9 minute read
News
New exclusive agreement offers Premier retailers enhanced deals on credit and debit card rates as well as terminal rental.
Debit card rates
0.290%
per transaction*
+ 0.005p authorisation fee Credit card rates
0.699%
per transaction*
+ 0.005p authorisation fee Terminal rental
from £10
per month
See how much your business could save with Barclaycard
Check out what Barclaycard Business could do for you. Or find out just how much you could save by calling 0800 151 0122 – and quoting ‘Booker symbol’.
Powering change through payments
Booker has announced that it has secured a fantastic new group exclusive deal with Barclaycard that offers Premier retailers deals on both credit and debit card rates as well as terminal rental.
The agreement means retailers pay just 0.29% per transaction on debit card payments and just 0.699% per transaction on credit card payments. An authorisation fee of 0.005p is also payable for taking each card payment.
Additionally, terminal rental is available to
Subject to subscription criteria. For all of our charges and full terms and conditions please click here or call 0800 151 0122. Other exception charges and authorisation fees may apply. All prices exclude VAT. Call charges info. Premier retailers from just £10 a month. Barclaycard is a trading name of Barclays Bank PLC and Barclaycard International Payments Limited. Barclays Bank PLC is authorised by the Prudential Regulation Authority and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority and the Prudential Regulation Authority (Financial Services Register number: 122702). Registered in England No. 1026167. Registered Office: 1 Churchill Place, London E14 5HP. Barclaycard International Payments Limited, trading as Barclaycard, is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland. Registered Number: 316541. Registered Office: One Molesworth Street, Dublin 2, Ireland, D02 RF29. Directors: Paul Adams (British), Steven Lappin (British), James Kelly, Mary Lambkin Coyle, Peter Morris and David Rowe. Martyn Parkinson, Sales Director – Retail, commented: “As a group we are always working to find new ways to help Premier retailers reduce their costs and increase their profits. This latest group exclusive agreement with Barclaycard is another important step in that direction and offers Premier retailers enhanced deals on card payments and helps them cut their costs every day.” To find out just how much you could save, call 0800 151 0122 and quote ‘Booker symbol’.
Food and drink spending ‘up 7%’
Extra spending on food, drinks and petrol saw shopper card spend climb by 7.7% in the latest Barclaycard spending report. Data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, saw shopper spending on essential items like food and drink rise 7% in July year-on-year, up from the 4% increase recorded in June.
Rising petrol prices led to a 29.9% jump in fuel spending during the same period. Spending on utility bills, however, also grew significantly, up 43.9% in a single month.
The report noted a trend towards more frequent grocery trips with less spend per visit with two in five shopping on a ‘need-to-buy’ basis to save money and avoid waste.
Some 89% of shoppers also reported seeing increases in the prices of everyday items with the majority noticing that butter (53%), milk (51%) and meat (47%) were more expensive than they were in June.
INBRIEF
WALES TO BIN BAGS
The Welsh Government has published a draft Bill which aims to ban or restrict the sale of single-use plastics in Wales, including a ban on plastic bags which are currently subject to a 5p charge.
The new Environmental Protection Bill would prohibit the sale of these products and make it an offence for a person to supply or offer to supply (including for free) a shopper in Wales with singleuse plastic products including cups, cutlery, drink-stirrers, lids for cups or takeaway food containers, straws, plates, balloon sticks, carrier bags and cotton buds.
Wales was the first UK nation
to introduce a single use plastic bag charge at 5p per bag.
TALKING TACTICS
What are you doing in-store to stand out in your local market? Share it with us and your Premier retailer colleagues at talkingshop@booker.co.uk
Premier Belben celebrates its fi rst birthday in style
Dev Patel celebrated the first anniversary of his store in Poole in Dorset recently by hosting a party with his community and his team.
Following what he called “an unbelievable fi rst year”, Premier retailer Dev Patel recently hosted a fantastic fi rst birthday party for his local community and his hard-working team at his Premier Belben store in Poole, Dorset.
“It has been a truly remarkable year,” Dev told Talking Shop. “We have achieved every single goal and aim that we set ourselves when we opened the store a year ago in the most challenging of circumstances.
“It has been a true team eff ort and I can’t thank my colleagues enough. They’ve been instrumental in helping us exceed our targets and achieve our aims. I would also like to thank the local community who have also been nothing short of fantastic. They’ve been so supportive every step of the way – and I think they have really appreciated having a modern, high quality Premier store at the heart of the community. They view the store as a real community asset and, as far as they are concerned, this store belongs to them as much as it does to me! That’s the biggest compliment the community can pay me.”
Many of the local community attended the birthday party, enjoying some special birthday cake and having the chance to spend some time with Dev and his team.
“It was a lovely party,” said Dev. “We had lots of shoppers drop by and wish us well and it’s a great way to start our second year’s trading with Premier. The store turnover continues to grow and we have plenty of plans to keep it that way. We are currently looking at bringing in a Costa Coff ee machine and our application for a Post Offi ce has been submitted. We want to cement our place at the heart of this community and give them a store they can always be proud of.”
RDM’s VIEW
Premier RDM Wayne Bradley comments:
“Premier Belben looks as stunning today as it did a year ago when it fi rst opened. Dev and his team work so hard at maintaining the highest of standards – which is perhaps why we see so many other Premier retailers dropping by for a visit! Dev has also continued to evolve and develop his store alongside the latest shopper trends which is why his turnover is still growing a year later and why he will continue to be a success long into the future.”
INBRIEF
SHOPLIFTING DECLINE ‘REVERSED’
Premier retailers are being urged to pay special attention to shoplifting after the latest Police recorded crime statistics revealed a 21% increase in the crime during the 12 months March.
The new statistics, published in July, came as a surprise after an 11% decrease in shoplifting over the last decade.
Shopworkers trade union Usdaw described the new data as “a worrying reversal of the recent trend downward” and urged retailers to be on the lookout in their stores.
Paddy Lillis, Usdaw General Secretary, said: “The reported 21% increase in shoplifting may well be a consequence of Covid restrictions being lifted in stores last year. Social distancing and limiting the number of customers in stores does make life more diffi cult for shoplifters, so the return to normal will have an impact. We want to see action to ensure this reversal of a downward trend does not continue.
“We are aware that the cost of living crisis may also lead to more shoplifting. However, the answer to the squeeze on household budgets is not to turn a blind eye to theft from shops, which in itself contributes to rising prices as retailers try to recover losses.”
INBRIEF
CAUTION URGED ON MINIMUM WAGE
The Low Pay Commission (LPC) has been urged to take a “cautious approach” to future National Living Wage rates and to take into consideration the challenges facing employers at the current time.
The Association of Convenience Stores gave oral evidence to the LPC and highlighted the unique and significant challenges faced by independent retailers as a result of the cost of living crisis, increased energy and supply chain costs and other regulatory challenges.
ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “Local shops are experiencing rising operating costs in a similar way to households and many retailers have had to absorb costs impacting their profitability, pass on increases through higher prices and reduce staff hours and numbers.
“It is vital that the Government seeks to set wage rates which avoid negative impacts on businesses and support the good quality employment available in our sector.
“We are urging the Low Pay Commission to take the current economic situation into context when setting future wage rates, looking at the significant disruption that businesses and consumers are experiencing as a result of the cost of living and cost of trading crisis.”
Booker Trade Shows deliver 12,500 meals for the hungry
More than five tonnes of surplus supplier food was collected from Booker’s two trade shows earlier this year and redistributed to provide 12,500 meals for the hungry.
Booker has provided enough food to provide 12,500 meals for those in need after working with the Phoenix Resource Centre charity to collect and distribute over five tonnes of surplus supplier food from Booker’s two recent trade shows at Doncaster and Sandown.
The food would otherwise have gone to waste, but was instead used by the charity to help so many people that are struggling to have even the basics following a few hard years for many communities and families.
Andrew Richardson, Trustee and Founder of Phoenix Resource Centre, told Talking Shop: “Wow, what an amazing couple of shows we had this year with Booker. From both combined we collected 12,500 meals.
“These donations have enabled us to help thousands of people and lets us give to the most impoverished of our society. It makes such a huge difference. A huge thanks has to go to the Booker team and to all of the suppliers for donating the surplus products.
“We are distributing up to 2,000 meals a day through our partners including Shine in Northampton. They are supporting a very diverse community with a high number of ethnic minorities in the area, a high level of homelessness and disengaged youth. The donated food from the trade shows has a massive positive impact on all of those in need in the area.”
