News

INBRIEF

‘ONE IN THREE’ GO LOW OR NO

UK consumers are increasingly choosing low and no alcohol products all year round and not just for Dry January, according to the fourth annual online study by drinks watchdog The Portman Group, carried out in December.

Carried out by YouGov, the report found that almost one in three (32%) UK drinkers now ‘semi-regularly’ consume low and no alcohol products compared to one in four (25%) in 2020. A fifth (20%) of those who have tried low and no alcohol say they are more likely to drink these products now compared to a year ago, almost double the number saying this in last year’s survey (11%).

The most popular reason given is ‘being able to drive home from social events’ (33% of respondents) while healthier consumption concerns were cited by 22% of consumers. More than one in 10 consumers (12%) said they currently alternate between low/no products and regular strength alcohol to moderate their overall consumption.

However, well over half (58%) of non-drinkers have never even tried a low/no product and just 14% are semiregular consumers.

Booker provides one million meals for needy

Booker has redistributed enough food to provide the equivalent of one million meals through FareShare’s network of charities.

Working with FareShare, the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and food waste, Booker has redistributed enough food to provide the equivalent of one million meals for communities across the UK since April 2021.

Booker is the first wholesaler to redistribute food directly to FareShare’s network of charities through the FareShare Go programme and the free sharing app OLIO. ‘Food Waste Heroes’ collect food directly from Booker and Makro branches, which is then added to its app for people in the local area to collect.

Through FareShare Go, Booker sites are matched with charities and community groups in the local area that collect the items and turn that into food parcels or hot meals for the people they support.

The food redistributed by Booker includes a range of large catering size packs, vegetables, deli and sandwich fillings, as well as smaller packs of meats, fish and fruit.

Lindsay Boswell, Chief Executive at FareShare, said: “Thank you to Booker for working with FareShare and OLIO to redistribute the equivalent of one million meals. This food is needed now more than ever and is making a huge difference to people in need across the country.

“We’ve received lots of positive feedback from our network of charities collecting food through Booker and the colleagues in Booker branches are building strong relationships with their local community thanks to this programme.”

Tessa Clarke, Co-founder & CEO at OLIO, said: “This is such an incredible milestone, as one million meals is an enormous amount of food. We’re absolutely thrilled about the impact our partnership with Booker and FareShare is having - both on the local community and the climate - and we look forward to saving many more millions of meals together.”

Catherine Marston, Head of Sustainability at Booker said: “We are delighted that our teams across the whole Booker business have worked so hard with their local partners to reach this fantastic milestone. Not allowing any edible food go to waste is something that everyone at Booker is passionate about and we are proud to be the first wholesaler to work in such a collaborative way with FareShare and OLIO. Our food waste represents just 0.15% of total food handled which is market-leading. We are off to a great start with this partnership and I’m really looking forward to building on this success.”

Shopper spending in double digit growth

The latest Barclycard data shows shopper spending rose 12.2% in December with food and drink spending up 13.7%.

Shopper spending increased by 12.2% in December compared to the same period in 2019 as shoppers made the most of Christmas.

Data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, reveals that spending on essential items like food and drink grew 13.7% as shoppers stocked up on festive food and drink.

Fuel spend also rose by 11.8%, compared to 8.5% in November – driven by rising fuel prices and many travelling to see friends and family over the festive period.

New Year’s resolutions are providing another source of optimism with nearly a fi fth (19%) expecting to spend extra money this year to achieve their goals including health, wellness, and fi tness.

Sustainability also remains front of mind for many, with two fi fths (41%) planning to make changes in 2022 because they’ve become more conscious of their personal impact on the environment, with half (50%) of shopper planning to buy fewer plastic goods and 41% buying less overall to help reduce their carbon footprint.

The report does point out, however, that the uncertain wider economic picture is encouraging shoppers to be more cautious with their spending, leading to an increased focus on value for money.

Treasury examines rising card payment costs

The Treasury Committee has been examining the increasing cost of card payments for businesses in the UK with new correspondence published recently revealing how the Committee has contacted the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to raise these concerns.

The PSR initially responded by saying that they have not seen evidence that the costs of operating payment services have increased suffi ciently for card issuers to warrant the recent increases in fees for retailers.

Findings from the Association of Convenience Stores’ Voice of Local Shops Survey found that 61% of independent and symbol retailers have not compared or switched acquirers in the past three years and 48% of retailers who have compared providers in the past three years did not choose to switch.

ACS’ has recommended that acquirers are required to provide all pricing information to retailers in an easily comparable format, provide contracts with compulsory end-dates, and introduce measures to ensure payment terminal contracts do not unduly prevent switching activity.

INBRIEF

SHOPPERS BUYING MORE FROM LOCAL STORES

New data from PayPoint’s UK network of 28,000 convenience stores has revealed that shoppers purchased an increasing number of items at their local stores when compared to the same period last year.

Between October and December 2021, shopper purchased an average of 4.25 items per basket in convenience stores, up 12% on the previous quarter.

Several product categories recorded double digit growth year-on-year: a 13% increase in food to go, a 12% jump in grocery items and a 10% hike in household items like toilet rolls and cleaning products.

Sales of winter medicines also grew signifi cantly with sales, for example, of Halls and Lockets increasing by 95% and 92% respectively.

TALKING TACTICS

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