwell

Lifestyle Express retailers enjoy: ■ Regular Cash Back ■ Ongoing business development expertise and support ■ Full promotions programme to help you compete locally ■ No hidden fees

And, average sales growth of 30%*

WINNER

2016

WINNER

2016

WINNER

2016

WINNER

WINNER

*30% average retail sales growth when an independent retailer converts to Lifestyle Express

WINNER

WINNER

WINNER

WINNER

WINNER

WINNER

2016

2016

2016

2016

2016

2016

2016

2016

Lifestyle Express

Lifestyle Express

Lifestyle Express

Lifestyle Express

Landmark Wholesale

Landmark Wholesale

Landmark Wholesale

Landmark Wholesale

Landmark Wholesale

Landmark Wholesale

Landmark Wholesale

Best Retailer for Beers Wines and Spirits

Retailers’ Retailer of the Year

Responsible Retailer of the Year

Responsible Selling Retailer of the Year

Best Wholesaler for Availability

Best Wholesaler for Availability

Digital Innovation

Wholesale Service to Caterers

Telesales Executive

Customer Support

Best Delivered Operation

Landmark - SG - Ashley.indd 2 Scottish_Grocer_LMAd_A4_Dec16.indd 1

T G he ro S up ym fr bo om l

To boost your sales by 30% and earn Cash Back, please give John Farrell a call on 07852 248120 or email john.farrell@lmkcc.co.uk Alternatively, visit http://brws.it/lse14 to find out more.

■ A choice of premium fascias

www.lifestyle-express.co.uk 14/12/2016 08/12/2016 10:52 14:33

Fillshill - SG - Ashley.indd 1

14/12/2016 14:25

Fillshill - SG - Ashley.indd 2

14/12/2016 14:25

One-Stop - SG - Ashley.indd 1

20/12/2016 15:30

2016

Winner: Shop Layout. Winner: Availabilty

WINNER FRANCHISE GROUP OF THE YEAR

One-Stop - SG - Ashley.indd 2

Job No. J001989

Stage ARTWORK

Version 4

20/12/2016 15:30

Join Nisa

Nisa Retail is unique in the convenience sector as it is a mutual style company which means it is owned by its independent retail members. Retailers have the option to operate under four symbol fascias: Nisa Local, Nisa Extra, Loco and dual branded whereby a member can maintain their true local identity whilst also benefiting from the strength of the Nisa brand. Alternatively, a retailer can also choose to trade under their own fascia.

Nisa provides a complete retail support package which comprises a strong retail focussed team, an enhanced category management system, a bespoke staff training facility under the Retail Academy banner, and a comprehensive marketing package incorporating bespoke leaflets, point of sale material and national advertising. All of this is in addition to the award-winning supply chain, a strong own label range and over 13,000 SKUs. Nisa’s key focus for the year has been on customer relationships and driving brand standards to be synonymous with customer service and consumer offering.

Customer relationships doesn’t just refer to the service standards provided, which of course are extremely important, but is also about delivering a proposition

the customer can relate to.

Nisa knows that community involvement is key, and our members are able to support their local area through Nisa’s Making A Difference Locally charity, which in 2016 donated over £1 million to charities and good causes throughout the UK. Within the last year, Nisa has developed its Store of the Future 2 store format, which has seen retailers on average achieve double digit uplift in sales following conversion. This looks at different store formats, customer demographics and shopping missions to ensure the right one is implemented in each location. The analysis behind the development of the new store formats was based on careful consumer research examining

shopper missions by location and demographics.

Nisa’s flexible model provides its retailers with an unbeatable breadth of range, with a 98% availability rate, to ensure they can provide a single destination shop for all their customers’ needs. This is supported by Nisa’s award winning own label range, Heritage, which provides retailers with over 800 SKUs which have been reformulated and repackaged to ensure they offer great quality products at affordable prices.

Through Nisa membership, retailers can also source local products and have them invoiced centrally, creating a simpler and more time efficient process. All orders are placed directly with the individual suppliers, deliver-

ies are made direct to store, but the invoicing and administration is managed centrally taking the hassle and complexity away from the retailer.

This is all delivered by Nisa’s industry leading supply chain which retailers can trust with an impressive 99.91% of deliveries made on the day and 95% successfully made on time.

In addition to this, Nisa provides retailers with a comprehensive marketing package incorporating industry first bespoke leaflets, allowing members to personalise the leaflets to include local offers, local events and community news, as well as a personalised Nisa FM which provides retailers with a strong radio network for their store.

Perhaps most importantly, Nisa has a mutual model, which is unique to the sector. Nisa is owned by its members and as such, in addition to all of the elements mentioned above, retailers also earn rebates and can enjoy surplus profit share and dividend payments which further add to Nisa’s competitiveness and strengthens its position as the partner of choice.

JOIN US NOW FOR A 2017

WITH NISA, IT’S GOING VERY WELL. ITS RANGE IS UNPARALLELED SO I CAN COVER ALL THE BASES “We’ve been Nisa members since day one when I bought the shop. This was largely to help cater for both old and new customers.

For that, I needed a large range of products to pick from at a cost which made me as competitive as I could be.

Ordering is simple and fully automated – we place orders online and they turn up two days later. I came from the wholesale sector, so I know what it’s like, and I can’t fault Nisa at all for availability and the way it delivers to retailers.”

I married Nisa’s suggested range with what the store already stocked. I wanted to make sure I was giving the existing customer base what it was looking for. New customers have provided the opportunity to stock more indulgent lines.

Colin Smith

Range: “ Product range of

13,000

skus enhanced with 100’s of promotions

NISA MEMBER SINCE 2014

To find out why joining Nisa is as easy as 1-2-3 visit www.join-nisa.co.uk Nisa - SG - Ashley.indd 2 12522_NISAtradePress_Pinkies_2017_A4_AW01.indd 1

19/12/2016 16:12 18/11/2016 17:21

Premier and Family Shopper are operated by Booker Group, the UK’s leading food & drink wholesaler, who have over 200 Booker and Makro branches throughout England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Premier is the UK’s number one symbol group with over 3,300 stores nationwide. The group is committed to delivering more profits for retailers and a better shopping experience for consumers. Premier has delivered double digit growth for thirteen consecutive years.

Premier has advertised on TV for the past two years. This is a commitment to advertise Premier everyday which means over 200 million views of the advert nationally.

The TV advert will include Premier’s famous Mega Deal promotions which have increased to four each promotional period. As well as this, retailers also benefit from a full promotional programme covering all categories of fresh, frozen, grocery and impulse to ensure great value for shoppers to drive footfall into stores.

This market leading promotional

package, along with own-label and price-mark-packs, really drives the value message to help retailers grow their business.

Family Shopper is a discount format for independent retailers that brings together the strength of symbol retailing with the great value available in the discount channel. It has been specifically developed to help independent retailers capture the growing sales and profits from the discount sector. A key feature of Family Shopper is long term deals, which offer the consumer, fantastic

value every day.

The unique discount format provides retailers with everything that shoppers would expect from a convenience store including chilled, alcohol, grocery and tobacco along with services such as Lotto and Paypoint. This is then combined with the best of the discounters covering a fantastic range of £1 non-food items such as stationery, kitchen utensils and party accessories, with a broad seasonal offering and a frozen section. Providing comprehensive disciplines, all Family Shopper stores offer a simplified range that removes duplication. Also merchandising in full trays makes the format easy to operate while minimising back stock and easing cash flow.

Both Premier and Family Shopper retailers can take advantage of delivery at cash & carry prices, ordering on line and having the ease and convenience of shopping at branches. This helps to maintain the exceptional availability which in turn offers better customer service.

Both brands do not operate any membership or joining fees and installs the fascia and imagery free of charge. A wide range of additional services such as recycling, energy savings, free Epos and drop shipment are also available that have been specifically created to add value and keep costs low.

Booker - SG - Ashley.indd 1

15/12/2016 12:18

642

JOIN THE

WINNING TEAM “I joined Premier because of the fantastic team that supports my business. My Development Manager, Merchandisers and local Booker branch all help grow my profits!”

Peter Saleem - Premier, Blyth.

FOOTFALL UP! SALES UP! PROFITS UP! Call Premier on:

01933 371246 Booker SG - Ashley.indd 2 64293 -Scottish Grocer - Fascia Feature.indd 1

“My customers love the range and prices. The Family Shopper format is easy to run and is growing my sales and profits.”

Shahid Razzaq, Family Shopper, Blantyre, Glasgow.

UNIQUE DISCOUNT FORMAT SIMPLE TO RUN & OPERATE HIGH CASH PROFIT EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNT RANGE

Call Family Shopper on:

01933 371757

14/12/2016 01/12/2015 10:51 14:07

Matching the right retail solution to your business

With 6% growth in Scotland, a variety of formats for convenience and forecourt retailers and sector leading consumer offers, it’s time to switch to Best-one for a really prosperous New Year.

Among the many Best-one benefits are:

• Monthly business development meetings

Top marks

NOW

ANY 2 FOR

NOW

£1.79

£1

£1.59

for value!

NOW

student life

• Free fascia for Symbol Group members (subject to terms and conditions)

1x30Pk

£3

400g

150g

• Joint business planning for your store/forecourt

Back to

400g

NOW

£3.67

£1

£8.99

£1.99

1Ltr

240s WAS £7.35

FREE

NOW

70cl

• Store design & shopfitting/ merchandising bespoke to industry leading standards

l

10/15x440m

ADDRESS OVERPRINT

NOW

NOW

£4.99 £5 Kit Kat / Breakaway / Blue Riband

£3.99

4x568ml

5Pk PM £1

NOW £2.99

Bull

9

PM £4.4

NOW

apply. & conditions N.B. normal terms selling price. availability, subject to Bestway Directprices correct at time All offers are All relates to the PLOF. E some stores. prices shown Direct Ltd. available in The higher in Bestway may not be d selling price published recommende Some variants as previously press. RRP price refers to Best-one of going to through in some stores. & OE The cross and may differ

Offers

1st September 2016 - 30th September 2016 Offers only available in selected Best-one stores

Red 4Pk

4x500ml

NOW 75p

4x500ml

4x250ml

4x568ml

75cl

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NOW

£3.99

90g

ANY 2 FOR

NOW

NOW

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HALF PRICE

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£2.99

2016 September

4x250ml

ber 2016 30th Septem

•

My Rewards rebate scheme (fascia stores only) which can be re-invested in store development (subject to terms and conditions)

• Free point-of-sale including promotions package • Over 1500 chilled, fresh and frozen lines and award winning own label lines

What retailers are required to commit to • Investing to meet the Best-one in-store brand standards • Minimum £18,000 wholesale spend (cash/credit) per month • 100% support of the 5 ‘Wow Deals’ and 15 ‘Must Feature’ promotions each month - these are fantastic consumer offers • Accept allocation of stock of ‘Wow Deal’ and ‘Must Feature’ products • Minimum two deliveries of chilled and frozen foods per week

BRV94578_14

• Enhanced promotion pricing and extended buying in period

• 300+ direct to store suppliers at Bestway Wholesale negotiated terms

BRV94578_14

• Bestway’s highly competitive wholesale pricing

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Offers

only availab

Septem

1st Septem

For more information on Best-one or Xtra Local, contact your local Bestw Bestway/Batleys - SG - linda.indd 1

20/12/2016 10:46

In today’s increasingly competitive convenience market, it is essential to pick the right symbol group to provide the support your business needs.

Bestway Batleys offer tailor made solutions with two leading retail groups that provide all you need to be a successful and profitable independent Scottish retailer.

What the retailers say

• Free point-of-sale

“The Best-one team came up with a revamped fascia and in-store design which is really appealing to customers.

The Best-in own-label is second to none – a huge range and exceptional quality.

By switching to Best-one, I’m better off financially by over £30,000 per year compared to my previous symbol group supplier.”

Darren Briggs

• Free consumer leaflets

Best-one Retailer Dragon Service Stations

Bestway Wholesale’s Xtra Local Retail Club provides a special members’ monthly promotion schedule with highly competitive deals in addition to the normal cash & carry deals.

What Xtra Local offers: • Category planograms and member website

ISSUE 2

IMPACT

• RETAIL CLUB PROMOT • RETAIL CLUB ORDER ION ACTIVITY • IMPACT ON CONVENIFORM ENCE TRENDS 10451 Cadbury flavourism

Impact FC ad copy.pdf

PREPRESS CHECK LIST

1

• Bestway wholesale’s highly competitive wholesale pricing

18th JanuaryBUY IN PERIOD STARTS to 28th February 2015 SELLING 1st February OUT PERIOD STARTS to 28th February 2015

NOW ONLINE AT: 14:55

19/12/2014

PROMOTION NUMBER 2 2015

Your number one stop for great deals ...month in month out!

• Special promotion pricing and extended six-week buying in period

www.xtralocal.co.uk

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£1.50

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6 pack

NEW!!

omissions. errors and other Licensed stores. subject to availability, available in All items are products only last. Licensed While stocks

PM £1.20 - 155g

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s’ No.1 No.1 Sugar Sugar Free Free Lemon Lemon & Lime & Lime brand* brand*

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© Britvic © Britvic Soft Drinks, Soft Drinks, all rights all rights reserved. reserved.

“I was very sceptical about Retail Club.

However, I soon realised with the help and support I receive, it was the best thing I have done for my business. There is help with every step of the way. I am now upgrading my shop adding extra services and great promotions.

Give it a try and see the difference for yourself.”

A. Sehzad Xtra Local Retailer Mary’s News, Hoyland

2015

cal Bestway Batleys depot manager or visit best-one.co.uk or xtralocal.co.uk Bestway/Batleys - SG - linda.indd 2

20/12/2016 10:46

TODAY’S THE DAY l

TO HAVE A MODERN PROFESSIONAL STORE

l

TO HAVE MORE SATISFIED CUSTOMERS

l

TO INCREASE YOUR SALES AND FOOTFALL

l

TO BE AT THE FOREFRONT OF CONVENIENCE RETAILING

l

THE BIGGEST & BEST SYMBOL GROUP IN SCOTLAND

l

500 STORES AND COUNTING

l

BEST IN CLASS PROMOTIONS

l

DEDICATED SUPPORT TEAM, PROJECT MANAGERS, BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT MANAGERS & AN IN HOUSE MERCHANDISING TEAM.

l

FREE LEAFLETS

l

FREE POS

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Contact Mike Leonard 07341 733 071 www.joinday-today.co.uk Day-Today Pepsi: Free, Reg, Diet, MAX, MAX Cherry; 7UP: Free, Reg; Tango Orange PMP £1.69/1.59; 2ltr

UWSTODAY - SG - Ashley.indd DAY 2 PAGE AD 1 DEC 2016.indd 2-3

W e re c c

T

To join day-today...

P3

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Offer available

15 February - 6 March 2016 16/12/2016 11:31

Come join Us‌.

With todays convenience sector getting ever more competitive only the strongest, best equipped and most committed stores can thrive and survive. Here at the Day-today group, we recognise that your image is your strongest asset in independent retailing. First impressions count, therefore it’s vital to get it right first time and make a lasting connection with your local customer base.

The Day –today group offers retailers the perfect package of a fresh, modern and professional image in your neighbourhood or high street, and combined with the right core range, fantastic value and friendly service, you will have everything in place to succeed.

We have developed a store redevelopment programme that is second to none in the industry, focussed on providing independent retailers with the support they need to stay ahead of the competition.

We have a comprehensive and well designed fascia range, backed by a nationally recognised consumer campaign and underpinned by high-quality fully integrated point of sale material.

Our next generation stores represent an exciting more profitable future for independent retailing. They project a truly professional image, both externally and internally to your customers and everything from corporate colour schemes to store equipment, modelling and ranging planned to the last detail.

The Day-today family of stores represent local shopping at its very best.

WINNER OF ASIAN TRADER AWARD 2016 BEST IMPULSE

sions excepted. All details correct at time of going to press. Varieties as stocked.

y

UWS - SG - Ashley.indd 2

11:31 16/12/2016 10:45

New Year, new fascia/franchise

Day-Today Garscadden Road (known locally as The 10 o’clock Shop) has been developed as the next generation for Day-Today Elite, with fresh food and availability at the forefront, backed up by a broad range and great deals, giving the store the feel of a mini-supermarket. Retailer Mahmood Rahman (above) is excited by its potential.

A fresh approach The Day-Today Elite fascia is evolving, putting fresh food first with a new concept for the convenience sector. The first to launch is Day-Today in Garscadden Road, Glasgow.

THE next stage in the evolution of Day Today Elite has been unveiled in Glasgow.

Day-Today Garscadden Road (also known as The 10 o’clock Shop) is a new kind of proposition for the symbol group, emphasising fresh food and quality food

to go, and aiming to change the way consumers think about their local convenience store.

The 2,600 sq ft unit was purchased by experienced retailer Mahmood Rahman, who invested heavily to completely trans-

A significant investment has been made to develop a category-leading food-to-go offer, incorporating hot pies, sandwiches and cakes, that will work as a blueprint to roll out to other Day-Today Elite stores.

60 l

form the business in partnership with United Wholesale (Scotland).

With a strong track record in food to go, Mahmood was seen as the perfect retailer with whom to develop the new concept, which enhances the already well-established Elite store offering.

“It’s the best-looking store in Glasgow,” said Mahmood. “I don’t think people have seen anything quite like this before.

“We had fresh produce and food to go in mind when we bought the shop, but we had a vision to take it to a new level, which Mike and his team surpassed.”

Day-Today controller Mike Leonard says the store brings together all of the key elements of the retail proposition that UWS has been developing lately.

“It is important that as we develop our new proposition, we equally remember the key areas of focus that have built our business to date,” he said.

Jason McLeod heads up the fresh operation in the field, supported by Sean Scrimger and Graham Langlands back at United Queenslie depot, in trading.

“This team have put together a first class range proposition,” said Mike. “The retail-

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19/12/2016 15:24

er has identified that there is a huge opportunity for food to go within the store’s catchment area and has made a significant investment to reflect this by having a full range of hot breakfast and lunchtime meal solutions on a bespoke hotplate.

“There is also a hot pastries cabinet, sandwich counter and cake counter which will further enhance the food-to-go experience.”

Though it has a signature look and feel, the food-to-go area has been carefully designed as a pod unit, which in coming months can be replicated and installed at other Day Today Elite stores.

“Space allocation on chilled foods is a huge percentage of the store’s layout and Mahmood knows that this area of the business is what customers want and expect from a convenience store,” said Mike. “There will be 10 bays in total for fresh foods and this shows the retailer is committed to delivering fresh foods to his customer.”

Food to go, fresh and chilled foods are key areas in the store with space allocation for chilled foods making up a huge percentage of the layout with a total of 10 bays for fresh foods, much of it from local suppliers.

There will be 10 bays in total for fresh foods and this shows the retailer is committed to delivering fresh foods to his customers.

Elsewhere, he said, the store has the feel of a mini-supermarket, with the fresh department on entry to the store, a large seasonal selection, a comprehensive BWS department and a redesigned counter area including an under-the countercigarette vending system, supplied by Smokeytech.

Mike himself joined the business in November 2015. His first year has seen him oversee the planning of the Garscadden Road store, from the initial concept design, through to space allocation, layout and product selection.

He hopes for big things from The 10 o’clock Shop and plans to share its positive aspects across the whole business, making all the new spec available to existing Day Today Elite stores as the company moves forward.

Among the initiatives currently being worked on, United Wholesale (Scotland) has just added bigDL to its digital marketing strategy and is rolling it out to all stores.

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free from

Growing into the future Tradition bottled THE new range of Hooper’s alcoholic brews is gluten free and suitable for vegans.

Available in traditional flavours such as Dandelion and Burdock, many of the ingredients are handpicked.

Marketing controller Justin Horsman said: “It is important to educate consumers on what is available using barkers and in-store signage.”

Spreading dairy free DAIRY Crest predicts that the dairy-free market will continue to grow and will increase by a further 43% by 2020.

It has recently relaunched its dairy-free spread Vitalite with a new recipe and refreshed packaging to highlight that it is dairy free.

Senior shopper marketing manager Amy Fisher said: “Dairy free remains the only positive growth area within the butters, spreads and margarine category.”

INCREASED media and legislative focus on food allergies and packaging information has made free-from foods a key trend and manufacturers have responded with a rapidly expanding range of products reaching the market.

And alongside these new products, brand owners are highlighting the free-from credentials of existing lines.

Christine Clarke, head of marketing for Baxters Food Group, said: “Over the past few years, we have watched as the free-from trend has grown as consumers have become more aware about the ingredients in their food, with gluten free in particular accounting for nearly 60% of the category and valued at £438m.

“That is an increase of 36% according to Kantar research.

“This is a trend that looks set to continue throughout 2017 as shoppers adopt a glutenfree diet to help deal with Coeliac disease or simply as a lifestyle choice.”

The range of free-from foods is constantly expanding with frozen fish cakes, reformulated soups, candy confectionery and baked goods all joining the category.

juice and no artificial colours or flavours with an RRP of £1 for a 200g sharing bag.

Head of marketing Ross

Almost two thirds of Brits who do not buy free from food say it is too expensive.

Baxters has relaunched its Hearty canned soups range to make the recipes suitable for people following a gluten-free diet with the nutritional properties of each variety clearly displayed on the front of the can.

• Sweets company Fox’s has launched The Candy Bear gluten-free range of sugar confectionery made with real fruit

Stanley said: “Almost two fifths of Brits who do not buy free-from food say it is too expensive.

“Keeping this in mind when we developed Fox’s Candy Bear, we worked hard to position the product at an affordable price point.”

• Four varieties of frozen fish cakes are the latest additions to the Ockery free-from range.

The range is free from gluten, wheat, dairy, nuts and soya and all four varieties of cod, salmon, smoked haddock and crab are available in 90g, 60g and 30g sizes.

Chief executive Lisa West said: “We know how difficult it can be catering separately for free-from members of the family. We’ve worked hard to create mainstream products that are free from, too.”

• Flower and White has developed a gluten-free range it has called Muffinz.

A spokesperson said: “We have worked hard to overcome the ‘dry and tasteless’ stigma often attached to freefrom products.”

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20/12/2016 15:10

New Year, new shop

It’s a new year and for many retailers their resolution for 2017 will be to open a new shop or revitalise an existing one. In this feature, Scottish Grocer examines two shop-fitting projects from recent months, the first of which saw the creation of a brand new store.

Located in the south side of Glasgow, in an area that already boasts a high number of ethnic food stores, World Foods aims to become the destination of choice for shoppers seeking cuisine from around the globe. At 4,000 sq ft, with its own halal butchery on site, the shopfitting was a joint project between DSS and Capital Cooling.

Whole new world

THE area around Nithsdale Street in the south side of Glasgow isn’t exactly short of ethnic food stores. The diverse local community is already catered for by a number of small shops offering food and drink from around the globe.

But the owners of World Foods believed there was scope for something in the area that presented world cuisine in a new way.

The unit was a disused motorbike garage when it was purchased by Shahid Parvez and his family, who asked Bilal Baig to join the team and assist with the development.

“We saw the scope for it in the area,” said Bilal, who has 15 years’ experience in cash & carries, now working in Maxwell Road and Polmadie before joining Batleys. “There are a lot of Asian communities around here and a lot of Asian supermarkets, but world food is not just an Asian thing. It’s very big in the UK now.

“We’ve got a big mix of customers here – Scottish, Asian, African, Chinese. What we tried to do was bring everything under one roof, appealing to a much broader customer base.”

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Careful thought was put into customer flow to design the right layout.

It was important to place fresh food at

the front of the store, with the first aisle of snacks, fresh fruits and vegetables leading down to the butcher counter.

The shelves, chillers and freezers are stocked with a broad variety of African, Arabic, Asian and European foods, but the range is constantly expanding, with many more lines due to be added in the coming weeks.

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New Year, new shop

Above, L-R: Zulafiqar Ali, Mohammed Saleem, Bilal Baig and Shahid Parvez – the team behind World Foods. Their aim was to bring the widest range of world foods possible under one roof. Halal meat is prepared fresh in store by the World Foods butchers. The wide selection of beef, lamb and poultry products includes speciality marinated meats. As well as a large Klaudia model serve-over counter from Capital Cooling, investment was made in back-up cool rooms for fresh vegetables and meat.

The butchery department is a big selling point, so this was situated at the end of the first aisle. The owners invested heavily in new serve-over cabinets and cold rooms for storing meat including entire lamb carcasses. A team of three halal butchers work throughout the day to prepare fresh cuts of meat, including speciality dishes.

“The butchers just go nonstop,” said Bilal. “They make their own marinades, which are very popular. So you can buy your meat pre-prepared

left empty, so we filled them up with juice, just so we could get the shop open. We recently emptied one whole run to accommodate another supplier, which is East End, real quality stuff. We’ve added quite a few new suppliers, because Batleys don’t do everything.

“In future, we’ll cut the rest of the juices to bring in Arabian sauces and pickles. A lot of people from Eastern Europe stay in this area, so that’s another market we’re trying to go into. Then there’s Kurdish food, which there’s also a

The butchers just go non-stop. They make their own marinades, which are very popular. and just throw it straight in the oven when you get home.”

On the next aisles, the shelves are stocked with staple groceries like spices, pickles and everyday items from the Caribbean, Middle East, Far East, India, Pakistan and elsewhere.

“Batleys has a very big ethnic range with brands like White Pearl, so we make use of them,” said Bilal. “A lot of people want to pay extra money to get quality, so we added five bays of Shan and National stuff, and we’re adding to the range all the time.

“At the start, we had shelves 66 l

big market for and we’d like to bring in more Bangladeshi and South Indian stuff.”

The final two aisles are for chilled and frozen food, with a large bank of chest freezers providing storage for a broad range of frozen halal products.

“It’s all a mixture. We have a lot of frozen vegetables, south Indian stuff. A lot of stuff you might never have heard of, but you’ll find it here,” said Bilal.

“It is all decently priced, but it has to be. Glasgow retail is all about price, because there’s so much competition.”

With a floor space of 4,000 sq ft, shop-fitting was al-

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16/12/2016 15:49

New Year, new shop

The store’s strip lighting is all LED and manufactured in the UK. At 7,000 lumins the lighting helps bring out the colours on products and ensures the store looks bright.

The owners invested heavily in Tahiti chest freezers, along with glass door-fronted upright freezers, in order to offer an extensive range of frozen halal foods.

ways going to be a big task, so the family turned to Graham Mason of Direct Shelving Service, who worked in collaboration with Gerry Simpson of Capital Cooling to complete the project.

“The owners were on a budget and it’s a very big unit, so we looked at ways to create a high-quality look and feel without breaking the bank,” said Graham.

“We discussed putting a suspended ceiling right through the store, but you’re talking a ceiling of 400 square metres at £20 a square metre. That’s £8,000 just for the ceiling, not including lighting. With the lighting it would be somewhere in the region of £12,000-14,000, which is a big investment.

“So what we offered to do was spray the ceiling black, which hides a multitude of imperfections. Then we put in LED lighting over the aisles. And because we had an open ceiling we were able to position the lighting exactly over the aisles to get the right dispersion of light to catch the products. It’s important that they look their best.

“We also put in air conditioning and CCTV and I liased with the council on issues regarding compressors, noise and planning to ensure the store complied with all regulations.”

DSS built offices and toilets as well, including wash facilities to meet staff’s religious requirements.

“They’re really nice people,” said Graham. “They came with what they wanted and we tried to accommodate them, working within their budget to try and achieve the best compromise.”

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The store had its official opening on June 1 and its first six months have been very good. Bilal said the family was very pleased with the response.

“The majority of customers are local families,” he said. “Then there are a few restaurants that use us as well. They used to have to drive down to cash & carries, but now they can just walk in here, sometimes they’ll borrow a trolley and bring it back. A lot of people are coming every day, the local people especially.”

A lot of effort has been made to get the word out. The store has been very active on Facebook and 20,000 leaflets have been distributed in the local area, Giffnock and Newton Mearns. Adverts for World Foods have also played on Awaz

FM, Scotland’s Asian radio station.

“Newcomers are coming all the time. For the first year you only learn. Next summer will be better than this one and next winter will be better than this,” said Bilal.

“This is a market that’s growing, world foods. Definitely, no doubt, it’s going up.

People are travelling all over the world for holidays, discovering new cuisines and if they tried something there and liked it, the only way they’ll get to taste it again is to find a shop like this or book another holiday. If they come in here, at least they can try making their own first.

“Sometimes I’m surprised by how many people know about spices and world cuisine. And even if they don’t know, they’re not afraid to try.”

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19/12/2016 14:45

New Year, new shop

‘Move with times or get left behind’ Knightswood Newsagent in Glasgow is ready to face the future following a refit so complete it has left regular customers wondering if they have entered the right shop.

HOW long should you go between refits? Pose that question and you’ll likely get a few different answers.

Ask shopfitters and they’ll tend to say that refits should be carried out every five to seven years. Among retailers, a refit every 10 or even 15 years may be preferred.

Tarun Thapar, of Knightwood Newsagents in Anniesland Road, Glasgow, decided 22 years was probably long enough to wait.

“You look around at other people’s shops and a lot are being done up now,” he said.

“You’ve got to move with the times. Move with the times or get left behind.

“We could’ve run it another 20 years the way it was and I’m sure we’d have kept making money, but it was looking dated and that was getting to

After 22 years with the same layout, retailer Tarun Thapar (above left) invested in a top-to-bottom refit, including the addition of a 7.5m remote chiller deck that has allowed him to reorganise and greatly expand his range of soft drinks.

me. The change since the refit is like night and day.

“Some customers actually walked through the door and went straight out again because they thought they were in the wrong shop. We’ve had

mixed reviews. Some people don’t like change, but the main thing is business is up.”

Tarun’s store is situated in a shopping precinct with Farmfoods and Tesco Knightswood Metro on one side, and Ice-

the end we literally binned the shop, floor to ceiling. The only thing we kept was the tobacco gantry. Everything else went.

“The big increase we’ve had is on chilled. That’s a game changer. Previously we had

We literally binned the shop, floor to ceiling. The only thing we kept was the tobacco gantry.

The tobacco gantry is all that remains of Tarun’s old store, now standing behind a bespoke counter incorporating gums and hanging bags of confectionery.

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land on the other.

Though the business was still trading well as a CTN, last summer he decided to invest in a major refit and make it a more food-led operation.

He worked closely with shopfitter Vertex to create a plan that would maximise the retail space.

“There was no set thing I had in mind. It’s not a tiny shop, but it’s not huge,” he said. “In

old-style single-door fridges dotted about the place. We had four or five of them. So we thought we’d swap them for one big one – almost eight metres – and it’s made a big, big difference.”

In terms of soft drinks, there’s not much that Tarun doesn’t stock now and trips are made to the cash & carry seven days a week to keep the chiller filled up.

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New Year, new shop

Pictures from before (above left) and after the refit (above centre) show how dramatically the exterior has changed. Above right, a drawing from shopfitter Vertex illustrates the new layout, including the central gondola that has allowed owner Tarun to introduce a greater range of grocery products.

Knightswood Newsagent offers a vast confectionery range including pick’n’mix and old-fashioned sweetie jars. An EPOS system was introduced to the store during the refit, which also boosted shelf space. The chair and bag above belong to Suzie, a long-time customer who keeps the team company during the day.

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Work on the walls and bays as well as the introduction of a central gondola have increased shelf space by 50%.

“Previously there was no central shelving unit,” said Tarun. “After bringing that in our general grocery range has grown a lot. I wouldn’t say it flies out the door, but we do keep a lot more of it and even with Tesco next door it goes quite well.

“It’s just a different set-up now. More food-led. We used to sell a lot of toys and a lot of wool. We did away with the toys and kept some of the wool but in a different set-up.”

Wool can now be found in the back corner near the double-door freezer, introduced to store take-home ready meals.

“A lot of our customers are older folk living by themselves,” said Tarun. “When they go shopping, they just want a ready meal, a paper and a bottle of milk. They don’t want to go into Iceland or Tesco, and have to wander the whole shop and get stuck in a queue. They know us and they know they can come in here, find what they need quickly and have a blether.”

With customers in mind, Vertex installed an automatic door, taking away the old step and making the entrance much more welcoming for the elderly and parents with buggies. The floor was relayed with ceramic tiles for a better finish, a new suspended ceiling was fitted and LED lighting

was installed, ensuring energy costs will be kept low.

One feature that has been warmly received by staff is the new 14kw air-conditioning system Vertex installed.

“I know we don’t exactly get Indian summers here, but in the old shop, when we would get hot days, at the end of a shift you’d be physically exhausted from the heat,” said Tarun. “We’d be taking layers off and stocking shelves in flip-flops. On cold days you’d get the opposite problem.

Now we can control it and it’s so much better. It’s a more comfortable place to work.”

The shop has been further modernised with the introduction of an EPOS system from MHouse Solutions, bringing Knightswood Newsagent into the 21st century.

“For 22 years it was like Open All Hours in here,” said Tarun. “That was the kind of till we had. We kept all the prices in our heads.

“Now we scan everything through the MPOS. It’s a good system and it means no matter where you are, even sitting at home, you can keep track of your sales.”

A store that is easier to shop and better to run, Knightswood Newsagent’s tranformation has left the team and their customers delighted.

“I’m already forgetting what it used to be like and that’s after 22 years of it being the same way,” said Tarun. “It feels like I’ve got amnesia.”

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15/12/2016 16:11

burns night

First big night of the year WITH Christmas and New Year behind us, Scots have another celebration to help brighten up a cold, dark January.

For over 200 years, families and friends have been gathering on or around 25 January to celebrate the life and work of Scotland’s national poet, Robert Burns.

The tradition began on the fifth anniversary of the bard’s death when nine of his friends gathered in Alloway to celebrate his life with a meal and a speech in his honour.

The night was such a success the friends decided to repeat it on Rabbie’s next birthday and the January tradition of the Burns Supper was born.

The annual celebration has created an early sales opportunity in the year for retailers.

Local products are becoming increasingly important to Scottish consumers and haggis, whisky and other local fare are always on the shopping list for a Burns Supper.

And this year, manufacturers have come up with a number of innovative products for the 2017 celebration.

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Manufacturers have been coming up with new ways to help consumers enjoy haggis on Burns Night. Among the recipes from Macsween is a gluten-free haggis kofta kebab, while Mash Direct has created Burns Bites.

Tradition with a new twist Its latest innovation is glutenfree haggis.

Managing director James Macsween said: “This means those with dietary requirements don’t need to worry about missing out on the traditional festivities this Burns night.

“It can be adapted to any dish, as part of a traditional Burns Supper, in a hearty lasagne made with gluten-free pasta or even on gluten-free nachos.”

Pastry and Pie manufacturer, Bells Food Group, has added a steak and haggis pie to its shell pie range.

Saying that 33m Bells pies are sold throughout the UK every year and that 10% of the Scottish population eats a Bells pie every week, Lanarkshire based Bells Food Group has added a steak and managhaggis variant to its Scotch pie range. ing director HEARTY fare has been at the centre of a Burns Supper since the very first one in 1801, when haggis was served.

The traditional serving is haggis, neeps and tatties (turnip and mashed potatoes), but as eating habits have changed, manufacturers have come up with new ways of creating haggis dishes.

Edinburgh butcher Macsween has been providing haggis for Burns night revellers since the 1950s.

Among the new haggis products it has introduced over the decades are a vegetarian option as well as burgers, meatballs and sausages.

Ronnie Miles said: “We have a very loyal customer base and we know the new Steak and Haggis addition to our Scotch Pie range is set to be a real hit.”

In response to increased demand for turnip and potato products in the lead up to Burns Night, Mash Direct has created Burns Bites.

The bites bring together neeps, tatties and Scottish haggis in a crisp, gluten-free crumb batter.

Shelf-ready packs of ten bites come in a tartan sleeve.

The launch is being supported by sampling, advertising and social media campaigns.

Director of marketing Jack Hamilton said: “This is a unique offering as there are no other products like this available in the market.

“The social media campaign will include a video of preparation of a traditional Burns Night supper whilst promoting the modern twist of the convenience of using Mash Direct products for a Burns Night Supper.”

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burns night

Whisky firm in cask offer TRADE customers are being offered the chance to bottle a single cask of malt whisky and customise the label.

Benromach Distillery Company has released a series of casks and is inviting its customers to add their business details to the labels.

Brand manager Kirsty Saville said: “The Benromach Single Cask provides our trade customers with the opportunity to bottle the entire outturn of the cask and customise the offering for their market.

“Benromach, with its unique pre-1960s character, has proved a huge hit in the UK and in overseas markets.

“Benromach Single Cask provides opportunities to create a unique product for our trade customers.”

Saville added that the launch follows a period of high growth for Benromach, which was revived in 1998.

It is now exported to over 40

Haggis reflects heritage countries and sales have increased by 36% in the last 12 months.

Having started out with two distillers, it had increased that number to four by summer of 2016.

Saville added: “Production is set to increase in early 2017, in response to growing global popularity.”

• Highland Park has released

a new special edition single malt.

The Fire edition has been matured exclusively in refill port wine seasoned casks and follows the release of the Ice edition in 2016.

The crimson red bottle was specially commissioned to represent the fierce and molten world of the Fire Giants from Viking mythology.

THE latest flavour from crisp firm Golden Wonder has a distinct Burns Night connection.

Haggis flavour is available in multipacks of six and single packs with 15% extra.

Marketing director Matthew Smith said: “We’re very proud of our Scottish roots. We’ve been working on our Haggis flavour for some time, as we wanted it to perfectly reflect Golden Wonder’s heritage.”

Picture this – the bard’s words bottled SCOTLAND’S favourite soft drink is putting the bard on its bottles for this year’s Burns Night.

Limited-edition 750ml glass bottles of Irn-Bru regular, Xtra and Sugar Free each feature a picture of Scotland’s national poet made up of the words to one of three of his most famous poems, Address to a Haggis, Tam O’Shanter and To a Louse.

The special packs are being

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backed by digital marketing activity and supported instore by Burns-branded point of sale.

Marketing director Adrian Troy said: “Shoppers are actively looking for products which reflect their Scottish heritage around Burns Night.

“Our limited-edition packs will enable retailers to tap into this important sales opportunity.

“These special packs will

create a great talking point and reinforce Scottish consumers’ connection to their favourite grocery brand.

“The 750ml bottle is the ideal celebration pack and we expect demand to be high as people prepare to literally raise a glass to the bard.

“Retailers should display the packs prominently and prepare for the surge in demand.”

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19/12/2016 15:16

琀 琀 挀 挀 攀 攀 昀 昀 爀 爀 攀 攀 倀 倀

攀 攀 吀栀 倀漀攀琀爀礀 椀渀 愀 倀愀挀欀 倀漀攀琀爀礀 椀渀 愀 倀愀挀欀

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眀眀眀⸀洀挀椀渀琀漀猀栀昀漀漀搀猀⸀挀漀洀 眀眀眀⸀洀挀椀渀琀漀猀栀昀漀漀搀猀⸀挀漀洀 StrathmoreFoods - SG - Ashley.indd 1

19/12/2016 12:26

burns night

Alternative taste of tradition NOT everyone likes haggis and Scottish family-owned Baxters Food Group says its natural recipes mean its products offer the best of Scotland without the hassle.

Baxters has been making soup in Scotland for four generations and the company says it now has a 25.2% share of the soup market.

Head of marketing Christine Clark said: “The Baxter family has drawn inspiration from Scotland’s natural larder, focusing on using traditional recipes, created using the best ingredients to deliver the taste of Scotland.”

She added: “Although haggis is the traditional fare for Burns Night, cullen skink is the

perfect starter and our Chef Selections embody the best of Scotland without the hassle.

“It’s a Scottish classic and the Baxters taste will transport you to Scotland, no matter where you’re enjoying it.”

The recipe includes Scottish smoked haddock, accompanied by potatoes, onions and fresh double cream.

National toast for our national poet SCOTCH whisky is right at the centre of many a Burns Night Supper.

On the night, before the food is served, it is traditional to toast the haggis with a dram and people often look for a special or unusual bottle for the occasion.

This makes Burns Night, along with Christmas and Father’s Day, one of the most important selling periods for Scotland’s national spirit.

Quoting Nielsen research, brand owner Pernod Ricard says Scotch whisky remains important in the off-trade and generates almost a quarter of the UK’s £4bn spirits sales in retail.

It says that premium Scotch, at £16.15 or more for a 70cl bottle, is growing at 5.1%.

But standard whisky sales are falling at a rate of 5.4%.

Head of marketing dark spirits Magin Trewhella said: “The challenge for retailers and producers is to capitalise on the growing interest in premium in order to arrest a slight 78 l

decline of 2.2% in the Scotch whisky category overall.

“It is vital that we continue to make this an attractive category for younger spirits drinkers by stocking those Scotch whiskies that are going to excite and inspire them.”

Trewhella said Pernod Ricard is doing this through the launch of accessible ex-

pressions like The Glenlivet Founder’s Reserve and Scapa Glansa, as well as campaigns that reach the target audiences, such as The Blend from Chivas Regal which, Trewhella says, has helped to open up the category to a younger audience.

• The Macallan has introduced a new limited edition,

Manufacturers large and small are introducing new products to reach new whisky drinkers. Pernod Ricard has launched Scapa Glansa for a younger generation, Strathearn Distillery is distilling in small batches and The Macallan has brought out the second in its Editions series.

Edition No. 2.

Made in collaboration with El Celler de Can Roca, the whisky uses seven different cask types.

Master whisky maker Bob Dalgarno said: “The driving force behind the Edition Series is the freedom we have to explore different and distinctive casks, some that might not typically be used in other Macallan whiskies.”

Edition No 2 has an ABV of 48.2% and comes with an RRP of £65.

• Strathearn Distillery launched its first whisky with an auction that saw bottle 001 sell for £4,150.

The first 100 bottles from the distillery, which was established in 2013, were put up for auction and the lowest selling price was £315.

The distillery’s founder Tony Reeman-Clark said: “This has been an amazing event, far exceeding my wildest dreams.”

Reeman-Clark will now hand deliver bottle 001 to the winning bidder in Italy.

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www.scottishgrocer.co.uk Untitled-5 1

20/12/2016 14:19

hot beverages

The tastes they are a-changing CONSUMERS are looking for something different in their cuppa these days, according to Tetley, and it says retailers must move with the times.

Director of customer and shopper marketing Peter Dries said: “Tea tastes have been changing for some time with shoppers moving up to higher value teas like premium blends and healthy teas like decaf, green and fruit and herbals where there are real opportunities for growth.”

Tetley quotes Nielsen figures to reveal that the top selling tea brands in Scotland are Tetley with 61.7% of the market, Scottish Blend with 20.1% and Twinings with 9.9%.

And Dries added that although everyday black tea continues to dominate sales, special teas is where the impetus for growth lies.

He said: “It’s not about increasing space for tea, it’s about choosing products that tap into consumer trends, will sell the best and deliver higher

Tetley says that a decaf tea option is essential as decaf drinkers won’t buy anything else and it is reporting growth for green teas, fruit and herbal choices.

value returns.”

He said a decaf option is a must, adding: “Decaf drinkers won’t choose anything else.

“Tetley packs carry the endorsement of a 2014 Great Taste Award, assuring shoppers that it will deliver on taste

and giving confidence to buy.”

Tetley says green tea sales are up by 5.1% in value in Scotland and fruit and herbal teas have grown by 2.15%.

Dries said: “Tetley is the number two brand overall in green tea.

“Tetley Pure Green 50s are the best-selling SKU in the market and Tetley Pure Green 20s and Tetley Pure Green Lemon 20s are a sound choice for convenience stores and are available in price-marked packs of £1.”

And, with everyone watching to see how the vote for the UK to leave the European Union will affect prices, Tetley warns: “It is impossible to provide an accurate prediction of how the tea market will or will not change post Brexit, but we do see commodity prices being affected by exchange rate movements.

“Whilst cost of production has risen, Tetley prices have not changed for some years, and regular reviews we conduct to determine when price increases might be necessary have led us to review costs with our customers.

“These discussions are ongoing and began before the currency fluctuations we see now.”

Straight outta Plumpton YORKSHIRE Tea is coming straight outta Plumpton, Harrogate, to celebrate the heroes of the tea round with a brew-inspired rap and accompanying video, Blessed are The Tea Makers.

Brand manager Tom Blair said: “Tea, hip hop, and office culture are an unlikely mix, but a very funny and relatable one.

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“A proper brew is about the skill of the tea maker as well as the quality of the tea, and the workplace brew round is the arena in which those skills really live or die.

“We wanted to create a video that celebrated those who go to great lengths to not only get their own tea right, but other people’s too, no matter what the request.”

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enter a world of Deliciousness C

M

Y

The uk’s leading single serve brand in the fastest growing coffee segment.*

CM

MY

CY

MY

K

*Nielsen MAT 05.11.2016

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hot beverages

It’s all about the quality in the pod TASTE, quality and strength are the three most important factors for consumers when purchasing coffee for home, says Phil Smith, head of category and insight for UCC Coffee.

He said: “Consumers continue to appreciate good quality coffee and are craving espressostyle drinks at home

which is still fuelling the pod market.”

Smith said the pod category is now worth almost £10m and that it looks set to continue its growth.

UCC has recently given its Lyons brand a new look and is reporting double-digit growth for its Orang Utan and ThreeSixty

Innovating to stay in front VALUING the chocolate beverage market at £93m, Mondelez International quotes Nielsen figures to show it is the number one manufacturer in the category and owns the number one brand in Cadbury.

After testing the product with the Mumsnet consumer panel, it added Freddo Drinking Chocolate to its range towards the end of 2016.

And it relaunched its Cadbury Highlights range with a new look and reformulated recipe to cut down on the salt content.

Brand manager Rachel Alcobia said Mondelez is committed to innovation and investment to help grow the category.

She added: “Cadbury offers an extensive range, including number one brand positions in the drinking chocolate, instant

Cadbury Drinking Chocolate is the best-selling hot chocolate drink and Mondelez has recently repackaged the Highlights diet chocolate drink.

chocolate and cocoa sub-categories.

“The Highlights range holds

Cadbury has number one positions in the drinking chocolate, instant chocolate and cocoa sub-categories 82 l

the number two position in diet chocolate beverages, with Highlights Milk Chocolate the bestselling SKU within the segment.

“And Cadbury Drinking chocolate is the best selling in the whole category.”

brands.

Smith said: “ThreeSixty answers consumers’ growing interest in origin by showing them where their coffee is from.

“Coordinates on every pack denote the location of the farm of origin, which can be tracked on google maps.”

Costa wants its cups back COFFEE shop chain Costa has launched a recycling scheme for takeaway cups and is including competitors’ cups in the project.

Customers are being encouraged to leave or return their takeaway cups to a Costa store for Costa, with its waste partner, Veolia, to transport them to specialist waste processing plants.

Following a trial in London and Manchester, Costa is rolling out the recycling racks to 2,000 stores with the message: we recycle any paper takeaway cup, no matter what brand.

Costa currently donates 25p to litter charities every time a customer uses a reusable cup in a Costa store.

Managing director Jason Cotta said: “We are committed to taking a lead and are working hard to find a cup that can be recycled anywhere.

“We are excited to see the impact our new in-store recycling offer will have and hope it is embraced by everyone – by our customers and by those who buy their coffee elsewhere.”

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hot beverages

Fruit growing in tea aisle Stirring up new interest MARS Chocolate Drinks says instant hot chocolate sales are now worth £45m and that its Galaxy variety is now worth £5m.

And it recently added White Maltesers to its range.

General manager for Mars Chocolate Drinks and Treats, Michelle Frost, said: “Combining strong brands, exciting, innovative products and offering flexibility for both retailers and consumers has seen our range continue to grow.

“The complete range now includes options for those seeking a low calorie, malted, or indulgent hot chocolate.”

TEA is consumed by 90% of UK households, making it a key distress and top-up item, says Nick Woodison, merchandising and creative controller for Unilever’s Partners for Growth.

Calling tea drinking a national obsession, Unilever says there are 165m cups consumed every day in the UK, giving the market a value of £654m, with more than £80m of that generated through c-stores.

Partners for Growth research shows that tea penetration is higher among older shoppers and that these shoppers are brand loyal and come into the shop knowing what they are after, so don’t browse.

It says normal black tea accounts for around 65% of tea sales so retailers should give it sufficient space to avoid going out of stock.

But, it stresses, you must also allocate space for speciality teas and fruit and herbal varieties.

Widdowson said: “There is a big opportunity for retailers to offer a range tailored to

The PG Tips strategy for continued growth includes the Keep it Tea campaign and more TV appearances for Monkey.

suit their location and shopper profile.

“In affluent areas, look to offer more choice, with two or three more lines of fruit and herbal or green teas.

“In less affluent areas, focus more on the core bestselling normal teas.”

In 2016, Unilever added seven new flavours to its range of PG Tips fruit, herbal and green teas.

Brand building director Anouk Lange said: “Our fruit, herbal and green tea portfo-

lio is showing significant value growth at 20.3% year-on-year in a market that is growing at 5.4%.

“The new flavours are designed to continue to grow penetration and recruit new consumers to the category.

“Our Green Strawberry Cupcake flavour has the second fastest ROS in the portfolio, which highlights that consumers are keen to try new and interesting flavours.

“We are committed to growing the total tea category.”

Taking the high street home WITH high street coffee culture continuing to grow throughout the UK, consumers are ever eager to replicate those tastes and experiences at home, according to Pelican Rouge Coffee Roasters.

It says people under 35 are more likely to go for single serve coffee machines and capsules 84 l

but there is a desire across the age groups to move away from standard instant coffee and try a more premium product.

A spokesperson said that single serve capsules have been driving growth within coffee for over two years and are currently growing at 22% year on year, with more than a third of UK

households now owning a single serve machine.

Pelican Rouge recently launched 100% Arabica, Arabica/Robusta blend and Decaf 100% Arabica Nespresso compatible capsules.

It has also introduced a range of wholebean and roast and ground coffees from Nicaragua.

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cereal bars

A snack attack with added smile BRINGING humour to the healthy snack market – that’s one aim of The Hangry Food Company.

According to the company’s website, Hangry is not a madeup word but, it says, was officially entered into the Oxford English Dictionary in 2015.

The website continues: “Hangry is a scientific discovery!

“A recent study shows that people have difficulty regulating their temperament when their blood sugar levels drop, which is why they become a bit of a grumpy mess when hangry.”

It adds that to keep hanger at bay, glucose levels must be kept stable, and says that fruit, vegetables and nuts can all help the body maintain that stability.

And it says its bars,

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containing natural stabilising ingredients, fill this need for consumers on the go.

Hangry recently launched with its Snack Out Of It campaign. A spokesperson said: “The word hangry is defined as that moment when hunger and anger collide.

“Launching with three aptly named 40g bars, Berry The Rage, Cranky Cocoa and Original Nutter, Hangry tackles the all too familiar midmorning rage and afternoon grump slump, as well as serving as a much needed rescue remedy for when you’re on the go.”

Hangry bars are vegan friendly, free from dairy, wheat, refined sugars, syrups, additives and preservatives.

They come with an RRP of £1.50.

Nature’s digestive ESSEX firm Eat Natural has expanded its Bars with Benefits range with the addition of the new Better Inside bar.

Better Inside is the fourth bar in the range and Eat Natural says it is the first-ever digestive health bar.

Co-founder Praveen Vijh said: “The beauty of the Better Inside bar is in its powerful simplicity.

“It contains chicory root, a naturally active ingredient well known for its digestive qualities.

“Chicory root is a herbaceous relative of the dandelion, and contains a type of soluble fibre called Inulin, which is good for healthy digestion and for promoting the growth of good bacteria.

“It is gluten free, wheat free, and OK for vegetarians.”

Better Inside is the fourth bar to be added to the Bars with Benefits range, joining the Omega 3 variant of dark chocolate, seeds and peanuts, the Extra Protein bar with maple syrup, pecans and peanuts, and the Extra Fibre version with apple, ginger and dark chocolate.

Vijh continued: “Having a single benefit,

Each bar in Eat Natural’s Bars with Benefits range offers a different ingredient in a healthy balanced diet.

The latest addition, Better Inside, contains chicory root which the manufacturer says is a naturally active aid to digestion.

such as free from, isn’t enough anymore. Our customers want us to pack even more benefits into our bars.

“So we’ve listened to them and come up with new SKUs with added

els of either protein, fibre and omegas, each crucial to maintain a healthy, balanced diet.

“This concept of Bars with Benefits gives Eat Natural customers a really clear sense of just

Our Eat Natural bars are created with taste and goodness in mind accent flavours and ingredients such as ginger, or maple syrup – and now chicory root.

“It’s unique to the category and we have reimagined the category through this range and now this new bar.”

Eat Natural launched the first three Bars with Benefits in March 2016 saying: “Each bar contains naturally high lev-

how committed we are to innovation and quality.”

Vijh added that Eat Natural bars are made in small batches and said: “Eat Natural believes that if you’re going to use lovely ingredients, you might as well use lots of them.

“Our bars are created only with taste and goodness in mind.”

l January 2017

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20/12/2016 11:10

UK'S NO.1

SINGLE SNACK

BAR BRAND

As Nākd continues to grow and appeal widens, more and more people are joining the wholefood revolution, helping Nākd to become a £35m brand, delivering £8m incremental sales*.

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We’re a young British company devoted to increasing world happiness with yummy healthy snacks, humour and helpfulness. That means we make delicious, good-for-you munchies, do our best to help others, and try to spread a little joy along the way.

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NaturalBalance - SG - Ashley.indd 1 1 161212_TRADE_ScottishGrocer.indd

Source: Nielsen ScanTrack 52 w/e 16.07.16 – Value. Category: Cereal Bars & Healthy Biscuits

14/12/2016 10:11 10:34 12/12/2016

cereal bars

Free-from shoppers look for variety INCREASED publicity about the effects of sugar and other ingredients has led to an increase in what it calls ‘clean eating’ according to Natural Balance Foods.

Marketing director Marina Love said: “People are actively seeking information on natural, healthy products and that includes free from.”

And she revealed that Mintel’s latest Free-From Foods report highlighted that 48% of those who eat or buy free from said they were likely to widen their freefrom repertoire.

She added: “In 2016 we introduced two permanent additions

and one limited-edition flavour to the Nakd bar range; Peanut Delight, Apricot Crunch and the limitededition Carrot Cake bar.”

Love said the optimum range of Natural Balance products for c-stores is Trek Protein Energy Flapjacks in Cocoa Oat and Cocoa Coconut; Trek Protein Bars in Peanut Power and Cocoa Chaos; Nakd Bars in Cocoa Orange, Cashew Cookie and Bakewell Tart and Nakd Nibbles in Salted Caramel flavour.

She concluded: “Nakd is one of the brands that gave rise to the clean eating trend, recognising that the UK was crying out for a healthier alternative to sugarladen snacks masquerading as healthy.”

Seed snacks add health in a hurry HEALTH doesn’t have to be compromised just because you are hungry or on the go – that is the message from seed bar manufacturer 9Bar. And it says more and more consumers are recognising the importance of both macro and micro ingredients, meaning that while people often want a sweet or salty snack, they are wary of sugar and carbs alone won’t cut it.

A spokesperson said: “Consumers want to get more nutrition out of their snacks wherever possible.

“The unique mix of seeds in 9BARs helps with that fuller for longer feeling so the temptation to snack on less healthier options is minimised.”

9Bar refers to Kantar research that says seeds are a growing category with a value of £46m and growing at 88 l

The 50g Chia & Berry 9Bar is designed as an on-the-go breakfast option.

11% year on year, faster than crisps, nuts, savoury biscuits and healthier biscuits.

The 50g Chia & Berry 9Bar is designed as an on-the-go breakfast.

The spokesperson said: “The 9BAR breakfast range is high in calcium and protein to

ensure you don’t need to miss out on your morning burst of nutrition because you’re having a busy start to your day.

“Breakfast is often on the go these days and a larger 50g bar is as good as having a bowl of cereal with milk.”

And 9Bar says that as con-

sumers increasingly seek more nutritional forms of snacking its Raspberry Cocoa Kick offers an indulgent bar with health benefit as a rival to chocolate.

The spokesperson added: “The smaller size at 40g makes it great for grabbing on the go when you know you want to try and be healthy but want a treat.

“9Bar aims to have new products available in 2017 and has created a new business, 9Brand Foods, to help its super seeds reach more consumers.”

Looking ahead, the spokesperson said: “We are exploring more ways to allow consumers to get their healthy seeds in even more convenient formats and we have exciting marketing plans in place for 2017.”

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19/12/2016 15:08

no nonsense.

10g protein

. Now our best-selling bar . Packs a whopping 10g of protein . Gluten free and OK for Veggies . Perfect for an active lifestyle . A resolution to keep Simple‌isn’t it?

mean business in 2017 EatNatural - SG ad - Ashley.indd 1 Scottish Grocer (Dec 2017).indd 1

14/12/2016 14:09 09:52 06/12/2016

dairy drinks

Use the soft drinks aisle Bridging the gap to health PROTEIN drink company Üfit has added banana, vanilla and iced latte flavours to its range.

And it says the iced latte drink, which combines 22g of protein with 100% Arabica coffee, bridges the gap between mainstream drinks and the health category.

Marketing director Terry Adams said: “Creating a product that was in equal parts delicious, healthy and convenient was our primary goal.

“The extension of our lines represents continued growth in the market .”

for food and drink on the go and added: “Milk drinks offer a clear point of difference in the soft drinks fixture.

“Retailers can make the most of this opportunity by placing milk drinks with soft drinks towards the front of the store, rather than with the milk and yogurt products.”

Duplock also advises stocking the top brands, offering milk drinks as part of a meal deal, using price-marked packs and using branded POS. He said: “There’s a plethora of drinks for consumers to choose from, so retailers need to make sure their offer is clearly segmented and the bestsellers Using branded POS will let shoppers know where your milk are used as drinks are and boost sales, according to FrieslandCampina. category signMILK drinks should be treated in the same way as soft drinks, according to FrieslandCampina, the company behind flavoured milk brand Yazoo.

That is the first of its five merchandising tips for maximising the opportunities the category offers.

Marketing manager Richard Duplock said that 17% of convenience shoppers are looking

Yazoo’s 400ml on-the-go range.

posts.

“Using branded trays, wobblers and window posters from brands will help attract customers to your most profitable products.

“When it comes to milk drinks, Yazoo’s 400ml on-thego packs are the top three sellers in convenience. And our new No Added Sugar milk drink is set to fly off the shelves – it’s expected to generate in excess of £7m incremental sales to the milk drinks category in its first year."

Demand for flavours with nutrients FLAVOURED milk consumers are becoming more discerning, says Grace Foods, and it says its Nurishment Extra range meets the demand for distinctive flavours and added nutrients.

Alongside a recent packaging redesign and the addition of a resealable lid, the added sugar content of Nurishment has been reduced by 50%.

Nyree Chambers, head of marketing at Grace Foods, said: “A key part of Nurishment Extra’s

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broad shopper appeal is that it’s not just used to quench people’s thirst, but also to alleviate hunger and as a great-tasting source of additional nutrients.

“This allows for a range of ambient and chilled merchandising options.

“The new packaging will improve on-shelf standout for the 310ml range which includes vanilla, chocolate, strawberry and banana flavours."

Nurishment Extra is available in outers of 12 with an RRP of £1.09.

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dairy drinks

A cup of Alps glamour SWISS milk company Emmi has given its Caffè Latte brand of iced coffee a new look.

The new St Moritz series of cups are designed to give drinkers an impression of the Swiss Alps and add a bit of glamour to attract 28 to 30 year old shoppers.

UK head of marketing Laura Grove said: “We love to surprise and delight our consumers with Emmi

Caffè Latte limited edition packaging across Summer and Winter.

“For Winter 2017, we are proud to sponsor the FIS World Ski Championships and have brought the glamour of the host town, St. Moritz, to our best-selling Cappuccino.”

The limited-edition cups will be available until March with an RRP of £1.35 for the 230ml size and £2 for the bigger 370ml cups.

Drinks growing in the face of decline MILK drinks are bucking the trend within the fresh milk, cream and milk drinks category by growing at 3.7% at a time when the overall category is showing a slight decline, says Frijj brand owner Müller.

Dan Howell, commercial director at Müller Milk and Ingredients, said: “Müller will add value through innovation, not least by utilising the Frijj brand, which has the awareness and long-standing cred-

Choc Orange and Mango and Passionfruit flavours joined the Frijj range last year.

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ibility to reach out to new audiences.

“We have the ambition, knowledge and capability to lead the way with insight and investment and unlock longterm growth which benefits everyone in the supply chain.“ In 2016, Müller added two new flavours to the Frijj milkshake range.

At the launch, head of marketing, Laura Sheard, said: “Frijj Loaded Choc Orange delivers an innovative flavour blend.

“The packaging features swirls of chocolate and orange designed to stand out on shelf and attract shoppers.”

The second new launch added a Mango and Passionfruit flavour to the Frijj 40% Less Sugar portfolio and Sheard said: “The Frijj 40% Less Sugar range is now worth £2.2m in retail sales value since its launch in 2015.

“It encourages consumers to adopt dairy products as part of a balanced lifestyle

Frijj launched a new TV and online campaign late in 2016 designed to catch the imagination of consumers in their 20s.

and capitalises on the growing trend towards products that are lower in sugar.”

And Frijj returned to the TV screen towards the end of last year with the Feel The Urjj campaign.

The series of three ads, aimed at twentysomething consumers, has a sitcom feel and features two house-mates battling over a bottle of Frijj.

Chief marketing officer Michael Inpong said: “With this advertising and social media campaign we want consumers to feel #theURjj for Frijj.

“It’s our ambition to drive

Frijj to fulfil its true potential, and we know consumers love the taste and eye-catching bottle.”

Looking at the wider category, Bill Mathieson, commercial director at Müller Yogurts and Desserts, said: “We see opportunities across the category from health to indulgence.

“It is crucial that we continue to listen to our customers and consumers to understand shifting shopping behaviour.

Providing choice is the key.

“We are excited to be at the start of the next phase in the development.”

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sugar free

Alternative for sweet drinks THE latest stevia ingredient from PureCircle is SigmaBeverage, specifically created for drinks.

Stevia is a plant extract alternative to sugar and PureCircle says in the UK, almost 25% of new products in food and beverages that use high-intensity sweeteners have been sweetened with stevia.

Sigma-Beverage is the third, category specific ingredient in PureCircle’s portfolio. Vice-president of marketing and innovation Faith Son said: “We are excited to help unlock the beverage category and reduce overall calories while meeting the taste desires.”

• Perfectly Clear has become the first flavoured water range to be certified by lower sugar movement, Sugarwise.

The sugar-free Perfectly Clear formula was found to meet Sugarwise’s strict standards regarding quality and free sugar content, following analysis at Cambridge University.

Bringing the smiles back Promotion raises £250,000 FOLLOWING a promotion that raised £250,000 through the sales of Wrigley’s Extra sugar-free gum, Action for Children has been able to create and distribute 10,000 packs to help children develop an oral hygiene routine.

Wrigley marketing director Julio Guijarro said: “Thank you to all those that supported the Smile Back campaign.

“We continue to work with retailers to highlight the opportunity sugar-free gum plays not only in oral health but in boosting profits too.”

Quoting figures from an Ultradex survey, Wrigley says that 80% of women are more concerned about tooth loss and oral health than weight gain and that over 97% of Wrigley’s gum sales are from sugar-free products.

It valued its portfolio at £266m and Wrigley’s Extra at £216m, showing a rise of 4%.

Extra’s core flavours of Pep-

permint and Spearmint, it reported, are the top performing variants, worth almost £137m.

• Peppersmith mints and gum has made the move into the dental health category with the addition of sugarfree Strawberry Pastilles to its range, which already includes sugar-free peppermint and spearmint gum.

With the support of retailers, Wrigley donated money from the sales of Wrigley’s Extra to Action for Children to bring the smile back to children’s faces.

The launch is being supported by an online campaign.

Vera made over without sugar FUNCTIONAL drinks manufacturer Grace Foods is to promote its sugar-free Aloe Vera drink with a campaign including outdoor advertising, sampling, social media and consumer shows.

Brand manager Giuseppe Vullo quoted figures from MAT research for the 52 weeks to the end of September 2016 and said: “The aloe vera category is an exciting category

with Grace Aloe commanding a 79.3% share.

“Grace Aloe Zero is a smooth aloe vera drink with zero sugar.

“It contains only natural flavours and colours and 100% of your daily recommended Vitamin C per bottle, which helps reduce tiredness and fatigue.

“The zero sugar option offers shoppers the choice they’re

seeking.”

Vullo added that the range has been developed to meet shopper demand for something different and that Grace believes offering beverages with distinctive flavours will drive sales.

He said the company has an exciting marketing programme planned which, he says, will create a great opportunity for retailers.

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sugar free

Marketing code grows awareness OBESITY is a growing societal problem, according to Britvic, and it says it has taken steps to help consumers make healthy choices by reformulating its drinks.

The owner of brands such as Robinsons, R White’s and 7Up says it has grown awareness of its healthier choices through a responsible marketing code.

GB commercial director at home Phil Sanders said: “Our code ensures that 75% of our marketing budget is spent promoting low and no-sugar alternatives; we do not advertise to children under 12, and do not advertise high-sugar products to under 16s.”

Among its recent activity, Britvic has added an orange flavour to its 0% sugar Robinsons Squash’d pocket squash range.

And, saying the range already commands 66.1% of the market, Britvic is launching a new marketing campaign for Squash’d, including TV advertising, this month.

Last year, 7Up introduced a sugar-free mojito flavour.

With demand for sugar-free options continuing to grow, a number of leading manufacturers have brought an array of new products to the market. AG Barr has added Xtra to its sugar-free Irn-Bru range, Britvic has launched the 0% sugar Robinsons Squash’d and launched sugar-free 7Up Mojito. And Coca-Cola has renamed Coke Zero as Coca-Cola Zero Sugar to cut out any confusion for shoppers.

GB marketing director Kevin McNair said: “The consumer demand for lower sugar options is clear, with sugar-free products now accounting for 43% of all carbonates sales.

“7UP Free Mojito is perfect for health-conscious consumers who are looking for something different.”

• When AG Barr introduced the first new permanent IrnBru product for 35 years in 2016 it was a sugar-free variant, Irn-Bru Xtra.

Marketing director Adrian Troy said: “It’s more important than ever for retailers to talk to their customers and find out what they’re looking for, to enable them to tailor their offering.”

• Coca-Cola European Partners says 39% of all drinks it sells in the UK are now lower or no calorie.

Trade communications manger Amy Burgess said: “We are investing £30m in reformulation and new product devel-

opment.

“Coca-Cola Zero Sugar has replaced Coca-Cola Zero, and tastes even more like original Coca-Cola, but without sugar.”

• Um Bongo brand owner Refresco says it is helping change the behaviour of people not interested in health as well as meeting demand from the health conscious.

The no-added-sugar variety of Um Bongo is available in a 200ml pack.

Fruity solution to 3pm slump WITH weight reduction and a healthier lifestyle high on the list of New Year’s resolutions, Aspire Drinks says the easiest change consumers can make is cutting out drinks containing hidden sugar.

A spokesperson said Aspire can curb a sweet fix craving without 94 l

the crash that results from a sugar hit, leaving the drinker feeling energised and refreshed.

The spokesperson continued: “Aspire drinks contain zero sugar, zero calories and zero carbs.

“They are packed full of ingredients to support a healthy lifestyle

including premium green tea extract, ginger root and guarani seed extract fortified with a blend of multivitamins and are the ideal on-thego refreshment, whether hitting the shops, pounding the pavements or hitting that 3 o’clock slump at work.”

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20/12/2016 19/12/2016 10:57 15:54

bottled water

Sales grow with health concerns NATURALLY-sourced plain bottled water remains the only drink on shelf that contains no sugar or artificial sweeteners, says Carol Saunders, head of customer marketing for Highland Spring, and she says that makes it attractive to health conscious consumers who are on the move.

Highland Spring reported that a recent IRI report revealed that plain water sales

Strathmore brand owner AG Barr says pack format is vital and Abbey Well stresses the importance of recycling.

grew by 12.7% in the 52 weeks to November 2016 and was the second-biggest volume contributor within the soft drinks category in c-stores.

And in Scotland, she said, Highland Spring saw value sales increase 6.9% on the same period in the previous year.

Saunders said that on-thego drinks are a key profit driver throughout the year and that merchandising plain bottled water in chillers near payment points will help boost sales.

She added that overall, Highland Spring has seen the market performance up year-onyear to £216m compared to £196m.

Saying that consumers often see sparkling water as something special, she added: “We’ve been focusing on broadening sparkling consumption by creating new serving suggestions showcasing how sparkling water can be used as a mixer in cocktails and mocktails.”

• In an effort to be more environmentally friendly, CocaCola European Partners has launched a new twist bottle and label for its Abbey Well

Spring Water.

The label on the new lightweight bottle encourages consumers to recycle with peel and recycle instructions.

Director of operational marketing Caroline Cater said: “With the water sector continuing to grow, it’s more important than ever to minimise our environmental impact.”

• AG Barr says that water is currently one of the fastest growing sectors in Scottish impulse soft drinks with a Highland Spring has developed a range of cocktails worth of £35m using sparkling water as a mixer. and growing at and adults, sports cap packs 13%, and that flavoured water for active consumers to large now accounts for almost 40% take home packs and premiof impulse water sales. um glass formats.”

Stressing the importance He added: “Strathmore ofof pack format, marketing difers a full range of glass, PET rector Adrian Troy advises: and flavoured water, giving “Stock a variety of formats to consumers the widest possisuit different occasions, from ble choice.” on-the-go packs for children

Make it clear that you have the bottle SHELF arrangements can have a significant impact on consumer decisions, says Perfectly Clear.

It said a recent survey revealed that 70% of consumers are concerned about poor in-store availability and visibility of sugar-free drink options.

96 l

Sales and marketing director Maurice Newton said: “Retailers can respond by ensuring bottled water has a prominent position within the store.”

Perfectly Clear advice is that larger multipacks should be placed on lower shelves, with 500ml at eye level.

Newton said: “Higher margin water should be placed on the right side of the fixture to capture customers’ first glance.

Chillers and display units should be positioned at the front of the store or in an area where the customer can see them straight away.”

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spring confectionery

Packed with activity AMONG the new products from Nestle this Spring are 3D Activity Packs from Smarties and Milkybar.

Each pack contains coloured pencils for colouring a picture which can be animated when a free app is downloaded.

Other new products include the Milkybar Chick in Egg. The foil-wrapped white chocolate egg comes complete with a chocolate chick inside.

And this year’s range of medium eggs from Nestle includes Kit Kat Chunky, Smarties, Aero Bubbles and Rolo.

New pack designs for Smarties, Aero Bubbles and Rolo eggs declare the sweets are inside the egg.

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Don’t forget about Mum WHEN it comes to Spring events, Easter may grab most of the attention but, according to market researcher Mintel, British shoppers also spend upwards of £500m on Mother’s Day. In figures published in 2016 it said the average spend on Mother’s Day gifts was £34.76 and that, on average, sons spent £12.18 more on their mothers than daughters did.

Ahead of this year’s Mother’s Day on 26 March, Mintel said 60% of Britons buy gifts for the occasion with 31% of those buying cards, 29% buying flowers and 15% buying chocolate gifts.

The Mintel report reveals that 24% of men who bought Mother’s Day gifts the previous year had bought on impulse.

Shoppers in the UK spend over £500m on Mother’s Day While 62% of women bought gifts, compared to 57% of men, only 18% of them said they had bought on impulse.

And in Scotland, the figures reveal, 51% of the population bought Mother’s Day gifts.

Retail analyst Nick Carroll said: “Mother’s Day is one of the biggest events in the retail calendar, with the majority of Brits purchasing for the event.

“The fact that men spend £12 more on the event than women is due in part to the fact that men are more likely to purchase gifts on impulse, pushing up the average spend.

“Men with young children may also have to purchase Mother’s Day presents for both their own mothers and their partners, which additionally impacts the average spend.”

60% of Britons buy gifts with 31% of those buying cards, 29% buying flowers and 15% buying chocolate.

– Mintel

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Worth over £52m*

PASS THE LOVE ON THIS EASTER

£1.7m media spend this Easter To find out more visit: www.thorntons.co.uk *Nielsen Thorntons Own Stores and Total Market – Retail Sales Value MAT 24.09.16

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spring confectionery

Not only chocs Make the most of mini-season opportunities THE combined value of Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter was £443m in 2016, says Mondelez International.

And, quoting Nielsen data, it says its products account for 41% of those sales.

A spokesperson said: “On top of Easter, the miniseasons are important, with Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day being worth £40m and £46m respectively.

“Overall, the giving and sharing category grew by 1.7% across both of these key occasions in 2016.”

The spokesperson added that the number one branded everyday gift at Valentine’s Day is Cadbury Milk Tray, which Mondelez says was worth £38m in 2016, experiencing a growth of 8.5%.

For Mother’s Day, Mondelez quotes Nielsen to say that Cadbury Roses was worth £1m during the three weeks leading up to the big day in

2016.

The spokesperson continued: “In 2016 the brand underwent a redesign as part of a £2m investment to make the brand truly gift worthy.

“After more than ten years off air, it had a campaign across digital, out of home and social media.”

Cadbury Heroes also enjoys a boost during the gifting season, recording £1m of sales at Mother’s Day in 2016 and £61.7m in the full year.

Mondelez advice to retailers includes starting to introduce stock around four to six weeks ahead of the occasion, grouping gifting goods together and considering a secondary siting of mini-season products.

It also said it is important to ensure you are fully stocked in the immediate lead-up in order to take advantage of emergency gifting.

The gifting and sharing category grew by 1.7% 100 l

Big brands say there are springtime alternatives CONSUMERS are increasingly looking for an alternative to chocolate at Easter and sugar confectionery continues to grow in popularity, says Swizzels Confectionery.

It adds that Easter and Valentine’s Day have become key sales periods for its products and that it expects strong sales in 2017.

A spokesperson said: “It was clear from 2016 that sharing bags and tubs are the key sellers during the spring period.

“Smaller store formats outperform grocery multiples over the Easter period, and as such this season represents an opportunity for independent retailers.”

Following its introduction in 2016, Swizzels is bringing back its Easter Mix tub this year.

Reporting a successful introduction in 2016, Swizzels has brought its Easter Mix tub back for this year.

The tub contains a selection of Swizzels sweets including Love Hearts, Parma Violets, Drumsticks and Refreshers.

The spokesperson said: “Packed with all people’s favourite Swizzels sweets, the tub is perfect for consumers to share with family and friends.”

The Swizzels Spring Selection Pack, containing sweets such as Love Hearts, Drumstick Lollies and Refreshers Bars, will also be back on the shelves for 2017.

Love Hearts are available in a number of different packs including the giant roll, a four pack, mini-rolls hanging bags and individual 10p rolls.

Introduced in 2016, the chrome Love Hearts tin is available in three message designs.

And new for 2017 is the Love-Letter pack which contains a bag of Mini Love Hearts.

Marketing manager SarahLouise Heslop said: “Our Love Hearts products go hand in hand with Valentine’s Day for many people.

“This year’s range encapsulates our romantic heritage that people have known and loved for generations.”

• According to Wrigley, the success of the sugar confectionery category is the result of a combination of impactful marketing initiatives, a host of

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Confectionery manufacturers see Springtime as a vitally important season and say it is vital for retailers to think ahead and stock seasonal impulse products such as price-marked packs of Love Hearts from Swizzels and sharing bags and PMPs from Wrigley.

innovative NPD and excellent category management advice.

And it says it intends to continue throughout 2017.

Customer excellence director Jon Eatly said: “You should be stocking spring seasonal

confectionery from January through to Easter.

“Focus on key SKUs that are selling well and low-cost novelty items that can help you to stand out from competitors.

“Wrigley has introduced

price-marked packs for its Skittles and Starburst candy.”

He added that the big night in is a continuing trend and that consumers are increasingly looking for promotions and sharing packs throughout

the year.

He added: “Wrigley confectionery pouches, such as Starburst or Skittles Tear and Share bags are ideal for a couple to share on a Valentine’s night in.”

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spring confectionery

Supporting brands for big kids sales SAYING that the combination of its Kinder and Thorntons brands has made it the second biggest manufacturer in kids Easter confectionery, Ferrero plans to spend £5m on marketing its products in Spring 2017.

Customer development director Levi Boorer said: “Chocolate remains hugely popular during the spring season, with many shoppers buying for all ages to gift and share.

“When it comes to choosing what to buy, shoppers have begun to look at how special and unique the products are and to show the thought that has gone into each purchase.

“To capitalise on the popularity of the products both Kinder and Thorntons will receive strong support plans for 2017.”

This spring, Kinder Surprise will be

available in 100g My Little Pony and Transformers packs.

Kinder Joy will also be back following a successful introduction to the market last year.

Boorer said: “The award winning product, which experienced exceptional sales exceeding £5.3m last Easter, will be supported with heavyweight shopper marketing and in-store displays.”

And Thorntons is bringing back its Butterfly Milk Egg, Cupcake Milk Egg and Football Milk Egg as well as the Gruffalo Milk Egg, Harry Hopalot Milk Egg and the Harry Hopalot White Egg. Boorer said: “Whether it is for gifting or sharing or simply to be enjoyed at home with loved ones, we encourage retailers to plan and to start stocking up in January to meet shoppers’ needs for spring.

“We would always recommend that retailers use POS to capture shoppers’ attention.”

Champagne pops to top ARTISAN chocolate company House of Sarunds has looked at history to compile a list of the nation’s most popular individual chocolates.

Managing director Peter Martin said: “Drawing on 20 years’ experience of selling pralines, truffles, and wrapped chocolates from some of Europe’s finest artisan chocolatiers, Sarunds has delved into historical sales data to disclose the bestselling loose chocolate flavours.”

According to Sarunds’ list, the top three favourites are Champagne, 102 l

Ginger and Irish Cream.

Martin added: “Although there are some familiar flavours in there, there are a few surprises.

“Who would have guessed

that ginger and Irish Cream flavoured chocolates would be quite so popular?”

For Valentine’s Day, which it says generates a £1.6bn spend in the UK, Sarunds has developed a range including the Chocolate Alchemist hand-made chocolate heart gift, wrapped and decorated with cherry, banana chip and honeycomb, mallow, rice crisp and raisins with an RRP of £2.99; Van Roy Belgian milk chocolate hearts in a box at £3.99; and a Chocolate Alchemist decorated milk chocolate heart in a gift box at £5.99.

National accounts and export sales manager David Shaer said: “Valentine’s stock should be in place from New Year’s Day onwards.”

Bags of new eggs SNACK brand Salty Dog has launched its first confectionery product in Cheggs.

The candy-coated solid chocolate eggs are available in 30g packs with an RRP of 50p and 90g packs at £1.20.

Judy Willis of Salty Dog said: “Cheggs seemed a natural extension to our brand.

“It builds on the reputation and range that we’ve created over more than 13 years in the snack sector.”

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