THIS WEEK'S NEWS

RONDEPIERRE JOINS SNAPPY SHOPPER

MARKETING VETERAN PHILIPPE RONDEPIERRE RETURNS TODUNDEE AS HE JOINS HOME DELIVERY APP SNAPPY SHOPPER.

Fast-growing home delivery app Snappy Shopper has appointed ex-Spar and Nisa marketing veteran Philippe Rondepierre as Marketing Director, effective as of September.

Rondepierre joins the Dundeebased from Nisa where he has been Head of Marketing since 2017. His career in the convenience retail and wholesale sector spans nearly 30 years, including four years as Head of Marketing for Spar UK. He started his career with another Dundee company, the Spar wholesaler and retailer CJ Lang.

Rondepierre commented: “It is an exciting opportunity to be involved with an ambitious tech start-up in the sector I have spent my career in and in the city I call home.“

Snappy Shopper Chief Executive Mark Steven added: “We’re delighted to have recruited someone of Philippe’s calibre to head up our key marketing function and work with the rest of the team to drive growth of the Snappy Shopper brand.”

ACS URGES MINIMUM WAGE ‘RESTRAINT’

THE ASSOCIATION OF CONVENIENCE STORES HAS URGED THELOW PAY COMMISSION TO “SHOW RESTRAINT” IN SETTING THE 2021MINIMUM WAGE RATE.

In its submission to the Low Pay Commission last week, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) once again outlined convenience retailers’ concerns about the impact that rising wage costs will have on the jobs offered by the convenience sector.

ACS urged the Low Pay Commission to show restraint when setting the 2021 wage rate and to consider revising their longer term goal of the National Living Wage rate of reaching two-thirds of median earnings by 2024, currently projected to reach over £10 per hour.

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman says: “Local shops offer secure, local and flexible employment opportunities, but this model is under threat from rising wage costs and the use of gig economy employment by competitors. We have also seen that rising wage costs continue to lead to retailers reducing paid working hours and pay differentials, making it harder to recruit and reward store supervisors and managers.”

Written evidence from ACS to the Low Pay Commission outlined that convenience retailers have responded to the 2020 National Living Wage rate by increasing the hours worked in the business (64%), taking lower profits from the business (56%) and reducing staffed working hours (48%). See page 20 for analysis.

WAGON WHEELS INSIDE STORY

Burton’s Biscuits is on TV tomorrow night at 8:30pm on ITV as the Wagon Wheels brand features in the latest edition of the Inside Britain’s Food Factories series.

DOBBIE’S TO SELL SAINSBURY’S LINES

Garden centre chain Dobbies is to begin selling Sainsbury’s food and grocery products featuring a range of over 3,000 products across the ambient, chilled, fresh and frozen categories alongside some grocery, household and toiletry items.

The partnership launches later this month at Dobbies’ Edinburgh branch, one of 68 garden centres it operates nationwide.

Mike Luck, Director of Business Development at Sainsbury’s, said: “We’re always looking for new ways to bring our distinctive, high quality products to more customers. This opportunity with Dobbies will bring a fantastic choice of food and grocery products to convenient locations for lots of shoppers, helping them shop for what they need quickly and conveniently.”

NISA HIGHLAND DEAL

Nisa has signed a deal tosupply Hertfordshire forecourtretailer the Highland Group,which operates four sites.The first store to convert isthe Highlands of Royston,Greenfields Service Stationwhich has moved to Nisa’sEvolution format and fascia.

CARBON CAPTURE

Tennent’s has installed a newcarbon capture facility at itsWellpark Brewery in Glasgowallowing the site to repurposethe carbon that’s given offduring the brewing process.It is the biggest in Scotlandand allows the brewery tobe as close to self-sufficientas currently possible from acarbon emissions perspective.

SMITH’S FEE HIKE

Smiths News is to increaseIts carriage charge by 3.02%from 30 August. This equatesto an average 97p increase,requiring independent retailersto find a further £50 a yearto pay to have their newssupplies delivered.

JOHN LEWIS EXTENDS CO-OP DEAL

John Lewis has announcedthat it will be making its fasttrack click and collect deliveryand returns service availablein 400 more Co-op food storesby the end of the summer,growing the total number ofCo-op stores featuring theservice to 505. The roll-outis already underway and isexpected to be complete inSeptember.

ALBION JOINS UNITAS

Kent-based independentwholesaler Albion Fine Foodshas joined Unitas Wholesale,taking the total number ofindependent wholesalemembers in the memberownedgroup to 170.

MORRISONS FAMILY BOX

Morrisons has launcheda weekly food box withingredients and recipes tocreate five family meals for£30, including delivery. Eachmeal will cost around £1.50and recipes include classicspaghetti bolognese, sausagetray bake and mixed beanchilli.