The Week In Retail Issue 18

RETAIL

THE WEEK IN

HOME DELIVERY

‘MORRISONS ON AMAZON’ NEW LINK-UP LIVE IN LEEDS

RETAILER PROFILE

+

WAT C H T

WIN AN IRNBRU IPAD! NEW HULL NISA COLLECTION TIN GOES DIGITAL

TWO MINUTE VIDEO TOUR OF UK’S NEWEST ZERO WASTE SHOP H

EV

IDEO

POSTMASTER TO JOIN POST OFFICE BOARD Commercial Partner:

Brought to you by:

Issue 18 Wednesday 19 August 2020

R o f Y ENERg F F U T S L A E E R H T ENERGY IS GROWING 6 X FASTER THAN SOFT DRINKS

FLAVOURS NOW ACCOUNT FOR 30% OF MAINSTREAM ENERGY PRODUCTS*

NEARLY 1 IN 2 SOFT DRINKS SOLD IS AN ENERGY DRINK*

FLAVOURED ENERGY IS GROWING FASTER THAN ORIGINAL ENERGY*

MERCHANDISE CHILLED, NEXT TO OTHER SLIM CAN ENERGY PRODUCTS! *1: IRI MARKETPLACE, VALUE SALES, MAT TO 19/04/2020, TOTAL SCOTLAND. *2: IRI MARKETPLACE, PPL & AVERAGE MARGINS, MAT TO 19/04/2020, SCOTLAND CONVENIENCE *3: IRI MARKETPLACE, VALUE ESALES, DRINK NOW, MAT TO 19/04/2020, SCOTLAND SYMBOLS & INDEPENDENTS. *4: IRI MARKETPLACE, VALUE SALES, MAINSTREAM DRINK NOW ENERGY EXCL. ORIGINAL, MAT TO 19/04/2020, TOTAL COVERAGE

THE WEEK IN RETAIL

EDITOR’S COMMENT SHARE YOUR NEWS AND VIEWS WITH ME AT ABEGLEY@55NORTH.COM

ARE WE ALL BECOMING ECO-WARRIORS? I must admit that it was cracking fun helping shoot the video for our first ever ‘2 Minute Tour‘ of a store earlier this week – which you can view on the cover. The store we featured was Sophie Lejeune’s new Society Zero shop on Queen Margaret Drive in the West End of Glasgow which literally only opened about 10 days ago.

It’s a really interesting zero waste business but Sophie has taken a slightly more pragmatic approach than some of the other zero waste stores we’ve profiled because she’s interested in making the store as appealing as possible to as wide a range of customers as possible. She doesn’t insist on exclusively organic lines, for instance, which is quite unusual in the zero waste retailing community.

One of the really interesting parts of the interview I did with Sophie, however, was when I asked her who has actually been using the shop in the first week, what types of shoppers? The implication was clearly that I was expecting to hear that it’s mostly students and eco-warriors.

She responded with a laugh and by then gently but forcefully putting me straight on a few things.

The gist of her response – which you can listen to in full in the second video here – was that an interest in reducing the impact we have on the planet is probably more commonplace than I would think.

With so many schools, colleges, workplaces and social venues working hard on improving their eco-practices (and shouting about it), awareness of these issues among the wider population is higher than it’s ever been and that’s only going to grow further in future as new generations come through. That’s clearly being accelerated by the global media interest in plastic pollution and the like. The upshot is that Sophie believes we will see more and more consumers taking more of an interest in the ethical credentials of the businesses they buy from, or the businesses that they “invest in”, as she puts it.

The implications of a shift like that would be significant for the convenience retailing sector.

ANTONYBEGLEY ANTONYBEGLEY ANTONYBEGLEY

ANTONY BEGLEY, EDITOR

WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020 / ISSUE 18 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 3

Click & Collect, Home Delivery Activate your store within 1 hour.

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CONTENTS

WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020 / ISSUE 18 WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK

6

12 THIS WEEK’S NEWS IN BRIEF

20 HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN… SOPHIE LEJEUNE?

COMPETITION: IRN-BRU ENERGY

‘Morrisons on Amazon’ goes live in Leeds while Westminster MPs back an ‘all-in’ Deposit Return Scheme.

Sophie opened Scotland’s newest zero waste store just over a week ago.

Retailers have the chance to win a brand new iPad Air 64GB worth £479, courtesy of Irn-Bru Energy.

8 COVID-19 UPDATE

19 PICKS OF THE WEEK

22 MINI PROFILE: NISA LOCAL, HULL

A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST CORONAVIRUS-RELATED NEWS.

A LOOK AT THE LATEST NEW PRODUCTS AND MARKETING CAMPAIGNS.

10 NEWS SPECIAL: THE POST OFFICE

21 OUT THE BOX: CYBERTILL ROUND UP

THE POST OFFICE BIDS TO “RESET ITS

IT’S A FANTASTIC START FOR DHARSAN PREMKUMAR AFTER LAUNCHING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CORONAVIRUS OUTBREAK.

A 21ST CENTURY EQUIVALENT OF THE

25 BEFORE YOU GO...

RELATIONSHIP” WITH POSTMASTERS BY

CHARITY TIN LETS RETAILERS RAISE

GIVING ONE A SEAT ON THE BOARD.

MONEY BY ROUNDING UP TRANSACTIONS.

TWITTER.COM/SLRMAG

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SLRMAG

WHO HASN’T VISITED LIDL FOR A PINT OF MILK AND BOUGHT SCUBA GEAR INSTEAD?

WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK

WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020 / ISSUE 18 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 5

NEWS DIGEST

THIS WEEK’S NEWS FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/

ASDA CUTS PLASTIC

HOME DELIVERY

unnecessary plastic from

‘MORRISONS ON AMAZON‘ GOES LIVE IN LEEDS

FSDUs and customer signage

A NEW ‘MORRISONS ON AMAZON’ SERVICE HAS GONE LIVE IN

as part of plans to reduce the

LEEDS OFFERING SAME-DAY DELIVERY FOR FREE ON ORDERS

use of own brand plastic by

OVER £40 FOR AMAZON PRIME MEMBERS.

Asda has removed

15% by 2021. The supermarket says it has already saved around eight tonnes of plastic by removing plastic mop trays from the bottom of cardboard FSDUs.

LONDON CO-OP OPENS The Co-op has a opened a new London food store in Islington following a £650k investment. The store has created 16 local jobs and runs

Morrisons has launched a new ‘Morrisons on Amazon’ service in Leeds which allows their customers to order their full shop online and have it delivered same-day on orders over £40 if they are members of Amazon Prime.

It is expected that the service will be rolled out across the UK in coming weeks to millions of Prime members.

Morrisons Chief Executive David Potts said: “Morrisons on Amazon will build on our partnership with Amazon, making our good quality, great value food even more accessible through Amazon.co.uk and the Amazon app.

It will give more and more customers the option of receiving Morrisons groceries straight to their doorstep, including freshly prepared products from our Market Street colleagues.”

on 100% renewable electricity.

It will offer hot food, coffee and an in-store bakery.

BAG RECYCLING Waitrose has reintroduced its plastic bag recycling scheme for customers receiving online deliveries following a pause in the service during the pandemic. Customers can again pass their used bags directly back to the delivery driver (while maintaining social distancing) or leave them outside their door for collection and recycling.

VAN DRIVER NABBED WITH 600K ILLICIT CIGARETTES A van driver was arrested on Friday while driving southbound on M74 in the Lanarkshire with an estimated 600,000 illicit cigarettes, which were seized by HMRC. The estimated duty lost on the cigarettes is £185,000.

A 32-year-old Coventry man has been charged with Excise Duty fraud.

Joe Hendry, Assistant Director, Fraud Investigation Service, HMRC,

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said: “We are committed to disrupting the distribution of illicit tobacco across the UK and levelling the playing field for local businesses who cannot compete with criminal competitors.”

Anyone with information about people or businesses involved in tax fraud can contact the HMRC Fraud Hotline on 0800 788 887 or at www. gov.uk.

NEWS DIGEST

THIS WEEK’S NEWS FOR ALL THE LATEST NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/

BESTWAY TO OFFLOAD 37 SITES

DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME

MPS BACK ‘ALL-IN’ DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME

Bestway is to sell 37 retail properties across the UK, stores that were acquired in

A CROSS-PARTY GROUP OF MPS HAS URGED PRIME MINISTER BORIS JOHNSON TO TO BACK AN ‘ALL-IN’ DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME.

2018 from the administrators of the Bargain Booze business.

The stores are being marketed

Prime Minister Boris Johnson has been urged by a cross-party group of 20 MPs to put his weight behind an ‘all-in’ Deposit Return Scheme for drinks containers in England, Wales and Northern Ireland.

A scheme is to be introduced in 2023 and the MPs signed an Early Day Motion calling for the inclusion of plastic and glass bottles, aluminium cans, cartons, pouches and coffee cups.

Scotland has already announced plans to launch a scheme – postponed by the pandemic – in July 2022.

by Christie & Co and all are leasehold, with the majority having reported record uplifts in trade during the pandemic.

PORTMAN AUDIT Alcohol watchdog The Portman Group has completed its first full industry audit since 2012 and has found “high levels of compliance to industry

BLAKEMORE BUYS ONLINE VEGAN STORE

standards“. Independent

The West Midlands-based Spar wholesaler AF Blakemore has acquired Vegan Store, an online wholesaler and retailer.

Vegan Store was the UK’s very first independent vegan online business. It stocks a range of vegan food, drink,

regulatory standards, an

auditors and the Independent Complaints Panel’s decisions show 95% adherence to

healthcare and beauty products from countries around the world.

The acquisition diversifies the Blakemore group’s portfolio of brands whilst adding a purely online division to the business structure for the first time.

Group Commercial Managing Director Jerry Marwood commented: “The vegan or vegetarian lifestyle is predicted to be the choice of up to 25% of the British population by 2025. By acquiring Vegan Store we are adding a niche brand to our portfolio that we will be able to develop and grow in line with forecasted market growth.”

improvement on the 92% achieved in 2012.

CO-OP GROWS FASTEST The new Grocery Data Index from Lumina Intelligence has found that Co-operative societies saw the biggest growth in 2019, up 2.6% by store count. Unaffiliated independents fell 0.6% while symbol group numbers also fell, though by just 0.1%.

WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020 / ISSUE 18 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 7

NEWS SPECIAL

COVID-19 UPDATE FOR ALL THE LATEST CORONAVIRUS NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/

ARGOS ISLANDS TRIAL Argos is expanding its Scottish islands delivery service in a new trial that will let shoppers get their online purchases delivered. The retailer said the move means over 98% of residents on the main Scottish islands who order large items can have them delivered on a day of their choice.

RENFREWSHIRE FUND A new £1.3m package of support for Renfrewshire businesses to tackle the immediate impact of Coronavirus is now open.

Businesses can apply for interest free loans up to £5k, match-funding grants up to

UNION LAUNCHES SHOPWORKERS PROTECTION PETITION

SIGN THE PETITION HERE

I

SHOPWORKERS’ TRADE UNION USDAW LAUNCHES HOUSE OF COMMONS PETITION TO PROTECT RETAIL STAFF FROM ABUSE.

n response to continued growing assaults, threats and abuse against shopworkers and the doubling of such incidents during coronavirus, Usdaw General Secretary Paddy Lillis has launched a House of Commons petition calling on the Government to legislate to protect shopworkers.

Usdaw General Secretary Paddy Lillis said: “We are appalled that violence, threats and abuse have doubled during coronavirus. At a time when we should all be working

together, it is a national disgrace that people working to keep food on the shelves for their local communities are being abused and assaulted. Further action is required and that is why we have launched this petition. Our message is clear, abuse is not part of the job.“

£10k and business adaption grants up to £2.5k.

M&S SHEDS 7,000 Marks & Spencer is to cut 7,000 jobs over the next three months in a new round of

KEVIN HUNT DONATES £75K Lancashire independent Spar retailer Kevin Hunt has donated £75K to three local charities who have been significantly affected during Covid-19.

redundancies as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The job cuts will be made at its central London head office, in regional management and at its UK stores. The retailer employs 78,000 people and has more than 1,000 stores.

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The family-owned Lawrence Hunt & Co business operates 26 Spar stores and has donated £25,000 each to Cash for Kids, St Catherine’s Hospice and St John’s Hospice.

In a positive move for the community, the independent Spar retailer is encouraging the general public in the area to support local charities after seeing how they have suffered a loss of fundraising income following the Covid-19 pandemic.

NEWS SPECIAL

COVID-19 UPDATE FOR ALL THE LATEST CORONAVIRUS NEWS, HEAD TO WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK/CATEGORY/NEWS/

NISA EXPO GOES VIRTUAL FOLLOWING

N

THE

ENFORCED

CANCELLING

OF

ITS

ANNUAL

STONELEIGH EVENT, NISA HAS ANNOUNCED PLANS FOR A VIRTUAL EXPO TO BE HELD IN OCTOBER.

isa has unveiled plans for a virtual Expo to be held in October.

Originally scheduled to open on 24 March – the day after the UK went into lockdown – Nisa’s annual Stoneleigh gathering was one of the first casualties of the coronavirus outbreak.

The online event is set to include all the usual features Nisa partners have come to expect, together with some additional interactivity only available through a virtual platform.

TRDP INTEGRATES BASKET There will be opportunities for oneto-one supplier meetings, virtual store tours, special deals, category insights and interaction with Nisa colleagues, partners and suppliers.

Registration for the Expo will open in the coming weeks.

The Scottish Government published its updated Testing Strategy on Monday setting out the role testing continues to play in tackling coronavirus. The strategy focuses on several key areas including whole population testing of anyone with symptoms; proactive case finding by testing contacts and testing in outbreaks; and protecting the vulnerable and preventing outbreaks in high risk settings by routine testing.

All contacts of Covid-19 index cases will now be offered testing regardless of whether they have symptoms. At present, recent close contacts of those people with a positive test result are asked to isolate for 14 days. In addition, they will now also be advised to get a test.

Also from September, Scotland will participate in the ONS Covid-19 Infection Survey which is currently operating in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. This will eventually see around 15,000 individuals in Scotland tested every two weeks.

TECH SOLUTIONS

NEW SCOTTISH TESTING STRATEGY UNVEILED

Epos and insight business The Retail Data Partnership has announced an integration with Basket, a Home Delivery and Click & Collect platform and app.

Basket’s integration with ShopMate EPoS means full reporting and stock management is automated. Set up is also straightforward, with stores choosing their products which are all uploaded automatically with descriptions, weights and images. Customers can then access the store through a web browser or the app on any device and pay online.

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NEWS SPECIAL

POST OFFICE BOARD REFRESH POSTMASTER TO JOIN BOARD

NEW ERA FOR POST OFFICE AS POSTMASTER TO JOIN BOARD A SERVING POSTMASTER IS TO JOIN THE POST OFFICE BOARD TO ADVOCATE THE INTERESTS OF MORE THAN 8,000 POSTMASTERS.

“Having a serving Postmaster on our Board sends the clearest signal yet of our determination to put Postmasters at the forefront of our business and reset our relationship.”

10 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 18 / WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020

N

ick Read, former Nisa Retail CEO and now Group CEO of the Post Office, is continuing to bring his convenience retailing experience to bear for his new employers with the news that a new NonExecutive Director position has been created on

NEWS SPECIAL

POST OFFICE BOARD REFRESH POSTMASTER TO JOIN BOARD

the Post Office Board to allow a serving Postmaster to join the board.

The move will mean that a serving Postmaster will be able to advocate the interests of more than 8,000 Postmasters and, according to the Post Office, demonstrates its determination to create “a genuine two-way partnership with its Postmasters“ and to “reset our relationship with Postmasters”.

The appointment of a new Non-Executive Director has been approved by the UK Government, the Shareholder of Post Office Limited.

A separate consultation will also be launched in the autumn asking how Postmasters and those commercial partners who operate multiple Post Office branches want to be involved in the development and execution of business decisions.

This will include options to establish regional or thematic forums that could advise and influence business decisions.

Nick Read said: “Having a serving Postmaster on our Board sends the clearest signal yet of our determination to put Postmasters at the forefront of our business and reset our relationship. We also want Postmasters to advise and influence business decisions, ensuring we shape the future of the Post Office together. Our consultation will ensure every Postmaster has the chance for their views to be heard, and help us get this right.”

The National Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP) and the existing relationship that they have with Postmasters will complement and sit alongside the Post Office’s new approach to engaging with Postmasters that emerges from this consultation.

The announcement follows the Post Office’s regional ‘Stronger Together’ events in July where Read met with hundreds of Postmasters from all parts of the UK to discuss the retailer’s

performance during the Covid-19 pandemic and its future growth strategy.

Between mid-March and June, the ‘lockdown’ period of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Post Office was able to keep 90% of its branches open.

Postmasters received guaranteed remuneration in April and May and a top-up in variable remuneration in June. Post Office also supplied all 11,500 branches with Perspex screens, gloves, sanitisers and social distancing markings and posters.

Read added: “Many Postmasters went above and beyond to keep their branches open and support their local community during the pandemic. The next few weeks and months will be a critical period. I’m pleased that we’re seeing cash deposits and withdrawals increase at our branches, a continuing high demand for our mail products and a return in demand for foreign exchange. Footfall returning to our branches will ultimately benefit our Postmasters.”

WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020 / ISSUE 18 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 11

RETAILER PROFILE

SOPHIE LEJEUNE SOCIETY ZERO, GLASGOW

HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN...

SOPHIE LEJEUNE SOPHIE LEJEUNE OPENED SCOTLAND’S NEWEST ZERO WASTE STORE JUST OVER A WEEK

AGO ON QUEEN MARGARET DRIVE IN THE WEST END OF GLASGOW, BECOMING A RETAILER FOR THE FIRST TIME INTO THE BARGAIN.

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RETAILER PROFILE

SOPHIE LEJEUNE SOCIETY ZERO, GLASGOW

HOW’S YOUR WEEK BEEN SOPHIE? Well, we opened for the first time on the 8th of August and it’s my first time running a store so it’s been a mix of joy, panic, relief, exhaustion and exhilaration. I’m delighted though because we’ve been swamped with customers since we first opened the doors.

WHAT’S THE IDEA BEHIND THE STORE? It’s called Society Zero and we are a zero waste store that’s trying to play an active and positive

role in the local community that we serve. We’re set up as a CIC (Community Interest Company) which means that we are bound by a number of principles and commitments that basically involve us investing in and working proactively with the local community. For instance, if we make a profit – which I hope we do! – we have to reinvest part of that in the community.

WHY DID YOU CHOOSE THIS SITE? An offer for a site on Great Western Road in Glasgow fell through and we then found this site.

I’m so glad it worked out this way because this site is so much better for us in so many ways. The area has a really strong sense of community and I can see already that many local people understand what we’re trying to do and are getting behind us.

WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020 / ISSUE 18 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 13

RETAILER PROFILE

SOPHIE LEJEUNE SOCIETY ZERO, GLASGOW

“Stores like this mean that people can feel a bit of control by being more careful and mindful about where they choose to spend their money.”

SO YOU WERE BUSY FROM DAY ONE? We got the keys a couple of months ago and the first thing we did was put big signs in the window letting the local community know that the store was coming. I’m quite into effective marketing so we worked hard on social media to build some interest in the store even before it was open and, thankfully, it worked because we’ve been really busy since day one.

WHAT WAS THE SITE BEFORE? It had been a bookmakers then it became a print shop, so we had to basically gut and then fully refit it. We spent about £45,000 in total getting it ready but I was convinced that we had to make it look fantastic on day one if we were to make the right impression and grow our customer base and generate repeat business.

ARE THERE ANY SPECIFIC CHALLENGES TO FITTING OUT A ZERO WASTE SHOP? Obviously, we were trying to be as environmentally conscious as possible so, for instance, the main counter was made from ‘upcycled’ wooden frames and boxes and the counter top is made

14 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 18 / WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020

of beautiful tree slices which were diseased. That meant they couldn’t be used as normal but we were able to treat them and then turn them into a lovely counter top. We got the baskets for the store from eBay, from a store that had closed down under coronavirus, and we got the boxes for our fresh fruit and veg on a bartering site. I think we swapped a few loaves for them so it was a decent swap! Not everything is second hand or upcycled, though. We had to buy the gravity dispensers brand new but they are made from recycled plastic and we also had to buy a couple of very expensive weighing machines and the software they require.

RETAILER PROFILE

SOPHIE LEJEUNE SOCIETY ZERO, GLASGOW

HOW EXPENSIVE? £5,000 for two machines. But they work really well and we rely on them, because they’re getting used constantly and we need to be able to trust them.

WHAT LOOK WERE YOU GOING FOR IN TERMS OF DESIGN ?

The design ethos is pretty much just what I like to see when I go to a shop. I like plenty of open space, no clutter, warm and comfortable but not too heavily stylised or over-designed. Just a place that feels nice to be in and provides an enjoyable, comfortable experience for our shoppers. We

WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020 / ISSUE 18 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 15

RETAILER PROFILE

SOPHIE LEJEUNE SOCIETY ZERO, GLASGOW

had to totally remodel the shop and remove two small rooms to create a bigger sales floor – it’s now 1,000sq ft – and a decent sized stockroom as most often what we order arrives in bulk. The store is quite modern but with some traditional twists and I think it’s in line with our beliefs and with the range that we sell.

HOW DID YOU DECIDE ON THAT RANGE? I’ve had the Society Zero business since October 2018 and we had been focusing on online sales of zero waste, ethical non-food products like homecare and beauty, so I was quite close to this market. Then we started visiting some farmer’s markets and so on and started getting into food – so I had a decent idea of what we should be selling on day one. We also got advice from some suppliers like Greencity Wholefoods, our main supplier, as well as companies like Suma, Infinity Foods and Wigan Wholefoods. It was actually reasonably straightforward to do. Having said that, when the deliveries started arriving before we opened, you couldn’t move in here for bags. Most of the product comes in 25kg bags so shifting them into the store room and out onto the shelves and into the dispensers was a fair work out!

YOU DO BOTH FOOD AND NONFOOD?

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Yes, we have a huge range of pasta, porridge, grains, nuts, fried fruits and so on as well as confectionery, fresh fruit and veg, oils, vinegars and so on but we also stock a lot of non-food lines like laundry liquid, soap, beauty products and other home care lines. A bit of everything. I always wanted to be as accessible as possible and to stock something for everyone. That’s also why we have chosen not to stock exclusively organic products.

It’s a complicated topic, but we wanted to offer as wide a range as possible so that we could appeal to as many people as possible.

WHAT IS YOUR APPROACH ON PRICING? I was very aware that people often assume that zero waste shops are expensive but that’s not necessarily the case. We’ve chosen to work off a slightly reduced margin compared to other zero waste stores because we want the products to be affordable to everyone. That was another complicated decision but we feel that it’s important that shoppers see us as an affordable store they can visit often.

WHAT SORTS OF CUSTOMERS ARE YOU SEEING? We’re seeing all sorts. Literally. Old, young, students, men, women, affluent, working class.

You name it, I’ve seen them in the store. I think the

RETAILER PROFILE

SOPHIE LEJEUNE SOCIETY ZERO, GLASGOW

days where only certain ‘types’ used shops like this are drawing to a close. With so many businesses, colleges, schools and so on adopting much better eco practices, people are getting used to thinking about these things and want to bring them into their personal lives. The media coverage of plastic pollution and other environmental issues is also helping people realise the impact we’re having on the planet. Stores like this mean that people can feel a bit of ownership by taking some control of their own personal story by being more careful and mindful about where they choose to spend their money.

PLANS FOR THE FUTURE? I’m really happy with the store but it was always be a work in progress. As we learn what customers like and don’t like we’ll keep tweaking the range.

We purposefully left a few gravity dispensers empty and left notes for customers asking them to suggest anything they’d like to see that we don’t stock. We’re also looking at some fridges and we will also be adding Click & Collect very soon.

We’ve already got the software to facilitate it, so we just need to test it and then we’ll be adding that service too.

YOU CLOSE MONDAYS AND TUESDAYS? For the time being, yes. I need a day for admin and a day for deep cleaning but the plan is to move to seven day opening. We’re also working on staffing.

We have four paid staff and three volunteers, just local people who understand what we’re trying to do and want to be part of it. It’s a nice vibe – and nobody is allowed to call me ‘boss’!

HAS COVID-19 POTENTIALLY HELPED THE BUSINESS? I think it’s certainly helped people focus on what’s important like friends, family and community and on wider environmental issues – so I think it could benefit us. The thing for me is ethics, though. That’s what’s driving the majority of our footfall. Local, community businesses have been there for everyone over the last few months and I think more and more people now realise how important that infrastructure is, how important it is to have independent businesses at the heart of their communities.

WHAT HAVE YOU FOUND CHALLENGING IN YOUR FIRST WEEK AS A RETAILER? Cleaning! The cleaning regime is pretty much non-stop. I’m a bit of a stickler for cleanliness at the best of times but with the pandemic we’re having to be even more careful. We have a weekly deep clean of the entire store then a full scale clean every morning before opening and every day after closing, even on Monday and Tuesday when the store is closed. Then in-between we have to clean all surfaces and touch points throughout the day, all day long.

WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020 / ISSUE 18 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 17

REENCIT GWHOLEFOODSY

Suppliers to the trade in vegan, vegetarian, Organic and Fairtrade food & drink. Specialists in zero waste, local artisan products, healthy snacks, and chilled food, with over 5000 retail and catering lines.

Greencity is Scotland’s premier ethical wholesaler, our success built on developing local and ethical supply chains for a loyal customer base.

NOURISHING CHANGE SINCE 1978 visit us at www.greencity.coop

Social Media Icons

Social Media Icons tel: 0141 554 7633 2017 Updated Social Media Icons 2017 Updated email: sales@greencity.coop 2017 Updated

/greencitywholefoods @greencitycoop @greencitywholefoods

NPD AND MEDIA

PICKS OF THE WEEK TO GET YOUR PRODUCT LISTED PLEASE CONTACT RAITKEN@55NORTH.COM

UNBORING OUTDOOR

HALF AND HALF

SMOKY BBQ PMP

Phase two of Rubicon’s

Warburtons has introduced a

Pladis has launched Jacob’s

‘Make The Unboring Choice’

Half White / Half Wholemeal

Mini Cheddars Smoky BBQ

campaign swings into action

range of bakery products

in a 105g £1 PMP. The new

this month with a national

including Medium and Thick

sharing format for the £68.4m

outdoor ad campaign as part

loaves, as well as Thins and

brand will help retailers

of the brand’s £5m investment

Rolls, all with added vitamin D

capitalise on demand for

this year. This second phase is

and calcium.

sharing moments and evening

supported by digital and social

RSPs: £1.50 (loaf), £1.31

consumption.

media.

(thins), £1.19 (rolls)

RSP: £1 PMP

WEETABIX GOES D2C

TROPICANA REFRESH

MARS TAKES A STAND

Weetabix is partnering with

Tropicana’s 250ml and 300ml

Mars Food UK has announced

Deliveroo to bring ‘Any-Which-

on-the-go range has been

a partnership with the Trussell

Way-A-Bix’ creations direct to

relaunched this month with

Trust that begins with an on-

consumers for the first time.

all new packaging to deliver

pack promotion to encourage

Available in early September

a modern new look and

the nation to ‘Stand Against

in Leeds and London, 500

enhanced visibility on-shelf.

Hunger’ and will see Mars

breakfasts and recipe books

The bottles will also now be

donate £100,000 to the Trust to

will be up for grabs across both

manufactured using 50%

support the distribution of two

cities .

recycled plastic.

million meals.

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RETAILER COMPETITION

IRN-BRU ENERGY WIN AN IPAD AIR!

ENERGISE YOUR SOFT DRINK SALES!

I

rn-Bru is giving retailers the chance to energise their soft drinks fixture with the help of Irn-Bru Energy, the innovative addition to the soft drinks category from the UK’s No.1 flavoured carbonate brand1.

One lucky retailer will win a brand new iPad Air 64GB worth £479, plus one runner up will also receive 10 IrnBru Energy hoodies for them and their staff.

Launched in June 2019, Irn-Bru Energy has performed really well, selling over five million cans2 and over 80% of those who tried it saying they would purchase again3.

This year, Irn-Bru Energy is supported by a £1m brand investment, which included heavyweight outdoor and digital advertising in March, to drive trial and awareness amongst energy drink shoppers.

Energy is a really important category

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for retailers to get right, with nearly one in three soft drinks sold in convenience stores being an Energy drink4,” says Adrian Troy, Marketing Director at Barr Soft Drinks.

Available in sugar and no sugar options, retailers should merchandise both variants of Irn-Bru Energy in the chiller next to other slim can energy products to offer shoppers choice and drive incremental sales.

To enter, send your name and store details to Susan Kosminski, SLR / Irn-Bru offer, Barr Soft Drinks, 2nd Floor, Mansell House, Aspinall Close, Horwich, Bolton, BL6 6QQ or email them to raitken@55north.com Entries close on Monday 7 September.

ENTRIES CLOSE ON MONDAY 31 AUGUST.

SOURCES 1

IRI, Total Single Flavour OFC, Value Sales, MAT to 19/04/20

2

AG Barr COGNOS Sales Data

3

AG Barr Research, Aug 19

4

IRI, Symbols and Independents E&W MAT to 19/04/20

NOW THAT’S A GOOD IDEA…

OUT THE BOX CYBERTILL ROUND UP

THE CHARITY TIN GOES DIGITAL THE CYBERTILL ROUND UP SOLUTION ALLOWS RETAILERS TO RAISE MONEY FOR THEIR CHARITY PARTNERS BY SIMPLY ALLOWING SHOPPERS TO ROUND TRANSACTIONS UP TO THE NEAREST POUND WITH THE EXCESS AMOUNT AUTOMATICALLY DONATED TO WORTHY CAUSES.

WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA? A solution that lets local retailers generate funds for the charities of their choice by offering shoppers the chance to round their transactions up to the nearest pound, fiver, tenner or more. The excess amount is then automatically donated to the charity chosen by the retailer.

HOW DOES THAT WORK? Say a customer’s purchases come to £4.75. They can be asked if they want to round it up to £5 with the extra 25p going to charity.

SO, A MODERN VERSION OF THE COLLECTION TIN AT THE TILL? More or less. Rather than collecting their change and dumping it into the charity tin as they currently do, they can donate it direct to the charity – and the retailer doesn’t have to hand out so much small change.

AND CUSTOMERS CAN ROUND UP TO ANY AMOUNT? Retailers can set the options themselves. If someone is doing a big shop, for instance, and has spent £37.50, they can be

offered the choice to round it up to £40 with the extra £2.50 going to the charity.

There is even an option for customers themselves to choose a specific amount to donate.

RETAILERS CHOOSE THE CHARITY? Yes. They can choose the preferred charity or can even choose multiple charities, local or national, allowing customers to pick the charity that appeals to them most.

DOES IT WORK WITH CARD TRANSACTIONS? Yes, it works with cash and card – and retailers have access to a detailed breakdown of the money they have raised. It can help increase loyalty and footfall and fits nicely with current buying habits where many consumer’s choices are based on using retail outlets that have a purpose beyond profit.

ANY DRAWBACKS? Round Up is a feature that is available within Cybertill’s RetailStore EPoS platform – so retailers would need to be using RetailStore.

HOW DO I FIND OUT MORE? Email enquiries@cybertill.com.

WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020 / ISSUE 18 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 21

MINI PROFILE

NISA LOCAL, HULL DHARSAN PREMKUMAR

HAPPY DAYS IN HULL HULL RETAILER DHARSAN PREMKUMAR IS CELEBRATING A FANTASTIC START FOR HIS NEW NISA STORE AFTER OPENING IN THE MIDDLE OF THE CORONAVIRUS PANDEMIC.

F

our months after opening a new Nisa store in a new city in the middle of the global pandemic, Hull retailer Dharsan Premkumar can finally breathe a sigh of relief and celebrate strong sales figures and excellent customer satisfaction ratings.

22 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 18 / WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020

Dharsan launched his store at the end of March, just as lockdown kicked in, and admits he was anxious the move might prove catastrophic.

But instead, sales have grown, shoppers have been delighted with the expanded range and good availability, and plans are now afoot to make

MINI PROFILE

NISA LOCAL, HULL DHARSAN PREMKUMAR

“The store had been trading well before we took over and we were quite wary we might lose sales initially, but they actually increased immediately.”

further improvements to the 1,600sq ft store.

Dharsan said: “When we took over the Covid-19 issues were just starting, and it was a very nervous time. We expected there to be supply issues and we knew there would be some problems with stock, but we decided to press ahead and get the store ready and trading.”

The shop needed only a small refurbishment to convert it from a green Co-op fascia to Nisa’s latest Evolution store format with a new layout created and merchandising changes made. New shelving was installed and more added, along with additional refrigeration and lighting to make the best use of the space.

An optimal Co-op own label range was introduced across ambient, fresh and frozen and the store now offers a much improved food-to-go offer with the introduction of a coffee machine and hot food, as well as a new chiller at the entrance housing the Co-op Meal Deal and other snacking.

The store had traded well as a Co-op and Dharsan had initial reservations about shopper perception once it took on the new fascia. “We were quite wary we might lose sales initially, but they actually increased immediately,” he said.

“When we took over, the panic buying had started and the store was taking more than usual, but in our first few weeks we saw a further increase of more than 10%.”

Dharsan was also pleasantly surprised to discover that – as shopping habits have started to return to more normal levels – the new store has continued to enjoy strong sales with the average weekly turnover still higher than forecast.

“When we modelled our baseline, we thought there would be a loss initially of about 10% but instead we’ve had a 10% increase,” he said. “We’ll now be concentrating on our customers, getting them used to us and the store so they can see we are a great place to shop and even better than what they had before.”

One key driver for the future of the store is strong promotions offering competitive prices that keep customer loyalty and, with a Sainsbury’s Local just up the road, good value is important.

“I think over time shoppers will see we have a better offer than them, better prices and what’s more, our store is a lot fresher and more modern,” Dharsan concluded.

WEDNESDAY 19 AUGUST 2020 / ISSUE 18 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 23

Learn more at tomra.com/uk

We make deposit return systems work for everyone.

TOMRA reverse vending machines collect 40 billion containers every year, keeping bottles in the Clean Loop and out of the oceans.

We look forward to helping retailers in Scotland get ready for the forthcoming deposit return scheme.

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