Talking Shop Issue 90 August 2017

Talking Shop ISSUE 90 August 2017

The magazine for Premier retailers

Home sweet home

Arnside retailer rejoins Premier and sees instant success.

PLUS

Fresh profits

Grow your profits with Farm Fresh

Scores on the doors

How to get a 5 star food hygiene rating

GREAT

N ALC

ALL NATURAL IN

THE CONSUMER LANDSCAPE IS CHA MODERATION

• 50% OF PEOPLE CLAIM TO MODERATE THEIR ALCOHOL CONSUMPTION WITH MILLENNIALS LEADING THE WAY, MAKING FOCUSED, POSITIVE LIFESTYLE CHOICES *CONTAINS NOT MORE THAN 0.05% ABV

CALORIES

• 56% OF PEOPLE ARE CONC THE EFFECT OF DIET ON TH AND APPEARANCE

W NE

TASTE

C H L

NGREDIENTS, ONLY 69 CALORIES

ANGING

CERNED ABOUT HEIR HEALTH

*

Talking Shop | August 2017

Welcome

Talking Shop ISSUE 90 Augus

t 2017

A warm welcome to your latest

The magazin

e for Premier

retailers

issue of Talking Shop, packed full of useful news, advice and information as usual to help you make more and save more.

We’re focusing this issue on lots of areas where we believe there is great scope for you to grow your sales and profits with features on growth categories like fresh produce, vaping, premium gin and the back to school opportunity.

You will all have received your free Edge e-liquids counter top unit as well as £250 worth of free stock and the feedback we’re receiving from you is that the combination of great quality British-made product and a market-leading £2.50 price point is really helping drive sales and profits.

You will also find some great advice on how you could literally add thousands of pounds of cash profit every year and drive footfall by taking advantage of Premier’s exceptional wholesale pricing on bread, milk and sugar.

As always, we offer an in-depth look into four Premier stores, all with fascinating stories to tell and lessons we can all learn.

It’s great to hear that our new promotional package

Home sweet home

Arnside retailer rejoins Premier and sees instant success.

PLUS

Fresh profits Grow you r profits with Farm Fre sh

Scores on the doors How

to get a food hygien 5 star e rating

COVER STORY Arnside retailer rejoins Premier and sees instant rise in profits.

THE THREE BIG STORIES 29 Get the Edge

New vaping solution gives Premier retailers the Edge.

33 Fresh profits

Make more cash profit with Farm Fresh.

49 Scores on the doors How to get a 5 star hygiene rating.

is being well received with the move to six Mega Deals every period helping to create extra excitement in-store as well as driving new footfall and helping you earn more revenue and more profits every day. I wish you all good trading!

Martyn Parkinson, Brand Director Premier

4 TalkingShop

August 2017

Share your shop news

If you’ve got news, tips or feaure ideas, get in touch with Talking Shop. Just pick up the phone and call:

0141 22 22 100 or write to: Talking Shop c/o 55 North Ltd. Waterloo Chambers 19 Waterloo Street Glasgow, G2 6AY or email: talkingshop@55north.com DISCLAIMER: Prices are correct at time of going to press, but may be subject to change.

39

22

Exclusive ‘Discover the Choice’ range.

Winning with Premier!

33

Add £2,00 profit a year with Farm Fresh

41

Ones To Watch

7

EDLP on bread, milk and sugar

7

8

Premier news

39 Ones To Watch

Peterborough retailer sees 50%

Some great new products to look

bread, milk and sugar.

growth after joining Premier in his

out for, including the new ‘Discover

44th year in business.

the Choice’ exclusive chilled range.

News How to generate extra profits from gin.

9

18 43 not out

Great new deals deliver EDLP on

News Relaunched Mega Deals package driving sales and profits for retailers.

11 Community news Premier retailers lead the way on community involvement.

13 Industry news

22 Premier every time

How to make the most of the back

when choosing a symbol group for

to school opportunity.

Bognor Regis retailer’s new store.

24 A lifetime’s work

49 Good hygiene, good work A guide to the new Food Hygiene

Wolverhampton retailer’s new

Ratings system, and how to get the

Premier store is the culmination of a

top rating.

lifetime’s work.

29 Gaining an Edge Premier retailers are already

A round-up of the key industry news

gaining an Edge from their new

affecting the trade.

range of e-liquids.

15 Bringing it back home!

45 Back to school

There was only ever one option

33 Generating fresh profits

Arnside retailer re-joins Premier

Easy to follow guide to adding

and says that ‘it feels like coming

thousands of pounds of cash profit

home’.

through Farm Fresh.

54 Stay safe Retailers offer great tips on security.

49 Scores on the doors

August 2017 TalkingShop

5

PremierNews NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS PREMIER

Premier drives footfall with bread, milk and sugar Premier is helping retailers drive major footfall increases by significantly lowering the wholesale prices on bread, milk and sugar – letting retailers provide great prices to their shoppers.

RETAILER VIEW RANJ HAYER, PDG MEMBER Premier Hayer’s, Weston-super-Mare “All Premier retailers know that times are getting tougher and tougher and we need to offer our shoppers the best value we can to get them through the door. As far as I’m concerned, having an Every Day Low Price on bread, milk and sugar is a great way to do this.

“We had a fun time with our shoppers and giving the tea and toast away really raised awareness of the prices and it’ll certainly help my business as we go into the busy summer season.

“These are products that all

Premier has lowered the wholesale price on bread, milk and sugar so Premier retailers can offer market leading, everyday low prices on these important convenience products.

Kingsmill 50/50 will be available for shoppers at just 79p, Wisemans Milk at 2 x 2 Litres for just £2 and 1kg of Whitworths sugar is only 69p.

All three staple lines deliver outstanding value and give shoppers another great reason to choose Premier stores, while still delivering a minimum of 20% POR for retailers.

These deals are exclusive to Premier retailers and form an important part of the group’s commitment to help drive footfall into stores.

Bread, milk and sugar have been specifically selected as these are the top three products when it comes to driving sales and footfall in the convenience market. The deals are also being featured on the Premier promotional leaflet.

“Premier retailers have told us they need to drive more footfall into their store and bread, milk and sugar are the most important products to achieve this,” said Martyn Parkinson, Brand

Director – Premier. “As well as offering shoppers great value, it’s really important that we maintain our retailers margin and at 20% POR across the three deals, we are helping them make more cash profit as their rate of sale will increase. We are confident that incremental sales will go up too, as once shoppers are in store, they see the great choice, price and service delivered by Premier retailers.”

To celebrate the launch of the deals, some Premier retailers held a ‘Tea & Toast’ morning, which saw them giving away a free cup of tea and a slice of toast to shoppers. One retailer who did so was PDG member Tony Mallaban of Premier Avon Gold, pictured above. Tony said: “Being able to offer these fantastic prices on such important products to our shoppers and still make 20% POR is exactly what we need right now.

Shoppers are more and more price conscious and having these products at such great prices improves the overall perception for value.”

If you would like to organise a ‘Tea & Toast’ morning in your store contact your RDM.

shoppers buy regularly.”

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@55north.com 0141 222 5380

August 2017 TalkingShop

7

News

INBRIEF Add £2,000 to your profits NETPAY GUIDE TO PAYMENT CHANGES There are a number of important changes impacting the card payments industry that affect all Premier retailers. These

with great execution on gin Gin continues to grow at an astounding 15% year on year and presents a great opportunity for Premier retailers to deliver £2,000 of additional profits every year.

will be featured in more detail,

RECOMMENDED GIN PRODUCTS TO TRY

in the next edition of Talking Shop, by payment service

Booker recommends the following gin lines to enhance your range and grow your profits:

provider and Booker partner NetPay. The changes below are due to take effect over the coming

Tanqueray Gin Case size: 1x70cl WSP: £16.99 RSP: £25.49 POR: 20%

months or have already taken effect; l Authorisation fees for all

law from January 2018. This

With gin growing at 15% year-on-year, this represents a fantastic opportunity for Premier retailers to drive sales in a high value category. Gin is worth around £460m annually in the off trade and is already a third of the size of vodka. Booker is advising retailers to cash in and increase annual profits by up to £2,000* using a simple three-step process: 1) Review your premium gin range: why not try some of the products shown here to drive sales and footfall?

2) Ensure gins are displayed at customer eye line where possible 3) Dual merchandise tonic waters in your spirits fixtures These steps could help make your store become a destination store for more shoppers, driving footfall and growing profits by £2,000.

under the Second Payment

* Figures based on a typical Premier retailer growing their premium gin sales by two

contactless transactions no matter what value from October 2017. Previously many transactions less than £15 were authorised without going to the bank.

This will soon stop and all transactions will now be authorised l Charging people to pay by card will be against the

Services Directive which

Ophir Spiced Gin Case size: 1x70cl WSP: £18.99 RSP: £28.49 POR: 20% Puerto De Indias Strawberry Gin Case size: 1x70cl WSP: £18.99 RSP: £28.49 POR: 20% Edinburgh Rhubarb & Ginger Gin Case size: 1x70cl WSP: £13.29 RSP: £19.99 POR: 20.2% Blackwoods Vintage Dry Gin Case size: 1x70cl WSP: £16.49 RSP: £24.75 POR: 20.1% Bombay Sapphire Gin Case size: 1x70cl WSP: £18.99 RSP: £28.39 POR: 20.2%

bottles per day at 20% POR.

prevents all card surcharging.

If you charge a fee to take payment by card, you will need to stop doing this l Cardholder not Verified is a change you may have already encountered. The additional text is being printed on receipts of contactless transactions. Do not be concerned by this message, the transaction will still be processed. Remain vigilant in case of any other additional messages such as ‘declined’, when the transaction will not have gone through.

For more information, call NetPay on 0800 043 5990.

8 TalkingShop

August 2017

Booker own label wines flying high at IWC The quality of Booker’s own label wine range was once more endorsed at this year’s International Wine Challenge (IWC) with no fewer than 21 lines picking up awards. In addition, a further 26 wines sold exclusively by Booker receiving awards.

Among the star performers was the Regimental Port range of Tawny, LBV and Ruby Ports which all collected Silver medals. Paul Langier Champagne Brut NV was also among the winners with a bronze medal, against some very stiff competition. Among those wines receiving highly sought after Commended status were the San Adres Chilean own label range, the Marcel

Hubert range, the Highbridge USA White Zinfandel and both the Seven Tenths White and the Hidden Road Shiraz.

On the sparkling front, the Marques de la Sardana Cava, Prosecco Spumante DOC Extra Dry and Pinot Rose Spumante also earned a Commendation.

Brand Manager Elizabeth Vint told Talking Shop: “This has been another exceptional year at the IWC for our own label and exclusive wines, once more confirming the quality of our range against the toughest competition from around the world.

“The outstanding success of our port range and our sparkling wines is particularly encouraging.”

New Mega Deal package brings even more great news for retailers Premier’s recently relaunched Mega Deal package with not four but six Mega Deals each period is already providing important new sales and profit opportunities.

Premier’s PROUD TO SERVE recently updated and improved promotional BETTER THAN package has BETTER THAN HALF PRICE ANY 3 ANY 3 been received HALF PRICE for for ICE PR £5 £5 exceptionally EACH £8 38 Wash well by Premier PM £2.65 14 Pack 80’s retailers and ONLY they are already ONLY £4.50 £4 seeing the benefit of the improvements, ONLY ONLY not least from £9 £8the new sixstrong Mega Deal package each period. new £4.39 Martyn £7.29 75cl PM £1 9 Roll 125g/150g Parkinson, Brand ONLY BUY 1 ONLY Director Premier, PRICE GET 1 told Talking EACH E FRE Shop: “Our new promotional www.premier-stores.co.uk Offers available 09/08/17 to 05/09/17 package has been carefully crafted to respond to specific requests from retailers and to increase the amount of sales and profit opportunities that Premier retailers can benefit from every four weeks.

“Our Mega Deals in particular have been a success for Premier retailers and moving them to six per period, rather than four, is making a big difference in Premier stores.

“The big name brands we choose for the deals deliver big volume sales instore which is precisely what retailers have asked Premier to deliver for them.

Many of the products featured are also backed by TV advertising which is also hugely powerful in driving footfall.”

The new Mega Deals, which include a guaranteed alcohol and paper promotion every four weeks, are delivering a guaranteed minimum POR of 15% (excluding alcohol).

Every promotional period also includes a frozen meal deal which is already driving increased sales while still delivering great PORs of 20%.

There is also a greater focus on health with a ‘healthy living’ section to drive footfall, including ‘free from’ products as well as water, protein bars and lower sugar and salt lines.

alunity Oucrolomcm

02/06/2017 12:35

Varieties as stocked 500ml

PM £4.49/ £4.99/£5

£3.89 2.5L

PM £6/£6.29/ £6.49 Incl. Red Stripe/ Carlsberg Export/ Budweiser 4x568ml

10/12/15x440ml

Varieties as stocked 500ml/568ml

Varieties as stocked 330ml/355ml

EACH

Incl. Stowford Press 4x500ml

Incl.

PM £9/£9.25

EACH

Budweiser 8x440ml

£1.79

HALF £1.32

£3.80

PM £5/£5.25/ £5.49/£5.75

EACH

EACH

RETAILER VIEW ASIF AKHTAR Premier Smeaton Stores, Kirkcaldy “In my local community, great promotions are one of the best ways of ensuring that shoppers choose my store over anyone else’s.The new promotional package is a great concept and it’s working really well in-store.”

Incl. Strongbow/ Fosters 4x568ml

RETAILER VIEW MANDEEP SINGH, PDG MEMBER Singh’s Premier, Sheffield

£14.49

12x284ml/300ml

NP06 EW LIC

0

News

HALF .25 £3 £2.19

£4.99

@MyLocalPremier

07/07/2017 15:19

C0/M0/Y0/K70

C60/M0/Y40/K20

“Shoppers know and love Mega Deals – every Premier retailer knows that – so having more of them every period is a great development. The big brands on promotion will drive sales and profit too and help set Premier even further apart.”

RETAILER VIEW ROBERT KIRKWOOD Premier Express Corner Shop, Crossgates “The Premier promotional package is one of the biggest draws for shoppers as they always know they’ll get great deals at my store. The improved package is just great news for me and my shoppers.”

RETAILER VIEW DAVINDER SINGH Premier Eggborough Village Store & Post Office “The Mega Deals are really the heart of the store these days and to have six every period instead of four is welcome news. The frozen meal deal is also a great idea that I think will really take off.”

August 2017 TalkingShop

9

CRISP APPLE CIDER BLENDED WITH JACK DANIEL’S TENNESSEE WHISKE Y. DON’T BE A BAD APPLE. DRINK RESPONSIBLY. JACK DANIEL’S AND JACK DANIEL’S TENNESSEE CIDER ARE REGISTERED TRADEMARKS OF JACK DANIEL’S ©2017

CommunityNews OPINION, NEWS AND ACHIEVEMENTS FROM PREMIER RETAILERS

Asif and Abada raise £4,000 for shopper with terminal cancer Kirkcaldy community champions get to work once more to

INBRIEF WELSH PREMIER RETAILERS TAKE PARKING INTO THEIR OWN HANDS

help raise money for a loyal shopper diagnosed with cancer.

Kirkcaldy Premier retailing husband and wife team Asif and Abada Akhtar have earned an enviable reputation as being the driving forces behind the bulk of community activity that takes place in their local Smeaton community – and the pair have been working hard on another fantastic fundraising effort for a long-standing shopper diagnosed with cancer.

The pair, joint winners this year of the SLR Community Retailer off the Year Award, have gone to extraordinary lengths once more by organising a music festival at the local community hall to

raise funds for this great cause.

Asif told Talking Shop: “When we heard that our shopper – who I won’t name – had been diagnosed with terminal cancer, we knew that we had to do something to help.

We’ve known him for many, many years and he’s a regular customer of ours. He’s also a hugely well-known personality in Smeaton, so it was really sad news for our community.

“We decided to organise a little party in the local community hall, selling tickets for £10 each, but it sort of grew arms and legs and we ended up hiring bands and organising

food and drinks and all sorts of things.

“Because he is such a popular member of the community we managed to sell the 200 tickets in no time, raising £2,000 for him. The party happens on the 25th of August and we fully expect to raise at least the same again on the day. Every penny will be handed over and he can do with it whatever he likes. Maybe a holiday with his family. But we just felt we had to do something to help him at least try to enjoy the time he has left.”

But for Asif and Abada, they see this sort of community work as simply being good citizens and good people.

Asif explains: “We don’t do these things to get in the papers or for recognition. We do them because we have a privileged position at the heart of our community and we feel a responsibility to play active roles in that community. We’ve been part of the Smeaton community for 20 years so these aren’t just shoppers, they’re friends. If you can’t help a friend in need then there’s something wrong as far as we’re concerned.”

On Fridays and Saturdays in June, visitors to the Welsh town of Presteigne were treated to free parking near their local Premier store to help attract visitors to the town centre, and prove an important point to the county council.

Working with Premier retailer Nishanath Thangerswarajah, the Presteigne Chamber of Trade sponsored the car park next to the town’s Premier store on Fridays and Saturdays throughout June. A volunteer was there each day to cover the parking costs of drivers visiting for an hour or two.

Nishanath told Talking Shop: “The cost of parking was putting many shoppers off visiting the town centre, so we decided that we had to do something about it. The results were amazing so we hope the Council takes note.”

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@55north.com 0141 222 5380

August 2017 TalkingShop

11

D E T I LIM ON EDITI

IndustryNews A DIGEST OF NEWS FROM THE INDEPENDENT RETAILING INDUSTRY

Coca-Cola launches trial DRS scheme to increase recycling Coca-Cola European Partners is to trial an “on-the-go bottle collection and reward programme” as part of a new sustainable packaging strategy.

INBRIEF CREDIT AND DEBIT CARD SURCHARGES TO BE BANNED Shoppers are no longer to be charged extra for paying by credit or debit card from January next year, the

Soft drinks giant Coca-Cola European Partners has announced that it is to trial an “on-the-go bottle collection and reward programme” as part of a new sustainable packaging strategy.

Details of the trial will be announced later this year but it is likely to take the form a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), pre-empting the possible introduction of a mandatory similar scheme for independent retailers by the government.

Coca-Cola said it would test the scheme as part of its commitment to support a Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs (DEFRA) working group, created under the government’s new anti-littering strategy.

The government scheme is likely to require convenience stores to act as collection points for recyclable plastic bottles.

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “If the government wants to fully understand the impact of bottle deposit or reward schemes, they must engage with convenience stores by incorporating them within the DEFRA economic and voluntary incentives working group.

“Where bottle return schemes operate elsewhere in Europe, they rely on retailers to collect recycled bottles, therefore consultation

government has announced.

From that point, businesses will not be allowed to add any surcharges for card payments.

While the new legislation is aimed mainly at airlines and food delivery apps, the changes will affect retailers who currently add surcharges for transactions below a minimum basket spend.

The announcement follows a directive from the European

with both small and large retailers is essential.

“Whilst we welcome a debate about encouraging recycling and reducing litter, bottle deposit schemes would have a negative impact on convenience stores that do not have the space to collect, process and store bottles.”

Vice President and General Manager at Coca-Cola European Partners GB, Leendert den Hollander, said: “Our goal is to work with local and national partners to ensure all of our packaging is recovered and recycled. Our new strategy sets out how we will start work to achieve that.”

Union which bans surcharges on Visa and Mastercard payments.

Banks typically charge retailers between 10p and 20p for each debit card transaction, or 0.6% for credit cards.

Questions remain over how the ban will be monitored and policed.

Under the Consumer Rights Regulations, businesses are allowed to charge a sum

HMRC re-thinks digital tax returns for small businesses Small businesses have been exempted from proposals for tax returns to be filed digitally four times a year, the Treasury has announced.

The move follows a consultation process during which the NFRN called for the process to be voluntary, rather than mandatory, and only

applicable to businesses with an income threshold above £85,000 – the current threshold for VAT – which is the current exemption.

The NFRN also called for greater communication support for small businesses along with additional support from accountants and tax agents and

from HMRC to make available software and training for small businesses.

The move follows widespread concern over the initial timetable which the House of Lords’ Economic Affairs Committee described as “rushed” and impractical for small businesses.

that reflects their own costs in processing a transaction.

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@55north.com 0141 222 5380

August 2017 TalkingShop

13

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#THISISLIVING *#1 World Beer Brand in the UK Off Trade. SOURCE: Nielsen Scantrack, YTD Data to 22.04.2017.

Please drink responsibly. © 2017 AB InBev UK Limited, all rights reserved. UK, 18+ Closes 13/09/17. To enter, upload a photo of your ‘This Is Living’ moment to http://coronaextra.co.uk. Prizes: 1 of the 4 trips & tickets for 2 to a Corona Sunset festival in Europe, Colombia, Dubai, or Cape Town. Winners will be chosen at random. Exclusions apply. For details and full T&Cs, visit website. Promoter: AB InBev UK Limited, LU1 3LS.

Arnside, Cumbria | STORE PROFILE

It feels like

coming home

HOME TIME: Sheila and husband Derek back where they belong with Premier.

After a brief period away from Premier, Cumbria retailer Sheila Anthony has recently rejoined and says ‘it feels like coming home’ as profits instantly surge.

C

umbria retailer Sheila Anthony’s story is an uplifting one in the history of Premier.

A retailer with 30 years of experience in the trade, Sheila had been a Premier retailer for 20 years but when competition suddenly intensified in her local area in 2013 she decided to leave Premier – but quickly regretted the decision and is now back with the UK’s biggest and best symbol group and says “it feels like coming home!”.

Sheila explains: “I was one of the very first Premier stores in this region when I joined the best part of 20 years ago. It was all going well

then, within a very short space of time, lots of competing stores opened near me. A big Booth’s supermarket opened in a nearby town, we had small stores move in even closer and it just seemed to come to a head very quickly.”

Sheila admits that an element of panic set in and she felt instinctively that she had to do something to respond, and quickly. “It certainly wasn’t an easy decision to make to leave Premier after all that time as I had been in this store since 1996 but I suppose I was panicking a little and I felt that I had to take some action, any action, to feel like I was protecting myself and my business,” she says. The result was that

Store CV:

Name: Premier Anthony’s Village Stores Retailer: Sheila Anthony Time as a retailer: 30 years Time with Premier: 4 months Size: 1,400sq ft Staff: 8 Services: Lottery, PayPoint, dry cleaning, licensed, ATM, Essential Espresso coffee machine, Country Choice unit, ATM Nearest competition: Londis in same village; Spar 3 miles away Trading hours: 8am-8pm

August 2017 TalkingShop

15

STORE PROFILE | Arnside, Cumbria

{

The difference it has made to my business rejoining Premier is hard to believe – we’re just so much more profitable already and I’m so impressed with how quickly its growing and progressing.

MEATY SALES: The fresh meat range is outstanding for a small store.

EVERY OCCASION: As a small village store, it offers an extensive range

FRESH SALES: Farm Fresh has halped transform the store’s fresh produce offering.

TEAM WORK: Sheila’s team has an average of over 10 years in the store.

16 TalkingShop

August 2017

}

she quickly joined Spar, a decision she equally quickly regretted.

“This was back in 2013,” she says. “and I very quickly realised I had made a mistake. It just didn’t work out for me, pure and simple, mainly because of the cost of all the charges that Spar levy on the business. There are charges for everything, even just getting stock delivered to the store. It just didn’t work.”

Sheila persevered for a while but finally opened up negotiations with Premier once more and, in March this year, she rejoined the group and has never looked back.

“I joke about it but it really did feel like coming home,” she laughs. “The difference it has made to my business is hard to believe – we’re so much more profitable. I instantly added around 4% to my profits, which is a very significant uplift. You can’t argue with an uplift like that, particularly as we didn’t do much else with the store in March other than add in a few extra shelves, re-brand it and re-range it with the Premier range.” Proof positive of the power of the Premier brand, range and shopper offering, if any was needed.

The new range was built around the Core In Every Store model while own label lines like Farm Fresh, Happy Shopper and Euro Shopper also feature heavily.

“I know I was only away for a short period of three years but I’ve been really impressed with how much Premier has developed and progressed in that time,” says Sheila. “The fresh offer is superb, the promotional package is brilliant

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

LOCAL LINES: The store offers a lot of locally sourced produce.

and the own label range is really extensive and pushes all the right buttons.”

She has been particularly impressed by the impact that adding more price-marked stock has had.

She explains: “The own label is all price-marked and a lot of the core range is too. It’s amazing how much it means to shoppers. They trust that price-mark and they feel reassured they’re getting value for money.”

Another area she highlights for praise is Premier’s flexibility, on a range of fronts. “It’s so much more enjoyable to deal with a partner that is prepared to understand my business and work with me to tackle challenges and exploit opportunities my store has,” she says. “A good example is local sourcing. I’m in a small village where locally sourced produce matters to shoppers. Premier has been brilliant in helping me exploit this and we’ve just added in a range of locally sourced craft beers and I also sell local cakes, bakery, eggs and dairy. It’s that sort of flexibility that makes such a difference to me and my shoppers.”

Talking of Sheila’s shoppers, the response she has had from them to the move back to Premier has been “extremely favourable”. They seem just as pleased as her with their new store. It’s the same story with her team at the store, most of whom have been with her for 10 or 12 years.

“You live and learn,” concludes Sheila. “I did what I thought was right but it didn’t work so I changed it and I’m glad that I’m back with Premier. It’s where I belong.”

RIGHT CHOICE: Derek and Sheila are delighted to be back with Premier.

PASS IT ON SHEILA HIGHLIGHTS THE FOLLOWING TIPS AS KEY TO RUNNING A MODERN CONVENIENCE STORE: Know your shoppers! There’s no substitute for knowing your shoppers inside out.

Give them what they want! It’s key to stock the precise range your shoppers want, even if that requires a bit more work.

Smile – Nothing beats a friendly face behind the till.

HAPPY DAYS: Sheila’s shoppers love their new range.

VILLAGE FOCUS: The store is a focus of the village and even features a small exterior seated area for local people to meet up.

August 2017 TalkingShop

17

STORE PROFILE | Huntingdon, Peterborough

I after

Still growing

43 years in the trade!

John Green has been working in has family store for over 43 years yet has still managed to achieve a 50% growth in sales in the months since joining Premier.

18 TalkingShop

August 2017

t’s difficult to believe that a store that has been trading for the best part of half a decade could have room to significantly grow sales after all that time, but that’s precisely what Peterborough retailer John Green has done since joining Premier in November last year.

“I’ve been working in this store for 43 years now,” explains John. “so it’s as much of a surprise to me as it is to anyone else that we’ve managed to achieve a 50% increase in sales since the turn of the year, simply by joining Premier!”

The history of John’s store in the 7,000 population village of Sawtry in Huntingdon, near Peterborough is a fascinating one. It began life as a general store owned by his father who also operated two mobile shops as well as the bricks and mortar store.

“He was ahead of his time in terms of convenience,” says John with great pride. “The vans serviced an eightmile radius and visited local farms and villages. You have to remember that this was in the time before supermarkets and even before cars were really popular, so this was an invaluable service for the local community.”

Naturally, John grew up in around the business and he joined full time as

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

ALADDIN’S CAVE: The store packs a lot into a small space.

SERVICE CULTURE: The team work hard to present a friendly welcome.

soon as he left school, learning his trade and preparing to take over the reins from his father when the time came.

During that time his father had the foresight to invest in the business to expand it to 1,200sq ft, a very large store for the time. “It was a different retailing trade back then,” recalls John. “I remember learning to bone out bacon and skin huge cheeses and weigh out fruit and vegetables on scales. It was proper retailing!”

Over the years the delivery service wound down as shopper habits changed and cars became more common and, finally, in 1973 his father sold the business to the Co-op and moved to a neighbouring unit to start a newsagents and Post Office in two buildings right next door to one another.

John’s father finally retired 34 years ago and John took over the day to day running of the newsagent business, to be joined by his brother David, a former accountant, who took over the running of the Post Office next door.

Last July, David decided to retire and the decision was made to relinquish the Post Office but, despite almost five decades in the trade, John had the drive and the energy to take the bold step of knocking the two businesses together into one larger unit.

“It’s only a small shop anyway,” he says. “but by getting rid of the Post Office we were able to add another 100sq ft or so onto

VILLAGE PEOPLE: After five decades in the village the store is known to all.

STAPLE SALES: John makes use of the great deals available on staple lines.

the shopfloor which was enough to allow us to bring in a broader range and start targeting a wider audience.”

A long-time Booker customer, John had always had one eye on becoming a Premier retailer if the opportunity arose – and towards the end of last year, he finally got his chance.

“We had to do a lot of work on the shop to knock the two businesses into one but I knew straight away that it was a great opportunity for us, particularly as it became clear that the expanded store would be accepted into Premier, which I’ve long considered to be the best symbol group on the market,” says John.

The process of moving into Premier was going smoothly and to plan when a minor disaster struck: almost unbelievably, the store was attached by a gang in a JCB who tried to literally steal the entire ATM at the store.

“It was incredible, it really was,” recalls John. “Fortunately they didn’t managed to actually remove the ATM but they did a huge amount of damage to the front half of the shop that required a lot of work to repair.”

That setback meant the store wasn’t open as a Premier in November as planned but it did finally reopen under the Premier banner at Christmas. John says: “It was a real shame because we basically missed

DEAL MAKER: The store makes room for a great selection of promotions.

50%

Increase in sales since joining Premier

Store CV:

Name: Premier Express Green End Store Retailer: John Green Time as a retailer: 43 years Time with Premier: 9 months Size: 540sq ft Staff: 5 Services: licensed, ATM, Lottery, dry cleaning, slush machine, passport photo machine, home news delivery Nearest competition: Co-op ½ mile away; Best-one ½ mile away Trading hours: 7am – 9pm Mon to Sat; 7am – 8pm Sun August 2017 TalkingShop

19

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What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com the important Christmas sales period, but you’ve got to cope with that comes your way in life.”

Business truly got underway in January and while John admits that he set himself some fairly stiff targets, he has been delighted to discover that the store is already out-performing those targets. “It was a significant investment to bring the businesses together so I really needed it to work,” he laughs. “So you can imagine my relief and delight when we started seeing immediate and very large increases in sales.”

The traditional newspaper side of the business has remained largely static, which is an achievement in itself given the state of the newstrade market, but the convenience

side of the business has grown by a whopping 50% already.

“After 43 years in business it’s amazing that we’ve been able to add that sort of growth simply by joining Premier,” says a delighted John.

While John’s range is necessarily tight, he has worked with Premier to include all of the core categories that are required in a modern convenience store and deliver great choice for his shoppers, even in a small store. The range includes traditional impulse lines, grocery, frozen, alcohol and fresh.

“In a store this size you need to make every square inch work for you,” he explains. “And, working with Premier, I’m very pleased that we’ve managed to do just that.”

But the good work doesn’t stop there.

John already has plans to convert some unused storage space into a new bake-off facility and has a coffee machine on order to cater for modern shopping habits as well as driving up footfall, sales and profits.

John’s story is an inspirational one showing what can be achieved with a great wholesale partner and a lot of effort and creativity. After 43 years he is still finding ways to develop his business – and he is reaping the rewards he deserves.

“I consider myself privileged to be part of the Premier family and I couldn’t have done all of this without them. It’s been a real team effort and even into my fifth decade in the business I’m more enthusiastic than ever!”

USE OF SPACE: The store has been laid out to make it feel much larger.

BACK IN ACTION: The ATM rammed by JCB-driving robbers last year.

A LITTLE OF EVERYTHING: As a true village store, the shop offers a broad, tight range.

PASS IT ON JOHN HAS THE FOLLOWING TOP TIPS FOR FELLOW PREMIER RETAILERS: Range – stock what people want to buy and that means keeping up with the times.

Availability – if you have the right range, you need to make sure it’s always on the shelf for shoppers to buy.

People – a store is only as good as the relationships it enjoys with its shoppers and with its staff.

TIDY CONVERSION: The refit to merge the store and PO was seamless.

August 2017 TalkingShop

21

STORE PROFILE | Bognor Regis

When you’re with Premier,

you win!

HERE TO HELP: Lidia and Kam (back row) with their team.

Store CV:

Name: Premier Wish Field, Bognor Regis Retailer: Kamyab Sahraee Time as a retailer: 25 years Time with Premier: 8 years Number of stores: 2 Size: 1,000sq ft Staff: 5 Services: ATM, PayPoint, Lottery, Licensed, Country Choice Bake Off, Jack’s Beans Coffee Machine Nearest competition: Tesco Express two miles away Trading hours: 6am – 9pm

For long-standing Premier retailer Kam Sahraee, there was only ever one option when it came to choosing the right symbol group for his new store in Bognor Regis.

S

ome opportunities are simply too good to miss, and that’s exactly how Bognor Regis retailer Kamyab Sahraee (better known as Kam to his shoppers) found himself snapping up a brand new store in the middle of a new-build housing estate in the south coast seaside resort.

“A friend of mine mentioned to me a few years ago that they were building new estate near him and there wasn’t a shop of any description for miles,” explains Kam. “He told me that, purely as a shopper, he would really like to have a store there because it was so difficult to do his shopping – and that got me thinking!”

Kam, who already owns a Premier Express in nearby Chichester, quickly

22 TalkingShop

August 2017

approached the local Council about a unit they owned on the site and they readily agreed to his proposal to create a new convenience store to meet the needs of the local community.”

“Getting them to agree to the shop was the easy part,” laughs Kam. “Getting them to actually get the building ready was another story entirely. I waited 18 months for them to get the basics in like water and electricity and I ended up doing most of the rest of the work myself, just to get the place ready to start trading as quickly as possible.”

That included doing the windows, the doors, the ceiling and the flooring, among other commitments, but at least the project reached completion far more rapidly and

Kam was finally able to open his impressive new Premier store on the 18th of March this year.

With 25 years’ experience under his belt, the last eight of them with Premier, Kam and his wife Lidia were very clear about how they wanted the new store to look and what it should stock. He says: “In 25 years I’ve dealt with a lot of wholesalers and symbol groups and I can tell you from long experience that nobody even comes close to Premier. It’s the best group of them all.

When you’re with Premier, you win!”

So there was never any doubt about which name would be above the door and Kam is full of praise for the work that the Premier team did in getting the store ready with him.

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

FRIENDLY SERVICE: Kam’s philosophy is all about providing great service.

TOP RATING: The store proudly displays its five star food hygiene rating.

MEGA DEALS: Kam always tries to deliver amazing value to shoppers.

VITAL SERVICE: The store is the only one for many miles.

BRIGHT AND NEW: The store has been fitted out from scratch.

HANDS ON: Lidia and Kam jointly run both Premier stores.

PASS IT ON

37%

Increase in sales since March “The team at Booker are fantastic, nothing is too much trouble,” he says. “I told them the range I wanted and I told them I wanted to offer a little of everything to our shoppers because we are the only shop for miles, so they need to be confident of getting everything they need here.”

That meant a strong convenience range but also a very sizeable grocery range as well as 5m of fresh and chilled space and a Country Choice hot food station, as well as a Jack’s Beans coffee machine. An ATM, a PayPoint machine and a strong licensed offering mean that shoppers in the local community never need go anywhere else.

Kam’s focus is overwhelmingly on delivering “great products at fantastic value” for his shoppers, an approach that

KAM HAS THE FOLLOWING ADVICE FOR FELLOW PREMIER RETAILERS: Be friendly! Always take the time to talk and to listen to shoppers, and staff. It’s important to them.

Don’t forget the kids! Children are tomorrow’s shoppers so treat them well. We gave away 200 slushes to kids last Halloween and it generated so much goodwill and brought lots of kids from miles around. It works.

Price, price, price! You need to be offering your shoppers great prices every day.

Fortunately, with Premier that’s easy.

has served him well over the years in the Chichester store. A big focus of the new store is on working the Mega Deals hard, as well as the wider promotional programme.

He explains: “The new Mega Deals format and the amazing pricing we get on staples like bread and milk are just perfect – who wouldn’t want that? And it means my shoppers can always get their essentials as well as a few bargains every time they come. There’s no need for them to get in their car and drive to Tesco and that’s just the way I like it.”

Kam’s approach is clearly working because sales have increased by 37% since he opened a few months ago, and the good news doesn’t stop there. “We’re still growing,” he says with a broad smile.

“Every week we’re adding 5% or 10% to the sales of the week before, so I don’t know how long that will continue but I’m hoping for a long, long time!”

The store is very active on Facebook, something Kam is passionate about. “We update our page regularly with the latest deals and news about what’s happening in the store and it’s amazing how many times shoppers comment on our posts. It definitely helps drive footfall, and it also helps us bond with the community and have a bit of fun into the bargain.”

A man of boundless energy and positivity, Kam is already thinking about adding a third store to his portfolio – and it goes without saying that it would be a Premier too!

August 2017 TalkingShop

23

STORE PROFILE | Wednesfield, Wolverhampton

work A lifetime’s

Kulvinder Singh’s Premier store in Wolverhampton is the culmination of 24 years of experience in the industry and is his ‘best store yet’.

Store CV:

Name: Premier Wednesfield Convenience Store Retailer: Kulvinder Singh Time as a retailer: 24 years Time with Premier: 10 years Size: 2,200sq ft Services: Lottery, PayPoint, licensed, ATM, continental food range Nearest competition: Sainsbury’s ½ mile away Staff: 4 Trading hours: 8am – 9pm Mon to Sat; 9am – 8pm Sun

DREAM TEAM: Kulvinder with his son and wife, and colleague Lynn.

COOL SALES: A huge frozen range is available.

DEAL MAKER: The store focuses heavily on great deals every day.

24 TalkingShop

August 2017

PRIME SITE: The store sits on a busy corner and benefits from the chip shop next door (right).

ALWAYS ON: Great availability is the number one focus.

LICENCE TO THRILL: Alcohol forms a core part of the offer.

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

50% increase in sales

SHOP FIT: High shopfitting standards abound.

PEOPLE GAME: The team work hard at offering top service.

A

serial retail entrepreneur and a loyal Premier retailer, Kulvinder Singh has owned and managed a dozen stores in his 24-year career as a retailer, but his latest store in the Wolverhampton suburb of Wednesfield is the one of which he is most proud. “I’ve had a lot of shops over the years with Premier but this one is my pride and joy,” he explains. “It was built three years ago but I get compliments nearly every day from people saying that it looks like it was refitted yesterday. That makes me proud because, with my son Jatih and my wife Balbir Kaur, we work so hard at keeping the store perfect.”

When Kulvinder bought the freehold, the store had been a plumber’s merchant with a small showroom and a set of offices, so converting it to a convenience store was a major undertaking.

“I actually bought the building about four years ago but it took a year to get it the way I wanted it – and that was a lot of work, believe me!” laughs Kulvinder. The project involved splitting the premises into three separate units: a fish and chip shop next door that he lets out, a set of flats upstairs and, finally, the

BRIGHT LIGHT: The store is kept bright and welcoming.

store itself. “My brother is in the building trade, which helps,” says Kulvinder.

“It was a major project because we had to knock most of the walls down and we even had to raise the level of the entire ground floor which involved pumping in tonnes and tonnes of concrete before we could even start on fitting the shop out to the standard I wanted.”

Kulvinder was delighted with the result however and says it was well worth the effort. He comments: “It was a quality job, we didn’t cut any corners and that’s why the store looks as good now as it did three years ago when we opened.”

He is convinced that a great retail environment is vital to retaining new shoppers, as he explains: “When you work so hard to bring new footfall in through the leaflets and Facebook and local advertising, it’s critical that their first impression when they walk through the door is a good one. That’s the only way to ensure they turn into loyal, regular shoppers.”

The store now is a large one at around 2,200sq ft and provides everything that local shoppers need all in one place including an extensive convenience range, a very large frozen range with around

GOOD TO GO: The store is capitalising on the food to go trend.

12 metres of freezer space and a significant grocery range, including a large Asian foods fixture to cater for the diverse nature of the local community.

Kulvinder has just added Premier Radio too and is increasingly active on social media to share his promotions more widely.

The strategy is clearly hitting the mark as turnover continues to increase month on month and has done so consistently since the store opened. “Sales are up by over 50% and we haven’t reached the ceiling yet,” says a delighted Kulvinder.

“And that’s taking into account that one of the main roads to the shop was closed for a while because a bridge was being repaired. That road is open again so we expect to see another hike in sales and profits – and we’ll just see where that takes us. I feel strongly that the package we get from Premier is by far the best on the market. The promotional package is exceptional and gives us the tools we need to make a profitable store. All we have to do is get the deals on the shelves and focus on fantastic customer service.

That’s the key to winning at this game. Give your shoppers plenty of time and attention and they’ll keep coming back. It’s simple.”

PASS IT ON KULVINDER HAS THE FOLLOWING ADVICE FOR FELLOW PREMIER RETAILERS Customer service: nothing is more important that making sure your shoppers enjoy their trip to your store.

Availability: if you don’t have the products on the shelf, all of your other work could be wasted.

Promotions: today’s shoppers want great deals every day and with Premier we are able to give them exactly that.

August 2017 TalkingShop

25

Sales in Premier have doubled * in a year POR% 26%** 500g

...NEW 250g and 500g PMP Available now *Salesout Data 52w to 19th May 2017 **POR% Correct at time of printing

Spread The News The average household buys spreads every 16 days.† Butter & Margerine are staple items for consumers and therefore it is important that Premier retialers stock the leading brands.

Consumers are increasingly price conscious so having a value proposition on shelf is key

Product versatility provides shoppers value for money

99% of households buy spreads†

Key usage occasions:

Growth opportunities

Spreading Cooking Baking Frying

• Increasing usage occasions • Encouraging trade up

Drive Spreads Category Growth Through New Usage Occasions…

I Can’t Believe It’s So Good is helping shoppers to manage their budgets by calling out different usage occasions.

Penetration %

21.6%†

I can’t believe it’s so versatile! baking spreading frying

cooking

New 250g PMP available in Booker now.

13.4%†

I Can’t Believe It’s So Good

Utterly Butterly

Having a value proposition in your range is important, I Can’t Believe It’s So Good has 21.6% penetration.

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Vaping | FEATURE

New vaping

range gives Premier retailers the Edge A new range of high quality British e-liquids is already giving Premier retailers the Edge in this fast growing, high POR category.

EDGE: AN OVERVIEW l First brand launched by a healthcare company in the convenience sector. l First price marked product pack. l Price Point at £2.50 – half the price of other e-cigarette competitors in the convenience sector. l Edge price undercuts the vape store’s average of price of £3.33. l Flavour range based on the 10 top flavour sellers in vape store environment.

£500m Size of the UK e-liquids market

August 2017 TalkingShop

29

FEATURE | Vaping

T

here is no doubt the vaping category is one that offers Premier retailers enormous opportunities to drive sales and margins in a category estimated to literally double in size over the next 12 months. Booker’s recent deal with major British pharmaceutical firm Thornton and Ross has given Premier retailers the range they need to capitalise on that growth with the introduction of its Edge range of high quality, British-made e-liquids.

The Edge range comprises 10 flavours available in a variety of strengths, each one produced to the highest standard in a pharmaceutical grade manufacturing facility.

According to a recent YouGov survey there are an estimated 2.9 million adults in Great Britain who use vaping eliquids.

Currently the UK market for eliquids stands at £500m and is expected to grow to £1bn in the next 12 months, however the convenience store channel represented only 25% of sales in 2016.

It was this market opportunity that saw Thornton and Ross enter the market with their Edge brand.

The company’s brands, including Covonia and Zoflora, will already be familiar to retailers. These exceptional quality e-liquid products have a very

competitive price point of just £2.50 and the launch has been backed by a full sales and marketing support package for retailers.

The development of the category is welcome news for retailers who have seen sales of traditional tobacco products fall in recent years.

“The market for e-liquids has matured and e-cigarette usage is now accepted as completely normal,” said Ben Wilson, Managing Director of Blend & Bottle, the e-liquid manufacturing arm of Thornton and Ross.

“We wanted to bring to market a premium product that is easily and readily available through retail channels and more acceptable to the mass market.”

Premier stores are ideally placed to take advantage of vape shoppers unable to source their liquid needs from vape stores which close at the end of normal business hours, or who rely on online delivery of their e-liquids and to those entering the sector for the first time, who may make impulse purchases in convenience.

This is great news for both shoppers and retailers alike: shoppers gets a premium product at a great value price point, while the retailer can increase overall store margin with POR percentages on e-liquids significantly higher than those on conventional tobacco products.

EUTPD2 – WHY QUALITY IS SO IMPORTANT Industry regulation through the Tobacco Products Directive (EUTPD2) brought a much-welcomed set of standards to the e-cigarette and e-liquid industry. All Edge products are subject to a stringent set of criteria, including: l Only ingredients of high quality and purity – Edge e-liquids are manufactured using only EP/USP pharmaceutical grade ingredients, from sources within the EU that they trust. l Batch Control – Every batch has a unique batch number, providing full traceability and enabling a full recall policy. l Regulatory Compliant – The team behind the Edge range constantly monitor current and proposed legislation to ensure full regulatory compliance at all times. l ISO Class 5 Facility – The products are produced at a 34,000sq ft production facility with four ISO Class 5 cleanrooms and four fully automated lines produce 50 million bottles per year. l Pharma grade nicotine used – the pharma grade nicotine used in Edge e-liquids comes from the same CEP source manufacturers who provide the majority of global Nicotine Replacement Therapy (NRT) producers with nicotine for traditional NRT products such as patches, gum and inhalators. l ISO 9001 CERTIFICATION – Blend & Bottle operates and maintains a quality management system based on requirements of international quality standard ISO9001.

30 TalkingShop

August 2017

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

RETAILER VIEW MANJINDER SINGH Premier Swalwell Convenience, Gateshead “I know it’s early days but the new Edge lines are absolutely flying in my Swalwell store. It’s a bit of a surprise really because historically we didn’t sell many vaping products out of that store – but sales have just exploded, which is fantastic.

“The range of flavours is spot on because it gives shoppers the chance to experiment a bit and try some flavours they don’t normally go for. At £2.50 a bottle, the value is fantastic and it means people can trial them without too much expense.”

RETAILER VIEW BRYAN CURRIE Tennant House Premier Store, Ecclefechan “We’re optimistic about the Edge lines in the store because the price point is just fantastic and I think my shoppers will be happy to trial the lines.

“I’m not a vaper myself but I understand the quality of the products is second to none, so I expect that if my shoppers try the lines once, they come back again.

“We’re also hopeful of seeing some growth because a dedicated vape shop along the road from us has just closed down so I’m hoping to pick up some of those shoppers over the coming weeks and months.”

RETAILER VIEW KULVINDER SINGH Premier Wednesfield, Wolverhampton “I love the counter top unit because it’s compact but it displays an extensive range neatly and attractively. We sell quite a lot of e-liquids in the store so I haven’t been surprised to see the Edge liquids get off to a flying start.

“At the end of the day, Edge is a top quality British-made product that meets all legal requirements and delivers unbeatable value at just £2.50 a bottle. It looks great on the counter, the prominent price mark and the high quality packaging will make it a winner in my store.”

RETAILER VIEW IAN WATT Premier Festival Stores, Kirknewton “The new range of Edge e-liquids has gone down really well with my shoppers and sales have been solid, despite the fact it’s the middle of the holiday season here and the store is generally a bit quieter than usual.

“The counter top unit is very eye-catching and the fact that the lines are price-marked makes a big difference.

“We only stocked the Blu lines before which are literally twice the price so a lot of my vaping shoppers are more than happy to have a go at the Edge lines at just £2.50 and if the quality is there, which it seems to be, they’ll buy again.”

August 2017 TalkingShop

31

New

30 forrange 20

51po%r

New 30 for 20 cases, driving improved margins for retailers all year around.

Stock The range - or miss out!

COdE

deScRiPtIoN

wSp

mRrP pOr% VaT

223369

Mini Cheddars Big Bag Original 30f20 30x50g

£10.89

£0.75

51.6%

223613

Mini Cheddars Crinklys C&O 30f20 30x50g

£10.89

£0.75

51.6%

0.0%

223434

Mini Cheddars BBQ Grab Bag 30f20 30x50g

£10.89

£0.75

51.6%

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Mini Cheddars Branston Pickle 30f20 30x50g

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51.6%

0.0%

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Mini Cheddars Crinklys S&V 30f20 30x50g

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51.6%

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0.0%

Farm Fresh | FEATURE

Drive your profits

to fresh heights!

The top quality Farm Fresh range delivers everything that today’s shoppers want, making it easier than ever before for Premier retailers to make fresh a feature of their store.

GET FRESH: More shoppers are looking to buy little and often.

August 2017 TalkingShop

33

Stock up on new look , the perfect drink for Summer!

NONALCOH OLIC

Stylish and contemporary pack designs Re-formulated liquid, in compliance with the Sugar Tax Levy Adult soft drinks contribute 3 times more ÂŁ per litre* than mainstream soft drinks

Shloer White Grape - M092449 Shloer Red Grape - M092448

it’s a

thing.

Source: Nielsen Scantrack Total Coverage Defined Adult Soft Drinks Value & Volume 52w/e 25.02.17 Kantar Defined ASD Demographics 52w/e 29.01.17

Farm Fresh | FEATURE

QUALITY FIRST: Farm Fresh guarantees quality and value.

LET IT FLOURISH: Try giving more space to fresh to capitalise on changing shopper trends.

F RANGE OPTIONS: The seasonal Farm Fresh range provides all the essentials.

resh produce has for many years been a star of the independent retailing show with today’s shoppers keener than ever to have access to a strong fresh range in their local Premier store.

Experience has clearly shown that shoppers now demand a great core range of fruit and vegetables in your store – and they will purchase little and often where a great offer is available.

Martyn Parkinson, Brand Director Premier, says that fresh is now a must-stock category in-store for Premier retailers who want to maximise their sales and profits. He explains: “There is simply no better way to

drive your sales, profits and footfall than through a great fresh offering, and Farm Fresh provides everything you need to take advantage of that opportunity.”

The good news is that Booker has identified a great opportunity for every Premier retailer stocking Farm Fresh produce to increase cash profits by £2,000 a year*.

This involves nothing more than following three simple steps to fantastic fresh produce. These steps overcome the areas that most commonly hinder sales of fresh produce. The steps do not involve major investment or significant amounts of time. Only a little effort and some August 2017 TalkingShop

35

5 Great Flavours to choose from

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Farm Fresh | FEATURE

DISPLAY KEY: Keeping a regular eye on the fixture will pay dividends.

CORE RANGE: following Talking Shop recommends the sales and core range to maximise fresh year: earn £2,000 extra profit every Pre-pack Potatoes RSP: £1.49 Case size: 10 x 2kg WSP: £0.99 POR: 33% Closed Cup Mushrooms £0.99PM Case size 8 x 250g WSP: £0.74 RSP: POR: 25% Bananas RSP £0.99PM Case size: 20 x 5’s WSP: £0.74 POR: 25% Tomatoes RSP: £0.99PM Case size: 10 x 6’s WSP: £0.74 POR: 25% Mixed Peppers RSP: £1.59PM Case size: 10 x 3’s WSP: £1.19 POR: 25% Mild Onions RSP: £0.99PM Case size: 20 x 3’s WSP: £0.74 POR: 25%

£2,000 Extra cash profit per year

Carrots RSP: Case size: 10 x 500g WSP: £0.50 £0.69PM POR: 27% Cucumbers RSP: £0.69PM Case size: 14 x sgl WSP: £0.50 POR: 27% Red Apples £1.59PM Case size: 8 x 4’s WSP: £1.19 RSP: POR: 25% Iceberg Lettuce RSP: £0.75 Case size: 12 x Sgl WSP: £0.55 POR: 26% Florette Crispy Salad Case size: 10 x 115g WSP: £0.74 RSP: £0.99PM POR: 25% Broccoli RSP: £0.89 Case size: 10 x sgl WSP: £0.65 POR: 27%

commitment to creating and maintaining a great fresh offering for your shoppers.

The three steps to adding £2,000 of cash profit a year are as follows: 1. Stock the core range as shown above This core range covers all of the most commonly demanded fresh lines in a Premier store and will ensure that you meet the vast majority of fresh requirements from your shoppers.

2. Keep your display full and fresh Ensuring that your display is fresh, bright, clean and appealing is absolutely vital to maximising fresh sales. Shoppers are far more likely to buy from a scrupulously clean, well stocked display packed with

BRIGHT EYES: Fresh is a bright, colourful category.

fresh produce in great condition. The old adage applies: if you wouldn’t buy it yourself, don’t have it on the shelf.

3. Use your fruit and veg shelf cards included in your P5 promotional POS Kit To help you turbo-charge your fresh sales, Premier has produced a high quality set of POS materials to help you bring the fresh fixture to life and attract shopper attention.

All you have to do is make sure this kit is implemented correctly in-store.

Follow these simple steps and you could be well on your way to adding thousands of pounds of profit to your business. *Based on a typical retailer selling an extra £25 per day of fruit and vegetables at 25% POR.

August 2017 TalkingShop

37

To purchase these products now, visit www.booker.co.uk

Ones to

watch

A selection of key products that will deliver for you in-store

Discover the Choice!

WHAT? DISCOVER THE CHOICE PIZZAS 50% POR DEAL WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Designed to deliver a winning combination of quality and value, the new and exclusive ‘Discover The Choice’ range launches with three chilled pizzas.

The launch includes exceptional deals on the fantastic range of Discover the Choice Pizzas, delivering amazing launch deal PORs of 50% for retailers (until September 5th) then standard PORs of 33.44%.

The pizzas come in three popular flavours: Pepperoni, Three Cheese and Meat Feast and are supplied in high quality packaging to ensure standout in the chiller and encourage shoppers to trial the new lines.

The pizzas have a long shelf life of 13 days and are priced at £2.99 or ‘any 2 for £5’ with these mix and match multibuy deals delivering 20% POR.

WHO? With chilled, quality food driving the market these days, the new range of pizzas is expected to be a big hit with a broad range of shoppers from mothers seeking great quality, tasty food for the family to younger shoppers looking for a great value option for lunch or dinner. The range of popular flavours available caters for most tastes.

DISCOVER THE CHOICE THREE CHEESE PIZZA CASE SIZE: 5 X 331G WSP: £9.99 RSP: £2.99 / 2-FOR-£5 POR: 33.44% DISCOVER THE CHOICE PEPPERONI PIZZA CASE SIZE: 5 X 330G WSP: £9.99

WHERE TO STOCK? The new lines should be sited prominently in the chiller alongside similar products where the price mark and high quality packaging will bring in new shoppers and drive up basket spend.

Premier retailers should also make use of the free POS kits available and the shopper leaflet features to ensure maximum sales.

RSP: £2.99 / 2-FOR-£5 POR: 33.44% DISCOVER THE CHOICE MEAT FEAST PIZZA CASE SIZE: 5 X 350G WSP: £9.99 RSP: £2.99 / 2-FOR-£5 POR: 33.44%

Cheese please!

WHAT? GALBANI MOZZARELLA BALL, PRESIDENT BRIE PORTION WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? The continental cheese category has grown by over 14% in value over the last year, bringing a huge amount of new shoppers into the category. President and Galbani are the brand leaders within their sectors and have been delivering strong value growth in the UK market. Two of their most popular products are now available from Booker: Galbani Mozzarella Balls and President Brie Portions.

WHO? These new lines are the number one branded products in their categories and can be expected to deliver

strong sales. Booker is providing market-leading WSPs to enable retailers to deliver a stronger price position and drive trial.

WHERE TO STOCK? Site the new lines prominently within the cheese section of the chiller, ideally at eye level where the big-name brands will deliver sales and PORs of up to 32.34%.

GALBANI MOZARELLA BALL CASE SIZE: 12 X 125G WSP: £12.99 RSP: £1.59 POR: 31.92% PRESIDENT BRIE PORTION CASE SIZE: 6 X 200G WSP: £8.89 RSP: £2.19 POR: 32.34% August 2017 TalkingShop

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To purchase these products now, visit www.booker.co.uk

Time for turkey!

WHAT? BERNARD MATTHEWS TURKEY RANGE WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? The popular Bernard Matthews range of quality turkey products is now available from Booker with a £1 RSP which is set to drive impulse sales and profits. The range covers three products – Premium Turkey Breast, Turkey Ham and Turkey Chunks – and all three lines deliver 25% POR and carry an RSP of just £1.

WHO? The Bernard Matthews brand is trusted by shoppers and these £1 lines should prove popular with a wide range of shoppers looking for lunch box fillers, lunchtime snacks or something to liven up an evening meal at a great value price.

BERNARD MATTHEWS TURKEY BREAST PREMIUM CASE SIZE: 12 X 100G WSP: 75P RSP: £1 POR: 25% BERNARD MATTHEWS TURKEY HAM CASE SIZE: 12 X 140G WSP: 75P RSP: £1 POR: 25%

WHERE TO STOCK? The lines should be sited within the chiller among similar cooked meat products where the power of the brand name combined with the great value pricing will generate sales and profits.

Energy and sport launched WHAT? NEW LUCOZADE AND MONSTER LINES WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Major sports and energy brands Lucozade and Monster have added a number of new lines to their portfolios, bringing new interest and excitement to an already huge and buoyant category. Lucozade Sport has launched Fitwater in 600ml variant and a new Lucozade Sport Lemon and Lime 500ml variant, price-marked at £1. Monster has launched its new 500ml Hydro range with the two key flavours being a Mean Green version and a Tropical version, both price-marked at £1.09.

WHO? The new lines are squarely aimed at those who take hydration and health seriously and will prove popular with those visiting the gym, or simply looking after themselves during the day. Both brands already enjoy very loyal followings and the new lines should sell well.

WHERE TO STOCK? Stock the new lines among similar products within the main soft drinks chiller, and consider stocking the Monster lines in a slimline Monster chiller if you have one.

LUCOZADE FITWATER CASE SIZE: 12 X 600ML WSP: £4.99 RSP: 89P POR: 44% MONSTER HYDRO MEAN GREEN; MONSTER HYDRO TROPICAL CASE SIZE: 12 X 550ML WSP: £6.99 RSP: £1.09 PM POR: 35.9% LUCOZADE SPORT LEMON & LIME CASE SIZE: 12 X 500ML WSP: £7.19 RSP: £1 PM POR: 28.1%

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August 2017

BERNARD MATTHEWS TURKEY CHUNKS CASE SIZE: 12 X 100G WSP: 75P RSP: £1 POR: 25%

To purchase these products now, visit www.booker.co.uk

Low sugar, big sales

Exclusive deal!

WHAT? REDUCED SUGAR ROWNTREES RANDOMS AND ROWNTREES FRUIT PASTILLES

WHAT? BOOKER EXCLUSIVE SWIZZELS DRUMSTICK SQUASHIES

WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW

WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW

WHY? As more and more shoppers are moving towards lower sugar products, Rowntrees has responded with new lower sugar variants of its popular Randoms and Fruit Pastilles products. The new lines feature 30% less sugar but promise the same taste that shoppers love. These lines are on Promotion NP6, selling out from 9th August to 5th September with a specially reduced WSP of just £9.99.

WHY? Booker has secured exclusive access for six months on a new range of Swizzels Drumstick Squashies, price-marked at 50p or 3-for-£1.

WHO? The reduced sugar options will be popular with existing Randoms and Fruit Pastilles shoppers but will also bring new shoppers into the category for a guilt-free treat.

WHERE TO STOCK? The lines will sell best from within the main confectionery fixture and could also be sited near the tillpoint to drive impulse sales.

WHO? Squashies is the UK’s fastest growing confectionery brand and the new range includes three flavour variants that are sure to appeal to younger shoppers. The lines will be featured in promotional period six and are expected to drive category growth.

ROWNTREES RANDOMS 30% REDUCED SUGAR AND ROWNTREES FRUIT PASTILLES 30% REDUCED SUGAR CASE SIZE: 32 X 38G WSP: £10.85 (NP6 PROMO WSP: £9.99) RSP: 51P

WHERE TO STOCK? The new lines should be double-faced on the impulse, single serve confectionery fixture alongside Skittles 55g bags and Rowntrees Fruit Pastilles.

POR: 20.22% (NP6 PROMO POR: 26.54%) SWIZZELS DRUMSTICK SQUASHIES CASE SIZE: 24 X 45G WSP: £4.99 RSP: 50P / 3-FOR-£1 POR: 50% / 25% @ 3-FOR-£1

Latest Kit Kat NPD WHAT? KIT KAT NEW YORK CHEESECAKE WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? The hugely popular Kit Kat brand is expanding once more with the launch of the latest limited edition flavour, New York Cheesecake. One of the biggest selling lines in independent retailing, Kit Kat is a firm favourite with many shoppers and this new launch will drive significant trial rates from both existing Kit Kat shoppers and new shoppers looking to try this latest exotic new flavour.

WHERE TO STOCK? The new line should be sited on the main confectionery fixture as well as on any available secondary of tertiary sitings, ideally near the tillpoint.

CASE SIZE: 24 X 42G WSP: 10.69 RSP: 67P POR: 20.22%

WHO? KitKat is popular with all ages and demographics so the new flavour should be a hit with a broad cross-section of shoppers, young and old.

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WHOLESALE EXCLUSIVE

FROM UK'S UK'S #1 SSPORTS PORTS DRINK DRINK

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AVAILABLE FROM 31ST JULY 2017 *Recommended Retail Price only **IRI Marketplace; w/e 26th March 2017. Lucozade Sport provides carbohydrates and electrolytes to enhance hydration and help maintain performance during prolonged endurance exercise. LUCOZADE, LUCOZADE SPORT and the Arc Device are registered trade marks of Lucozade Ribena Suntory Limited. ©2017 Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ltd. All rights reserved.

PricesDown

FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITIES TO SAVE ON COSTS AND BOOST YOUR PROFITS

Bread, milk and sugar EDLP deal drives up footfall Premier’s EDLP wholesale pricing deal on bread, milk and sugar is driving up footfall for retailers.

NOW 69P

CASE SIZE: X X 800g WSP WAS: £7.50 WSP NOW: £6.30 SAVING: £1.20 RSP: 79p POR: 20.3%

Muller-Wiseman Milk CASE SIZE: X x 2l WSP WAS: £3.56 WSP NOW: £3.20 SAVING: 36p RSP: £1.39 POR: 42.2%/20% (2-for-£1)

Whitworths Granulated Sugar

P

remier’s exceptional Every Day Low Pricing deal on staple bread, milk and sugar lines is already having a huge impact on driving up footfall while driving down costs for retailers as shoppers take advantage of amazing prices on these staple lines.

Premier slashed the wholesale price on bread, milk and sugar so Premier retailers can offer market leading, everyday low prices on these important convenience products.

Kingsmill 50/50 is available for shoppers at just 79p, Wisemans Milk at 2 x 2 Litres for just £2 and 1kg of Whitworths sugar is only 69p.

These deals deliver outstanding value and give shoppers a reason to choose Premier stores, while still delivering a minimum of 20% POR for retailers.

These deals are exclusive to Premier retailers and form an important part of the group’s commitment to help drive footfall into stores. Bread, milk and sugar have been specifically selected as these are the top three products for sales and driving footfall in the convenience market.

BREAD These EDLP deals are RSP also being prominently WAS £1 featured on NOW 79P SUGAR the Premier RSP promotional WAS £1 leaflet.

Kingsmill 50/50

CASE SIZE: X x 1kg WSP WAS: £8.99 WSP NOW: £7.99 SAVING: £1.00 RSP: 69p POR: 22.8%

RETAILER VIEW JOHN GREEN Premier Green End Store, Peterborough “Competition is getting tougher and we need every tool we can get to bring shoppers through the front door – and nothing brings shoppers quicker than exceptional value prices on staple lines that they buy regularly like bread, milk and sugar.

These types of lines act like magnets in bringing shoppers to the store.”

RETAILER VIEW SHEILA ANTHONY Premier Anthony’s Village Stores, Arndale “Bread, milk and sugar are arguably the most important products that a Premier store sells for lots of different reasons, so it’s such a powerful statement to be able to offer our shoppers such brilliant pricing on products that most of them buy every day in life. It’s great that the deal is available on big name brands.”

RETAILER VIEW DAN COCK Premier Whitstone Village Stores, Holsworthy

MILK RSP WAS £1.39 NOW 2-FOR£2

“Retailing is all about getting the basics right and understanding what is most important to shoppers – and one of those important things is great value pricing on things they need every day. Bread, milk and sugar are right at the top of that list and shoppers like to feel they get value from Premier.”

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BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

Time to target pupils and students!

It will shortly be time for pupils and students of all ages to return to schools, colleges and universities across the UK, creating an important annual sales opportunity for Premier retailers.

T

he ‘back to school’ period is one of the most significant opportunities every year for retailers as millions of pupils and students of return to school, college, university and all other forms of education.

It’s an opportunity that applies to stores in practically every village, town and city so it’s one every retailer has the chance to cash in on. That special period of the year invariably sees these pupils and

students – often with the help of parents or family – plan to start afresh for the new term and this often involves stocking up on a wide variety of food.

This is where Premier retailers can take advantage by providing shoppers with a good choice of products catering for every breakfast, lunch, evening meal and snacking occasion.

One of the most traditional staple categories for higher education students is the pasta, noodle

Â

THE STUDENT STAPLE DIET TOP 10!

Talking Shop recommend s the following Top 10 products for the key ‘bac k to college’ opportunity: Heinz Baked Beanz PM Case size: 24x415g WSP: £15.29 RSP: £ 0.79PM POR: 19.4% Pot Noodle Chicken & Mushroom PM Case size: 12x90g WSP: £ 10.39 RSP: £ 1.19PM POR : 27.2% Euro Shopper Baked Bea ns PM Case size: 12x410g WSP: £2.94 RSP: £0.35PM POR: 30.0% Batchelors Super Noodles Chicken PM Case size: 8x100g WSP: £5.5 9 RSP: £1.00PM POR: 30.1 % Euro Shopper Tuna Flak es in Brine PM Case size: 12x185g WSP: £6.29 RSP: £0.75PM POR: 30.1% Heinz Beanz & Pork Sau sages PM / 2-for-£2 Case size: 6x415g WSP: £5.4 9 RSP: £1.25PM / 2-for-£2 POR: 26.8% Happy Shopper Microwa ve Basmati Rice PM / 2-for-£1.75 Case size: 6x250g WSP: £3.9 9 RSP: £1.00PM / 2-for-£1.7 5 POR: 33.5% Batchelors Pasta n Sau ce Cheese Broccoli PM Case size: 7x110g WSP: £5.1 9 RSP: £1.00PM POR: 25.8 % Heinz Ravioli PM / 2-for -£2 Case size: 6x400g WSP: £5.4 9 RSP: £1.25PM / 2-for-£2 POR: 26.8% Batchelors Cup A Soup Chicken PM Case size: 9x81g WSP: £8.2 9 RSP: £1.29PM POR: 28.6 %

MORE

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MERCHANDISING ADVICE: BEANS Core In Every Store offers the following merchandising advice to Premier retailers: l give preference in-store to the best performing SKUs, as identified using your Epos system l actively look to allocate more space to fast growing segments such as healthier lines l prioritise convenient formats in-store as these are the formats driving growth l site the best-selling lines in high footfall areas to push up impulse sales

MERCHANDISING ADVICE: POT SNACKS Core In Every Store offers the following merchandising advice to Premier retailers: l Make products easier to find by locating noodle snacks together with rice snacks. l Site Pot Snacks near crisps and soft drinks as a large proportion of Pot Snacks are consumed at lunchtime and are often eaten on the go with crisps and / or a soft drink. l Allocate space appropriately; if sited on the same fixture, give 70% of space to pot snacks and 30% to block noodles. l Make it easy for shoppers to eat them by making hot water available in-store, if possible, and have forks to hand so people can eat them immediately. l Keep similar products together by merchandising all flavours of multipacks together and all flavours of single packs together.

and bean meals and accompaniments market. This category often accounts for a large part of the student diet, so it’s a market Premier retailers should take seriously – particularly if the store is near a college or university.

The beans and pasta segment alone is worth more than £400m to the UK each year, according to Nielsen, with the average shopper picking up two items every time they shop. What’s more, while it’s critical during the back to school period, it’s a key segment all year round with almost 90% of the population buying into the beans and pasta category.

Annually there are over 293 million shopping occasions with bean meals and accompaniments.

So it’s important for retailers to organise their grocery range carefully, with the Core In Every Store range the perfect place to start.

BEANS MEANS SALES

Category champion Heinz is committing major marketing spend to ensure this key message reaches consumers over the coming months.

The company believes the growth of the fresh category has led many to believe ‘fresh is best’ and that canned products are less nutritious.

However, Heinz argues that the can plays a vital role as a natural preservative of the product, enabling longer shelf life.

Heinz Beanz is currently working with the Food Network to inspire shoppers with a variety of simple recipes using recipe cards and shelf talkers, something that becomes ever more important in the back to school period.

The new Heinz Beanz ‘Good for you, without going on about

it’ campaign which first aired in May will return to TV screens in September with continued in-store activation promoting the goodness of Beanz throughout the path to purchase. This should help drive sales in the back to school period.

POT SNACKS

The Pot Snacks category offers a quick, value-for-money, hot meal solution, which students often choose as a convenient, low-cost option. More than 58% of Pot Snacks are consumed at lunchtime and are often eaten on the go, along with a soft drink, crisps or confectionery.

This makes Pot Snacks a valuable category for retailers who have high lunchtime trade. Putting them next to other ‘food for now’ categories can really boost sales, as can making hot water and forks available to shoppers.

Impulse sales are high because Pot Snacks are quick and convenient, requiring no planning, preparation or chilling, unlike a homemade sandwich or salad, and can be consumed either out-of-home or in the workplace – for example, in colleges or universities.

Leading brand Pot Noodle is also aiming to drive the growth of the category with a range of new pasta based snacks. Known as Pot Pasta, the range features the nation’s favourite pasta recipes in a convenient snack pot format.

The Beefy Bolognese and Creamy Carbonara variants will be supported by a £2m above the line ‘You can make it the Italian way’ marketing campaign, which includes out of home advertising as well as targeted social media activity. The range will

RETAILER VIEW DENNIS WILLIAMS Premier Broadway Convenience Store, Edinburgh “Many Premier stores will have a school or college near them and the end of the summer presents a great opportunity to target this market with a well organised range of products that pupils and students will be looking for. All it takes is a little thought and time to create new sales.”

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August 2017

PRICE & PROMOTIONS

LIGHT MEALS CATEGORY ADVICE

1. Insights from him! show that Price Marked Packs (PMPs) play a very important role.

The Light Meals category can be spilt into 5 different sectors:

2. 47% of consumers compare prices between other stores when grocery shopping, and year on year, fewer convenience shoppers xpect to pay a premium.

2. Savoury Noodle

3. 50% of shoppers say “PMPs reassure me I am not being overcharged” and “make me aware of the true price”.

4. Promotions are still extremely beneficial in certain instances such as: l NPD: Six in 10 UK adults would try NPD if it were on promotion l Meal Deals: 45% of Food to Go shoppers buy Meal Deals, boosting ‘third item upsell’ l Treats: promotions can be highly effectively at driving incremental sales.

be sampled by 90% of UK freshers attending college and university for the first time, creating a knock-on effect for retailers.

Batchelors is officially the nation’s favourite quick meals, snacks and soups brand through its range of convenient options

1. Pot Snacks

3. Dry Soup 4. Savoury Pasta

90%

of population buy beans and pasta

5. Savoury Rice l Each sector has its bestselling lines, but with space limited, it’s best not to duplicate flavours.

Instead offer a variety of top sellers. l 4.7% of shoppers buy a light meal and then eat it straight away. It is a highly impulse driven category and is best to ensure stock is available throughout the day, but particularly lunch time and mid-afternoon – prime selling times for these products. l In store-displays are the main trigger that lead shoppers to buy in convenience stores in this category, so make sure you have these products visible on eye-catching displays, especially at the front of store in order to encourage an impulse purchase.

including Super Noodles, Super Rice, Cup a Soup and Pasta ‘n’ Sauce. Available in the convenience channel as price-marked packs, these can all be made up by simply adding hot water – making the products a tempting option for students in a hurry.

KEY STANDARD PASTA ACCOMPANIMENTS Key standard pasta accompaniments l Heinz Spaghetti Hoops 400g l Heinz Spaghetti 400g l Happy Shopper Spaghetti Soops 395g l Heinz Spaghetti 200g l Heinz Spaghetti Hoops 205g Key pasta meals l Heinz Ravioli 400g l Heinz Macaroni Cheese 400g l Heinz Spaghetti Bolognese 400g l Happy Shopper Ravioli 400g l Happy Shopper Macaroni & Cheese 400g Key beans products l Heinz Beanz 415g l Euro Shopper Baked Beans 420g l Heinz Beanz 200g l Heinz Beanz 415g l Heinz Beanz 415g

KEEP IT QUICK AND EASY! l Students of all ages are always looking for options that require minimal effort so the ‘Quick & Easy’ meal options are just that: quick and easy to prepare, able to be eaten on the go or at home, and great on their own or as an accompaniment to a larger meal. l The light meals category contains a variety of convenience based products that are quick and convenient to prepare, including Pot snack (e.g. Pot Noodle & Uncle Ben’s Rice Pots) Savoury Noodles/Rice/Pasta (e.g. Batchelor’s Super Noodles) and Dry Soups (e.g. Batchelors Cup a Soup & Heinz Cup Soups).

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BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

Good hygiene is good for your business Good food hygiene is getting easier to spot for your shoppers thanks to the new food hygiene rating system – and a good rating from your local authority is good for your business.

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RAW DEAL: Raw meats must be handled professionally at all times.

FRESH: Fresh produce requires particular attention to gain a good rating.

F

ood hygiene inspections by the Local Authority can often strike fear into food business owners and the introduction of the Food Hygiene Rating scheme means that hygiene standards are now more visible to shoppers than ever. But the reality is that achieving a good rating that you can use as a marketing tool to attract new shoppers is relatively straightforward.

“The process of achieving a good Food Hygiene Rating is actually quite simple and is not something that Premier retailers should be overly concerned about,” says Booker Health & Safety Manager Kevin Thackeray. “It should be possible for all Premier retailers to achieve the highest rating of 5 and by using previous inspection reports you should know what to do in order to achieve that. There is also a wealth of advice and information available online to help you make sure you achieve the best rating possible – and none of it involves spending money on new equipment. It is all to do with having the right processes in place and sticking to them.”

A great place to find a wealth of information is on the Food Standards Agency website (www.food.gov.uk) and this will allow retailers to have everything they need in place in good time.

Even if you have already been rated and you are not happy with your rating, there is still a lot you can do in order to improve it.

“Contact your local authority Environmental Health department to make the necessary improvements now if you are disappointed with your current food hygiene rating,” advises

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Kevin. “You can always apply for a reassessment and if suitable improvements have been made your new rating will reflect this.”

Remember that your Food Hygiene rating is available online for all to see, including your shoppers so it is important that you are prepared and do achieve a good rating. Mandatory display of your rating is currently only required in Wales. However, it is likely that the rest of the UK will following in due course.

To help you achieve the best possible rating, Talking Shop has collated the key points of the Food Standards Authority’s advice on the Food Hygiene Rating system on the next page.

HOT FOOD: Processes around heating and serving hot food are covered.

EQUIPMENT: In-store equipment need not be new, only clean.

SERVICE: How hot food is prepared and served is critical.

WHAT IS THE FOOD HYGIENE RATING SYSTEM? The Food Hygiene Rating Scheme has been created to make it easier for shoppers to choose places with good hygiene standards when they’re eating out or shopping for food. The food hygiene rating tells them about the hygiene standards in convenience stores, restaurants, pubs, cafés, takeaways, hotels, supermarkets and other places they go to for food. The scheme is run by local authorities in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in partnership with the Food Standards Agency. A very similar system called the Food Hygiene Information Scheme operates in Scotland.

HOW DOES THE RATING SYSTEM WORK? Your business will be given a hygiene rating following a planned inspection by a food safety officer from your local authority. Your hygiene rating depends on the standards of hygiene found at the time of the inspection. Your business can be given one of six ratings.

These are on a scale from ‘0’ at the bottom, which means that urgent

CHILLED: Chilled products like milk require extra special focus.

improvement is necessary, to ‘5’ at the top, which means that the business was found to have ‘very good’ hygiene standards.

HOW IS YOUR RATING CALCULATED? The rating you are given will depend on: l how hygienically the food is handled – how it is prepared, cooked, cooled, stored, and what measures are taken to prevent food being contaminated with bacteria l the condition of the structure of your premises, including cleanliness, layout, lighting, ventilation, equipment and other facilities l how you manage and record what you do to make sure food is safe – the food safety officer will explain to you if there are any improvements needed, what they are and how you can achieve a higher rating. Any business should be able to reach the top rating.

Note, the food hygiene rating is not a guide to food quality.

HOW CAN YOU COMMUNICATE YOUR RATING TO YOUR SHOPPERS? You can tell shoppers how good your hygiene standards are by putting your rating sticker in the window or on the door, or your certificate on display – you will be given these by your local authority. This means that your shoppers can easily see your food hygiene rating when they visit your store. Your shoppers will also be able to look up your hygiene rating online at food.gov.uk/ratings

WHAT CAN YOU DO IF YOU ARE UNHAPPY WITH YOUR RATING? You can appeal if you think your hygiene rating is wrong or unfair – in other words it does not fairly reflect the hygiene standards found at the time of your inspection. You must lodge an appeal with your local authority within 14 days of being told what your hygiene rating is. You have a ‘right to reply’ if you’ve improved hygiene standards since your inspection, or if there were unusual circumstances at the time of the inspection and you want to explain this to your shoppers.

You should submit this to your local authority and it will be published with your hygiene rating at food.gov.uk/ratings You can ask for another visit to get a new rating if you make the improvements to hygiene standards that the local authority food safety officer told you about at your last planned inspection.

You’ll need to do this in writing and supply evidence of the

AIM HIGH: A good rating can be an excellent marketing tool.

improvements made. The food safety officer will re-assess hygiene standards and give you a new rating – this could go up but it could stay the same or it could go down.

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BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

Staying safe and secure

Retail crime remains an important concern for any retailer but there lots of things retailers can do to reduce the risk of theft and crime around the business.

I

t’s a sad but true fact that retail crime continues to grow in the UK. The latest figures available from the ACS Crime Survey 2016 show that retail crime costs the sector in excess of £122m a year, equating to £2,370 per store. In the period covered by the report, more than 287,000 individual incidents were reported.

Fortunately, there is a lot that retailers can do in order to minimise the risk of all forms of retail crime occurring and, encouragingly, the ACS report also found that retailers are already investing an average of £1,379 per store on making their stores safer and more secure for their staff and their shoppers.

The top areas of investment for retailers have been: 1.

Staff security 2.

Cash handling and storage 3.

Internal investigations Shop theft remains the most prevalent and costly type of crime that retailers experience. According to the report, which surveyed over 7,000 stores, the average convenience store loses £843 to shop theft.

However, retailers anecdotally report that customer theft rates are likely to be much higher but are often undetected or unreported.

Shop theft is undoubtedly the biggest operational challenge for retailers as it is often difficult to prevent and detect. The high volume, low cost nature of shop theft means that police do not give it priority and retailers often report that police find it challenging to respond to consistently.

According to ACS Chief Executive James Lowman: “This creates

a vicious cycle where police do not respond to theft offences, retailers are left frustrated, and as a result choose not to report all shop theft incidents. This year, retailers estimate that only 52% of shop theft incidences were reported to police. Therefore, it is highly likely that the figures represented here are underestimated due to the number of instances unreported, as well as the instances that are undetected.”

So what can retailers do in these key areas to prevent or minimise the risk of criminal activity? In short, every retailer is at risk and it is therefore recommended that they do everything possible to minimise the risk of shop crime. Premier works diligently with its members to ensure everything possible is being done and for retailers there are a number of measures that can be put in place – we explore them over the next few pages.

Not all the following practical suggestions will apply to your business. The risk of a robbery occurring at your shop will depend on a number of factors – some of which are beyond your control.

These factors will include the goods your shop sells, the local crime rate, whether you stay open late, what staff you have, and how busy your street is. For example, an off-licence in a high crime area, which stays open late, has young staff, and is located on an isolated back street is going to be more vulnerable than a furniture store that opens 9 to 5, which is staffed by experienced adults and is constantly overlooked by passers-by. You need to weigh up these factors and then choose the most appropriate prevention measures for your shop. Your local crime prevention officer will be able to help you assess the risk for your shop

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1

Remove the target:

Cash and Stock

Cash theft usually involves one of two methods: till snatches or organised robbery. Till snatches are sometimes carried out by amateurs and often involve a single offender.

Organised robbery usually involves more than simply targetting the cash in the till. For example, cash in the safe or high value stock can be a target, usually this involves more than one offender and they may carry some form of weapon.

Below is a list of ways you can combat these threats: CASH IN THE TILL Keep as little cash as possible at all times by regularly transferring it to somewhere more secure. Use stickers or posters to tell potential robbers that you only ever have a small float in the till. (This can be a useful preventive measure in its own right.) Larger shops often use sophisticated ways of clearing cash regularly, for example using counter caches.

BANKING ROUTINES There are a number of practical routines that deter robbers from attacking when you take money to the bank. Cash carriers should remove badges or uniforms identifying them as shop staff and, if possible, make the journey with a companion; they should not carry cash in a store carrier bag; and, of particular importance, they should vary the route and the time they go to the bank, and be vigilant at the night safe.

ENSURE YOUR STAFF ARE WELL TRAINED You will need to involve your staff in your robbery prevention plans, and to train them carefully in the use of any equipment or system you install. However, be aware that advice to staff – if not handled carefully – can raise unnecessary anxiety; remember that any training you carry out also needs to reassure as well as educate. It is critically important to keep your staff safe at all times and take all measures to achieve this.

REPORTING SUSPICIOUS CIRCUMSTANCES By training your staff to be vigilant and to report their suspicions, potential robbers may be deterred either immediately before carrying out a robbery or when ‘casing’ in the premises. You are also more likely to gather useful evidence for the police.

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August 2017

HANDLING CASH A cost-effective way of making robbery more difficult is to train staff in cash handling routines such as not leaving till drawers open longer than absolutely necessary, ensuring there is more than one member of your staff at hand when money is moved, and counting cash in a secure area in the store.

LIMITING THE IMPACT OF A ROBBERY You should make sure that your staff know what to do in the event of a robbery. Firstly, they are less likely to get hurt if they co-operate with the robbers’ demands; they must keep still and not make sudden movements or risk their lives by ‘having a go.’’ On a more positive note, train them to observe details about the robbers such as hair and eye colour, height, build, clothing, sound of voice or accent. This significantly improves the chances of detection, makes staff feel less ‘helpless’ and gives them confidence that they are fighting back.

If your premises are robbed, bear in mind the trauma your staff are likely to have suffered. Get advice about professional counselling, and refer those affected to your local victim support scheme. The police will be able to give you the telephone number.

USING A CHECK SHEET If you provide staff with a check sheet for recording details of offenders and the offence immediately after it has taken place, you greatly improve the quality of the evidence available to the police.

2

Make it more difficult

for the robbers

ANTI-GRAB TILL SCREENS By installing solid screens around the till drawer you make it difficult for anyone other than the till operator to reach in when the drawer is open.

SECURE CASH HANDLING AREAS If you have a business where large amounts of cash are collected then you should give special attention to the cash handling area. Consider installing video surveillance cameras, reinforcing the doors, walls and ceilings, using ‘one way mirrored’ and bullet resistant glass and putting in entry control mechanisms.

COUNTER ‘CACHES’ Another useful method is to install a small safe or ‘cache’ under the till, securely built into the counter. In this way you can regularly take cash from the till and drop it into the ‘safe’ so that neither till operators nor robbers can get at the money. If you adopt this method you should make it clear through posters and stickers that you have a counter safe.

MAKING SAFES INACCESSIBLE TO STAFF By using time-lock safes that can only be opened at specific pre-set times, or by making cash collection companies the sole key holders to your safe, staff cannot hand cash over during a robbery. These safes can be fitted with roller-trap lids (as used in bank night safes) so that staff can deposit cash but not remove it. To deter potential robbers you need to use notices or posters to advertise the fact that you and your staff have no access to the safe.

SEPARATE KEY HOLDERS You can also reduce the chance of a successful robbery by ensuring that different staff are responsible for holding different keys, particularly by separating the shop key holder and the safe key holders. For this to have any deterrent effect potential robbers need to be told of this policy.

CCTV Consider installing closed circuit television cameras to record all who enter the store or the vulnerable areas of your shop. If you make it clear to everyone that you use

them you may deter robbers. To increase the chances of video evidence being used to get a conviction, you need good quality equipment and recordings need to be date and time ‘stamped’. It would help if you site cameras low enough to get a clear rather than a foreshortened picture.

ALARM SYSTEMS Personal attack alarms can be linked via an intruder alarm system to summon police assistance. These can be activated by foot or hand switches, or within till drawers by, for example, removing the last note from a money clip. Again, you must make it clear to potential thieves that this kind of alarm is in place. Ask your crime prevention officer for advice. Also consider installing less sophisticated alarms (‘doorbells’ or personal attack alarms) that can summon help from the public, other parts of the store or other shops.

STAFF SAFE As a secondary intruder/personal attack alarm system, a product called ‘Staff Safe’ is available which allows a monitoring station to view CCTV ‘live’ as well as listening in to activity in premises when a device is activated.

These devices can be worn in a number of ways by staff. In the event of a serious incident taking place, the police will be called without a member of your staff having to intervene further. Details of this product can be obtained from Positive Response on 01387 702388.

August 2017 TalkingShop

55

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LaunchReview FEEDBACK ON THE LATEST BOOKER PRODUCTS

Premix Diageo cans selling well

Fancy a free branded Diageo chiller?

If you interested in a a free ready-to-serve fridge to help drive your sales of premix further, please get in touch with your local RDM. These are available on a first come first served basis and a proven way to drive uplift of +119%. * To qualify, retailers must sell at least one case of premix per store per week.

Pre-mix it up for a price-marked sales boost!

The range Gordon’s Gin & Slimline Tonic Gordon’s Gin & Tonic Smirnoff & Diet Cola Smirnoff & Cola Smirnoff & Cranberry Captain Morgan’s & Cola Pimm’s & Lemonade Case size:12 x 250ml WSP: £11.99 RSP: £1.50PM POR: 20.1%

Diageo’s new range of £1.50 price-marked pre-mix spirit cans has gone down well with shoppers thanks to big brand names and a great value price.

Pre-mix spirit cans have long been a feature of the premium spirits category but Diageo’s recent launch of a range of price-marked cans at £1.50 helped open the category up to a much wider audience, creating new sales and bringing new shoppers in.

Not surprisingly, the winning mix of big brand names like Smirnoff, Gordon’s, Pimm’s and Captain Morgan’s combined with a great price point has led to a

resurgence of the premix market.

According to Nielsen Scantrack data, premix cans now account for 40% of Ready-To-Drink (RTD) sales and are growing faster than beer, wine and cider at 14% year on year. In fact, premix products are now driving 100% of the growth in the RTD category. A vital element of this success has been the ability of convenience stores to chill the products, ready for instant

consumption. With Smirnoff, Gordon’s and Captain Morgan all number one brands in their respective categories, the Diageo price-marked products are driving this growth – and Premier retailers have been quick to cash in. Research by HIM suggests that price-marked lines enjoy a rate of sale twice that of plain packs, which puts these products perfectly in line with current shopper trends.

August 2017 TalkingShop

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KEY PRODUCTS AND SERVICES Launched in 2010 with a focus on sports nutrition, Grenade ® is a leading innovator in the wider lifestyle and active nutrition space. Consistently bringing to market the best tasting, most nutritionally beneficial products made from the highest quality and most effective ingredients, Grenade ® has positioned itself at the forefront of innovation in the on-trend “better-for-you” health and wellness space.

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Grenade ® s’ range of high protein bars and drinks are a must have for consumers looking for healthy, great tasting snacks to add into their daily lifestyle.

Grenade ® is a hero partner brand within the Healthy Snacking Category offering great POR% and giving the consumer access to a range of product so high in demand.

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shopper’s view…

Lynn Strathdee, Guildford “I used to buy the odd can or two of Smirnoff and Diet Cola or Gordon’s and Slimline Tonic but they always felt like a bit of special treat because they were quite expensive at well over £2 a can. The fact they are now available at £1.50 means I can treat myself a little bit more regularly without feeling guilty at how much I’ve spent! The products are brilliant quality, as you’d expect from these big brands, and they’re just the perfect size for a drink by the BBQ, a quiet night in, a festival, a family gathering or a party. The best thing about buying them in my local Premier is that they’re always chilled and ready to drink straight away.”

IN SUMMARY

1

£1.50 price point delivers great value and brings the lines within reach of a far larger audience of shoppers than before.

2

Great quality products from the household name leading brands in some of the biggest spirit categories will drive repeat sales.

3

Highly visible price mark will drive trial and draws attention on-shelf, particularly when stocked prominently in the chiller.

4

Strong rate of sale and strong 20.1% POR means the new lines deliver for both retailers and for shoppers – the perfect combination.

RETAILER VIEW KAM SAHRAEE Premier Wish Field, Bognor Regis In my store, I’m totally committed to delivering great value for my shoppers, all day every day. We obviously have a mixed shopper base but premix spirit cans were always a bit over-priced, I felt. A £1.50 deal is much closer to the right price point so I can see these lines going down really well, especially in decent weather where a nice, chilled drink is just what many shoppers want. They’ve started to sell solidly already and I’m hoping the value price point and the big brand names keep doing the trick.

RETAILER VIEW PERDEEP BHATHAL Premier Dedman Stores, Shrewsbury Shoppers trust big brands, particularly in a category like spirits, so these lines from Diageo’s biggest brands have got a great chance of becoming firm favourites in the store.

The pricing is really quite attractive for shoppers, I think, and getting four measures of top quality spirit complete with mixer, chilled nicely, is a great deal for just £3.

The deal is also helping bring more shoppers to the fixture and is driving up sales of other products in the drinks chiller, so they’re having a really positive effect all round.

RETAILER VIEW FARAZ IQBAL Premier Linktown Local, Kirkcaldy We didn’t sell the premix cans in any great volume before because I think that where my shop is they were simply too expensive for most of my shoppers. We sell a lot of vodka and gin and rum, but the price point for these little cans was just too steep – but with the new deal from Diageo it means they’re a lot more affordable to cash-strapped shoppers.

They sell really when the sun comes out and my shoppers are looking for a little treat to enjoy in the back garden or at the BBQ, especially as we keep them chilled.

RETAILER VIEW KULVINDER SINGH Premier Wednesfield, Wolverhampton The RTD market has been a bit flat until recently but these new pre-mix cans have really given it the boost it was needing. We did sell a few when they were well over £2 a can, but now that shoppers can buy one for just £1.50 we’ve really seen sales pick up. At the end of the day, most shoppers will probably be looking to pick up at least two if they’re taking them to drink them straight away, which most are, so the pricing works really well.

It’s obviously vital to keep them chilled at all times too as shoppers want to be able to drink them straight away.

August 2017 TalkingShop

59

FORMAT FUTURE

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Food To Go | GUEST COLUMN

Dan Cock, Premier Whitstone Village Stores Cornwall retailer and PDG member says there’s a food to go opportunity for every retailer

GAME CHANGER: Dan’s refitted store offers a full restaurant, cafe and bar, as well as a fully Premier convenience store offer.

Food to go represents a world of opportunity Having recently completed an astonishing refit at his store to add a full restaurant and bar, Dan Cock says there’s scope to make money from food to go for every Premier retailer.

T

he growth of food to go has been a really important trend in independent retailing for the last few years but in my opinion the industry has only really begun to scratch the surface of what’s possible in that area. For me, there is an opportunity in food to go for every Premier retailer everywhere, whether that’s only adding a coffee machine at one end of the spectrum or adding a full restaurant and bar as we have recently done in our store in Whitstone in Cornwall.

We’ve seen a 20% increase in footfall and a 3% increase in GP as a result, so it shows the difference a strong food to go offering can make.

It should be clear to us all by now of course that shopper trends have evolved significantly recently. More and more of our shoppers are looking for fully prepared, often hot food that they can eat there and

then, or shortly after leaving the store.

Where once it was all about ready meals, these days it’s all about meals that genuinely are ready to eat at the point of purchase. I suspect this evolution has been driven by the fact that shoppers appear to have less and less time available to them so their demand for truly convenient food has exploded.

It also strikes me that, in Booker, Premier retailers have quick and ready access to the biggest and best foodservice supplier in the business. I discovered this fact as I was preparing to launch my re-engineered store, complete with a full kitchen servicing a restaurant, café and bar, all within the same building as the retail shopfloor.

Booker’s expertise in foodservice is exceptionally impressive and the range and support they offer means we have a world of opportunity sitting waiting to be exploited.

If I had started a restaurant from scratch, I’d have to win every single customer from scratch. Because I have the store, I already have the footfall and the shopper relationships – so for Premier retailers it makes complete sense to bring Booker’s foodservice expertise together with our close relationships with the shopper.

Food to go offers so many benefits to retailers with increased footfall, sales and profits and vastly reduced wastage being among the most important. And you can get as creative as you like. We’re already offering a take-home Sunday lunch option (after a shopper turned up with a plate one day!) and we’re considering offering a service where shoppers can take what they want from the shop and we’ll cook it in the kitchen for them.

It takes a little time, effort and may need investment, but food to go is the future!

follow @WhitstoneStores August 2017 TalkingShop

61

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ACS Viewpoint | Tobacco Strategy

James Lowman The Government’s new Tobacco Strategy includes moves to clamp down on the illicit trade.

A new Tobacco Strategy published by the government includes a number of measures to clamp down on the huge illicit tobacco trade that harms independent retailers and shoppers alike.

T

he Government has now published its long-awaited Tobacco Strategy, setting out plans to reduce smoking rates in the UK over the coming years. One of the important parts of the strategy looks at the impact that the illicit trade in tobacco has on retailers, noting that last year, the Treasury lost £2.4bn in revenue to the black market in tobacco alone.

In terms of action in the strategy, most of the measures that the Government are focusing on centre around enforcement at the borders and requirements for packaging, such as ‘track and trace’. All of this is welcome, but the feedback we get from retailers is that not enough is being done at a local level to tackle the illicit trade, which is damaging legitimate stores and communities around the UK. We believe that trading

standards officers should be given seen so far from Scotland where a more power to deal with those licensing system is in place has IF YOU selling illicit goods. At the shown that it’s both expensive WOULD LIKE TO moment, the most common and ineffective at stopping the GET INVOLVED IN THE POLITICAL WORK OF ACS action by trading standards illicit trade. when they discover illicit Another key issue looked ....................... CALL ...................... tobacco being sold is to at in depth in the strategy 01252 515 001 give a written or verbal is how the Government ............. OR LOG ON TO ........... warning, and we don’t think can reduce the prevalence www.acs.org.uk that’s good enough. Trading of smoking and access to standards should be able to tobacco among young people. issue fines and banning orders The convenience sector has already to those selling illicit goods – taken significant steps and in many real sanctions that as a far more cases led the way on ensuring that effective deterrent. underage customers are refused One thing left out of the the sale of restricted goods such strategy is any mention of a as tobacco and alcohol, but it’s tobacco register or licensing important that all retailers keep the system for retailers. While challenge of underage sales at the this doesn’t necessarily mean front of mind. it’s been taken off the table We have detailed guidance on altogether, we’re pleased that the how to prevent underage sales Government hasn’t included it in and deal with issues associated the strategy, as it’s a measure that with refusal on our website at will only serve to increase both www.acs.org.uk/advice as part of logistical and financial burdens our Assured Advice scheme for on retailers. The evidence we’ve retailers.

August 2017 TalkingShop

63

YOURSHOUT GOT A QUESTION? Want to post a question or raise an issue with the Premier Team?

Get in touch by email at talking shop@55north.com or call 0141 222 5380.

YourShout WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND? RETAILERS PUT THEIR QUESTIONS TO PREMIER

Pound coin conundrum

Is fresh still driving the market?

It seems to me that fresh produce still seems to be one of the fastest growing and most important categories for Premier retailers. Is this impression true, and what should we as Premier retailers be doing to ensure that we don’t miss any opportunities to grow sales in this area? The Farm Fresh range seems to be just what we need to leverage this opportunity.

BARRY JENNINGS, PREMIER LAYER VILLAGE STORE, COLCHESTER MARTYN PARKINSON, BRAND DIRECTOR PREMIER, SAID: Fresh produce remains one of the most important categories for Premier

retailers in today’s marketplace. Not only does it offer significant opportunities to cash in on the ‘little and often’ fresh buying habits of modern day shoppers, fresh produce is also one of those categories that shoppers tend to use to judge stores in general. A great fresh offer, well maintained, reflects well on the rest of the store.

Use our Core In Every Store as the basis for your range and you will be well on your way.

We believe that all Premier retailers can add up to £2,000 of cash profit a year to their business simply by stocking the right core range, keeping the display fresh and full, and using POS and merchandising kit available free from Premier. It can be that simple. For more advice on making the most of fresh produce, turn to page 35.

Staple deals already core to success The new deals available on bread, milk and sugar are just fantastic for all Premier retailers and are already bringing more footfall to my store. Will these deals continue to be available in the future?

ASIF AKHTAR, PREMIER SMEATON STORES KIRKCALDY MARTYN PARKINSON, BRAND DIRECTOR PREMIER, SAID: Premier retailers made it very clear that they wanted us to deliver deals that would grow footfall in their store and it

I understand that the old style pound coins are to be phased out over the coming months and will no longer be legal tender?

While the old £5 notes seem to have been taken out of circulation quickly and efficiently, I’m still seeing lots and lots of old style pound coins. What do I need to do?

LAKHVIR BHATHAL, PREMIER DEDMAN STORES, SHREWSBURY MARTYN PARKINSON, BRAND DIRECTOR PREMIER, SAID: The official phase out date for the old style pound coin is October 15, 2017. But while retailers should no longer accept the old coins after this date, banks will continue to accept them from you after that deadline so there is no need to be overly concerned.

was obvious to us that the best place to start is with every day staple products like bread, milk and sugar. The Every Day Low Pricing (EDLP) deal we put together allows retailers to deliver fantastic pricing for their shoppers on products they buy very regularly, while still maintaining very healthy PORs for retailers. The success of this deal among Premier retailers has been extremely encouraging and indicates that the deal is working well in Premier stores across the country. For that reason we will indeed be continuing with the EDLP deal.

August 2017 TalkingShop

65

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Talking Shop

Issue 90 August 2017