News

INBRIEF

UK FOOTFALL RECOVERY CONTINUES

Total UK footfall increased by 8% on a year-on-year basis in September, new data reveals. On a year-on-year basis, the latest British Retail Consortium Footfall Monitor shows total footfall increased by 8% in high streets.

Challenges remain however as footfall fell by 9.8% in September compared to pre-pandemic levels, although this still represents 2.6% improvement from August.

Similarly, high street footfall was up 1.7% in September when compared with the previous month.

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 named RIA Symbol Group of the Year

Premier added to its growing collection of awards recently after being named Symbol Group of the Year at the Retail Industry Awards in London.

Premier continues to cement its position as the UK’s leading symbol group after winning the highly prized Symbol Group of the Year Award at the recent Retail Industry Awards.

Held at The Brewery in London, the Awards celebrate the very best of the independent retailing sector.

The judges commented: “Premier is enjoying a 20th year of consecutive growth and has continued to perform well in various categories, with its retailers benefiting from a wide range of support options that really help them grow their profits and their businesses. In addition, Premier has also encouraged and backed commendable community work across stores.”

The judges thought Premier stood out against some impressive competition with its “considerable and comprehensive offering to stores resulting in admirable growth” and highlighted how Premier “understands what changes to make to really develop those retailer’s businesses.”

Martyn Parkinson, Sales Director – Booker Wholesale, said: “We are absolutely delighted to pick up this award on behalf of the 4,000 Premier stores we service and it’s an absolute privilege to work with so many great retailers.”

Independent stores ‘out-perform the market’ in food to go

Independent convenience stores continue to out-perform the total out-of-home eating market, according to the latest MealTrak results for the twelve weeks to 5th September.

The latest results showed that independent retailers saw 10% growth in food to go sales in the twelve week period with forecourts up 13%.

MealTrak is the UK’s leading continuous tracking programme for food-to-go and out-of-home consumption, surveying 36,500 consumers a year.

These results continue to demonstrate the significant opportunity for Premier stores with a food-to-go offer. While the hospitality channel continues to see strong growth of 15% year on year following the relaxing of pandemic restrictions earlier this year, that growth is slowing down.

Independent retailers meanwhile are seeing sustained growth in food-to-go occasions as the total food-to-go market continues to grow year on year.

Meanwhile, the value of total food-to-go and out-of-home eating market is up 27% year on year and 14% over the twelve weeks to 5th September.

Premier retailers win big at The Convenience Awards 2022

Singh’s Premier in Sheffield was crowned Convenience Retailer of the Year at the annual industry awards.

Premier retailers claimed a number of highprofi le wins at The Convenience Awards 2022, including the overall prize of Convenience Retailer of the Year. Held in London, the UKwide awards recognise and reward the very best of convenience retail.

The top accolade of Convenience Retailer of the Year 2022 was claimed by the Singh family’s Premier store on Teynham Road in Sheffi eld. The 1,750sq ft store, which underwent a revolutionary refi t focusing on key shopper zones in 2021, also won the Independent Convenience Store of the Year category.

Judges praised Singh’s Premier for its “outstanding” drinks, vape and food-to-go off er and were also impressed by the strong connections that the Singh family has forged with local suppliers and shoppers.

Store owner Mandeep Singh said it was “amazing” to win Convenience Retailer of the Year and Independent Convenience Store of the Year, thanking his family, his staff and Premier for their hard work and support. “This win is testament to the brilliant teamwork and exceptionally hard work put in by everyone involved in the business,” he said.

“I’d also like to thank our shoppers for their continued support and loyalty, without them, none of this would be possible,” he added.

Other Premier winners on the night also included Premier Heyside Mini Market and Post Offi ce, which scooped the prize for Customer Delivery Store of the Year.

Commenting on the win, store owner Mos Patel told Talking Shop: “We were thrilled to have won this award that recognises all the hard work that is constantly put in by the whole team.

“At Premier Heyside we constantly strive to take things to the next level. We are now in the process of recruiting even more drivers and pickers to help us deliver an even better service and in the next few weeks we’ll also be focusing on ways in which our delivery off er can better support low-income shoppers by including even more meal deals, such as ‘feed your family for £10’.”

INBRIEF

CLICK AND COLLECT ‘WORTH £42BN’

A new report from Barclays Corporate Banking has revealed that click-and-collect shopping will be worth £42.4bn in the UK this year, 8.4% of the retail industry’s total annual income.

The study – ‘What’s in store for retail?’ – looks at the rise of ‘hybrid’ shopping, which involves both physical and digital interactions. Click-andcollect now accounts for 40% of sales for retailers who offer the service, up from 37% a year ago, says the report.

The popularity of the service grew during the pandemic but has continued to grow after the lifting of lockdown restrictions, indicating that click-and-collect is a consumer behaviour that is here to stay.

Over two fi fths (41%) of physical stores in the UK are now used as click-and-collect locations.

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 steals the show at SLR Awards 2022

Premier was named Symbol Group of the Year at this year’s Scottish Local Retailer of the Year Awards while Premier’s retailers also claimed many of the event’s top prizes.

GROUP EFFORT: Retail Development Controller Barry Forbes collects the award.

TOP NOTCH: Shamly Sud with one of her many awards. YOUNG STAR: Girish Jeeva collects his award.

COMMUNITY HERO: Graham Watson wins the Community prize.

It was a hugely successfully night in Glasgow for Premier recently as it was named Symbol Group of the Year and many Premier retailers claimed awards of their own, including the top Scottish Local Retailer of the Year Award.

Premier claimed the coveted Symbol Group of the Year crown for its “consistent and relentless commitment to proactively supporting and inspiring retailers and helping them achieve their aims under the very toughest of circumstances”, according to the judging panel. The judges also said that Premier “demonstrated a very clear and deep understanding of what mattered most to its customers” and that the symbol group had also shown “huge commitment in delivering the range, pricing, offer, service, support and energy” that helped Premier retailers maximise their profits.

Martyn Parkinson, Retail Director – Booker Wholesale, commented: “We are delighted to be named Symbol Group of the Year in Scotland and we are equally delighted that the quality and strength of our offer to retailers in Scotland has been recognised.”

On the same evening, Shamly Sud and her family, who run the Premier Racetrack Pitstop business, claimed the Scottish Local Retailer of the Year Award as well as the Forecourt Retailer of the Year, Premier’s SLR Awards winners

l Symbol Group of the

Year Premier l Scottish Local Retailer of the Year Shamly

Sud, Premier Racetrack

Pitstop l SLR Young Retailer of the Year Girish Jeeva,

Premier Barmulloch l Community Retailer of the Year Graham

Watson, Premier

Watson’s Grocer,

Moniaive l Forecourt Retailer of the

Year Premier Racetrack

Pitstop Bearsden l #ThinkSmart Innovation

Retailer of the Year

Premier Racetrack

Pitstop Bearsden l New Store of the Year

Premier Racetrack

Pitstop Bearsden l Sustainability Retailer of the Year Premier

Racetrack Pitstop

Bearsden l Soft Drinks Retailer of the

Year Premier Racetrack

Pitstop Strathclyde

the New Store of the Year, the #ThinkSmart Innovation of the Year, the Soft Drinks Retailer of the Year and the Sustainability Retailer of the Year Awards in what was a hugely successful night for the business.

Additionally, Girish Jeeva of Premier Barmulloch was named Scottish Young Retailer of the Year and Graham Watson of Premier Watson’s Grocer in Moniave claimed the Community Retailer of the Year Award.

INBRIEF

WORKER PROTECTION ACT ‘HAVING AN IMPACT’

The protection of Workers (Scotland) Act which came into force last August has already had an impact on shop crime reporting, according to a new report by Police Scotland.

A total of 844 crimes were recorded under the Act between April and June 2022. In spite of this, crime rates have increased steadily since the act came into force with an average of nine crimes a day now being recorded.

In addition, the report shows that shoplifting is on the rise. There were 7,400 incidents of shoplifting reported across Scotland Between April and June 2022, an increase of 35.8% on the same period last year.

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