Talking Shop February 2017

Talking Shop ISSUE 87 – FEBRUARY 2017

The magazine for Premier retailers

PLUS

‘Free-from’ Cash in on a growing category

Easter feast Making the most of the season

Spirit of the community Kirkcaldy retailers help restore pride in their local community.

Talking Shop | February 2017

Welcome

Talking Shop ISSUE 87 – Februa

ry 2017

The magazine

A very warm welcome to this, the

for Premier reta

ilers

first issue of Talking Shop since I took over as Brand Director for

PLUS

‘Free-from’

Cash in on a growing cat egory

Premier. I look forward to working

Easter feast

with all of you. In this issue you’ll

Making the most of the season

find a lot to inspire you, not least the four store profiles where we take a closer look at some excellent Premier businesses.

Sharing great ideas is what being part of Premier is all about. You will also find some expert category advice in this issue on important sales opportunities. An in-depth Easter feature offers great advice on getting the best out of an important seasonal period, while we also examine new opportunities like protein and free-from.

With social media playing ever more significant, we have prepared a hands-on guide for Premier retailers.

You’ll find part one of that guide in this issue.

We’ve also put together a practical guide to entering industry awards. Becoming an industry award winner can have a really positive impact on your store, your staff and even your shoppers - so why not give it a go?

I’m delighted to be heading up Premier and I have enjoyed travelling to the four corners of the UK meeting so many professional and successful retailers in my first

Spirit of the community

Kirkcaldy reta iler their local com s help restore pride in munity.

TalkingShop Jan-Feb.in

dd 1

24/02/2017 12:04:07

COVER STORY Community stars in Kirkcaldy.

THE THREE BIG STORIES 29 Easter sales

Making the most of an important seasonal opportunity.

34 Protein fuels sales

High protein products represent a new revenue stream for retailers.

49 Social media

A hands-on guide to making social media work for your business.

eight weeks. I appreciate that retailers are facing some challenging times with increased competition and rising costs. So please be assured that my team and myself are fully committed to helping you drive growth and making more money.

Martyn Parkinson, Brand Director Premier

4 TalkingShop

FEBRUARY 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.

34

18

Protein sales

Food to go focus in Bristol

53

The growth of ‘free-from’ foods

24

29

Family affair in Grimsby

Cashing in on Easter

7

8

Premier news

22 Village saviours

46 Be a winner!

Why the Booker-Tesco merger is

How a couple came to retail late in

Winning industry awards can be

great news for Premier retailers.

life to save their village store.

great for your store.

News

24 Family first

49 Getting social

It’s the final countdown to the new

The rise and rise of a family-run

A new two-part guide to making

EUTPD2 legislation deadline.

Grimsby retail business.

the most of social media for your

11 Community news

29 Cashing in on Easter

business.

53 Free-from

A round-up of the latest great

A helpful guide to making the

community work by Premier

most of the very important Easter

Free-from foods are in growth, so

retailers.

occasion.

it may be time for a new strategy

13 Industry news

37 Protein

New survey puts Premier in the

Talking Shop takes a closer look at

driving seat.

a fast growing category.

15 Stars of the community

39 Ones To Watch

Kirkcaldy Premier puts community

Some of the newest products to hit

at the heart of its mission.

the shelves.

18 Going for gold

43 EDLP wines

Tony Mallaban’s Avon Gold store in

Every Day Low Pricing is the key to

Bristol puts fhe focus on food to go

maximising wine sales - and here’s

and Mega Deals.

how to do it!

in-store.

61 Guest column Welsh retailer Steve Jones on how to make food to go work for you.

39

Ones to watch

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

5

Whiskas Casseroles ®

NE

W

IRRESISTIBLE Meaty Chunks Price Marked for your convenience

Two

varieties available from 1st January

Stock up for IRRESISTIBLE sales ©/®/™ Design Mars 2016

PremierNews NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS PREMIER

Tesco merger to further increase choice, price and service

In an open letter to Premier retailers, Booker Chief Executive Charles Wilson explains how a merger with Tesco will benefit shoppers you, your family and your business.

First of all I would just like to say a big, big thanks for your business. Over the years we have been serving you and it’s our privilege to serve you, your family and your business.

I just would like to take you through the proposed merger between Booker and Tesco to form what will become the UK’s leading food business. We’re convinced it will improve choice, price and service for consumers, for your business as well as helping suppliers, our colleagues and ultimately shareholders.

We have held some conferences to explain the particular benefits of how we can together, help strengthen Premier, as well as the other independent retailers we serve and the catering businesses.

By joining with Tesco we can improve the choice, prices and service that we offer to your business. Choice by using some of their procurement expertise and their capabilities but keeping our own brands that you like and love. In terms of the pricing, as everybody knows increased

scale gets better prices that means stronger mega deals, it means stronger promotions and it means everyday pricing as well which will help you compete. In service we are going to be able to do things with banking, with your mobile and with payment systems which will allow you to make more money and save more money for your business.

So together Booker Tesco merging to form the UK’s leading food business will actually help you help your business.

We still have a long way to go as the deal won’t complete until end of 2017 or the beginning of 2018 and in the meantime it’s business as usual. So there is no reason why we won’t continue to do a good job of serving you.

If you have any issues or any questions for goodness sake raise them with your Retail Development Managers. As I started it has been a real privilege serving your business and we look forward to doing so in the years ahead.

RETAILER VIEW AN EXCITING FUTURE LIES AHEAD FOR PREMIER Linda Williams, Premier Broadway Convenience Store, Edinburgh, said: “I attended the recent Booker roadshow at Hampden Park in Glasgow and have to say that I left the event feeling completely positive and enthusiastic about the direction that Booker and Premier is moving in. Our Chief Executive Charles Wilson has transformed the business in the last decade or so and has undoubtedly earned the respect of every Premier retailer over the years.

I am convinced that this latest development is set to further enhance our commitment to delivering better choice, price and quality.

While there are still a lot of details to be confirmed about the merger, Charles, Head of Retail Operations Steve Fox and Brand Director for Premier Martyn Parkinson gave a very insightful and informative presentation and took questions for almost an hour and half, answering openly and honestly.

There’s no doubt in my mind that, as Premier retailers, we will gain access through the merger to a huge array of opportunities to further improve our businesses and deliver even better choice, price and service for our shoppers.

It’s most certainly an exciting time to be a Premier retailer and I for one am looking forward to what the future will bring for us as we consolidate Premier’s position as the biggest - and the best - symbol store in the country.

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

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

7

How the changes will affect your gantry... TODAY

News

Existing

EUTPD: it’s the final countdown

YOUR GANTRY IN JULY 2016

The countdown to the May deadline when new tobacco legislation is enforced is entering its final stages.

What are the changes?

What packs are the the changes?

Non-compliant Compliant packs What are changes?

Non-Compliant packs Compliant packs May 2017 Non-Compliant packs Non-Compliant packs 10s

17s/18s/19s 17s/18s/ 17s/18s/ 19s 17s/18s/ 19s 19s

8g/9g/10g/ 8g/9g/10g/ 8g/9g/10g/ 12.5g/20g/ 12.5g/20g/ 8g/9g/10g/ 12.5g/20g/ 25g 25g 12.5g/20g/ 25g 25g Price-marked PMP Packs PMP PMP

Availability is key, keep your unit fully stocked at all times.

Ensure, as a minimum, you have the 39 national SKUs pictured below in stock at all times. They represent 50.9% of tobacco sales value. brands Brands brands brands

PRICE Regular surveys of business in your area will help you to maintain the correct RSPs. If you are in a less competitive or rural area, you may be able to sell at a premium.

SERVICE Talk to your customers about the changes; letting them know the reasons behind price increases will maintain goodwill. Train

Range Rothmans KS 18s

B&H Gold 20s

L&B Original 20s

B&H Blue KS 17s

Mayfair KS 19s

Rothmans SK 18s

move to 20s

move to 20s

move to 20s

Carlton KS 19s

Mayfair Smooth 19s

Sovereign Blue KS 17s

move to 20s

move to 20s

move to 20s

Marlboro Gold 20s

move to 20s

Sovereign Blue SK 17s move to 20s

JPS KS Blue 19s

Players KS 18s

Sterling KS 17s

move to 20s

move to 20s

move to 20s

JPS SK Blue 19s

Players SK 18s

Sterling SK 17s

move to 20s

move to 20s

move to 20s

L&B KS Blue 19s

Players Crushball

move to 20s

Sterling Dual 17s move to 20s

L&B SK Blue 19s

Richmond KS 19s

Windsor Blue SK 18s

move to 20s

move to 20s

move to 20s

Gold Leaf RYO 25g

G/Virginia Classic 25g

G/Virginia Smooth 25g

move to 30g

move to 30g

move to 30g

Rolling Tobacco

Stock for as long as available Carlton SK 10s

L&B Original 10s

Players KS 10s

Sterling SK 10s

JPS KS Blue 10s

Mayfair KS 10s

Sterling KS 10s

Amber Leaf 3in1 10g move to 30g

Rolling Tobacco Amber Leaf 12.5g

Gold Leaf RYO 12.5g

8 TalkingShop

G/Virginia Classic 12.5g

FEBRUARY 2017

How the changes will affect your gantry... JANUARY 2017

20s

Minimum 20s

MERCHANDISING,

Minimum 30g

10s and sub-30g RYO exit

One of the key challenges, once the ban has come into effect will be maintaining service levels. With all packs now looking exactly the same, it is going to be much more difficult than before to serve your shoppers quickly. Recent trials in countries that have already gone through similar legislation have shown that merchandising alphabetically can dramatically reduce serving times.

We strongly recommend that you merchandise your gantry alphabetically and do so in advance of the May deadline so that your staff are prepared. Remember to check if your gantry is still under contract as the manufacturer may require you to follow their merchandising guide.

No PMPs

Plain packaging

3

G/Virginia Smooth 12.5g

Average cigarette price YOUR Average RYO price GANTRY PMP count IN JANUARY 2017 Product count

£6.00 £4.44 78% 140

How the changes will affect your gantry... MAY 2017 Remaining branded SKU exit

PRICING

39 SKUs = 50.9% of sales

move to 20s

Compliant packs Compliant packs Minimum

10s 10s 10s

CHOICE

Carlton SK 19s

your staff to be aware of what range you carry. As SKUs disappear they need to be able to offer substitutes swiftly and knowledgeably.

What are the changes?

With only a few months until the new EUTPD2 legislation comes into force in the UK, Talking Shop offers some practical advice on ensuring the transition is a smooth one in your store.

Under the legislation retailers may still display a price list. This is a great way to highlight brands important to you, NPD and also cheapest on display. l Wherever possible retain control of your 7 price poster. l Rank your range in alphabetical order or with key brands and NPD at the top l On your price poster, prioritise those products important to you, ones that make you the most POR. l You don’t have to put all products on a price board; consider leaving off those that offer poor POR or sales. l There are no restrictions on the text size within the 9cm2 price labels so make sure you maximise it.

YOUR

Average cigarette price GANTRY Average RYO price IN MAY 2017 PMP count Product count

£7.00 £8.00 0% 76

Only cigars & pipe tobacco exempt Average cigarette price Average RYO price

£8.00 £11.00

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

Mayur Patel brings his Saxon Fields store into Premier Saxon Fields store reopens under the Premier fascia after serious fire - and his shoppers love it!

PLANS for quadrupling fines for those convicted of persistent smuggling of tobacco products have been welcomed by the independent retailing industry. ********************************** THE latest research into electronic cigarettes has once again confirmed that the products are “far safer and less toxic” than smoking tobacco.

Researchers at University College London found toxin levels fell by up to 97.5% in those switching to electronic cigarettes from tobacco.

Retailing family Mayur Patel and his wife and son officially reopened their bright, new store under the Premier fascia on December 3rd in Saxon Fields. The family originally acquired the store in 2009 when it was under a different fascia before quickly turning it into an unaffiliated independent store.

Unfortunately, the store suffered a devastating fire in April last year following an electrical failure in the back office.

Mayur decided to take the opportunity to consider

his options and, following negotiations with Booker, decided the best move was to join Premier.

“We’re much happier being a part of the Premier brand,” said Mayur. “They were a huge help in designing layouts and having ideas for the store, as well as listening to our thoughts about what could work. They helped with establishing the right range for the store and they helped with the merchandising. It made the transition so much easier.”

The store relaunched with a special event which was

supported by Red Bull who were there on the day to give out free samples. The day also saw various other promotions and activities including a face painting station.

Mayur added: “We’ve had great feedback from our shoppers, especially with the distribution of leaflets around the local estate. People love the great offers we have and it keeps them loyal to us. There are a lot of elderly people in the community and we are proud to help them by offering a free delivery service.”

Aldbrough Premier joins the family The Premier family has grown once more as retailer Kris Muthukumar and his family have brought their new store in Hornsea Road in Albrough into Premier.

The family recently acquired the store and then closed for nine weeks whilst undertaking a full refit.

“The response to the new Premier store from shoppers has been really positive,” Kris told Talking Shop. “We’ve had nothing but great comments about the fantastic deals on offer thanks to the Premier fascia.”

The improved range has been particularly

welcomed by Kris’s shoppers. “We listened to our shoppers who told me they wanted a better range of products and that’s exactly what we can give them with Premier,” he said.

The improved fresh meat and fruit and veg range has also been a real hit with shoppers, as have the excellent regular promotions that are now available in the store.

Kris has already added a new range of products and services since opening including a newspaper delivery service, a coffee machine and PayPoint. His plans include Lottery and a food to go sandwich bar.

WHAT’S

HOT What’s good and bad in the industry

WHAT’S

NOT 2017 is an official rates revluation year which is set to mean an increase in rates for most retailers. The revaluation only happens every five years. ********************************** RETAILERS in England are being warned that they risk losing shoppers if they fail to prepare for new food hygiene legislation that requires them to display food hygiene ratings in-store from 2019. A survey by insurers NFU Mutual found that almost half of shoppers “would turn away at the door if faced with a rating of 3 out of 5 or less.”

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

9

NP13

Stock Walkers core in every store and earn FREE* stock 1

2

32.5g

M201610 (PMP) M201620 (NON PMP)

3

32.5g

4

27.5g

M201654 (PMP) M201622 (NON PMP)

32.5g

M201663

6

5

21g

M201652

M115548

7

32.5g

M201609 (PMP) M201625 (NON PMP)

8

20.5g

M114073 (PMP) M217777 (NON PMP)

9

22.5g

M201635 (PMP) M201664 (NON PMP)

10

40g

M669853

43g

M110739

Buy top 10 = Buy a case of each of the top 10 = Get a case of 32.5g FREE* 11

12

40g

40g

M201636

16

13

M443830

17

50g

M820860

14

40g

50g

M821116

40g

M202454 (PMP) M201638 (NON PMP)

18

15

34g

M047815

50g

M091202

19

Buy top 15 = M821173

20

32.5g

M201653 (PMP) M201626 (NON PMP)

Buy a case of each of the top 15 = Get 2 cases of 32.5g FREE*

Buy top 20 = 40g

M091202

Buy a case of each of the top 20 = Get 3 cases of 32.5g FREE*

*Buy one case of each of the top 10 skus in NP13 and receive a voucher for £12.50, buy one case of each of the top 15 skus and receive 2 vouchers for £12.50, buy one case of each of the top 20 and receive 3 vouchers for £12.50. Promotion is open to all Booker Premier members. Data will be collected using Salesout.

Promotion runs in NP13 08.02.17 to 14.03.17. Multiple entries allowed. Cases can be bought across NP13 to qualify. Visit www.pepsicopromotions.com/WalkersPremierCore.

w

CommunityNews OPINION, NEWS AND ACHIEVEMENTS FROM PREMIER RETAILERS

Hardip raises £26k for charity Big-hearted Annan retailer the force behind a series of charity activities that raised over £26,000 in total.

INBRIEF ASIF SURPRISES LOYAL CUSTOMER

Kirkcaldy shoppers Richard and Janet Sneddon were given a fantastic surprise gift at Christmas by local Premier retailers Asif and Abada Akhtar. Richard had become wheelchair bound and had looked at getting an electric

Annan Premier retailer Hardip Atwal has been working hard to raise over £26,000 for two charities: Care of Police Survivors and Cash for Kids. He is part of a team that held four local multicultural events, including a belly dancing night and samosa and curry nights.

“The turnout was great for all of the events, every one of them was a sell out,” said Hardip.

“The total is an accumulation of the fund from the events as well as sponsorship raised by various runs and bike rides.”

The sponsored runs saw five runners take part in an eight day challenge, clocking up over 750 miles in 10km relays, running non stop from London to Edinburgh via Cardiff, Dublin and Belfast, before each runner completed the Edinburgh Marathon.

Hardip added: “These are great charities and we were proud to support. The group has further money raising events in the pipeline with a Multicultural ball coming up in Dumfries as well as a fundraising bike ride.

wheelchair but decided it was too expensive. Asif and Abada convinced him to go and try one out, not knowing that they were taking Richard’s measurements at the time!

On Christmas Eve, the family invited the couple to the Premier to receive gifts from them and it was then that they surprised Richard with a brand new electric wheelchair.

Indy Gill launches food collection point The Premier Briars Mini Market in Oakham has been working with the Rutland Foodbank to set up a collection point for food donations at the Churchill Road store. Indy Gill, who has owned the store for 12 years, says he was delighted to help support the foodbank and it has been a huge success.

“I wanted to provide my support for the people in the county who are struggling,” Indy told Talking Shop. “My heart and mind go out to them and the idea was to make a donation more accessible for people who might not be

able to travel. I put up a poster of all the items that shoppers can donate like rice and beans and they’ve been really responsive. Some people have brought food from home and others buy in store to add to the donation box.

“It’s slowly picking up and I’ve built a good relationship with the foodbank and I know where the contribution is going. Local residents who couldn’t make the trip to the foodbank themselves are grateful to be able to give, and I take the donations down whenever the collection box fills up.”

“I’ve known Dick since I started 15 years ago,” Asif said.

“When the opportunity came along it was simply too good to miss.”

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

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

11

Golden Eggs was the No.2 small sharing bag at Easter in its 1st year!* Small sharing bags are in 11.5% growth!* £13M media investment on Galaxy® in 2017**

Available now!

Galaxy® is a registerered trademark. ©Mars 2017. *Source: Nielsen Scantrack Easter 2016 vs. Countback to Easter 2015 +11.5% on a 5yr CAGR **MMS Nielsen Addynamix

IndustryNews A DIGEST OF NEWS FROM THE INDEPENDENT RETAILING INDUSTRY

New research highlights product quality and great service as key The latest independent research shows Premier retailers are perfectly placed to capitalise on the biggest current trends.

INBRIEF INDUSTRY DEMANDS BETTER PROTECTION FOR SHOPWORKERS The independent retailing industry has come together to demand better protection and improved legislation for shopworkers after a new retail crime report was published by the British Retail Consortium showing that there has been a 40% increase in incidences of reported violence and abuse towards shopworkers.

KEY ISSUES: Friendly service and great availability of promotions are important to shoppers.

The NFRN has renewed calls for police and government to do more to protect independent retailers after the

A new study from shopper research agency Shoppercentric has shown that Premier retailers are perfectly placed to capitalise on the most important shopper trends in the UK with great product quality and excellent customer service topping the list of items shoppers see as ‘critically important’. The survey also highlighted the vital importance of keeping key promotions in stock at all times.

The research found another 16% year on year increase in the number of shoppers who do their shopping “little and often”. Convenience stores saw the biggest gains with 47% of shoppers using them in the past month.

The things that shoppers found most annoying

were rude or unfriendly staff (62%), long queues (55%), promoted products running out too quickly (49%) and messy shelves (13%).

“This survey shows Premier retailers are in a great place because the Premier offering is in line with what today’s shoppers are looking for,” said Martyn Parkinson, Brand Director – Premier.

“Great quality, great prices and great service in convenient locations is what Premier retailers do best. It’s also interesting to note that shoppers don’t like to see promoted products running out too quickly, so I would advise Premier retailers to ensure they have great availability, particularly on the Mega Deals, which invariably sell really well.”

new report revealed that 56% of retailers said that police responses to retail crime incidents were ‘poor’ or ‘very poor’.

NFRN Chief Executive Paul Baxter said: “The safety of independent retailers is of paramount concern. Sadly, these new figures show that for many retailers crime is an almost daily menace which has long term impacts for both shop owners and their staff.

“With retail crime incidents soaring, more has to be

Crackdown on illicit tobacco gathers pace The crackdown on independent retailers selling illicit tobacco has been intensified, driven by a renewed commitment from HMRC and tobacco manufacturers to protect legitimate retailers.

In January alone there were 26 notable incidents reported which led to 21 prosecutions and five seizures. One unaffiliated Newport retailer was sentenced to three years in jail for his role in handling over £400,000 worth of illegal tobacco. Both JTI and Imperial Tobacco have removed a number of tobacco gantries from retailers convicted of selling illegal tobacco.

done by the police and government.”

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

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

13

Smeaton, Kirkcaldy | STORE PROFILE

A true spirit

of the community Asif and Abada Akhtar have been picked up award after award for the amazing community engagement work they do from their store in Kirkcaldy in Fife.

I

t’s no coincidence that husband and wife Premier retailing team Asif and Abada are famous in their local area for the phenomenal amount of community engagement work that they do in the small Smeaton community near the heart of Kirkcaldy town centre.

Indeed, on the day that Talking Shop

visited the store, copies of the latest issue of the local newspaper – the Fife Press – had just been delivered to the store and featured a full-page article on the couple on page three.

The headline reads ‘A surprise for shop’s loyal customer’ and explains how Asif and Abada had just paid for a fantastic electric wheelchair for Dick Sneddon, one of their shoppers who has been visiting the store on a more or less daily basis for over 15 years. Dick had suffered a series of illnesses and had a double leg amputation, leaving him wheelchair-bound.

“We don’t do things like this for press coverage,” says an embarrassed Asif. “We were just delighted to be able to help.” They presented Dick with his stare of the art wheelchair just before Christmas and Asif says that “seeing the smile on Dick’s face again was priceless.” Needless to say, Dick is straight back into his habit of visiting the store at 6am every day, just as it opens.

There are plenty more outstanding community stories just like that one that have come out of this Premier store, which explains why Asif and Abada have had a string of successes at industry awards in recent years.

Countless charity drives, community BBQs, local sponsorships, fundraising initiatives, free Christmas parties and social projects have helped them pick up the Scottish Grocer Community Retailer of the Year Award early last year then add the Asian Trader Spirit of the Community Award at the end of the year.

“We’re just blown away that these magazines are interested in what we do here because for us it’s just what we do,” he says.

Abada agrees: “For us, being an active member of our community is a two-way thing. We play our part, our shoppers play their part, and together we have built a better community for us all.”

And there’s no question that FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

15

STORE PROFILE | Smeaton, Kirkcaldy SMILING FACES: The store always has a warm welcome for shoppers.

Store CV:

Name: Premier Smeaton Stores, Kirkcaldy Retailers: Asif and Abada Akhtar Time as retailers: 20 years Size: 1,000sq ft Staff: 2 full time; 2 part time Services: PayPoint, licensed, Lottery, hot food and drinks; Rollover hotdog machine Nearest competition: Nisa and Co-op within a mile Trading hours: 6am – 8pm Mon to Sat; 7am-6pm Sun

RESTORING PRIDE: Asif and Abada have helped restore pride in their community.

HEALTHIER OPTIONS: The store promotes healthier eating.

16 TalkingShop

FEBRUARY 2017

Premier Smeaton Stores has had a profound effect on the development of the community it serves.

Asif explains: “We’ve been in this store for about 20 years, back to the days when my parents ran it before we took over, and back then this community wasn’t in great shape at all. The Scottish Government has long classified Smeaton as one of the most impoverished areas in the whole of Scotland. But over the years we’ve worked hard with the locals to get us all pulling in the same direction and Smeaton today is unrecognisable from the way it was back then. I like to think we’ve helped the community get some of its pride back.”

A remarkable achievement by two

very driven retailers, particularly considering that neither set out to be independent retailers. Asif grew up in and around the family store but left to study architecture at Aberdeen University. After finishing his degree and taking on a year’s placement, his father became ill and passed away.

Asif and Abada, a pharmacist at the time, decided that the right thing to do was take over the running of the store.

“It was an unaffiliated independent store at that point but we realised quickly that we needed to be part of something bigger to stand a chance in what was a very competitive marketplace even back then,” he says.

“We had been using the local branch of Booker for a long time and had learned a bit about Premier so it was a natural choice for us.”

The store benefits from being surrounded by schools: two primary schools and two high schools are found within a couple of minutes, so there is a steady flow of morning,

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

OWN LABEL: Happy Shopper and Europ Shopper lines are extremely popular.

ONE STOP SHOP: The store is small but offers a wide range to cope for every occasion.

KEEP IT SIMPLE: The store aims for a clean, uncluttered feel to make shopping easy.

PASS IT ON

GET SMART: POS that reinforces the stores healthier eating emphasis.

lunchtime and home time traffic five days a week. “We cater for that market pretty carefully,” says Abada.

“We have everything they want in the morning before school and we’ve developed a hoot food and food-to-go for them at lunchtime and home times.

It’s a reasonably basic menu but it’s what they want: hot dogs, pizzas and so on.”

The relationship with the local school isn’t simply a commercial one.

Abada has also given presentations at the school on the topic of integration in the community which have gone down well and created loyalty.

The Happy Shopper and Euro

{

Shopper ranges are unsurprisingly popular with not just the kids but the majority of the store’s shoppers while the Mega Deals have also become a mainstay of the store’s turnover.

Price marked packs are similarly important in the store as Asif believes that in a working class area like this, shoppers need to feel sure they are getting value for money; price marked packs help communicate that message.

The couple have also made great efforts to introduce a range of fresh options such as fresh fruit and veg and even have a dedicated Healthy Living Programme stand in-store, a

ASIF AND ABADA HAVE THE FOLLOWING TIPS FOR FELLOW PREMIER RETAILERS: Listen up – Just listen to your shoppers every day; their concerns, their hopes, their complaints, everything. Trust is what builds long term relationships.

Give them what they want – There’s no point listening to your shoppers if you don’t act on what they tell you.

Great products, great prices – We may be a community store first and foremost but that doesn’t mean our shoppers don’t want great products and great prices.

Scottish Government-backed initiative to encourage retailers in impoverished areas to provide their shoppers with a range of healthier options.

“Being an active part of our community is just a way of life for us,” comments Abada. “We don’t go looking for things to do for our community. We just act as responsible members of that community and that means we help our shoppers where we can. In turn, they tend to appreciate that support and are loyal to us. It works for everyone.”

For us, being an active member of our community is a two-way thing. We play our part, our shoppers play their part, and together we have built a better community for us all.

}

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STORE PROFILE | Keynsham, Bristol

Investing in the

future

Despite having over a dozen supermarkets, discounters and convenience stores on his doorstep, Bristol Premier retailer and Premier Development Group member Tony Mallaban has successfully grown his business through investment and understanding his shoppers.

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

GREAT OFFERS: The refitted store features far more space for Mega Deals.

Store CV:

Name: Premier Avon Gold, Keynsham, Bristol Retailers: Tony, Alison & Abigail Mallaban Time as a retailer: 20 years Time with Premier: 14 years Size: 2,400sq ft Staff: 11 + family Services: PayPoint, Collect+, Lottery, licensed, ATM, hot and cold food to go, coffee.

Nearest competition: Co-op 20 metres away; Aldi, Lidl, Tesco Extra, Iceland, Sainsbury’s all within three miles.

Trading hours: 6.30am to 9.30pm Mon – Sat; 7am to 9.30pm Sun

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or most independent retailers, competition from nearby convenience stores, supermarkets and discounters is simply an inconvenient fact of life, but for Bristol Premier retailer and PDG member Tony Mallaban the level of competition is almost beyond belief. “Who are my nearest competitors?” he laughs.

“Well, where do you want me to start? We have a 3,000sq ft Co-op about 30 paces away then we have pretty much every type of convenience store, supermarket, discounter and off licence you can name within a three-mile radius of this store!”

Despite all of this, Tony has succeeded in increasing his tunrover – a simply phenomenal achievement under the circumstances, and proof of the combined power of the Premier offer and a commitment to excellence and hard work from Tony and his family.

Tony runs the store with his wife Alison and daughter Abigail and his story is an inspirational one, highlighting exactly what can be achieved even when the odds look stacked against you.

But how exactly did the family deliver such outstanding growth? “Well, it wasn’t easy but it’s amazing what you can achieve when you put your mind to it,” he says.

“We realised some time back that competition was just getting stiffer and stiffer so we knew something had to change,” explains Tony. “We accepted that many of the stores in our area were new and shiny and impressive, and we knew that our store was a little tired and was in need of a freshen up if we were to stand a chance of not just holding onto our sales but of delivering growth.

“We also knew that we had to give our shoppers good reasons to pass all the competition and come to our store; we needed strong USPs, as they say.”

Step one, then, was a full and major refit.

Not one to do things by half measure, Tony and his family set aside a £100,000 budget for the refit which would cover everything from new ceilings and LED lighting to improved refrigeration, a new stock room and everything in between.

Tony is unsurprisingly pleased with the result. “I think we did the refit well, even down to using maple finishing that gives the store a lovely, classy, modern feel,” he says.

“We were very pleased with the outcome but more importantly, our shoppers love it.”

As part of the refit, however, Tony and his family put a lot of thought into what their USPs would be so that the refit could take these into consideration.

“It wasn’t rocket science, what we chose to do,” says Tony modestly. “But we tried to focus on some areas where our competitors weren’t delivering. What that boiled down to was two key pillars of growth: food-to-go and Mega Deals.”

Tony, Alison and Abigail reasoned that no-one in the local area was doing food-togo well and they were also convinced that the store needed knock out deals front and centre every day of the week to reassure shoppers that they would always get a good deal at Premier Avon Gold.

“We already had a basic food-to-go offer and we had started building a reputation for it, but we decided that with the refit VAPING GROWTH: An increased vaping range has been added.

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

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

STAPLES: Every day low pricing is key.

PRICE FOCUS: The refit sees a focus on value.

GOOD TO GO: Foodto-go and hot drinks are the key USPs in the new-look store.

we would really ramp up that side of the business,” he says.

A dedicated 300sq ft kitchen was added as part of the refit and a full time professional chef was hired. “And he is a real chef, not just a guy preparing sandwiches,” he laughs.

The food-to-go sales area was also made far more prominent in-store by bringing it right to the front, next to the service counter.

“Everything is freshly made on the premises now,” comments Tony.

“Sandwiches, baguettes, salad pots, pasta salads and so on. Even the sandwich fillings are made fresh on site.” To complement a professionally made product, Tony also invested in a labelling system and printers to allow them to produce high quality, elegant and fully compliant labelling on a daily basis.

The offer is aimed at the higher end, better margin end of the scale and is complemented with a coffee-shop style hot drinks offer with a new standalone bean-to-cup machine that Tony bought.

Getting the kitchen ready and fully up to standard meant closing down the food-to-go operation for almost four months, but the results since it relaunched have convinced Tony he has made the right decision.

The other major USP – a greatly enhanced focus on Mega Deals – has been just as

successful. Tony says: “Our two key focuses are food-to-go and Mega Deals, so we decided to ensure our shoppers literally couldn’t miss them by siting the food-to-go right at the front of the shop on one side and the huge Mega Deals display on the other side.

Tony even went to the bother of building a new 600sq ft storage area that he dedicates entirely to Mega Deals, allowing him to buy in bigger bulk and ensure 100% availability.

This whole process took time – it began in May and the store officially re-opened on December 10th – but taking the time to get the offer just right is already paying off.

“I’ve been a retailer for 20 years and this Christmas was by far the best Christmas we’ve ever had!” he says. “Our reputation is already spreading and we’re way, way beyond expectations. We’re breaking records over and over.”

And the good work doesn’t stop there.

Tony plans to develop the bakery side with freshly baked artisan breads to add another layer to his offer.

“We’re not aiming to hold our own,” concludes Tony. “We’re aiming to keep delivering growth – and if we can achieve that despite all the competition around us, then I think there’s a lesson there for everyone.”

COOL SALES: Frozen sales are important for Tony and his family.

PASS IT ON TONY HAS THE FOLLOWING ADVICE FOR FELLOW PREMIER RETAILERS: Stand out – it’s important to give your shoppers reasons to come to your store Communicate – you must let your. shoppers and potential shoppers know what you have in-store for them.

Do it right – if you’re going to commit to improving your store, go the whole hog and do it properly. Don’t cut corners.

SPEND AND SAVE: Tony’s commitment to investment and innovation has worked.

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

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STORE PROFILE | Colchester

Community

heroes

When the tiny Colchester village of Layer lost its only convenience store, the community was desperate to find someone to take it on – so up stepped Barry and Simone Jennings to restore a vital community hub.

Store CV:

Name: Premier Layer Village Store, Colchester Retailers: Barry and Simone Jennings Time as retailers: 2 years Time with Premier: 2 years Size: 1,200sq ft Staff: 6 Services: PayPoint, ATM, licensed, hot food, coffee Nearest competition: Lidl 2.5 miles away Trading hours: 7am to 8pm

DREAM TEAM: Barry, Simone and their “simply wonderful” team.

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here are all sorts of interesting reasons why people get into independent retailing, but very few can have had a route into retail quite like that of Colchester Premier retailers Barry and Simone Jennings. “It’s quite an unusual story,” says Barry, with just a touch of understatement. “I had zero experience in retail, having been in property letting and development my entire career, and I was approaching retirement age so I wasn’t exactly looking for a project – but our local store closed down a few years ago and it’s literally the only store in the village so the community was desperate to see such a vital resource re-open to save them having to drive miles to get their shopping.”

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Barry owned the flat above the store and decided with his wife Simone that the community needed a store and that they might be able to open it up again.

“We decided that we would have a go at it but the store was in a real mess when we took over,” explains Barry. “It was derelict and we took six skip loads of rubbish and debris out of it just to be able to see the bare walls and floor.”

Being self-confessed complete novices at retail, Barry knew that he would need help to get the store in shape but didn’t know where to begin. “I had driven passed a Nisa store one time so I decided to call them but that conversation didn’t last long,” he admits. “Then one of the villagers suggested I contact Booker as there’s a branch just a

HELPING HAND: Going the extra mile is what the business is all about.

COMMUNITY HUB: The store is treated by the locals as a true community hub.

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

HAPPY SHOPPERS: Barry’s shoppers are delighted to have their local store back.

DEAL MAKER: The store makes full use of the Premier promotional programme.

LOCAL SUPPORT: The shop sells locally produced logs, wines, newspapers and more.

couple of miles away. I did that and they couldn’t have been more helpful.”

Barry admits that he “didn’t have a clue” about shop-fitting or about how to range or merchandise a store, so he handed the responsibility for that over to Premier who took care of everything for him. “All that side of things was really outside my realm of expertise, so I figured I’d leave it to the professionals,” he says, and he was delighted with the results.

The store opened on 31st May, almost two years ago, although it took another four months to secure an alcohol licence, but it’s no exaggeration to say that the response from the local community has been overwhelming.

“Simone and I were quite touched by how

HEART AND SOUL: The new store has helped revitalise the village community.

CIVIC PRIDE: The store has helped restore a vibrant local community.

much it clearly means to the village,” he recalls. “Everyone that came into the store took time to thank us and say how much they appreciated having the store back – and the fact that the new Premier store was a huge improvement on what had been there before.”

Barry and Simone live just around the corner and have an active involvement in the business, but the store is managed day to day by a team of six that Barry describes as “simply wonderful”. As you might expect, the store plays a hugely active role in the local community, supporting the local children’s hospice, selling the local magazine and stocking wine from the local vineyard, among other things. The store also offers a dry cleaning service after doing a deal with a local dry cleaning firm and that is also proving popular.

Turnover has risen consistenly since the store reopened, up around 20%, even though a new Lidl opened a few miles away just before Christmas. “We expected to take a hit from that,” he says, “but we saw literally no impact, which was nice. In fact, many of our shoppers told us they’d been to see the Lidl but wouldn’t be back to it, so we must be doing something right!”

It’s a fantastic heart-warming story and, importantly, Barry and Simone have thoroughly enjoyed being able to return a vital hub to the local community. “It’s been everything I could ever have hoped for and more,” says Barry. “We have thoroughly enjoyed it and, with Premier’s help, we’ll continue doing so.”

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STORE PROFILE | Grimsby

affair

A family Store CV:

Name: Premier Extra Convenience Store, Grimsby Retailers: John, Rita, Naha and Nisha Patel Time as a retailer: 26 years Time with Premier: 7 years Size: 1,800sq ft Staff: 5 part time + family Services: Lottery, PayPoint, licensed, ATM, InPost machine Nearest competition: Asda ½ mile away; small independent nearby Trading hours: 6am to 10pm MonThurs; 6am to 11pm Fri; 7am to 11pm Sat; 8am to 10pm Sun

With two Premier stores in Grimsby, Bhupendra Patel’s business is a real family success story with his wife and daughters helping to run and manage this rapidly growing retail business.

PASS IT ON

HIGH STANDARDS: Both stores operate to very high standards.

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JOHN HAS THE FOLLOWING TOP TIPS FOR FELLOW PREMIER RETAILERS: Standards matter – the appearance of your store and your staff are all important.

Availability rules – everyone says it but brilliant availability is the basis of great sales Talk, talk – you only really understand your shoppers by talking to them.

L

CLOSE KNIT: John and Rita Patel with their daughters and mothers.

ike so many other lifelong independent retailers, Bhupendra Patel literally can’t remember a time when he wasn’t involved in helping run convenience stores.

“My parents had been in retail since way back in 1978 and most of my memories from a very young age are from being in and around the store, trying my best to help out,” says Bhupendra, better known to his shoppers as John.

“They had an unaffiliated independent store in Bradford then in Leeds, so I grew up in retail,” he explains. “Then from the age of about 14 I got more involved and slowly learned the ropes. Retail has always been in my blood, I suppose.”

When he left school John joined a Youth Opportunity Programme scheme but this was only for six months before deciding he would rather follow in his father’s footsteps and rejoined the family business. The next seven or eight years saw him learn his trade before he decided to

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

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RANGE FINDER: The store’s range is extensive but tight.

Years that John has been a retailer

2

Premier stores in the group

DEAL MAKER: John is a stickler for great execution of promotions.

FOOD BANK: The store donates to a local food bank every month.

FAMILY BUSINESS: John’s daughter Naha helps run the business do to day.

take the plunge and buy a store of his own in 1991.

That store was in Doncaster and he operated it successfully until 2000 before selling it on. In the meantime, he had acquired a second store in 1997 in Barnsley, which he also sold in 2004. “It was an interesting period but after I sold the second store I decided to take a year off,” says John.

But it was back into the fray in 2005 for John and his family as they acquired the Wellington Street store featured here.

“It was fantastic to get back into retail and I was really excited about it but I knew we had a lot of work ahead of us,” he admits.

“The store we bought was a tiny 400sq ft newsagents and it wasn’t in great shape.”

Within a year he had purchased one of the houses next door and knocked it through to extend the business to 1,000sq ft. In 2012 the opportunity arose to acquire the property on the other side which he duly did, knocked it through again, and extended the store to its current 1,800sq ft footprint.

In the meantime, John and his wife Rita and their kids Naha and Nisha joined Premier in 2010 to help them fuel their growth. That was a huge success and

allowed them to acquire a second store last year only around a mile away. The store had formerly been a Sainsbury’s but was immediately brought into the Premier family.

“It’s a real family business we’ve got here,” says John with pride. “We’re all involved in the business and we have big plans for the future.

His wife Rita helps manage the business while Naha runs the second store. Nisha helps out too but is also attending university to study business law and John has high hopes for her input into the business after graduation.

John is quick to praise Premier for the role it has played in helping him and his family develop their business. He says: “We have had dealings with Booker for decades and the team at Premier are fantastic. The Premier offer is perfect for the current market and the people there make it easy to do business. Our shoppers love the store and things are going well.”

So well, in fact, that John is currently in negotiations to take on a third store, but he remains understandably tight lipped about that, other than to say that it will also be a Premier store.

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

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Easter | FEATURE

Your guide

to cracking Easter sales!

Easter remains one of the most important seasonal opportunities on the sales calendar, so it’s important to have a strong offering in place early, and maintain availability right through the period.

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FEATURE | Easter

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aster is without doubt one of the most important seasonal opportunities on the annual sales calendar for Premier retailers. Making the most of Easter is all about capturing the fun, making confectionery special and helping shoppers enjoy time with friends and families during this season.

Easter 2017 has a lot to live up to as last year saw another strong season. Sales rose 3% taking total Easter sales to £354m, according to Nielsen figures. Once again, shell eggs and sharing bags performed particularly well, in line with the general confectionery market.

Growth was also driven by an increasing interest from shoppers in traditional ‘egg hunt’ rituals which helped increase sales in a variety of product formats.

For Premier retailers the biggest single opportunity this Easter lies in the self-eat category which is by far the most impulsive.

FOCUSED RANGE: With limited space, retailers should focus on a tight range that will deliver.

FOR ME For Premier retailers, the biggest Easter opportunity lies in the self-eat (for me) category which now generates sales of over £56m a year, according to Nielsen.

This category is by far the most impulsive, creating huge opportunities for retailers who are prepared to put some work into creating fun and atmosphere through in-store theatre and tailored displays.

Self-eat products are also vital in helping to signpost the season for shoppers and provide a great opportunity to start seasonal sales off early by driving excitement ahead of the big day. The key for retailers here is to stock up as soon as possible to help get shoppers in the mood and get off to a flying start.

For most retailers that will involve the perennial Easter favourite, the Cadbury Crème Egg. Crème Egg is the number one product in the self-eat category and for many shoppers is the true sign that Easter is approaching. Other impulse lines like the Malteaster Bunny have also grown in popularity and make a great counter-top impulse offering to drive impulse sales without taking up too much space.

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TOP 5 SELF EATS 40g Cadbury Crème egg singles 2 for £1 POR: 35.1% price: £12.99 Consumer deal: case size: 48x40g Promotional Cadbury mini eggs bags 90g £1.00 POR: 20.1% price: £15.99 Consumer deal: case size: 24x90g Promotional Malteaster Bunny 29g for £1.20 POR: 20.3% price: £8.50 Consumer deal: 3 case size: 32x29g Promotional Galaxy Golden Mini Eggs 80g £1.00 POR: 20.1% price: £14.65 Consumer deal: case size: 22x80g Promotional Galaxy Milk Large block 390g £2.50 POR: 22.0% al price: £26.00 Consumer deal: case size: 16x390g Promotion

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

TOP TIPS FOR EASTER SUCCESS l Stock the very bestselling lines and use our recommended stock list to help drive sales. l Be prepared early: o Start the countdown to Easter as early as possible with self-eats when consumers are looking to keep their spirits up and bring some colour to their life. Continue to stock these for the duration of the season. o Continue the countdown theme in February and March with family sharing lines. o In early April Easter is here and families are now looking for things to do together – stock family sharing and gifting lines. l Utilise manufacturers POS and build impactful displays in high traffic areas in store to showcase your full seasonal range and promotions.

Also remember to utilise the impulsive counter space for self-eat treats.

FOR US Easter for many shoppers is a season to spend time with friends and family and this too creates big opportunities for retailers. Sharing products help to drive momentum throughout the season with products like miniature eggs now considered a core part of Easter for many shoppers. These types of lines are growing by 3.3% and are now worth £56m at Easter – so they’re worth investing in.

Shoppers are looking to buy sharing products for guests and especially their children in casual together-time to build excitement in the run up to Easter weekend, so retailers should be stocking these products by now.

The 2017 kids range from Nestlé is bursting with sales and profit opportunities for retailers. Known and trusted brands are the best-sellers in this segment which means that brands like Milkybar and Smarties fit the bill perfectly. The Smarties Chick in Egg (RSP £2.55) was launched last year and quickly became the No.2 Novelty launch in the market, according to IRI data. The line is expected to perform well again this Easter for retailers.

New for 2017 is Cadbury Dairy Milk Egg n Spoon Oreo – a favourite brand which is now joining the biggest NPD line in the last five years. The launch follows the proven success of the two greats in shell eggs and miniature eggs, and aims to help drive incremental sales in sharing.

EGG HUNT

DEAL MAKERS: Premier offers a great range of excellent deals this Easter.

As retailers will have noticed, egg hunts are increasingly popular in the UK in recent years. In fact, according to a Mumsnet survey last year, 83% of mums planned or participated in an egg hunt in Easter 2016. The egg hunt ritual is a seasonal highlight for adults and children alike and drives significant gifting sales. Small wrapped eggs are the key format for egg hunts at home, as well as hollow FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

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Easter Egg Hunt!

16x Individually wrapped treats to create the perfect trail hunt MALTEASTER® Bunny is the No.2 in Self Treat at Easter!*

MALTEASTER® Mini Bunnies is the No.3 small sharing pack at Easter!*

GALAXY® is the No.2 chocolate brand in the UK

Exclusive to Booker Galaxy®, Maltesers® and MaltEaster® are registered trademarks. © Mars 2017. *Nielsen, Easter Self Eat, total coverage, Value Sales, W/E 11.04.15.

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

{

Gifting accounts for more than 60% of chocolate occasion sales at Easter, growing by 11% year on year.

TOP 5 GIFTING & EGG HUNT 275g Maltesers & Galaxy egg hunt POR: 20.1% price: £15.95 Shopper deal: £3.99 Case size: 6x275g Promotional egg 85g Cadbury Buttons small shell POR: 20.0% price: £8.00 Shopper deal: £1.00 Case size: 12x85g Promotional egg 72g Cadbury dairy milk small shell POR: 20.0% price: £8.00 Shopper deal: £1.00 al otion Prom 2g 12x7 size: Case Egg 308g Galaxy Indulgence XL shell POR: 20.2% price: £13.30 Shopper deal: £5.00 Case size: 4x308g Promotional Celebrations Large Egg 248g POR: 20.0% price: £8.00 Shopper deal: £3.00 Case size: 4x248g Promotional

KIDS OPTIONS: Gifting for children forms a major part of the Easter confectionery market.

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chocolate figurines and small Easter eggs.

Retailers should stock products that can serve as treasures and also as the main prizes.

Look out for the Booker exclusive egg hunt pack featuring Malteaser and Galaxy eggs which was designed by Booker and Mars especially for this growth category and will only be available to Booker retailers. We recommend Premier retailers stock up whilst stocks last!

FOR THEM Gifting accounts for more than 60% of chocolate occasion sales at Easter, says Nielsen, with shell eggs being the number one gifting format. These are growing at 11% and a specialist in this area is Mondelez International which had eight out of the top 10 Easter Eggs in 2016 and drove the growth in the large shell egg format.

Adult eggs are the main gift bought for adults during Easter. Sales have grown 19% since 2011, according to IRI data. The mid to late season is critical for sales of adult eggs, with nearly 70% of sales coming in the last three weeks before Easter. With limited space on shelves, ensuring favourite brands as well as a variety of products are on offer is key to sales success.

New for 2017 are Cadbury Roses thoughtful gesture shell egg, which provides an ideal thank you for older family members or friends and Galaxy Indulgence large shell Egg.

MARKETING AND PROMOTIONS

MINI EGGS: Mini egg format products are growing at 3.3% and represent a good opportunity.

2016 saw the arrival of Cadbury’s first ever Easter campaign and the Easter hunt is back on screens in 2017 with TV, digital, experiential and in-store activity. Under the new platform “It’s Creme Egg Hunting Season”, the advert puts product at the heart of its creative and magnifies the joy that only Creme Egg Season can awaken. It forms part of a significant £4m investment from the brand.

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FEATURE | Protein

Protein

builds growth in

profits

Once seen as the preserve of fitness fanatics, high protein products have gradually become mainstream, opening up an entirely new revenue opportunity for Premier retailers.

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

TALKING SHOP RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING PRODUCTS: berry Boost Milk Protein Drink Straw 8x310ml WSP: £6.99 RSP: £1.29 POR: 32.3% olate 8x310ml Boost Milk Protein Drink Choc 32.3% POR: £1.29 RSP: £6.99 WSP: Chaos Bar Grenade Carb Killa Caramel 12x60g WSP: £15.29 RSP: £2.49 POR: 38.9% & Cream Bar Grenade Carb Killa Cookies 12x60g WSP: £15.29 RSP: £2.49 POR: 38.9% nie Shake Grenade Carb Killa Fudge Brow 8x330ml WSP: £13.29 RSP: £2.49 POR: 33.3% & Cream Grenade Carb Killa Cookies Shake 8x330ml WSP: £13.29 RSP: £2.49 POR: 33.3% Nutrition For Goodness Shakes Protein Shake Choc 315ml WSP: £7.35 RSP: £1.75 POR: 30.0% Chocolate For Goodness Shakes Recovery 475ml WSP: £6.95 RSP: £1.99 POR: 30.2% Vanilla For Goodness Shakes Recovery 475ml WSP: £6.95 RSP: £1.99 POR: 30.2% Chocolate For Goodness Shakes Protein Shake 475ml WSP: £8.69 RSP: £2.49 POR: 30.2% Snickers Protein Bar 18 x 51g WSP: £21.99 RSP: £1.89 POR: 22.4% Mars Protein Bar 18 x 57g WSP: £21.99 RSP: £1.89 POR: 22.4%

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nce upon a time not too long ago, high protein products were mainly bought by fitness fanatics and those on specialist diets but over time the category has evolved and grown and is now one of the most important growth trends in independent retailing.

Euromonitor sales data predicts that sales of high protein products will grow to £358m by 2018. Similarly, Mintel data shows that 17% of UK consumers already consume food or drink that contains protein as a snack between meals.

Long recognised as a muscle building aid, the use of pure, ‘clean’ protein in the diet is also used by many shoppers as part of weight management programme. As more and more mainstream shoppers focus on healthier diets with higher protein and lower sugar, the category offers Premier retailers an important new revenue stream.

As in all product categories, however, shoppers are still looking for products that taste great and offer strong value for money.

Two of the most popular ways

to consume Protein comes from Bars and Shakes.

Protein bars is a fast growing category with sales currently valued at £22m, increasing by a significant 58.4% last year, representing an additional £8.2m in sales.

According to Nielsen stats.

WIDER BASE While the high protein market was once the preserve of specialist manufacturers and suppliers targeting niche markets, the growth of the category means that many of the world’s largest manufacturers have now launched high protein variants of already household names.

A good example of this is the recent launch of new Mars and Snickers Protein Bars offering 19g and 18g of protein per bar respectively. Protein has been proven to help shoppers maintain focus longer throughout the day as well as promoting a ‘fuller for longer’ feeling which is ideal for those keeping an eye on their consumption.

The new Mars and Snickers Protein Bars are just 200 calories and have the nutritional profile shoppers would expect from a protein bar but with the taste of Mars and Snickers that shoppers already enjoy.

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

6 MERCHANDISING TIPS FOR PREMIER RETAILERS Protein specialists For Goodness Shakes have the following advice for Premier retailers: l Make sure your protein products are easily visible in-store to help trigger impulse purchases, especially if your store is located near a gym as they are ideal for hydration during training, or post-workout. For l Make sure shoppers can navigate their way to the fixture quickly and easily, and shope the fixture efficiently. l Create standout on-shelf and in the shop window using POS available from manufacturers. For Goodness Shakes has a free POS kit available to provide greater visibility. l Let consumers know you’re selling protein shakes and other protein products by using window stickers and other POS. l Position your protein shakes range side by side to offer variety and place the range in the dairy chiller if possible. l For Goodness Shakes is long life and ambient which can help reduce wastage and improve availability.

With the ready-to-drink protein and nutrition drink category growing by 27% last year accodring to Kantar, it’s a category worth cashing in on.

The For Goodness Shakes brand grew by 67% in the last year, taking its market share up from 33.2% to 42.4%.

Four of the long-term protein specialist’s most popular products are available from Booker and the company predicts that protein products represent “a more or less untapped market for convenience retailers” with “huge opportunity for growth in the health and lifestyle foods market.”

DRINK TO THAT Another new entrant to the protein market is Boost which has been supplying the independent trade with Sports and Energy Drinks for over 15 years. The company has now entered the protein market with two flavoured milk drinks under the Boost Brand.

Available in Strawberry and Chocolate flavours, Boost Protein drinks contain no added sugar and offer Premier retailers an entry level product in to the category. The product comes in a 310ml bottle which can be stored ambient but is best served chilled.

Each bottle contains 20g of protein and less than 150 calories. Price marked at £1.19, Boost will feature on Premier 11 with a £1 consumer mechanic. Unlike most drinks, Boost Protein is VAT free.

LONG TERM SPECIALISTS Many companies may be new to the protein market but there are also many who have been focused on this once niche market for a long time, successfully serving the needs of high protein shoppers for many years

One such brand with a strong heritage in the protein market is Grenade, a specialist brand that has been around since 2010.

Already one of the most popular food brands sold on Amazon, Grenade enjoys strong credibility within the sports market. Its bestselling “Carb Killa” range of High Protein bars have a proven rate of sale with the the two top variants being Cookies & Cream and Caramel Chaos.

These 60g bars contain over 23g of Protein and less than 1.5g of carbs. These are premium products with an RSP of £2.49 which is competitive in the market.

New to the Carb Killa range are two High Protein Shakes in Fudge Brownie and Cookies & Cream Flavours.

Containing 24g of Protein and less than 200 calories these shakes deliver strong PORs of 33.3% when sold at £2.49.

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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

Tuck into new sales!

WHAT? ENJOY BRITISH RANGE OF BREAKFAST AND DINNERS WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? With tasty, easy to prepare meals continuing to drive sales in independent retailing, Booker has launched a new range of ready to cook chilled breakfasts and dinners. The home-sourced range includes the Enjoy British All Day Breakfast, the Enjoy British Roast Chicken Dinner and the Enjoy British Roast Beef Dinner.

The three traditional favourites provide exceptional quality meals made from British-grown meats at fantastic prices, and deliver strong PORs for retailers too of almost 30%.

WHO? These well presented classic lines are sure to appeal to a wide shopper base from working parents looking for nutritious and convenience meals for their family through to those simply looking for a tasty, easy to prepare weekend treat.

WHERE TO STOCK? The Enjoy British range should be sited prominently in the chilled food section of the store where the high quality packaging will draw new shoppers into the category and encourage shoppers to trade up to complete meal solutions.

Enjoy British All Day Breakfast Case size 6 x 400g WSP: £1.95 RSP: £2.69 POR: 27.509% Enjoy British Roast Chicken Dinner Case size 6 x 400g WSP: £2.33 RSP: £3.29 POR: 29.179% Enjoy British Roast Beef Dinner Case size 6 x 400g WSP: £2.33 RSP: £3.29 POR: 29.179% FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

39

Profits in the can WHAT? STRONGBOW DARK FRUIT 4-PACK 568ML CANS WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Strongbow’s Dark Fruit variant has been a massive hit since launch, establishing a loyal following among shoppers and driving repeat purchases. The brand is helping retailers capitalise on that success by launching a new, larger 568ml can 4-pack, which is only available in convenience.

WHO? Price marked at £6.25 and delivering PORs of 20% for retailers, the new 4-pack will appeal to existing Strongbow Dark Fruit fans, encouraging them to trade up to the larger pack format.

It is also expected the great value delivered by the larger pack will encourage other shoppers to trial the category.

WHERE TO STOCK? The new line should be stocked alongside other multipack, larger can offerings in-store, in the chiller.

STRONGBOW DARK FRUIT Case size: 6 x 4 x 568ml WSP: £24.99 RSP: £6.25PMP POR: 20%

Light up your sales WHAT? BUD LIGHT 500ML 4-PACK UNIQUE PREMIER DEAL WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? One of the many benefits of being a Premier retailer is that Premier is able to secure on your behalf a fantasic POR of 30.82% for a global brand like Budweiser. With an RSP of £5.49 and a WSP of £18.99 for a case of six, Bud Light 500ml 4-packs are a must stock. Retailers should also be on the look out for special shopper deals that are coming soon!

WHO? Bud Light is increasingly popular with shoppers looking for a lighter tasting beer for a wide range of social occasions. The £5.49 price mark ensures shoppers understand the value message and drives trial and repeat purchase.

WHERE TO STOCK? Stock the line in the main fixture and chill to ensure maximum impulse sales.

BUD LIGHT 4-PACK Case size: 6 x 4 x 500ml WSP: £18.99 RSP: £5.49 PMP POR: 30.82%

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FEBRUARY 2017

To purchase these products now, visit www.booker.co.uk Soft sell WHAT? FANTA ORANGE ZERO / DR PEPPER ZERO / SPRITE ZERO PM£1

Sparkling solution WHAT? GLACEAU SMARTWATER SPARKLING WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW

WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Global giant CCEP has further increased its focus on zerosugar products with a new range of £1 price marked variants of its popular Fanta Orange, Dr Pepper and Sprite products.

WHO? The lines are likely to be popular with shoppers of all demographics looking for healthier options with the £1 price mark offering a guarantee of value.

WHERE TO STOCK? Site the lines prominently in the soft drinks chiller to drive impulse sales and bring new shoppers into the zero-sugar sub-category.

FANTA ORANGE ZERO / DR PEPPER ZERO / SPRITE ZERO PM£1

WHY? The Glaceau Smartwater brand has been growing strongly in independent retailing in the last year and the unveiling of a new sparkling 600ml variant will help drive that growth. The brand has focused on delivering a strong price point for shoppers and the new line follows the same strategy with a 65p RSP – delivering PORs of 42.4% for retailers.

WHO? Glaceau Smartwater has developed a strong following in recent times and this sparkling line is sure to be a hit with a broad array of shoppers.

WHERE TO STOCK? Merchandise the line alongside other water lines, ideally in the chiller, where the value price point will generate impulse sales.

Case size: 12 x 500ml WSP: £7.09

GLACEAU SMARTWATER SPARKLING 600ML

RSP: £1 PMP

Case size: 24 x 600ml WSP: £7.49 RSP: 65p

POR: 29.10%

POR: 42.4%

Lemonade launches

Monster sales

WHAT? R WHITES PRICE-MARKED LEMONADE RANGE

WHAT? MONSTER ULTRA CITRON 500ML PMP £1.19

WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW

WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW

WHY? Popular traditional soft drinks brand R Whites has added two new price marked lines to its range of 330ml can products with the launch of a 69p price marked Traditional Cloudy Lemonade variant and a Premium Raspberry Lemonade variant. Both products deliver exceptional PORs of 60.2% for retailers as well as great quality drinks for shoppers.

WHY? The energy drink category continues to perform well for Premier retailers, particularly those lines owned and marketed by major manufacturers like CCEP. One of the latest products to join the category is a £1.19 price-marked Monster Ultra Citron 500ml can which delivers a great POR of 41.3%.

WHO? Traditional favourites in Britain, R Whites is popular with many shoppers, particularly for those looking for classic flavours and great quality products.

WHERE TO STOCK? Stock the lines within the main soft drinks chiller where the new price mark will help generate sales and profits.

R WHITES TRADITIONAL CLOUDY

WHO? With many energy drink shoppers switching between products as they seek to freshen up their drinks choices, introducing new flavours in-store can help boost the category and maximise revenues and profits. This 500ml product comes in a striking, bright yellow can which ensures stand out in the chillers while the bold price mark helps convey the value message.

WHERE TO STOCK? Stock the line alongside other 500ml energy drinks.

LEMONADE; R WHITES PREMIUM RASPBERRY LEMONADE

MONSTER ULTRA CITRON

Case size: 24 x 330ml WSP: £5.49

Case size: 12 x 500ml WSP: £6.99 RSP: £1.19 PMP

RSP: 69p PMP POR: 60.2%

POR: 41.3%

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

41

PricesDown

FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITIES TO SAVE ON COSTS AND BOOST YOUR PROFITS

EDLP is the key in wine

RETAILER VIEW ASIF & ABADA AKHTAR Premier Smeaton Strores, Kirkcaldy

When it comes to wine sales, Every Day Low Pricing is the key to unlocking growth – and Booker has just what retailers need.

A

ccording to the latest data from Accolade Wines, wine spend accounts for an amazing 35% of all BWS sales in convenience these days, so it’s important that Premier retailers have the right offer in-store. And when it comes to creating the right range for your store, the importance of Every Day Low Pricing (EDLP) cannot be over-emphasised.

The recent Grocer “Top Products Survey 2016”, run in association with Nielsen, confirmed that “EDLP is also the watchword in wine”. Booker is offering a fantastic EDLP range that delivers on every front.

The focused range provides shoppers with everything they are looking for when it comes to repeat wine purchases: the most popular grape varieties, the most respected countries of origin and some of the best loved brands.

Just as importantly, the range also delivers excellent pricing for shoppers and strong PORs for retailers.

With the average trip spend on wine being a hefty £12.55, according to Accolade, it’s worth making the effort to ensure that your range will deliver for you and your shoppers.

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This figure demonstrates that many shoppers are buying more than a single bottle, so helping them to trade up is important.

If your shoppers add a bottle of wine to their average basket, spend increases by 103%.

It’s also worth noting that wine sales in price points above £6 are growing. Wines at an RSP of £6 to £7 are up 4% while wines at an RSP of £8 and above are rising at an impressive 12.9%.

The messsage for Premier retailers is clear: to capitalise on this growth, make sure you have a solid Good / Better / Best offer in-store to complement wines selling at less than £6 RSP. It’s also worth paying particular attention to the Hardys range which is the No 1 wine brand in the UK. The Bin 161 product, which is exclusive to Booker, is the No 2 wine brand in total convenience.

Clearly the EDLP strategy combined with Price Marked Bottles - where the price mark can be peeled off by the consumer - is working.

If you haven’t yet fully embraced this range then perhaps it is time to have another look.

If your shoppers add a bottle of wine to their average basket, spend increases by 103%.

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“The community that our store serves is very much focused on value so for us the Every Day Low Pricing wine range is vital. It actually forms the core of our wine offer because it guarantees our shoppers great wines at great prices every time they come to the store. It drives strong footfall and delivers great PORs for us.”

THE EDLP WINE RANGE: DISTANT VINES RANGE Britain, 10% abv Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Merlot, Shiraz, Pinot Grigio Blush.

WSP £15.99, RSP PM £4, POR 20.1% HARDYS BIN 161 RANGE South East Australia, 12 – 13.5% abv Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Rose WSP £21.25, RSP PM £5, POR 15.0% ISLA NEGRA RANGE Valle Central, Chile, 12 – 12.5% abv Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot, Rose WSP £21.25, RSP PM £5, POR 15.0% SECRETARY BIRD RANGE Western Cape, South Africa 12.5 – 14.5% abv Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot WSP £22.99, RSP PM £5.50, POR 16.4% LINDEMAN’S BINS South East Australia, 12.5 – 13% abv Chardonnay, Shiraz WSP £26.99, RSP PM 6.50, POR 17.0% WOLF BLASS YELLOW LABEL South Australia, 13 - 13.5% abv Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon WSP £31.79, RSP PM £7.50, POR 15.2%

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

43

AVAILABLE NOW!

M&M’s® and the M&M’s® Characters are registered trademarks ©Mars 2017.

Source: *Nielsen Scantrack, Total UK Market, CSV MAT, WE 31.10.2015. **Scantrack data to 26.03.2016, excluding Grocery. ***Total G.B. | M&M’s Variants| Penetration | Latest MAT - 08/17/14 - 08/15/15

£1

M&M’S® CRISPY IS NOW AVAILABLE IN A TREAT BAG FORMAT CRISPY IS THE SECOND FASTEST GROWING BITESIZE VARIANT GROWING BY 43.9% CSV*

M&M’S® CRISPY IS ALREADY BOUGHT BY OVER 1 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS A YEAR***

BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

Top tips on how to be a winner at awards!

The Sheffield-based Singh brothers strike gold at the Asian Trader Awards.

There’s no doubt that winning awards is great for business, so Talking Shop has spoken to a number of award-winning Premier retailers for some top tips on how to build a strong entry.

W

inning industry awards is a fantastic feeling - just ask any Premier retailer who has experienced it - but taking part in the many awards programmes open to Premier retailers isn’t just about winning. Even the process of entering industry awards is something that can be hugely beneficial to your business.

The simple process of compiling an entry

gives you a great excuse to step back and take an objective look at your business – and try see it the way your shoppers do.

That way you give yourself a great opportunity to discover areas of your business where you can make some improvements and keep pushing forward.

Many Premier retailers already make a point of entering awards all year round as it encourages them and their staff to keep reviewing the business and finding our where tweaks can be made.

If you happen to end up as a winner on the evening, so much the better! Winning awards helps boost morale among staff and gives shoppers the reassurance that their local Premier store is a great place to shop.

Working and shopping in an awardwinning store is something that everyone can be proud of. If you’ve never done it before, entering awards can appear a daunting task but is much easier than many retailers realise and can deliver big benefits.

Read on for some top tips...

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

45

TIP 1

READ THE ENTRY FORM!  Before you even put pen to paper - or

finger to keyboard - make sure you read the offical entry form thoroughly so that you understand what the judges are looking for. Entry forms for the various awards tend to be fairly similar but be sure to read and fully understand every question before you enter.

 Try to provide precise, specific answers

to every question on the entry form - and resist the urge to miss out any questions.

Try also to avoid including any information that doesn’t add anything to your entry.

Sanjay Naran (holding award) and Sumita Naran (2nd right) collect the Pass The Love On Award at the Asian Trader Awards.

TIP 2

FOCUS ON WHAT YOU’RE GOOD AT!

Abada Akhtar (centre) and Asif Akhtar (2nd right) pick up the Spirit of the Community Award at the Asian Trader Awards.

 It seems obvious but the best place to start when entering awards is to focus on areas of your store that you feel you have made great progress with in the last year.

 Similarly, it’s tempting to try to enter as many categories as possible for each awards programme – but that can be counter productive. It’s better to focus on the awards categories where you genuinely feel you’ve made progress in the last 12 months.

TIP 3 Gurpal Kaur (second left) and Manny Ghuman (second right) come top of the National Federation of SubPostmasters Business Health Check Programme.

KEEP IT SHORT AND TO THE POINT!  Many entry forms carry specific

word limits – try to make sure that you don’t exceed the limits because it gives the judges grounds to dismiss your entry.

 Even if the entry form dopesn’t

specify a word limit, try to only provide information that is relevant to your entry and try not to include lots of data that you find interesting but the judges might not.

 Try to structure your entry with one

TIP 4

BE PRECISE!

point leading neatly and logically onto the next. Show the judges you understand your business and you know hoe to get to the point.

 Judging panels are interested in hard facts and specifics, not generalisations.  Try to avoid vague statements like ‘sales rose’; instead make it clear that ‘sales increased 13.2% as a direct result of your actions’, for example.

 Similarly, try to give precise financial numbers where possible. If you are not prepared to give specific financial figures (sales rose £3,400), then provide percentage figures (sales rose 13.2%).

 Try not to use statements that you cannot back up. This might include things like ‘my shoppers are much happier’ or ‘my staff love it’ unless you back them up with some sort of research or testimonial statement.

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TIP 5

DON’T MISS AYTHING OUT!  One thing pretty much guaranteed to ensure that you don’t make the shortlist is an incomplete entry.

 If the entry form requests photographs, include them. If it asks for supplementary evidence, provide it.

Natalie Cowen from Premier Wilsons Convenience Store collects the Retail Industry Award for Newsagent of the Year.

 Answer every question – even if you’re not sure it’s important.

TIP 6

A PICTURE (OR VIDEO) PAINTS A THOUSAND WORDS!  With cameras on every smartphone, there’s no excuse for not providing photographs to illustrate entries.

 Be ruthless with your photographs: use one good photograph rather than providing three or four versions of the same shot.

 Only send photos of what you are discussing in the entry!  It’s increasingly common to enter videos too. A video shot on a smartphone can really bring an entry to life.

Dennis & Linda Williams took home two awards at the SLR Rewards.

TIP 7

DO YOUR RESEARCH!  It always pays to do some research into the awards programmes that you are considering entering.

 Look at past winners and see why they won to help inspire you and your team.

 If the category you are entering has a specific industry sponsor, don’t be afraid to flatter them by mentioning them by name in the entry!

TIP 8

IF YOU’RE GOING TO DO IT, DO IT RIGHT!  If you’re going to enter awards, then do

it enthusiastically! It takes time to build a good entry so if you commit to entering, then commit to making your entry the best it can be.

 Judges can easily spot a hastily prepared Mark & Samantha Coldbeck from Premier Wharfdale, Hull, won four IAA Awards including Best Overall Shop.

entry and will be able to dismiss your entry in favour of one from another store that has taken their time.

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

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BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

How to make social media work for your business!

SOCIAL MEDIA: THE MAIN OPTIONS With limited time available for most retailers to dedicate to social media, it’s important to focus on the platforms that are most likely to deliver for your business. Here is a quick overview of the 10 most popular sites…

Site

Monthly Visitors

Facebook YouTube Twitter LinkedIn Pinterest Google+ Tumblr Instagram Reddit VK

1.1bn 1bn 310m 255m 250m 120m 110m 100m 85m 80m

As social media becomes an ever more important channel for retailers, Talking Shop offers a two-part hands-on guide to making use of it effectively and efficiently.

S

ocial media is now part of the everyday fabric of most shoppers’ lives with smartphone and tablet use now almost comprehensive. Platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram offer a huge range of opportunities to Premier retailers, delivering new ways of getting their message directly to shoppers quickly and easily. But with so many options available, it can be a daunting task to decide where to concentrate your efforts,

particularly as few retailers have lots of time to dedicate to developing the social media profile of their stores.

To help make sense of social media, Talking Shop spoke to Booker’s digital and social media team to produce a practical, hands-on guide to getting the most out of social media. The two-part guide (the second part will follow in the next issue) will help you decide where to post, what to post, when to post, why to post – and how to measure the results.

MORE

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WHEN TO POST? Social Media Frequency Channel

Best time

Facebook Twitter Instagram Pinterest

1-4pm 1-3pm Anytime 5-11pm & Saturday AM

½hr per day 5 per day ½hr per day 10 per day

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

49

QUICK TIPS! l Be INTERACTIVE - connect with your followers by ‘likeing’ and commenting on their posts! l ENGAGE - keep your audience engaged with visual content such as images, colours, graphics, videos and live streaming. l Don’t forget a ‘CALL TO ACTION’ - where you want your followers to take action after seeing your post i.e. click on the link or hashtag (#) to enter the competiton, Like our page or first to share wins a free chocolate bar.

Step 1 Decide who your shoppers are, and the type of content to post. #1 l l l l l l

IDENTIFY YOUR TARGET AUDIENCE Are your typical shoppers male or female?

Are they young or old?

What do they value?

What are some of their likes and dislikes?

Are they local to you, or do they live all over the world?

Are they a certain ethnicity, or do they come from a wide range of ethnic backgrounds?

#2 l l l l l l

IDENTIFY WHAT PLATFORMS THEY USE Facebook - age 18-50 Twitter - age 18-34 Instagram - age 25-34 Youtube - 18-34 LinkedIn- Business professionals and businesses who need your expertise.

Pinterest- good for promoting food and drink receipes via images.

#3 MARKET RESEARCH TO CHOOSE THE RIGHT PLATFORM l Conduct interviews with 5-10 of your customers- ask them what platforms they prefer to use, what content gets their attention i.e. photo/video/blogs, what times they go on their preferred social media channel and where they typically connect with their friends, family, colleagues, and community members. Note all of this! l Find companies similar to yours (similar products/ services/industry). See what social media platforms they use, what type of content they post and what type of posts get the most likes/ shares/ comments. Document findings in an excel sheet to refer back to when choosing your social media platforms and content type.

TOP TIP

www.buzzsumo.com is a great site for competitive research! Enter any topic in the front page search bar, click the “Search!” button, and you’ll see a list of the most-shared posts on that topic, from a variety of websites.

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FEBRUARY 2017

Step 2 Choosing the type of content to post by each social platform: Be aware that all social media channels have a direct messaging feature to send and receive direct messages to followers/ potential followers. In this first article, we provide suggestions for three of the most popular channels: Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.

PLATFORM

CONTENT TYPE THAT WORKS WELL

Facebook

STATUS UPDATES: inform customers of new deals/ new products or services/ special offers/ ask for their thoughts on something

e.g. ‘Who’s tried our new recipe? Thoughts?

PHOTOS: of new products or services, shout outs to customers, latest offers, competitions..

VIDEOS: live videos streaming (keep your audience up to date and connected to you at events by live streaming what is going on where you are so people can ‘tune in’). Other video content can include promotional videos, campaigns, vines, GIFS. SHARING CUSTOMERS’ POSTS: share your customers good reviews of your business, pictures which they have tagged your business in.

Twitter

STATUS UPDATES: inform customers of new deals/ new products or services / special offers / ask for their thoughts on something e.g. ‘Who’s tried our new recipe? Thoughts?

PHOTOS: of new products or services, shout outs to customers, latest offers, and competitions.

VIDEOS: live videos streaming (keep your audience up to date and connected to you at events by live streaming what is going on where you are so people can ‘tune in’). Other video content can include promotional videos, campaigns, vines, GIFS. RETWEETING: (sharing) customer’s tweets and mentions of your business – share your customer’s good reviews / mentions / photos of your business / anything positive customers post (tweet) about your business. You can also retweet articles relating to your industry / current affairs in your industry. This is another technique to engage customers and to gain customer engagement by

sparking interest.

MENTION CUSTOMERS / COMPANIES / SUPPLIERS IN YOUR TWEETS: Twitter is about forming a community with

everyone involved in your business and industry to build a following. Following someone of interest may lead to them following you back and you seeing how the engage with their customers.

FOLLOW: your target audience, competitors, companies in similar industries, reviewers in your industry, industry magazines – this will keep you updated with what type of posts are trending, latest news, reviews of your business, customer interest.

HASHTAG: (e.g. #Fridayfeeling, #tgif) Twitter has the feature of hash tagging popular trends. If you include in your post text hashtag it features on the page when people type in the search bar the hash tag you have included. E.g. ‘Here’s a fun fact, if you lift a kangaroos tail off the ground, it can’t hop. #wisdomwednesday’.

Instagram

PHOTOS: of new products or services, shout outs to customers, latest offers and competitions. Instagram has a built in photo editor

once you have uploaded your photo the next step will be to edit it if you want it i.e. change the filter, increase brightness, sharpen etc.

CREATE A ‘YOUR STORY’: create a video story of your day/ an event you are at etc and keep your audience up to date and

connected to you. By filming where you are/ behind the scenes, customer shout outs it helps your target audience stay connected and

know where you are & what you are doing.

UPLOAD VIDEO CONTENT AND POST IT: it can include promotional videos, campaigns, refurbishments, ‘how to’ videos when making a recipe- anything you feel will be useful and that your customers would like to see.

HASHTAG: (e.g. #Friday, #summer #food) Instagram has the feature of hash tagging popular trends. If you include in your post text a hashtag, it features on the page when people type in the search bar the hash tag you have included.

HASHTAGS FOR COMPETITIONS: E.g. you post a competition picture of crisps and the post text says ‘FREE bag of crisps to

whoever has the funniest post of their favourite flavour of crisps. Just #whatsyourflavor to enter’. Then when its time to choose type in your personalised created hashtag into search and the entries will come up showing people who have posted using your #whatsyourflavor.

For Booker’s ‘how to create accounts’ guide for Facebook and Twitter please go to:

www.bookersocialmedia.co.uk

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

51

RED BULL 250ML 4 PACKS. Red Bull 4 Pack is the No.1 Sports and Energy Multipack. Why? Customers like it because it presents good value for money, and when they trade up then you are winning too. Red Bull Gives You Wings.

LIMITED EDITION NEYMAR PACK AVAILABLE NOW.

Stock up today

Red Bull Energy 4 Pack

PM £4.49

M178685

SOURCE: TOTAL MARKET VALUE SALES 12W/E 22 FEB 14.

KICK START YOUR SALES.

BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

Time to cash in on the

‘free-from’ opportunity?

With sales of gluten-free products rocketing by 27% last year and over a third of UK shoppers buying into the free-from category, it’s time to take a fresh look at a new profit opportunity.

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40%

Shoppers with specific dietary requirements typically £2,000 a year more than those who don’t.

E

very Premier retailer is keen to maximise revenues, so it’s always important to be aware of the latest profit opportunities. One of the most significant shopper trends over the last couple of years has been the massive increase in interest, and sales, in the ‘free-from’ food market. These free-from lines have been designed to exclude one or more ingredients to which at least some shoppers can have either an allergic reaction or an intolerance. Typically, this might refer to gluten present in wheat or to dairy products in general.

Britons who actively avoid certain ingredients

This free-from market has been experiencing huge growth, powered along in recent times by the increasing shopper interest in ‘healthier’ options and by a marked growth in specialist diets. Some of this demand is created by those with a medical requirement to avoid gluten but there is increasing data to show that many shoppers are buying free-from as a simple lifestyle choice.

But how big is this opportunity for Premier retailers? Well, the latest statistics published by independent charity Coeliac UK show that sales of gluten-free products rose by a massive 27% in 2016. A MORE

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HOW TO MERCHANDISE? A key question for Premier retailers is how to effectively merchandise a ‘free-from’ range in-store. There are two main options: l Site your free-from range throughout the store with free-from products sitting alongside equivalent standard versions within each category. This makes it easy for shoppers to find the products as they sit naturally within the appropriate category. l A second option is to create a dedicated bay or section in-store that is dedicated entirely to free-from lines. This makes it easier for free-from shoppers to browse your entire range and may help drive up basket-spend.

FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

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45

%

*

POR ON E-LIQUIDS Offer ends 14th March 2017

LOGIC LQD. E-LIQUID DELIVERED PRECISELY.

*45% POR when you buy any of the following: Logic LQD E-Liquid Tobacco, Logic LQD E-Liquid Menthol, Logic LQD E-Liquid Cherry, Logic LQD E-Liquid Vanilla, Logic LQD E-Liquid Berry Mint or Logic LQD E-Liquid Strawberry at the outer price of £11.45 and sell packs at the RRP of £5.00. While stocks last.

recent Kantar study also found that a very significant 13% of Britons are now opting to go gluten-free while Mintel data suggests a third of British consumers consciously buy free-from foods in any six-month period.

The same Mintel data estimates that the UK free-from market is currently worth £470m and is predicted to grow by 43% between now and 2020.

Still not convinced? Consider then that another recent study of over 2,000 shoppers by discount agency VoucherCodesPro

TALKING SHOP RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING ITEMS: Alpro Almond Milk 1 Ltr % WSP: £0.99 RSP: £1.79 POR: 44.70 Alpro Coconut UHT 1 Ltr % WSP: £0.99 RSP: £1.79 POR: 44.70 Ltr Alpro Soya Original Sweet 1 % WSP: £0.99 RSP: £1.69 POR: 41.40 1 Ltr Alpro Soya Unsweetened UHT % WSP: £0.99 RSP: £1.69 POR: 41.40 UHT 1 Ltr Alpro Almond unsweetened % WSP: £0.99 RSP: £1.79 POR: 44.70 0 10 x 6’s Mrs C Choc Macaroons PM15 % WSP: £8.99 RSP: £1.50 POR: 40.10 x 6 ‘s 12 Ring ut Mrs Crimbles Jam Co/n % WSP: £12.99 RSP: £1.59 POR: 31.90 12 x 45g Eat Natural Protein Pack Bar % WSP: £6.19 RSP: £0.89 POR: 30.50 x 50g 12 d+A lmon urt/A Yogh Eat Natural % WSP: £6.19 RSP: £0.89 POR: 30.50 18 x 35g Nakd Gluten Free Cookie Bar % WSP: £8.59 RSP: £0.85 POR: 32.60 18 x 35g Nakd Gluten Free Orange Bar % WSP: £8.59 RSP: £0.85 POR: 32.60 Pom Bear Original 32 x 19g % WSP: £8.29 RSP: £0.49 POR: 43.60 x 19g Pom Bear Cheese & Onion 33 0% WSP: £9.29 RSP: £1.49 POR: 143.6

found that shoppers who choose specific dietary requirements typically spend £2,000 a year more on groceries than those who don’t. Vegan, vegetarian, gluten-free and halal diets shoppers spend, on average, an estimated £162 per month extra.

This trend has big implications for independent retailers in terms of the range they stock and the way they merchandise dairy-free, gluten-free and other specialist diet lines in-store. Many suppliers specialise in producing free-from products and there is also an increasing number of major manufacturers now offering free-from variants of their most popular products. The result is that devising a strong, profitable free-from range has never been easier for Premier retailers.

Booker now stocks an extensive range of such products from an array of well known brands including Quaker, Alpro, Nakd, Eat, Mrs Crimbles and Pom Bear.

VALUE MYTH When building a range and pricing model for your store it’s worth bearing in mind that, despite what is often believed, supermarket sales data from Kantar shows that it’s something of a myth that free-from shoppers are less price conscious than average consumers. Over half of free-from consumers complain that price differentials between free-from and non-specific equivalents are too wide.

The news for Premier retailers here is clear: free-from shoppers are just as keen on value as everyone else, so make sure you are delivering against that demand.

Whichever way you look at the free-from opportunity, there’s little doubt that it is one that has an important future and it’s one that Premier retailers can’t afford to ignore.

“To some, free-from may still have the air of an “alternative” or niche category but it’s now nearly 40% bigger than a signature staple of British consumption, tea,” said Mike Watkins, Head of Retailer and Business Insight at consumer researcher giant Nielsen. “The nation is increasingly concerned about diet and health. Over four in 10 Britons now actively avoid certain ingredients in what they eat and drink, which is reflected in fresh fruit and freefrom being the fastest-growing categories.”

27%

Rise in gluten-free product sales in 2016

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ROBERT WHITE’S INSPIRATIONAL LIFE STORY DOESN’T MAKE OUR LEMONADE GREAT. OUR NEW FLAVOURS DO. P U K C STO

W NO

AVAILABLE IN CLOUDY LEMONADE AND RASPBERRY FLAVOURS.

LaunchReview FEEDBACK ON THE LATEST BOOKER PRODUCTS

Happy Shopper cookie range goes down a storm

Who’s a clever cookie?

The new range of Happy Shopper £1 price-marked cookies have proven just as popular with shoppers as they have with retailers.

What’s not to love about fantastic quality cookies at amazing value prices? Absolutely nothing if sales of the new range of Happy Shopper cookies is anything to by with shoppers just as enthusiastic about the products as Premier retailers are, given the value at only £1 per pack and excellent PORs of over 30%.

The new range includes two popular flavours, Oats & Cranberry and Triple Chocolate, and delivers eight cookies in an attractive, prominently price marked pack.

That equates to just 13p a cookie, significantly better value for shoppers than the many branded variants available.

The product quality is fantastic, just as shoppers have come to expect from the Happy Shopper brand,

and feedback both in-branch and in-store has been resounding. The excellent value has brought many new shoppers into a category that had traditionally been very expensive, increasing basket spends and driving incremental purchases.

The range was also created to appeal to as wide a demographic as possible and that strategy has been very successful in-store with everyone from busy mums buying the products for munch box treats to office workers seeking a mid-afternoon boost.

Stocking the products prominently in high traffic areas has been the key to maximising sales and carrying out sampling-in-store has also been demonstrated to be successful in driving sales.

Happy Shopper Oats & Cranberry Cookies; Happy Shopper Triple Chocolate Cookies Case size: 12 x 200g WSP: £8.29 RSP: £1 PMP POR: 30.1%

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Did

you

know?

Ultra Thin pads are 84% of the market vs Thick pads at 14%* Are you stocking the biggest brand?

Always Ultra PMPs – now available!

*IRI Value Sales P52 w/e 23 August 2014

Product Description

Midas code

Always Ultra Long Plus PM229 12s

M184692

Always Ultra Long PM229 14s

M184695

Always Ultra Night Pads PM229 10s

M184678

Always Ultra Norm Plus PM229 14s

M184676

Always Ultra Normal Pads PM229 16s

M184698

shopper’s view…

Gary Mason, London Everybody loves a cookie, don’t they? But the problem has always been that they can be very expensive so this new range from Happy Shopper is just brilliant because it gives you amazing quality, tasty cookies for just £1 a pack.

With eight cookies in the pack, that’s amazing value. I often buy them from my local Premier store at lunch time so that I can have a post-lunch treat, and if I’m feeling particularly generous I’ll even hand a few out to my colleagues! I can’t decide which flavour I like best. You can’t go wrong with Triple Chocolate and I do love them, but there’s something about the chewy Oats & Cranberry cookies that is just delicious!

RETAILER VIEW

IN SUMMARY

RETAILER VIEW

1

Great extension of the Happy Shopper range into a category that is popular with a broad range of shoppers.

2

Amazing value for shppers at just £1 for eight cookies – that’s just 13p a cookie.

3

High quality product and high quality, prominently price marked pack drives trial and repeat purchase.

4

Strong PORs of 30.1% means the product is just as popular with retailers as it is with shoppers.

TONY MALLABAN Premier Avon Gold, Bristol The thing that the Happy Shopper brand so often gets right is delivering products into categories shoppers often feel are overpriced. These new Happy Shopper products are a great example. Most shoppers love a cookie, as do most Premier retailers! But the branded options have tended to be quite expensive and that puts a lot of shoppers off, particularly when there are so many other products they can spend their money on when they are looking for a little sweet treat.

The Happy Shopper cookies fill that gap, providing really delicious, high quality products at a genuinely fantastic value price. At £1 for eight cookies you’ll struggle to find better value than that anywhere.

The packaging for the Happy Shopper lines is also very strong and professional looking these days and that’s true of the cookies. The packs look fantastic on-shelf and that big, yellow price-marked flash means shoppers can’t miss the value.

As a retailer, of course, one of the best things about Happy Shopper is the fact that we always get at least 30% POR, something that’s getting more and more important as the cost of doing business continues to rise.

BHUPENDRA PATEL Premier Extra Convenience Store, Grimsby In today’s competitive independent retailing market, Premier retailers really need to focus on profit margins so Happy Shopper delivers for us every time.

The own label is getting more and more popular because the range is so good these days that it offers a genuine alternative for many shoppers to the big brands.

That’s great news for retailers too because a minimum 30% POR is a welcome guarantee. The new Happy Shopper cookie range looks great, tastes great, provides outstanding value for shoppers and great PORs for retailers. It’s no surprise that it’s doing well.

RETAILER VIEW ASIF AKHTAR Premier Smeaton Stores, Kirkcaldy Where our store is, we really need to deliver great value for our shoppers across every category, so the Happy Shopper and Euro Shoppers ranges are very important to us. Our shoppers are looking for great products at great prices every day of the week and we try our best to give them exactly that. The new Happy Shopper cookies range is a welcome addition because it’s one of those categories that’s popular with every shopper of every age. When you combine brilliant quality products with brilliant prices, you’re onto a winner.

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£21.99 PRICE MARK PACK OFFERS YOU YEAR ROUND VALUE

86% of shoppers trust PMP over the shelf price 1 70cl is the most popular pack format in convenience, accounting for 35% of all sales 2 Jack Daniel’s Tennessee Whiskey 70cl PMP is leading this growth, growing at 129% and worth £10.2m in Convenience sales 2 Maximise on the bestselling pack format, from the No.1 Imported Whiskey brand 2

STOCK UP NOW YOUR FRIENDS AT JACK DANIEL’S REMIND YOU DRINK RESPONSIBLY JACK DANIEL’S OLD NO.7 IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF JACK DANIEL’S ©2017 1. Source: HIM! Spirits Deep Dive Research, March 2016 2. Nielsen MAT to 03.12.16

Food To Go | GUEST COLUMN

Steve Jones, Premier Fountain Shop & Bakery.

Experienced Merthyr Tydfil Premier retailer offers a range of advice on getting food to right in-store.

Making the most of the food to go opportunity Food To Go can be a fantastic way of driving up sales and profits, and there’s lots of support available to help Premier retailers grow.

T

here’s no doubt food to go is one of the most important trends of the last few years in independent retail as consumer buying habits have changed and on-the-go consumption becomes increasingly popular. It’s no surprise then to see so many retailers keen to establish a food to go offer, if they don’t already have one, or develop the one they have.

We are lucky at our store in Merthyr Tydfil because we’ve been doing food to go for about 20 years. We were the first store in our part of the world to offer a filled baguette range all those years ago, and since then we have developed quite a reputation and a loyal following thanks to our food to go offer. We now sell around 4,000 baguettes and filled rolls a month.

We stepped it up a gear around five years ago when we carried out a major refit of the store which included the installation of a purpose-built ‘store within a store’ concept.

Known to our shoppers simply as the bakery, the food to go kitchen and counter is now among the main strengths of the store, generating high footfall and basket spend

throughout the day and among a wide range of shoppers of all ages. The margins are high at between 60% and 65%.

We make all of our baguettes fresh to order which allows our shoppers to specify exactly what they want in it and how they want it prepared, and it’s all done in front of their eyes. We also offer a wide range of jacket potatoes and savoury products like pasties, pies and sausage rolls.

The bakery is so well known that we regularly get shoppers coming from miles away because of it and we now deliver to local businesses too.

We’ve followed a very simple set of rules to reach this point. Firstly, we work hard at building a great team. Everyone in the store has been there for years and knows our shoppers well. The sound of regular laughter coming from the bakery really adds to the atmosphere.

Secondly, we’re careful about ingredients.

We’ve worked closely with Booker’s foodservice team to ensure the breads and ingredients we use are great quality – and we never change the recipes. If you’ve found a recipe that shoppers like, never change it; not

even things like the butter you use because shoppers notice and they don’t like change.

Thirdly, don’t be afraid to ask for help, particularly if you’re starting food to go from scratch. The team at Booker can offer fantastic support to help get you up and running in the best possible way to give you a great chance of making a success of it. Similarly, companies like Country Choice can bring all sorts of advice and assistance.

Fourth, be prepared to invest in waste.

It’s impossible to build a good food to go offer without some waste. Great availability of all food to go products throughout the day is vital if you want to drive sales but you can only do that by accepting that you’ll have some waste. But you will quickly start to get a handle on which lines are most popular and what stocking levels you need each day for each product and before long your waste will plummet.

Lastly, put a bit of passion into it. If your shoppers see you taking food to go seriously they are more likely to buy into the category. It’s a great opportunity and it requires some work and planning, but the rewards can be excellent.

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ACS Viewpoint | Business Rates

James Lowman It’s time for the Government to overhaul a business rates system that penalises investment.

With a lot of media coverage of the latest re-evaulation of business rates, a key flaw in the system requires urgent Government attention.

T

owards the end of 2016, there was a lot in the papers about business rates as we build up to the new financial year starting in April when businesses in England and Wales will start paying rates based on the latest revaluation. While a lot of the media coverage talks about the pounds and pence increases, the underlying issue remains that two years ago, the government committed to undertaking a fundamental review of business rates and we’re yet to see a clear conclusion to the review.

The most important principle that’s been left unaddressed is the way the current system penalises investment, so if you improve your store, your premises is deemed to have increased in value, and your rateable value and rates bill will go up accordingly. Surely one of the ways a tax system should work is to encourage investment, and while we’re very proud that the convenience sector has invested over £800m in the past year (led in many cases by significant investment in forecourts), many of those businesses who are backing

the government’s proposals to reduce the themselves and fuelling the economy in number of appeals against business rate the communities where they trade will now valuations. I have some sympathy with find themselves paying more tax as a result. the government’s desire to cut down on the That can’t be the right way to incentivise appeals that clog up the system, are time growth. consuming, and have created an industry of The other big missed opportunity from speculative appeals initiated by (a minority the review of business rates was the chance of) agents seeking fees. But we also to look at the various sector-specific can’t expect businesses to take excessive schemes that are applied where the rental rates bills on the chin. It’s not values of premises in some sectors acceptable to deny businesses do not match the economic the right to challenge what value of those businesses.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO may be unfair rating This means forecourts GET INVOLVED IN THE assessments. and ATMs are rated POLITICAL WORK OF ACS With high street differently to a typical ....................... CALL ...................... businesses under convenience store on 01252 515 001 pressure from so many a high street or parade. quarters – wage costs, Are these schemes still ............ OR LOG ON TO ........... economic uncertainty, relevant, still accurate, www.acs.org.uk inflationary pressures, and and still fair? Our competition from on line – conversations with forecourt the government should go back retailers suggest that they do and look at if the business rates system not believe the system works well, as its is incentivising investments, delivering convenience stores trading on forecourts that are seeing most of the biggest increases. fairness, and if specific rating schemes in areas like forecourt stores and ATMs are fit The lingering problems with the for purpose. business rates system are made worse by FEBRUARY 2017 TalkingShop

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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

Another bright new era?

Having attended one of the recent roadshows given by the senior Booker and Premier teams in Glasgow, I was hugely encouraged to hear first-hand how the merger with Tesco will enable Premier retailers to further enhance their offer. Booker Chief Executive Charles Wilson has led us all on an amazing journey over the last dozen years and I only see that success story

continuing with Premier right at its heart.

LINDA WILLIAMS PREMIER BROADWAY CONVENIENCE STORE, EDINBURGH MARTYN PARKINSON, BRAND DIRECTOR PREMIER, SAID: The merger with Tesco is a momentous development in many ways but is in essence simply a continuation of the same journey that Booker and

Premier has been on over the last decade. Our relentless drive to deliver better choice, price and service for our customers and your shoppers remains the focus going forward. Premier, as we all know, is the biggest symbol group in the UK and with the added opportunities that will come through the merger, I only see that position being reinforced in the years to come. It’s an exciting time to be a Premier retailer, that’s for sure.

What’s coming down the line?

As Premier retailers we have a commitment to focus on increasing choice for our shoppers. Do you have any advice on new products or categories we should be aware of that will help us open new revenue streams and improve choice for our shoppers?

BHUPENDRA PATEL PREMIER EXTRA STORE, GRIMSBY

MARTYN PARKINSON, BRAND DIRECTOR PREMIER, SAID: Staying abreast of emerging trends is important task. Two growing categories at the moment are high protein products and free-from products and you’ll find useful advice in this issue of Talking Shop to help you embrace those categories. Shopper trends do evolve over time so it’s important to stay ahead of the curve and cater for all of the needs of your shoppers.

Time running out for EUTPD2 With the May deadline for the EUTPD2 tobacco legislation changes just around the corner, have there been any late changes that retailers should know about to ensure that they are fully prepared when May arrives?

ASIF AKHTAR PREMIER SMEATON STORES, KIRKCALDY ALAN FASHAM, TOBACCO CATEGORY MANAGER, SAID: The legislation communicated in the EUTPD Guide to Retailers issued last year has not changed. Around 80% of out range has moved over to TPD2 compliant packs.

My advice is to check your stock, indentify any product you may struggle to sell before the 20th May, and ask your tobacco reps to support clearance. Packs of 10 and small format RYO remain important to many consumers, so keep stock of your best sellers while they are still available in the market.

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Talking Shop

Issue 87 FEBRUARY 2017