Talking Shop April 2017

Talking Shop ISSUE 88 – APRIL 2017

The magazine for Premier retailers

PLUS

Living the dream Supplier turned retailer is loving life in his new Premier store in Fife

Chilled juice

Cash in on a growing category

Central Billing

Hundreds of suppliers added

12x355ml WSP £15.99

POR 60.03% RSP £4

LAGUNITAS DRINKABLE BARLEY ME 6.2% A.B.V.

Beer Speaks, P

S IPA IS WELL-ROUNDED AND HIGHLY E IPA. A TOUCH OF CARAMEL MALT ELLOWS OUT THE TWANG OF THE HOPS. V. • Lagunitas is the #1 IPA brand in the USA, tripling its volume growth in the UK vs. LY • Delivering incremental value into the Modern Craft category with an APPL +40p HIGHer than Modern Imported Craft.*

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Talking Shop | April 2017

Welcome Talking Shop ISSUE 88 – APRIL

Welcome to the latest issue of Talking Shop in what is a very busy period for Premier retailers.

There is clearly a lot going on in independent retailing at the moment with a lot of new challenges for us all to face but as part of the biggest and best symbol group in the UK, we will continue to support you and your business to help you thrive.

In this issue you will find some fantastic advice, support and help to keep you ahead of the game. As summer approaches we take a closer look at a couple of product categories that will help drive sales and profits this year: chilled juices and ice cream. Chilled juice is a category in strong growth as shoppers continue to look for healthier products so it’s well worth considering how you can capitalise on this opportunity. Ice cream is a traditional summer favourite and Premier is helping you cash in on the category this year with a series of fantastic ‘get a free case’ deals that will help you maximise profits this summer.

There’s also the chance to take some inspiration from some excellent fellow Premier retailers who have been doing some fantastic work in recent months. The four profiles in this issue uncover some fantastic stories – including retailers who have seen sales uplifts of 70% since joining Premier.

We also conclude our two-part series of articles on making the most of social media and digital in this issue with a practical, hands-on guide to using WhatsApp groups to drive your business.

Another interesting recent development has been the relaunch of our Central Billing service, formerly known as drop shipment, which means that Premier retailers now have access to hundreds of local and national direct-to-store suppliers, enabling them to build tailored ranges with a very minimum of fuss, and the best prices available.

Martyn Parkinson, Brand Director Premier

4 TalkingShop

APRil 2017

2017

The magazine

for Premier reta

ilers

PLUS

Living the dream

Supplier turn ed retailer is loving life in his new Premie store in Fife r TalkingShop Mar-Apr.

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Chilled juice

Cash in growing cat on a egory

Central Billing

Hundreds suppliers add of ed

COVER STORY Robert Kirkwood is living the dream in Fife!

25/04/2017 16:09:18

THE THREE BIG STORIES 29 Ice cream sales

Making the most of the warm weather.

49 WhatsApp guide

How to make social media work harder for your store.

54 EUTPD2

A final guide to make sure your store is compliant when the deadline hits.

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.

29

18

Cash in on ice cream

Family affair

22

Flourishing in Newcastle

7

Premier News

39

New products to try in-store

18 Extending the profit

Premier stores are on top at the

Father and son team see store sales

Scottish Grocer awards.

rocket after a big expansion.

11 Community news

22 A family affair

A round-up of the latest great

The Singh family join Premier after 35

community work by Premier retailers.

years in the industry.

13 Industry news AWRS now in force to combat fraud.

15 From supplier to retailer Robert Kirkwood is living the dream with his own Premier store.

33 Chilled juice in growth

24 Starting from scratch Ramsey and Ahmed Hasaballa see a huge uplift in Liverpool after joining Premier.

29 The heat is on How to cash in on ice cream.

33 Time to chill Capture the growing chilled juice market.

39 Ones to watch All the latest prodcts to hit the shelves.

43 Ice cream deals

45 Central Billing gets even better A more comprehensive Central Billing offer from Booker sees 150 new suppliers added.

49 A group conversation How to use WhatsApp to improve communication.

54 Don’t go up in smoke Stay educated ahead of the EUTPD2 legislation implementation.

57 Launch Review Euro Shopper’s sugar free energy drink.

61 Guest Column Edinburgh retailer Dennis Williams on keeping your store safe.

63 Budget talks Chancellor’s statement is a mixed

Booker’s latest campaign to boost

bag, says ACS Chief Executive James

profits in the important ice cream

Lowman.

category.

APRil 2017 TalkingShop

5

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NEW 350g price marked pack Exclusive to Booker P2 GOOD FOOD DESERVES LURPAK

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PremierNews NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS PREMIER

Premier stores on top at Scottish Grocer Awards Premier retailers scooped three awards at the recent Scottish Grocer Awards ceremony at the Hilton in Glasgow, highlighting the strength of Premier in Scotland.

TOBACCO TOPS: Israr and Mohammed Sarwar pick up the Tobacco award.

Premier retailers in Scotland kept up their excellent record over recent years at the Scottish Grocer Awards with three more victories at this year’s ceremony at the Hilton in Glasgow in March.

Asif and Abada Akhtar of Premier Smeaton Stores in Kirkcaldy picked up the coveted Community Champions Award for their tireless efforts at the heart of the Smeaton community.

The couple were hailed by the judges as outstanding examples of community retailers.

The judging panel said: “While serving one of the most deprived communities in Scotland, the couple have gone above and beyond time and again for their community, from charity to education projects to simple acts of kindness. It seems like whatever their community needs, Asif and Abada are there.”

Also successful on the night were Israr Ahmed and Mohammed Sarwar of Premier Pricekracker in Dundee who won the Tobacco Retailer of the Year Award for their exceptional management of what remains a key category in convenience retailing.

COMMUNITY CHAMPS: Asif and Abada Akhtar are Community Champions.

TEAM PLAYER: Joan Clark was named Employee of the Year.

The judging panel commented: “The store uses EPOS data analysis to understand the strength of different brands and styles and work well with their supplier to ensure excellent availability.”

Last but by no means least was Joan Clark of Premier Cranhill in Glasgow who won the Employee of the Year Award in honour of her fantastic effort on behalf of the store and the Cranhill community it serves.

The judging panel commented: “Joan has worked in the Post Office at Cranhill Convenience Store for more than 20 years. She is as keen as ever ‘just to serve all my customers’.

That can mean everything from helping elderly shoppers with new methods of card payment and ATM use to dealing patiently with local residents who don’t have English as their first language.”

Martyn Parkinson, Brand Director of Premier, added: “The consistently high performance of Premier retailers in industry awards is a fine reflection on the commitment and enthusiasm of our stores in Scotland. Congratulations to Asif, Abada, Israr, Mohammed and Joan – they are very worthy winners.”

INBRIEF NEW LOTTERY CAMPAIGN TO DRIVE SALES IN-STORE

A new National Lottery campaign has launched to help drive sales in independent retailing outlets.

The campaign focuses on demonstrating and celebrating the volume and variety of prizes won on The National Lottery.

Initially launching on radio, social media and Out of Home, the campaign uses real winners’ responses to winning life-changing prizes.

With Lottery sales falling in recent times it is hoped that the campaign can start to drive new growth for retailers.

Arabella Gilchrist, Head of Parent Brand for The National Lottery, said: “The National Lottery plays a vital role in contributing to Good Causes throughout the UK – raising more than £30m every week.

These facts will help remind players that real people, like them, are winning on The National Lottery all the time.”

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

April 2017 TalkingShop

7

News

INBRIEF Famed historian George CENTRAL BILLING SCHEME RELAUNCHED

Booker’s Central Billing scheme, formerly known as Drop Shipment, has been fully relaunched with a new, massively expanded range adding over 156 new suppliers for Premier retailers. Central Billing now gives Premier retailers access to around 210 national and local direct-tostore suppliers with Booker’s significant buying power ensuring the best possible prices.

By using Central Billing, retailers gain access to centrally negotiated pricing and low minimum order quantities, as well as exclusive discounts and high PORs. All products are delivered direct to store by the supplier but the retailer is billed by Booker with a single direct debit payment, reducing administration time and cutting banking charges.

A comprehensive new brochure has been produced to explain the scheme and list all of the suppliers and products available across the whole range. A dedicated website has been set up to make it easier for retailers to browse the smaller, local suppliers now available through Central Billing.

This can be found at www. smallsupplier.com and covers over 150 local suppliers across the country.

The range available through Central Billing now covers a wide selection of categories from chilled food, cakes and international foods to nonfood lines, stationery, maps and more.

Key suppliers for important categories have been highlighted by Booker for retailers including Warburtons, Kerryfresh, Ginsters, Country Choice, Holleys, Springvale, Moordale, Tree of Life, Barn Direct, Monolith, Real Trading, Card Connection, BJ Toys and Lucid.

Turn to page 45 for full details on the new, improved facility.

8 TalkingShop

April 2017

Ewart Evans lives on thanks to Premier Abercynon World famous historian and writer commemorated with plaque on the wall of a Welsh Premier store.

The “father of spoken history”, George Ewart Evans, has been memorialised in the form of a plaque on the wall of Abercynon’s Premier Store.

One of a 11 children, Evans’ family were previous owners of the Glancynon grocer’s shop, where he was born and raised in between 1909 and 1927.

A special event was held where the plaque, funded by the Rhys Davies Trust, was unveiled by his daughters Jane Palmer, Mary Gerson and

Susan Gentleman. Many of his family members from across the world also attended, as far as Singapore, Canada, America, Norway and Lebanon. The local choir, Côr Meibion, supported the event by singing some of Evans’ favourite hymns.

A book written by David Maddox, the event’s organiser, called Ask The Fellows Who Cut The Coal, was launched during the proceedings. Retailer Mr Razzaq told Talking Shop: “I feel very proud that we have

recognised the contribution of a wonderful writer and historian, particularly as his family once owned this very store.”

Premier retailer reaches 10,000 with first Facebook giveaway!

A 70 year old Premier retailer has told how he believes “you are never too old to learn new tricks” and has demonstrated this by organising a series of Facebook giveaways for his shoppers.

Surjit Dhadli has been running Premier Allenton Food Store in Derby since the early 1980s and now leaves most of the work to his son Gugi and his wife Kully.

As part of a recent upgrade and modernisation of every aspect of the store, the team have now embraced social media with a series of Facebook giveaways that have been popular with the store’s Facebook followers.

In fact, the first giveaway reached more than 10,000 people! Gugi commented: “We do two giveaways per week through facebook for people who like and share our posts.

Facebook gets people engaged with us and keeps them coming

back in.”

Kully added that Facebook brings something unique to the store and the community as “no one else is touching social media around here.”

The store’s page has quickly amassed over 300 followers.

Got anything you would like to contribute? Call 0141 222 5380

IGD identifies top 5 food to go trends Retail research body highlights the top five trends set to shape the future of the food to go market in independent retailing.

With food-to-go becoming an increasingly important growth opportunity for more and more Premier retailers, grocery research organisation IGD has just published the top five trends its research suggests will shape this sector in the future.

1. The rise and rise of health and wellness Shoppers are increasingly aware of health and wellness, and food-to-go operators are expanding the variety of flavours and products available to meet this demand. Foods that support active lifestyles and tick the box for dietary needs are performing well.

Shoppers are especially interested in products that suit particular diets such as vegetarian, dairy-free, vegan and gluten-free.

2. New locations Many food-to-go shoppers are increasingly happy to buy food to go from locations not

traditionally associated with good quality food to go products such as forecourts.

3. More fusion between retail and food to go Independent retailers are looking at how they can better cater for the food-togo opportunity. For smaller retail formats, the focus is on delivering a compelling foodto-go offer, a convenience store and an enticing eat-in area in one single space.

4. Alternative missions Alternative missions are food-to-go occasions beyond

the classic options of coffee or lunch. Many retailers are focusing on breakfast but a broader focus on alternative missions at different times of day will grow: evening meals, post-work snacks, post-gym energy boosts. Almost half of UK adults have bought a snack on-the-go in the last month.

5. Technology integration Almost all shoppers – 92% – think speed and efficiency of service is an important driver when deciding where to shop for food and drink, so technology will play an even bigger role in food-to-go in the future.

Contactless transactions top £288m Workers grabbing lunch on the go is a key trend behind the continued huge surge in mobile contactless payments, according to the latest spending data from Worldpay, the UK’s largest payments processor.

According to Worldpay’s analysis of consumer spending patterns, the total number of contactless transactions where a mobile device was used reached 38 million by the end of 2016 with the total amount spent topping £288m. The number of

mobile transactions as a percentage of all in-store transactions has grown by 247% in the past year, with a notable lift-off in adoption following the launch of Android Pay in September.

Lunchtime ‘Meal Deals’ accounted for 54% of all mobile tap and pay transactions processed

by Worldpay in 2016. Contactless spending on mobile devices peaked in December, when the amount spent using NFC-enabled smartphones topped £51m.

National Lottery organiser Camelot is rolling out a new long term advertising campaign to drive sales through independent retailing outlets. It launches initially on radio, social media and out of home advertising.

The NFRN has called for minimum alcohol unit pricing to be rolled out if it is successful in Scotland. NFRN Chief Executive Paul Baxter said: “Minimum pricing would help protect independent convenience store owners who are all too often a target for anti-social behaviour.”

WHAT’S

HOT What’s good and bad in the industry

WHAT’S

NOT A recently aired BBC TV programme – ‘Inside Out’ – that focused on the increasing issue of illicit tobacco being sold via social media platforms claims that 20% of illegal tobacco is now sold via social media websites.

As inflation hits a three year high, convenience stores will have to work harder to maintain their profits, according to technology software company Epos Now. The company believes the news could have a negative impact on independent retailers.

April 2017 TalkingShop

9

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ON

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SUMMER

FLAVOURS DRIVE INCREMENTAL

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CommunityNews OPINION, NEWS AND ACHIEVEMENTS FROM PREMIER RETAILERS

Kempshott Premier marks 80 year anniversary with renovation One of the country’s oldest Post Offices has reopened after a major renovation to coincide with its 80th anniversary.

After 80 years at the heart of Kempshott, Basingstoke, the village’s family owned Premier and post office has reopened following the completion of major renovation work. To mark the big day, owners Pauline Mendez, her husband Robert McGregor and two sons Brian and Darren McGregor organised a community fun day.

A ribbon cutting by local councillor Anne Court and long-time customer Maureen Dowsett began proceedings, unveiling the improvements to the store, which included an extension to the post office which doubled its original size.

Other modernisations saw new electric doors to improve accessibility for customers, a new ATM machine, a Costa Coffee unit, a bakery and additional car parking.

The community fun day included music provided by a DJ, a face painting stall, a food tasting area and a raffle for a 32-inch television.

The changes arrive as part of a major modernisation across the Post Office network, a programme which brings longer opening hours

designed to make it easier for customers to do business in open plan, modern environments.

Councillor Court, a regular customer to the store, said that: “I am delighted by all the changes made – it looks great! All the improvements have been a big talking point in the village. We really appreciate the changes that Pauline and her family have made.”

INBRIEF IRVINE PREMIER STORE RAISES £870 FOR ALZHEIMERS Kind hearted shoppers and staff at Premier Stores in Paterson Avenue in Irvine donated an amazing £870.50 for the very deserving Alzheimer Scotland charity recently.

The cash was raised through a fantastic effort by Robert and Jennifer Chalmers and their team which saw them organise a book sale and collect donations from shoppers.

Alzheimer Scotland Service Manager Marie Thomson visited the store in person to collect the cheque and thank the entire team there.

Robert told Talking Shop: “My mother in law was unfortunate enough to suffer from Alzheimers so it’s a charity that’s very close to our hearts.

It was a fantastic effort by our

Aldborough Premier ‘makes it shine’ Hull Premier retailer Mr Muthukumar is doing his bit to help get behind an important local fundraising drive to collect money for the development of a new special education needs school in Holderness, near his Premier Aldborough store.

The store held a special in-store raffle to win a bumper hamper of goodies with all of the money raised going towards the ‘Make It Shine’ charity. Store shopper Sean

Mars was the lucky winner and said that the goodies would be perfect for treating his grandchildren.

The raffle raised £145 and was part of a wide series of activities going on throughout the local community to help build a facility where special educational needs children and their families can come together to learn and have fun in a purpose-built environment.

Mr Muthukumar said:

“We are very communityminded at this store so it was a pleasure to get involved in this community-wide initiative to raise much needed money for the Make It Shine charity.

“Our shoppers were very generous, as they always are, and we were thrilled to be able to put together the hamper prize ourselves.

The money is for an absolutely outstanding cause so we loved helping.”

team and our exceptionally generous shoppers.

“The great thing about this charity is that we can choose to keep the money at local Alzheimer Scotland facilities.

We’ve raised over £8,000 in recent years.”

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

April 2017 TalkingShop

11

S A W O R E Z E D A Z O C LU IGGEST SOFT2016† THE B LAUNCH OF DRINK OKER

O B N I E L B A L I 2 A 4 V 6 A 2 W 2 NO CODE: M2 MIDAS

W O N P U K C O T S ®

IRI Marketplace: Total GB: YTD to 20th November ‘16. The Grocer’s Soft Drinks: Carbonates Top Products Launch 2016, 17.12.2016. *Recommended Retail Price only.

Lucozade Zero - Zero calories, awesome taste. LUCOZADE, LUCOZADE ZERO and the Arc Device are registered trade marks of Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ltd.

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IndustryNews A DIGEST OF NEWS FROM THE INDEPENDENT RETAILING INDUSTRY

AWRS scheme now in force to combat duty fraud

INBRIEF MINIMUM WAGE RISES ONCE MORE

The new Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme came into force on April 1st, meaning retailers can only buy alcohol from wholesalers registered with the scheme – or face severe penalties.

The National Minimum Wage

The 1st April saw the formal introduction of the new Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS) which prohibits retailers from buying alcohol from any source other than wholesalers registered with the Scheme.

Booker is fully registered with this scheme and should you require a copy of the certificate, you can request one from your RDM. Just three weeks into the scheme however, our retailers are enjoying good growth in Wine, Super-Strength beers and Polish beers.

HM Revenue and Customs

introduced the scheme to tackle the growing problem of alcohol fraud, caused principally by the sale of duty-evaded beer, wine, cider and spirits sold in the UK. Duty-avoided alcohol sales currently costs the UK taxpayer around £1.2bn a year in lost duty and VAT. From 1st April, anyone who buys alcohol from a UK wholesaler with the purpose to sell will need to check that the wholesaler has registered with HMRC and has a Unique Reference Number (URN). Booker’s URN is XTAW00000102869.

It is now an offence to

knowingly buy alcohol from a person or business who should be approved but has not registered.

Importantly, the emphasis is not just on the companies that sell the alcohol. Any business that buys alcohol from unregistered companies will face penalties. Any alcohol found on the premises of unregistered businesses may be seized, whether or not the duty has been paid. HMRC will charge people with a behavioural penalty and can also stip them of their alcohol licence if they buy from an unapproved wholesaler.

This is applicable to all trade buyers, including wholesalers buying from other wholesalers who are not approved.

Federation of Wholesale Distributors Chief Executive James Bielby commented: “HMRC is inspecting a large number of businesses. To make sure you are trading within the law you should ask anyone you buy alcohol from to make sure they are registered under AWRS.” You can check a supplier is registered by logging into www.gov.uk/check-alcoholwholesaler-registration

rose once more on April 1st with increases for all age brackets. The new minimum wage levels are as follows: l 25 and over: £7.50 (was £7.20) l 21 to 24: £7.05 (was £6.95) l 18 to 20: £5.60 (was £5.55) l Under 18: £4.05 (was £4.00) It is a criminal offence for employers to not pay someone the National Minimum Wage or National Living Wage, or to fake payment records. Employers who discover they’ve paid a worker below the correct minimum wage must pay any arrears immediately.

HM Revenue and Customs (HMRC) officers have the right to carry out checks at any time and ask to see payment records. They can also investigate employers if a worker complains to them.

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

April 2017 TalkingShop

13

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Crossgates, Fife | STORE PROFILE

Living the

dream!

After 18 years in sales working for big suppliers like Cadbury and Coke, Robert Kirkwood decided just over a year ago to make the leap and become a retailer – and is now absolutely delighted to be living the dream!

Store CV:

Name: Premier Express Corner Shop, Crossgates Retailer: Robert Kirkwood Time as a retailer: 16 months Time with Premier: 16 months Size: 430sq ft Staff: 1 FT; 1 PT Services: PayPoint, Lottery, licensed, Nescafe 2 Go coffee machine, craft beer range Nearest competition: Asda, Tesco Express and Morrisons under a mile away; small unaffiliated independent a few hundred yards away Trading hours: 8am-9pm Mon to Fri; 8am-8pm Sun

A

t one time or another, lots of people who have worked for a big supplier have entertained thoughts of packing it all in and becoming a retailer, but few actually have the courage to do it. One exception is Robert Kirkwood, who now runs his very own Premier Express store in the small village of Crossgates in Fife.

“I spent over 18 years in sales working for blue chip companies like Cadbury, Coca-Cola and GSK,” says Robert, “but for many years I’d had a wee notion about

ALL SMILES: Robert and colleague Marzena bring a smile to the store!

becoming a retailer, but I’d never done anything about it. Then, unfortunately, my mother passed away in July 2015 and I decided at that point that it was time for me to have the courage to chase my dreams.”

ALL CHANGE With that decision made, Robert handed in his notice (along with the keys of his posh company car) and set about looking for a store to call his own. He explains: “For most of my time in sales I worked with independent retailers and I just loved it. I loved their passion and their commitment April 2017 TalkingShop

15

STORE PROFILE | Crossgates, Fife

{

As a Premier retailer I’m genuinely living the dream!

I just love it – and I wish I’d done it years ago.

}

CORNER STORE: The shop sits on a busy corner on the village main street.

SOMETHING FOR ALL: Robert tries to fit as many products and services as possible.

TIGHT RANGING: The small store runs a tight, focused range.

HOT STUFF: A coffee machine drives footfall and profits.

16 TalkingShop

April 2017

CRAFT SALES: A new range of craft ales is bringing shoppers from far and wide.

and I loved how they were in control of their own destinies. I wanted some of that.”

The chance to have some of that came reasonably quickly when Robert identified the small 450sq ft store in Crossgates in Fife that was to become his pride and joy. “It’s an interesting story,” says Robert, “because I initially refused the site when it was offered to me because it was small, quite remote and it wasn’t a convenience store – it was a letting agents.

“But I kept an interest in it and spent a bit of time sitting outside it studying footfall go past, watching the type of people walking by, what they were doing and so on. A little while later I changed my mind and decided that it did have potential, so I went for it – and the rest is history!”

Getting the store fit for trading was no mean feat given that a full refit was required to convert it from a letting agents into a modern store, but Robert counts himself lucky that his landlord is helpful and agreed to put in new floors, new lights and new electrics throughout.

PREMIER CHOICE With two branches of Booker near the store – Dunfermline and Kirkcaldy – Robert says it was always his intention to join Premier.

“I think Premier was always the obvious choice,” he comments, “but just to be safe, I did talk to a couple of other symbol groups but their packages just weren’t right for me so I quickly went with my first instinct and joined Premier.”

After that it was time to get the shopfitters

in and bring Robert’s vision to life. The refit went very well and Robert was pleased with it, though he did have to be patient while waiting on the local Licensing Board to grant his alcohol licence.

“I can’t praise the Premier team highly enough,” enthuses Robert. “When it came to getting the store into shape to begin trading the team was so helpful. They gave me great advice on range and merchandising, they help me set up my leaflets and they basically got me on my feet for day one.

They were a god send, they really were.”

And the support doesn’t end there.

Robert still sees someone from Premier or Booker “every other day” and describes his experience with Premier as “brilliant!”.

BECOMING REALITY The store sits on Crossgates Main Street on the corner of a busy junction and thus has no parking facilities, so shoppers have to walk to it, but footfall is encouragingly brisk. There is only one other store in the village, a small unaffiliated outlet, so Robert’s store has been able to quickly establish itself as the number one destination.

“Over the last year or so I’ve gotten to know pretty much everyone in the village on first name terms,” says Robert. “I count most of them more as friends than shoppers these days and I’ve even been known to spend a few hours in the pub with some of them! It’s an indication of how embedded in the community the store has become.”

Thanks to his many years of formal

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

TIGHT RANGE: Robert tries to run a tight, focused range to meet all shopper needs.

COMMUNITY ACTION: The store has quickly become the hub of the community.

training while he worked for large suppliers, Robert has learned the value of high standards and the processes that need to be put in place to achieve them.

He explains: “I’ve been lucky because I’ve had the need to hit high standards drummed into me for the best part of 20 years, so it’s something I now insist on in my own store. That philosophy touches every part of the business from how I do my ranging and run my promotions to how I deal with shoppers and how neat and tidy I like to keep the shopfloor. Obviously, everything in this store is brand new – the floor, the shelving, the lighting, all the equipment – and that helps keep it looking fresh and modern.”

Despite the small size of the store, Robert manages to fit a lot in, but also manages to avoid making the store feel too busy or cramped. He recently raised the heights of some of his shelving to allow him add some new lines in response to shopper requests and has been enthusiastic in working with his shoppers to deliver the store they want.

“The village was crying out for a good store,” he says. “My shoppers have been telling me how much they appreciate having my shop since the day I opened – so I like to return the favour by giving them exactly what they want.”

That includes a very strong promotional offer and Robert is proud of running the top 18 promotions every period as well as all (or most) of the optional 24 promotions, space permitting. He comments: “The promotions are just too good to miss so I

always manage to get as many of them on the shelf as possible. I know my shoppers love them, and they’ve gotten into the habit of coming in for a look when the new promotional period starts.”

One of Robert’s most recent developments is a dedicated craft beers section which now boasts over 20 lines, including some from four local breweries.

“It’s a wee trial I’m running, but it’s proving very successful,” he says. “I even have a guy who drives from Glasgow to Dundee every week to visit his dad and makes a huge detour to pass by my store so he can pick up some unusual beers. Stuff like that puts a huge smile on my face!”

CHALLENGES AHEAD It has been, by Robert’s own admission, “an amazing journey”, but it isn’t completely without its challenges. “There’s always something around the corner for you to deal with,” he laughs, “but having worked with independent retailers for many years

I knew what to expect and I knew it would be difficult at times. But those problems are always outweighed by how rewarding it is to be running my own business.”

Robert sees every challenge as just another reason to up his game that little bit more. He adds: “I’m confident I have the loyalty of my shoppers and I believe my offering as a Premier store will be more than strong enough to allow me to continue flourishing long into the future.”

Robert’s passion for the business is clear and that enthusiasm is converting into success where it matters most: the till. He says: “The first year we were starting with a blank canvas, but now that I’m into the second year I can see that we are making real progress. My sales are already up 30% on last year’s numbers and I’m just so excited about what the future holds.

“I’m not exaggerating when I say that, as a Premier retailer, I’m genuinely living the dream! I just love it – and I wish I’d done it years ago.”

PASS IT ON ROBERT HAS THE FOLLOWING ADVICE FOR FELLOW PREMIER RETAILERS: Aim high! – you can’t over-estimate the importance of high standards. It’s more of a way of life than a set of rules.

Smile! – I try to make sure that there’s always a smile on my face. My shoppers don’t come to my store to see a frown behind the till. They want a smiley, happy face and that’s what I give them.

Deliver! – Give your shoppers what they want and they will keep coming back for more.

April 2017 TalkingShop

17

STORE PROFILE | Doncaster

Premier

through and through!

A lifelong Booker and Premier fan, Doncaster retailer Balbir Kular and his son Davinder Singh have recently completed a huge extension on one of his stores to build a huge 3,000sq ft flagship Premier store – and sales are already rocketing.

PREMIER SERVICE: Happy shoppers are what make the store special.

Store CV:

Name: Premier Eggborough Village Store & Post Office Retailers: Balbir and Davinder Singh Kular Time as retailers: 32 years Size: 3,000sq ft Staff: 6 Nearest competition: Spar in village; nothing else for a couple of miles Services: licensed, Jack’s Beans coffee machine, Food To Go, ATM, Post Office Trading hours: 5.30am – 9m Mon to Sat; 6.30am-9pm Sun

18 TalkingShop

April 2017

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

CLEAN LINES: The new, larger store. allows for wider aisles.

SMILING FACES: Shoppers are always greeted with a big smile.

ONE FOR ALL: The store offers a very broad range to cater for all shopper missions.

W

ith over 30 successful years in independent retailing, Doncaster retailer Balbir Kular could be forgiven for wanting to take his foot off the gas these days – but not a bit of it! Balbir is more active and ambitious than ever and has recently completed a massive extension on one of two stores he jointly owns.

“I’ve been in retailing a long, long time but this is a real family business and we decided a few years ago that I would have a go at one last big project to ensure that my sons had good businesses to run that would serve them well for a long time to come,” he says.

Around 10 years ago Balbir had given one of the stores he owned at the time to his elder son so felt that it was only right and fair that he should balance that out for his younger son by helping him to create a vibrant, successful business too.

ONE LAST PROJECT That “last big project” actually started over three and half years ago when he and his younger son, Davinder Singh, bought a 900sq ft store in the small village of Eggborough, near Doncaster.

“Davinder had studied civil engineering at university but made it clear he wanted to be involved in the family business so we found this store and bought it as a project for him too,” says Balbir.

“We knew right away that we needed to make the store a lot bigger but,

A WARM WELCOME: Balbir (left) and Davinder (right) with RDM Paul Strickland.

unfortunately, the planning application process meant that it took nearly two years to actually get planning permission and start the building works.

“I’ve been around the block once or twice and I know how planning works, so we actually asked for permission for a much bigger store, knowing that we’d be refused but confident that we’d settle on a midway point – which was actually the 3,000sq ft we really wanted, so it all worked out in the end!”

With the planning and legals completed, works began on-site in June last year and was finished in early December, just in time to catch the last of the Christmas sales period. As part of that process, Balbir and Davinder moved the new store into Premier, a decision that was never in doubt.

PREMIER ALL THE WAY “When we first bought the store it was too small and too messy to join Premier, so we just ran it as an unaffiliated independent store while we went through the planning process, but there was only ever going to be one symbol group we joined,” he says.

“Don’t get me wrong, we did talk to a couple of other group just to reassure ourselves that we were doing the right thing, but all that did was convince us that Premier was indeed the best in the business. At the end of the day I’m a Premier born and bred kind of person. I’ve been buying from Booker and Premier for decades and they’re the biggest in the business for a reason as far as I’m concerned.”

April 2017 TalkingShop

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

KEEPING IT FRESH: A well organised fresh food section is a hit.

BRIGHT AND CLEAN: The revamped store is clear, uncluttered and bright.

HANDS ON: Regular checks keen the fresh fixture in great shape.

As for the refit, Balbir oversaw the whole process himself, using a team of tradesmen he knew personally. “I wanted the whole thing done to my precise requirements,” he says, “and even if I do say so myself, I think we cracked it!”

Everything in the new store is brand new from the fixtures and fittings to the LED lighting and the energy efficient refrigeration. A 10m beer fridge was added alongside 5m of chilled space, 5m of chilled soft drinks, 2m of fruit and veg and around 10m of frozen space “We didn’t cut any corners because we wanted something Davinder could be proud of,” says Balbir.

One look at the store and it’s crystal clear that Davinder can be very proud indeed. The store is roomy, airy, bright and welcoming and carries a range that ensures practically every shopper need and mission is catered for – which is particularly important given that there is only one other store in the village and no supermarkets or discounters for miles.

SALES SOARING With such a transformation, the pair were clearly expecting a hike in sales, but neither was prepared for the scale of that hike. “It’s been phenomenal!” says Balbir. “Before the refit, the store was doing about £8k or £9k a week. We re-opened with the new store on a Wednesday and I said if we do £8k in what remains of this first week, I’ll be delighted.

We did £14k. The following week, right before Christmas, we did £19k. The week

after that it was £22k. January was a little slower, as you’d expect, but by April when we got our first set of shopper leaflets out in the local area we were hitting £25k. I just don’t know where it’s going to stop!”

Balbir reckons the store can add another £5k a week onto its sales before the growth levels out, but says he would be “absolutely over the moon” about that.

When that point comes, says Balbir, his thoughts may finally turn to a well earned break. “I’ve been doing this for over 30 years and this latest project has been among the most satisfying. Davinder will have a great business to take care of and I’ll be able to relax a bit, safe in the knowledge that the store is flying.”

Balbir and his wife are finally getting a chance to put some serious thought into the holiday home he’s been thinking about for years, but for Davinder there’s a hugely exciting future ahead of him under the famous Premier banner.

“He’s in good hands with Premier,” concludes Balbir. “For 30 years Booker has been giving independent retailers everything they need to be successful, and they’re only getting stronger. The merchandising support is out of this world, the range is the best in the business and the promotions are marketleading.

“But for me, what really makes Booker and Premier special is the people. For 30 years I’ve had nothing but fantastic experiences with everyone there, they can’t do enough for you and they’re always available when you need them.”

BEER MONEY: A new 10m beer fridge drives big sales for the store.

EASY TO FIND: Tidy shelves makes life much easier for shoppers.

April 2017 TalkingShop

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STORE PROFILE | Newcastle IN THIS TOGETHER: Brothers Jaswant (left) and Sanjeev (right) with their father Bakhshish.

Band of

brothers

After 34 years in retail, Sanjeev Singh and his family decided the time was right to relaunch their business with a major extension – and a move into Premier.

T Store CV:

Name: Premier Fairholm Convenience Store, Newcastle Retailers: Sanjeev, Jaswant and Kuldip Singh Time as retailers: 35 years Time with Premier: 5 weeks Size: 1,000sq ft Staff: 4 full time Nearest competition: Asda, Iceland and several convenience stores within half a mile Services: licensed, Lottery, Collect+, PayPoint Trading hours: 9am-10pm Mon to Sat; 10am-10pm Sun

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he story of how Newcastle retailing family the Singhs came to join after 35 years in independent retailing will be one that is familiar to many retailers. “It all began with a family meeting around the dinner table a few years ago,” explains Sanjeev Singh – better known to his shoppers as Bobby. “I was with my brothers Jaswant and Kuldip and we were discussing how much retailing had changed and how much tougher it had become. We decided that evening that we had to do things differently if we wanted to thrive in the future.”

At that point, the brothers and their family operated two unaffiliated stores in the area but times were becoming tougher.

That evening around the table, the family decided to lease the second store out and to focus their attentions exclusively in the store that their

father had bought 35 years ago.

“We decided to put all of our energies into one store and we all agreed that it should be the store that our family business began with,” says Bobby. “My brothers grew up in and around the store, we knew the area, we knew our shoppers inside out and we knew we could take it up a gear or two.”

Plans were then hatched to extend the very small 300sq ft store, sited in the middle of a housing estate, into a much larger unit.

“The store had basically been an off licence with a few impulse lines,” explains Bobby. “We knew that the future had to be a fuller convenience offering so we drew up plans to extend the store to 1,000sq ft which would allow us to become a proper, modern convenience store.”

While the works were getting underway, Bobby and his brothers began the search for a symbol partner.

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

40%

FAMILY BUSINESS: The Singhs bring 35 years of retail experience.

DEAL MAKER: Prominent price promotions are key to creating sales.

He says: “We had a look at absolutely everything available on the market and we did a lot of homework. We talked to every symbol group but it became clear to us all very quickly that Premier was our unanimous standout first choice. The promotional package, the reputation the Premier brand has with shoppers, the range, even the exterior and interior signage was better than everything else we saw.”

A team from Premier was quickly on site to offer advice and support as the building works progressed.

The work was finally completed just six weeks ago and the Premier team returned in force to carry out a full ranging and merchandising exercise.

“The Premier guys have been brilliant,” says Bobby. “They offered all sorts of great advice and support and helped us turn our dream into reality.”

increase in sales since joining Premier in the first week

SMILING SERVICE: The store always has a warm welcome for shoppers.

EXTERNAL PROMOTION: Displaying offers outside will entice shoppers in.

That reality is a bright, attractive, modern Premier store with a full convenience offering – a stark change from the small, dark off licence that Bobby’s shoppers had been used to.

“Our shoppers absolutely love the new store!” he says. “We hoped they would, of course, but it’s always nice to hear all the positive comments coming back. It makes it all worthwhile”.

What also makes it all worthwhile is the fact that in just a matter of weeks, store turnover has shot up 40%. And the good work hasn’t ended. Bobby and his family already have plans underway for the addition of a slush machine, a bean to cup coffee machine and an ATM over the coming weeks.

“It’s a really exciting time for us,” concludes Bobby. “We’re absolutely delighted we made the move to Premier and we’re aiming for even bigger growth in future.”

SEASONAL OFFERINGS: Premier offers a range of excellent deals for easter.

KEEP IT SIMPLE: The store aims for a clean, uncluttered feel.

April 2017 TalkingShop

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STORE PROFILE | Liverpool

Blazing a trail

in Liverpool ROCKET MAN: Ramsey has seen sales rocket by 70% since joining Premier.

Since becoming the first Premier store in central Liverpool just months ago, Ramsey and Ahmed Hasaballa have gone from strength to strength with sales already up an amazing 70%.

O Store CV:

Name: Premier Speke Town Lane Convenience Retailers: Ramsey and Ahmed Hasaballa Time as retailers: 21 years Time with Premier: 6 months Size: 2,000sq ft Nearest competition: Asda, Morrisons and Sainsburys within 2 miles. Spar within half a mile.

Services: Payzone, Post Office Local Plus, ATM, Food To Go, Lottery Staff: 14 Trading hours: 6am – 10pm seven days

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April 2017

the ground up just 10 or so yards from pportunity comes in where the old store had stood, not far from many unusual forms for the city’s John Lennon Airport. independent retailers, and for Liverpool brothers Ramsey and Ahmed HUGE CHANGE Hasaballa that opportunity arrived in “Ahmed had been running the old store the form of a demolition notice from the for over 20 years but it was basically an local council. For many, less ambitious old fashioned post office and CTN,” says entrepreneurs, a notice of this kind stating Ramsey. “I joined the business about 14 that their store was to be knocked down years ago when it was only 800sq ft and it would have been a fatal blow, but not for was in dire need of an overhaul anyway, Ramsey and Ahmed. so the demolition did us a favour, really. It “It all started about five years ago when forced us to take a fresh look at our future – we received a letter from the local council so we decided to be ambitious!” saying they were going to knock down the That ambition – along with a lot of entire row of buildings where we had our hard work – culminated in the opening in store,” recalls Ramsey. “To be fair, it was an October last year of a brand new, much old, very tired set of buildings but we knew larger 2,000sq ft Premier store with immediately that we had to do something extended opening hours. not only to safeguard our business but “It was a huge commitment,” laughs to help us capitalise on Ramsey. “Both in terms of what we saw as a great time and commitment, and in opportunity.” terms of investment. It wasn’t Rather than call it a a decision we took lightly.” day, the brothers set about As part of the process, increase in sales since drawing up plans for a the pair both realised that joining Premier brand new store, built from they needed the support of

70%

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

PET PROJECTS: Pet food is a big sales driver in the store.

a symbol group and needed to be part of something bigger if they wanted to flourish in today’s competitive retail environment.

Ramsey explains: “We had always been a purely independent business but we knew we had to step it up a gear or two after spending so much money on the new store, so we talked to literally every symbol group as part of our research. The standout obvious choice was Premier every time.”

The brothers are also proud to be the first first Premier store in the central Liverpool area but say the decision was made for a wide range of reasons. “It was everything, really,” says Ramsey. “The whole package was just outstanding – range, promotions, the power of the Premier brand, the support available. It was by far the best group available.”

70% UPLIFT And if the pair had any doubt about whether or not they joined the right symbol group, they don’t now. “You’re not going to believe this, but our sales are up 70% so far – and we’ve not even reached the peak yet because we’re still growing,” says a

SHOPPER FOCUS: The store puts shoppers at its core.

FROZEN FAVOURITES: The new store has massively extended frozen space.

FRESH APPROACH: The new store dedicates more space to fresh and chilled.

HOT STUFF: A new coffee machine is increasingly popular with shoppers.

delighted Ramsey. The store now offers a full, modern convenience range, including Country Choice food to go and coffee, as well as a big grocery range to cater for the needs of the entire community. The Happy Shopper and Euro Shopper ranges have also gone down a storm, as have the promotional deals from Premier.

Ramsey is keen to get the first 12 months with Premier under his belt to give him a fuller picture of how the store is performing before any more major decisions are made on how to improve the store further, but the signs are overwhelmingly positive.

“We’re a very community-focused business, as you can imagine, having been here for over 20 years,” he says. “And the feedback we have been getting from our

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shoppers is just absolutely lovely. It puts a huge smile on your face to hear how much they like it.”

As part of that community focus, the store has recently implemented a weekly giveaway for its shoppers on its Facebook page and has also introduced a loyalty club through Retail Data Partnership, its Epos supplier, both of which have been “extremely well received”.

Ramsey concludes: “When you invest a huge amount of money, you’re always nervous – of course you are – but within a couple of weeks we knew we had done the right thing. Every time a sales opportunity comes up we seem to be making the most of it and we’re just loving the way it’s working out with Premier.”

Every time a sales opportunity comes up we’re making the most of it and we’re just loving the way it’s working out with Premier.

}

April 2017 TalkingShop

25

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18378_Walls Snacking Booker advert v2_Layout 1 31/03/2017 13:30 Page 1

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1. Gross Media Value. 2: Nielsen, Total UK, Value Sales, 52WE 05.03.17. 3. Deal Specifics: Buy a case of Feast Sandwich and a case 3 of Solero Strawberry Smoothie and get a free case of Duo. *Recommended price only, price is at sole discretion of the retailer.

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Ice Cream | FEATURE

The heat is on!

Premier has set new ice cream sales records every year for the last eight years and plans are well underway to ensure that this year continues that profit-boosting trend. Talking Shop finds out more about the plans to help Premier retailers do just that.

I

t’s an astonishing fact that every year for the past eight years Booker and Premier have together set new year-on-year records for ice cream sales. That’s a hugely impressive and very enviable record, and it’s one Premier is completely committed to continuing this year.

That’s why there’s a comprehensive strategy in place that helps Premier retailers to not only make record sales but record profits from your ice cream freezers.

WHAT’S NEW? As all retailers know, shoppers love new products and this is just as true in the ice cream category. This spring and summer the NPD focus is centred around some fantastic product and price innovation.

This focus is supported a series of fantastic heavyweight ice cream promotions that Booker organised for the promotional periods that run until September 6th.

The ‘get a case free deals’ offer Premier retailers the chance to maximise sales and profits during this vital warm weather opportunity and cover a wide range of big name products across household brands like Magnum, Feast, Cornetto and Solero. (For a full list of the deals and for further information, turn to page 43.)

April 2017 TalkingShop

29

FEATURE | Ice Cream

TALKING SHOP RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING LINES AS THE CORE RANGE FOR ICE CREAMS:

VALUE OPTIONS

Capitalising on the focus on great value for money, Walls will be introducing a three-strong range of value products, all with an RSP of 80p. The Walls Max Duo, Feast Sandwich and Solero Strawberry Smoothie offer great, well known products at fantastic value prices and are sure to be popular with shoppers.

BIG BRANDS

Big brand ice creams are always popular with shoppers and market leader Unilever is unveiling a raft of new products under its Walls brand, the undisputed brand leader of the ice cream universe.

The launch of new Magnum Double Raspberry will be supported by two separate TV campaigns and will drive major footfall to your freezers.

Walls will also be adding a Magnum Double Caramel to its range while another new release from a big name brand will also be available. The Cornetto Disk Honeycomb is sure to be a hit with shoppers and will benefit from high profile ad campaigns.

New for kids this year is the Strawberry and Vanilla Calippo Combo, a unique addition to the Calippo range which received record scores from consumer panels pre-launch.

30 TalkingShop

April 2017

Cadbury Flake 99 125ml Case Size: 24 WSP: £23.79 RSP: £1.69 POR: 29.61% Calippo Orange Ice lolly 105ml Case Size: 24 WSP: £13.79 RSP: £1 POR: 31.05% Choc Vanilla Cone 120ml PMP 75p Case Size: 16 WSP: £5.99 RSP: £0.75 POR: 40.10% Chock Rock Ice Cream 85ml Case Size: 24 WSP: £7.20 RSP: £0.60 POR: 40.00% Classic Almond Ice Cream 120ml Case Size: 18 WSP: £6.75 RSP: £0.75 POR: 40.00% Classic original ice cream 120ml Case Size: 20 WSP: £7.49 RSP: £0.75 POR: 40.00% Classic White ice cream 120ml Case Size: 20 WSP: £7.49 RSP: £0.75 POR: 40.00% Feast Choclate 90ml Case Size: 35 WSP: £19.99 RSP: £1 POR: 31.46% Magnum Classic ice cream 110ml Case Size: 20 WSP: £20.69 RSP: £1.8 POR: 31.03% Magnum Double chocolate ice cream 88ml Case Size: 20 WSP: £21.69 RSP: £1.9 POR: 31.50% Mint Choc Cone 120ml Case Size: 16 WSP: £5.99 RSP: £0.75 POR: 40.10% Pop-Up Blackcurrant and Apple Case Size: 24 WSP: £7.19 RSP: £0.60 POR: 40.08% Pop-Up Orange 110ml Case Size: 24 WSP: £7.19 RSP: £0.60 POR: 40.08% Rowntrees Fruit Pastilles Lolly 65ml Case Size: 32 WSP: £16.95 RSP: £0.95 POR: 33.09% Strawberry Cone 120ml PMP 75p Case Size: 16 WSP: £5.99 RSP: £0.75 POR: 40.10% Twister 80ml Case Size: 35 WSP: £19.99 RSP: £1 POR: 31.46%

Cornetto Strawberry 90ml PMP £1.00 Case Size: 30 WSP: £17.49 RSP: £1 POR: 30.04%

Magnum White 110ml Case Size: 20 WSP: £20.69 RSP: £1.8 POR: 31.03% Magnum Double Raspberry 88ml Case Size: 20 WSP: £21.69 RSP: £1.9 POR: 31.50%

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

CLASSIC 40% POR Booker has worked hard over the last five years to maintain the same price points on its best-selling ‘Classic’ range of hand held impulse ice creams. This has been in a period when most of the brands have put their prices up.

This year, thanks to escalating raw material cost increases, the pricing of the range has had to evolve. Following feedback from a large number of retailers to understand whether they should look to use the situation to put a little more cash and % profit into their tills, the overwhelming response was that the range needed to stay competitive with and well below the brands.

With a Magnum retailing now for £1.80 rsp, for instance, it was agreed that there was however room to improve margins for retailers.

Premier retailers will also have begun to notice new price points being introduced

on Classic Impulse Sticks (£0.75p), Cones (£0.75p) and Pop Ups (£0.60p). These new price points, communicated with impactful price marked packs, will bring more shoppers into the category and will drive sales.

You will also see your retail POR increase on all these new price points to a whopping 40%. That’s right – the POR will be increasing for retailers, which is welcome news all round and still offers outstanding value for shoppers.

In the take home, larger format market and despite increasing cost pressures, there will be no change in the foreseeable future to price points on Booker’s Classic range of Take Home Tubs and Multipack Mini Classics.

This allows the Classic range to remain at a significant price advantage to the other brand alternatives available.

All in all, the next few months should present huge opportunities for retailers to cash in on some cool sales and maximise profits.

40% New improved POR on own label Classic range

EDLP FOCUS

With the focus continuing to move to better value for shoppers, the big brands have also started to take notice with many now introducing an: EVERY DAY LOW PRICING (EDLP) MODEL Premier and Unilever in particular have been working together in this area to deliver outstanding EDLP price positions on key take home lines. All of these lines sell well but especially when on promotion – and the pricing is unique and exclusive to Premier, offering Premier retailers a brilliant opportunity to capitalise on a dominant market trend.

These exclusive deals will allow Premier retailers to offer exceptional EDLP price offerings all year round on the following range of popular, big-selling products: l Ben & Jerrys 500ml tubs Normal RSP: £5.25 EDLP RSP: £3.50 l Magnum 4 pack Normal RSP: £3.95 EDLP RSP: £2.50 l Carte D’or Vanilla 1 litre EDLP RSP: £3.00

GUILT-FREE INDULGENCE

With healthier options very much on the shopper agenda these days, Walls has undertaken to do its bit by reducing the calorie count in all its products for 2017.

Some of this has been achieved by recipe changes to reduce sugar and fat content and in some cases the portion size has been reduced to achieve a reduced calorie count in adult-orientated products and a maximum 110 Calories in all kids lines.

April 2017 TalkingShop

31

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Chilled Juice | FEATURE

Chill out

for cool sales The chilled juice market is growing significantly and represents a major sales opportuntity for Premier retailers. Talking Shop takes a closer look.

60%

of total juice market is chilled

TALKING SHOP RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING LINES AS MUST-STOCK SINGLE SERVE JUICE AND SMOOTHIES PRODUCTS: 1. Tropicana Smooth 300ml 2. Tropicana Original with Bits 300ml 3. Innocent Strawberry & Banana Smoothie 250ml 4. Naked Green Machine 450ml 5. Naked Blue Machine 450ml 6. Tropicana Orange & Mango 300ml 7. Copella Cloudy Apple 300ml 8. Innocent Mango & Passionfruit 250ml 9. This Water Lemon & Lime 420ml 10. Vita Coco Coconut Water 330ml

PMPS KEY To ensure Premier is competitive in the market, leading brand Tropicana is supporting retailers with a strong Price Marked Pack (PMP) range. PMP accounts for over 40% of sales revenue of chilled Juice, and has grown at an impressive 25% in the last year, with single serve up 18% and takehome up 29%. PMP take- home packs drive 45% more sales per store per week than average packs in the independents channel, so are a must stock in your store.

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M136235

Naked Green Machine 8x450ml

M136233

Naked Blue Machine 8x450ml

M136232

Naked Mango Machine 8x450ml

M141393

Naked Red Machine 8x450ml

STOCK UP NOW! Tropicana core range

M220867 Tropicana Smooth PMP 8x250ml

M220869 Tropicana Original PMP 8x250ml

M220872 Tropicana Orange & Mango PMP 8x250ml

M188883 Copella Cloudy Apple PMP 8x300ml

Š2016 Naked Juice Company.

Naked core range

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

HAPPY SHOPPER CHILLED JUICE RANGE

£1.1 billion

With its unique combination of high quality and fantastic value, the Happy Shopper range of chilled juices is a must-stock for Premier retailers. With a great selection of products now available within the range, there’s lots of choice for shoppers while all lines in the range offer over 30% POR, making them a big hit with retailers too. Look out too for multi-buy offers on the 1 litre juices which offer even more profit-making opportunities in a growing category.

The original range is as follows: l Happy Shopper Orange Juice FC – Original 1L & 330ml l Happy Shopper Orange Juice FC – with Juicy Bits 1L & 330ml l Happy Shopper Apple Juice FC 1L & 330ml l Happy Shopper Strawberry & Banana Smoothie – 250ml l Happy Shopper Mango & Passion Fruit – 250ml

value of chilled juice market

CORE IN EVERY STORE RECOMMENDS THE FOLLOWING LINES AS THE KEY MUSTSTOCK TAKE HOME JUICE AND SMOOTHIE BRANDED PRODUCTS IN INDEPENDENT RETAILING: TOP NFC JUICE LINES: l Tropicana Smooth 850ml l Tropicana Original 850ml l Tropicana Orange & Mango 850ml l Copella Cloudy Apple 900ml

TOP SMOOTHIES LINES: l Innocent Mango & Passionfruit 750ml l Innocent Strawberry & Banana 750ml

T

he growth of the wider chilled category has been one of the biggest and most important trends in independent retailing in the last five or six years and one of the product categories to have benefitted most from that growth is chilled juice.

Juice has long been an important category to retailers with the latest 2017 Kantar data showing that 89% of UK households buy into the category. The number of drinks consumption occasions in the UK remains stable year on year, however what people are choosing to drink has changed dramatically. This is a trend that has important implications for Premier retailers.

Demand for chilled juice grew by 2.3% last year, according to recent Nielsen data.

To put that into context, Kantar suggests there are now over 2 billion consumption occasions a year.

This shift in consumption patterns means chilled juice now generates around 60% of the total juice category sales and is worth around £1.1bn annually. This figure is growing by over 2% in independent retailing which means there is a large and growing opportunity for Premier retailers.

Interestingly, the performance of the chilled juice category is actually ahead of the total fresh and chilled category, according to Kantar. Chilled juice also plays an important role in driving up basket spend: baskets containing chilled juice in

convenience stores are typically 14% more valuable than the average basket, suggests 2017 Nielsen data.

OCCASIONS

2billion chilled juice consumption occasions a year

Over half of chilled juice consumption occasions are at breakfast time with grapefruit and pure orange juices the key products here.

When it comes to the evening consumption occasions, however, other fruit juices including apple, orange blends and tropical have a much stronger appeal.

Broadening the consumption occasions of juice is key to growth and with media and public focus on healthier diets increasing, it’s no surprise that strong growth is coming from smoothies (up 70% last year) and Coconut Water (up 13%).

The chilled juice category also experiences strong seasonality trends with a sales uplift in the warmer summer months and peak holiday times, so it’s critical that Premier retailers regularly review their chilled juice offering to ensure they are cashing in on this opportunity with a strong range and great availability to meet shopper demand.

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

ON THE GO MISSION: With technological advances and the growing need for immediacy in everyday life, many people are rushing from one thing to the next. On the Go food and drink is therefore of paramount importance, especially to independent retailers. In TOP TIP! convenience, 66% of Range the top sellers category sales are from of single serve juice in On the Go single serve the chiller alongside soft range. Shoppers on an drinks and sandwiches/ on-the-go breakfast On the Go mission spend solutions. very little time in store, an average of just three minutes per visit, therefore maximising location, display and range are all essential to maximising the sales opportunity.

These On The Go shoppers have a specific pathway through the store, heading straight for the anchor categories of water, confectionery, crisps, soft drinks and sandwiches. Front of store is a key TOP TIP! place to capture sales from shoppers on Locate best selling this mission. lines of Take Home packs Not From Concentrate chilled juice and TOP UP MISSION: of Chilled Juice in the chilled smoothies generate over 75% of perimeter of the store, single serve chilled juice sales and both Shoppers buying into take-home alongside Dairy (Milk). of these segments are in growth. Premier chilled Juice are valuable shoppers to retailers should ensure that their range the retailer as they have a greater basket focuses on these key areas, as well as on spend. These shoppers follow a typical path the fastest growing categories like coconut round the perimeter of the store, however they water and smoothies. still only spend an average of five minutes in the store, therefore Tropicana Not From Concentrate is the location, range and offer are important to drive purchase. number one brand in single serve driving When lives become busy, family and friends time together are ÂŁ13.7m sales a year with a 32% share, important. Not only is a weekend family breakfast important, growing at 2.5% in independent retail in but as the warmer months approach people start to turn their 2016, according to Nielsen. The number minds to picnics and BBQs, and juice is a must have for these two brand is Naked Smoothies (23% share social occasions especially as the category experiences a of single serve), driving ÂŁ9.9m of sales in seasonal uplift in the warmer summer months.

2016 and growing at 16.5% in independent Happy Shopper juices and smoothies can be hugely retailing. important sales drivers during these shopping missions, offering a fantastic combination of quality and value.

Within the take-home multiserve segment, Not From Concentrate Juice generates almost two thirds (64%) of sales and was in growth in 2016. Again, Tropicana Not From Concentrate is the number one brand selling ÂŁ10.6m in sales in 2016 and growing significantly ahead of the category at +8.6%.

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

Ones to

watch Dog food for thought!

WHAT? HAPPY SHOPPER COMPLETE DOG FOOD PATE WITH CHICKEN & TURKEY; HAPPY SHOPPER COMPLETE DOG FOOD PATE WITH LAMB & DUCK WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW

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

WHY? With many animal-loving shoppers more inclined to treat their pets than themselves, a huge opportunity exists for Premier retailers to cash in on the premium end of the dog food market.

That’s why Booker has introduced two new premium pate products to its hugely successful Happy Shopper range. Available in two variants – Happy Shopper Complete Dog Food Pate with Chicken & Turkey and Happy Shopper Complete Dog Food Pate with Lamb & Duck – the new lines deliver on every front.

WHO? Over the last few years, the dog food market has continued to show a marked trend towards more premium dog food, so these new Happy Shopper lines are perfect to meet current shopper expectations. Price marked at just 49p and delivering a POR of 34.1%, the new lines will also allow shoppers an affordable indulgence for their pets, safe in the knowledge that they are buying a great quality product.

WHERE TO STOCK? The products are a premium complete dog food and come in shelf-ready packaging making it easy to merchandise them on the dog fixture where the high quality packaging and eye-catching price point will ensure additional sales.

HAPPY SHOPPER COMPLETE DOG FOOD PATE Case size: 10 x 150g WSP: £2.69 RSP: 49p PMP POR: 34.1%

Purring profits WHAT? HAPPY SHOPPER PREMIUM CAT FOOD IN GRAVY WITH CHICKEN; HAPPY SHOPPER PREMIUM CAT FOOD IN JELLY WITH SALMON WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Just as has happened in the dog food market, the UK cat food market has also evolved over recent years with shoppers increasingly shifting towards the premium end of the market where pouches have been in strong growth. To help Premier retailers capitalise on this growth, Booker has launched two new premium cat food pouches into its growing and successful Happy Shopper range – Happy Shopper Premium Cat Food in Gravy with Chicken and Happy Shopper Premium Cat Food in Jelly with Salmon.

WHO? Retailing at just 45p in attractive, price marked pouches these new lines offer cat owners the opportunity to treat their pets to a special treat without having to pay the prices of the big brands.

With Happy Shopper, quality is guaranteed so these new lines are certain to drive repeat sales and build a loyal following.

WHERE TO STOCK? The pouches come in attractive shelf-ready packaging and will drive sales and profits when sited within the main cat food fixture. The lines deliver an amazing 52.5% POR for retailers.

HAPPY SHOPPER PREMIUM CAT FOOD IN GRAVY WITH CHICKEN; HAPPY SHOPPER PREMIUM CAT FOOD IN JELLY WITH SALMON Case size: 28 x 85g WSP: £4.99 RSP: 45p PMP POR: 52.5%

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A tinge of the ginge WHAT? PEPSI MAX GINGER PM £1.00 / 2 FOR £1.50 500ML; PEPSI MAX GINGER PM 55P 330ML WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Always alive to new opportunities in a developing and changing market place, Pepsi is set to shake up the cola market with innovation around its core brand with the launch of Pepsi Max Ginger. Around two thirds of Pepsi Max growth is currently coming from Pepsi Max Cherry, so the company is hopeful that the new Ginger variant will also help boost sales and profits for independent retailers.

WHERE TO STOCK? Merchandise in the chiller alongside the other 500ml Pepsi Max and Pepsi Max Cherry price marked variants to deliver maximum standout and trial of the new line.

PEPSI MAX GINGER PET BOTTLE PM £1.00 / 2 FOR £1.50 Case size: 12 X 500ml WSP: £4.99 RSP: £1.00 PMP POR: 50.1% PEPSI MAX GINGER CAN PM 55P

WHO? Available in price-marked 500ml bottles and 330ml cans, Pepsi Max Ginger focuses on delivering against the most important attribute for soft drinks shoppers: taste. As a no sugar product, the new range will also appeal to more health-conscious shoppers.

Case size: 24 X 330ml WSP: £5.49 RSP: £0.55 PMP POR: 50.0%

Moving mountains WHAT? MOUNTAIN MIST EXCLUSIVE DEAL WHEN? EARLY MAY WHY? Mountain Mist is a range of sugar free flavoured spring water and has been a huge hit with shoppers and offers a fantastic choice of flavours in both still and sparkling options. Premier is offering an exclusive deal, reducing the WSP from £2.99 to £2.39 from the beginning of May.

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WHO? Sugar free drinks are growing in popularity and stocking Mountain Mist’s value for money 59p variants in the category is sure to prove popular thanks to its wide range and attractive price point.

MIST SPARKLING WATER LEMON & LIME; MOUNTAIN MIST SPARKLING WATER PINEAPPLE & PASSIONFRUIT; MOUNTAIN MIST SPARKLING WATER STRAWBERRY; MOUNTAIN MIST STILL WATER CRANBERRY & RASPBERRY; MOUNTAIN MIST STILL WATER LEMON & LIME;

WHERE TO STOCK? The sugar free flavoured water should be merchandised in the chiller alongside other sugar free or low sugar soft drinks to maximise sales.

MOUNTAIN MIST STILL WATER PINEAPPLE & PASSIONFRUIT; MOUNTAIN MIST STILL WATER STRAWBERRY CASE SIZE: 12 X 500ml WSP: £2.39 (FROM BEGINNING OF MAY)

MOUNTAIN MIST SPARKLING WATER

RSP: 59P

CRANBERRY & RASPBERRY, MOUNTAIN

POR: 59%

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

RED STRIPE PINT WHAT? RED STRIPE PINT CAN 4-PACK WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Popular Jamaican lager Red Stripe has now been launched in a new pint can 4-pack format with a prominent £6 price mark. The new line delivers a great POR of 20% and the larger 568ml can will help Premier retailers capitalise on the brand’s loyal following and drive repeat purchases.

WHO? Large format cans have become increasingly popular in recent years and the new pint can format Red Strip is expected to appeal to existing fans of the lager, as well as trading shoppers up to the larger format market. 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 offerings and larger can lines in-store, ideally in the chiller.

RED STRIPE PINT CAN 4-PACK Case Size: 6 X 4 X 568ml WSP: £23.99 RSP: £6 POR: 20%

Refresh your sales WHAT? ROBINSONS REFRESH’D ORANGE & LIME PM £1.00 / 2 FOR £1.50 500ML; ROBINSONS REFRESH’D RASPBERRY & APPLE PM £1.00 / 2 FOR £1.50 500ML WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Immediate refreshment is an area of of the market performing well at the moment with Single Serve delivering growth and significant sales.

New Robinsons Refresh’d has been based on core insight into shoppers seeking to drink lots of water but sometimes finding it hard to do so as they want something with some taste as well. Robinsons Refresh’d is a fusion of refreshing spring water and real fruit, perfect for satisfying both shopper demands.

The two new £1 price-marked lines also deliver PORs of over 50%, ensuring retailers are happy too.

WHO? In today’s world with more shoppers seeking healthier alternatives, many people are keen to ensure that the products they consume do not contain unwanted additives such as sugar or artificial flavour enhancers. In response to this, Robinsons Refresh’d contains only naturally sourced ingredients – nothing artificial whatsoever, giving the product green label GDAs throughout.

WHERE TO STOCK? Merchandise in your chiller alongside other flavoured waters.

ROBINSONS REFRESH’D ORANGE & LIME PM £1.00 / 2 FOR £1.50 500ML; ROBINSONS REFRESH’D RASPBERRY & APPLE PM £1.00 / 2 FOR £1.50 Case Size: 12 X 500ml WSP: £4.99 RSP: £1.00 POR: 50.1%

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PricesDown

FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITIES TO SAVE ON COSTS AND BOOST YOUR PROFITS

Cool profits with knockout ‘free case’ ice cream deals!

With better weather already driving increased footfall into stores, the ice cream category is once again set to come into its own – and Premier retailers can cash in with a feast of new ‘get a case free’ deals on a range of top ice cream products.

W

hile ice cream can sell well in many Premier stores all year round, there’s no doubt that when the temperature rises, so too do sales of ice cream products. Booker has recognised this fact and responded with a series of fantastic ‘get a case free’ deals for retailers on a range of excellent products from great brands liks Walls Magnum, Cornetto, Solero and Feast.

The deals will run throughout promotional periods 2 and 3 until 6th June and will give help Premier retailers maximise profits by

offering free cases of product when they buy into the promotions.

For example, retailers can pick up a free case of Solero Strawberry Smoothie ice cream when they buy a case of Max Duo and a case of Feast Sandwich. That’s a free case worth £24 at RSP! There’s similar deals available offering free cases of Magnum Classic (worth £36 at RSP) and Walls Magnum White (also worth £36 at RSP).

With deals like this, there’s no reason why you can’t make this summer a hot profits season!

PERIOD 2 ‘FREE CASE’ PROMOTIONS (UNTIL 9TH MAY): Description

Case Size

WSP

RSP

POR

BUY 1 CASE OF EACH

Magnum Double chocolate ice cream 88ml Magnum Classic ice cream 110ml Mint Choc Cone 120ml

20 20 64

£21.69 £20.69 £19.95

£1.90 £1.80 £0.60

31.5% 31.00% 37.70%

GET A CASE FREE

Walls Magnum White 110ml

20

£20.69

£1.80

31.03%

PERIOD 3 ‘FREE CASE’ PROMOTIONS (10TH MAY – 6TH JUN): BUY 1 CASE OF EACH

Walls Magnum White 110ml Feast Chocolate 90ml Cornetto Strawberry Cornetto classic 90ml Solero exotic 90ml

20 35 24 30 25

£20.69 £19.99 £17.49 £17.49 £18.69

£1.80 £1.00 £1.00 £1.00 £1.25

31.03% 31.50% 20.00% 30.00% 28.20%

GET A CASE FREE

Magnum Classic ice cream 110ml

20

£20.69

£1.80

31.00%

BUY 1 CASE OF EACH

Feast Sandwich 86ml Max Duo 60ml

35 30

£16.29 £13.99

£0.80 £0.80

30.2% 30.1%

GET A CASE FREE

Solero Strawberry Smoothie 55ml

30

£13.99

£0.80

30.1%

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New

30 forrange 20

51po%r

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

Stock The range - or miss out!

COdE

deScRiPtIoN

wSp

mRrP pOr% VaT

223369

Mini Cheddars Big Bag Original 30f20 30x50g

£10.89

£0.75

51.6%

223613

Mini Cheddars Crinklys C&O 30f20 30x50g

£10.89

£0.75

51.6%

0.0%

223434

Mini Cheddars BBQ Grab Bag 30f20 30x50g

£10.89

£0.75

51.6%

0.0%

223433

Mini Cheddars Branston Pickle 30f20 30x50g

£10.89

£0.75

51.6%

0.0%

223432

Mini Cheddars Crinklys S&V 30f20 30x50g

£10.89

£0.75

51.6%

0.0%

0.0%

BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

Central Billing just got even better!

Booker is relaunching its Central Billing facility (formerly known as Drop Shipment) with an improved and more comprehensive offer with more than 150 new suppliers added across the UK.

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WHAT’S NEW? l New Suppliers: 156 new suppliers for Premier retailers l Improved Pricing: l Harmonised pricing across suppliers based on previous best price l Maximum two price bands used for milk – low and high volume (previously there were nine price bands) l Key supplier opening offers available

WHO’S INVOLVED?

l Brochure: brand new comprehensive brochure There are now over 200 suppliers covering a huge array of categories available via Central Billing, including:

l Bonds l Warburtons l Aryzta l OTL l Card Connection l Muller Milk & Ingredients l Ginsters l Country Choice l Candy King l Tasty Tubs l PMS l Vape Station

THE BENEFITS OF CENTRAL BILLING l Centrally negotiated pricing and low minimum order quantities l Exclusive discounts and high PORs from suppliers l Reduced admin l Savings on bank charges with only one direct debit

T

he ability to order directly from a vast array of suppliers but still be billed centrally has been a hugely important facility in the growth of many Premier retailers’ businesses over recent years, which is why Booker is set to relaunch its entire Central Billing offering to deliver an improved, more comprehensive service to retailers.

The relaunch adds a further 156 new suppliers to the Central Billing facility, making it easier than ever before for Premier retailers to build a strong range tailored to their own store’s specific requirements.

There are now around 210 national and local direct-to-store suppliers on the Central Billing list for Premier retailers, including many of the UK’s biggest and best known brands.

Core to the new Central Billing facility is a simplified and harmonised pricing structure based on the previous best price available, to ensure Premier retailers get the very best deal. The Booker Group buying team has used its significant buying power to negotiate the best possible pricing from suppliers on behalf of

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l Bespoke Booker promotions

retailers.

Additionally, Booker has massively simplified the milk pricing structure. While there used to be nine separate milk pricing bands, this has been reduced down to just two: low and high volume.

The relaunch is being supported by a number of key supplier launch deals that will help retailers broaden the choice they offer to shoppers while also driving up sales and profits.

After the launch, a range of regular offers will be available and will be communicated to retailers. A new brochure has also been produced which outlines the entire Central Billing range and gives Premier retailers a single, fully comprehensive source of information to help make ordering simpler and easier than ever before.

NEW BROCHURE Booker’s new Central Billing brochure, which is also available digitally, offers a wealth of advice and information for Premier

KEY SUPPLIERS FOR YOUR STORE AVAILABLE VIA CENTRAL BILLING l Bread: Warburtons l Chilled: Kerryfresh, Ginsters l Bake Off & Food To Go: Country Choice l Fine Food: Holleys, Springvale, Moordale l Health Food: Tree Of Life, Barn Direct l International Food: Monolith l Vaping: Real Trading l Greeting Cards: Card Connection l SOR Toys & Seasonal ranges: BJ Toys l News & Magazines: Lucid

FOOD CATEGORIES COVERED BY CENTRAL BILLING: l Bakery l Chilled l Dairy l Eggs l Produce l Food To Go l Confectionery l Fine Food l Health Foods l International Foods l Frozen

NON-FOOD CATEGORIES COVERED: l Vaping l Home Essentials l Stationery l Greeting Cards l Toys l Mobile phone accessories l Pet Supplies l Flowers l Forecourt l Maps l Consumables l Entertainment

l Local Breweries

retailers including a key supplier listing, a list of ‘must have’ suppliers and an outline of the key categories.

There are now also over 150 local suppliers on the scheme and featured in the brochure, as well as on the dedicated www.smallsupplier.com website.

A copy of the brochure will be circulated to all Premier retailers, but speak to your RDM if you have any queries or call the special helpline on 0845 850 5051.

CENTRAL BILLING COULDN’T BE SIMPLER FOR PREMIER RETAILERS: l The supplier begins delivery an on agreed date l orders are delivered directly by the supplier with a detailed delivery note l Booker sends a weekly statement, including invoices and credits l Payment is collected via a variable Direct Debit

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BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

A retailer’s guide to WhatsApp

In this second part of our guide to making social media work harder for your store, we take a closer look at the increasingly popular WhatsApp tool.

I

t’s clear that social media is here to stay as far as retailers are concerned and one of the fastest growing tools is WhatsApp. The application offers a wide range of possibilities and opportunities for Premier retailers and is increasingly used for a much broader array of purposes in the independent retailing environment.

In this, the second part of our retailer’s guide to social media, Talking Shop sat down with the Booker digital and social media team once more to find out more about making WhatsApp work for your business.

Making use of social media can be a

daunting prospect for retailers which is why we have broken it down into its key parts.

This guide gives you only what you need to know in order to run an efficient WhatsApp group without having to spend lots of time and energy on activity that doesn’t benefit your store directly.

Try to come up with creative ways to In this article we will cover promote your business using WhatsApp. For the vital WhatsApp basics: why example, Colgate invited people to send selfies of their smile via WhatsApp to a phone you might want to make use of it number displayed on the toothpaste pack. and how to set up and manage a To motivate customers to get involved, WhatsApp Group. Read on to find out they offered the chance to be styled by brand ambassador Sonam Kapoor’s more about harnessing the power of stylist! social media.

GET CREATIVE!

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WHY SHOULD YOU USE WHATSAPP AND WHAT COULD YOU USE IT FOR? l send images

New to WhatsApp and wondering why you might want to consider it as a tool to help grow your business? Don’t worry, you’re not alone. To give you an idea of why WhatsApp might be right for you, and for an idea of the sorts of things you can achieve with it, here are a few great ideas.

l send audio files l send short video clips of your products l text messages to your shoppers.

Unlike SMS or email, there are fewer restrictions on the format and delivery chances are higher, allowing you to connect with existing loyal shoppers.

1 CUSTOMER COMMUNICATION You can use WhatsApp to… l announce new offers l send seasonal or festival wishes l share your blog posts l provide news and updates l communicate with your shoppers.

Give them a reason to like and trust you!

4 EVENTS Use WhatsApp to keep people informed about any events you are involved in. Once you have the phone number of attendees, you can check if they use WhatsApp and invite them to a group related to your event. You can post updates and supporting multimedia content about your event, and even take pictures on your phone and share them with members.

2 CUSTOMER SUPPORT WhatsApp allows you to respond in real-time, supports multimedia, and allows for messages longer than 140 characters, so your messages are not restricted. It’s also more personal and private than Twitter.

5 CREATIVE USAGE There are lots of creative ways of using WhatsApp, so try being inventive! Some businesses have used it as a booking platform.

Others use it as a delivery support mechanism where shoppers can order and have flowers, newspapers or food delivered direct to them. The options are limited only by your imagination.

3 MARKETING & PROMOTION You can use WhatsApp to:

How to create and manage a Whatsapp group Step 1

Step 3

CREATING THE GROUP STEP 1

Ensure you have all group members’ numbers in your phone.

STEP 2

Click on ‘Chats’ at the bottom of the screen and ‘New Group’ option.

STEP 3

Click on the contacts you would like to add in the Whatsapp group.

STEP 4

Type in the name of the group subject i.e. Testing or Premier Retailer group and click ‘Create’.

Step 2

Step 4

You have now created your group and can begin to chat with everyone.

Step 2

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Step 3

ADDING MEMBERS TO THE WHATSAPP GROUP CHAT STEP 1

Click on the Whatsapp group name at the top of the screen (that you created in Step 4 above).

STEP 2

Scroll down to the ‘Participants’ section and click ‘+Add participants’.

STEP 3

Select the contacts you would like to add and click ‘Next’.

REMOVING MEMBERS FROM THE WHATSAPP GROUP CHAT

Step 1

Step 2

HOW TO EDIT A BROADCAST LIST STEP 1

STEP 1

STEP 2

Click on the Whatsapp group name at the top of the screen.

STEP 2 STEP 3 a)

Scroll down to the ‘Participants’ section and click on the name of the member you would like to remove. Click on the ‘Remove *contact name*’ option and click ‘Remove’.

MAKING ANOTHER MEMBER ‘GROUP ADMIN’ STEP 1

Click on the Whatsapp group name at the top of the screen.

STEP 2

Scroll down to the ‘Participants’ section and click on the name of the member you would like to make admin. Click on the ‘make group admin’ option and they will also become a group admin.

b)

Step 1

Step 2

HOW TO DELETE A BROADCAST LIST

A whatsapp broadcast list is exactly like a group chat, however, with one major difference: group members cannot see who else has been added into the chat. It allows you to send a message to many members at one time whilst keeping privacy between the members.

TO CREATE A BROADCAST LIST: STEP 1 STEP 2

STEP 3

STEP 4

STEP 5 STEP 6

Open WhatsApp. Click on the ‘Broadcast Lists’ button at the top of the Chats screen.

Click on ‘New List’ at the bottom of the Broadcast Lists screen.

Type your contacts’ names or press the (+) button to choose from your contact list. (NOTE: You must have your contacts numbers saved in your phone and they must have your number saved in their phone).

Click Create.

Send your message. (When they reply, it will appear as a normal message in your ‘Chats’ screen and their reply will not be sent to other recipients in the Broadcast List.)

Open the’ Broadcast Lists’ button at the top of the ‘Chats’ screen.

Click the (i) button on the Broadcast List you wish to edit.

At the list ‘Info’ screen, you can: Change the name of your Broadcast List. Insert new name of broadcast list group.

Add or remove recipients from the list by tapping Edit list.

Chose who you wish to add by selecting the contact from your phone contact list or who you wish to remove and remove from the group.

STEP 1

STEP 2 Step 2

Step 4

STEP 3

Open the ‘Broadcast Lists’ button at the top of the ‘Chats’ screen.

Swipe left on the broadcast list you wish to delete and it will remove the list.

Click Delete.

Step 6

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AT T R AC T M I L L E N I A L S T O Y O U R ST O R E

N69% E W travel 3 3 0by M L BChill O T beer T L E ready . foot so stock small and mid-packs

Suggest meal for immediate or deals including later that day use drinks for inspiration

NEW 330ML BOTTLE.

DRINK LIKE THE DANES: RESPONSIBLY, IN STYLE BREWED IN THE UK Source: nVision Research | Base: 1581 online respondents aged 16+, GB, 2015 April, HIM! Beer & Cider Deep Dive May 2016

BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

EUTPD2:

are you ready?

The forthcoming implementation of the new EUTPD2 legislation has massive implications for Premier retailers. Talking Shop offers a final guide to ensuring you are fully compliant.

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April 2017

I

t has been in the planning for years – but the new EUTPD2 legislation is finally almost upon us. Booker has been working hard with all of its retailers to ensure that they are fully ready for the new rules when they come into force on 20th May and a brand new Tobacco Guide is being introduced and will be with you shortly. Here, Talking Shop offers some final advice to help make sure Premier retailers are fully compliant on May 20th.

Retailers who fail to comply with the new regulations do so at their own risk. If found guilty of selling non-compliant products after 20th May, they face a fine and even a

prison sentence in extreme cases.

Remember that the products and formats that you will no longer be able to sell after 20th May include: l Packets of cigarettes containing fewer than 20 sticks. l Rolling tobacco pouches containing less than 30g of tobacco. l Non-standard pack designs (shape, size, materials and opening mechanisms).

In addition to the new EU rules, the UK government has passed plain packaging legislation, which means from 20 May 2017, retailers will not be permitted to sell branded tobacco products.

SERVICE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!

CHOICE WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW!

l Talk to your customers about the changes, particularly in these last few weeks before the legislation comes into force.

l Availability is key, so make sure that you keep your unit fully stocked at all times. right throughout the day. l Pay particular attention to peak times throughout the day (early morning, lunch, home time, for example) and throughout the week (Lottery nights, Friday and Saturday evenings, for example).

How the changes will affect your gantry... MAY 2017 l Let them know the reasons behind price increases to maintain goodwill.

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

Remaining branded SKU exit

l Ensure, as a bare minimum, that you always have the 40 national SKUs, that will be referenced in the new Tobacco Guide, in stock in your store at all times. l The top 40 SKUs typically represent 70% of tobacco sales value, which means that they are ‘must stock’ lines for all Premier stores.

What are the changes?

YOUR GANTRY

What are the changes?

What are Non-compliant Compliant packs What packs are the the changes? changes?

IN MAY 2017

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

Compliant packs Compliant packs Compliant packs Minimum 20s

10s 10s 10s

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

Only cigars & pipe tobacco exempt MERCHANDISING AverageYOU cigarette price £8.00 WHAT NEED TO KNOW! Average RYO price

£11.00

l One of the key challenges, once54 the ban Product count 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. l Recent trials in countries that have already gone through similar legislation have shown that merchandising alphabetically can dramatically reduce serving times. l We strongly recommend that you merchandise your gantry alphabetically and do so in advance of the May deadline so that your staff are prepared. l Remember to check if your gantry is still under contract as the manufacturer may require you to follow their merchandising guide. l Asking shoppers if ‘this is the pack they wanted’ will also help to reduce returns after the pack has been opened.

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

Minimum 20s

Minimum 30g

No PMPs

PMP

brands Brands brands brands

Plain packaging

3

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

April 2017 TalkingShop

55

LaunchReview FEEDBACK ON THE LATEST BOOKER PRODUCTS

Allocation of 1 case FOC of ES Sugar Free 12x 500ml to every Premier retailer (P3 – Buying in from 03.05.17 until 06.06.17)

34.8% POR

Euro Shopper Sugar Free Energy Drink 500ml Case size: 12 x 500ml WSP: £4.50 RSP: £0.69 POR: 34.8%

Sugar free sales boost The addition of a 500ml Sugar Free variant to the immensely popular Euro Shopper Energy Drink range has gone down a storm with Premier shoppers and retailers alike.

Since launch, the Euro Shopper Energy Drink range has been nothing short of phenomenal, with shoppers instantly falling in love with the fantastic taste and quality of the product, and all at a value for money price that is simply hard to beat.

The recent launch of a new 500ml Sugar Free variant has further boosted the credentials of the range and opened it up to a whole new target market of shoppers.

Not surprisingly, the launch has been massively popular with both Premier

shoppers and Premier retailers alike.

Retailing at just 69p for a 500ml can and with the highly visibly price mark, the new line has been flying off the chiller shelves as shoppers look for a healthier, sugar free alternative to help give them energy when they need it without the sugar, or the expense of the many other branded versions on the market.

The product contains just two calories per 100ml and 0g of sugar, making it a huge hit with a whole new audience, which is great

news for retailers.

As with all Euro Shopper products, Euro Shopper Sugar Free delivers an excellent POR – 34.8% – while giving the more health conscious shopper a great option when it comes to finding a guilt-free pickme-up right through the entire day.

With the Euro Shopper brand now very much trusted and loved by shoppers, this is another great product that only enhances the brand’s reputation for delivering on every front: taste, quality and value.

April 2017 TalkingShop

57

shopper’s view…

Clare Feeney, Uddingston, Lanarkshire “As a working mother I tend to have to get up early and go to bed late so I do regularly buy energy drinks but I try not to buy those with lots of sugar or calories in. I find that energy drinks really do help pick me up in the morning, or right after lunch. They are so convenient and tasty. The new Euro Shopper Sugar Free product could have been custom made for me though! I count my calories so just twelve in every can is amazing. The drink tastes exceptional – much better than many of the expensive ones I’ve tried over the years – and 69p is just a knockout price. I find myself buying them two and three at a time now so my fridge at the office is never empty.”

IN SUMMARY

1

An exciting new brand extension from the increasingly trusted and loved Euro Shopper brand.

2

Guilt-free product with only two calories per 100ml and zero sugar, perfectly in line with modern shopper trends.

3

Fantastic value at just 69p for a 500ml can, significantly cheaper than many branded alternatives.

4

A sure-fire winner for retailers, delivering a POR of 34.8% and already generating big repeat sales volumes.

RETAILER VIEW DENNIS WILLIAMS Premier Broadway Convenience, Edinburgh “The Euro Shopper Energy Drink has been an absolutely massive hit from day one when it was first launched all those years ago. It’s a phenomenon really, but it’s easy to see why. It tastes great, it delivers that burst of energy that shoppers are looking for and best of all it, it’s just amazing value.

You have to remember too that when it was launched every other energy drink on the market was pitched at a really premium price point – so shoppers couldn’t believe their luck when they were getting all of the benefits of the expensive branded product but at just 35p.

“With all of that in mind, it’s a natural step in the current market to launch a sugar free variant and it’s already going down exceptionally well with shoppers. As a product, it ticks all the boxes.

“There are a lot of shoppers these days that want healthier alternatives to the food and drink they buy so a sugar free Euro Shopper Energy Drink at that brilliant price point but delivering all of the same functional benefits is exactly what they’re after.

“I can see the new variant being just as popular as the original one in time, I really can.”

RETAILER VIEW BOBBY SINGH Premier Fairholm Convenience Store, Newcastle “Energy drinks have been huge for many years now and we dedicate a fair amount of chiller space to them these days. There are shoppers who still prefer premium products like Red Bull but in terms of sales volume, the Euro Shopper Energy Drink is just unbelievable. Shoppers just love it because it gives them what they want but a fraction of the price of big branded alternatives.

“The New Euro Shopper Sugar Free Energy Drink offers them that same package but with the added benefit of zero sugar which is bang on trend at the moment as shoppers are looking for lower calorie, low or zero sugar products. We’ve had it in the store since launch and trial rates have been very high, which is hardly a surprise at such a great price point. I see it being a firm favourite in future.”

RETAILER VIEW ABADA AKHTAR Premier Smeaton Stores, Kirkcaldy “Where our store is located near the centre of Kirkcaldy, shoppers are looking for value every time they shop with us. That means great promotions and great Every Day Low Pricing on the products they buy on a regular basis. That clearly includes energy drinks and I think the new Euro Shopper Sugar Free Energy Drink gives them everything they are looking for. It tastes just as good as the original one, it works (in terms of delivering instant energy), and it sells at an unbeatable price point.

“In our area, traditional full sugar products are still very popular but even so we’ve seen a lot of our shoppers switching into the Sugar Free variant and we’ve seen a lot of interest in it. I think shoppers are trying to be a bit healthier these days and this product is just right for them.”

April 2017 TalkingShop

59

Store Security | GUEST COLUMN

Dennis Williams, Premier Broadway Edinburgh retailer and SGF President offers great advice on keeping your store as safe as possible.

Stay safe, stay central in your community

Being an active, vibrant participant in your local community can help ensure your store and staff are safe and protected at all times.

A

s all Premier retailers know, being an active, engaged part of your local community has many benefits. It drives footfall, it generates sales, it creates a link between you and your shoppers that builds loyalty and trust.

Another less obvious benefit is the fact that if you, your staff and your store are viewed by the local community as truly part of the fabric of their lives, you are far less likely to encounter any issues with antisocial behaviour or crime.

Having been at the centre of a working class community in Edinburgh for three decades, we have learned just how important it is to be an integral part of our local area, and how it has undoubtedly benefitted us over the years.

But what exactly can you do to foster that relationship and build meaningful links with the community that will make life easier and safer?

Firstly, get to know your local police and encourage them to visit the store as often

as they can. The simple regular presence of a uniformed officer sends out all the right messages to your shoppers.

It’s also a good idea to give your contact number to the residents nearest your store; they can alert you to anything suspicious that may be going on.

As we all know by now, our most loyal shoppers can be quite protective about their local store – and that’s a fantastic thing, so make use of it, and make sure they know that you are grateful for their help.

Keep all of your staff informed and well trained on all security measures. You could try keeping a staff log of all suspicious incidents, to try to spot potential problems before they arise. Team meetings also provide a good opportunity for your staff to raise any concerns they may have.

When it comes to best practice in-store, there are also a lot of common sense things you can do to deter any trouble-makers.

Some simple signage can help: “no cash stored on the premises overnight”; “these premises are monitored 24 hours a day”;

“alarms are linked to local police”. Simple, but effective.

Related to this, always minimise the amount of cash stored overnight, and leave your till drawers open at night. It’s better that than getting them broken open.

If you don’t already have them, it’s certainly worth installing panic buttons for your staff and obviously ensure that your CCTV and alarm systems are checked and serviced regularly. Make sure your insurance is up to date and valid – and that it actually covers what you think it covers!

It might also be sensible to consider business interruption insurance; if you have to close for repairs you could lose more than just stock.

Metal shutters are a good idea too if you don’t already have them, not least because you may get a lower insurance premium by installing them.

These are all simple, common sense solutions, but they can help you keep you, your staff and your store protected at all times.

April 2017 TalkingShop

61

ACS Viewpoint | Business Rates Revluation

James Lowman There is good and bad news on business rates from Philip Hammond’s recent Budget.

The Chancellor’s recent Budget statement was a mixed bag for Premier retailers, particularly around the issue of business rates.

S

ince the publication of the revised business rate valuations late last year, a range of business groups including ACS have been campaigning to ensure that those hardest hit by the revaluation will be given appropriate relief, and that beyond the revaluation, the rating system will be reviewed so that everyone pays their fair share. This inequity in the rating system was highlighted when it was revealed that while petrol forecourts, which have been stuck with a different way of calculating their rates to the rest of the sector, are seeing their bills rise, some of the biggest internet distribution warehouses are set to see a fall in their rateable values.

Come Budget day, all eyes were on the Chancellor to see what action he would take to mitigate the impact on thousands of businesses. When the dust settled and everyone had pored over the detail, it was clear that Mr Hammond’s plans resulted in a mixed bag for our sector. First the good news – there will be a £300m relief fund available for businesses that are seeing significant increases in their rates bills in April. The fund will not

be delivered centrally though, it will in documents released by the be at the discretion of local authorities Department for Communities to distribute relief in their area and it’s and Local Government in the up to you the retailer to make a case following hours which detailed the to your authority for relief. However, government’s response to concerns if you would like advice on how to about rates appeals. We have been best make a representation about campaigning for months on the relief, get in touch with us and we’ll issue of rates appeals, specifically do everything we can to help. on the idea that businesses could Looking toward the long term, still lose out even if their appeals there was more good news in are successful based on IF YOU the form of a commitment whether the valuation is WOULD LIKE TO GET INVOLVED IN THE from the chancellor to considered to be within POLITICAL WORK OF ACS review the appropriateness the bounds of ‘reasonable ....................... CALL ...................... of different schemes and judgement’, so to find look at ways that everyone out that the government 01252 515 001 can pay their fair share in has essentially fudged ............. OR LOG ON TO ........... future. However, this comes its response and tried to www.acs.org.uk with a caveat because the sneak in a proposal that is chancellor wouldn’t be drawn indistinguishable from the one on a timescale beyond ‘before the it’s replacing (assessing whether next revaluation in 2022’ so there’s a judgement is reasonable as still a lot of work to be done to get opposed to reasonable professional this in motion. We are committed to judgement) under the radar is helping stores that are badly affected extremely disappointing. Our by the current system, such as stores position is clear. Businesses must with free to use cash machines and not be forced to overpay when those trading on petrol forecourts, get their rates appeals are successful, a better deal from the government on and we will continue to make business rates. representations to government to The bad news on rates came not ensure that the voices of retailers in the budget document itself, but are heard.

April 2017 TalkingShop

63

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

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

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

Time for a healthy start for local kids?

We’ve heard a lot about Premier retailers donating healthier breakfasts to local schoolchildren and we think this is a great way of bonding with the local community and helping the next generation of children get their lives – and their mornings – off to a great, healthier start.

I assume there is no reason why Premier retailers anywhere can’t run similar style initiatives? Where should retailers start if they want to organise one?

ASIF AKHTAR, PREMIER SMEATON STORES, KIRKCALDY

projects in Edinburgh with their local primary schools and are more than happy to offer some tips and pointers for other Premier retailers to help them run similar events either in their stores or in local primary schools. Several major suppliers have been very proactive in supporting the events with free stock for the day for both the sampling and the goody bags and Premier has also been very supportive. Ask your RDM if you’re considering one or contact Dennis at broadwaypremier@yahoo.com for some advice.

MARTYN PARKINSON, BRAND DIRECTOR FOR PREMIER, SAID: The concept has been launched by a number of Premier retailers who have had great success with it and find it a great way of engaging positively with the local community and helping look after the next generation of shoppers. There is no reason why Premier retailers across the UK can’t run similar projects. Premier retailers Dennis and Linda Williams have already run healthier breakfast

AWRS: will it work for us?

Will the Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme actually help legitimate retailers in future?

BALBIR KULAR, EGGBOROUGH VILLAGE STORE & POST OFFICE, DONCASTER MARTYN PARKINSON, BRAND DIRECTOR FOR PREMIER, SAID: The Alcohol Wholesaler Registration Scheme (AWRS) came into force on

April 1st. It is now illegal to buy alcohol from anyone not registered under AWRS and we are very confident that AWRS will have a major effect in clamping down on errant wholesalers and retailers. It is estimated that duty-avoided alcohol costs the UK around £1.2bn in duty and VAT every year, as well as giving illicit retailers an unfair – and now illegal – advantage over legitimate retailers.

Getting more from Facebook I like the idea of using social media more often to promote the store but don’t always know what’s likely to work. Do you have any tips?

BHUPENDRA PATEL PREMIER EXTRA STORE, GRIMSBY JAMIL MOHAMMED, GROUP DIGITAL DIRECTOR FOR BOOKER, SAID: The trick with Facebook is to post material that genuinely engages you with your shoppers and will be of interest to them. You could try posting a new promotion every day; this has worked for other Premier retailers. You could also run regular competitions or giveaways. Some Premier retailers run giveaways for shoppers that like or comment on their posts and that helps add followers and drive activity on your page.

It’s also a good idea to consider posting about any work you do in the local community such as raising charity funds, supporting local community activities or hosting fun days or family days.

The key can be to post regularly but not too often.

Maybe posting two or three items a day will keep you front of mind and you’ll soon work out what is working for your store.

April 2017 TalkingShop

65

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Midas code

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RRP

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137.5

86.00%

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STOCK UP NOW • The 650ml has the highest repeat rate in the Amstel range (23%)1 • In 2016 the brand grew volume by a massive +62% YOY reaching over half a million HL! • In 2017 marketing investment is increasing by +£1.2 million YOY

1

R I D E T OG E T H E R

Source: Dunnhumby 12wk Launch 29th February - 29th May 2016 Brewed in the UK

Talking Shop

Issue 88 April 2017