TalkingShop September 2023

18+ GB (England, Wales and Scotland) only. Promo Period 09:00 2nd August to 23:59 5th September 2023. Entrants must have a mobile phone to enter this promotion. Purchase necessary. To enter prize draw, purchase a participating promotional Rockstar product from participating Budgens, Londis and Premier stores only (not available for online purchases), then text MUSIC to 60777 during the promotional period. Max 10 entries per person/mobile. Max 1 prize per household. Main prize: 5 pairs of Stormzy Gig Tickets for winner and guest including a £300 travel and accommodation allowance per winner, transferred via BACS and T-shirt designed by Stormzy and Bravado.com for winner only. Secondary prizes: 40 x 6-month Spotify Premium memberships. 45 prizes in total to be won. Standard network rates apply. Please seek bill payer’s permission. Retain receipt. Draw date Monday 11th September 2023. Exclusions apply. Full T&Cs and participating products: https://www.britvic.com/terms-andconditions/ Promoter: Britvic Soft Drinks Ltd. Subject to availability.

A very warm welcome to your latest issue of Talking Shop as our thoughts turn to autumn opportunities and we gear up to make the most of the second half of the year – and there’s plenty to get excited about.

After the drama of the recent Women’s World Cup, we move straight into the Rugby World Cup and, as it’s being held in France this year, the matches will kick off at more sales friendly times of day, typically 4.45pm and 8pm. With all four of the home nations taking part, there will be backto-back games that will generate huge interest across the nation. With a total of 48 matches across 51 days in September and October, this represents an enormous opportunity to drive sales in a range of key categories like alcohol, snacks, food-to-go, confectionery and soft drinks.

In this issue you’ll also learn more about some new ranges and novel solutions we are introducing that we are confident will help generate interest and sales. Firstly, we have continued to expand the Jack’s offer with the addition of a new range of family-friendly meal solutions, perfect for cost-conscious shoppers with a lot of mouths to feed.

Secondly, we’ve now secured a new deal with American Express that provides Premier retailers with preferential rates on Amex transactions, helping you save more money and boost profit.

We’ve also recently introduced a new service with our partners Yext which will help you improve your web search results and boost sales – and it’s absolutely free! It’s also worth checking out the article on the new self-scan till option that’s available to retailers with an RDP till. More and more Premier retailers are taking advantage of the technology to reduce their team’s workload, cut queues and save money.

And whatever you do, don’t miss the story of our very own Booker bees! Intrigued? Turn to p58.

I wish you all fantastic trading over the next couple of months.

Martyn Parkinson, Sales Director – Booker Wholesale

46 Summer of sport

Packed sporting calendar presents huge opportunities for retailers.

52

Jack’s updated once again with a new range of family-friendly meal solutions.

66

Booker is helping Premier retailers reduce waste and cut costs.

71

Some of the latest new products to hit the shelves.

76

New, affordable self-scan solution availabl from RDP.

Improve your web search results and boost sales with Yext. 81

Make more and save more with Booker's Added Value Services brochure.

LET THE BATTLE OF THE BREAKS BEGIN LET THE BATTLE OF THE BREAKS BEGIN

PremierNews

ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS PREMIER

INBRIEF

DISPOSABLE VAPE BAN

Booker has negotiated a special preferential rate for Amex transactions for Premier retailers, helping reduce cost.

Single-use vapes could be banned in Scotland as part of “plans to protect public health and the environment”, says the Scottish Government.

The Government has outlined a commitment to take action to reduce vaping among nonsmokers and said it will issue a consultation on a proposal to ban their sale.

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousef said:

Booker has concluded a new deal with Amex that offers Premier retailers a specially discounted preferential rate of just 0.8% on Amex transactions for all applicable stores*.

The deal offers Premier retailers another great way of driving down the cost of doing business. New and existing customers of Amex are eligible for the preferential rate although existing customers will not see the discount applied immediately. The rate they pay will, however, be updated within 60 days of application.

l If you are not set up to accept American Express, simply email wthuk@aexp.com with your name and phone number and a member of the Amex team will call out to you to set up.

l If you are already set up to accept American Express cards and would like to have the

preferential rate applied, please call the Amex servicing team on 0800 032 7216.

Martyn Parkinson, Sales Director Retail, commented: “We know how challenging it is at the moment for Premier retailers and we are always looking at ways to leverage the scale of the Booker Group to drive cost savings for our retailers. This preferential rate from Amex is just the latest in a long series of benefits we have secured to help Premier retailers drive down costs and drive up profits.”

* Stores already accepting Amex will not receive the rebate immediately. The new rate will be updated within 60 days. The rate is not available to stores linked to a petrol forecourt.

“We will be working constructively with retailers and other stakeholders to come up with solutions. While we will be asking for views on a ban, we are also keen to explore other interventions that could have a more immediate impact.

“This is not just an issue for Scotland –these problems are being experienced all over the UK and we will soon be holding discussions on potential solutions.”

LOTTERY COMMISSION LEVELS UNCHANGED

Allwyn, the incoming licensee for the National Lottery, has set out the next steps for National Lottery retailers ahead of the changeover on 1 February 2024. All retailers will need to be transferred over from Camelot to Allwyn by 18 December 2023.

Under the new agreement, commission levels will remain exactly the same for National Lottery draw-based games, Scratchcards and prize payments, and payment terms will remain the same for all games.

In addition, any bonds and direct debit mandates already in place will automatically transfer from Camelot to Allwyn.

Allwyn will also be removing the monthly lease fees, saving some retailers up to £600 per year.

Ofgem targets reforms to improve service for retailers

In the midst of the ongoing energy crisis, energy regulator Ofgem has announced that it is proposing a series of reforms to “tackle poor behaviour by energy suppliers” and raise the standard of customer service provided to retailers and other business customers.

Following extensive engagement with energy suppliers, businesses, shoppers and other organisations, Ofgem has announced a NonDomestic Market Review and consultation. The review summarises the challenges retailers and other businesses face and proposes a number of actions for the sector, Ofgem, and government to address.

Some of the immediate changes Ofgem has taken to help the business energy market include working with industry to adapt the Retail Energy Code to avoid excessive delays and unreasonable requests for documentation during tenancy changes and urging suppliers to be more flexible with businesses who signed up for peak fixed rate prices.

Additionally, Ofgem will consult on introducing better complaint handling between suppliers and retailers, extending micro business protections

to all businesses so energy bills spell out what is being paid to energy brokers plus allowing retailers to resolve disputes through a redress scheme and creating better guidance over ‘deemed contract rates’ between customers who have not yet agreed contractual terms with a supplier to avoid problems like overcharging.

Ofgem is also asking the government to consider further protections in areas it doesn’t have the power to regulate, like energy brokers, and is also asking for businesses to be given access to the energy ombudsman.

Neil Lawrence, Director at Ofgem, said: “The plans we are announcing put the welfare of business and domestic consumers first and set out a comprehensive package to tackle poor behaviour by energy suppliers.”

Tougher penalties to tackle illicit tobacco

Tough new penalties aimed at clamping down on illicit tobacco sales came into force on 20 July, and any business or individual caught selling illegal tobacco products will now face fines of up to £10,000.

In addition, Local Authority Trading Standards can now

refer cases to HMRC for further investigation. HMRC, where appropriate, will administer the penalties and ensure the appropriate sanction is applied and enforced.

HMRC and National Trading Standards said more than 27 million illicit cigarettes and

7,500kg of illicit hand-rolling tobacco had been seized in the past two years.

Furthermore, the trade in illicit tobacco costs the Exchequer more than £2bn in lost tax revenue each year, as well as damaging legitimate retail business.

Energy regulator Ofgem has proposed a series of reforms to “tackle poor behaviour by energy suppliers” and raise customer service standards for retailers.

Convenience stores play ‘vital’ role in communities

IMPULSE DRIVING CONVENIENCE

Traditional Impulse categories drove strong growth in independent convenience in the 13 weeks to 9 July, with total sales through the channel growing 5.0% in value terms, new data reveals.

Wholesale and convenience data expert TWC Group’s latest SmartView Convenience market report revealed a strong value performance for soft drinks (+15.7%), confectionery (+19.8%), and crisps, snacks and nuts (+21.0%).

The critical role that independent convenience stores play in positively impacting upon local communities has been confirmed by new research from the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS).

In the ACS 2023 Community Barometer report, convenience stores and Post Offices both rank in the top three services that shoppers say have the most positive impact on their local area. These services were also rated highest among local people as the most essential, coming second and third only to pharmacies.

The Barometer, which looks at how people value the services in their area, what they would like more of, and how they would prioritise investment in their community was put together from the findings of an Omnibus poll of 1,000 UK consumers.

Commenting on the research ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “UK shoppers are sending a very clear message. Convenience stores

are increasingly acting as service hubs, including post office counters, prescription collections, and banking services within their businesses, which are highly valued by their customers.”

In this year’s report, 18–24-year-olds were the most keen on having more convenience stores in their local area compared to other age groups, and were the most positive about their local convenience store being a community hub, reducing loneliness, and helping to keep people safe at night.

Lowman continued: “The importance of convenience stores to older customers is well documented, with stores acting as social hubs and a support network for those that are vulnerable or less mobile, but these figures show that on areas like reducing loneliness, local shops are incredibly important to young people as well. It’s encouraging to see the continued relevance of convenience stores to the next generation of shoppers.”

Tom Fender, Development Director at TWC, said: “Despite very tough trading conditions, value sales through the independent convenience channel have increased by 5%. Sales of vape have also continue to expand rapidly and we’ve also seen growth coming through beers and lagers.”

Independent convenience stores and Post offices both rank in the top three vital services that shoppers say have the most positive local impact.

CommunityNews

Charity wash cleans up

A group of big-hearted Premier retailers in Yorkshire have raised more than £5,000 for Barnsley Hospital by hosting a charity car wash.

PLAYER SPONSOR

Premier Stores

Penllergaer, in the Swansea valley, is sponsoring a Pontardawe Town AFC Academy football player.

Matthew Tyrell who owns the store is sponsoring the under-14 player, Cameron Barker for the season.

Pontardawe Town runs academy squads for under-eights to under19s who play in the top academy leagues in Wales.

It was a true team effort recently when a group of Yorkshire-based Premier retailers worked together to raise £5,150.59 for Barnsley Hospital Charity by holding a charity car wash.

The soap stars rolled up their sleeves and got stuck in to wash shoppers’ cars in return for a donation to the very worthy charity.

The retailers involved in the fundraising efforts were:

l Priyankan Pirabu, Premier Market Hill

l Raks Lingam, Premier Lundwood

Guide Dogs donation

l Thillai Rajagopal, Premier Barnsley Supermarket

l Rasiah Jeyachandran, Carlton Road Premier,

l Nathan Ponniah, Premier Highstone Road Worsbrough

l Sri, Premier Kendray Convenience Store

l AN Pogmoor Premier Express

Tab Maqsood, Retail Development Manager for Premier stores in the region, also took part in the event.

Peak Stores Premier in Duckmanton, Chesterfield, has raised more than £198 for the Guide Dogs through an in-store collection.

Guide Dogs provides life-changing services to the 360,000 people who are registered blind or partially sighted in the UK and the two million people living with sight loss.

Wendy Robinson, store owner, told customers: “The Guide Dog Association were so grateful to receive this generous donation from everyone who pops their change in the pot. A huge thank you from us too.”

COMMUNITY RACE

Premier Saxon in Saxmundham, Suffolk, is sponsoring a community five-mile race for ages 15 and over in October.

The race is a multiterrain run that will be held on playing fields, footpaths and off-road. It is an ideal pre-cross country season race. The event will also include a Junior Fun Run.

There will be prizes for winners and a race memento for every finisher.

NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS PREMIER

ACS supports responsible vape retailers

A new campaign seeks to support responsible retailers and offers new shopper-facing Challenge25 materials and a guide to spotting fake vapes.

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has launched a new campaign aimed at cracking down on rogue vape sales and supporting responsible retailers. As part of the campaign, ACS has published new Challenge25 posters, shelf sliders and badges specific to vaping to help responsible retailers when serving customers.

The kit is available free of charge to retailers at acs.org.uk and includes a detailed retailer guide on how to spot fake, potentially dangerous vapes.

ACS says challenging customers who look underage is one of the biggest triggers of abuse, so reminding shoppers of the Challenge25 policy can be an effective way of reducing the risk of confrontation.

The campaign is also highlighting the main things to look out for when trying to spot a fake or illicit vape. These include:

l Check the number of puffs. Anything over about 650 for a disposable could be a sign of an illicit product.

l Check the warning label. If there’s any variation on the words “This product contains nicotine which is a highly addictive substance” then it shouldn’t be on the UK market.

l Check the nicotine content. If there’s no stated content and delivery per dose, it might be fake.

l Check the manufacturer details. If there’s no legitimate name and address of the manufacturer/importer, it might be fake.

FUNDING SOLUTION FROM PAYPOINT

PayPoint has announced that over £12.5m in funding has been provided to more than 750 retailers as part of its innovative YouLend ‘embedded finance platform’. Instead of paying a fixed monthly repayment, a small percentage of every card transaction is used to repay the funding, giving businesses peace of mind that repayments are proportional to income from card sales.

The funding is open to any business which meets the criteria and is designed to free up funds enabling retailers to focus on growth, buy stock or assist with cash flow.

The service is provided through PayPoint Group’s Handepay business and its partner YouLend.

TALKING TACTICS

What are you doing in-store to stand out in your local market? Share it with us and your Premier retailer colleagues at talkingshop@booker.co.uk

Nielsen CGA MAT TY volume 13.12.22; Nielsen CGA FY 2022

Source:

Cruzcampo 4x440ml – M288328 • Cruzcampo 10x440ml – M288329

Shopper spending ‘up 2.8% in August’ as own brand shines

FOOD SALES ‘ROSE IN JULY’

Retail food sales increased by a significant 8.4% on a total basis and 8.7% on a like-for-like basis over the three months to July, new data reveals.

The BRC-KPMG Retail Sales Monitor shows food sales figures are above the 12-month total average growth of 7.8%. For the month of July, food was in growth year-on-year.

Shopper card spending continued to grow in August, up 2.8% year-on-year, according to Barclaycard. This follows a rise of 4% in July.

Sustained pressure on shopper budgets means the majority of food shoppers (52%) are now buying budget or own-brand goods over branded items, as well as cutting down on luxuries for themselves. A quarter (26%) are only buying items that are discounted.

A significant percentage of shoppers are also cutting back on eating out in restaurants and pubs with 58% choosing to order takeaways instead, highlighting an important opportunity for retailers

offering food-to-go and home delivery. This trend is confirmed by the continued growth of sales in takeaways and fast-food, up 6.4% following a 9.2% increase in July.

The survey also found that many shoppers are already beginning to look ahead to Christmas and plan their budgets. Almost a third (31%) expect this coming Christmas to be more expensive than last year, while 17% have already started to put money aside to help fund their festivities.

Encouragingly, shoppers’ confidence confidence in their household finances and ability to live within their means has increased slightly to 67%.

Report highlights importance of access to cash

A new report has highlighted how important access to cash remains for local shoppers. The Association of Convenience Stores’ 2023 Community Barometer underlined the continuing importance of cash to local people, with only 8% of people saying they never withdraw cash.

The most common way that people get access to cash is through a free-to-use ATM in their local convenience store (60%), with around one in three (34%) able to get to a local bank branch to withdraw their money.

Across the UK, Scotland, Yorkshire & Humber and the South-West are tied as the regions that most need banking services, with 59% in each region saying they want more banks.

Sarah Bradbury, Chief Executive at IGD, said: “Food and drink sales continued to grow in July, driven partly by inflation.”

TALKING TACTICS

What are you doing in-store to stand out in your local market? Share it with us and your Premier retailer colleagues at talkingshop@booker.co.uk

The latest Barclaycard data shows shopper spend continued to rise in August, up 2.8% year-on-year.

GREAT NEWS

Starting today, all applicable* Premier, Londis, Budgens, and Family Shopper locations across the UK will be eligible for a new and preferential rate of 0.8% for Amex transactions.

There’s no better time to accept.

If you are already set up to accept American Express® Cards and would like to have this preferential rate applied to your business, please call our Servicing team at 0800 032 7216 to get this updated.

Did you know?

AMERICAN EXPRESS® CARDMEMBERS SPEND 3.8X MORE ANNUALLY COMPARED TO THE AVERAGE UK CREDIT AND CHARGE CARDMEMBERS?1

Also, American Express Cardmembers spent £230 million in the convenience store sector with a 27% increase in transactions.2

Otherwise, if you are not set up to accept American Express and would like to take advantage of this preferential rate, all you need to do is send an email to wthuk@aexp.com including your name and phone number and our team will call out to you to complete the set up or follow the QR code for a digital form.

Once you receive your American Express Merchant Number(s), simply contact your payment provider who will program your terminal(s) to accept American Express Cards.

Food-to go occasions ‘up 16%’ in independent retailing

SHOPPER SPENDING ‘CONTINUES TO RISE’

Shopper card spending continued to rise in July, up 4.0% year-on-year in July, despite concern around food prices remaining high at 91%, according to the latest data from Barclaycard. Around 70% of shoppers said they were looking for ways to reduce the cost of their weekly shop, the highest percentage so far this year.

The continued growth of the food-to-go market in the independent retailing sector has been confirmed by the latest findings from out-of-home tracking programme MealTrak which found that food-to-go and out-of-home eating occasions grew by 13% in the 12 weeks ending 12 June.

The data, from TWC Group in partnership with MealTrak, shows all retail channels experienced growth in food-to-go.

Supermarkets and multiples increased by 15%, however sales in the convenience channel grew even faster at 16%.

Workplace catering grew by 29%, suggesting employees are going into their workplaces more often than this time last year, potentially representing a growth opportunity for Premier retailers.

Tom Fender, Development Director at TWC, said: “It is fantastic to see double-digit growth for foodto-go this period and importantly this is not just in value terms, but also the number of occasions.

“Whilst ‘something inexpensive’ is the fastestgrowing mission this period, ‘something sweet’ is also in strong growth with cakes and pastries performing particularly well.”

Own-brand sales ‘up 9.7%’

Some 13% say they are having to remove some items at the checkout to avoid going over budget and more than one-third are buying items in bulk because they cost less in the long-term.

Sales of own-brand products grew by 9.7% in the four weeks to 6 August, new data from Kantar reveals. Branded products grew by 6.4% over the same period.

The figures show that overall take-home grocery sales increased by 6.5% while food and drink price inflation fell by 2.2% to 12.7%.

The latest slowdown in price rises is the second-sharpest monthly fall since Kantar started monitoring grocery inflation in this way in 2008.

Fraser McKevitt, Head of Retail and Consumer Insight at Worldpanel Division, UK, said: “Shoppers will have been relieved to see the cost of some staple goods starting to edge down compared with earlier in 2023.”

New MealTrak data shows that food-to-go and out-of-home eating occasions in the independent retailing sector grew ahead of the wider market at 16% in June 2023.

NO.1

VALUE CIDER GB IMPULSE* BRAND IN

THIS IS A CIDER LIKE NO OTHER

*SOURCE: NIELSON, VOLUME (HL’S), GB IMPULSE, TO 31.03.2023

Requests for GroceryAid support ‘up 44%’

GroceryAid’s Impact Report for 2022-23 has revealed a huge 44% increase in demand for support from industry colleagues.

Industry charity GroceryAid has published its Impact Report for 2022-23 revealing the steeply growing requirement for the charity’s financial, emotional and practical support services from independent retailing and grocery colleagues. The report shows a massive 44% increase in the number of requests from industry colleagues for support over the last year.

In total, GroceryAid spent £5.6m supporting colleagues including a record £642,000 awarded in School Essentials Grants. This ensured that more than 2,340 children had the right equipment and clothing when they returned to school in September 2022. The charity’s free and confidential helpline also received over 10,000 calls from colleagues which resulted in more than 5,000 in-the-moment counselling sessions with a fully qualified and accredited counsellor.

KEY HIGHLIGHTS

l 44% increase in requests for support

l £5.6m spent supporting industry colleagues

l 10,000 calls made to the helpline

l 5,000 in-the-moment counselling sessions

l £642,000 awarded in School Essentials Grants, helping 2,340 children

l 1,282 Relate relationship counselling sessions delivered

l 14% increase in referrals for legal advice

BARCODE 2024 DATE UNVEILED

GroceryAid has revealed the date for Barcode 2024, its flagship event. Barcode will be back next year on Thursday 4 July at Magazine London.

There was also a 14% increase in referrals for legal advice from Law Express and 1,282 Relate relationship counselling sessions were delivered.

Allan Leighton, GroceryAid President, commented: “GroceryAid is here for every colleague working in the independent retailing and grocery industry and we have been doing this for over 165 years. More colleagues than ever before are coming to GroceryAid for support, and last year GroceryAid provided more than 40,000 incidents of support to colleagues: a 44% increase compared to the previous 12 months. This reflects the increasing number of businesses engaging with the charity and telling colleagues about how to access our support.

“We understand the challenges that the industry is facing and the importance of our services remaining relevant. Thank you once again for helping us achieve this.”

The event raised more than £1m for the charity this year – vital income to help support the huge growth in requests for support GroceryAid is experiencing from industry colleagues. Visit barcodefestival. co.uk to purchase tickets, which are on sale now.

Visit groceryaid.org.uk/ event-bookings/CS2023 to purchase tickets for the event, which cost £75 + VAT.

The master plan

Premier Headley Road is a new store that’s already making a big difference in the quaint Hampshire village of Liphook.

As a qualified pharmacist, Ravi Patel is certainly no stranger to science. And now, following the showstopping development of his first convenience business, he can also claim to be an expert in the science of building an outstanding convenience store.

The 1,000sq ft unit, on the outskirts of the affluent village of Liphook in Hampshire, had previously been home to a travel agency – and as soon as Ravi and brother Briyanshui set their eyes on it, they could see the potential for sales to take flight.

“There’s a large free car park right outside and it’s primely located on a busy residential road which also gets lots of passing trade, being close to the village centre and the local school,” Ravi explains.

However, the site’s potential was not lost on others either. With 12 other potential buyers vying to acquire the unit, a sealed bid was launched, which fortuitously Ravi and his family won.

“While I don’t have a background in convenience retail, having worked in the pharmacy trade for many years, my brother has,” Ravi explains.

“He had been working in a nearby Premier store for a number of years and together we were keen to build our own convenience business. The unit on Headley Road was the perfect place for us to do that and we were over the moon when we got it.”

The brothers were keen to affiliate themselves with a strong convenience brand from the get-go, and Premier was the obvious fit. “Working in a shop and running your own shop are two very different things and we wanted the support of an established, trusted and successful brand to help guide us through the process,” says Ravi.

“We’ve certainly not been disappointed. Our RDM Stuart King has been a rock from day one and I have no doubt that we would not be where we are now without his support. Having never run our own store before there was so much that we didn’t know and that Stuart helped us with, such as applying for the premises licence, the ATM, the National Lottery. When it came to stocking up the store ready for opening, he also spent a full day stacking shelves alongside us. His support was unbelievable and has continued to be. We’ve put a huge amount of faith into Stuart and the wider Premier team and they’ve exceeded every expectation.”

Ravi says Stuart and the Premier team helped to design a store that would offer Liphook’s shoppers something totally different from the other stores in the village. “We’ve got so many showstopping points of difference, the first being our large Refresh@Premier bar which we’ve sited at the entrance.”

The brand new Refresh@Premier bar has already become a hub of activity, its bank

of bold machines in near-constant use by Liphook’s locals as well as passing tradesmen popping in for coffee and fresh, locally baked sausage rolls from the store’s new Cossiga counter-top display unit.

The Refresh@Premier bar includes three flavours of Thick Fresh Shake milkshakes, three flavours of Jolly Rancher slush, a Tango Ice Blast machine and a neat counter-top Costa Coffee offer.

All slush and shake drinks are sold at just £2.50 a cup, regardless of the brand. “The economic climate remains challenging for many shoppers and especially younger shoppers, so it was important to us that we kept the price points really accessible,” Ravi explains. “Our drinks-to-go offer gives shoppers great value for money, whilst still making us a strong margin.”

The store’s second “show-stopper” is a 400sq ft Beer Cave housing an extensive range of large multipack beers and ciders, bottled ales, wines and RTDs, all of which are chilled down to a cool 10 degrees.

All slush drinks and shakes are just £2.50

Accessed via smart automatic doors, the Beer Cave ceiling is also adorned with innovative ‘woodland sky’ light panels, featuring leafy tree branches, which add yet another unique touch. A dedicated ice freezer is also housed inside.

“The woodland sky light panels were another idea of Stuart’s,” Ravi explains. “Visually they are quite different from the standard blue sky lights which a number of other retailers are now fitting. Our panels feature a clear blue sky and beautiful leafy tree branches to create a really striking, unique look.”

The rear of the store is also home to a six-door soft drinks zone featuring leading impulse brands as well as on-trend American and international options.

There’s also a dedicated shopfloor bay for vape products, packed with a profit-driving selection of Booker’s leading disposable

Store profile

Name: Premier Headley Road, Liphook

Retailers: Ravi and Briyanshui Patel

Size: 1,000sq ft

Opening hours: 7am-10pm

Services: Paypoint, Free ATM, Parking, Beer Cave, Refresh, Just Eat, Parcel Collection

Staff: 3

The store features a 400sq ft Beer Cave

vape brands. Chilled foods meanwhile, are housed in a smart eight-door energy efficient chiller, adjacent to the Refresh@Premier bar. The range includes a perfectly formed core collection of dairy items, deli, meats, Jack’s-branded ready meals and pre-packed sandwiches.

Further food-to-go solutions can also be found up at the store’s till points, where locally baked-indulgent cakes, biscuits and sausage rolls are also given pride of place in a smart Cossiga chilled cabinet. The range also includes indulgent treats such as Terry’s Chocolate Orange and Kinder Bueno cookies.

There’s also a counter-top Rollover hot dog unit offering three different flavours.

The store’s design also includes a large area of clear space at the front. “It was tempting to add another gondola but we’ve decided not to and in the last three days alone, more than 40 shoppers have commented on how nice and spacious the store feels,” Ravi says.

The front of the store also features a footfall driving confectionery offer including hanging bags, American candy, impulse bars and a small kid’s confectionery zone featuring pocket-money singles and novelty sweets.

The layout has also been carefully designed to drive footfall past key promotional bays on the journey to the till, including a prominent Mega Deal Bay and Euroshopper aisle end.

While it’s still very early days, Ravi and the

family say they have been “blown away” by the overwhelmingly positive reaction to their new store from locals.

“We’ve had a very encouraging early response; shoppers love that it’s so different from what else is available locally.

“The Beer Cave is a huge talking point, at times it feels like our store has become something of a tourist hot-spot!

“There’s something for everyone at Premier Headley Road and we’re already attracting a great cross-section of shoppers of all different ages and needs.

“Our plan was to build a successful business that the whole family could share in and it’s so wonderful that we are achieving that.”

We were keen to affiliate ourselves with a strong convenience brand from the get-go, and Premier was the obvious fit. We wanted the support of an established, trusted and successful brand to help guide us through the process.

Ravi Patel

The personal touch

Located in a prime spot in the prominent corner unit on Salisbury’s busy Wilton Road, Vithy Balasingham’s brand new Premier store features an array of unique touches – a number of which are also deeply personal.

Chief among these is the name above the door: Premier ‘Jeni and J’s – a homage to his daughters, including new baby Jonita who was born just five days before the store first opened on 10 June 2023.

The 1,300sq ft unit, which used to trade as a discount grocery store specialising in Eastern European products, screamed ‘opportunity’ to Vithy from the moment he saw it.

And less than a month after the store opened, his sales sensors have certainly proved spot-on.

“The store has great visibility from a number of busy local roads and the area itself is very residential but there’s also lots of passing trade,” Vithy says.

“There is other competition in the local area but nothing that offers the type of range and services that we wanted to.”

The Premier brand was also Vithy’s first choice from the start.

“Premier’s offer was standout. I have a number of friends who are also Premier retailers and the feedback that they gave me about the brand and its offer was excellent.

Premier boasts a number of key strengths, particularly the pricing, promotions and service. The availability of trusted own label brands like Jack’s and Euroshopper was another major benefit that I could see, especially in the current climate,” says Vithy.

“The support that I received from the start was fantastic, especially the support of my RDM.”

“Together with Premier, we forged a perfect store.”

And this “perfect store” targets a broad spectrum of customers; with local schools and a lot of residential houses nearby, Vithy wanted to make sure it was “ranged for everyone”.

Vithy Balasingham’s new Premier store has been carefully crafted to stand out from the crowd.

Store profile

Name: Premier Jeni & J’s, Wilton Road, Salisbury

Retailer: Vithy Balasingham

Size: 1,300sq ft

Services: PayPoint, Newspapers, Refresh, Vape

Staff: 3

Opening hours: Mon-Sun 7am-10pm

“With six metres of fresh chilled food, five metres of soft drinks and just under seven metres of BWS, the range was designed to offer a great choice of everyday essentials, plus a number of standout products and services that truly set it apart.”

Chief among these is the large Refresh@ Premier bar that greets shoppers upon entry.

‘Jeni and J’s’ Refresh zone majors on slush, with a carbonated offering from Tango Ice Blast as well as the hit US brand, Jolly Rancher.

“We’ve also got an on-trend Hershey’s and Reese’s Freeze offer, all of which are totally unique in this area,” Vithy adds.

Furthering the American theme, the store

also features a full bay of US confectionery – an offer which proved so popular with local children, teens and adults alike, that it needed three top-ups in the first week of trading.

The store also features a large two metre vape unit situated on the shop floor. “We’ve targeted disposable vapes and we’ve been right to,” says Vithy. “Vape sales already account for 20% of the store’s average daily takings!” Fantastic news, considering the margins of more than 40% available on most disposable brands.

The store also features a 6.5 metre chilled alcohol zone, featuring leading wines, beers, ciders and RTDs, all chilled to go and supported by a wide range of special offers,

Mega Deals and every day low prices.

“The prices are great and we even chill all our multi-packs, two further elements which have also added to our local appeal,” Vithy adds.

“Our BWS sales have flown since we opened, helped by the very hot weather that we experienced in June. With so much available chilled, we were definitely a saviour for many local BBQs and impromptu hot weather gatherings.

“Our range also includes BBQ essentials such as coal to make the most of the summer opportunity.”

The store also boasts six metres of chilled foods, including meats, ready meals, deli items and dairy, as well as fresh produce.

“Fresh and chilled foods were a key consideration when planning

the store and we took care to ensure that we built a strong range that met a wide host of everyday needs.

“The vast majority of the range is long life chilled, which is a further benefit to both us and our shoppers and the Jack’s brand is ‘the star of the show’.

“Consumer confidence has been low in recent months and shoppers are favouring brands that they can trust and rely on.

The fact that Jack’s is part of the Tesco family is a real positive and the products offer excellent value for money, as well as quality,” Vithy adds.

Further points of difference also grace the store’s counter, where a smart Cossiga chilled unit displays a range of fresh cakes and baked goods from local supplier, EF Bakery. The same

bakery also delivers a range of freshly baked artisan breads every other day.

“The cakes and fresh local bread are another big point of difference in the local area and shoppers love how the products look and taste,” says Vithy.

With a high volume of local pet owners, a new range of great-value pet products from Hojay Pet Treats was also added to the mix.

“Shoppers are raving about their new local store, we’ve been so overwhelmed by how positive the response has been so far,” Vithy adds.

“What we offer is very different to other stores in the area and local people have welcomed us with open arms.”

Positive publicity from the local newspaper, which covered the store’s opening, has only helped to boost the store’s positive reception, while Vithy’s efforts to engage with local people on social media are also bearing fruit.

“It’s still early days but we are very happy with where sales are. The store is trading ahead of expectations, which is simply fantastic,” he concludes.

Vape accounts for 20% of sales

What we offer is very different to other stores in the area and local people have welcomed us with open arms.

Vithy Balasingham

Test of time

Lifelong retailer Jason Birks is no stranger to change and the latest refit of his family-run Premier store in Horden is the best yet.

It’s been almost 30 years since Jason and Fiona Birks’ family-run convenience store became one of the first stores in the country to adopt the Premier brand, after the group launched in 1994. Nearly 30 years on, the store in the small village of Horden, County Durham, is still ahead of the game, having recently completed its latest footfall-driving transformation.

“The store has changed beyond recognition over the years,” Jason recalls. “Way back before we joined Premier, my mother and stepfather

owned it and traded it as a very successful tobacco and alcohol store.

“It had a six-metre tobacco gantry and it used to make more than £10,000 a week on cigarettes alone – a huge amount back in those days!”

While the store’s range has changed considerably over the past three decades, its success and status within the local Horden community has remained constant – something that's been driven by Jason and Fiona’s unwavering efforts to ensure that the family-owned store meets local needs.

Carried out in November 2022, its latest refit has been designed to make even more of footfall-driving categories, such as drinks-to-go and vape, whilst also expanding fresh and chilled choice.

As such, just under eight metres of additional refrigeration, including a new four-metre dairy deck and a brand-new three-door freezer, were added to the mix.

“We only had a small amount of open-deck refrigeration before, so

the expansion has allowed us to grow our fresh and chilled range and also to chill all our soft drinks and beers, including large bottles and multi-packs,” Jason says.

“This change in particular has already been a huge success given the recent warm weather. Shoppers are delighted that they can buy everything chilled, as before it just wasn’t possible.

“Shoppers like choice and that’s what we’re giving them now. Thanks to the refit we can offer them a really strong range of fresh and chilled goods that offers great quality and value for money.

“The way the store has been laid out is so much better too. Everything is in the right place now and it’s a much easier space to shop,” he adds.

The refit also saw the creation of a brand-new Refresh@Premier zone, with new machines including NUE Milkshakes and Fanta Frozen slush. “We already had a strong drinks-to-go offer prior to the refit that included Tango Ice Blast but we actually decided to remove this machine in favour of Fanta Frozen, which we thought would have more

We’ve been on such a fantastic journey with Premier so far, and I’m sure that there will be lots more exciting development to come.

Jason Birks

Margin

has increased by 3.5% since the refit

To find out about further ways we can support you please visit MY.CCEP.COM

of a point of difference locally,” Jason says.

The store’s existing and “very popular” SnowShock machine was also updated to the latest model.

“The changes we’ve made to the Refresh@ Premier section have already been a huge hit with local shoppers and sales quadrupled in the month of June,” Jason adds.

The store’s footfall-driving vape range was also doubled in size and re-located onto the shopfloor, which now boasts a two-metre display.

“We’ve always had a strong reputation locally for vape,” says Jason "but the most recent refit needed to reflect the explosion in popularity of disposable vapes.

“Our new two-metre shop-floor display now offers a really broad range of leading disposable brands and vape sales are soaring.”

In fact, Jason says that vape is now the

store’s top-selling category and sales are up by 35% since the refit. “Unlike many other retailers, I don’t run special offers on my vapes. I just sell each bar for a straight £5 and I find that this approach suits the needs of our local shoppers better,” he says.

Despite having only fitted a new counter back in 2020, the store’s counter area was also replaced to make space for a new Cossiga chiller which houses fresh, locally-made cakes and pies.

“Local shoppers love this new range, it’s yet another point of difference that sets us apart.

"Overall, shoppers’ reactions to the whole refit have been so positive. People have known us for years and we’ve continuously adapted our offer over the years.

“It’s wonderful that this latest change is being so well-received,” Jason says.

So well received in fact, that total store sales are up 30% since the refit, and Jason’s margin has increased by 3.5%.

“It was a big investment of over £100,000 so it’s incredibly pleasing that I’m already starting to see a return on that,” he adds.

“In this business you’ve got to keep on moving and developing. Shoppers aren’t

THE NO.1 FROZEN TAKEAWAY PIZZA BRAND

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that forgiving these days and you have to keep your offer relevant and exciting.

“The advice and support that I’ve received from Premier throughout this process, and over the many years prior to it, has been fantastic.”

Jason says the store has had “great support” from RDM Stephanie Caddick “who has been there for us every step of the way”.

“It’s been wonderful to watch and experience Premier’s development over the years and be part of the group’s success,” he adds.

Store Profile

Name: Premier Mosci's

Location: Horden, Peterlee

Retailers: Jason and Fiona Birks

Size: 650sq ft

Staff: 7, including Jason and Fiona

Services: E-Top Up, Parcel Collection, Refresh@Premier, Vape@Premier

Opening hours: Mon-Sun 7am-9pm

“We’ve been on such a fantastic journey with Premier so far, and I’m sure that there will be lots more exciting development to come.”

Shoppers like choice and that’s what we’re giving them now. Thanks to the refit we can offer them a really strong range of fresh and chilled goods that offers great quality and value for money.

Jason Birks

Setting the standard

The MSP & Noble Group's newest Premier store to join the chain showcases an array of cutting-edge concepts.

ith the founding of his MSP & Noble Group in 2002, retail entrepreneur Jayaseelan (Seelan) Thambirajah embarked on a mission to create “one of the most modern, dynamic, customerfocused, and forward-thinking independent retail convenience store chains in the UK”.

Now the group is poised to open its 19th store and has won multiple industry awards, including Convenience Chain of the Year at the 2022 Asian Trader Awards – proof that Seelan is certainly achieving his goal.

And now, following a defining store development project at his Harlaxton Road site in Grantham, Seelan’s trophy cabinet looks set to become even more crowded.

Seelan had been previously trading the former pub site as a Family Shopper, where it had been successfully meeting local value needs since 2016.

However, at the start of 2023, he felt the time was right for the store to take on a fresh new mantle, that would better suit shoppers’ evolving needs.

W“I’m fortunate to have a fantastic relationship with Booker and the Premier team, including sales director Martyn Parkinson and – on their advice – I decided to transform the site into a new-concept Premier,” he explains.

A comprehensive build and refit programme that cost in the region of £260,000 then ensued, with the Premier team “supporting every step of the way” and every day since Premier Harlaxton Road opened in June 2023.

“The true secret to building a successful store is the relationship that you have with your wholesaler,” Seelan explains. “Trust and loyalty are key. You both have to trust each other’s experience and knowledge and you have to be loyal to each other – if those crucial elements are in place, then you have a recipe for success.

“I put a huge amount of trust and faith into the Premier team, and I have certainly not been disappointed.

“This store has everything that the modernday convenience shopper is looking for and, what’s more, it’s a really fun and engaging place to be.”

“Exhilarating” is also a word that many

shoppers use to describe the new store –especially upon entering its 500sq ft Beer Cave.

Featuring brick-effect walls and decorative pendant lighting, the Beer Cave replicates the feel of a courtyard garden and offers a vast range of perfectly chilled beers, wines, ciders, RTDs, ice and more.

“The Beer Cave provides shoppers with the ultimate convenience, making it so easy for them buy ready-to-drink chilled products and get the party started at home,” Seelan adds.

The Beer Cave also serves to reinforce the company’s focus on responsible retailing. “With clear signage saying that the Beer Cave is for over-18s only, it’s also really effective at deterring underage sales,” he says.

The Beer Cave’s generous size also allows Premier Harlaxton Road to stock an array of large formats, including multipacks of 10, 12 and 18, with clear signage highlighting the “Bigger Packs, Better Value’ message.

Vape products are sited directly outside the Beer Cave, and the store dedicates more than three-metres of space to the category, with a locked Vaping@Premier unit on the shop

CAPABLE HANDS: Nishanth Meganathan, store manager, Premier Harlaxton Road.

floor and further vape products also on display behind the striking backlit counter.

A cinema-style ‘Big Night In’ zone –complete with show-effect lighting and premium popcorn, sharing tubs of candyfloss, and US-style nachos and dips – adds to the fun feel.

“The ‘Big Night In’ opportunity is huge, especially in this area,” Seelen says. “Shoppers are keeping a close eye on their spending and are choosing to enjoy quality drinks and snacks in the comfort of their own homes, rather than in expensive pubs, bars and other entertainment venues. Our new Big Night In zone not only answers that need, it inspires it.

“Shoppers can’t fail to be excited by the Big Night In zone with its innovative products and bold theatrical signage.”

Big Night In products are not the only ones to bask in the glow of bright and bold category signage.

From ‘Dairy’ to ‘Fruit and Veg’ each store category is clearly signposted with bold electric blue lettering which quite literally lights up the aisles.

“We invested around £26,000 on LED graphics and lighting,” Seelan explains. “Lots of shoppers say the store feels a bit like a cinema – it’s a real experience from the moment you enter,” he laughs.

Another area where the bold category signage creates particularly high impact is frozen – which has been extended from four metres to 5.25 metres with a smart new bank of seven-door freezers. Each freezer also features additional shelving – a fact which has boosted overall linear meterage by approximately seven metres. The eye-catching zone offers a vast choice of frozen meal solutions and accompaniments, including an array of Eastern European products such as Pierogi and Uszka dumplings – popular with local shoppers.

And of course, lighting innovations are far from the store’s only pieces of technical wizardry. Premier Harlaxton Road also features scannable QR codes which instantly inform shoppers about the full range of instore promotions.

At the time of going to press, new electronic shelf edge labels designed to create significant

efficiency benefits were also being fitted across the store.

Given its prime high street location, the store also features a strong emphasis on foodto-go.

Around four metres of space are devoted to a high-impact Refresh@Premier bar which features a vibrant bank of footfall-driving machines including Jolly Rancher Slush, Hershey’s and Reese’s Freeze, Thick Fresh Shakes, Tango Ice Blast, Coca-Cola Frozen and Costa Coffee.

“Food-to-go is a key growth area not only for this store but for the convenience sector as a whole,” Seelan says.

Slush and shakes have been priced at just £2 a cup, while medium cups of Tango Ice Blast and Coca-Cola Frozen feature RSPs of just £2.50.

“Value for money is important around here so setting the right price point was key,” he explains.

With the store selling more than 600 cups in the first week alone, it’s clear that the offer is going down well with shoppers and sales have been growing week on week ever since.

A strong value message is evident throughout the store, which features a whole bay dedicated to Euro Shopper products.

Shoppers’ value for money needs are also being well met by the Jack’s brand, with Seelan reporting particularly strong sales within the ambient grocery and fresh and chilled categories.

“Great value is also offered via Premier’s wide range of Meal Deals, including the sandwich meal deal,

frozen meal deal, pizza meal deal and Jack’s ready meal deal,” he adds.

The sandwich meal deal is particularly popular at lunchtimes when the new store becomes a magnet for hungry tradesmen and workers.

Food-to-go needs are further met by a new local cake and pastry offer, prominently sited at the front of the store.

Thanks to the store’s previous life as a pub, it still boasts a large free car park

achieved a 32% sales uplift in its first week of trading

The store

at the rear, making pulling in and parking up as easy as pie.

Footfall-driving soft drinks meanwhile, have also been cleverly located in smart energysaving chillers along the store’s back wall, where they work to pull footfall over to what can sometimes be a quieter part of the store – especially in the evenings.

The store’s fresh and chilled offer has also been expanded from 6.25 metres to 7.5 metres. Each chiller also has additional shelving, granting it an additional seven metres of linear space in which to house an extended range including Jack’s-branded pasta, sauces, ready meals and pizzas, plus dairy and deli items.

The chilled range also includes an array of local meats which are complemented by additional local lines throughout the store, including some local vegetables,

Margin is also up by 3%

bread and bakery products.

“I’ll sit down with the Premier team and review the whole range after six weeks of opening to see if we need to make any tweaks to the range but so far things are looking very good indeed,” Seelan adds.

“I’ve followed all of Premier’s advice to a T and sales are soaring day by day.”

Despite high levels of local competition (there’s a Morrisons, a Co-op and an Aldi nearby) Premier Harlaxton Road achieved a 32% sales uplift in its first week of trading and Seelan believes that the store is “on-track” to achieve an overall sales uplift of 50% within the first three months.

The store’s margin is also up by 3% to 26%.

“Shoppers are delighted by their new look store, as am I,” Seelan says.

Store Profile

Name: Premier Harlaxton Road Grantham

Retailer: Jayaseelan Thambirajah (Seelan)

Size: 1,800sq ft

Services: Beer Cave, Olio, Home delivery,

Staff: 12 Opening hours: 7am-10pm

Good sport!

MEN’S RUGBY WORLD CUP

8 September to 28 October

KEY MATCH DATES

Quarter Finals

Saturday 20 and Sunday 21 October 4pm and 8pm

Semi Finals

Friday 20 and Saturday 21 October 8pm

Final Saturday 28 October 8pm

This summer the stage has been set for what is proving to be a rip-roaring season of major sporting events that a sure to help retailers create high-impact in-store excitement and boost all-important footfall, sales and profits.

The Lionesses set the nation roaring with pride in July and August as they made it all the way to the FIFA Women's World Cup final and excitement levels are now once again at fever pitch, thanks to the start of the 2023 Rugby World Cup.

Held between 20th of July and 20th of August, the FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC) has already helped Premier retailers

to net greater sales and profits, as shoppers from across the country eagerly stocked up before tuning in and cheering their favourite teams on.

Ravi Patel of Premier Headley Road in Liphook, Surrey said the tournament had offered a fantastic opportunity to create instore excitement and drive sales. “Thanks to our brand new Beer Cave, beers, wines and ciders all performed strongly during the period, especially our great-value multipacks, all of which are available chilled and perfect for sharing,” he said.

Among the major brands who helped retailers make the most of the event was Budweiser, the official beer of both the

With a packed summer of sporting events, Premier retailers have a winning opportunity to score additional sales and profits this summer.

Lionesses and the FIFA Women’s World Cup which ran a high-impact ‘scan to win’ on-pack promotion offering a range of great prizes including top-end TVs.

The brand also suggested that retailers create a ‘Wall of Red’ to make both Budweiser and the Women’s World Cup unmissable instore.

Throughout the tournament Premier ran a special promotion on 4-packs of beer from big-name brands including Birra Moretti, Peroni, San Miguel, Estella Damm and Brewdog. It also offered shoppers an ‘Any 2 for £4.50’ deal on best-selling traditional ale brands including Adnams Ghost Ship, Fuller’s London Pride, Hobgoblin, Sharp’s Doombar

and Spitfire.

Meanwhile, having kicked off in Paris on Friday 8 September, the Men’s Rugby Union World Cup is providing even more opportunities for retailers to cash in, as France hosts what is already proving to be one of the most hotly contested series in the tournament’s history.

With England, Ireland, France, New Zealand and South Africa all boasting strong potential to win, the stage is set for one of the most open championships ever, including the possibility of the first Northern Hemisphere victory for 20 years, since England claimed the prize in 2003.

Helping retailers build up to the event is

Premier retailers can currently offer their shoppers 4x330ml packs of Asahi for £6.25 offering retailers a POR of 27.4%.

The promotion will extend into the forthcoming NP8 promotional period which will also see further consumer deals on the Asahi brand, including large multi-packs of 12x330ml cans for just £16, down from £18.49, and offering retailers a POR of 19.1%.

In addition to alcoholic drinks, both tournaments will also provide ample opportunities for retailers to boost sales of soft drinks, snacks and key meal solutions with an

Across the 10 host cities and around the world, excitement is at fever pitch. From ticket sales to international visitors, records are tumbling and there is a genuine air of expectation as to which nation will ultimately lift the biggest prize in men’s rugby, the Webb Ellis Cup.

World Rugby Chairman Sir Bill Beaumont

Japanese brand Asahi – whose Asahi Super Dry is the Official Beer of the Rugby World Cup 2023.

Retailers earned a £464m boost as shoppers stocked up for the Women’s World Cup

Source: VoucherCodes.co.uk

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

KEY RUGBY WORLD CUP DEALS

SUPPORTING STARS

Big sporting events such as the Women’s World Cup and the Rugby World Cup provide a fantastic opportunity to create some high-impact in-store theatre.

l If space allows, why not create an off-shelf display to promote key promotional lines on popular categories such as Beer, Soft Drinks, Snacks and Confectionery?

l Use all available POS to give your displays some extra kick!

l Be sure to promote your range and any supporting promotions on social media too. Platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok offer a great way to engage with shoppers of all ages.

Kicking off on 13 September, Premier’s NP8 promotional period will offer a range of deals on key lager, soft drinks and snack brands including:

STOCK UP ON THE UK’S NUMBER 1 CRAFT BEER BRAND

MORE THAN 4 CANS OF BREWDOG ARE SOLD EVERY SECOND

PUNK 4PK = M261632

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array of deals on big-name brands, as well as Jack’s products.

The NP8 promotional period will enable Premier retailers to offer their shoppers a winning selection of great soft drinks promotions and Every Day Low Prices on larger pack formats – ideal for sharing – that are sure to help drive up basket spend.

Diet Coke and Coke Zero will both be available in multipacks of 12x330ml for just £6.50, down from £8.79 and offering retailers a POR of 20.2%. Coca Cola Multipacks will also be on offer at £7 for 10x330ml – a price which will see retailers achieve PORs of 26.3%

Premier has also put together a fantastic package with Walkers that will allow retailers to offer shoppers great deals on bestselling multipack crisps that will help shoppers host ‘Big Match Nights In’ at home. Large 9x140g packs of Walkers Max Texas BBQ and Walkers Max Pepperoni Feast will both be available at a promotional RSP of just £1.75, offering retailers a POR of 20.1%.

With many of the games set to kick off in the afternoon or around dinner time, Premier shoppers will also be able to reap even more benefits from the fantastic Jack’s brand –which offers shoppers a winning combination of both quality and great value for money.

Of the total viewers, 19.1m (87%) watched the Women’s World Cup from the comfort of their own homes.

Source: VoucherCodes.co.uk

Offering a wide range of choice in both chilled – and now frozen pizzas thanks to two new additions – the Jack’s brand is sure to score highly with hungry shoppers throughout the Rugby World Cup and beyond. And with a variety of tempting accompaniments, including fresh dips, frozen chips, garlic bread and indulgent tubs of Jack’s-branded ice cream, Premier retailers really do have a golden opportunity to help shoppers make match-fit meals.

With so much excitement the coming weeks certainly look set to help retailers win big. All that remains is for the home nations to do the same!

New Jack’s family meal solutions

Retailers can now offer an array of family-friendly meal solutions for four, at a great-value price of less than £2.50 per person.

Each Jack’s Meal Solution features a simple recipe that will feed four people for less than £2.50 per person.

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN AND RICE

Value for money remains front of mind for shoppers and especially for busy families with lots of mouths to feed.

Fortunately, Booker’s exclusive Jack’s brand is here to help, with a brand-new initiative offering a wide range of palate- and pocket-friendly family meal solutions.

The new Jack’s Family Meal Initiative will enable retailers to offer their shoppers a different family meal solution each new promotional period.

From ‘Bangers and Mash’ to ‘Spaghetti Bolognese’ and ‘Chilli Con Carne,’ all of the easy-to- cook recipes in the new collection have been carefully designed for broad appeal and maximum convenience.

Each of the recipes has also been carefully crafted to create delicious meals that will feed a family or group of four people, for a great-

*Based on portion cost for a family of four AVAILABLE IN STORE NOW

JACK’S FAMILY MEALS

The Jack’s Family Meals initiative uses Jack’s products from across the categories to help shoppers create an array of family and pocket-friendly recipes.

Recipes will include:

l Sweet and Sour Chicken and Rice

l Beefburger and Chips

l Chilli Con Carne

l Bangers and Mash

l Sausage Casserole

l Spaghetti Bolognaise

l Lasagne

l Chicken Tikka Masala

l Macaroni Cheese

l Tuna Pasta Bake

l Chicken Korma

value price of less than £2.50 per person.

The recipes have also been designed to showcase the quality, value and breadth of the full Jack’s range, by encouraging shoppers to buy across the categories.

Each of the simple family-friendly recipes features Jack’s products from across the fresh, chilled and ambient categories, to help shoppers cook up the crowd-pleasing meals.

From 23 August to 12 September, Premier retailers will be able to offer their shoppers the means to make juicy ‘Beefburgers and Chips’.

Using Jack’s Quarter Pounder Burgers, Jack’s Thin and Crispy Oven Fries, Jack’s Mild Cheddar Slices and Jack’s Salad Tomatoes, among others, the tasty recipe allows shoppers to feed a family of four for just £2.08 per person.

Following on from that, from 13 September

September 2023 TalkingShop 53 What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

MEDIA MAGIC

Social media offers another really effective way to drive trial and repeat purchase of the fantastic Jack’s range.

Use key social platforms such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok to highlight Jack’s promotions and flag up new products.

Booker offers a professional suite of social media assets that you can easily use to showcase your Jack’s range, helping you to create engaging posts in just a few simple clicks.

The new Jack’s Family Meal initiative lends itself perfectly to social media and is sure to help drive footfall, sales and profits in store.

The initiative will be supported by a special web tile for use on social media.

to 9 October, the NP8 promotional period will allow Premier retailers offer their shoppers a recipe for zingy ‘Sweet and Sour Chicken and Rice’.

Each of the new recipes will also be supported in-store with a range of high-impact POS, including Posters and Shelf Cards, featuring prominent Jack’s branding and the key ‘Part of the Tesco Family’ message.

Pricing information and cost per portion will also be boldly displayed to really drive the value-for-money message home.

In-store POS will also be supported by a web tile for retailers to make use of on social media.

In addition to the new Jack’s Family Meal initiative, retailers can also offer their shoppers

a fantastic range of quality chilled ready meals which represent the ultimate in convenience and value for money.

From Asian to Italian and traditional British fare, plus vegetarian options, the Jack’s ready meal range caters to a broad array of style and flavour preferences, with all meals available for an RSP of just £3.35 or on a ‘Any 2 for £6’ deal – offering shoppers great value for money.

The Jack’s chilled range also includes an array of crispy Stone Baked Pizzas, featuring bestselling toppings such as Three Cheese, Pepperoni and Meat Feast for £4 each or at ‘2 for £7’.

Meanwhile, new to the freezer aisles are two new Jack’s frozen pizzas. Available now,

shoppers so the Jack’s brand really hits the mark. Peterlee is not an affluent area and as such, shoppers are constantly on the look-out for everyday low prices and promotions. Jack’s products are performing really well, especially in the frozen, cakes and snacks categories. Chilled products such as Jack’s pizzas are also popular sellers and the ‘2 for’ offer is a powerful driver of sales.”

JASON BIRKS

Premier Mosci’s, Peterlee

“Value for money is exceptionally important to our

RETAILER VIEW

New Dessert Range!

2 CARAMEL PANNA COTTA DESSERTS

Case Size: 8x2x120g

WSP: £12.49

RSP: £2.15

POR: 27.4%

PROFITEROLES

Case Size: 6x420g

WSP: £16.00

RSP: £3.49

POR: 23.6%

2 LIMONCELLO DESSERTS

Case size: 8x2x85g

WSP: £12.49

RSP: £2.15

POR: 27.4%

JACK’S FROZEN PIZZA

DEEP MEAT FEAST DEEP CHEESE

Case Size: 7x386g

WSP: £10.89

RSP: £2.29

POR: 32.1%

RETAILER VIEW

VITHY BALASINGHAM

SWEET AND SOUR CHICKEN AND RICE

the iced delights include a Deep Meat Feast and a Deep Cheese pizza.

Premier retailers can also now offer their shoppers a sweet treat at the end of their family meals with three new chilled desserts

“The Jack’s brand is a key string to our bow and allows us to offer our shoppers great-quality products at value-for-money prices.

“Being ‘Part of the Tesco Family’ also means that the brand is really trusted by local shoppers which is another advantage, especially in the current climate. The PORs are really compelling too. When it comes to Jack’s-branded chilled products, the vast majority also boast a longshelf life – another big benefit.”

recently added to the Jack’s line-up.

Available now, shoppers can choose an indulgent stack of Chocolate Profiteroles, creamy Caramel Panna Cottas and zesty Limoncello Desserts.

Available now in a case size of 8x2x85g, the Caramel Panna Cotta and Limoncello Desserts both have an RSP of £2.15 for two.

The Caramel Panna Cotta and Limoncello Desserts will both be available for a special RSP of just £1.89 for Premier retailers during the NP8 promotional period, which runs between 9 September and 3 October.

With a promotional POR of 25.3%, both desserts will also offer retailers an opportunity to make equally sweet profits.

Premier Jeni & J’s, Wilton Road, Salisbury

Cut waste

Booker is helping Premier retailers to take some simple steps that can help them cut waste and cost, helping them improve their sustainability credentials into the bargain.

Sustainability has never been more important and has never been so close to the top of the news agenda, which is why it is important for the independent retailing sector to embrace the challenge of making their businesses more sustainable. It’s a challenge that is not going away and it’s a challenge that Booker has been enthusiastically embracing for many years, culminating in the launch of the groundbreaking Better Trolley for a Better Planet set of commitments.

Under Better Trolley, Booker has committed to a series of important goals that are already having a significant impact across issues like waste, climate, diet and community.

To support those commitments, Booker is also encouraging Premier retailers to work towards improving their own sustainability credentials and has put in place a number of programmes that make it quick and easy for retailers to play their part in tackling key challenges like minimising food waste, reducing energy usage and continuing to improve recycling rates.

The great news is that all of these initiatives will help you reduce waste and cut costs, helping to build more profitable, sustainable businesses.

Under better Trolley, Booker has committed to leading by example when it comes to sustainability and has already achieved some remarkable successes, as you will see:

FOOD WASTE

Booker has been awarded the Fareshare Partner logo to recognise its continued focus on redistributing surplus food. Over five million meals were donated to Fareshare charity by the Group in the last year alone. In total, 91% of all surplus edible food

was redistributed last year, a huge step towards the ultimate goal of ensuring 100% of all surplus food finds a good home. This achievement is a 34% improvement on the base year of 2015/16, demonstrating the huge progress that is being made.

and costs

BOOKER BUZZING

As well as helping retailers enhance their sustainability credentials, Booker has also been practicing what it preaches – by keeping its very own apiary of Booker bees!

The project first began back in 2018 when it was suggested that Booker should keep bees as part of its sustainability efforts. As luck would have it, Booker Central Planning Manager Doug Waight had some experience of beekeeping and was tasked with recruiting some volunteers to set up an apiary at the Booker Hatfield branch.

Bees play a crucial role in pollinating plants, which contributes to the production of foodstuffs that are essential in human and animal diets.

Initially there were six volunteers at Hatfield who, with the help of the local beekeepers association, soon had three hives set up and filled with colonies of bees. The team managed to get the bees through the winter and the following summer were rewarded with a bumper crop of honey, over 40 jars in total.

The apiary has been maintained ever since, even through the challenges of Covid and harsh winters. The colony continues to thrive to this day with a population of around 100,000 bees predicted soon.

The project is going so well that the team is looking to increase the number of hives further next summer.

FARE

Fareshare donation boxes have been made available to all symbol group customers, including Premier. Booker helped more than 600 independent retailers redistribute over 220 tonnes of food in the last year, supporting local communities through a partnership with the Too Good To Go solution.

SMARTER PACKAGING AND INGREDIENTS

All non-recyclable materials have now been removed from own-brand products and recycling logos are being rolled out on packs.

All own-brand paper products are also 100% certified FSC or recycled content.

All own-brand eggs are cage-free, while all own-brand tea, coffee and cocoa are sustainably sourced.

Own-brand products containing palm oil use only sustainably sourced oil and the soy used in animal feed with Booker’s supply chain is also deforestationfree.

Additionally, Booker has a target for all UK sourced meat and dairy to be Red Tractor accredited by 2025.

REDUCE ENERGY CONSUMPTION

All Booker branches and sites are now lit by LED lights and Makro Exeter has become the first-ever site in the UK to self-fund a solar power solution that is generating 25% of the site's power requirements.

GET INVOLVED

Booker has achieved remarkable success in building towards a much more sustainable future and is encouraging Premier retailers to play their part by considering how they could make their businesses and stores more sustainable.

To help them do just that, Booker has entered a number of fantastic partnerships and secured some exclusive deals that can help Premier retailers continue to make steps in the right direction.

Here are some quick and easy wins that you could consider for your store:

1 EXCLUSIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT DEAL

Premier retailers now have an easy and hassle-free way to order and manage their waste collections thanks to a new partnership with Collectmywaste.

Services include: General waste collection, mixed recycling, glass recycling, food waste collection and one-off clearances.

"With costs rising across the board, every cost saving we can make is important these days, so this new waste disposal deal is fantastic new for Premier retailers. Savings of up to 11% represent a significant benefit and, once again, it's great to see Premier retailers gaining real value from being part of a bigger Group."

Collectmywaste also offers an easy to use app that holds all your data and invoices in one place and provides real-time updates about your collections. Visit collectmywaste.com and quote ‘BOOKERWASTE’ along with your Booker customer number to claim a discount of up to 11% today!

2 VAPE RECYCLING SERVICE

Booker also works with Valpak to help Premier retailers comply with the recycling legislation that applies to disposable vapes. If your store sells any type of vaping or e-cigarette products, including disposable vapes, you are required by law to comply with Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling legislation. These products are officially classed as electrical and electronic equipment and, as such, retailers are legally bound to help with the recycling of them.

The legislation requires you to offer your shoppers a free of charge, safe recycling point – and it makes no difference where

your shoppers originally bought their vaping products.

To comply with the legislation, Premier retailers first have to calculate the value of vaping products they sell in their store each year. If that value is less than £100,000 you can join the Distributor Take-back Scheme.

If that value of products you sell is in excess of £100,000 however, you are required to provide your shoppers with a free in-store take-back service that complies with WEEE regulations.

To help Premier retailers quickly and easily put the relevant solution in place, Booker is working with leading environmental compliance business Valpak who can answer any questions you may have as well as helping you put in place the solutions you need to become fully compliant with the WEEE regulations.

Visit recycle-more.co.uk/vapes to find out more about Valpak’s services. Alternatively, email info@valpak.co.uk or call 03450 682 572.

GIRISH JEEVA Premier Barmulloch, Glasgow

RETAILER VIEW

3 ELIMINATE FOOD WASTE

Premier retailers can entirely eliminate food waste, recover costs and support their local communities by taking advantage of three fantastic partnerships set up by Booker:

l Too Good To Go: to sell short-dated food and recover costs.

l OLIO: to donate surplus food not sold to your local community and save on food disposal costs.

l FareShare: to set up a donation box for your shoppers to support local charities.

By taking advantage of these three partnerships, retailers can ensure that not a single food or drink product is wasted – and getting involved with all three solutions couldn’t be simpler.

TOO GOOD TO GO

Too Good To Go is a social impact company and the world’s largest business-to-consumer app for surplus food. Retailers simply sign up to the Too Good To Go website, then download and log in to the App. After that, all retailers need to do is preload the portions of unsold food as ‘Magic Bags’. Shoppers then buy the Magic Bags through the App and collect them in-store at a time set by retailers.

As a general rule, all Magic Bags sold should be sold at approximately one-third of the cost of the contents.

With so many Too Good To Go users in the UK, the app can help you reach new shoppers and increase footfall. Your local community is sure to appreciate your commitments to reducing food waste and helping the planet.

Each Magic Bag sold through Too Good To Go is subject to a £1.09 fee with a yearly admin cost of £39. This is deducted from what retailers are paid each quarter.

To find out more, visit toogoodtogo.co.uk and you can download the app on both Google Play and from the Apple app store.

OLIO

While Too Good To Go is a fantastic way

to sell short-dated products, if any products remain unsold, don’t worry – you can use OLIO to ensure that the unsold food doesn’t go to waste.

tech means it’s easy for your team to get to grips with.

To find out more, visit olioex.com/business or email business@olioex.com. Alternatively, you can call 07729 130 824.

FARESHARE

OLIO is a hassle-free way for Premier stores to redistribute more of their unsold food.

There are 6.5 million OLIO app users in the UK and a huge team of 68,000 volunteers help ensure that OLIO provides a fast, reliable service for retailers.

Retailers simply scan a QR code to let OLIO know if there's food to collect. A volunteer collects it, lists it on the OLIO app, and arranges collections with people in their local area.

OLIO will collect all edible food waste including hot, chilled or frozen food, loose ingredients and cooked meals. They will collect food up to the “use by” date and will collect any volume of unsold food from carrier bags to full pallets. Collections are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be ad hoc or regular, all at times specified by the retailer. Set-up is hassle-free and the user-friendly

If you want to take your commitments to the next level, you can even help generate additional donations to support vulnerable people by working with FareShare to set up a donation box in your store for your shoppers to support local charities.

To get involved, speak to your RDM about having a FareShare donation box and relevant

POS installed in-store. Once the dumpbins are full, retailers can contact FareShare who will come and collect the donations.

SAFFRON

Premier retailers can also turn to Saffron Business Solutions for help securing better deals on their energy, water, telephone and broadband bills. Saffron also assists with switching and offers on-going support. Visit www.sb-solutions.co.uk for more info.

Comingsoon

New Products

PEPSI MAX MANGO

Case Size: 12x50ml

WSP: £6.29

RSP: £1.25

POR: Up to 43.5%

JACK’S FROZEN PIZZA DEEP MEAT FEAST DEEP CHEESE

Case Size: 7x386g

WSP: £10.89

RSP: £2.29

POR: 32.1%

SMINT XXL

Case Size: 12x45g

WSP: £7.59

RSP: £1.00

POR: 24.1%

19 CRIMES SPARKLING

Case Size: 6x75cl

WSP: £43.99

RSP: £10.99

POR: 20%

SECRETARY BIRD ROSÉ AND CHARDONNAY

Case Size: 6x75cl

WSP: £26.99

RSP: £6.79

POR: 20.5%

SHY PIG BLUSH & SHY PIG WHITE

Case Size: 6x75cl

WSP: £22.99

RSP: £5.99

POR: 23.60%

New Products

ARLA PROTEIN SALTED CARAMEL AND CHOCOLATE PUDDINGS

Case Size: 6x200g

WSP: £4.79

RSP: £1

POR: 20.2%

UFIT PROTEIN SHAKES

Case Size: 12x310ml

WSP: £14.79

RSP: £2.25

POR: 45.2%

CADBURY MINI ROLLS CHOCOLATE ORANGE AND CHOCOLATE MINT

Case Size: 12x5 pack

WSP: £16.79

RSP: £1.75

POR: 20.0%

FRUITTELLA STRAWBERRY

Case Size: 24x137g

WSP: £16.59

RSP: £1.25

POR: 33.6%

BATISTE DRY SHAMPOO

Case Size: 6x200ml

WSP: £8.99

RSP: £2.25

POR: 20.1%

JACK’S DESSERTS!

2 CARAMEL PANNA COTTA DESSERTS

Case Size: 8x2x120g

WSP: £12.49

RSP: £2.15

POR: 27.4%

PROFITEROLES

Case Size: 6x420g

WSP: £16.00

RSP: £3.49

POR: 23.6%

2 LIMONCHELLO DESSERTS

Case size: 8x2x85g

WSP: £12.49

RSP: £2.15

POR: 27.4%

THE NATION’S FAVOURITE COOKIE*

PRODUCT CODE: M288138

� WORTH £61 MILLION BOUGHT BY OVER 1 IN 4 UK HOUSEHOLDS

� MARYLAND MINIS NO 1 MINI BISCUIT MULTI-BAG GROWING +21% YOY

PRICE MARK PACK AVAILABLE TO BUY FROM AUGUST

BetterService

IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

Save time and cost with self-scan

Offering a range of great benefits and increasingly popular with shoppers, self-scan tills provide a great way to reduce the workload of your team, cut queues and enhance the buying experience.

THE BENEFITS OF SELF-SCAN

l Reduce staff workload

l Improve buying experience

l Age restriction approval

l User-friendly retailer interface

l Easy transition between self-scan and regular till

l Card payment only in selfscan mode

About ShopMate

Having partnered with retailers, service providers and wholesalers for 25 years, ShopMate has a deep understanding of independent retailing and the pressures that stores face.

ShopMate is designed to make easy work of pricing and promotions with automated price updates and orders, plus reports and insights that can help you improve sales.

Our suite of value-added services also allows you to access your store remotely, run automated MediaMaster screens and capture new markets with home delivery. ShopMate also offers Self-Serve Electronic Shelf Edge Label solutions.

Self-scan tills have been around for a while and in recent years the technology is being embraced by a growing number of stores. Many shoppers are now familiar with the technology and lots of people, particularly those in the younger generations, are perfectly comfortable with the speed and simplicity of scanning a few items through themselves, paying and getting back on with their day.

Thanks to Booker’s long-standing relationship with EPoS specialists Retail Data Partnership (RDP), self-scan technology is now available to Premier stores.

FAST AND EFFICIENT

RDP’s ShopMate self-scan solution offers a number of important benefits, not least in helping to reduce queues and in significantly reducing the workload for your in-store team. The interface is user-friendly and intuitive

for your shoppers and can help enhance the buying experience, particularly for shoppers keen to get in and back out as quickly as possible.

The tills can quickly and easily swivel, which allows them to be used as shopperfacing self-scan tills at busy times and then rotated to be used by your team as normal tills at other times. When in self-scan mode the tills will only accept card payments to speed up transaction times.

Additionally, the technology features an automated age-restriction alert which sounds a buzzer and flashes a warning light when an age-restricted product is scanned and approval is required from a member of your team.

AFFORDABLE SOLUTION

Unlike many other self-scan systems which require expensive new tills and hefty service charges, RDP’s ShopMate system is available for just an additional £4 per week per till if

“We installed self-scan tills when we built our new store in November last year because we wanted a speedy option for shoppers that wanted to get in and out quickly, particularly our younger shoppers. Many people want to have a chat with one of the team when they’re in the store, so we always have manned tills too, but some just want to get in and out as quickly as possible. I’ve been surprised by how popular the self-scan tills are. People are just so used to them now because they’re in every supermarket and I think lots of shoppers just expect a self-scan option these days. It’s definitely working for us.”

BILLY GATT Premier Whitehills

RETAILER VIEW

PRICING

l £4.00 ex VAT per week service fee per till, in addition to any existing ShopMate service fees.

l This includes the addition of the Self-Serve software to the customer till and six QR key fobs per store that allow staff members to operate and administrate the program.

Additional options*

l Techpole 400/600mm pole**: £62.00/£75.00

l Techpole 75/100 vesa mount: £50.00

l Techpole 250/350mm arm: £42.00/£45.00

l Techpole printer holder: £35.00

l Techpole universal pin pad holder: £50.00

l Melford status light: £180.00

l Avery Berkel 9300i Scanner Scales: £1,540.00

l Speakers: £30.00

ALREADY HAVE A 325 TILL?

If you already have a ShopMate 325 till, you can simply turn the till around and place the till into Self-Serve mode. An additional mount may be required.

Alternatively, you can swap your existing till with a free like-for-like refurbished till bundle which will make it easy to swivel the till into SelfServe mode.

Upgrade options also available:

l £399 (till only)

l £699 (includes A4 printer, receipt printer, scanner, cash drawer and media screen

Installation is free to swap for brand new compatible tills.

Once you've upgraded, you can choose from a number of additonal options including status lights, scanner scales, speakers and tech poles and holders for receipt printer and chip and pin units.

ALREADY HAVE A FLYTECH 455, TOSHIBA T10, VARIPOS OR ONYX TILL?

If you already have any

you already have a compatible ShopMate till. The fee includes the addition of the Self-Serve software and six QR key fobs per store that allow team members to operate and administrate the program.

If you have a ShopMate 325 till, you can simply have the software installed and you’re ready turn the till around and switch it into Self-Serve mode, although an additional mount may be required.

Alternatively, you can swap your till for a free like-for-like refurbished till bundle which will make it easy to swivel the till. Upgrade options are also available, including a new till for £399 and full kit for £699, which includes a till, A4 printer, receipt printer, scanner, cash drawer and media screen.

Installation is absolutely free to swap for a brand new compatible till.

If you have a Flytech 455, Toshiba T10, Varipos or Onyx till, these can be upgraded with the self-scan

RDP can check compatibility with your existing hardware over the phone so you don’t have to invest in new hardware or give selling space. ShopMate allows you to simply adapt what you’ve already got. And if you want to take your self-scan service to the next level, you can add a range of options including status lights, scales, speakers, tech poles and holders for printer and chip & pin units.

COST SAVER

ShopMate self-serve is also a great way to offer your shoppers speedy checkouts while protecting your operating costs - allowing you to reduce staffing hours or re-allocate staff to other tasks. The userfrienldy till also accepts barcoded items and has programmable hotkeys.

BetterService

Drive footfall and sales with Yext

A new Booker partnership with Yext is helping Premier retailers to improve their web search results and boost sales.

£20m Sales increase forecast

ABSOLUTELY FREE!

Improved web search results = BETTER SALES

77% increase in ‘Get Directions’ searches on Google Maps

The World Wide Web has been revolutionary in its ability to help customers quickly find what they want and help retailers grow footfall and sales.

Now, thanks to a new partnership between Booker and online data management platform Yext, Premier retailers have a meaningful and significant opportunity to drive an even greater number of shoppers and spend to their door.

If you’ve ever spent time trying to ensure that all your various online listings and data are correct and up to date, you’ll know how time consuming that process can be. Regularly updating every listing on every major search engine as well as various relevant directories is clearly important, but it’s a huge task – and that’s precisely where Yext comes in.

Available to all Premier retailers now and absolutely free of charge, Yext enables stores to keep all their online information in one place and

YOUR LAUNDRY ESSENTIALS

M282154

M282153

M282128

update all major search engines and directories with just one simple click.

The initiative represents a significant investment by Booker Group but it is forecast to be money well spent. It is estimated that Yext could help generate a £20m retail sales opportunity across the group.

WHAT IS YEXT?

Yext is an online data management platform where you can update your business information once in just one place and it then updates it everywhere for you.

It lets you manage key information about your business, such as its address, phone number, opening hours, products, menus, services and more, across all search engines and social media platforms. No more inaccurate opening times or out-of-date information!

Critically, Yext also helps to improve your store’s visibility and ranking in web searches. In other words, ‘you’ appear much closer to the top of the page in online searches.

HOW WILL YEXT HELP YOU?

Yext will help Premier store owners to ensure that Google and all other major search engines have your most up-to-date information on their platforms.

In trials, a 77% increase in ‘Get Directions’ searches was seen for stores on Google Maps – proving that Yext really can help to drive footfall to your store.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Nothing! Booker is providing access to Yext for all Premier retailers free of charge.

WHAT DO I NEED TO DO?

If you haven’t claimed your Google business listing, then you don’t have to do anything.

Step 1: Google Listings Permission Email

If you have already claimed ownership of your Google Business Listing, you will have received an email from Google with the subject line: ‘You’ve received an ownership request’.

l Click on the blue ‘Respond’ button.

l Click on the link to accept Booker as an owner of the profile.

l If you don’t respond to your Google Listings Permissions Email, Google will send a postcard in the post.

l The postcard will contain a five-digit code and link to complete your registration.

Step 2: Using Yext

l Following launch, you will receive an email from Yext, inviting you to register with the platform.

l Click on the link at the bottom of the email.

l Set up your account and password.

l Your store information can be updated in the Knowledge Graph panel and Entities sub menu. All amendable information is indicated using a pen icon.

l You can also enable SMS updates to make changes using your mobile phone.

Harnessing the power of Yext, Premier retailers really do have the opportunity to be at their digital bests, improving their web search results and ultimately boosting footfall and sales into their stores.

Talk to your Premier RDM or visit help.yext.com for more details and extra help on how to use Yext.

If you have claimed your business on Google, then follow the guidance below:

From 15th August 2023

THE HEALTH LOTTERY’S MAIN LOTTERY DRAW GAME WILL BE CALLED:

It’s the new name for the lottery you sell already.

It’s still just £1 to play, with draws every Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Each of these draws has a jackpot of: £25,000 as now

PLUS: Every £1 line in any Wednesday draw automatically gives the player one free bonus entry into an extra draw for the chance to win: £100,000 as now

PLUS: Every £1 line in any Saturday draw from 19th August automatically gives the player one free bonus entry into an extra draw for the chance to win £475,000. That means every Saturday you can play for up to: £500,000

Please make sure your staff are aware of these small but significant changes so that they can help customers with any questions. Please sell customers a ticket whether they ask to play The Health Lottery or The BIG WIN. They’re the same thing!

Thank you

The Health Lottery Team

If you require further support, please contact: Retailer Hotline on 0843 216 6500 www.healthlottery.co.uk

BetterService

Add value to your business!

With costs still challenging, it’s important that Premier retailers take advantage of every opportunity that comes their way – and you’ll find a host of exclusive rates and discounts in Booker’s Added Value Services brochure.

With the cost of doing business always rising it’s vital that Premier retailers keep an eye out for new opportunities to increase sales and profits and cut costs. To help them do that, Booker has collated an Added Value Services (AVS) brochure full of opportunities to make more and save more, featuring exclusive rates and discounts from 28 selected suppliers.

In total, the AVS brochure includes up to £10,000-worth of savings that Premier retailers can benefit from across a wide range of disciplines such as energy saving, finance, sustainability, food waste management, Epos, marketing and cleaning.

To take a closer look at the many savings available, simply log onto the website at booker.co.uk and find out how you could start adding to your bottom line.

BENEFITS GALORE!

The Added Value Services brochure offers Premier retailers discounts and savings of up to £10,000 a year in the following areas:

l Energy saving

l Finance

l Epos

l Store equipment

l Licensing

l Marketing

l Store services

l Cleaning

RECOMMENDED SUPPLIERS

Featured in the Added Value Services brochure are a number of recommended suppliers who can offer tailored support for your business:

ENERGY SAVING

l Saffron Business Solutions

l Hawley Energy FINANCE

l Propel Finance

l Satellite Finance

EPOS

l Retail Data Partnership

l Point Four

STORE EQUIPMENT

l Sato

l HL Display UK

l Harrison Retail

l Navarra Retail Systems

l Formbar

l Geiger

LICENSING

l Licensing Matters

RECOMMENDED SUPPLIERS

MARKETING

l ImageSound

l Leaflet Company

STORE SERVICES

l Barclaycard

l InPost

l Costa Express

l PayPoint

l Jisp

l Payzone

l Appy Shop

l Just Eat

l Uber Eats

Sample deal: Eskuta

Sample deal: Just Eat

Booker has secured deal with delivery experts Just Eat that sees Premier retailers earning a 24% commission rate, exclusively for Booker customers.

Eskuta is the leading e-cargo last mile delivery brand in the UK and Premier retailers can benefit from a great Booker Exclusive deal offering an electric delivery bike for just £1,450 + VAT.

Sample deal: Barclaycard

Premier retailers can benefit from Group Exclusive debit card rates of just 0.29%* per transaction, credit card rates of just 0.699%* and terminal rental of just £10 per month.

*plus£0.005 authorisation fee

Sample deal: Licensing Matters

A Booker Group Exclusive deal with Licensing Matters means Premier retailers can get both the online Personal Licence Course and a Personal Licence Application for just £350.

Keep it local

At ACS, we recently launched our Community Barometer report which looks at how people value the services in their area, what they would like to see more of, and how they would prioritise investment in their community. The report looks at a total of 16 different local services from petrol stations and pubs to takeaways and charity shops.

We first launched this report in 2014 and over the years the findings have revealed the important role that local shops play in their communities, providing essential services and acting as social hubs for their customers.

This year’s report has seen Post Offices rank the highest for the most positive impact on a local area followed by pharmacies and

convenience stores. These three services were also rated highest among local people as the most essential, with pharmacies topping the list, followed by Post Offices and convenience stores.

Convenience stores have continued to adapt and evolve to meet the needs of their customers and many stores do this by recognising gaps in their local area and then expanding to meet these needs. This can be anything from hosting Post Offices to offering banking services and prescription collections.

As a retailer, this report is a useful tool not only in validating the important role that you play in your local community but also to give you an idea of the services that your customers might be looking for and that you might be able to offer.

A key area the report looks at is where people think investment should be directed. This year’s report has shown that two-thirds of people would want to see investment in their immediate local area rather than in their nearest town or city centre.

The shift to hybrid working has meant that many people are spending less time commuting and more time near where they live and with this shift there has been an increase in demand for high quality services closer to home. This is something that the Government should take into consideration to ensure that local parades, villages and rural hubs are not left behind in the levelling up agenda.

The full Community Barometer report is available on our website and as always, if you have any questions please get in touch.

The long-running ACS Community Barometer report has once again found that the majority of shoppers would prefer to see investment in their local area, rather than in nearby town or city centres.

James Lowman Two-thirds of shoppers believe investment should be directed to their local area rather than in the nearest town or city centre.