SLR Awards 2021 - Entry Support Handbook

SCOTTISH LOCAL RETAILER OF THE YEAR AWARDS 2021 A VIRTUAL FESTIVAL OF EXCELLENCE

ENTRY SUPPORT HANDBOOK ENTRY DEADLINE – 30TH JUL 2021 WINNERS ANNOUNCED – 27TH OCT 2021 WWW.SLRAWARDS.COM

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SLR AWARDS 2021 A NEW AWARDS FOR A NEW ERA

For almost 20 years the SLR Awards have been recognising and rewarding excellence in the Scottish local retailing sector.

Following a truly remarkable year, it’s more important than ever that we celebrate the fantastic work of local retailers across Scotland. Local retailers played a fundamental role at the heart of communities the length and breadth of the country and their heroic efforts deserve to be celebrated.

The safety of our colleagues in this industry is of course paramount, which is why we will once again be hosting the SLR Awards virtually: a true Virtual Festival of Excellence.

This year however, subject to prevailing Scottish Government restrictions, we will host a small scale live event for winners in November where we can come together safely and securely to toast both the winners of the SLR Awards 2021 and indeed the entire local retailing sector.

There’s no question that 2020 was a year full of challenges unlike any we have ever seen before, but no sector rose to those challenges quite to emphatically as the local retailing sector.

The SLR Awards 2021 will be our forum to pay homage to an incredible industry sector that shone brightest in the toughest of times.

All the awards are FREE to enter.

Antony Begley Editor, Scottish Local Retailer

WWW.SLRAWARDS.COM

S PO NSO R

CONTENTS 7

Entry Dates and Entry Process

9

Awards Categories: In-Store

11 Awards Categories: In-Action 13 Awards Categories: Group & Individual 14 Our Sponsors 16 ‘The Golden Rules’ 19 Entry Advice: In-Store 21 Entry Advice: In-Action

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RECHARGE YOUR SALES BRING IT ON

STIMULANTS NO.1 GROWTH SEGMENT*

ROCKSTAR NO.3 STIMULANT ENERGY BRAND*

* IRI, Total Convenience, Value Sales, 52 weeks to 28.03.21

Time to

INCREASED BRAND INVESTMENT

ENTRY PROCESS & KEY DATES HOW TO ENTER

Entering the SLR Awards 2021 couldn’t be easier!

Step 1: Visit www.slrawards.com Step 2: Click on ‘Enter now’ to view the list of categories.

Step 3: Complete the form you’ll find below the category list and submit your entry – along with supporting photos and/or videos. There’s even a ‘save and continue later’ button at the bottom of the form if you want to take your time filling it in.

Step 4: Once you’ve submitted the form you’ll have the option to enter further categories. Subsequent entries will already have your personal and store details filled in to save you having to re-enter them.

Upon completion, you will then receive a confirmation message and email.

The process outlined above is our preferred entry mechanism but Microsoft Word versions of the forms are also available by emailing events@55north.com stating what categories you wish to enter.

If, at any stage, you feel you would like advice on any aspect of the entry process or on how to optimise your submission and to make your entries as strong as possible for the judges, please email events@55north.com where our experienced team will be delighted to help.

JUDGING Once again, there will be two stages to the judging process: PAPER JUDGING

The paper judging will be carried out by a highly experienced panel of judges from across the UK, representing all aspects of the local retailing sector, supported by the expanded SLR editorial team.

The judges will vote for the shortlist for each category with every member of the panel carrying equal voting rights.

All entrants will be contacted by the events team to notify them if they have been shortlisted or not.

STORE INTERVIEWS

All shortlisted stores will be personally visited by representatives of the judging panel (subject to prevailing Covid-19 restrictions).

Should in-store visits be prevented by prevailing Covid-19 restrictions, representatives of the judging panel will conduct video interviews with the shortlisted retailers and stores.

All winners will be announced at the Awards on 27 October 2021.

A small scale live Winners Event will be held in November (subject to prevailing Covid-19 restrictions).

ENTRY DEADLINE – 16 JULY 2021 l WINNERS ANNOUNCED – 27 OCTOBER 2021

WWW.SLRAWARDS.COM

ENJOYED IN 7. 5 MILLION HOUSEHOLDS*

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AWARDS CATEGORIES IN-STORE CATEGORIES

We will once again be accepting entries in a number of vital product categories.

These categories have been chosen carefully to encompass the key sales drivers in the local retailing sector.

Confectionery Retailer of the Year Food-to-Go Retailer of the Year Fresh & Chilled Retailer of the Year Newstrade Retailer of the Year Off-Trade Retailer of the Year Scottish Brands Retailer of the Year Soft Drinks Retailer of the Year Vaping & Nicotine Replacement Retailer of the Year

WWW.SLRAWARDS.COM

**

***

Excellent *IRi Market Place, Volume Share, Nicotine Pouch Category, Total UK, YTD Mar-21. For more information or to verify comparison contact Nordic Spirit on Facebook or Instagram: @nordicspirit_uk or using our details at nordicspirit.co.uk/contact. **Winner Nicotine Pouch Category, Survey of 9,865 people by Kantar. ***Trustpilot rating correct as of May 2021.

AWARDS CATEGORIES IN-ACTION CATEGORIES

In addition to our product categories, we will also be accepting entries in a range of categories created to recognise the outstanding efforts of local retailers across Scotland in key areas of their business.

Community Retailer of the Year Forecourt Retailer of the Year Home Delivery Retailer of the Year New Store of The Year Refit of The Year Team of the Year Sustainability Retailer of the Year #ThinkSmart Innovation Award

WWW.SLRAWARDS.COM

AWARDS CATEGORIES INDIVIDUAL CATEGORIES

As usual, we will also make a number of individual awards but please note that these categories are not open to entry and will be chosen by the judging panel.

Unsung Hero of the Year Special Recognition Young Scottish Retailer of the Year Scottish Retailer of the Year

GROUP CATEGORIES For the first time ever, the SLR Awards will include a set of categories that will recognise and reward the phenomenal achievements of the UK’s symbol, fascia and franchise groups over the last year in supporting Scotland’s independent retailers. These categories can only be entered by official representatives of symbol, fascia or franchise groups:

Symbol / Fascia/ Franchise Group of the Year Symbol / Fascia/ Franchise Community Initiative of the Year Symbol / Fascia/ Franchise Innovation of the Year

WWW.SLRAWARDS.COM

OUR SPONSORS BOOKER

Booker Group is the UK’s leading food & drink wholesaler with 23 branches in Scotland.

Booker Wholesale offers Premier, Family Shopper and any independent retailer, the ease and convenience of deliveries, with the flexibility of shopping in branch. Booker Retail partners is the award winning supply solution for both Londis and Budgens stores.

As well as outstanding service levels, retailers across Booker Group have a great choice of recognised own-brands such as Discover the Choice, Farm Fresh, Euro Shopper and Happy Shopper, along with great everyday low prices. Our commitment to our customers is to increase choice, lower prices and improve service.

BARR SOFT DRINKS

AG Barr is a successful branded soft drinks business with a diverse and differentiated portfolio of great tasting brands that people love. We make it our business to understand what our consumers want and our brands offer people a choice of great tasting products and bring exciting innovation to the market. Whether it’s our iconic IRN-BRU, launched in 1901 and still going strong today, our market leading RUBICON fruit and juice drinks, or our pure, clear Scottish spring water STRATHMORE. We also operate long-term successful partnerships, complementing our own range of products with global brands SNAPPLE, SAN BENEDETTO and BUNDABERG Brewed Drinks in the UK and beyond.

BRITVIC

Britvic is the largest supplier of branded still soft drinks in Great Britain and the number two supplier of branded carbonated soft drinks. The company combines its own leading brand portfolio, including Robinsons, J2O, Drench, Purdey’s, Fruit Shoot and R White’s with PepsiCo brands such as Rockstar, Pepsi Max, Tango, 7UP and Lipton Ice Tea, which Britvic produces and sells in Great Britain and Ireland under exclusive PepsiCo agreements. Operating in both the ‘Take Home’ and ‘On-Premise’ channels, Britvic offers its customers a portfolio of soft drinks to meet every consumer occasion and has a strong track record of delivering successful innovation.

CCEP

In Great Britain Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (CCEP) employs some 3,500 people across England, Scotland and Wales at manufacturing sites, offices and depots.

In GB, CCEP makes, sells and delivers products including the following for The Coca-Cola Company (TCCC): Coca-Cola original taste, Diet Coke, Coca-Cola zero sugar, Fanta, Sprite, Dr Pepper, glacéau smartwater, Schweppes, Fuze Tea, Appletiser and Oasis. CCEP in GB also makes, sells or delivers Monster, Relentless, Capri-Sun and Costa RTD Coffee.

Since 2010 we have introduced 91 new low/zero sugar products and taken 45,000 tonnes of sugar out of our portfolio. Our bottles and cans are all 100% recyclable and since the end of 2020 all our core range bottles are made with 50% recycled plastic.

WWW.SLRAWARDS.COM

OUR SPONSORS JTI

JTI manufactures some of the fastest growing cigarette and tobacco brands, such as Kensitas Club[i], Benson & Hedges Blue[ii] and Sterling Rolling Tobacco[iv]. In addition, JTI supply other leading tobacco products including the UK’s No.1 tobacco and cigarillo brands, Amber Leaf[iii] and Sterling Dual Capsule Leaf Wrapped[v], as well as Holborn Yellow. Alongside this, in the Reduced Risk Products category, JTI’s successful Logic e-cigarette range includes the Logic Compact Device and more recently in the heated tobacco category, our newest device Ploom. JTI has also entered a new category with its 100% tobacco-free brand, Nordic Spirit, which is currently the UK’s leading tobacco-free nicotine pouch brand[vi] available in a variety of different flavours and strengths.

NEWS SCOTLAND

News Scotland – publishers of The Times Scotland, The Sunday Times Scotland and The Scottish Sun – is the fastest-growing media brand in Scotland. We also draw on the strength of News UK of which we are part. The success of News Scotland titles ensures that our readers are well-informed about the major issues happening across Scotland, the UK and wider world. In an age of ‘fake news’, when trust is at a premium, we are witnessing a flight to quality – and our powerful news brands are at the forefront of that trend.

NISA

At Nisa we bring fresh thinking to help independent, entrepreneurial retailers grow their business.

We support around 1,400 retailers running more than 4,000 stores, providing them with the tools and services they need to flourish in a competitive marketplace.

SGF Scottish Grocers’ Federation

SGF serves all strands of the Scottish convenience sector. SGF supports the retailers and their staff in running their business. We also support suppliers, manufacturers, the food service industry and service providers within the industry. We are the only authoritative voice for the Scottish convenience store industry – an industry that provides over 47,000 jobs throughout just over 5,000 stores; Scotland has more c-stores per head of population than the rest of the UK! We strive to ensure the viability of our retailers’ businesses in whatever way we can. For further information please visit www.sgfscot.co.uk/about/who-we-are.

SNAPPY SHOPPER

Snappy Shopper is a tried and tested home delivery platform, tailored for the convenience store sector, with a track record of strong results. Over 750 stores across the UK, from independent retailers to regional Co-ops and symbol groups, are supported by the online ordering platform which delivers significant incremental revenue for retailers, with low commission rates and strong brand awareness. Visit retailers.snappyshopper.co.uk to find out more.

TOMRA

TOMRA is a global provider of recycling technology for capturing empty drinks containers.

Our technology helps to enable Deposit Return Schemes (DRS), capturing bottles and cans for closed-loop recycling as part of the transition to a more circular economy. With over 84 000 installations across more than 60 markets, TOMRA’s reverse vending machines capture 40 billion used beverage containers every year. In Scotland, the local TOMRA team are ready to help retailers as they prepare for the introduction of the first deposit return system in the UK.

WWW.SLRAWARDS.COM

ENTRY TIPS & ADVICE THE GOLDEN RULES

With many of hundreds of entries every year, it’s vital that you ensure that you do all that you can to ensure that your entries stand out. We offer some great tips and hints on ensuring that you catch the judges’ attention.

SLR AWARDS 2021 GENERAL CRITERIA

The SLR Awards 2021 are free to enter.

They are open to all independent and symbol convenience stores in Scotland as well as to independently-owned convenience stores chains.

The content of all entries should cover the period running from Feb 2020 to July 2021.

Your store, or the project you are submitting in your entry, should have been operational throughout the period stated above.

Each entry must be individual and tailored to the award category.

Entries can be made by individual businesses, those officially representing them or anyone wishing to nominate a relevant entrant.

Entries without photos will be discounted.

To help make sure that your entry has the best possible chance of being shortlisted by the judges, here is some helpful advice on writing a strong entry.

STICK TO THE FACTS Provide as many reliable facts and figures as you can. Epos data is a great source of information and can add real weight to your argument.

Don’t skip any questions! Blank spaces in an entry form don’t help the judges and can even hinder your entry.

Try to be concise and to the point, highlighting relevant information and citing data or facts to strengthen your argument. Try to avoid vague or statements like “my store is a lot better” unless you can demonstrate that through data, feedback and results.

Remember to focus on each entry one category at a time! All questions answered for that category should relate directly or indirectly to the category. Providing one generic entry form for multiple categories rarely proves successful.

MAKE IT VISUAL A photo is indeed worth a thousand words – so include as many photos as required to illustrate the quality of your entry.

It may seem obvious, but try to only include photographs for each category that relate specifically to that category. It’s fine to

WWW.SLRAWARDS.COM

ENTRY TIPS & ADVICE THE GOLDEN RULES

include shots of the wider store to give a flavour of how the whole store hangs together, but don’t forget to include at least three shots specific to the category you are entering.

Feel free to include other visual documentation that might help strengthen your case: letters of commendation, certificates, other awards, customer testimonials, newspaper clippings, screengrabs from social media or websites – it’s all good.

ADD VIDEO Even better, why not add a short video to enhance your entry and really bring it to life for the judges? Everyone has a smartphone these days, so why not make best use of it.

Don’t worry about the quality of the video footage! The judges are not scoring your skills as a videographer – they are using the video to gain a deeper understanding of your store.

MAKE IT EASY FOR THE JUDGES TO CHOOSE YOU We receive hundreds of entries every year and the judges must analyse every one of them to settle on a shortlist for each category, so don’t give them any excuses to discard your entry at the first stage.

The judges are instructed to ONLY judge what’s in front of them on the entry forms. They are not allowed to be influenced by information they may already know about your store but

which isn’t on the entry form.

Make sure you are answering the key questions:

What have you done?

How did you do it?

What were the results?

THINK OUTSTANDING The judges are always on the lookout for innovation, creativity, thought and passion. When compiling your entry, make sure you go above and beyond simply best practice or basic good standards.

Don’t be afraid to blow your own trumpet, or sing the praises of your team. That’s what the Awards are all about!

IN-ACTION CATEGORIES In the In-Action category awards, the judges are seeking those who go that extra mile to deliver something exceptional. Most retailers are doing exceptional things – and never more so than over the last year – but often fail to mention it in awards entries. Put some detailed thought into your entry to make sure you have a chance of being a winner.

Be creative! If you’ve got something to say that doesn’t fit neatly into the entry form, feel free to present it however you like: PowerPoint, video, folders of information – it’s all acceptable and can help ensure you have a great chance of being among the winners on the night! Good luck!

WWW.SLRAWARDS.COM

O T S N O REAS

JOIN NISA £

98%

Sales +12% with Nisa Evolution store format

Next day delivery service*

98% Availability

2,000+ Co-op own label products

Working with Nisa enables us to compete at a higher level.

Dan Brown, Pinkie Farm, Musselburgh Scottish Local Retailer of the Year – SLR Rewards 2020

For even more reasons, visit nisalocally.co.uk/join-nisa *currently in selected locations only

#JoinNisa | 0800 542 7490

ADVICE ON ENTERING

TOP TIPS ON WRITING ENGAGING ENTRIES! With almost 20 years of experience in working with 20 different judging panels, SLR offers some top tips on writing entries that give you the best chance of making it onto that shortlist and having a shout at an SLR Award on 27 October.

IN-STORE CATEGORIES Stay Focused When entering In-Store award entries, you’ll be focusing on individual product categories or groups of categories – so make sure that the entire entry is geared towards highlighting the work you’ve done in those categories.

Critically, ensure that you include at least three photographs specifically relating to the category you’re entering. Ideally, include half a dozen or more. As many as it takes to truly bring the category to life for the judges.

It’s fine to include wider shots of the store both inside and outside to give context to your entry and help the judges understand your store – but don’t forget those all-important category photos.

Tell A Story When you’re entering awards, you’re telling a story. So tell it the way you would if you were standing in front of the judging panel. Give a little context but focus on what you did, why you did it, how you did it and what the results were.

Be precise and concise; use stats and facts to reinforce your arguments! Don’t say ‘sales improved’ when you can say ‘sales grew by 34% in a single month year on year’. Don’t say you ‘increased shelf space for the category’ when you can say ‘we added four linear meters

of chilled space for the category’. Don’t say ‘customers loved what I did’ when you could include some customer testimonials or screen grabs from your Facebook page showing positive customer comments. You get the idea.

Never forget that many of judges won’t know your store and even if they do, they are instructed to ONLY judge what’s in front of them on the entry forms. So don’t assume that they know you’ve had a refit or that you’ve recently added a foodto-go counter. Paint a picture for them and show them why you deserve to be shortlisted.

Highlight what matters It’s tempting to try to share everything about your store – but experience tells us that focusing on the areas where you’ve seen real success and shown real innovation and passion and rigour is what catches the judge’s eye. What have you done in the category that has really transformed it?

What have you done to make your category pop for your customers? What have you done that is different?

Remember too that making real progress in developing a category in-store doesn’t always need to mean innovation and creativity. Real success can equally come from going back to basics and doing the simple things well. If, by taking that approach, you’ve seen sales and profits grow substantially – that’s a great story and is equally likely to help you make it onto that shortlist.

WWW.SLRAWARDS.COM

Business Opportunities Available.

For further information please contact us as below.

ADVICE ON ENTERING

TOP TIPS ON WRITING ENGAGING ENTRIES! In our In-Action categories, we’re looking for retailers who have really made a difference over the last year or so in some important areas of their business.

IN-ACTION CATEGORIES Community Retailer of the Year In this category, the judges are looking for retailers that went above and beyond the call of duty in serving the needs of their communities in the most trying of times.

Telling your story clearly and concisely is critical in this category: be specific about some of the initiatives you implemented over the last year, explain exactly what you did and why, and tell us as best you can the positive impact it had on your community.

Supporting material is vital in helping the judges understand your commitment to your community: photographs, press clippings, screen grabs from social media or websites, customer thank you cards – it’s all good.

At the end of the day, the judges are looking for great stories that we can retell through the pages of SLR and The Week In Retail to both recognise and reward your amazing efforts – and to inspire other retailers to learn from you and develop their own community engagement strategies for the benefit of communities across Scotland.

Forecourt Retailer of the Year After a very difficult year for forecourts, this category is more vital and relevant than ever.

The judges want to hear how you developed your business as fuel volumes plummeted. How did you respond to these challenges? What did you do to adapt your business to the new normal? How did you compensate for lost fuel sales by redoubling your efforts in store sales?

Tell us about your experiences and how you and your team have evolved your store, your offer, your range, your communications and your ethos to build a business ready for the future, whatever that may bring.

Home Delivery Retailer of the Year In this new category for 2021, the judges want to hear how you have embraced home delivery to grow and extend your business.

Of particular importance is when and why you first embarked upon home delivery, how you did it and how your home delivery service has evolved and developed since you first launched it.

Has your strategy changed since first implemented? Do you work with partners or an app? How do you manage picking and delivery? What have you had to change about your business to help your home delivery service flourish?

The judges want to know how home delivery has changed your business. Have sales and delivery volumes grown? How important is home delivery to your wider business now? How much of your instore range is available for home delivery? What percentage of your total sales now come from home delivery – and is that percentage growing?

How has home delivery impacted upon in-store sales?

Don’t be afraid to share what you’ve learned.

Embracing home delivery for the first time is a major challenge – so if you made a few mistakes along the way and learned from them, the judges will be keen to hear how.

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790

stores delivering with Snappy Shopper 1

£558K

annual average sales generated by top 20 stores 2

£27.62

average basket spend v £7.46 industry average 3

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Figures correct as of April 2021

Sources: Lumina UK Convenience Market Report 2020

Average sales in 12 months to 31.01.21

New Store of The Year / Refit of The Year

Sustainability Retailer of the Year

Be completely clear that you are entering the correct category: New Store of the Year is open only to new build stores or very significant rebuilds.

Refit of the Year is open to stores that have carried out refits in the eligible period, be they small or major.

With sustainability more important than ever to shoppers – and suppliers – this category aims to unearth the retailers going above and beyond to both enhance the sustainability credentials of their stores and communicate that fact to shoppers.

In these categories, plenty of photographs and / or video footage are vital. A picture tells a thousand words and never is this truer than in these categories.

While getting the sustainability basics is fantastic, the judges are looking for more than legal compliance. Recycling plastic, cardboard and food waste is great – but what the judges are hoping to find are retailers making sustainability a core plank of their business strategy.

Remember to tell the whole back story: why did you decide to build a new store, or carry out a refit? What were you hoping to achieve? Were you intending to bring in new categories and a wider range? If so, which categories and why did you see them as being key to future growth?

What else did you do during the build / refit to improve the experience for your customers, and your team?

If you can, share some data on what the results of the build / refit have been in financial terms – and don’t forget to be very clear on what your expectations are of the work.

Communication is vital in this category. Improving your store’s carbon footprint is fantastic – but are you telling your customers about all the work you’re doing behind the scenes? Do you mention sustainability in-store, or on social media? Do you talk to your shoppers about the lengths you’ve gone to in order to reduce reliance on plastic, minimise food waste, reduce energy consumption and more? #ThinkSmart Innovation Award

Team of the Year

This category, as the names suggests, is all about innovation – and that doesn’t necessarily mean technology.

This is your chance to shine the spotlight on your incredible team in what has been the most remarkable year the sector has experienced in living memory.

Innovation comes in many shapes and sizes – so what have you done in your business that is truly innovative and had delivered business benefits or improved the experience of your customers?

It pays to be specific and precise in this category.

Describe particular initiatives or ideas. Tell the story of how your team helped you deliver for your community in the last year.

As many stores move towards becoming destination stores to set themselves apart from the competition, what have you done in your store to encourage shoppers to choose your business over anyone else’s in the area? What reasons have you given your shoppers and potential shoppers to come to your store? What do you offer that shoppers can’t easily get anywhere else?

Supporting evidence is important in this category – and feel free to be creative. Anything that helps the judges understand how fantastic your team has been will enhance your chances of making it onto the shortlist.

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Let’s create a great recycling experience.

The deposit return scheme (DRS) is due to come to Scotland in July 2022.

Make it easy with TOMRA, the global leader in reverse vending technology.

Get in touch to find out more: tcs.uk@tomra.com