Tailoring the fit for every store

Choosing the right fascia group can mean the difference between a success story or a failure

FASCIA groups are always on the lookout for the very best independent retailers that Scotland has, meaning that store owners have the chance to do some shopping around for their options.

Switching to a symbol or taking one on for the first time ever can be a daunting task, given the number readily available to convenience store retailers. So, knowing just what is on the table will help to make this transition all the simpler, with a deal that sounds like the right fit for the store.

The following section lays out the options at your store front and gives wholesalers the chance to set up their stalls and give you plenty to consider.

Aiming to bring in some security for the times ahead, it pays to look at the wholesalers that themselves have it all planned out for the time to come.

JW Filshill certainly hasn’t been shy in this area and its ambitions for its KeyStore symbol keeps the next decade in mind as it looks to build up its portfolio of quality retailers. The firm aims to deliver on a 10-year strategy that looks to improve the efficiency of the business as well as productivity.

This has kicked off with the opening of its new depot in Westway Park near Glasgow Airport. The new 120,400 square foot depot brings the future to today with its hi-tech features including 211 solar panels on its roof, 12 lorry loading docks and an innovative four-floor pick tower that can hold 1,520 pallets and standard storage racking for 8,650 pallets.

Filshill has said that this new depot opening will allow the firm to grow on its suite of KeyStore shops across Scotland, with the aim to increase its number of stores to 245 before the end of 2023 and plans to double this number by 2031. And this translates over to the financial side of things as well, as the firm reported this 10-year strategy aims to see it achieve £350million in turnover by 2031.

When thinking of the future, there is also the consideration of looking after not only ourselves but our planet, too.

Sustainability has been a buzz word for some time now but never has it been more important for consumers and retailers alike.

But doing your bit for the Earth comes with a cost for stores, so knowing that you’ve chosen a symbol that looks after the world for you will provide some peace of mind as well as provide an important difference for consumers when they come to choose which store to shop at.

Day-Today symbol owner United Wholesale Scotland (UWS) hasn’t been shy on its work to help the planet as of late and has been cutting emissions and becoming more sustainable throughout its business.

This has been led by a push for the entire business to go electric across its suite of vehicles, which includes not only the trucks on the road but the forklifts in its depots.

UWS introduced a brand new fleet of electric forklift trucks in a bid to take a massive leap towards a greener future for everyone, with the new depot trucks reducing the wholesaler’s carbon output by 55 tonnes every year.

On top of this, the firm has also replaced its old fossil fuel trucks with new state-ofthe-art electric trucks further cutting back on the firm’s carbon emissions as well as on noise pollution for stores that are in more residential areas.

It’s these local and residential communities that are of the utmost importance for convenience retailers, with countless examples of how Scotland’s very best go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure that their neighbours are looked after.

During these tough times, consumers struggling the most will look for support wherever they can find it and their local corner store will be able to bring this in spades.

And that has been the focus for symbol group Nisa for some time now, with its Making a Difference Locally charity helping to support the local area as well as increase store loyalty with the retailer.

Nisa is on a roll-out across Scotland in particular as well, with Victoria Lockie, head of retail at Nisa, noting: “We’re in Scotland to stay and we’re proud of our retailers here. Our relationships and mutual respect are the most important things.”

On top of a community outlook, the Nisa fascia also offers Co-op branded products for retailers to stock in store, bringing in more well-known and trusted options.

And an own-label brand can go a long way for a store and it’s just one of the many things that CJ Lang & Son’s Spar Scotland symbol has on its table.

The firm is keen to recruit 25 quality retailers to its fascia this year as its remains on a journey to ‘Raise the Bar’ for Spar Scotland.

Aiming to drive retailers to be the very best that Scotland has to offer, Spar aims to recruit these 25 under its symbol and ensure they have the right support to create a success story. The wholesaler has committed to supporting these 25 stores, working with them to ensure they have the right offer for their store and improve across all areas of the business. Further to this, the wholesaler has been working hard to ensure every store gets what they need and when they need it through its Supply Chain Development Programme, which has been embedded as part of the firm’s business strategy for the next five years.

CJ Lang plans to focus on being more collaborative with its relationships with suppliers by transforming the way it operates in stock management across its supply chain internally and externally, with support from partner Relex. Ensuring Spar is set for the future remains of the utmost importance as well, as CJ Lang is set on keeping the symbol modern through a multitude of projects including its advertisement programme on STV, which is set to run until next February.

And modernisation has been on the mind for Booker, too, with its recent slew of store refits for the Premier brand.

Celebrating the opening of its 500th store in Tranent this year, Booker remains ambitious for the future of the symbol through its updates such as improved sustainable lighting across the store, its modern Refresh @ Premier stations providing a choice of hot or frozen drinks as well as its Beer Cave cool rooms which keep chilled at a set 10°C.

Further to this, Booker has been aiming to bring in entirely new audiences through social media and looks to help c-store retailers to do just this through its new social media Social Content set-up.

Booker said the new social media platform allows retailers to set up content to go live across a host of social media websites including Facebook, Twitter or Instagram.

And the firm is always learning, too, through its stores, as it looks to different Premier outlets across Scotland to learn about what’s popular with consumers and how they can use this to bring in further customers to the symbol group.

Of course, not every store operates the same and so a bespoke fit for the retailer counts – something that United Wholesale Grocers reckons it can offer for those retailers looking to find a fit that is perfect for their store. Including the Lifestyle Express, Shopsmart and Shop Local fascias, UWG has laid out its benefits for retailers under its groups.

This includes regular promotions on essential products high on the consumer’s shopping list, POS support, category and merchandising advice and support from a dedicated development manager to satisfy every retailer’s unique needs for their store.

Along with this, UWG believes retailers have more choice with its selection of symbols, allowing shopkeepers to further tailor things to their needs and find what they’re looking for.

Further to this, UWG is also affiliated with the Unitas buying group, which helps to ensure further security for retailers, according to the wholesaler. It gives access to a range that suits the store, a complete set of planograms that represent best sellers as well as core, extended and regional ranges that are all easily available through Unitas’ Plan for Profit website and app.

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