The magazine for Premier retailers
Welcome
Hello and welcome to your first issue of Talking Shop for 2025!
The beginning of a new year always delivers a fresh serving of opportunities to tuck into and the year ahead will certainly prove no exception.
Helping you make the most of the months to come will be our Retail Trade Shows which are promising to be the best yet!
Taking place at Sandown and Doncaster racecourses on 6 and 13 March respectively, the trade shows will showcase the latest innovations, services, range updates and new products that will help retailers drive that all-important footfall, sales and profits into their stores.
Retailers will also be able to take advantage of multiple Exclusive Trade Show WOW deals, so don’t delay, register for your place today!
With a series of seasonal opportunities on the horizon, there will also be plenty of chances to boost your business and as usual, Premier has put together an exceptional package of support to help you make the most of the coming spring season.
Now is also a great time of year to get in on the spring-cleaning act and prime your store for success in 2025. Check out our Spring Cleaning feature to arm yourself with quick, easy and costeffective housekeeping hacks, checks and changes.
As the cold weather continues to bite, we’ve also taken the opportunity to remind you of Premier’s fantastic range of winter essentials, including OTC medicines and winter fuels - all of which also offer great value for money.
I would also encourage you to check out the article on digital shelf edge labels which can help you to dramatically reduce the amount of staff time required to update labels, particularly during promotional period changeovers.
Don’t forget to also cast your eye over our NPD pages, which are awash with top new products and Group Exclusives that are sure to help your shelves and sales sizzle.
I wish you all strong trading throughout this important early spring period.
Martyn Parkinson, Sales Director – Booker Wholesale
COVER STORY
Premier Holly Hill is now everything that its owners dreamed it would be.
THE THREE BIG STORIES
7 COMMUNITY HEROES Premier stores celebrated at Local Retail Champions Awards.
48 SHOW-STOPPING
Booker’s 2025 Retail Trade Shows are set to be the best yet!
57 COLD COMFORT
Give your winter meds range a clean bill of health.
Share your shop news
If you’ve got news, tips or feature ideas, please get in touch with Talking Shop:
7 Premier News
Premier stores celebrated at Local Retail Champions Awards.
11 Community News
The latest round up of community news from Premier retailers.
13 Industry News
Booker donates more than 20 million meals to those in need.
15 Industry News
Low and no alcohol alternatives boom.
21 GroceryAid Update
The latest news from the industry’s charity.
24 Marching on!
March Service Station has been granted a new lease of life.
30 Dream Come True
Dreamy footfall, sales and profits are afoot at Premier Holly Hill.
36 Family Affair
The Johal family’s fourth development of Balne Lane Convenience Store is their biggest and best yet.
42 Picture Perfect
Harry Singh has transformed an “eyesore” into a perfect store.
48 Show-stopping
The 2025 Retail Trade Shows are promising to be the best yet!
52 Clean up this spring
Now’s the perfect time to give your store a spruce up.
57 Winter Medicines
The OTC winter medicines market offers an opportunity that’s not to be sniffed at.
61 Winter Essentials
Tumbling temperatures can provide a hot opportunity for stores.
65 New Products
Our pick of the best new products
69 Get Digital
Premier retailers have access to a fully customised digital shelf edge label solution.
79 ACS Update
The ACS sets out what a DRS could mean for stores.
The hottest new products to hit the shelves.
Premier Balne Lane is fit for the future.
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WSP: £9.19
NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS PREMIER
Premier Coldean Convenience claims major national award PremierNews
Allwyn’s first-ever Local Retail Champions
Awards
rewarded retailers who go above and beyond to support their communities.
Premier Coldean Convenience in Brighton has been crowned as a National Winner of Allwyn’s first-ever Local Retail Champions Awards.
The store beat thousands of others to become one of the only two winners of the high-profile accolade at the National Lottery operator’s inaugural event, which was held at the Hilton Wembley back in December 2024.
Store owners Raj and Manish Suchak were awarded £5,000 cash and a Social Value store makeover worth up to £20,000.
They were also handed bespoke Local Retail Champions trophies – made from recycled National Lottery Scratchcards.
The event also saw 16 regional winners awarded £5,000 cash each, while 102 runners-up each received a £100 cash prize.
Launched in September 2024, Allwyn’s Local Retail Champions campaign – funded by Allwyn’s Social Value Fund – asked the UK public to nominate National Lottery retailers who go above and beyond to support their local community.
Judges said that Coldean Convenience was selected as a National Winner for a variety of community-focused work, including creating a safe space for those who need it, donating generously to local food banks, and providing all the food for a local school’s breakfast club and fundraising for the local cat shelter.
Manish Suchak said: “To know that our wonderful customers voted for us gives us tremendous pleasure. It’s a very supportive community in general, so anything we’re doing is just repaying that kindness. I’m now giving some thought to how we can spend the store makeover money, it’s such a lovely thing to be able to spend £20,000 to benefit my customers.”
Allwyn’s Director of Commercial Partnerships and Retail Sales, Alison Acquaye-Acford, added: “Congratulations to all of our Local Retail Champions winners. You’re all doing such incredible work in your local communities and, as National Lottery retailers, we’re delighted to be able to recognise and reward you for this.
“Thank you for all your wonderful work.”
INBRIEF
COMMUNITYMINDED PREMIER RETAILERS CELEBRATED
Premier Westerhope in Newcastle, Premier Jules Convenience in Telford, Premier Tenby Stores in Tenby and Stevenston Post Office in North Ayrshire, have all been crowned as Regional Winners of Allwyn’s first ever Local Retail Champions Awards. Thousands of convenience stores from across the country were entered into the awards run by the National Lottery operator – with only 16 having claimed the Regional Winner accolade.
The stores and their community-minded owners were celebrated at a high-profile ceremony held at the Hilton Wembley in December 2024.
Each was also rewarded with a £5,000 cash prize and a trophy.
The Local Retail Champions initiative is being paid for with money from Allwyn’s dedicated Social Value Fund.
Premier retailer goes for gold!
Premier retailer Veerasingham Senthooran is the proud owner of a dazzling new van courtesy of AU Vodka.
The striking new van is wrapped from its rims to its roof in gold and features AU Vodka branding along with Senth’s store name.
Senthooran (Senth) won the van after being automatically entered into an AU Vodka incentive which ran over the summer of 2024 during Premier’s Cocktail Festival period.
To be in with a chance of winning, all retailers had to do was buy four cases of AU during the period.
Senth, who owns Victoria’s Premier in Sheerness, picked up his van in Swansea before driving it back to Kent.
“Everywhere I went people were taking
PREMIER RETAILERS SCORE WITH CARLING
photos and when I drove into Booker Medway carpark, a crowd developed!” Senth said.
“I’ve never won anything like this before! I feel so proud to be a winner of this competition. I'm also very thankful to my Premier RDM Darren Peet for showing me the deal and to AU for running the promotion,” he added.
TALKING TACTICS
15 lucky Premier retailers are set to win a pair of FA Cup tickets - following a football themed retailer competition with the Carling Lager brand.
To be in with a chance of winning the exciting prize, all Premier retailers had to do was buy two cases of Carling Larger 4x440ml between the 9th October and 5th of November 2024.
The fortunate few will be contacted with the lucky news in the next few weeks.
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
No.1
Stock the
Non-alc wine in the UK & Australia*
McGuigan Zero is the non-alcohol still wine global market leader for 2 years running** years running
1 IN 2 CONSUMERS ARE LOOKING TO MODERATE THEIR ALCOHOL INTAKE***
NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS PREMIER
Premier Barmulloch branches out CommunityNews
Girish Jeeva’s Premier store in Burmulloch lit up the locality with a beautiful Christmas tree.
Messages of thanks and goodwill have poured into Girish’s Premier in Barmulloch, after the store spread welcome festive cheer by sponsoring the town’s first Christmas tree in many years.
The ten-foot tree stood in the carpark just outside the store and local children were able to decorate the tree with their own homemade baubles.
Commenting on the outpouring of thanks, store owner Girish Jeeva said: “Hearing a lot of kind words from all our community just reminds us why we do what we do! It means a lot when we are told how much of a difference we brought to Barmulloch and as long as we are here we will community to serve the community to our best ability.”
White Christmas
Premier Whitehillls in Banff delivered joy to dozens of children from its local community with its annual ‘Letters For Santa’ scheme.
The store’s shopfloor was embellished with a festive post-box and Christmas tree for local children to post their letters.
All children then received a personal reply from Santa.
Children were also invited to attend a special meet and greet Santa event in the store on Christmas Eve.
The free event was held in its Aunty Meg’s Kitchen space.
BARKING MAD
Premier Girvan in Scotland spread welcome festive cheer and a Santa sack of laughs over the Christmas period, thanks to a fun ‘Festive Pet’ competition that it ran on social media.
The store encouraged local shoppers to post photos of their pets in festive fancy dress throughout the month of December.
Scores of local shoppers posted hilarious images of their pet dogs and cats on the store’s Facebook page.
The “best festivedressed pet” was rewarded with a special pet goodie bag.
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
English Mu ns are a growth sector having sold more than 32 million packs in the last year. New Hovis® English Mu ns have been developed with the distinctive quality and taste you would expect from Hovis® but with the 'stay fresh' technology for a longer shelf
A DIGEST OF NEWS FROM THE INDEPENDENT RETAILING INDUSTRY
Booker donates more than 20 million meals IndustryNews
More than 5,000 charities and community groups have benefited from Booker’s partnership with FareShare and Olio.
Booker has donated the equivalent of more than 20 million meals to charities and local communities as part of its ongoing partnership with FareShare and Olio.
Donations are delivered or collected direct from Booker’s 190 branches, 11 distribution depots and Best Food Logistics business.
In 2024 alone, Booker donated more than seven million meals to FareShare charities in local communities.
More than 5,000 charities and community groups have benefited from donations throughout the partnership.
Booker works with the charities and Olio across the UK through the FareshareGo programme - with Booker sites matched to local charities and community groups, who then collect products and turn them into food parcels or hot meals for people in need.
Donations include fresh produce, meat and packaged goods.
The success of the partnership has resulted in Booker and Best Food Logistics being named as one of FareShare’s 2025 Leading Food Partners for a fourth consecutive year.
Katie Sadler, Head of FareShare Go, said: “We’re really grateful to Booker for redistributing an incredible 20 million meals’ worth of surplus food through FareShare Go - providing meals to bring people together over food and strengthening communities across the UK.”
Saasha Celestial-One, Co-Founder and COO of Olio said: “20 million meals is a staggering achievement, and we're very proud that Olio and FareShare's partnership with Booker has delivered such amazing results.”
TREAT PURCHASES PROVE POPULAR AS CARD SPEND GROWS
While significantly lower than 2023’s 4.1% growth, consumer card spending increased in 2024, up 1.6% compared to the previous year, according to Barclays. Many Brits adopted a “treat yourself” attitude in 2024 with 46% saying they prioritise spending on small, affordable, mood-boosting luxuries such as pastries, even while tightening budgets.
Baked goods were a particularly popular ‘pick-me-up’, chosen by 43% at an average monthly spend of £22 each, with crookies (a croissant and cookie hybrid) and pistachio desserts among the top trending treats.
Almost two thirds of Brits noticed ‘doubledip’ shrinkflation, where products go through two rounds of size reductions.
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
Low and no alcohol alternatives continue to grow in popularity
More people are drinking low-and no-alcohol alternatives than ever before, The Portman Group’s seventh annual survey of the nation’s drinking habits reveals.
Conducted in partnership with YouGov, the survey found that well over a third (38%) of UK drinkers are now consuming low- and no-alcohol alternatives semi-regularly (12% regularly and 26% occasionally) – compared to 35% in 2023 and 29% in 2022, with a notable increase in regular consumption from 8% in 2023 to 12% in 2024.
Young adults continue to drive the trend as the biggest consumers of low- and noalcohol alternatives, with close to half (46%) of 25–34-year-olds surveyed considering themselves either an occasional or regular drinker of alcohol alternatives, compared to 37% in 2023. Forty per cent of 18–24-year-
olds also drink these products semi-regularly.
Trends show that the younger generation also continue to be the most sober age group overall, with 39% of 18–24-year-olds not drinking alcohol at all.
Almost a quarter (24%) of current alcohol drinkers said that their weekly consumption has fallen due to the availability of low- and no-alcohol products, up from 23% in 2023 and 21% in 2022.
Almost three in 10 (29%) of low and no drinkers cited collective ‘health and medical’ concerns as a key reason for choosing an alcohol alternative – a huge increase when compared to 2021 (22%).
POST OFFICE UNVEILS WELLBEING PLATFORM FOR POSTMASTERS
The Post Office has launched a centralised platform offering postmasters simplified access to wellbeing resources to help them cope with the surge in shoplifting and violent incidents.
Formed in partnership with the National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP) and Voice of the Postmaster, the initiative features a new centralised repository on the Branch Hub app — a single point of access to a wide range of resources.
The resources are organised into three key areas:
l “I Need Help Right Now”: Immediate support for Postmasters in crisis, offering quick access to emergency services, mental health first aiders, area and business support managers, and organisations like Samaritans.
l “More Support and Guidance”: Practical resources, including security advice, social media abuse help, guidance documents, and links to external organisations such as Citizens Advice and Mind.
l “Access Community Support”: Opportunities for Postmasters to connect with peers through WhatsApp and Facebook groups, as well as in-person meetings organised by the Post Office.
Mark Eldridge, Postmaster Experience Director said: “This initiative ensures that anyone who needs help can find it quickly and easily."
Cash usage in stores grows for second year in a row
Cash usage in shops has risen for the second year in a row, a new study by the British Retail Consortium (BRC) has revealed.
As more shoppers turn to coins and notes amid the ongoing cost-of-living crisis, the research found that one in five transactions last year were made using cash with shoppers citing it as an effective budgeting tool.
The rise in cash usage follows recent data from major surveys, including one from payments platform Paysafe, which confirms that payment choice remains a key factor for UK shoppers, with many valuing the availability of cash.
This is further supported by new laws introduced by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) to protect access to cash through an increase in banking hubs and Post Office facilities.
Mike Severs, Sales & Marketing Director at Volumatic, said: “The latest BRC findings highlight the surge in cash usage over the past two years. It’s a trend that businesses need to pay attention to. Despite tough times, cash remains a vital payment option for many consumers, and we can help businesses process it more efficiently.
“Cash is universal, easy to accept, and doesn’t come with the risks of data breaches or cybercrime."
INPOST’S UK PARCEL DELIVERIES UP 58% YOY IN Q4 2024
Rapid network expansion, coupled with improvement in logistics has enabled InPost to end its Q4 UK trading on a high with 27.2 million parcels delivered, a year-on-year increase of 58%.
In 2024, InPost delivered 93.2 million parcels in the UK, doubling 2023 volumes, while globally, it surpassed one billion parcel deliveries and added over 11.500 automated parcel machines (APMs).
The group claimed that its network in the UK was currently operating at over 100% capacity on average, indicating substantial room for growth in the number of APMs going forward.
Allwyn launches ‘Set For 5 Years’ scratchcard with retailer competition
Allwyn has unveiled a brand-new annuity-style scratchcard based on its Set For Life draw game.
The ‘Set For 5 Years’ scratchcard costs £2 and gives players the chance to win a top prize of £5,000 every month for five years.
In-store support for the new scratcher – which works by players having to match key numbers on the card to mimic that of a Set For Life draw – includes both Set For Life and Set For 5 Years POS.
To celebrate its launch, Allwyn gave eligible National Lottery retailers the chance to win an annuity-style prize of £100 every month for a year.
To be in with a chance of winning one of the five top prizes up for grabs, National Lottery retailers had to upload a picture of the ‘Set For 5 Years’ scratchcard in their dispenser to the National Lottery Retailer Hub by Sunday 19 January 2025.
IGD highlights six key trends shaping grocery retail
IGD has identified six insights that will mould the future of the UK Grocery Retail sector in 2025.
The six insights are underlined by a renewed focus on fundamental practices, new revenue opportunities and the growing demans for health and sustainability initiatives.
OPTIMISING RETAIL FUNDAMENTALS FOR SUCCESS
UK and European retailers are reinforcing core retail fundamentals like stock availability, pricing, and promotions. Innovations like shelf-edge cameras and AI-driven stock management are improving these essential areas.
NEW REVENUE STREAMS
As operating costs rise, UK retailers are diversifying their revenue sources by leveraging ecommerce technology, data monetization, and B2B services.
EVOLVING STORE FORMATS FOR GREATER FLEXIBILITY
Retailers are adopting adaptable store designs that
cater to evolving consumer needs and seasonal trends. The rise of modular store formats that feature event spaces, is gaining traction.
SEAMLESS CONNECTED COMMERCE
Retailers are enhancing the integration of physical and digital retail, focusing on omnichannel experiences, loyalty programs, and smart checkout solutions.
HEALTH AND WELLNESS PRODUCTS LEAD THE CHARGE
Retailers are introducing more functional foods and health-focused products, in-line with the shift towards combining wellness with convenience.
ACCELERATING SUSTAINABILITY COMMITMENTS
Retailers are intensifying their sustainability efforts, with a focus on reducing food waste, plastic packaging, and energy usage.
JISP LAUNCHES DATA & INSIGHTS DIVISION
Retail technology company, Jisp, has unveiled a new data and insights division.
Jisp Intelligence will help to help shed light on the behaviour, needs, and preferences of convenience shoppers.
With its established data analytics and communications channels, Jisp has been able to gather valuable insights into customer shopping habits.
By capturing consumer reactions and feedback at the moment of purchase, Jisp can provide real-time insights that can inform immediate marketing and operational decisions, helping businesses to understand what drives consumer choices and adapt quickly to emerging trends.
“Data is the new fuel for the retail world. It provides businesses with the insights they need to tailor their offerings, optimise their marketing strategies, and ultimately drive sales,” said Alex Rimmer, Marketing & Communications Director at Jisp.
Ready for GroceryAid Day 2025?
GroceryAid Day takes place on Thursday 8th May and is the annual awareness day for our industry charity GroceryAid. It’s the ideal opportunity
colleagues
to let your
know about the free, confidential
support
Thursday 8th May will see this year’s annual GroceryAid Day help elevate the awareness of our industry charity in stores and businesses across the UK –and GroceryAid wants your business to be one of them.
The special day offers you the chance to join hundreds of organisations in letting your colleagues know about the charity’s free and confidential financial, emotional and practical services available to them 24/7, 365 days a year.
Colleagues can access GroceryAid’s services and support from the first day of their employment. After just six months of continuous employment, if colleagues have experienced a drop in income, they may be eligible for a nonrepayable financial grant.
If they need immediate emotional support, they can call GroceryAid’s FREE and confidential Helpline, which is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year on 08088 021122. Their call will be answered by a trained counsellor who can either give them immediate support
that is available.
or signpost them to another GroceryAid service that may help. More than 200 languages are also supported through the Helpline, on request.
Support and further advice are also available through the website, groceryaid.org.uk/get-help. The website has an accessibility toolbar which translates the content into more than 100 different languages, as well as text to speech in 60 languages.
For regular updates about the support available and the latest information on financial support such as School Essentials Grant, follow the charity on Facebook @groceryaid or Instagram @ groceryaid_uk.
All of GroceryAid’s services are completely free and confidential and they do not disclose any details back to the charity. Their emotional and practical support is also available to spouses, partners and dependants.
GroceryAid Day is a great way to help you ensure that your colleagues can reach out to GroceryAid for support.
FREE GROCERYAID COMMS KIT
Order your free GroceryAid communications package now at groceryaid.org.uk.
From posters and leaflets to wallet cards and stickers, there’s everything you need to make all of your colleagues aware of the free and confidential financial, practical and emotional support that is available to them, should they need it.
M290407
M298269
UK, 18+. Daily draws: 18/02 – 30/04. Scan QR code or visit www.joy-pepsico.eu/en-gb/brands/pepsi/thirsty-for-more,
Marching on!
Premier retailers Vijay and Padmaasree are perfectly in step with local needs at their newly redeveloped March Service Station.
Partnership, it’s a key ingredient in the recipe for successful convenience retailing – and husband and wife team Vijay Kandasamy and Padmaasree Rajagopal have certainly got the right mix at Premier March Service Station – which they have run together since August 2022.
“We have four sites across Cambridgeshire and each one has a different partnership but this one in March is purely run by us,” Vijay says. “We are both directors and Padmaasree oversees the day-to-day running of the site,
while I concentrate on our wider operations.
“One of our other sites is located just a few miles away, so we were well aware of March Service Station and we knew the previous owner. When he decided to retire back in 2022, we were lucky enough to take the site on,” Vijay says.
“We could both see a significant opportunity to give the business a whole new lease of life and achieve its full potential.”
Premier March Service Station is located on a busy main road on the outskirts of the small town of March and is close to its railway
station and both the District and County Council offices. As it’s also surrounded by residential housing, there is a sizeable opportunity to target both basket shoppers and those on food-to-go missions.
The site’s convenience store was an existing Premier but as Vijay explains, it was dated in terms of range and layout.
“The old shop floor was 1,000sq ft and in a narrow ‘L’ shape, with a lot of wasted space,” he adds. “There was just as much space out the back for storage and offices as there was on the shop floor, so there was a huge opportunity
to extend and reconfigure the layout.”
SALES HAVE DOUBLED FROM AROUND £13,000 TO MORE THAN £25,000.
The transformation began in March 2024, with the store’s tired old interior swept aside to make room for a bright and spacious new 1,500sq ft shop floor.
All that extra space allowed Vijay and Padmaasree to totally reimagine the range – increasing the space allocated to key categories such as fresh, chilled and frozen as well as introducing entirely new concepts, such as a Soft Drinks Cave, Beer Cave and Refesh@Premier bar.
The development also provided a prime opportunity to invest in a range of sustainability improvements, including LED lighting throughout the store and in the new forecourt canopy. New energy-efficient chillers with doors were also fitted across the roomy new shop-floor.
“Given our proximity to the station, schools and offices, we knew there was a massive opportunity for food to go,” Vijay says.
As such, Premier March’s brand-new foodto-go offer now includes Rollover hotdogs,
freshly baked pasties from the West Cornwall Pasty Co and a selection of fresh bakery, pastry and cake products from the local Smiths bakery.
The store’s smart new chillers also house a wide range of chilled ‘to go’ options and Premier’s Mega Meal Deal – which offers shoppers five products for £5.50. The deal includes pre-packed sandwiches from Snax To Go, as well as a range of store-made options that locals savour.
“The old store always sold a small range of sandwiches and rolls that were made in-house. It was important that we kept offering those and included them in our fantastic Mega Meal Deal,” Vijay adds.
Shoppers can also quench their relative thirsts with a wide range of drinks to go from the vibrant Refresh@Premier bar including Millions Slush, Tango Ice Blast, Think Fresh Shakes, Reese’s Freeze and coffee from Smokin’ Bean.
The store’s modest chilled offer has also risen from less than two metres to more than
five, and includes a variety of fresh meats, deli products, ready meals and more, with additional shelf space dedicated to ambient fruit and vegetables.
“Thanks to this new range we are now seeing so many new basket shoppers,” Vijay says.
“Shoppers especially love the Jack’s range. We had a small number of lines prior to the refit but now we’ve been able to increase that significantly and across every category.
“The chilled ready meals are a big hit, especially with the evening commuter trade, as are the crisps and snacks. We have a whole seven-shelf bay dedicated to Jack’s crisp and popcorn lines, which do really well and help us to drive our quality and value-for-money message home.”
That value-for-money message is further supported with a strong promotional focus, which is highlighted in store, via leaflet drops and on social media.
Padmaasree also picks out regular ‘Deals of the Week’ to drive further excitement. Recent deals included savings on Tango Ice Blast and BOGOFs on key soft drink lines. A hot favourite in the run-up to Christmas was a free Jack’s flapjack with the purchase of a regular coffee.
The store also posts regular giveaways, raffles and competitions – and literally went the extra mile upon opening – with a competition offering shoppers the chance to win a £500 travel voucher.
The store’s “soft re-opening” over the summer of 2024 was followed by a very well-attended Grand Opening ceremony on 3 October – with enthusiasm for the store continuing to climb ever since.
“Shoppers are delighted with all the changes we’ve
CALORIES 100% WIIINGS.
PREMIER MARCH’S MEGA MEAL DEAL
OFFERS SHOPPERS FIVE
PRODUCTS FOR
£5.50. THE DEAL INCLUDES PREPACKED SANDWICHES FROM SNAX TO GO, AS WELL AS A RANGE OF STORE-MADE OPTIONS THAT LOCALS SAVOUR.
made,” Vijay says. “We’ve increased sales across all categories but the biggest winners so far are soft drinks, fresh and chilled, BWS and of course, food to go.
“The store is now busy around the clock and especially in the early mornings when commuters pop in for their breakfast essentials; after school, when kids and their parents come in for treats; and in the evenings, when shoppers are on the lookout for convenient meal solutions and drinks.
“We also have a steady stream of basket shoppers throughout the day and council employees who come in on their breaks for meal solutions, snacks and refreshments.”
It’s still early days but store sales at Premier March Service Station have doubled since the refit, from around £13,000 a week to more than £25,000.
“We’ve expecting that figure to continue growing over the coming months – especially as we’ve not even seen a full summer trading yet,” Vijay adds.
The store’s team, all of whom have stayed on since Vijay and Padmaasree took over, are equally happy with the results.
“The staff love it,” Vijay adds. “The new store has such a vibrant look and feel about it, it’s an exciting place to be! They’ve all adjusted so well to the changes and pulled together brilliantly. It’s another great partnership.”
Store profile
Name: Premier March Service Station,
Retailers:
Size: 1,500sq ft
Staff: 7
Services: National Lottery, Payzone, Opening hours: 6am-midnight
Cambridgeshire
Vijay Kandasamy and Padmaasree Rajagopal
Dream come true
Store profile
Name:
Retailer:
Size: 1,700sq ft
Opening hours: 6am-10pm
Staff: 5
Services: National Lottery, PayPoint
A long-awaited store development has awoken dreamy footfall, sales and profits at Premier Holly Hill.
Balasubramaniam Niranjan (Niran) is a very happy man. Because after more than 15 years of wishing and waiting, his dream has finally come true – and it’s every bit as good as he’d imagined.
Niran’s ‘dream come true’ is a 1,700sq ft purple powerhouse of a Premier store in the thriving residential community of Sarisbury Green near Southampton.
He originally purchased the store back in 2009 – when it was just a single 900sq ft CTN at the end of a small parade of shops.
He quickly adopted the Premier fascia and has run it as a successful convenience store ever since then – acquiring a further two Premiers along the way.
However, as Niran explains, his dream had always centred around his first site, which he knew held untapped ‘flagship’ potential.
“This is a wonderful community,” Niran explains. “It’s a residential
Premier Holly Hill, Southampton
Balasubramaniam Niranjan (Niran)
One of the most common things that shoppers say to us now, is that we are saving them a trip to the supermarket, which is fantastic!
BALASUBRAMANIAM NIRANJAN
area with lots of young families and elderly shoppers and we pride ourselves on the close links that we have formed with so many of them,” he says. “It was always my dream to be able to offer this community a bigger and better store that could meet so many more of their needs.”
Last year, the opportunity for Niran to finally achieve his dream arose – when the next-door unit was put up for sale.
A blockbusting £250,000 investment ensued – which involved knocking the two units through and refitting the new, far roomier 1,700sq ft store in-line with Premier’s showstopping new-concept spec.
Despite the scale of the work, Niran and his team managed to continue trading throughout the development – offering key products and services from one section, while the other was being worked on.
“We have a lot of shoppers, many of whom are elderly, who rely on
us for their daily needs. For a lot of those shoppers, a visit to our store and a chat with our friendly team is the highlight of their day and we had to stay open for them,” Niran explains.
The store’s brand-new look and revved-up range was revealed in all its glory in late October 2024 – ahead of an official Grand Opening ceremony in December.
Shoppers, Niran explains, were immediately struck by the store’s spacious new feel and accessible features including a new entrance, wider aisles and a more easily navigable layout.
The store’s range has also been turned on its head, with fresh and chilled space allocation having more than doubled, so as to harness bigger basket shops.
“We used to have just 3.5 metres of chilled but now we have 6.5 metres, plus a further 1.25 metres for fruit and vegetables.
“One of the most common things that shoppers say to us now, is
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that we are saving them a trip to the supermarket, which is fantastic,” Niran says.
The store has also introduced a ‘to go’ offer like nothing the good people of Sarisbury Green have ever seen before, including Costa Coffee, Think Fresh Shakes and Skwishee slush.
Hot food to go is also totally new and Premier Holly Hill’s offer includes oven-fresh pies and pasties from Country Choice as well as bread and bakery products from Swan Bakery.
Shoppers can also peruse and purchase a delicious new range of local cakes and sweet treats, which are displayed in a smart chilled cabinet at the counter.
“I’ve been so pleasantly surprised by how well the local cakes are doing,” Niran says. “We post regular updates on Facebook about what’s available that day and those posts always receive a pleasing number of likes, comments and shares.
“The Strawberry Cheesecakes and Cinamon Apple Thrills are especially popular – and go very well with a hot cup of Costa Coffee!”
Also new is an innovative Pick and Mix sweets offer located within the store’s impulse zone, which Niran says has added another “great USP.”
“Yes, it’s popular with kids but it’s also being used a lot by adults, including elderly shoppers, who like the fact that they can mix and match and can buy as much, or as little, as they like,” he says.
A dedicated Beer Cave adds to the store’s already impressive bank of new USPs, while space for soft drinks has also jumped to six metres.
Premier Holly Hill also excels on the service front, offering a broad range of key parcel services, including Evri and DHL.
WEEKLY STORE SALES HAVE RISEN BY MORE THAN £10,000 A WEEK AND GROWING.
“We’d always offered parcel services but now, shoppers are coming and doing full basket shops when they collect or drop their parcels,” Niran says.
“There’s a fair bit of competition locally but thanks to this development our offer is now totally unique,” he adds.
When you put that on top of the gold-star service that Premier Holly Hill offers, it’s easy to see why new and existing shoppers are flocking in and stocking up.
“Our bigger and better fresh and chilled offer has been a big driver of sales so far, especially the additional Jack’s lines that we now stock, including sausages, chicken and bacon,” Niran says.
The new hot food-to-go and bakery ranges are also proving to be big footfall and basket spend drivers, as is the Beer Cave.
“We used to take around £14,000 a week and now that’s risen to more than £24,000 with lots more growth to come, so it’s fantastic,” Niran says.
“I’ve been waiting to make these changes for so long, and it’s everything I’d dreamed it would be.”
Family affair
The Johal family’s fourth development of Balne Lane Convenience Store is their biggest and best yet.
The Johal family are no strangers to the limelight.
Having owned Balne Lane Convenience store for more than 31 years, Harjinder and Polly Johal are viewed something like local celebrities by their many loyal shoppers. They’ve also graced the front cover of Talking Shop before, following their third refit a decade ago.
Now, following their fourth and most dynamic development to date, the Johal’s are back in the spotlight and putting on their best show yet.
For well over a quarter of a century the store has been the beating heart of the large residential estate on the outskirts of Wakefield in which it trades.
Polly and Harjinder have steered the ship with admirable care and conviction over that time, providing essential products, services, support and jobs to local people, whilst also bringing up their children – who are now “all grown up” and eager to take up positions alongside them at the store’s helm.
“It was the actually the kids who
drove this refit,” Polly says. “My son in law Calvin was especially proactive and visited lots of other Premier developments to help inform the plans,” she adds.
“Premier, who we have been with from the start, have also been a fantastic support, helping us with key elements, such as sourcing the shop fitters and planning the new layouts and range.”
And boy, what a plan it was. “We decided to go all out,” Calvin interjects.
“This development really went above and beyond.” He’s not kidding. The tremendous transformation that has taken place inside has spilled out to the exterior – where stunning wood cladding now envelopes the old brick façade creating a showstopping new frontage, pierced by large windows.
LED strip lighting further enhances the store’s fresh face, while glossy new tarmac offers a smooth cruise up to the entrance. A newly installed Quadient external locker, serving Royal Mail, DPD, UPS and Evri has also been added – complementing the store’s existing InPost locker.
But it’s inside where the magic truly happens.
“We’d never closed the store for any of our other refits,” Polly says, “but with this one, it was clear that’s we’d need to shut the doors for a couple of weeks. The scale of the work was just too big to trade throughout.
“The old store was always warm and friendly, but it had a lot of dated design features and we didn’t have enough space for new and growing categories such as fresh, chilled, soft drinks and vape.
“The two large windows at the front were also completely boarded up, so the interior was really quite dark, unless you had all the lights on.
“We basically ripped everything out so that we could start again with new floors, new walls, new ceilings, the lot. Although, when I first walked in after it had all gone, I did have a moment when I thought: ‘what on earth have we done?’” she laughs.
However, Polly’s short-lived concerns were promptly swept away when the new store stated to take shape.
And the finished result, which was revealed to the community at a Grand Opening Day on 16 November, is nothing short of breathtaking.
The two large windows at the front have been busted free of their boarding – allowing natural light to flood inside.
The first thing it hits, is the store’s new double-sided bank of chillers which, is dedicated to fresh fruit and vegetables and food to go.
Behind that is a further chilled aisle that’s home to an expanded range of fresh meats, ready meals, deli and dairy items.
“We used to have just four metres of fresh and chilled before and now that’s jumped
THE BEER CAVE AND SOFT DRINKS CAVE ARE BOTH 170SQ FT IN SIZE, ALLOWING THE STORE TO OFFER A LOCALLY UNRIVALLED RANGE OF PRODUCTS AND BRANDS.
Store profile
Name: Balne Lane
Convenience Store, Wakefield
Retailers: Harjinder and Polly Johal
Size: 2,000sq ft
Opening hours: 7am-10pm
Services: National Lottery,
to 10 metres,” Calvin adds – and that’s not including the new Soft Drinks and Beer Caves that sit now proudly on the store’s right-hand side.
Both caves are 170sq ft in size allowing the store to offer a locally unrivalled range of products and brands.
The store also boasts more than 15 metres of shelving for impulse items, such as crisps, snacks and confectionery.
All of the store’s old chest freezers have also been replaced with smart energy efficient upright models, freeing up essential space for new categories such as food to go, which is now another major USP.
“We have an amazing new Refresh@ Premier bar with Lavazza coffee and two Blue Ice slush machines offering both fizzy and regular slush,” Calvin adds. “We’ve also introduced Rollover hotdogs and hot savoury Bake & Bite products which we bake off every morning, including cheese toasties and bacon and sausage baps.
“We also offer a range of bread products
including freshly baked baguettes, croissants and more.”
But Polly’s pride and joy is the store’s brand-new counter area, which also features space for a delectable display of fresh cream cakes which arrive daily from the local Dale bakery. The irresistible range includes tartlets, turnovers, brownies and buns galore. “It looks fantastic and the rate of sale is astronomical.
The whole unit is generally empty by the end of the day,” Polly says.
“The counter is in the same location as it was before, but the new look is worlds apart. The old counter was dull and full of cluttered drawers underneath. The new one is so smart; we have a striking backlit spirit display behind it and a Vaping@Premier unit to the side. The counter really is a focal point of the store now.”
Behind it, stands the family’s highlyprized team of loyal staff, who Polly says she couldn’t live without.
“Most of our staff have been with me for more than 20 years,” says Polly. “They are
The first thing that shoppers say when they enter the new store is ‘wow’ and then they immediately comment on how much bigger it is!
POLLY JOHAL { }
such a fantastic team; they know exactly what they’re doing and we really are like family.”
The ribbon for the store’s Grand Opening Day was cut by Janet, who has worked in the store for 31 years. “I couldn’t think of anyone more perfect to cut the ribbon than Janet,” Polly says. “She’s more special than any celebrity.
“It was such a great day; so many people poured in to see what we’d done and enjoy all the free samples and activities that we put on. Since then, sales have just been going up and up and up!
“The first thing that shoppers say when they enter the new store is ‘wow’ and then they
immediately comment on how much bigger it is! The funny thing is that we’ve not added any space. It’s all just laid out better. Deeper shelves and the replacement of all our old chest freezers has also created more space.”
The extra space has led to the introduction of a new range of homewares, which includes “everything from mop buckets to nail files”.
“Shoppers also love the look of the store,” adds Polly. “The new dark ceilings and LED lights are striking, and the Premier POS and category signage is so vibrant and playful. It’s not only pleasant to shop in our store now, it’s also really fun!”
Sales have risen by well over £2,000 a day
and are still going up, helped by the number of shoppers filling their baskets.
“I particularly love to watch shoppers who initially come in without a basket,” says Polly. “They walk round the store and can’t fail to pick up products on impulse. The further they go, the more they pick up until their hands are so full that they have to grab a basket!
“It’s been 31 years, and I still love this store – now even more than ever. As a family it means so much to us.”
One day, the plan is for Polly and Harjinder’s kids to take full control of the store’s reins –but for now, they’re still holding on tight and loving the ride.
Talk of the town
Harry Singh has transformed an “eyesore boozer” into a pictureperfect Premier that’s delighting local shoppers at every turn.
Store openings generally create a big buzz locally – after all, who can resist the pull of balloons, BOGOFs and basket dashes?
But the opening of Premier Newcastle House in Middlesbrough certainly created more of a buzz than most.
Located in the heart of a large residential estate, the shiny new store has replaced the old Newcastle House pub which, after having lain derelict since 2019, had been declared an “eyesore” by Middlesbrough Council.
Convenience retailer Harry Singh, who owns two Family Shopper stores in the area, explains: “The building had been vacant for more than four years and was looking terrible. What’s more, local people had nowhere in the immediate vicinity to shop, unless they walked for around half a mile to the nearest other store, so there was a clear need for a quality
convenience proposition in the location.
“I was impressed with the Premier offer and knew that it would be the perfect fit.”
After purchasing the property and navigating a drawn out, and at times challenging process, Harry was finally granted change of use permission in January 2022.
After a further lengthy planning process and complex build, involving the removal of several internal walls, work to transform the old eyesore into a picture-perfect Premier began in May 2024.
Helping Harry in his quest was store manager Cheryl Carling, who also oversees much of the day-to-day running of his two other sites.
“I was so excited about the opportunity to be involved with this brand-new store,” Cheryl says. “The local community had been crying
out for something like this on the doorstep, so it was wonderful to be part of the solution. I was ecstatic to be honest – and I still am!”
And shoppers are no less enthusiastic.
In fact, a quick scroll on Facebook reveals bags of glowing reviews and positive endorsements about the new store which opened to much fanfare on 17 August 2024.
“This is going to be sooooo handy, waited years for another shop on the estate!” says one shopper. “Just what the local community needed!” adds another.
Their enthusiasm is certainly well founded. Brand-new Premier Newcastle House offers up a surprise at every turn – and even up above – where striking LED light fixtures and blue-sky panels illuminate the revolutionary range below.
A jaw-dropping Refresh@Premier bar
greets shoppers on entry, offering a thirstquenching selection of slushes, shakes, hot drinks and even bubble tea from big-name brands including Tango Ice Blast, Fanta Frozen, Jolly Rancher, Boba-licious and more.
The footfall-driving range is rendered even tastier with an ongoing ‘buy 5 drinks and get the 6th free’ deal.
Shoppers can also treat their tummies to a selection of hot foods to go, including Rollover hot dogs, plus pies and pastries from local supplier Morgans – which the in-store team bake throughout the day.
And the line-up of local lovelies doesn’t end there. Up at the store’s brand-new service counter, shoppers can choose from a vast range of indulgent cakes, bakes and other sweet treats from Sophellies Cakeaway and Dessert Pod.
“From cheesecakes to tray bakes, slices and trifle pots, there’s something for everyone in our smart Cossiga display units, which offer us such a point of difference,” Cheryl adds.
This offer alone is a huge footfall and sales driver –accounting for £1,000-worth of sales a week on average.
Further food-to-go choice can be found within the store’s seven-metre fresh and chilled offer, which includes Premier’s Mega Meal Deal.
Popular with local school kids and passing trade alike, the meal deal includes a main, a snack, crisps, chocolate and a soft drink – all for the amazing-value price of just £5.50.
And soft drinks don’t just shine on the shop floor. Premier Newcastle House has also been fitted with a dedicated Soft Drinks Cave – the first of its kind in the area.
Featuring a jaw-dropping seven-door frontage, the soft drinks cave is home to more than 500 top-selling lines.
On-trend American soft drinks also benefit from two doors of dedicated space on the cave’s store-facing exterior wall.
From sodas to root beers, energy drinks, iced teas and more, the range covers a full eight shelves – offering shoppers an unrivalled taste of the US.
And if that’s not enough, the next corner reveals another surprise, in the form of a large Beer Cave – ranged to the roof with top-selling products at great-value prices.
“Shoppers are just in love with the whole offer,” Cheryl adds.
“There’s a school 200 yards away so we see a huge rush first thing in the morning and at the end of the day as parents and kids come in for their drinks and snacks, and a steady flow of top-up shoppers throughout the day.”
The store is also seeing a steady stream of regular shoppers who visit to do large basket shops a few times a week.
Store Profile
Name: Premier Newcastle House
Location: Middlesbrough
Retailer: Harry Singh
Size: 2,000sq ft
Staff: 14
Services: National Lottery, PayPoint, In-Post, EV charging Opening hours: 7am-9.30pm
Shoppers are just in love with the whole offer. We are seeing a steady stream of regular shoppers who visit us for large basket shops a few times a week.
STORE
MANAGER CHERYL CARLING
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Choose a bottle made from recycled plastic*
“Soft drinks, BWS and food to go are the big sales drivers – including all things American,” says Cheryl. “We’re also seeing pleasing growth in the fresh and chilled category.”
Despite its infancy, the new store is racking up impressive figures, with sales growing week on week and hitting an average of £28,000 – a figure which Cheryl and Harry are confident will continue to soar over the coming months.
The pair are also working hard to connect with their new shoppers via an engaging mix of special offers and events.
In fact, following the store’s well attended Grand Opening Day in August, Premier Newcastle House went on to hold a Family Fun Day in October, followed by a host of fun Christmas competitions and elf antics.
“Shoppers now have a store which offers them a quality convenience range, excellent value and a fantastic experience,” Cheryl concludes.
Show-stopping!
Booker’s Retail Trade Shows 2025 are promising to be the best yet, so don’t delay, register today.
“This is the first time I’ve been to one of the Booker shows and I’m really enjoying the experience. It’s a fantastic opportunity to meet key suppliers, sample new products and see so many of Premier’s new concepts such as the Refresh bar and the Cossiga units up close.”
With the new year well and truly under way, now is the perfect time to plan ahead and prime your store for profit in the months to come. From innovative new products to on-trend food-to-go solutions, business-boosting services, own-brand developments and much more, the year ahead promises a wealth of trends and opportunities for retailers to explore.
And there’s no place better to do just that than at the Booker Retail Trade Shows 2025. Taking place at Sandown Racecourse on Thursday 6 March and Doncaster Racecourse on Thursday 13 March, the Booker Retail Trade Shows 2025 are promising to be the best yet!
Both shows will showcase Booker’s exceptional choice, price and service offer, including cutting-edge innovations, brand updates and Exclusive Trade Show WOW deals.
With more than 100 exhibitors from across all the key convenience categories, retailers will also be able to meet and greet leading suppliers and get a taste of the new products sure to set their shelves alight in 2025. Retailers will also have the opportunity to interact with food-to-go areas and take in the sights and smells of live cookery demonstrations.
PIRAGASH SANTHANARAJAH
Premier Ryde, Isle of Wight
RETAILER VIEW
RETAILER VIEW
PIRATHEEPAN THILGARAJAH
Premier St Vincents, Isle of Wight
“It’s great to get the opportunity to meet so many fellow Premier retailers and key suppliers all under one roof. There’s also some great new products to sample and some very good tradeshow-only deals which we’ve been making the most of.”
And with hundreds of store owners from across the country flocking to them, the Booker Retail Trade Shows will also provide the perfect platform for networking and catching up with fellow retailers and friends, as well as key members of the Booker team. Entry is free, and so is parking, so what are you waiting for? Register on the link below or scan the QR code. You won’t regret it!
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Register today for the Booker Trade Shows 2025, our best shows Offering you great
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SHOWS OPEN FROM 09:30 TO 16:00
• Exclusive Trade Show only WOW deals
RETAIL TRADE SHOWS
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BOOKER’S BEST SHOWS YET!
l EXCLUSIVE TRADE SHOW ONLY WOW DEALS
• Meet our top suppliers showcasing their latest ranges & NPD
l NEW INITIATIVES AND BRAND UPDATES
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Doncaster Racecourse
• Opportunity to interact food-to-go areas
l OPPORTUNITY TO INTERACT WITH FOOD-TO-GO AREAS
Shows Open from 9.30am to 4.00pm
l COOKING DEMONSTRATIONS AND SAMPLING
• Cooking demos, sampling, free products & competitions
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TO REGISTER SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT
TO REGISTER SCAN THE QR CODE OR VISIT
Clean up this spring
Now’s the perfect time to roll up your sleeves and give your store a spruce up for spring and beyond.
For retailers and shoppers alike, the beginning of a new year has always been a prime time to clear out the cobwebs, drive out the dust and start afresh.
While the annual spring-cleaning season tends to send shoppers surging for their mops and buckets – now is also the ideal time for retailers to brush up their businesses and get things shipshape for the year ahead. A mop and bucket may come in useful too, so keep them handy!
Following the festive frenzy, the start of a new year is generally a quieter trading time for stores, making it the perfect period for retailers to take some time to regroup, refresh and refocus.
One great way to do that is by taking a step back and trying to see your store the way your shoppers do. Spending every day in your store,
it’s easy to stop seeing the little issues and problems that you’ve been meaning to get round to fixing but have never quite found the time for.
View your store through the eyes of the shopper, however, and you’re likely to find lots of things you can do quickly, easily and costeffectively, to improve the shopper experience.
That could be as simple as a deep clean, a re-merchandise, or a lick of paint – or it could mean instigating a new programme of online staff training or checking that all hygiene, health and safety documentation and rules are up to date.
To help you get your store tip-top in 2025, we’ve compiled a handy guide of quick and simple checks and changes that you and your team can use to set things sparkling.
Don’t forget the gloves!
Exterior
The best place to start is outside as that’s the first thing new and existing shoppers see when they visit your store – and first impressions count:
l Is the signage neat, tidy and clean?
l Are all posters up to date and in good condition?
l Has the exterior been swept and is it litter-free?
l Why not organise a community litter pick around the local area?
l Do your exterior walls need fresh paint or professional cleaning?
l Are the windows clean, tidy and free of clutter?
l Do you have a bin available for shoppers?
Health, Safe and Legal
With the basics dealt with, it’s time to move onto more complex areas. Health, safe and legal are massively important issues and no more so than if you operate a hot food-to-go counter. Areas to pay particular attention to are those with specific hygiene challenges like milk chillers, hot and cold food storage, and preparation areas.
l Is the milk chiller spotlessly clean?
l Have any hot food storage units been deep cleaned recently?
l Have all chillers been serviced as specified by the manufacturer?
l Are your temperature checks up to date, accurate and within safe guidelines?
l Has the shelving in the soft drinks cabinet been thoroughly cleaned to remove sticky residues?
l What about your food prep areas? It is a legal requirement that these must be cleaned and sanitised then left for 30 seconds before using again.
l Is your EHO certificate displayed as it should be?
l Is your CleanPro+ manual available to staff, and are they aware of it?
l For products that you package yourself for sale, is the ingredient labelling fully compliant with Natasha’s Law?
What
Store teams
Clearly, one of the most important factors on how shoppers judge your store is your team. Some basic questions to ask yourself include:
l Do any uniforms need replacing?
l Are all members of your team playing to their strengths?
l Is all staff training up to date or could your team do with a refresher course?
l Does your team greet every shopper with a hello and a smile?
l Are your team that handle food wearing the appropriate aprons, bibs, gloves and hair nets?
Interior
Storage areas
While the shopper-facing parts of the store naturally get the most attention, it’s still vital that all storage areas are kept in good shape to avoid accidents, hygiene issues and out-of-date stock. Ask yourself:
l Are the floor areas of any store spaces clean, tidy and trip hazardfree?
l Has all shelving been checked recently to ensure it’s safe and sound?
l Has all the stock in the storage room been rotated properly to avoid out-of-date stock and wastage?
l Do all the lights in the storage spaces work?
l Could reconfiguring the stockroom make restocking of the shopfloor easier and quicker?
Once your shoppers step inside, what is the first thing they see? Does it make a good impression and is it how you want your store to be perceived? After that, take a good walk around the store, just the way a shopper would, and make sure that everything is just as you want it. Ask yourself:
l Are the floors clean and safe with no loose or uneven surfaces?
l Are aisles easy to navigate for shoppers with mobility issues or prams?
l Do all the lights work?
l Is your counter clean and free of scuffs and clutter?
l Is the ceiling free of marks and cobwebs?
l Are the shelves clean, neat and well merchandised?
l Is there any old POS that’s dirty or no longer relevant?
l Is all in-store signage accurate and in good condition?
l Are all shelf-edge labels and price tickets clean, tidy and up to date?
l If you sell vapes, are you offering a recycling bin for used vaping products and communicating this service to shoppers?
Cold comfort
The OTC winter medicines market offers an opportunity that’s not to be sniffed at.
Winter’s here and while the season certainly heralds its fair share of fun and festivities, regrettably, it’s also a boom time for bugs – and this year is certainly proving to be no exception, with cold and flu rates having surged in January and in early February.
With their extended opening hours and friendly, helpful staff, the season will prompt many shoppers to turn to their local stores as the first port of call for help with easing winter illness symptoms, as well as those of their dependants.
As a result, there really is no time better than now to ensure that your range has got their common needs covered.
The knowledge that your store can be relied upon to provide a quality range of OTC medicines will be a tonic to shoppers at this time of year and especially to the parents and carers of young children suffering with pain and fever, for whom that bottle of Calpol sitting on your shelf will be akin to gold dust – particularly at 9pm when the local chemist is shut.
The OTC healthcare market in the UK is worth just over £2.8bn annually and it’s growing at 4.2% year on year, according to Circana CPG UK data for the 52 weeks to December 2024.
That market is dominated by three ‘super categories’: pain relief; cough and cold remedies; and gastro and intestinal remedies, which together account for a stonking 68% of its total value.
What
COUGHS AND COLDS
Symbol and Independent stores currently have a 7.1% share of the OTC coughs, colds and respiratory market – where medicated confectionery is one of the biggest share contributors according to Circana.
When it comes to coughs and colds, the most common shopper symptoms are:
l Cough
l Sore throat
l Congestion
l Sinus discomfort
Making sure that you offer a range of products that can help your shoppers to alleviate all of the above is key – and fortunately Premier provides everything you need to do just that.
TOP TIPS
l Ensure that your medicines range is clearly signposted so that shoppers on a mission can find what they need fast.
l If you display medicines behind the counter, make sure that all products and prices are displayed clearly.
l Offer a range of products to cover the three key ‘super categories’: pain; cough and cold; and gastrointestinal remedies.
l Ensure that your staff are familiar with your range and know the answers to basic questions about the key products that you stock – such as which products can be used in the day or at night, or which products are suitable for dry or chesty coughs.
l Always ensure that you direct shoppers with more complicated problems to a nearby pharmacy or medical professional.
For convenient ‘all in one’ solutions to help with cough, cold and flu-like symptoms, including fever, pain and congestion, retailers can offer a range of Beechams syrups and Lemsip-branded products, including Lemsip Max Cold and Flu capsules and sachets. Lemsip Max Strength sachets are availble to shoppers for the Every Day Low Price EDLP of £4 during the NP12 and 13 periods. An ultra-convenient Day and Night format is also available to support shoppers around the clock.
To help soothe sore throats, retailers can also offer their shoppers a range of Strepsils products, including Honey & Lemon lozenges and Extra Triple Action lozenges, which contain an active ingredient (Hexylresorcinol) that can be used for the symptomatic relief of sore throat associated pain. Tripple Action lozenges are also avaialble at the EDLP of £4.79 durning NP12 and 13.
NO PAIN NO GAIN
The Symbol and Independent channel also has a 6.3% share of the OTC pain relief market and Premier retailers can also support their shoppers with range of pain relief medicines from well-known brands, such as Panadol and Nurofen, as well as private label paracetamol and ibuprofen products from Galpharm. With an RSP of just £0.79 for a pack of 200mg Ibuprofen caplets and £0.89 for a pack of 500ml Paracetamol capsules these private label products also offer shoppers exceptional value for money and PORs of 44.43% and 49.44% for retailers.
CHILDREN’S MEDICINES
Children’s medicines are another key part of the OTC medicine market and vital to any convenience offer.
Make sure your range covers children of all ages, from babies and toddlers to pre-teens and up.
Premier retailers can offer Calpol Infant Paracetamol Suspension and Calpol Six Plus Paracetamol Suspension – which feature RSPs of
£4.65 and £4.85 respectively and offer PORs of more than 30%.
Nurofen For Children Strawberry Ibuprofen Suspension is also available for the great value RSP of £4.39.
GOOD SPOT
When it comes to siting your medicines, visibility is critical. Winter medicines are a reactive product category, with a high rate of distress purchase. As a result, your range needs to be well signposted in-store and clearly merchandised on shelf, so shoppers can find an effective solution to their problem fast.
Stocking products on the shopfloor, and or in secondary display units near your counter, will allow shoppers the freedom to browse your range properly – and can also drive impulse purchases.
If you do stock medicines behind the counter, make sure that all products and prices are clearly visible so that shoppers can easily spot them from a distance.
Paper products, such as toilet roll, tissues and wipes, including baby wipes, are also key at this time of year – as are on-the-go sanitisers, as shoppers look to stop those vile viruses in their tracks.
As ever, Premier has you covered here too, with a host of branded and own-label Jack’s and Euroshopper products to pick from.
With all that said and done, it’s clear that the OTC winter meds market is certainly not to be sniffed at.
Snap, crackle and shop
As the cold snap bites, stoke up your sales with Premier’s range of winter essentials.
Baby it’s cold outside! But while tumbling winter temperatures may be undesirable to some, they certainly provide a sizzling opportunity for retailers to post toasty sales and profits.
The rising cost of energy has promoted a leap in the number of UK consumers using
open fires and woodburning stoves in recent years – a fact which has driven a boom in sales of logs and kindling – with chimney sweeps reporting a surge in the number of people calling them to reinstate old boarded up fireplaces and stoves back into use.
The cold and freezing conditions experienced by large swathes of the UK in
January has undoubtably added more fuel to the fire, with Premier retailers reporting “strong sales” of solid fuels and heightened demand for fire-lighting aids.
From kindling wood to firelighters, logs, smokeless fuel and more, Premier offers retailers a sizzling range of products to help shoppers heat their hearths and homes.
ENJOY TASTY SALES THIS RAMADAN
Even more warming is the fact that most of these products offer strong margins of more than 40%, with Jack’s Firelighters offering a POR of 46% and 10kg bags of Blaze Smokeless Fuel, a hot 58%.
The Premier range also includes a host of other winter essentials for cold and frosty mornings, including De-Icers, Screen Washes and an array of Rock Salt products.
Holts Ready To Use Screen Wash and DeIcer both offer retailers PORs of more than
50%.
Premier retailers can also help shoppers keep their heads and hands toasty warm with a range of gloves and hats from Homeware Essentials.
with a free and easy-to-install metal display
Offering PORs of up to 42%, the range of kids- and adult-sized products is available with a free and easy-to-install metal display stand. Euro Hooks for slatwalls can also be supplied as an alternative.
New Products
FUNKIN IRN BRU VODKA MARTINI
Case size: 12x 200ml
WSP: £13.29
RSP: EWI ANY 3 FOR
£5/SC
£1.67
POR: 20.4%
BOOKER GROUP EXCLUSIVE!
CARLSBERG PILSNER
Case size: 18x330ml
WSP: £8.99
RSP: EWI £12/ SC
£13.13
ORANJEBOOM CRISP
Case size: 2x10x250ml
ON!
PLUS
Smooth Mint, Mint, Berry, Citrus –Regular and Strong
Case size: 5x1pack
POR: EWI 10.1%/ SC 17.8%
WSP: £5.99
RSP: EWI
£4.99/SC
£5.53
POR: EWI
28%/SC 35%
KOPPARBERG DARK NIGHTS VARIETY PACK
Case size: 12x330ml
WSP: £6.99
RSP: £10
POR: 16.1%
WSP: £14.50
RSP: £6.49
POR: 46.3%
COMPTON ORCHARD
Case size: 6x2ltr
WSP: £9.99
RSP: £2.99
POR: 33.2%
£2 2 FOR
* Peach: superstar flavour +154% in stimulants 1
* Rockstar Peach: #1 flavour preference across the range 2
* New festival themed packs: fantastic on shelf visibility
Contains Vitamins B3 & B6, which contribute to the reduction of tiredness and fatigue.
New Products
GOLDEN WONDER CRISPS TRANSFORM A SNACK SPICY & SPICY BBQ
Case size: 18x56g
WSP: £8.69
RSP: £1/ Any 2 for £1.50
RINGOS CHEESE AND ONION
Case size: 18x40g
WSP: £8.69
RSP: £1/Any 2 for £1.50
POR: 22.8%
LIMITED EDITION! AU VODKA MARSHMALLOW
Case size: 6x70cl/1x70cl
£125.89/£20.99
£31.49
20%
SPICY BIKERS
Case size: 18x50g
WSP: £8.69
RSP: £1/Any 2 for £1.50 POR: 22.8%
BAHLSEN HIT BISCUITS
Case size: 12x220g
WSP: £12.49 RSP: £1.59
34.5%
GOLDEN WONDER CHIP SHOP CURRY
Case size: 18x57
WSP: £8.69
RSP: £1/Any 2 for £1.50
POR: 22.8%
BetterService
IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE
Dial up your productivity with Bookerexclusive Digital SEL package
Premier retailers now have access to a fully customised digital shelf edge label solution thanks to a fantastic Booker-exclusive deal with Panasonic Connect.
As the cost of doing business continues to soar, the need for stores to operate as efficiently as possible has perhaps never been so important. In-fact, productivity looks set to be one of the biggest buzzwords in 2025 as retailers seek out solutions that can help them save time, save waste and operate to their most efficient and productive best.
One key opportunity that is already helping many retailers to operate their businesses more efficiently are digital Shelf Edge Labels (SELs)
The benefits of converting from paper price tickets to digital SELs are being felt in more and more stores, where they are helping in-store teams to ensure that on-shelf pricing is always accurate and up to date.
These nifty little gadgets can also dramatically reduce the amount of staff time required to update labels, particularly during promotional period changeovers.
This recovered staff time means that your team can be redeployed in other areas and on more productive tasks, such as engaging with shoppers, stocking and facing up, maximising
NPD, or even focusing on social media.
To help retailers take advantage of the many benefits of digital SELs, Booker has secured a new exclusive agreement with Panasonic Connect.
The deal ensures retailers benefit from an agreed preferential Booker price package on the solution and the SELs themselves are fully integrated with Epos systems from key providers including Retail Data Partnership, TLM and more.
The deal features free store-specific customisation, and benefits from dedicated UKbased support. A dedicated project manager will oversee the entire process while an expert installation team will ensure the solution is up and running precisely to your requirements.
Choose your size
Panasonic Connect deal
l Agreed Booker price package
l Free store-specific customisation
l Fully Epos integrated
l Dedicated project manager
l Expert installation team
l Dedicated support
l UK-based
l Finance available (subject to credit approval)
l From 1.6” to 12.2”
l Up to IP68 certified
The digital SELs are available in a range of sizes, covering all use cases:
l High resolution up to 144 DPI
BetterService
IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE
Selling vapes responsibly
It is clearly vital that all Premier retailers sell vapes responsibly – and here we present the latest advice from ACS on how to do just that.
Sitting at the very heart of the communities they serve, it’s obviously extremely important that Premier retailers take care of their customers and their communities by selling vapes responsibly.
Vaping has become a large and important category for many Premier retailers in recent years, but it can also be a challenging one and the landscape is set to change dramatically on 1st June this year when the disposable vaping ban comes into force.
More formally known as the Environmental Protection (Single-use Vapes) (England) Regulations 2024, the ban will come into force across the country as both the Scottish and Welsh devolved governments have agreed to outlaw disposable vapes on the same day.
To help you navigate the way forward and ensure that you and your team and selling vapes responsibly, we present here the latest Assured Advice from the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS).
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1 SOURCING
All vaping products that you buy from Booker are fully compliant with all legal requirements. If, however, you source vaping products from elsewhere, it is vital that you check that they are legally allowed to be sold in the UK.
All products for sale in the UK must be listed with the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
To find out whether products can be sold in the UK, visit cms.mhra. gov.uk/ecig-new to check the MHRA Notified Products list.
If a product you are considering selling is not on this list, it is illegal to sell it in your store.
2 DISPOSABLES BAN
From 1st June 2025 it will be illegal for retailers to sell, offer to sell or have in their possession for sale disposable vaping products in their shop or on their website.
SELL THROUGH BY 1ST JUNE
Retailers should sell through all existing disposable vaping products before 1st June to avoid commercial loss and enforcement action. It is an offence to have disposable vaping products in your possession for sale. Any leftover disposable vaping products from 1st June must be:
l Stored in stock rooms or back offices, away from the shopfloor, and
l Clearly separated from other goods and clearly labelled as not for sale.
l Keep records of the vape suppliers you work with and their awareness of the regulations, for example a statement on their website.
l Keep records of the stock you have received from suppliers. Examples of good documentation include invoices and receipts of purchases.
l If requested, provide all records of vape suppliers you work with and stock you hold to Trading Standards.
PENALTIES
A person found to be selling disposable vapes from 1st June 2025 is liable on summary conviction to a fine. There are a range of notices Trading Standards can issue in the event of non-compliance:
l Fixed Monetary Penalty: Trading Standards can issue a notice of intent to serve a £200 Fixed Monetary Penalty (FMP) if a business is found to be non-compliant with the law, reducing to £100 if paid within 28 days of the penalty being served.
l Stop Notices: If a business continues to engage in illicit activity, Trading Standards can issue a stop notice prohibiting a business from carrying on an activity specified in the notice, such as selling all vaping products, until the business has fulfilled the notice requirements.
l In Wales and Scotland, retailers can receive up to a level five fine and be imprisoned for up to two years.
CUSTOMER COMMUNICATIONS
WHAT CAN BE SOLD FROM 1ST JUNE?
From 1st June 2025 all vaping products you sell, offer to sell or have in your possession for sale must have the following features:
l Must be refillable
l A container that is refillable, or
l A container that is separately available and can be replaced, such as a pod system, by a user in the product’s normal course of use.
l Must be rechargeable
l Contains a battery that can be recharged, and
l A replacement coil or a coil which is contained in a single use cartridge or pod which is separately available after purchase and can be replaced in the product’s normal course of use.
ACS has produced a poster for retailers to display instore to help communicate the disposable vapes ban to customers. Visit acs.org. uk/advice/selling-vapes to download your copy.
3 HOW TO RECOGNISE LEGITIMATE PRODUCTS
There are strict requirements for vapes that are allowed to be placed on the UK market. Check the following to ensure the products you stock are legitimate:
l Disposable vapes are not allowed to be sold from 1st June 2025.
l The maximum size of refill containers is 10ml.
l The maximum nicotine content allowed for vapes is 20mg/ml.
ENFORCEMENT AND RECORD KEEPING
In the event of an enforcement visit or inspection you must prove that you took ‘all reasonable steps’ and exercised ‘all due diligence’ to avoid committing an offence. Steps you can take to demonstrate this include:
l Health warnings must cover 30% of the front and back of the pack. The health warning must read: THIS PRODUCT CONTAINS NICOTINE WHICH IS A HIGHLY ADDICTIVE SUBSTANCE.
l A list of ingredients must be included.
l The product must indicate the nicotine content and delivery per dose.
GUINNESS TIME
l A batch number must be included.
l Products must feature a recommendation to keep the product out of the reach of children.
l Offers and discounts, as well as product safety/health claims, are prohibited on packs.
l Packaging must also contain the manufacturer or importer name and contact details.
5 PROXY SALES
It is an offence for an adult to purchase nicotine inhaling products on behalf of someone under age. This is commonly called a ‘proxy sale’. You should consider adopting a common approach to identifying and preventing proxy sales across all age-restricted products.
l All vapes and refill containers must be tamper-evident and have child-resistant packaging.
4 PREVENTING UNDERAGE SALES
It is illegal to sell vaping products to anyone under 18. Anyone doing so is committing an offence, and both the business owner and staff members who made the sale can be penalised.
ACS recommends the use of Challenge 25 policies for all underage sales.
ONLINE SALES
For retailers that sell vapes online through a delivery service or online ordering platform, ACS recommends conducting ID checks before any goods are delivered to a customer. More information about selling age-restricted products online is available in the ACS Assured Advice guide on Preventing Underage Sales, available from the acs. org.uk website.
It can be very difficult to know if an adult intends to buy an agerestricted product for or on behalf of someone who is under age. Therefore, you are only expected to act when an obvious proxy sale is taking place. More information on common scenarios that retailers may encounter when dealing with attempted proxy sales is available in the ACS Assured Advice guide on Preventing Underage Sales.
To mitigate proxy purchasing, some manufacturers might enforce product quantity limits that restrict bulk orders that may be distributed to those under age. Check and comply with manufacturer product quantity limits if they have such policies in place.
6 ADVERTISING
Vapes and refill containers cannot be advertised or promoted, directly or indirectly on television or radio, commercial email, in magazines or newspapers, or online, including on social media (except where the media in question is trade facing only, for example trade press titles distributed to retailers). This includes posts made by the retailer themselves and posts that are sponsored or promoted by a manufacturer. Retailers selling or including product information about vapes on their websites are permitted to do so, as long as the information included about the product only contains factual claims such as ingredients, nicotine content and descriptions of product components. Visit asa.org.uk/resource/electronic-cigaretteadvertising-prohibition.html for more detailed advertising guidance.
7 VAPE RECYCLING
Vapes are no longer part of the Distributor Takeback Scheme (DTS). As a result, all retailers selling vapes must offer their customers a recycling bin for vaping products.
IN-STORE INFORMATION
You must make information available to customers in your stores about the vape collection service you offer and how it can be used.
ACS has produced a vape-specific template poster that you can download from tinyurl.com/bdfke2zy and use in-store.
IN-STORE TAKEBACK
You must offer to take back vapes that offer the same functions of the vapes that you sell in your store. The type of vape is determined by functionality not brand.
If you sell only one brand of vapes then it follows that you will have to accept returns of all types of vapes.
Under the WEEE regulations, the return of vapes to stores happens on a “one for one” basis. This means that you only have to take back vapes in your recycling bin when a customer is buying an equivalent vape in your store.
You cannot charge customers for taking back their vapes. The service must be free of charge.
ILLICIT VAPES
If a customer tries to return an illicit vape to your store you can refuse to accept it.
The WEEE regulations state that electrical equipment returned must be an equivalent type and fulfil the same function as the supplied equipment (WEEE Regulations 2013 42.1).
Illicit vapes are not equivalent to the vapes you will sell and therefore should not be accepted in your recycling collection points.
STORING VAPES
Vapes should be stored in a separate container in a cool, dry place away from windows and direct sunlight, and away from other electrical and electronic equipment you store for takeback.
You can only store the used vapes temporarily, generally no longer than three months. There is no regulatory requirement for a specific vape container. Tube containers, widely used for battery collection, can be used for storing vapes, but it is recommended that vapes are stored separately from batteries and other electronic and electrical equipment.
ARRANGING COLLECTION
You must dispose of the vapes you collect in your store properly so they can be recycled. You will have to contact a provider of vape collection services to collect vapes from your store.
You also need to receive and fill in a waste consignment notice which should be provided by your waste collection provider that documents the returned vapes are being taken away to be recycled responsibly.
Booker can help you put a solution in place. Please speak to your RDM for more information.
RECORD KEEPING
You need to record information about the number of vaping units you collect through takeback in-store and the number collected by your vape collection service provider.
You should estimate the number of units returned to your store before they are collected by your vape collection service provider. Vapes can be counted, estimated by weight, or estimated by volume. You do not need to distinguish between different types of vapes, only the total number of units returned to your store and passed on to the vape collection service provider.
You need to keep all documentation you make, or are given by the waste collection provider, when you dispose of electrical and electronic waste.
Visit tinyurl.com/msx2ed48 to find a template for recording the vapes returned to your store.
Records must be kept for a four-year period.
The Office for Product Safety and Standards (OPSS) enforces the collection of vapes and other electrical products. You can be prosecuted and get an unlimited fine if you do not comply with the regulations.
You may get warning letters before enforcement action, fine or prosecutions are undertaken.
You can contact OPSS if you have any questions on compliance or suspected non-compliance via email or their telephone number below.
EMAIL: OPSS.ENQUIRIES@BEIS.GOV.UK
TELEPHONE: 0121 345 1201 (MON TO FRI 9AM TO 5PM)
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This material is restricted to those who are involved in the business of the sale or distribution of tobacco who are aged 18 years or over. This material should not be made available to the public or sent to anyone else.
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This product is not risk free and contains nicotine which is addictive. Only for use by adults who would otherwise continue to smoke or use other nicotine products.
a breeze of peppermint
a zest of citrus
a boom of blackcurrant
a breeze of peppermint
James Lowman sets out what a Deposit Return Scheme could mean for stores.
DRS plans must work seamlessly across UK
The UK’s various deposit return schemes must mesh together smoothly – as anything else will undermine their effectiveness.
Regulations that will see the introduction of a deposit return scheme in England and Northern Ireland in October 2027 are being debated in Parliament this month, with MPs considering the details of the plans that will affect –directly or indirectly – every convenience store. It’s expected that Scotland’s regulations will mirror those of England and NI, but Wales has decided to go in a different direction (more on that later). This is what a deposit return scheme could mean for you, and here are some of the principles that we would like to see put in place.
First of all, a deposit return scheme must at a minimum be cost neutral for retailers. Our sector is facing increase after increase in costs on all sides of the business, coupled with costs associated with new regulations like recycling rules, disposable vape bans and other measures, so it would be unreasonable to expect retailers to pick up the tab for DRS. We’re especially keen for the ‘handling payments’ that will be paid to retailers for
the operation of the scheme to scale with the size of the business, so that smaller stores and those in rural areas handling a smaller volume of containers are not left out of pocket.
The next principle that is crucial to a successful deposit return scheme is putting the right return points in the right places. We don’t need a return point in every retail outlet in the UK – what we need is a set of return points that are strategically mapped so it’s easy for consumers to find somewhere to return their container and get their deposit back, but there’s no unnecessary overlap and risk of return points being barely used. A blanket approach to stores that are required to be part of the scheme would result in a significant waste of resources.
If it feels like we’ve been talking about DRS in the UK in some form for over a decade now… that’s because we have! Despite this, the implementation date of October 2027 is highly ambitious. This is the biggest change in recycling infrastructure in recent years, and there are a lot of moving parts that need to be put together before the scheme has a chance
at being effective. Retailers, wholesalers, suppliers and the yet to be appointed Deposit Management Organisation will all have to move quickly over the next 33 months to be ready in time.
The final issue, which I alluded to earlier is Wales. While it looks like England, Scotland and Northern Ireland are going to be aligned on the introduction of DRS, Wales is set on including glass and focusing on reuse as part of its own scheme, which doesn’t yet have a timetable for introduction or any real detail on how they’re going to achieve their aims. Our view is clear that an effective system is one that works across the UK seamlessly, as anything else will create confusion throughout the supply chain and undermine the effectiveness of the home nations’ individual schemes. We’re continuing to call on Wales to bring its ambitions on DRS in line with the rest of the UK.
You’re likely to hear a lot more about DRS in the next few months and if you have any questions, get in touch via email at ACS@acs.org.uk.
