SLR February 2026 Edition

STOCK UP TODAY THE MONSTER JUICED RANGE IS NOW WORTH OVER £342M IN GB

SAY ‘AYE’ TO A.I.

Retailers begin to embrace artificial intelligence.

Retailers demand criminal gangs action

GroceryAid spend in Scotland up 1000% in eight years – p24

SMOOTH RUNS IN THE FAMILY

STOCK UP NOW FOR ST. PATRICK’S DAY

*SOURCE: NIELSEN, TOTAL COVERAGE, GROCERY MULTS AND IMPULSE MAT TO 06/09/2025

ENJOY RESPONSIBLY.

NEWS

06 Scottish Budget Fifteen per cent business rates relief is the highlight of a “lukewarm” Scottish Budget for retailers

07 Crime The Scottish Government plans to invest £9m over three years in the Retail Crime Taskforce

08 Gift Cards Aberdeen leads the pack as local gift card sales hit £24m in 2025.

10 News Extra Illicit Trade Retailers are sick and tired of losing legitimate sales to the black market vape trade.

18 Product News The Bank of McCoy’s is back and CocaCola kicks off a new Premier League promotion.

20 Off-Trade News JP Chenet bottles lose their distinctive shape as Elton John launches a zero-alcohol sparkling wine.

INSIDE BUSINESS

22 Community Retailing Snow-laden roads and perilously icy paths saw Scottish local shops deliver for customers in more ways than one last month.

24 GroceryAid The industry charity’s Financial Grant support for retail staff in Scotland has rocketed in recent years as more colleagues become aware that help is available.

25 SLR Awards Find out five good reasons why it’s great to win an SLR Award.

30 Deposit Return Scheme With a UK-wide DRS set for October 2027, Biffa’s £50m claim against the Scottish Government over Scotland’s failed scheme is thrown out.

32 Business Building Discover the five changes that helped boost Raheem Ali Razaq’s sales by 30% in just a year.

35 Above & Beyond Awards SLR gets ready to highlight some of the amazing untold stories from across our sector in Scotland.

36 SLR Awards Winner’s Profile Premier Turriff Umair Ud Din leverages news and magazines as a uniquely powerful USP in his Aberdeenshire store.

38 Hotlines The latest new products and media campaigns.

50 Under The Counter An amazed Auld Boy discovers what Aldi’s bestselling product of 2025 was.

FEATURES

40 Beer & Cider Offering the right range of premium and value offerings, alongside big brand bestsellers, will help you capitalise on a category that’s growing in Scotland.

46 Forecourts In challenging conditions, forecourt investment continues to surpass the rest of the convenience channel.

Inflation rises to 3.4%

The Consumer Prices Index (CPI) rose by 3.4% in the 12 months to December 2025, a slight increase from 3.2% in the 12 months to November. Alcohol and tobacco were major contributors to the increase with prices rising by 5.2% over the same period. Food and non-alcoholic beverages prices rose by 4.5% during this time, up from 4.2% in the 12 months to November.

Parfetts and JW Filshill invest in AI Wholesalers Parfetts and JW Filshill are among the first businesses to go live with Wholepal, an AI-powered platform designed to modernise how technical product data is shared across the grocery supply chain. Wholepal targets the error-prone process of completing and processing new line forms, vastly improving efficiency.

Greens on the Go to grow Greens Retail has confirmed plans to expand its ‘foodvenience’ concept to multiple sites across Scotland in 2026, following the launch of the first Greens on the Go store in Edinburgh this year. The Kirkcaldy-based business also plans to open more Greens Retail stores in key communities and high footfall locations across Scotland.

Positive attitudes to no and low

Nearly a quarter (24%) of alcohol drinkers who have tried low and no alcohol drinks said that these products have reduced their alcohol consumption, according to The Portman Group’s eighth annual survey on low and no alcohol. Over half (53%) of UK adults consume 14 units of alcohol or less per week, which includes 35% of adults who are drinking five units or less per week, while a third of adults (33%) do not drink alcohol at all. Only 11% of the adults surveyed exceeded the Chief Medical Officer’s low risk guidelines.

‘Lukewarm’ Scottish budget should have gone further

e Scottish Government has announced 15% non-domestic rates relief for the next three years for retail, hospitality and leisure premises in the 2026/27 Scottish Budget.

e rates relief will apply to retail premises liable for the Basic or Intermediate Property Rates (with a rateable value up to and including £100,000), capped at £110,000 per business per year.

In addition, ScotGov will o er 100% Non-Domestic Rates relief for the next three years for retail premises located on islands, as well as the remote areas of Cape Wrath, Knoydart and Scoraig, capped at £110,000 per business per year.

ere will be reductions in the non-domestic Basic, Intermediate and Higher Property Rates in

ACQUISITIONS

2026/27, given the forthcoming revaluation on 1 April 2026. e basic rate ‘poundage’ has dropped from 49.8p to 48.1p, while the intermediate rate will go down from 55.4p to 53.5p.

Continuation of the Small Business Bonus Scheme for the next three years will remove 100,000 properties from rates altogether.

Under new Small Business Transitional Relief, eligible ratepayers will pay 25% of any increase to their net bill in the rst year (2026-27), rising to 50% in the second year (2027-28) and 75% in the third year (2028-29).

e Scottish Grocers’ Federation labelled the budget “lukewarm”, but it deemed the 15% business rates relief for retailers “a step in the right direction”.

e Scottish Retail Consortium (SRC) and e British Independent Retailers Association (BIRA) both said that the budget fell short. SRC was disappointed that the rates reduction failed to match the discount o ered to English retailers, while BIRA claimed the Budget “missed a crucial opportunity to deliver meaningful business rates reform at a time when many small retailers are already under severe nancial pressure”.

Grove Retail buys St Michaels Services as Jamie Wood retires

St Michael’s Services founder, Jamie Wood, has sold his Dumfries and Galloway business to Grove Retail after deciding to retire.

The business comprises four service stations in Dumfries, Newton Stewart, St John’s Town of Dalry and Moffat. The Dumfries site took home the SLR Forecourt Retailer of the Year award in 2024.

Jamie’s priority when seeking a new owner for the business was to ensure continuity for employees and customers while safeguarding the legacy he had built.

Grove Retail, which operates a network of sites across the UK, has committed to maintaining the high standards that customers expect and investing in future development.

Jamie said: “While I’m sad to be moving on from the business after so many years, and will definitely miss the contact with colleagues and customers, many of whom I have known since day one, I’m thrilled that it will continue to thrive under new ownership. For me, finding the right buyer was important and Grove Retail was the perfect fit.”

Lottery retailers set record in age-verification checks

Allwyn UK has applauded National Lottery retailers for achieving their strongest-ever performance on ageveri cation checks since mystery shopper visits began more than 20 years ago.

e rm made 4,298 underage play mystery shopper visits to test whether retailers challenged anyone who appeared under 18. A 93.5% compliance rate on rst visits represents a 1.2% improvement on 2024 gures.

Alongside proof-of-age checks, Allwyn carried out 4,000 visits focused on excessive play, ensuring retailers were adhering to the limit of no more than 10 Scratchcards per transaction. Mystery shop results in 2025 show that 80.7% of retailers were correctly enforcing the rule.

Image courtesy ofScottish Government onFlickr

Scotgov to invest £9m in Retail Crime Taskforce

e Scottish Spending Review 2026 has revealed that the Scottish Government plans to provide £9m to extend the funding to Police Scotland to support the Retail Crime Taskforce and its associated activity, until March 2029.

e Taskforce has already made strong progress since it was implemented last April, helping to detect more than 500 crimes in its rst six months alone.

News of the extra funding has been welcomed by the retail sector, though the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) is pushing Ministers for further support.

SGF Chief Exec, Pete Cheema, said: “SGF called for Police Scotland to get targeted support from the Scottish Government to tackle retail crime, and that delivered the Retail Crime Taskforce.

“Now that the Taskforce is in place and doing great work, we want to see that scaled up and delivering lasting and meaningful change.

“ e commitment to £9m over three years is an important and welcome milestone, but in reality, much more is needed to clamp down on o enders and reverse the trend. Police Scotland have shown

Foodvenience and younger indies drive c-store site demand

e trend towards ‘foodvenience’, along with the emergence of younger, entrepreneurial independent retailers in uencing buyer demand, is fuelling the convenience property market, with Scotland’s Central Belt highly sought a er.

e insights were revealed in retail property expert Christie & Co’s Business Outlook 2026, which reported a surge of acquisition demand for convenience sites in 2025, which is set to continue this year.

Around 80% of Christie & Co’s retail transactions last year were convenience store deals and, despite general economic trends in the UK, the rm reported that the average price of retail businesses it sold increased by 5.9%.

Steve Rodell, Managing Director – Retail and Leisure, claimed that a generational resurgence was driving a “more agile and communityresponsive retail landscape where success is increasingly de ned by localised stock selections and operational e ciency through economies of scale”. is was expected to continue over the next year.

He claimed that retailers had embraced hybrid formats that blend traditional convenience with ‘foodvenience’, which involves on-site prepared food tailored to customers’ needs, and would continue to do so in 2026.

that a small, dedicated team can make a big di erence, so it’s up to Ministers to make the most of that opportunity and provide the resources they need.”

David Lonsdale, Director of the Scottish Retail Consortium, added: “Ministers have clearly listened to our representations and acted positively in straitened nancial circumstances to continue the £3m a year funding for the Retail Crime Taskforce. Retail crime remains a blight on communities across Scotland and this investment can help Police Scotland build on the positive start this year.”

APPOINTMENTS

ACS appoints Ed Woodall as Chief Executive

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has named its Government Relations Director, Ed Woodall, as its new Chief Executive, effective from 1 March 2026. He will succeed James Lowman, who announced his departure in September 2025 after 19 years in the role.

Woodall joined ACS in 2009 as Public Affairs Assistant, working his way up through the organisation before being promoted to lead ACS’ policy work and political engagement.

ACS Chairman Phil Ponsonby said: “Ed has senior experience, exceptional campaigning and engagement skills, understanding of the convenience industry, and excellent relationships with retailers, government, other organisations and suppliers.”

Spar Scotland rolls out value campaign

Spar Scotland has kicked off 2026 with a major value push. Running through until the end of February and beyond, the campaign spotlights the group’s core value lines, which will continue to remain in place for as long as possible throughout the year.

UK DMO appoints Chief Financial Officer

Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) operator, UK Deposit Management Organisation (UK DMO), has appointed Niamh Lawlor as Chief Financial Officer. The appointment means that all Board positions for the organisation, which will deliver the DRS in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland, have now been filled. Lawlor joins UK DMO from Poundstretcher, where she was Chief Financial Officer, and prior to this she spent over two decades at Tesco.

Counterfeit cash warning

Police in Argyll and West Dunbartonshire have been made aware of counterfeit notes in circulation in the area. Shop workers are urged to be on their guard and, on receiving a note, people are advised to check for spelling mistakes, wording, changes to the hologram, serial numbers and watermarks.

Extra

neighbourhood police welcomed

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has welcomed the news that almost 2,400 additional officers have been brought into Welsh and English neighbourhood police roles in the past six months. ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: “Retailers are already noticing the difference in the local police presence in their communities and the relationships that they’re building with neighbourhood policing teams, but this momentum must be backed up by the rest of the justice system.”

Scotland set for World Cup bank holiday

Local retailers look set to benefit from an extra sales opportunity after the First Minister John Swinney proposed Monday 15 June 2026 as a designated national bank holiday to mark Scotland taking part in the World Cup for the first time since 1998. The day off would follow Scotland’s first game, which takes place against Haiti in Boston at 2am BST on Sunday 14 June.

Co-op Wholesale appoints Trading Director

Co-op Wholesale has appointed Robbie Moore from Bestway to lead its trading function. Moore previously held senior positions at Spar, Costcutter and Morrisons. In his new role, he will focus on supplier partnerships, product and promotional offers, and sustainable growth. Co-op Wholesale said the appointment reinforces its position as a trusted partner for suppliers and customers.

Card processing market improvements

The Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) has announced that it will be taking further steps to increase transparency in the card processing market. The news was warmly received by The Association of Convenience Stores as it will help retailers to control the costs of taking card payments. In addition, the PSR will require card processing providers to provide evidence to support pricing decisions.

SWA launches new website

The Scottish Wholesale Association (SWA) has launched a new website with an updated design that offers easier navigation. Colin Smith, SWA Chief Executive, commented: “This new hub for members, suppliers, partners, and stakeholders is a dynamic platform to share ideas and best practice, showcase the best of the industry, and signpost support.”

Aberdeen leads pack as local gift card sales hit £24m in 2025

Local gi card sales reached £24m in 2025, up 60% YoY, and the Aberdeen Gi Card has been named the UK’s top seller for a third year running.

e gures were released by gi card specialist Miconex, which launched its rst local gi card in Perth in December 2015. e rm now operates over 200 multi-store and multi-sector local gi card programmes, including 97 in the UK, 16 in Ireland and Downtown Gi Cards initiatives in Canada and the USA.

Aberdeen was home to the bestselling local gi card in the UK with almost £800,000-worth of sales. e card can be used at a variety of stores in the city, including Cults Stores Keystore, Scotmid Co-op Bucksburn, Spar Cli on Road and the Co-op on Countesswells Road.

e local gi card sales gures align to November 2025 data from the Gi Card & Voucher Association

HOME DELIVERY Basket spend shoots up Jaz Ali doubles delivery sales with Scoot

Since switching to the Scoot delivery platform in December, Falkirk retailer Jaz Ali has seen delivery sales soar 100%.

Within ve weeks, Jaz’s Premier Grangemouth had already experienced a delivery sales increase of 50%.

“ e message that I’ve really concentrated on telling customers is that there’s no service charge,” he told SLR. “If a customer can save £2-3 per order, it’s a no brainer that they’re going to switch to Scoot.”

e store has gained 50-60 new delivery customers, and the average order spend has rocketed from £15 to between £25 and £30.

He claimed he was now getting orders from further a eld, whereas before he would have lost out to retailers on the same delivery platform. “We’ve started delivering to Bo’ness, Linlithgow and Avonbridge, which has made a big di erence,” he said.

nding that almost a third of UK consumers purchase gi cards to funnel support to local companies. Over a quarter of consumers purchased a gi card for others in the rst half of 2025, up from 13.9% in 2024. Gi cards purchased for self-use also saw an increase.

Adrian Watson, Chief Executive of Aberdeen Inspired, said: “Team Aberdeen Inspired is beyond proud that the Aberdeen Gi Card has been named the bestselling in the UK for a third year running, something which is unprecedented for a local gi card.

“Every penny spent on an Aberdeen Gi Card goes back into our bricks and mortar traders – with extra spend on top of that. Having injected a total of £7.75m into the local economy is a huge achievement and I want to thank every business who has signed up and everyone who has bought an Aberdeen Gi Card.”

SERVICES

Retailer rallies customers in bid to save parcel lockers

Premier Neilston in Renfrewshire has asked for customers’ support as it battles to keep hold of its InPost parcel lockers.

e lockers were installed in October 2024, meaning that locals no longer had to travel miles to Darnley or Paisley to access parcel lockers.

But last summer, East Renfrewshire Council received complaints regarding noise, disruption and tra c issues, which led to a Compliance O cer addressing the issue of no planning permission.

e store applied for permission retrospectively, but this has just been refused. “ eir decision was based on concerns that the operation could cause signi cant noise and disturbance to nearby residents, even though we believe the impact is minimal (the lockers are quiet, electronic, and no louder than everyday high street activity like tra c or shop deliveries),” said the store.

“ ese lockers have been a fantastic addition for so many of you – making it super easy to collect and drop o parcels 24/7, reducing missed deliveries, and saving time and hassle,” the retailer told Facebook followers.

e store is appealing the decision and has asked customers to contact Blair McDougall, Labour MP for East Renfrewshire, to share positive experiences of the lockers and ask him to support keeping them.

Scottish Grocers’ Federation

Convenience Matters with the SGF

Last month’s Scottish Budget was lukewarm at best, but SGF’s lobbying on business rates means the Finance Secretary has finally brought retailers in from the cold.

Scottish retailers will now benefit from an additional 15% relief on business rates. This comes alongside continued support from the Small Business Bonus Scheme and a reduction in the basic rate ‘poundage’ by 1.7p to 48.1p. Those affected by the recent revaluation will also benefit from a new transitional arrangement.

Since the Covid pandemic, SGF has been urging the Scottish Government to match rates relief for retail businesses provided elsewhere in the UK. Although it doesn’t match the 40% for hospitality in 2025/26, the Scottish Government has finally listened to us. Scottish retailers have consistently paid more, putting many at a disadvantage compared with their English counterparts.

It’s a step in the right direction. If our governments in Edinburgh and Westminster truly want to rebuild the economy, businesses need breathing room from a deluge of regulation, taxation and the cost of doing business.

In other news, the £3m in funding for the Retail Crime Taskforce was renewed for another year. While this wasn’t unexpected, we hoped for a bit more. Retail crime and illicit trade are the number one issue facing many retailers, staff and businesses.

Tackling its devastating impacts should be a top priority for those in charge. Nonetheless, Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Taskforce has performed remarkably in its first year on a very limited budget. Now it needs to be expanded so that it can deliver genuine, meaningful, long-term change.

Calls for crackdown on criminal gangs behind illicit vapes

Retailers are sick and tired of losing legitimate sales to the black market vape trade.

With the illegal vape trade rising on the back of the disposables ban, Scottish shopkeepers have called for the government to take tougher action on the deepening black market.

e Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF) fears that problems will worsen – with a negative impact on health – unless additional incoming regulations on the sale of vaping products are not carefully cra ed.

Luke McGarty, SGF’s Head of Policy and Public A airs, said: “ ere’s a growing issue of criminal gangs getting involved in black market activity, pro teering from illicit vaping products.

“ ere are no assurances about the safety of these – and they are getting into the hands of people they shouldn’t. is is harmful to businesses, communities and potentially the health of those buying vaping products illegally.

“Trading standards o cers work hard. But greater investment is needed to give them the resources to track down those responsible for illicit sales and bring them to justice.

“Illegal tobacco sales already cost HM Revenue and Customs about £2.8bn. With the black market for single-use vapes that total’s surely going to soar.”

SGF has made its call for action as the UK Government’s Tobacco and Vapes Bill works its way through at Westminster, bringing increased regulation.

e Scottish Government is expected to introduce secondary legislation on the back of it.

Store owners say the ne detail around the likes of vape avour and store placement rules needs to be carefully considered to limit the potential for more new unintended criminal opportunities to emerge.

Guna Sud, whose family operates the RaceTrack convenience store chain, said: “Regulation and illicit trade are almost going hand-in-hand.

“Unless more is done about that, it’s just going to keep growing. Illicit trade was there before the ban and – from what we can see – it’s 10 times stronger a er it.”

Crime across the board is one of the biggest issues a ecting the retail sector.

SGF estimates that it costs Scotland’s convenience stores £100m a year – an average of £19,500 per shop.

Mohammed Rajak, who has run a convenience store in the East End of Glasgow for more than 30 years, said: “Illicit trade is getting more and more of a headache for retailers like me who comply with the regulations.

“Unfortunately, not enough rogue traders are being caught by trading standards. at’s because these teams are overwhelmed and under-resourced.

“ is has impacted my business vastly. Unregulated rogue traders are selling to people who are underage – and the point of the ban was to take away single-use vapes and make them inaccessible to the age group it was not intended for.”

When SGF questioned its members on the impact of the disposables ban, three-quarters of respondents agreed that it has encouraged the sale and purchase of illicit products.

Shop bosses have told SGF that a cost increase and restrictions around avours are the steps that they believe are most likely to encourage further illicit trade. ere is also concern among store chiefs that restricting avours will prevent smoking cessation among those who wish to quit.

SGF, which has issued guidance to members to reinforce the law around vaping products, says it will work with the Scottish Government to ensure that future restrictions do not result in negative unintended impacts, including fuelling illicit trade and resulting in the verbal or physical abuse of sta .

Luke McGarty added: “We need to ensure that future restrictions – particularly those around vape avours and store placement – do not make the situation worse.

“Vaping should be for adults who wish to quit smoking, and it is right that the government take strong action to stop non-smokers – particularly children – from accessing vapes. But we need to strike a balance that achieves both those aims.”

SGF has been working on sensible restrictions with policymakers in recent years, as part of its Healthier Choices, Healthier Communities campaign.

Photocourtesy ofwildvibeson Unsplash.

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BIFFA STIFFED

Now let’s get one thing out of the way straight off the bat: I’m no lawyer. But unlike judge Lord Sandison, I did live through the shambolic chaos of DRS 1.0 and I was fairly close to the story on pretty much a daily basis for probably two years.

So to hear that the learned judge had thrown out Biffa’s claim for £50m against the government because their decision to invest millions in preparing for DRS was little more than “wishful thinking” seems a bit bizarre. He seems to be of the opinion that they took a punt on building new facilities, buying trucks and equipment and much, much more in the hope that DRS would happen –and when it didn’t? Tough luck mateys.

Biffa, if you recall, was the chosen “logistics partner” for DRS – they were the ones chosen by the Scottish Government to collect, transport and process empty containers from stores for recycling – and they had received a letter from former Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Lorna Slater to that effect.

Biffa subsequently signed a 10-year contract with Circularity Scotland, another casualty of that period, as a direct result of that letter and spent millions as it prepared for the launch. All of this was done in full sight of the Scottish government and with its active encouragement.

In addition, it would take a good researcher a fair amount of time to count and log all the occasions that Slater publicly and often aggressively/defensively insisted that DRS would go ahead. Even when it became crystal clear behind the scenes that Scotland’s DRS wasn’t going to get the Internal Market exemption it needed to have any prospect of proceeding. Even when it was days from collapse and everyone with even a passing interest in DRS knew it wasn’t going to happen. Even then she stood up and insisted it was going ahead.

Why there was no contract in place with the government is hard to understand, but even without a formal contract any reasonable human being should have sympathy with Biffa’s plight. You’ve been chosen by the Scottish Government for one of their flagship projects. You’ve signed contracts with the appointed Administrator and you’ve ploughed millions into making it happen.

So should the fact that the government couldn’t actually get its project over the line mean that you should be left high and dry? Apparently it does. If you can’t trust the word of Ministers in your own government, who can you trust?

It’s yet another appalling episode in the catalogue of misery and ineptitude that was DRS 1.0. It was a shameful period in the Scottish Government’s history that continues to haunt it to this day. All we can hope that is DRS 2.0 is a little better managed.

ANTONY BEGLEY, PUBLISHING DIRECTOR

EDITORIAL

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©55NorthLtd.2024 ISSN1740-2409.

TIME TO SAY

TO ‘AYE’AI?

Find out how artificial intelligence is helping convenience retailers to reduce crime, save time and grow sales.

BY SARAH BRITTON

There’s a lot of talk about arti cial intelligence just now – what with deepfakes, the death of creativity, and the threat to jobs. So, it’s understandable that retailers might be wary of this powerful and fast-evolving technology. But there’s no denying AI’s ability to collate and analyse data from multiple sources in record time, joining up the dots before most of us even put pen to paper.

Convenience wholesalers are taking the plunge and embracing AI head-on. JW Filshill and Parfetts have just teamed up with Wholepal, an AI-powered platform that automates the processing of new-line forms, improving accuracy and saving time.

Meanwhile, wholesale buying group Unitas has launched an AI Academy in partnership with educational platform PAIR, for members and supplier colleagues, with a view to seeking out AI opportunities to future-proof their

an AI-powered platform that automates the businesses.

But what about retailers themselves – how can they harness AI to improve the day-to-day running of their business?

“I think most retailers are aware of AI but maybe don’t know how to use it quite yet,” says Anand Cheema, owner of Costcutter Fresh in Falkirk.

“We’ve had it for a long time. We used to work with Veesion with our cameras about four years ago now and then we installed Retail AI last year and took Veesion out. We’re always trying to evolve.”

WATCH AND LEARN

Veesion is an AI video-surveillance so ware system that analyses CCTV footage and can recognise suspicious gestures. Retailers then get real-time video alerts when shopli ing or questionable behaviours are detected.

RetailAI o ers a multi-pronged approach. Its anti-the module can integrate with CCTV, picking up on the -related behaviours and sending video alerts to sta . It can also trigger a siren and warning message via in-store radio telling shopli ers they’re being watched.

In addition, the radio, which is also through RetailAI, can play targeted in-store promotions and adverts, as well as music.

“ e radio is amazing,” says Anand. “It’s personalised and you can sell that space to suppliers so you can quickly get your money back on the initial outlay and then the AI function of the radio as well.

“A customer could be walking down the confectionery aisle, which would automatically trigger the AI to start advertising chocolate brands like Cadbury or Galaxy, or sweets on promotion with your symbol group.”

SLR # inkSmart Innovation Award winner, Girish Jeeva, is always rst in line for new technology and has recently been trialling RetailAI’s new SmartWatch, which is synced to the rm’s anti-the module and can instantly send sta videos of suspected shopli ing incidents, as well as aiding team communications and task delegation.

He has also adopted smart queue management, which detects queues and makes an audio announcement to redirect shoppers. “AI helps guide customers to self-checkout when normal tills are busy, improving ow and reducing wait times,” Girish explains.

Last year, he installed Innovative Technology’s MyCheckr — an AI-powered age-estimation and facial-recognition device — at his beer-cave entrance. e door automatically opens if someone appears over 25, but if the tech deems a customer to be underage, the door remains closed and customers have to show sta ID

PICTURE THIS

If you aren’t particularly tech-savvy, then one of the easiest ways you can use ChatGPT to improve your category performance is with a photo, claims retailer and MHouse owner, Asif Ashraf.

“In the past I’ve uploaded an image of my soft drinks fixture. I’ve told ChatGPT: ‘I’m a convenience store. I’m based on the main road. If you were a retail expert for the retail multiples, what changes would you make to this display? What about my range – what do you think I could do?’”

The system acknowledged that he had merchandised the fixture based on the trends towards energy drinks and health but flagged up that he had too many Monster and water varieties and highlighted how delisting some lines would make room for two extra shelves of value carbonates.

to gain access. “ is reduces sta checks and speeds up service, especially at busy periods,” he says. “We don’t get any shopli ing [in the cave] at all since we installed it.”

DECIPHERING DATA

Another way retailers are using AI is for data analysis. “I haven’t got AI integrated into my EPoS, but I use it separately,” says Anand, who has signed up to the premium versions of Google NotebookLM and ChatGPT. “I’ve been tinkering about with it for the last eight or nine months.”

He recently used the AI platforms to help generate suggested orders of Perfect Dra at Christmas. “I took all the sales data from the last four years, put it into AI and it chucked up a spreadsheet for me of a predicted order for this year.

“You have to feed it information, but it reads the sales data, so it sees the decline, it sees the increase at Christmas, it looks at customer trends, dates and times as well. It looks at what day Christmas falls on and the stock availability. I used to do it all manually myself with predicted orders, but it’s just so time consuming. Using AI easily saves me a full day’s work.”

Asif Ashraf, who owns four stores in central Scotland, and also owns EPoS provider MHouse, is keen to tap into AI to make running a c-store easier. Like Anand, Asif also used to upload a lot of reports onto ChatGPT and gauge insights. “I’ve always been a big data person, but it’s di cult to do a comparison across my stores every single week,” he says.

He is currently running a beta version of the rm’s MPOS solution, which incorporates AI and is scheduled to roll out to stores later in the year. “Once a week, our current system autogenerates a health-check report, which is emailed to the owner of the store,” he says. “ e beta version compares all four of my stores and ags up what it sees as issues, opportunities and weaknesses.”

Reports such as this are available on various EPoS systems, but the time retailers need to analyse them isn’t nearly as easy to come by. e beauty of AI-led EPoS is that it can also make educated assertions as to what the data implies.

“It highlights products that we should think about delisting,” explains Asif. “For example, in one of the stores we had two di erent sizes of fresh chicken breasts. It said over the last three months you’ve had quite a high amount of wastage, which has mitigated any pro t we’ve had on this item. So it suggested that, if we delist

one, we’ve still got a di erent size of chicken breast and it will allow that to be sold at a better price point.”

It will also give insights across products, pricing and availability and highlight any issues on ‘hero’ products such as bread and milk.

e beta system can also monitor how o en di erent sta members are using voids and overrides at the till. “It ags up every pattern it sees, for you to pay attention to,” says Asif.

“It gives me action plans for all my store managers too, stating what to do over the next week or month with promotional plans.”

THE PERSONAL TOUCH

Asif believes AI will enable EPoS to function “on a more human level”. “At the moment, suggested ordering is based on existing stock levels and average sales etc. is [new version] will be from more of a human point of view.

“It will have access to what promotions your symbol group is running, and it will up those quantities because it should recognise that these things will sell out more because they’re on half price.”

e AI system will also recognise when it’s needed. “It may be that you’ve forgotten to do your fresh food order on a Tuesday morning,” says Asif. “It’ll pop up and say: ‘You’ve only got 15 minutes le ; I’ve already done the order for you. Do you want to skim through it and change anything? Or do you want me just to just transmit it?’ at type of automation is the dream we’re working towards on the MPOS side.”

He thinks that a more intuitive system could help retailers to make big savings. “From a retailer’s point of view, that’s exactly what I would need to mitigate the e ect of rising costs that I’ve got across my stores and some of it’s quite crippling like sta ng costs, electricity costs and rising food prices. It’s tougher than it used to be and unless we adapt and nd a way then we probably won’t be here a er a few years. e ones that adapt are the ones that will survive.”

While Asif, Anand and Girish are ploughing ever further into the seemingly endless eld of AI, there is still resistance in some parts of the sector. Anand believes older retailers are more closed-minded when it comes to AI. “People are stuck in their ways or they don’t have the capacity to pick up on new technology as quickly as the younger generation,” he says. “And investment is a huge barrier as well.”

But with costs continuing to spiral and AI o ering numerous money- and time-saving tools, can the convenience channel really a ord to bury its head in the sand?

Girish thinks not. “AI and tech haven’t been gimmicks — they are integral to transformation: raising sales, improving security, enabling new services, and increasing e ciency.”

GIRISH’S TOP TIPS FOR INVESTING IN AI TECH

If you run a small convenience store (like many independents) and the idea of “AI” sounds big or intimidating — here’s a step-by-step, manageable approach.

1 Start small with a clearly defined pain point — e.g. theft, underage alcohol sales, queueing at peak times, or demand forecasting. Choose one area where improvement will make a noticeable difference.

2 Choose turnkey/managed solutions — many AI

SGF Crime & Security Seminar 2026

Thursday 12 Februar y th

Doubletree by Hil ton, Edinburgh Airpor t

Retail crime continues to evolve, with increasing thef t , organised crime, and targeted attacks on stores and ATMs. This seminar will provide practical insight into how crime has changed over the last 12 months and what retailers can do to better protect their staf f, premises, and assets.

Some of the speakers

DCI Jackie Knight

Police Scotland

Siobhian Brown MSP

Community Safety

Scan the QR Code to secure your FREE place

Jude McCorry

Cyber & Fraud Centre Scotland

Contact angela@sgfscot .co.uk for more details

Co-op Wholesale expands own-brand offer

Co-op Wholesale has extended its Co-op own-brand range by 100 SKUs across bakery favourites, a wider meats selection, core canned goods and other everyday essentials. The move brings the Served dine-in range into wholesale to help stores win the “dinner for tonight” mission, which is up 6% year-on-year and worth over £18bn. Co-op has also upgraded its food-to-go lineup.

Bonds

extends Our Dementia Choir partnership

World of Sweets has extended its partnership between Bonds of London confectionery and Vicki McClure’s Our Dementia Choir for another year, following the success of the charity share bag range that raised £32,000 in 2025. First launched as part of Bonds’ 130th birthday celebrations, the collaboration sees 10% of profits from a number of share bags supporting the choir and their carers.

Doritos launches F1 promo

Doritos is celebrating its status as Official Savoury Snack of Formula 1 with an on-pack promotion giving shoppers the chance to win F1-themed prizes, including race tickets and cash awards up to £10,000. The activity is supported by PepsiCo’s wider F1 strategy, including its partnership with the Mercedes-AMG Petronas team and the ‘Taste the Thrill’ campaign, running from 2 February to 29 March.

Water Bhoys

Avant Water has become the official water partner of Celtic Football Club, with its products to be stocked at Celtic Park. The agreement will be brought to life across the season through stadium advertising and a series of brand activations. Avant said the tie-up aligns with the club’s community focus and sustainability goals, and will include support for fan and local community initiatives.

BOOST YOUR BEER SALES – P40

SNACKS Retailers can win a share of £25,000

Bank of McCoy’s returns with £125k up for grabs

KP Snacks has brought back its Bank of McCoy’s promotion, featuring a total prize fund of £125,000, with cash and stock prizes for both consumers and retailers.

Live from 26 January to 6 April, and available across McCoy’s PMP and Grab Bag formats, the promotion gives shoppers the chance to win from a £100,000 consumer prize pot, with instant prizes ranging from free crisps to £1,000 in cash. Consumers simply

CONFECTIONERY

Mars Wrigley unveils 2026 Easter campaign

Mars Wrigley has launched a new Easter campaign for 2026, combining in-store theatre, seasonal NPD and an interactive promotion, the Great Easter Bunny Off.

The Great Easter Bunny Off invites shoppers to vote for their favourite Easter bunny for the chance to win £10,000 plus hundreds of instant cash prizes. The activity is supported by POS materials including FSDUs, dumpbins, aisle fins, shelf barkers and digital retail media.

The promotion is live now and runs until 10 April, with shoppers entering via a QR code in store.

The 2026 Easter line-up also features major launches including Maltesers Mini Eggs, and the national rollout of Galaxy Minstrels Mini Eggs.

scan an on-pack QR code and enter a unique code to discover if they’ve won.

promotion will run across all

Bank of McCoy’s also o ers retailers the opportunity to win their share of £25,000. e retailer promotion will run across all McCoy’s PMP cases, with a scanto-win on-case QR code to access cash and stock prizes.

emed POS kits including dump bins, FSDUs and shelf wobblers are available to drive awareness of the promo.

Goat movie tie-in brings prizes to Delamere packs

Speciality dairy company Delamere has teamed up with Sony Pictures to celebrate the upcoming release of its new animated action-comedy film, Goat.

The collaboration includes an on-pack competition across Delamere’s fresh goats’ milk and goats’ butter, giving customers the chance to win a family holiday to Barcelona, plus other prizes.

The promo is supported by social media and customer outreach activities.

Promotional packs are available new, ahead of the film’s release on 13 February.

SNACKS Major revamp is backed by marketing campaign

Walkers unveils new

packaging

Walkers has unveiled a refreshed pack design across its core range, the brand’s biggest visual update in nearly 80 years.

e new look is based on Walker’s farm-tocrisp story and includes a sun-inspired logo, messaging around “100% Great British potatoes”, and the signature of founder Henry Walker.

A wider multi-channel marketing campaign is set to support the rebrand from mid-February. Walkers is also running a ‘Golden Potato’ promotion, with over 500,000 prizes up for grabs.

DAIRY

Coca-Cola kicks off Prem promo

ight Melty & Now...

Coca-Cola is giving football fans a new way to get closer to the Premier League with the launch of its ‘Guess the Goals’ promotion.

To enter, shoppers must scan a QR code on pack or in store, visit the Coca-Cola app or website, answer a qualifying question, and submit their prediction for that game week’s total goals.

Correct guesses go into a weekly prize draw to win one of 1,000 o cial Premier League footballs.

e promotion runs until 10 March. Fans can then enter a nal mop-up draw until 10 May for the chance to win one of 20 footballs.

e activity will be supported by events, a Sky Sports partnership with short ads, digital and out-of-home advertising, POS materials and social media.

Retailers can request POS and download digital assets via My.CCEP.com.

CONFECTIONERY Mondelez celebrates independent retailers

As the Premier League’s O cial So Drink Partner, the promotion asks fans to predict how many goals will be scored each week via the Coca-Cola app.

Cadbury’s Game Changers named

Cadbury has announced the winners of its Community Game Changers competition, celebrating independent retailers’ work in their local areas.

through Nisa’s Making a Di erence Locally charity. When Warrington ooded in January 2025, sta went door to door checking on elderly residents, o ering hot food and drinks.

Four retailers received the grand prize of up to £1,000: Talha Bhattay of Mibsons Service Station, West Bromwich; Mike Sohal of Dallam Stores, Warrington; Koshia Jose of Lifestyle, Andover; and Debbie Gale of Siop y Pentre Cyf, Llanfair Talhaiarn.

Andover; and Debbie Gale of

He said: “Community isn’t just a word to us – it’s how we live, every single day. Our store team is deeply involved in the community, not just nancially, but physically

every single day. Our store team nancially, but physically too.”

Mike Sohal’s store supports a number of local projects and has also donated more than £50,000

Ten runners-up each received £500, while a fruther 15 entrants each took home a Cadbury hamper to enjoy or use as a fundraising prize.

SWA Council names first female Chair

The Scotch Whisky Association (SWA) has announced the appointment of Rita Greenwood, Chief Investment Officer at William Grant & Sons, as the new Chair of the SWA Council. Greenwood has been a member of the Grant’s Executive Board since 2017, with 23 years’ experience within the whisky industry. She becomes the 24th Chair, and first female Chair, in the SWA’s 114-year history.

Brookfield secures

La Goudale distribution Brookfield Drinks has taken on exclusive UK distribution for French beer La Goudale. Brookfield will position La Goudale as a premium continental option that can help retailers trade shoppers up from standard lager without moving too far from familiar styles. The core blonde and ambrée variants, which sit around the 7% ABV mark, are bolstered by a number of seasonal lines.

Hard Rock Cocktails lands Costcutter listing Hard Rock Cocktails has secured a nationwide listing with Costcutter for its eight-strong range of canned cocktails –marking another step in the brand’s rapid expansion across UK convenience. The move follows broader availability wins for the Hard Rock via Booker and LWC Drinks, and a recent collaboration with Co-op Wholesale.

North South Wines buys When in Rome

UK distributor North South Wines has acquired the When in Rome wine brand for an undisclosed sum. Founded in 2015 to bring quality Italian wines to the UK in lower-impact packaging, When in Rome has carved out a niche with cans, bag-in-box and paper bottles, working directly with independent Italian producers and publishing the carbon footprint of each product on-pack and online.

JP Chenet unveils lighter, fridge-friendly bottle

French wine brand JP Chenet has revealed a redesigned 750ml bottle that is 30% lighter (410g) and engineered for easier merchandising and chilling, marking the rst major change to the silhouette since the brand launched in 1984.

e new pro le is part of a broader 2026 refresh introducing a modern visual identity, a revamped website, and a programme of consumer activity — including a wine-dinner tour of French restaurants across the UK.

e new bottle reduces glass use and logistics-related emissions, with JP Chenet estimating a 30% cut in CO2 impact per bottle

WHISKY Angus Dundee Distillers marks first cask at new Chinese distillery

Angus Dundee Distillers, which owns Tomintoul and Glencadam distilleries, has moved its first malt whisky distillery in China into production, ceremonially filling the inaugural cask at the Chun’an Malt Whisky Distillery – which occupies a spectacular setting on Thousand Island Lake. The distillery spans more than 20 acres and is planned as an integrated visitor destination, with production galleries, tasting rooms, experiential dining, retail and outdoor event space.

versus the previous format. Shelf and fridge practicality has been prioritised via a sleeker outline and clearer on-pack navigation, including colour-coded caps and larger on-pack type to help shoppers nd their preferred style at a glance. A new slanted label nods to the brand’s original curved bottleneck.

Henry Colyer, the Marketing Manager at brand owner Les Grands Chais de France, said: “ e lighter bottle advances our sustainability targets, while the new identity and consumer experiences re ect what today’s drinkers want: authenticity, inspiration and simplicity.”

Win Premier League tickets for your standout staff

Guinness, the Official Beer and Official Non-Alcoholic Beer partner of the Premier League, has launched a new competition for convenience store owners – giving them the chance to reward standout staff with a Premier League experience.

With 80% of retailers actively supporting their local communities –many through grassroots sports and local initiatives – the campaign recognises the individuals who go above and beyond every day. One nominated team member will win tickets to a Premier League match for themselves and a guest.

Running until 9 February, Diageo One members can enter the competition by logging in and completing a short form. Retailers who are not yet Diageo One members will need to register first.

Nick Payman, Head of Guinness, commented: “Retail teams are the backbone of their communities – working long hours, supporting local causes, and delivering exceptional service. At Guinness, we’re proud to celebrate that commitment. Through our partnership with the Premier League, we’re giving retailers a chance to say thank you to the people who make a real difference every day.”

WINE Bottles lose their distinctive curved neck

BEER

Elton brings some sparkle to zero-alcohol wine

Benchmark Drinks has extended its range of celebrity wine brands with the launch of Elton John Zero, a 0% sparkling wine for shoppers seeking an alcohol-free alternative for special occasions.

e debut Blanc de Blancs uses Chardonnay grapes from northern Italy and is vegan-friendly, with 19 calories per glass.

It has an RSP of £10 per 75cl bottle, with an initial listing in Sainsbury’s.

Unlike many no-alcohol wines, Elton John Zero is not dealcoholised. Instead, it is produced as a 0% wine from the outset via a controlled fermentation process that uses selected bacteria

rather than yeast, so no alcohol is generated at any stage. To build structure and mouthfeel, the recipe includes green tea extract for a light tannin e ect, before being carbonated.

LIQUEURS Scots brand unveils five new bottle designs

Magnum backs GB’s curlers

Malt whisky cream liqueur brand Magnum is backing Team GB’s men’s curling team at this year’s Winter Olympics with ve limited-edition commemorative bottles.

e 2026 Winter Olympics kick o in Italy on 6 February, featuring 3,000 athletes from around 90 nations competing across seven sports and 15 venues.

To mark the occasion, Magnum has released ve special bottle designs dedicated to Team Mouat, the nation’s curling stars. Skipper Bruce Mouat and teammates Hammy McMillan, Grant Hardie and Bobby Lammie each feature on their own Magnum bottle. A bottle featuring the full team is also available.

Magnum’s limited-edition Team GB men’s curling bottles are available now with an RSP of £20 per 50cl bottle. Email sales@selectdrams.co.uk for trade enquiries.

LIQUEURS

Packaging uses the singer’s E Star icon on a deep-blue label.

Benchmark also distributes wines for Gary Barlow, Kylie Minogue, Graham Norton, Sarah Jessica Parker and Gordon Ramsay.

The difference is clear

Bordeaux Distilling Co has launched Brunette Clear, a transparent organic coffee liqueur which the company says reimagines how coffee flavour can be used in cocktails. It contains nearly four times less sugar than mainstream coffee liqueurs and has no additives or colourings.

Brunette Clear (ABV 22%) is available from Love Drinks in a 70cl format at an RSP of £31.

I heart Wines wins nationwide One Stop listing I heart Wines has secured a national listing with One Stop, taking a core lineup of Pinot Grigio, Sauvignon Blanc, Rosé and Malbec into more than 2,800 stores. Circana data places I heart Pinot Grigio as the number-one SKU in UK convenience, which a brand spokesperson said underlines I heart Wines’ “strong rate of sale and value contribution for retailers”.

Cider for lovers

Herefordshire craft producer Pulp Cider has released a limited-edition Raspberry & White Peach cider for February, its first Valentine’s Day flavour. The launch adds a seasonal variant to the independent maker’s range, combining a bright apple base with raspberry and white peach for a sweeter profile. The 3.4% ABV release is available throughout February in 500ml bottles with an RSP of £2.79–£2.99.

‘Do not drink’ warning issued for Orkney distillery Retailers are advised to immediately stop the sale of any whisky or gin produced by Orkney-based Kimbland Distillery. This follows an urgent public health alert from Food Standards Scotland which found the business had been making and selling alcohol without required safety controls and had failed to provide evidence its products meet the necessary safety standards.

Zonin1821 moves into lower-ABV wines

Italian wine producer Zonin1821 has launched a new lower-ABV range, Zonin Early Harvest. The range debuts with Zonin Pinot Grigio Early Harvest and Zonin Pinot Nero Early Harvest. Both are 9% ABV and have an RSP of £9.80. The brand also plans to launch a 250ml canned version of its Limento Spritz – a blend of white wine and lemon juice –later this year.

RETAILERS BATTLE BLIZZARDS TO KEEP CUSTOMERS FED

Snow-laden roads and perilously icy paths saw Scottish local shops deliver for customers in more ways than one.

BY SARAH BRITTON

SLR caught up with small stores in the north of Scotland during the rst week of the new year as they bent over backwards to look a er locals when heavy snowfall and sub-zero temperatures le many roads blocked.

Brave Billy Gatt and his team at Premier Whitehills on the Aberdeenshire coast made multiple trips in the treacherous weather. “We’ve been busy since Hogmanay,” he told SLR. “ e challenge has been getting the milk and bread and everything. I’ve been doing runs to Elgin and Aberdeen which, in these conditions, is about an hour and a half. I went to the cash and carry six times in four days. Everything is selling out quick.”

Demand for home delivery had virtually doubled overnight, he claimed. “Our Scoot delivery’s been mental busy! Before we’d do 12 deliveries a day, 17 on a busy day. Now we’re on 30 a day with an average spend of about £50.

“In the rst week of January you would expect a bit of tail o , back 10–15%. I would say overall, we’re up by 20% this week across the board. Delivery has probably taken about 27% of income in the last few days.”

Billy has even been delivering to rural locations more than 10 miles away where “the snow is up over your ankles”.

“ ere are a lot of villages near us where they didn’t have any bread or milk for a few days. e Co-op in Aberchirder didn’t have anything, so we’ve made an e ort to go there and get supplies and keep them going.”

TRAFFIC CHAOS

Meanwhile, in Aberdeen, local suppliers saved the day for Cults stores. “It’s been horrendous, there are cars stuck everywhere,” said shop owner Chris Cobb, whose newspaper delivery round comprises 160 customers. “We didn’t get any newspapers at all on Sunday so we couldn’t do our home news delivery. Luckily, we’ve got a lot of local suppliers, and they’ve been getting through okay. Our local baker, Sinclairs Of

Rhynie, which is north of us in Huntly, got through.

“We completely sold out of all our milk, bread and so ies on Tuesday, and we ordered extra on Wednesday. Trying to get up to the cash and carry or whatever would just be an absolute nightmare, so luckily, we have quite a good stockholding and our chilled order came from Fife Creamery no problem.” Butchery deliveries from Haigs in Aberdeen and Charles McHardy from Stonehaven were also successful, followed by the store’s weekly delivery from KeyStore on Tuesday evening.

“Sales were down on Sunday; we lost 50% of our business and then the schools were closed. But all our local products are ying out the door, and the good thing is because you get from local people, we’re getting supplies… whereas people are saying the Sainsbury’s and Tesco’s down the road, their shelves are empty.”

Chris has been making deliveries to elderly residents. “People appreciate you doing things like that. Obviously, we’re not going to put ourselves in any danger doing it. But I think that’s when we pride ourselves on being a community store.”

PANIC BUYING

Joel Gardiner, who owns KeyStore Hopeman & Post O ce, near Elgin in Moray, struggled to keep the shop stocked up with the essentials. “ ere are a lot of older folk in the village and they panic buy when the weather sets in, so we ran out of a lot of stock very quickly,” he explained. “It was the same for a lot of the shops in the area, we just had to wait for our delivery to come in [on Tuesday]. So we were a few days without bread and milk, but we had all the other bits and bobs to get by.”

Joel did his best to ensure no one in the area went without. “I o ered deliveries for people who struggle to get out of the house,” says Joel. “We live in a small village so it’s very community-oriented. I was helping grit the roads and pushing cars up the road.”

Wholesaler JW Filshill highlighted the “sterling e orts” of sta in ensuring KeyStore customers received timely deliveries during the recent spell of wintry weather.

John O’Neil, Senior Operations Manager Outbound, said: “Our drivers delivering across Aberdeenshire in particular deserve huge praise for their resilience, attitude and determination.

“In some cases, drivers have had to be pulled out from deep snow while attempting deliveries – yet they continued to do everything possible to ensure vital supplies reached communities, including those in areas declared a major incident.”

SPAR Scotland also soldiered on. “Northern Scotland has been put to the test, and we couldn’t be more grateful for the people who stepped

up,” said CJ Lang. “A massive thank you and well done to our SPAR Scotland teams. Because of your hard work, our communities stayed stocked and connected despite the weather.

“Our thanks also go out to our local suppliers for their incredible resilience. We’re especially grateful to the team at J.G. Ross (Bakers) Limited, who went above and beyond to get through the blizzards. ank you for helping us keep our shelves stocked for customers in the communities worst a ected.”

Up on the Isle of Skye, Rankins Supermarket had relatively light snowfall. Store manager, Ruth McLeish, claimed that some sta were unable to reach the shop, but most had managed. “ e larger supermarkets that do deliveries to the island, they’ve not made it through, so we’ve had more people in for the essentials,” she added. “We’re doing okay compared to lots of other places.”

DOGGED DETERMINATION

Over in New Pitsligo, Julie-Ann Whyte and her team showed dogged determination to get food delivered to customers in need.

“It’s been crazy here!” she told SLR. “Deliveries are delayed and when they do arrive, people are panic buying.” Repeated bouts of heavy snow have le her feeling like it’s Groundhog Day as she desperately tries to clear the snow from the store entrance and make it as safe as possible for customers to access.

“We’re delivering on foot to the elderly and vulnerable, but that’s just in the village, it’s impossible to get to customers in the country,” she said.

She did, however, manage to carry out a delivery further a eld, driving through areas where the snow was several feet high with the help of a customer’s 4x4.

She was full of praise for her local suppliers, including CJ Grant and Ythan Bakery in Ellon, for keeping shelves stocked with bread and eggs, and also gave thanks to her customers who helped out earlier in the week. “ ey arrived for milk and bread and ended up directing tra c and li ing 396 items o a couple of pallets that got stuck in the snow!”

When the snow nally melted, Julie-Ann agged up on Facebook the need for people to continue to shop locally, especially given that many small stores currently had a surplus of local produce following the snow.

Her post received over 1,200 likes and numerous messages of support. Local resident Kathryn Johnstone said: “A big thank you. I came for milk, eggs and bread and you had it all. ree loud cheers for our local shops.”

Another grateful customer, Rosie Wood, added: “ e village shops have been amazing keeping us all going… Don’t forget to support them throughout the rest of the year.”

MAKING A REAL DIFFERENCE IN SCOTLAND

GroceryAid Financial Grant support for retail staff in Scotland has rocketed in recent years as more and more colleagues become aware that help is actually available when they need it.

BY ANTONY BEGLEY

Once pretty much unknown north of Hadrian’s Wall, GroceryAid has rapidly increased its presence and engagement in Scotland over the last four or ve years, thanks in no small part to the fantastic e orts of the GroceryAid Scotland committee and to agship events like Checkout Scotland.

e proof of that progress is there in black and white in the industry charity’s recent Half-Year Scottish Report which shows clearly that in nancial year April 2025 to March 2026, the charity is on course to once again break Financial Grant spending records in Scotland.

In the preceding nancial year – 2024/25 –GroceryAid made Financial Grants of £403,401 to 714 Scottish industry colleagues, a record at the time.

But in just the six months from Apr 2025 to September 2025, GroceryAid had already paid out £225,271 to 532 colleagues. e full year picture, then, is set to break yet another record.

is is remarkable in light of the fact that only ve years or so ago, the charity paid out only £45,006 to just 67 colleagues. e current nancial year is on course to see more than 10 times that amount being paid out.

e fact that so many industry colleagues require nancial support is clearly a distressing indication, but the fact that the number of grants being made is rising so rapidly is proof that more people than ever now know that nancial help is available if and when they need it.

Equally encouraging is the fact that in 2025, GroceryAid made payments of £80,700 to 297 people in Scotland as part of its School Essentials Grant. ese one-o payments bene tted 538 individual children and made a real di erence to families across Scotland.

e gures re ect the severity of the requirement for nancial assistance from our colleagues in this industry, but the numbers also clearly show that more and more people are now getting in touch with GroceryAid and know that the help they’ve earned by working in this sector is available to them.

SCOTLAND FINANCIAL GRANT HISTORY

5 REASONS WHY IT’S GREAT TO WIN AN SLR AWARD!

Entering awards takes a little time and effort to do well, but winning a coveted SLR Award can make a massive difference to your team, your customers, your community and your business.

BY ANTONY BEGLEY

We know that it’s time-consuming to enter industry awards properly, but that time is certainly not wasted if you end up on a shortlist or, better still, if you end up winning an award. Nowhere is this truer than at the SLR Awards thanks to the special combination of factors that make the SLR Awards unique in this industry:

Q SLR is the only awards where a judge – me! – literally visits every shortlisted store. That guarantees consistency of judging in a way that no other awards programme can match.

Q Also uniquely, SLR is the only industry awards ceremony where we shoot video of all winners, allowing us to show the videos on the night to let everyone in the room see precisely why the winning store came out on top. Plus, we then circulate that video on social media and put it on the SLR Awards website so that everyone else can see too.

Q At the SLR Awards, every shortlisted retailer is invited completely free of charge – along with a partner – to

attend the awards ceremony. And that also includes plush accommodation!

Q SLR is the only magazine on earth to have owned and run its own convenience store for five years. In other words: we get retail like no one else.

Q In the same vein, SLR has the longest-standing Editor in the entire convenience retailing sector in the UK. Nobody has more experience than us.

So you can rest assured that the SLR Awards are run fairly and knowledgeably and if you are shortlisted or a winner, you’ve very much earned your place among the industry’s leading lights.

But what exactly are the benefits of winning an SLR Award? Some are obvious, but some not so much. So we thought we’d highlight a few of the benefits that come your way when you win an award.

1. EVEN ENTERING IS A BENEFIT

Before we even get to the awards evening in Glasgow, the simple process of entering can be beneficial. It forces you to sit down, take a step back and have a good, hard look at your store, trying to see it through the eyes of your customers. That process can help you identify areas where you’re doing well but can also help flag up areas where there’s room for improvement.

2. IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR TEAM

Who doesn’t like to work in a progressive, award-winning business? Winning an SLR Award can have a strong positive impact on your team and can make them feel valued. They’re playing their part in delivering a store that their industry peers adjudge to be outstanding. It can also help with staff retention, a key challenge these days.

3. IT’S GOOD FOR YOUR CUSTOMERS

Similarly, who doesn’t want to shop in an award-winning store? Seeing those industry awards behind the till or hearing about them on social media can really help cement your relationship with customers and give them a little civic pride about their award-winning local store.

4. IT’S GOOD FOR BUSINESS

Just as critically, winning an SLR Awards is good for business. Appearing on stage to collect your Award before hundreds of industry colleagues then appearing in the pages of SLR and on social media puts you in front of suppliers and other organisations who will then be more interested in working with you in the future. High-profile retailers and stores are the ones invited to participate in beneficial supplier projects and asked to feature in local, regional and national press and on television.

5. THE AWARDS ARE A GREAT NIGHT OUT

We obviously hope that the SLR Awards a great night out for everyone who attends – but if you happen to pick up an award into the bargain, you and your team are in the perfect place for a team-building celebration. It feels great to be recognised by, and in front of, your peers. It can help make all the hard work feel worth it.

So why not set aside a quiet half hour and plan your entries in good time? Visit SLRAwards.com to get started.

BIFFA’S £50M DRS CLAIM THROWN OUT

In a hangover from the first attempt at introducing a DRS in Scotland, proposed logistics partner Biffa has had its £50m lawsuit against the Scottish government thrown out.

BY ANTONY BEGLEY

As the countdown to the proposed implementation of a new Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) in October 2027 continues, one of the key hangovers from the rst calamitous attempt to introduce a scheme came to a head last month when Bi a’s £50m claim against the Scottish Government was thrown out by the Court of Session.

As the preferred logistics partner for DRS 1.0, Bi a had led the lawsuit a er investing millions in the scheme o the back of repeated and very vehement public pronouncements by former Minister for Green Skills, Circular Economy and Biodiversity Lorna Slater.

Slater continued to aggressively assert that the scheme would go ahead right up the point that it was ignominiously postponed. In addition to Slater’s repeated public statements, Bi a told the court that it received a letter from her in 2022 which implied that the scheme would indeed go ahead.

Bi a said it subsequently signed a 10-year contract with Circularity Scotland, the now-defunct rm set up to administer the DRS, as a direct result of that letter.

Bi a’s legal team alleged that the letter was a misrepresentation of the government’s position at that time and sought more than £51m in damages. Meanwhile, Slater continued to state publicly that the scheme would go ahead despite it becoming clear in the background that the UK government was set to deny the DRS an exemption under the Internal Market Act. Without this vital exemption the scheme could not proceed as planned.

Indeed, former Scottish Secretary Alister Jack described it as “utterly irresponsible” to encourage investment without mentioning the “huge level of risk”.

Somewhat remarkably, then, judge Lord Sandison last month rejected these claims, describing Bi a’s interpretation of the letter as “wishful thinking” and equivalent to trying to turn “base metal into gold”.

Anyone who lived through that sorry period, however, would surely have some sympathy with Bi a’s position. e company is now reviewing the matter with its legal team.

DMO PROGRESS

As for DRS 2.0, delivering the Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland, England and Northern Ireland is the responsibility of the UK Deposit Management Organisation (UK DMO), which continues to make solid progress as the October 2027 deadline looms ever larger.

It has now appointed Niamh Lawlor as Chief Financial O cer, meaning that all Board positions for the organisation are now lled.

Lawlor joins from Poundstretcher where she was Chief Financial O cer and brings more than 25 years of experience in senior nancial leadership roles across organisations in the UK and Ireland.

Prior to Poundstretcher, she spent over two decades at Tesco, holding a range of senior nance positions spanning retail operations, logistics, infrastructure and online delivery, and served as Chief Financial O cer and Executive Board Director at Tesco Ireland.

During her time in Ireland, Lawlor was part of the executive leadership team during the implementation of Ireland’s Deposit Return Scheme, which launched in February 2024, giving her rst-hand experience of the complex operational change required to establish a DRS.

Lawlor said: “ e DMO has made strong progress in a short space of time, and I’m pleased to be joining at this important next phase. I’m looking forward to working with colleagues to help build the nancial foundations needed to support the successful delivery of the scheme.”

CONVENIENCE FOCUS

Encouragingly, the UK DMO continues to engage proactively with the local retailing sector, hopefully ensuring that the sector’s unique characteristics and speci c concerns are understood and heard.

Board Director Rebecca Oliver-Mooney has been leading this engagement, working closely with the Association of Convenience Stores, Scottish Grocers’ Federation and the Fed. Oliver-Mooney commented: “Convenience retail will be crucial in making DRS a success. While we aren’t able to answer all questions now, we want to provide as much clarity as we can, as soon as we can. DRS is on the way, and now is the time to start considering what this means for your business.”

Detailed guidance for independent retailers will be published in early summer and the UK DMO has committed to engaging with the sector through trade associations, direct consultation and events.

Engagement with governments and regulatory bodies across Scotland, England and Northern Ireland remain positive and constructive, says the organisation. It has established dedicated monthly deep-dive sessions with regulators to cover speci c technical areas, including IT systems, and these discussions continue to inform its planning and delivery approach.

RWAYS I IMPROVED MY STORE

Discover the five changes that helped boost Raheem Ali Razaq’s business by 30% in just a year.

BY SARAH BRITTON

aheem Ali Razaq took over the family business in December 2024 and over the course of the next year he implemented a ra of changes to Ali’s Nisa Royston in Glasgow.

As well as re tting the store, introducing a smart Nisa fascia and digital screens, Raheem also made a number of key changes across di erent areas of the business that have helped it to grow 30% in the last year.

ACCESSIBILITY

I realised it was a bit difficult for disabled people and elderly people coming into the shop. We didn’t have an automatic door, and the entrance was very narrow, so we ripped it out and we had the pavement outside tarmacked so that a wheelchair could enter more easily. We opened up the doorway to nearly 1.5m and got an automatic door. Now we get a lot of elderly people coming to access the post office and through the aisle space we’ve got nothing on the floor anymore.

Raised pavement for easier access

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Customer service is a main focus for us. When I came in, I had to change 50% of the staff because the previous staff were rude; they weren’t listening to others and had no etiquette. When I took over, I was on the tills training the new staff and we’ve improved service greatly. We made it clear that uniforms are a must and smiles are too. I was on the floor for a few months to see what customers wanted and what their complaints were; without their feedback I don’t think we’d be here. We also bought Quail digital headsets so that staff can communicate better. Two is a queue for us, so any time there are two or more customers waiting, staff can call for help on the headset and the next person’s got to jump on the till to serve them.

Smiling staff

STORE AMBIENCE

I made keeping the store clean, neat and tidy a priority. Staff are now brushing every half an hour. We also got an EasAroma scent machine from Aromatise. The supplier put it in for £500 and then you add a fragrance bottle for £240. It’s got a Bluetooth app and you can set it up to spray every one or two mins. The bottles last three or four months.

They do it when you go to [luxury kitchen and bathroom store] Porcelanosa. That’s where I got the idea from. Now when everyone comes in, they say how nice the shop smells – it leads to a really positive vibe.

Aromatise aroma diffuser

COMMUNITY

I was very keen on investing in our community. They have given to us for the last 21 years. We’ve got very loyal customers, and it was a neglected store [before I took over]. The community helps us and we’ve got to help the community as well.

VALUE

Wrap discount for school kids

We have between 120 and 150 kids coming in from local schools. It’s a poor area and kids get very little money, so we decided to offer them a special discount. We were charging £3.50 for a wrap, and we reduced it to £1.95 for all the school kids. Then I spoke to Britvic and they helped us – every eight weeks they give us stock to give free to the kids, such as Fruit Shoots.

We also offer a wider range of products from Co-op’s Honest Value range to make shopping at the store more affordable.

In 2025 we sponsored the local football team and gave over £1,000 to charity. We’ve given £350 to The Scottish Association for Children with Heart Disorders. We gave £200 to the St Roch’s Secondary School. We gave £550 to Beatson Cancer Charity and £100 to Rosemount Lifelong Learning.

The store also held a 21st anniversary celebration with free food, including freshly prepared samosas, cakes, biscuits and ice cream. We gave away 300 goodie bags. The Millions Mascot and Spiderman were there too.

Nisa Royston 21 years celebration

CELEBRATING WHAT MAKES US SPECIAL!

SLR’s Above & Beyond Awards continue to grow and thrive as we once again prepare to highlight some of the amazing untold stories from across our sector in Scotland.

The SLR Above & Beyond Awards have become a hugely special part of the wider SLR portfolio and that’s for a very simple reason: they do something that no other awards programme does. In short, they provide a platform for shining a light on the o en-incredible stories that happen every day in local retailing stores in Scotland but invariably go entirely unnoticed. is is important, not just for the individuals whose actions are celebrated on stage at the awards as well as in the pages of SLR, on digital media and in the pages of e Scottish Sun, our o cial media partner. It’s also important for our entire sector.

Local retailing is absolutely unique. ere is no other sector like it and that’s down to the relationships we enjoy with our customers. e stories you hear at the Above & Beyond Awards about store sta saving people’s lives, transforming local communities, undertaking unbelievable charity commitments and more are the sort of thing that only local retailing does.

e Above & Beyond Awards play their own small part in demonstrating to the wider world that independent retailers are real people with real lives and families and worries and hopes and dreams and fears, just like everyone else.

Stealing from us, assaulting our sta or generally just being terribly behaved has a severe and o en lasting impact on the victims.

CELEBRATORY LUNCH 18 MARCH 2026 THE CORINTHIAN CLUB, GLASGOW

e more people that hear these stories the better, quite frankly. e last four or ve years have demonstrated quite clearly that respect for shopworkers has nosedived. Stealing from a local store or abusing a sta member has been normalised, o en because people these days seem to think it’s ‘ok’ to steal from ‘a business’.

So we need to communicate the unique nature of the pivotal role that local retailing outlets play in every community across Scotland. We deserve a little respect, and we deserve to be treated with the same courtesy that our sta routinely extend to all of our customers.

And in March at the Corinthian Club in Glasgow we’ll hear more astonishing tales of store workers who perform acts of minor and sometimes not so minor heroics that certainly didn’t sit within their job description. at’s because we care. And the world could do with a little more of that these days.

So here’s to every superstar who will be at the Awards and here’s to every store worker in Scotland. You’re doing the country proud – and the SLR Above & Beyond Awards are here to recognise and celebrate that fact.

PROFITING FROM NEWSTRADE IN TURRIFF

Since taking over from multiple SLR Award winner Ian Smith, Umair Ud Din has continued to leverage news and magazines as a uniquely powerful USP in his Premier store in Turriff in Aberdeenshire.

It’s hardly a surprise that the continued growth of digital media has led to a slow but steady decline in the traditional printed newspaper and magazine market over the years, but what is perhaps more surprising is the enthusiasm with which many local retailers seemed to have all but dumped the category in their stores.

Yes, it’s undoubtedly a tricky and complex category to manage well but the fact remains that the diminishing number of retailers taking the category seriously are doing very well indeed out of it, thank you very much.

BIG NEWS

One such retailer is Umair Ud Din who owns and runs Premier Turri in Aberdeenshire.

Umar took the store over from serial SLR Award winner Ian Smith who more or less had a stranglehold on the Newstrade Retailer of the Year Award – thanks to his relentless commitment to the category and his focus on o ering quite literally hundreds of magazines as well as an array of local, regional and national newspapers.

at commitment extended to an extensive and extremely well-organised home news delivery operation. With so many retailers backing out of the category, Ian had e ectively cornered the market in that part of the world and ran a vibrant, ourishing business o the back of it.

And while the heart of the store was news and magazines, it was also a thoroughly modern and well-maintained Premier store in its own right, with a great o er including hot and cold drinks and food, a local ice cream serveover and much more besides.

So when Umar took over, it was always going to be interesting to see whether he picked up where Ian le o , or choose the path of least resistance by scaling back the news and magazines category.

As should be obvious by the fact that Umar won the Newstrade Retailer of the Year category at last year’s SLR Awards, he and his team wisely rolled up their sleeves and set about maintaining the class-leading o er that is found in Turri .

Scott McCulloch, Head of Retail at category sponsor News Scotland, comments: “It’s fantastic to see Umar pick up where Ian le o and continue to focus on the newstrade in his store. His ourishing business proves that demand for newspapers and magazines is still going strong.

“Premier Turri shows what is possible when you commit to the category and truly understand your customers.”

READY-MADE USP

Indeed, the fact that so many of Umar’s competitors have e ectively abandoned the category leaves the door wide open for him to continue to develop and enhance his news and magazines o er, tailoring it precisely to the speci c needs of his customers, both those who visit the store and those from further a eld who take advantage of his home news delivery service.

In today’s modern world of ‘destination retail’, building and maintaining a USP is vital in ensuring that customers have compelling reasons to use your store rather than a competitor’s. News and magazines o er Umar exactly that USP and he has grasped the opportunity with a passion.

Newstrad e Retaile r of the Year

W INNE R

DOING IT RIGHT

As well as an extensive range of local, regional and national newspapers, Premier Turri o ers a vast selection of literally hundreds of magazine titles ranging from popular women’s and children’s magazines to more specialist and niche titles that meet the needs of Umar’s customers. Tractor and farming magazines appear to be a particular forte, perhaps unsurprisingly.

In-store signage also reminds customers of the home news delivery service and advises them to speak to a member of the store team if they’d like to request a speci c magazine that’s not currently stocked.

All of which means the store bene ts from a steady daily and weekly stream of sales that delivers fairly robust margins, certainly when compared with the increasing number of other categories pitched to retailers as “strong footfalldrivers”. As we have learned over the years, it’s all very well driving footfall, but footfall doesn’t pay the bills, pro t does.

LOCATION, LOCATION

Also in Umar’s favour is the fact that Turri is a relatively small town with a population of fewer than 6,000 people – and Umar’s store is hardly facing a barrage of serious competition. e fact that Turri sits more or less on its own, halfway between Aberdeen and the north coast, means it’s a destination town and it is also surrounded by small satellite villages, many of which are within reach of the store’s home news delivery team.

In essence, Premier Turri is providing a true community service to the town and surrounding areas with many people, particularly older customers who still prefer print, exceptionally grateful for the service Umar and his team provide.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT

Premier Turri is a fantastic example of the old adage about not reinventing the wheel. Yes, news and magazines are in decline, but the market is still very substantial – certainly big enough for a single store to make good money from when there’s next to nothing in the way of local competition.

Additionally, margins in the category are decent. ey’re not exceptional but if you can build enough volume, it o ers a reliable pro t stream every day of the week.

Perhaps the example of Umar’s store is one that could inspire other local retailers across Scotland to reassess the newstrade? If all of your competitors have e ectively abandoned it, does that not present you with an opportunity to own the category in your area? It requires little space, it’s a familiar category to most customers and it could be a solid revenue and pro t stream in the challenging months and years that lie ahead.

Diet Coke Cherry CCEP

Available now, Diet Coke Cherry comes in 330ml cans, 500ml PET bottles and multipacks. The launch follows the successful return of Diet Cherry Coke last year as a limited edition, which delivered £250,000 in value sales in three weeks. Support includes paid social activity, in-store sampling, digital and out-of-home advertising. POS and digital assets are available via MyCCEP. com to bring the launch to life in-store.

Poppets Poppeggs

Valeo Foods UK

Available now ahead of Easter in 80g bags (RSP £1.50), Poppeggs are Valeo’s take on the ever-popular mini-eggs format – bite-sized solid milk chocolate eggs encased in a crisp sugar shell. The launch is supported by social media and retailer digital activities. Valeo said: “Poppeggs are designed to deliver simple, affordable fun at Easter. They offer a familiar chocolate experience in a modern, colourful format.”

World Bean Meals Biona Organic

Cadbury Dairy Milk Biscoff egg lands for Easter

Mondelez has added a Cadbury Dairy Milk Biscoff Shell Egg to its Easter line-up, building on the Cadbury Dairy Milk and Lotus Biscoff partnership.

The new 368g egg has a £15.49 RSP and features Cadbury Dairy Milk chocolate with crunchy Lotus Biscoff biscuit pieces, plus eight individually wrapped Cadbury Dairy Milk Biscoff chunks.

It launches alongside the Cadbury Creme Egg White Shell Egg (190g, RSP £824), bringing Cadbury Creme Egg White into the traditional shell egg segment.

Mondelez has also redesigned its ‘Special Gesture’ range. Each shell egg is wrapped in Cadburybranded foil visible through a cut-out on the front of the pack and has a recyclable cardboard handle integrated into the design of each box.

The Mondelez Easter 2026 shell egg range is supported by a new media campaign, alongside instore activations and retailer competitions.

Marcelo Salazar, Brand Executive, Cadbury Creme Egg, at Mondelez International, said: “Easter continues to be a crucial sales period for the confectionery category. Shell eggs are an iconic part of Easter, and our range offers different price points to meet a variety of shopper missions while helping retailers drive sales in the run-up to the big day.

Monster Juiced Viking Berry CCEP

“Our brand-new Cadbury Dairy Milk Biscoff Ultimate shell egg also provides another seasonal option for fans of our hugely successful partnership with Lotus Biscoff, bringing the fantastic taste of Cadbury Dairy Milk Biscoff to the Easter occasion.” Mondelez advised retailers to split the remaining run-up to Easter into two phases: ‘building momentum’ from Valentine’s Day to Mother’s Day on 10 March, followed by a ‘gifting finish’.

The new range of heat-and-eat jarred dishes inspired by global flavours comes as branded ready meals continue to grow in value and volume. The range comprises Bean Chilli Mexican Style, Chickpea Coconut Curry Indian Style and Chickpea Tagine Moroccan Style. All have an RSP of £3.49. Each meal is naturally plant-based, high in fibre and a source of plant protein.

Available now in plain and price-marked cans, the new variant blends the Monster Energy base with real fruit juices and Nordic-inspired berry flavours in a purple liquid.

Packaging features Viking imagery with the brand’s claw mark for standout on shelf.

Convenience retailers can access POS kits and downloadable assets for the launch via My.CCEP.com.

With 30% less sugar than the standard variant, the new limitededition biscuit combines the familiar salty-sweet Digestive crunch with a gentle hit of cinnamon. It is available now in 300g packs with an RSP of £1.69. The launch follows a 17% rise in cinnamon consumption since 2023/24 across coffee, porridge and spreads, and McVitie’s expects that trend to translate to biscuits.

The Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwich features vanilla ice cream packed with cookie dough chunks, sandwiched between two soft vanilla-and-cocoa-swirled cookies. The new product is made with Fairtrade Certified sugar, vanilla, and cocoa, plus eggs from free-range hens. It is available now in single-serve (RSP £2.50) and four-pack (RSP £5) formats.

Ben & Jerry’s Cookie Dough Ice Cream Sandwich Consort Frozen Foods

McVitie’s Digestives The Light One Golden Cinnamon pladis

Walkers Hot Honey PepsiCo

Rubicon Sparkling Cherry Burst/Tropical Barr Soft Drinks

Walkers has added a new bangon-trend flavour, Hot Honey, to its core range. The non-HFSS variant builds on the brand’s ‘Flavours of the World’ line-up, following the launch of Sticky Teriyaki and Masala Chicken in 2025. It is available now in a 6 x 25g multipack format with an RSP of £2.15. The launch is supported by a wider multi-channel marketing campaign that is set to start in mid-February.

Kind Milk & White Chocolate Nut Mars Wrigley

The new bar blends milk chocolate, whole nuts and white chocolate pieces and is described by the brand as its “most indulgent” recipe to date. High in fibre and glutenfree,it is made using whole and nutrient-dense ingredients, with 60% nuts delivering the brand’s signature crunchy texture alongside the creamy, sweet flavours of milk and white chocolate. It is available now as a 40g single.

Doritos Golden Sriracha PepsiCo

Doritos has launched a new limited-edition Golden Sriracha variant to mark the brand’s position as Official Savoury Snack of Formula 1 and tap into growing consumer demand for more exciting flavours. Balancing sweet and salty tastes, the new variant comes in an F1 trophy-inspired gold pack.

Golden Sriracha quickly became the No.1 salty flavour launch when it rolled out in the US.

Rubicon has extended its Sparkling range with two new flavours –Tropical and Cherry Burst – available in 500ml plain packs (RSP £1.75) and £1.29 PMPs, as well as 8x330ml (RSP £3.79) and 24x330ml multipacks (RSP £9.50), and 2L bottles (RSP £2.10).

Tropical is the No.2 flavour in the juice drinks category and cherry-flavoured soft drinks are currently growing at +42% YoY.

Skips Salt & Vinegar KP Snacks

Boom time

Functional shot brand Moju is on screens until the end of February with its biggest TV campaign yet – a light-hearted spot featuring an exhausted dad who is encouraged to “bring on the boom”. The ad is supported by digital, social, influencer, retail media and sampling activities, all designed to help consumers kick-start their new year.

Booze-free buzz

Skips Salt & Vinegar will be available from the beginning of March in a 35g Grab Bag (RSP £1.15) and £1.35 PMP after being absent from shelves for a decade. With Skips known for its Prawn Cocktail crisps, the launch of a Salt & Vinegar variant sees the brand tap into the demand for classic flavours in CSN. The return follows strong consumer demand for the much-loved flavour. The Skips brand is worth £48.9m.

Alcohol-free cocktail brand Free AF has launched a new marketing campaign,‘Get drunk on life’, featuring guerrilla-style fly posters and sticker-art installations with slogans such as “Get drunk on reckless ideas” and “Get drunk on sunrise,” paired with street photography. The activity is backed with sampling events and a social-first digital push.

Meat cheaters

Cadbury has reintroduced its Dairy Milk Made to Share range for 2026, with 12 new on-pack messages and a fresh consumer push encouraging sharing. The new designs include prompts such as Who Does The Laundry, Who Takes All The Pics and Who Spent Ages Looking For The Remote. The limited-edition packs run across 180g bars (RSP £3.34) and 95g PMP bars (RSP £1.95).

Plant-based brand This has launched a new campaign that urges shoppers to “cheat on meat” and try the range because it tastes good rather than out of guilt. The campaign is spearheaded by out-of-home advertising and a QR-led ‘Love it or your money back’ offer designed to drive risk-free trial, supported by digital activity.

Food Four thought

Président has launched a multi-millionpound TV campaign, sponsoring Channel 4’s Food & Cooking Inspirations strand until 31 December, covering linear TV, streaming, catch-up and social media. The activity is set to deliver nearly 160 million impressions over the year and includes shows such as Come Dine With Me and Jamie Oliver titles.

Bum wrap

Cadbury Dairy Milk has launched ‘Homesick’, the latest advert in its ‘There’s a Glass & a Half in Everyone’ campaign. The ad tells the story of a woman in Kuala Lumpur who receives a bar of chocolate from her sister back home in the UK, which has a large chunk missing and is clumsily rewrapped. The ad runs across TV, video on demand and YouTube.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Made to Share Mondelez

BEARING FRUIT

Offering the right range of premium and value offerings, alongside big brand bestsellers will help you capitalise on this juicy opportunity.

BY SARAH BRITTON

Beer and cider are continuing to grow in both volume and value in the Scottish convenience sector with beer up 2.7% in volume and +5.3% in value compared with the previous year and cider up 6% in value and +1.5% on volume [Circana convenience Scotland MAT to 29.11.25], observes C&C Group, home to Tennent’s, Magners and Orchard Pig.

“ e sector has responded better to the impact of minimum unit pricing (MUP), which has been more severe in major supermarkets where volumes have declined,” notes Mhairi Ross, C&C brands - O Trade Beer & Cider Director. “ e convenience channel has also been well placed to respond to growing demand for smaller and midpacked sizes, as well as chilled products for those on the go.”

Beer continues to be a core category for the convenience channel, worth £1.7bn and growing +5.1% vs YA [Circana 09/11/25 MAT], states BrewDog. “When we look at Scottish convenience this performance is even higher, with total beer +8.6% (value) in Northern Scotland and +9.1% in Central Scotland [ibid],” says Georgia Ladbrook, Shopper Marketing Manager – Impulse. “ is highlights that, if ranged correctly, beer is a signi cant

pro t driver for Scottish convenience retailers, giving them an advantage over the multiples.”

PERPETUAL PROMOS

One Scot who appears to have mastered beer and cider is Jaz Ali, owner of Jaz’s Premier in Grangemouth, which houses its own beer cave. “Our sales are up by between 35-40% yearon-year,” he beams. “I’ve got promotions on constantly, so sales are good.”

Allocating optimum space to each area has been key to its success. “If you’ve got your display and merchandising right it makes a big di erence,” he says. “I give 4-pack cans of beer 3m. en I’ve got my stacks on multipacks like Budweiser, Tennent’s, Heineken and Stella on the oor so you see them as soon as you enter the beer cave.”

He continues: “I have 2.5m just

for cider and we stock a range of avours. ere are must-stocks like your Kopparberg, your atcher’s and your Strongbow key lines. But sometimes customers get bored drinking the same thing all the time.”

So he also stocks popular avours from Old Mout and Rekorderlig, plus Bulmers, Magners, K cider and Inch’s, in addition to new varieties, such as Kopparberg Mango, which launched last year. “When customers see new lines advertised, they’ll always come in looking for it and if you’ve not got it, they’ll go somewhere else,” he states.

For Kopparberg, Scotland remains a very important market, with brand value now over £17m [Circana Market Advantage All Outlets (Scotland) 52 w/e to 27th December 2025].

“We’re seeing strong growth in convenience, with value sales up +3.9%, which reinforces just how critical local stores are for cider in Scotland,” says Head of Marketing, Rob Salvesen. “Within that, a few areas really stand out. Variety packs

THE LOW AND NO LOWDOWN

Increased focus on health and wellbeing is resulting in continued demand for moderation, states C&C Group. “We are also seeing an increase in the use of diet drugs such as GLP-1s which are further reducing consumption both at home and in the on-trade,” says Mhairi Ross, C&C brands – Off-Trade Beer & Cider Director. “These trends give rise to fewer occasions and fewer drinks, but it also presents opportunities with the growth of no and low variants which are experiencing volume growth across all outlets [Circana All Outlets Scotland MAT 29.11.25].”

Although they are a very small base with under 10% of all no/low beer and cider shopped in the convenience channel [Circana all outlets Scotland total no/low mat to 29.11.25], C&C expects to see continued growth in the next 12 months based on current demand for moderating.

“With the trend for moderation showing no signs of slowing, many consumers will be expecting to find no and low products on the shelves of their local c-store and will likely shop around to get them as opposed to buying something else, meaning shops that do not cater to the no and low consumer risk missing out on further sales from consumers’ baskets,” says Ross.

Tennent’s range includes Tennent’s Zero and Tennent’s Light, a refreshing 3.4% ABV lager that is also gluten free and suitable for those looking for a lighter alcoholic beer.

BrewDog agrees that Alcohol Free is a key category to explore in 2026. “More consumers are focusing on moderation or even abstention, with 43% reducing the alcohol content of the drinks they consume [Vypr Consumer Research – July 2024],” says Georgia Ladbrook, Shopper Marketing Manager – Impulse. “This has led to a generational shift, with almost 40% of 18-25s not drinking alcohol at all vs 22% in 2019 [Bespoke Consumer Research – August 2024].

“Moderation is now mainstream with three in four of us moderating our alcohol intake to some degree and the number of people looking to moderate alcohol consumption is similar in size to the number who consume alcohol once a week (77%) [Vypr Consumer insights, KAM research 2024].”

BrewDog offers AF alternatives for all its Headline favourites, as well as mid-strength Cold Beer, which has a 3.4% ABV, meeting demand for more sessionablestrength beer.

Not everyone is looking for an alcoholic option, concurs Carlsberg-Britvic. “There are a number of light and alcohol-free options within the category that appeal to shoppers,” says Ben Parker, VP Sales – Off-Trade. “Whether that be due to being a designated driver, moderation or completely abstaining, stocking up on products such as our 6x330ml 1664 Bière 0.0% packs meet different needs and preferences.”

TOP TIPS FROM ASTON MANOR CIDER

Q Review your mainstream cider brands. Do all the brands you stock offer something unique and different or are you offering ones that do the same job? Consider delisting some mainstream brands in favour of premium and value options that are in growth.

Q Block by brand and arrange by price. Make sure you group brands together and merchandise them on shelf according to their price bracket, ensuring that your highestmargin products are most prominent.

Q Focus on key formats. Within value cider, largest PET bottles and multipacks perform the strongest, while 500ml glass bottles add the most value to premium products.

Q Ensure you are regularly training your staff. Making sure your staff understand the purpose of Challenge 25 and are adhering to licensing restrictions is key to selling cider well, but also ensure they understand how to upsell and discuss the products you have on sale.

continue to perform exceptionally well, with the 10-pack growing +53% year-on-year across Scotland, delivering over £1m in sales from that SKU alone [ibid]. We now hold three of the top ve fruit cider multipacks in Scotland, and our core Mixed Fruit variety pack is still growing at +5% [ibid], which shows this isn’t just trial – it’s repeat behaviour.”

Singles are another major strength, notes Salvesen, agging up that Strawberry & Lime and Mixed Fruit are the number one and two bestselling fruit cider singles in Scotland [ibid].

In share terms, Kopparberg now claims to hold 15% of total cider in Scotland, second only to Strongbow at 30% and ahead of atchers at 12% [ibid]. e brand claims to be the market leader within fruit cider with a 38% share across all outlets [ibid].

Another brand thirsty for share in the fruit cider eld is Crumpton Oaks from Aston Manor, which unveiled Strawberry and Berry variants last July.

“With 40% of cider shoppers seeking new avours and avoured cider sales in the value sector growing by +11% MAT [Nielsen Cider Report to 22.02.2025] – the launch couldn’t have been better timed,” says Trade Marketing Manager Natalie Marshall. “ e avours have sold more than half a million cans since launch, becoming one of the top-performing avoured cider launches of 2025 [Aston Manor Internal Sales Data, Volume, YTD to November 2025].”

Retailer Ian Handley, of Handley’s Go Local in Cheshire, is a fan of the brand. “We stock Crumpton Oaks in a price-marked format in the chiller, so it’s ready to go for our customers,” he says.

“Crumpton Oaks is a strong seller when on promotion, and its performance has led us to stock the 2.5L format, which also performed very well.”

In addition to budget-friendly ciders, there is also demand for a new type of value, notes Marshall.

PREMIUM VALUE

“Traditionally, retailers and suppliers have viewed the cider category with three clear price segments – Value, Mainstream and Premium –but we are seeing the establishment of a top tier in value, which is attracting customers who are looking for great quality drinks at reasonable prices,” she says.

“We are meeting what consumers are looking for by o ering the premium option in value price brackets. Knights Cider is leading the charge as the number one strong cider brand in the UK [Nielson, Cider, GB Total Coverage, Strong, Last 12wks to 01/11/2025] and the No.2 cider brand in the convenience channel [TWC, Cider, Product Performance, Volume, Last 13wks to 30.11.2025].”

e brand has delivered a +67% growth in volume sales in convenience [TWC, Cider, Brand Performance, Volume, MAT to 13.07.2025] and has a rate of sale that’s 1.7 times its nearest competitor [Nielsen O -Trade Data, Total impulse, MAT to w/e 9th August 2025].

Marshall says Knight’s Vintage, which has an 8.4% ABV, is “the one to watch going into 2026”.

e brand has sold 1.7 million units in the past year and with an RSP of £1.50-1.80, she claims Knight’s Vintage o ers a great margin for retail partners.

Store owner Kay Patel of Best-one Convenience Store, Wanstead, says: “We introduced Knights based on a recommendation

from a sta member and although it was slow to begin with, over time it has really picked up. It has a cheaper RSP than its main competitor, which meets what the shopper is looking for.”

BrewDog has also acknowledged the importance of value. “With value a high consideration, we are seeing a lot more support for price-marked packs, which is driving solid growth for the beer category, delivering a higher perception of value to shoppers by providing clear and transparent communication of price from retailer to consumer,” says Ladbrook.

PMP POWER

Last summer, BrewDog introduced price-marked versions of its best-selling products: Punk IPA four-pack and Hazy Jane four-pack. e four-pack PMP drove +£27.7m in convenience last year, which was 41% of total lager growth [Circana 09/11/25 MAT].

Following the success of the rst two PMP four-packs, BrewDog is expanding price marking across its lager portfolio. ese will include a Cold Beer 4 x pint can pack (price marked at £5.49) and Lost Lager 4 x pint can packs (price marked at £7.25).

Cost of living is still the number one concern for UK consumers and continues to impact the way consumers shop, declares Ross. “For some, they will prioritise a ordable options, choosing to save where they can and stick with trusted brands they know and love, while others as we know are choosing to trade up to a premium option and consume less.

CHILL OUT

“Stocking core favourites consumers easily recognise such as Tennent’s Lager can play a key role,” she says. “Also on shelf should be a couple of premium options for those wishing to trade up. Alongside Tennent’s, our portfolio also includes premium world beers Menabrea and Heverlee, a refreshing pilsner.”

Heineken concurs that shoppers are looking for quality, as well as accessible pricing options.

e rm’s Inch’s Cider has demonstrated recent growth of 1.3% in share, with an overall 4.6% value share [Nielsen Scantrack 28.09.24, Total Coverage]. “A mix of mainstream and premium will overall help stores encourage

Jaz Ali of Jaz’s Premier Grangemouth claims that having a beer cave is a major draw. “Getting a beer cave is one of the best things I’ve done,” he says. “I’m the only store in this area that’s got a beer cave, it attracts customers -it’s just something new for people to come in and have a look.”

Carlsberg Britvic, which owns the Poretti, Kronenbourg 1664 and, of course, Carlsberg brands, concurs that caves can catapult sales.

“Something we are seeing grow in popularity are beer caves, chilled rooms, which obviously represent a significant investment, but can greatly increase your customer base and ensure you’re a destination for beer and cider fans,” says Ben Parker, VP Sales – Off Trade.

But regardless of whether or not you have a beer cave, Parker claims that chilling beer is a must.

“In order to ensure they are a destination for beer, convenience retailers should ensure they have a good selection of small-bottled lager packs available in the chiller for shorter-term consumption. As well as this, it’s important to stock mid and large lager and stout multipacks, which can help cater to bigger group occasions.”

purchases and facilitate trade up and a bigger basket spend,” says Category & Commercial Strategy Director, Alexander Wilson. Ross predicts that beer and cider will continue to do well within the Scottish convenience sector in 2026, particularly due to MUP closing the gap to supermarkets. “For retailers to win customers who would have traditionally purchased from supermarkets, convenience stores should carefully consider their beer and cider range, the pack sizes they have in chiller and have a clear pricing structure showing any value or promotion to best maximise sales opportunity.”

THE PINT CAN THAT’S MIGHTY REFRESHING

The #1 Value cider brand in the UK*

*Source: Nielson, Cider, GB Total Coverage, Value Segment, Volume, Last 12wks to 01/11/2025

HEY BIG SPENDER

In challenging conditions, forecourt investment continues to surpass the rest of the convenience channel.

BY SARAH BRITTON

The headline from the Association of Convenience Stores’ (ACS) Forecourt Report 2025 is that forecourt investment continues to outpace the rest of the convenience sector, with the UK’s petrol forecourt retailers having invested more than £15,000 per store on average last year. It’s nigh-on impossible to underplay the crucial role that forecourts play in society. According to the report, the UK forecourt sector creates more than 85,000 jobs, with one in three colleagues (33%) being in the business for more than 10 years.

Many forecourt retailers are local heroes, with 78% active in their communities, raising money for local charities, getting involved with local projects, and donating to food banks. And what’s more, petrol forecourts are ranked the h most essential service on local high streets, behind banks and ahead of pubs and bars.

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman says: “Forecourt retailers continue to make signi cant investments in improving their o er to customers, spending money on futureproo ng their stores through new technology and

refrigeration, as well as into services like parcel collection points and click and collect for groceries.”

However, he warns that they are “not immune from the challenges facing other retailers on increased employment costs and particularly business rates”.

In fact, Edge Petrol’s recently published Special Report 2025: A Year In Review paints a bleak picture of the future of convenience retail within UK forecourts, with former forecourt retailer-turned-consultant, Michael O’Loughlin, predicting the closure of a number of shops in 2026. “Unfortunately, when the government increased Employer National Insurance, I correctly predicted job losses,” he said in the report. “ e situation is not likely to get any better. As e orts to grow non-fuel sales through the till remain challenging, operators and suppliers continue to look for ways to reduce costs and the biggest costs are people. Look out for more PFS [petrol lling station] shop closures, more unmanned sites/pumps and more self-serve kiosks in food service and retail,” he predicts.

JET JOURNEY JACKPOT WINNER REVEALED

Jet gave lucky customer, Kris, an incredible start to 2026 when he won a brand-new Toyota Yaris Cross Icon Hybrid worth £26,495 in the Jet Journey Jackpot.

The nationwide competition built on last year’s platinum anniversary giveaway, ‘Pump Up to 70’, and customers could enter by fuelling up with £10 or more at any participating Jet service station. They then kept their receipt and uploaded it online with an entry form.

The car was delivered to Kris at Jet Jubilee Garage in Egremont, England, the very site where he entered. Retail Account Manager Gary Conway and site owner Colin Gates were on hand to give Kris his prize. He was “absolutely over the moon” to have won.

Image

courtesy of adrian susec on Unsplash

Despite this gloomy outlook, the likes of Ascona Group and Racetrack continue to invest in forecourt retail.

Ascona Group, which aims to deliver “worldclass roadside retail destinations across the UK”, has just bought Five Mile Garage in Kingswells, located at a major junction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. e longestablished Esso-branded operational petrol lling station was acquired on Ascona’s behalf by the Automotive and Roadside team at Graham + Sibbald and marks Ascona’s 69th site.

Manoj Tugnait, Property Director for Ascona Group, says: “Five Mile Garage is a strategically located, long-established forecourt that aligns perfectly with Ascona’s growth strategy in Scotland and across the UK. In addition to the petrol lling station, the acquisition includes a well-established MOT garage and caravan park business, further strengthening the site’s operational diversity and long-term potential.”

With this acquisition, Ascona now operates eight sites in Scotland, and Tugnait claims that further acquisitions are already in the pipeline for 2026.

Steve Rodell, Managing Director – Retail & Leisure at property experts Christie & Co, claims that the roadside retail environment is undergoing “a signi cant transformation, with traditional petrol lling stations being reimagined into multi-purpose forecourt destinations”, according to the group’s Business Outlook 2026.

He claims that larger plots are being redeveloped to include an enhanced convenience o ering, including franchised co ee, food-to-go and wellness-oriented products that resonate with Gen Z consumers.

He also observes how the rise of social mediadriven footfall, particularly through platforms

like TikTok and Instagram, is in uencing design and product mix, creating experiential forecourts that go beyond fuel.

e Racetrack forecourt chain in Glasgow certainly goes above and beyond fuel. e Sud family’s award-winning stores create a treat for the senses with modern xtures, digital screens and coloured lighting, plus a vast array of unusual desserts, slush and ice cream under its Tubbees brand. e chain boasts over 90 slush varieties with avours inspired by Drumstick sweets, Twister lollies and cocktails including Pina Colada and Pornstar Martini to name but a few, while the bakery o er includes trendy cronut-style pastries (croissant and doughnut hybrids) and cookie pies avoured with Kinder and Bisco , plus innovative Cake in a Jar.

One of the latest Tubbees creations is the Spaghetti Crepe – ribbons of crepe topped

with a range of goodies from chocolate sauce to smarties - which is inspired by online trends and customer requests. “What makes Tubbees exciting is being able to keep things fresh,” says Tubbees Brand Manager Rits Sud. “We’re always working on new products that give customers something di erent every time they walk through the door.”

Not only do the Racetrack team regularly post about new products and deals on social media, but the shops have also racked up tens of thousands of likes from Gen-Z TikTok users as young people take their social media followers on video tours of the quirky venue, thus helping to spread the word even further.

e Sud family are currently completing work on their 12th store, which promises “an evolution of our convenience o er”, delivering “a true wow experience for our customers”. We can’t wait to see what they come up with!

GULF GIVING REACHES £200,000 DONATION MILESTONE

In 2025, Gulf retailers across the UK nominated local causes close to their hearts through the Oomph Loyalty Charity Draw. Thanks to customer votes, Gulf was able to donate £1,000 to more than 30 charities and community groups — putting its total support through Gulf Giving at £200,000!

Among this year’s recipients were incredible organisations like Strathcarron Hospice and Cancer Research UK, alongside grassroots sports teams, children’s charities, mental health groups, animal rescues and more. “Each one represents the strength, care, and resilience of the communities we’re proud to be part of,” said Gulf.

“Thank you to all our Gulf retailers, Oomph members, and charity supporters who made this possible. Here’s to continuing this momentum, together, in 2026.”

Strathcarron Hospice was “incredibly grateful” to everyone at Certas Energy for their fundraising and ongoing support.

TOP BANANA SWEET SMELLING

Under The Counter’s gast was well and truly flabbered when he discovered that Aldi Scotland’s best-selling product of 2025 was none other than the humble banana.

Customers also bought over 45 million pints of Scottish milk which, for any Caledonian Cleopatras out there, is enough coo juice to fill 300,000 baths – with plenty left over to wash down the four million Scotch pancakes Aldi sold.

Is there anything you can’t use Love Hearts for? Under The Counter doesn’t think so.

Hot on the heels of the news that the retro sweetie can cure heartburn (a theory which UTC tested in the September 2025 edition), it turns out that you can also bathe in them.

Now, if you’re thinking the Auld Boy has finally lost the last remaining marble that was rattling round in his senile skull, then think again.

Now, UTC wasn’t expecting dog paddling pools or inflatable movie screens to top the list. Even so, the old coffin dodger didn’t think something he’d only seen in pictures before he was 27 would prove so popular with fellow Scots.

The German discounter flogged more than 15 million edible boomerangs across its 112 Scottish stores last year, which goes to show that our national diet doesn’t consist solely of sweets and biscuits.

Speaking of which, Aldi also shifted six million packets of sweets and 19 million packets of biscuits but come on: focus on the fruit.

The pancakes – if laid end to end – would stretch from Glasgow to the Isle of Skye. This doesn’t sound that impressive compared to similar “twice round the equator” and “to the moon and back” stats, although UTC doesn’t fancy walking it. Especially yon watery bit across the Sound of Sleat between Mallaig and Armadale.

Don’t worry, you don’t need to crush up 50 packets and dissolve them in urine (human or otherwise) – we’ll leave that sort of skincare advice to TikTok – you just need to splash out (pun intended) on the new bath and body range from Rainbow Cosmetics.

Under The Counter would love a new bath; to replace the tin one he’s been using since the Boer War – once a month, whether he needs to or not. He’d also, for obvious reasons, love a new body, but that’s by the by.

The new range includes a Shower Whip, a Sweet Whip Hand Cream, Butter Whip and a Whipped Body Cleanser.

Using a trolley as a Zimmer, the Auld Boy can just about walk round Aldi to stock up on bananas. He has to; who knew UTC owns a pet monkey?

GROW A PAIR

Under The Counter was tickled to see haggis maker Simon Howie support mental health charity SAMH last month with its Sideburns Night campaign.

Best described as a cross between Burns Night and Movember, Sideburns Night encouraged people (the hirsute mostly, UTC mused) to grow some sideboards that would put Robert Burns to shame, share a picture, then shake down their nearest and dearest for some dosh.

The campaign was backed by a host of well-known Scottish faces, including Zander

Sadly, this welter of whips stirred unwelcome memories in UTC’s noggin of an ill-advised stag do that came to a calamitous conclusion in a Berlin basement.

Moving swiftly on, the products all carry Love Hearts branding and are similarly scented. Under The Counter isn’t tempted, however. He’s holding out for some Werther’s Original bubble bath.

Murray, Andy the Highlander and Craig Ferguson. The Auld Boy had never heard of Zander Murray. It is, however, his reply when you ask him who won Wimbledon in 2013 and he’s had a couple of sherries. Which makes no sense, because the answer is Marion Bartoli.

Now, Under The Counter is more Mr Burns from the Simpsons than Robert Burns from Ayrshire but he’s all for supporting charities, especially if there’s a funny picture involved.

So, check out the face furniture on this guy, then visit JustGiving/SideBurnsNight and get your credit card oot.

bit across the Sound of Sleat