Being a part of SPAR Scotland gives us exclusive access to Barista Bar, the largest coffee brand in Northern Ireland. It has been a real game changer for us and customers here in Inverness are loving it. I thought we were already doing coffee well, but since installing the machine our sales are up about 50%. It looks fantastic, delivers quality, and keeps customers returning to the store.
To find out more, call 01382 512000 or email discover@sparscotland.co.uk www.sparscotland.co.uk
NEWS
06 Community Retailers and suppliers get behind an SGF campaign to locate defibrillators outside c-stores.
07 Deposit Return Scheme Convenience chain questions DRS rollout as reverse vending machine specification is published.
08 Crime Racetrack owner Shamly Sud calls out the Government after a delivery driver is threatened at knifepoint.
10 News Extra Operating Costs A new SGF report shows rising staff costs and retail crime are crippling the sector.
18 Product News Rustlers kicks off a Big Night In competition and both Hovis and Butterkist unveil Wicked movie tie-ins.
20 Off-Trade News Jam Shed becomes ‘Jam Sled’ for Christmas as Red Star Brands launches a wine-based RTD.
INSIDE BUSINESS
24 Above & Beyond Awards Shopfloor staff going the extra mile makes local retailing so very special – and we want to hear about the unsung stars in your store!
27 Non-stop Retailing Mo Razzaq explains how he tripled his vending machine sales by fine-tuning his product offer.
30 Deposit Return Scheme Despite scare stories around the implementation of DRS in Ireland, official figures clearly show it has had a huge positive impact.
34 SLR Awards Winner’s Profile Spar Erskine The store’s spectacular bread and bakery offer was deemed the best in the business at this year’s SLR Awards.
36 Advertising Feature Bestway The wholesaler marks its 50th anniversary by celebrating long-standing supplier partnerships – including its relationship with AG Barr.
38 Hotlines The latest new products and media campaigns.
54 Under The Counter The Auld Boy is appalled at the prospect of putting horse milk in his tea.
FEATURES
40 Christmas Soft Drinks From glitter-infused fruit drinks to limited-edition flavours, the soft drinks category has plenty to offer this Christmas.
46 Tobacco The festive season is the ticket to sparkling tobacco sales – have you got yours?
50 Christmas Alcohol Find out which drinks shone in Scottish c-stores last Christmas and which segments will keep consumers in high spirits this season.
Booker sales rise
Tesco interim sales results for 2025/26 show Booker like-forlike sales have grown 1.7% to £4.7bn, with adjusted operating profit up +0.6% to £162m. Strong growth in symbol brands and the addition of 275 new retail partners across Premier, Londis, Budgens and Family Shopper saw Booker’s core retail sales grow +4.1% to £1.7bn.
Grove Retail expands Scottish footprint
Multi-site independent forecourt operator Grove Retail has purchased Calderside Garage in Shotts, North Lanarkshire. The firm acquired the property, which comprises a petrol filling station and store, as part of its strategic portfolio expansion. The company said: “This strategic purchase will aid in the growth of our Scottish footprint.” Situated just off the M8 motorway between Glasgow and Edinburgh, the site had previously been owned by Glenys and Gibson Inglis for over two decades. The sale was handled by Mark Lavery, Associate Director at Retail at Christie & Co.
Oral nicotine guidance
The Scottish Grocers’ Federation has issued advice to retailers, stating that nicotine pouches should not be marketed or sold to children. The trade body also highlighted the dangers of illicit high-strength nicotine pouches reported to be in circulation.
Peter Batt joins Morrisons
Morrisons has announced the appointment of ex-Nisa Managing Director Peter Batt as Operations Director for its company-owned convenience business. Batt brings over 30 years’ experience in the food industry, having led at board level and across large-scale retail operations. In his Nisa role, he oversaw 4,000 locations and sat on the boards of the Association of Convenience Stores and the Federation of Wholesale Distributors.
Suppliers and retailers rally behind SGF defib campaign
Retailers and suppliers have been urged to step up to save local lives as part of a new Heart of the Community campaign organised by the Scottish Grocers’ Federation (SGF), which will see 24-houraccessible de brillators placed in or near convenience stores across Scotland.
e initiative, which has already gained support from several convenience retailers and suppliers, is a collaboration between SGF, interfaith co-ordination group Saltire & Alam, and St Andrew’s First Aid.
e scheme was announced by Baba’s Kitchen owner and SGF National Executive member Abdul Majid MBE at the SGF Conference last month. He will shortly install a de brillator at his Bellshill store, and o er CPR training for between 500 and 1,000 people.
Anand Cheema of Fresh in Falkirk Costcutter, Keith Fernie of David’s Kitchen, and Greens Retail boss Harris Aslam have also agreed to install the life-saving equipment.
Equi’s Ice Cream and United Wholesale (Scotland) were named as the rst two suppliers to join the programme.
e cost of a de brillator is between £1,000 and £1,500 plus VAT, but Abdul is hopeful of securing
NEW STORES
more campaign sponsors, which would enable retailers to access the equipment at a discounted price.
In addition, SGF aims to help organise CPR training via St Andrew’s First Aid at minimal cost if retailers who purchase the kit can source a local venue to host the training.
“Heart attacks that take place outside o en happen in deprived areas,” Abdul told SLR. “With convenience shops at the heart of most communities, this [campaign] is our way of showing that we want to support customers in their time of need.”
He is hoping to have 10 retailers on board by St Andrew’s Day (30 November) and plans to push the Scottish Government for funding support.
Interested retailers and suppliers can email Abdul at umaraisha@aol.com for further details.
Dunfermline welcomes new Nisa store
Bashir Naeem, who already owns Nisa Buckhaven in Leven, has opened a second store in Dalgety Bay, Dunfermline.
The store, which previously operated as a Co-op, has been refitted after a substantial investment from Bashir, resulting in new counters and shelving, a full redecoration and updated signage.
In addition to everyday essentials, chilled food and snacks, customers can now buy fresh flowers, sweet treats from Stephens Bakery and healthy meals from Savage Kitchen, as well as having access to PayPoint facilities and a free-to-use cash machine.
Retail Crime Taskforce expands reach as it hits milestone
Police Scotland’s Retail Crime Taskforce has announced plans to add more Taskforce-funded o cers in Glasgow and Edinburgh, as well as providing Fife, North East and Tayside Divisions with dedicated resources to address ongoing issues with retail crime. e decision comes as the Taskforce revealed it has helped to detect more than 500 retail o ences in the last six months.
A team of ve o cers will work daily in Glasgow to investigate the most signi cant incidents of retail crime, as well as working alongside retailers across Glasgow to provide crime-prevention advice.
Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Knight said: “We want to thank retailers for their enthusiastic engagement to help us work together and tackle the issue of retail crime.”
CRIME Police support beefed up
RVM specs revealed but retailers want more detail
O cial operator of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS), UK Deposit Management Organisation (DMO), has published the o cial reverse vending machine (RVM) speci cation. However, One O One Convenience Stores has aired its frustration at the lack of information regarding return on investment for c-stores and questioned whether there is enough time to prepare for the scheme.
e speci cation sets out how RVMs will work in the DRS and what is required of those supplying or operating them. It ensures all machines meet consistent standards for reliability, accessibility and performance across all three nations.
e document outlines the minimum criteria RVMs must
DRS Waste
management
meet, including container recognition accuracy, data management and connectivity. It also sets out expectations for machine certi cation, integration with the DMO’s systems, and use of approved branding and consumer messaging.
e DMO said it would publish further details in 2026 on the compensation available to return point operators for purchasing or leasing RVMs, as part of the Retail Handling Fee (RHF). An extensive consultation on the RHF will begin this autumn, with more detail on fee structures expected in the second half of next year.
Stephen Jackson, Company Risk & Sustainability Manager at One O One Convenience Stores welcomed the DMO’s progress but
firm sues Biffa takes ScotGov to court with £166m DRS legal claim
Waste management company Bi a was in the Court of Session in Edinburgh as SLR went to press, as it attempted to sue the Scottish Government for £166m over its handling of the Deposit Return Scheme (DRS).
Bi a was named as the Scottish scheme’s o cial logistics service provider in July 2022 and sunk signi cant funds towards implementation. Its contract with DRS administrator Circularity Scotland was for an initial period of 10 years and was anticipated to generate pro t of £114.8m.
Bi a invested £51.4m in preparing for the launch.
e scheme was due to launch on 1 March 2024, but was delayed in June 2023, with then Circular Economy Minister Lorna Slater blaming the UK Government for refusing to agree a full exclusion from the Internal Market Act. It was then pushed back to ‘at least October 2025’ before being further delayed to October 2027.
Bi a argued that Scottish Ministers were liable for the loss of investment and management costs, amounting to £51.4m, and also for the loss of pro ts said to be £114.8m.
e company has accused the government of negligence for claiming the scheme was viable and of breaching a duty of care.
e rm’s Chief Executive Michael Topham told the Court of Session that a letter sent from Slater in May 2022 was “so unambiguous and emphatic” he was le in no doubt the scheme would go ahead.
also claimed “critical basics remain unclear”.
He said there was no information regarding how many return point operators would be required, the expected footprint for small vs large retailers, and the return on investment model that would “unlock retailer capex investment”.
“Without clear guidance, it’s hard for small retailers to plan space, costs, or sta ng — and for suppliers to gauge the true market size,” he said. “Progress is welcome, but the missing commercial framework and practical detail will decide whether this can be delivered smoothly by 2027.
“ ere are circa 50,000 small retailers in the UK awaiting an answer and for 5,288 in Scotland it’s like déjà vu.”
Postmasters cite ‘betrayal’ as 8,000 Royal Mail shops launch
Royal Mail (RM) shop branding is being rolled out across almost 8,000 Collect+ convenience sites, after PayPoint and Royal Mail owner International Distribution Services took 49% ownership of Collect+, with an investment of £43.9m.
The move is being viewed as a stab in the back by many postmasters, according to the National Federation of Subpostmasters (NFSP).
The NFSP said: “Postmasters are understandably concerned. Both RM and Post Office have a long history together, with the majority of postmasters loyal to the RM brand, so this is a decision that many postmasters view as a serious betrayal.”
Scottish Budget delay
Retailers have been put on the back foot following the Scottish Government’s decision to postpone the publication of the Scottish Budget until January, making it difficult for firms to make accurate financial projections. Cabinet Secretary for Finance and Local Government, Shona Robison MSP, has confirmed a publication date of Tuesday 13 January 2026, having previously planned to publish the Scottish Budget in December.
Martin Swadling joins Co-op Wholesale
Swadling, who has over 30 years’ experience in UK retail and wholesale, left his role as Booker Wholesale Customer Director back in March. He has been tasked with leading the strategy and execution of Co-op Wholesale’s logistics and warehouse operations, building a high-performing delivery proposition, while driving operational efficiency.
Real Living Wage increases by 6.7%
The Living Wage Foundation has announced a 6.7% (+85p) rise in real Living Wage rates to £13.45 an hour across the UK. In London, the real Living Wage rate is up 6.9% (+95p) to £14.80 an hour. Retail trade union Usdaw has welcomed the “much-needed” increase and is calling for “a clear path towards £15 per hour for all workers aged over 18”.
Sales slide for Filshill, while profits grow
JW Filshill has recorded a 0.5% drop in turnover to £214m in the year ending 31 January 2025, in contrast to last year’s figures when the wholesaler’s turnover was 6%, up to £215m. Despite the slight sales dip, however, the firm has increased operating profit by 18.7% from £4.2m to £5m and profit before tax has grown 22.8% to £4.9m.
POST OFFICE
Gavin Money, Biffa’s former DRS Operations Director and David Harris, former Circularity Scotland Chief Executive at a new DRS site in Motherwell in 2023
Ali’s Nisa Royston celebrates 21 years
Hundreds of customers came to celebrate Ali’s Nisa Royston in Glasgow last month, which has been serving the local community for 21 years. The store marked the occasion with free food, including freshly prepared samosas, cakes, biscuits and ice cream, as well as giving away 300 goodie bags.
Dundee leads annual smoking decline
Dundee has witnessed the biggest annual decline rate in smoking prevalence in Scotland, according to new research by online vape shop Vapeverse.
Dundee ranked sixth overall in a list of top 10 UK local authorities with the most significant annual smoking decline, with an annual decline rate of -1.36%, closely followed by North Ayrshire in seventh place on -1.33%, while Hyndburn in the North West of England took the top spot with an annual decline rate of -1.56%.
Amazon Fresh gets canned Amazon has announced plans to close all its 19 Amazon Fresh stores, saying: “We’ve made the difficult decision to launch a consultation with employees regarding the proposed closure of our Amazon Fresh UK stores, following a thorough evaluation of business operations and the very substantial growth opportunities in online delivery.” As part of the closure proposal, the group plans to convert five Amazon Fresh locations to Whole Foods Market.
Exclusive promo for Morrisons Daily Morrisons has upped the ante for independent Morrisons Daily operators with a Spendstretch promotion exclusive to More Card customers shopping in franchise stores that have adopted the group’s loyalty scheme. The franchise offer has been further strengthened with over 200 extra own-brand lines, including 30 from Morrisons’ premium range.
Knife threat to delivery driver leaves Racetrack raging
Scottish Local Retailer of the Year, Racetrack, has slammed the government for failing to crack down on retail crime, a er one of the convenience group’s delivery drivers was threatened with a knife last month.
Sta member Avinash was delivering a Snappy Shopper order on an electric bike in the Govan district of Glasgow when he was stopped by three men and threatened at knifepoint.
Luckily, the shaken driver was able to escape unharmed, but as a result of the incident, Racetrack has invested in body-worn cameras for delivery sta and pledged to clearly label workers’ jackets and vehicles to highlight their use.
However, company Co-founder Shamly Sud raged that it was the government’s lack of action on retail crime that had le shopworkers vulnerable to attacks.
“You’ve got to do deliveries because that’s part and parcel to increase your revenue… at least with bodycams sta will feel safer. But that’s us spending that money. What is the government doing? Absolutely zilch,” she told SLR.
“I would like to see a lot more money invested in the system; you need a lot more bodies out there
ILLICIT TOBACCO Dangerous goods discovered Over 30,000 illegal cigarettes seized across Falkirk
Environmental and Trading Standards Manager David Gray with Boo and Rosie
Raids on retailers in Stenhousemuir, Grangemouth and Falkirk have led to the seizure of more than 30,000 illegal and dangerous cigarettes.
Falkirk Council’s Trading Standards team were assisted by Police Scotland o cers and specialist sni er dogs Boo and Rosie.
e cigarettes taken were either counterfeit or so-called “cheap white”, with an estimated retail value of £34,500.
Unlike legal cigarettes, cheap whites are not designed to self-extinguish if le burning, making them a greater re risk.
In addition to the cigarette haul, 14kg of hand-rolling tobacco was also removed from the stores. One retailer had hidden the goods in a purpose-built secret cupboard located in its stockroom.
reacting, but that’s not going to solve anything unless you have stricter measures. ere has to be something that deters these criminals from repeating crimes again and again.”
She claimed that the unacceptable number of crimes carried out against shopworkers had led to Racetrack investing in its Speed Queen automated laundry outlets, rather than convenience retail. “I’m doing less [convenience] retail and I’m doing more Speed Queen stores because I don’t have to worry about my sta ,” she said.
CHARITY
She added: “We owe it to our teams to keep shining a light on this issue and to stand together as an industry to demand change. We see posts day in, day out from retailers up and down the nation — at what point will it stop?”
Scotmid partners with Alzheimer Scotland
Scotmid has revealed a new charity partnership with Alzheimer Scotland.
The launch was accompanied by a giant walkthrough inflatable brain named ‘Babs’ in honour of Dame Barbara Windsor, who died in 2020 of Alzheimer’s disease.
The partnership was officially launched at Scotmid’s HQ in Newbridge, Edinburgh, where colleagues and pupils from local Hillwood Primary School were among the first to experience Babs the Brain. Dame Barbara’s widower and dementia campaigner, Scott Mitchell, also attended the event.
As part of the 12-month partnership, Alzheimer Scotland will take ‘Babs’ on a Big Brain Tour of Scotland, visiting stores as well as community venues. At each stop, people can step inside the inflatable to learn how different areas of the brain work, enjoy interactive activities, and make their own personal brain health pledge.
GROW YOUR POUCH SALES WITH FUMI.
FUMI delivers brilliant taste with professional brand activation support for your store.
Scottish Grocers’ Federation
Convenience Matters
with the SGF
It has been another eventful month at SGF, as we published our flagship Scottish Local Shop Report at our Annual Conference in Glasgow. The report has also been distributed widely to Ministers, MPs and MSPs across the political spectrum.
We also hosted Deputy First Minister Kate Forbes MSP at the conference, who graciously fielded robust and passionate questions from the floor on vital issues for the sector, such as retail crime. The message is crystal clear: the £3m targeted support for retail crime must be renewed in the next budget, and more needs to be done to protect staff and businesses!
Our report also caused a stir in the media, showing a clear link between declining employment in the sector and the cost of employment/ business, with Scottish staff numbers dropping by a staggering 6,000, to 49,000, in a single year. It’s plain to see the impact that higher employer NI contributions and retail crime are having on the sector. Fortunately store numbers remained steady for now, at 5,228 – despite a slight reduction in the forecast sales, in-store service, and business re-investment for 2025.
In other news, SGF is working hard to promote good practice in a growing category for the sector –nicotine pouches. Despite the lack of guidance from government, these products should never be sold or marketed to children, and products containing extremely high strength pouches (such as 100mg of nicotine) should be avoided, and any branding infringing on the IP of confectionery companies are already illegal. More will come in the UK Govt Tobacco & Vapes Bill which will raise the age restriction on all nicotine products to 16 years of age.
6,000 fewer jobs in Scottish local shops
SGF report shows rising staff costs and retail crime are crippling the sector.
e number of Scottish convenience sector sta has plummeted 10%, dropping from 55,000 to 49,000, according to the Scottish Grocers’ Federation’s (SGF’s) Scottish Local Shop Report 2025, published with the support of the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS). e gures show just how hard Scotland has been hammered, compared with UK convenience sta gures, which saw a decline of just 0.4%, according to the ACS Local Shop Report 2025.
e reduction in sta numbers was coupled with a drop in certain local lifeline services, with the percentage of stores housing Post O ce services down by a h to 20%. Meanwhile, the percentage of those o ering free-to-use cash machines was down from 46% to 40%, and the number of shops o ering prescription collection had halved from 4% to 2%.
e number of convenience stores in Scotland has remained consistent at 5,228 (marginally up from 5,220 last year).
e report also showed a reduced spend in stores and fewer items being bought per customer, which may be linked to struggling household budgets and the cost of living, with average shopper spend dropping from £8.04 to £7.81 and forecast yearly sales dropping by £0.6bn to £48.8bn in 2025 (UK-wide). e report also showed a drop in overall hours worked by UK convenience colleagues, dipping from 9.8 million in 2024 to 9.5 million in 2025.
Meanwhile, employer National Insurance contributions have shot up to £396m, an increase of £175m on the previous year (UK-wide), with year-onyear hikes to the National Living Wage increasing by 33% since 2019 (from £8.21 to £12.21 per hour).
Additional cost pressures, such as retail crime, tighter regulations across a range of product areas, and a realterms decline in business rates reliefs have also resulted in retailers putting less funds back into their stores, with investment down 5% from £94m in 2024 to £89m in 2025. Of those who are investing in their businesses, a quarter are spending on crime prevention measures, which is the fourth most common investment a er refrigeration, till systems and shelving.
SGF President and independent retailer for Watson’s Grocers – Moniaive, Graham Watson, said: “Local stores provide many essential services close to where people live, and they are part of the fabric of their community. In the years since Covid, we have seen the sector make great strides, o ering more jobs, delivering new services, and providing an important economic multiplier for local areas.”
Graham said pressure from external factors and government was putting many businesses under strain, leading to worrying job losses and disappearing critical services, and called for a more holistic approach to policy that considers the wider impact on essential services and sectors.
“Everyone agrees that providing exible local employment and services such as Post O ce and access to cash is part of the ‘full basket’ that our sector can o er – albeit many of those services have limited viability in their own right,” he added.
“ at’s not possible when retailers can’t a ord to pay sta or reinvest in their business because they are swamped with higher employment costs, a rising cost of doing business, retail crime, and ever-tighter regulation.”
WE NEED TO TALK ABOUT DRS
For quite a while, even mentioning the acronym ‘DRS’ was enough to get you in deep water. I remember mentioning it once on stage at the SLR Awards and actually getting heckled from the audience. But like it or not, we’re going to have to start re-incorporating DRS back into our vocabulary.
Yes, the first attempt at introducing a Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland was a shambles of epic proportions, about as popular as Margaret Thatcher’s similarly failed Poll Tax was. And the fallout continues. As I write this, an eight-day hearing is getting underway at the Court of Session in Edinburgh as Biffa seeks £166m in damages from the Scottish Government over the collapse of DRS.
But the fact remains that DRS 2.0 is looking far more likely to materialise. It’s possibly overstating it to say that it’s nailed on, but that’s not likely to be too far from the truth. Scheduled to launch in October 2027, this DRS is a different beast from the original. It will be (more or less) UK-wide, making it far easier to implement. It also benefits from being run by a credible Administrator staffed by industry experts who have a deep understanding of retailers and producers and are shaping a scheme that works as well as possible.
No less critical is the fact that if DRS doesn’t come into force on time, producers will instead be forced to pay the EPR (Extended Producer Responsibility) levy which comes into force in 2028 and is higher than the DRS levy. It’s worth noting that the biggest producers are actually the major supermarkets, so there’s a significant financial incentive for Tesco, Asda and the others to help get this thing over the line on time.
All of which explains why we’ve cast our eye over the water this issue to see how Ireland got on with their DRS. Yes, there clearly have been some teething problems but the numbers tell a compelling story: the recycling rate for containers jumped from 49% to 91% and the scheme has seen 1.6 billion containers recycled since launch in February 2024, around 798 million more containers recycled per year.
If I was a betting man, I’d say this DRS 2.0 is an odds-on favourite to happen – so the sooner we all start engaging and preparing the better.
ANTONY BEGLEY, PUBLISHING DIRECTOR
EDITORIAL
Publishing Director & Editor
Antony Begley abegley@55north.com
Deputy Editor Sarah Britton sbritton@55north.com
Features Editor Gaelle Walker gwalker@55north.com
Web Editor Findlay Stein fstein@55north.com
ADVERTISING
Sales & Marketing Director Helen Lyons 07575 959 915 | hlyons@55north.com
Design & Digital Manager Richard Chaudhry rchaudhry@55north.com
EVENTS & OPERATIONS
Events & Circulation Manager Cara Begley cbegley@55north.com
Scottish Local Retailer is distributed free to qualifying readers. For a registration card, call 0141 22 22 100. Other readers can obtain copies by annual subscription at £50 (UK), £62 (Europe airmail), £99 (Worldwide airmail).
The publisher cannot accept responsibility for any unsolicited material lost or damaged in the post. All text and layout is the copyright of 55 North Ltd.
Nothing in this magazine may be reproduced in whole or part without the written permission of the publisher.
All copyrights are recognised and used specifically for the purpose of criticism and review. Although the magazine has endevoured to ensure all information is correct at time of print, prices and availability may change.
This magazine is fully independent and not affiliated in any way with the companies mentioned herein.
Scottish Local Retailer is produced monthly by 55 North Ltd.
Retailers and digital experts talk Facebook fundamentals and TikTok tactics to boost sales and grow reach.
BY SARAH BRITTON
Rising costs and spiralling crime mean it’s a cutthroat world out there for convenience retailers. But social media continues to be one of the most e ective and underrated weapons in a retailer’s armoury and it’s high time you took advantage.
“Times are tough out there just now for our customers and for convenience stores as well,” says Nadeem Qurban, who owns Nisa High Station Falkirk. “Most retailers are longstanding, they’re well known in the community, and I think it’s important to push that point home on social media – that they’re here providing a service… and that customers can just nip into their store.”
It’s also a vital tool to ag up how your store helps local people, he adds. “It’s not just about business; there’s also the community aspect of what the store does. If you’ve given to a food bank, if you’re raising money for the homeless, people need to see the human side of the business. ese things would get lost in the noise before social media. Now you can really put yourself out there and show how you make a di erence.”
Social media is a digital shop front, claims Jamie Lile, Creative Director at digital marketing agency, Empros Retail, which specialises in the convenience sector. “You know this is where your customers are. It’s the same audience; we’re just hitting them when they’re not in the shop. It’s the easiest way to reach your local customers, to tell them what’s going on, engage with them, and make them build that attachment not just to the store, but to the people that work there.”
Amy Bennett, supervisor at Baba’s Kitchen in Bellshill and SLR’s Above & Beyond Awards Up and Coming Star for 2025, concurs that a strong social media presence is powerful. e store’s Facebook page has amassed an impressive 5.8k followers thanks to the e orts of Amy and her team and its success is clearly re ected in sales.
TOP TIP
POST BEYOND YOUR PAGE
“If you can get your content into a Facebook community group, which has 15,000 people in it, there’s definitely some benefit there.”
Fraser MacDonald, Empros Retail
“On the computer I’ve got a line chart of the sales over the last year and a half and it’s just an upward trajectory,” she says. “It’s to do with people’s connection to the store. It’s not just about who’s the cheapest. ey know that the quality of the product is good because they’re regularly seeing that we’re creating new stu and the personality of the sta all plays into it.”
NEIGHBOURHOOD FOCUS
Lori Watson, Digital Marketing O cer at CJ Lang & Son, claims that social media should be written into c-store’s business strategy. She reckons Facebook is the best platform for convenience retailers as it enables them to interact on a hyperlocal level. “You’re speaking directly to your community, people within a one or two radius within your store, the people that come into your store, so it’s great for them to see familiar faces online that they can resonate with and when you mix that in with promotions, your NPD, then they’re more likely to come in when they see that.”
While the Spar Scotland Facebook page is well established, Watson has recently led the launch of hyperlocal Facebook pages for 30 companyowned shops, which store sta can update.
“We highly encourage the sta to make their own content,” she adds. “I don’t want to ood them with generic assets. I want them to be themselves, be the people that they are when their customers are in the store and almost replicate that online.”
She runs a league table to encourage competition between the outlets and claims that stores in Erskine and Denny are the top two trailblazers. “ e week before the Spar Scotland trade show, we had 80,000 impressions across all 30 pages and that’s with no ad spend behind them,” she adds.
Watson also launched Spar Scotland on that at the forefront – not making the shi over
Watson also launched Spar Scotland on TikTok last month. “Facebook works with our demographics, that’s predominantly where our audience is, but they won’t always be there,” says Watson. “We’re looking to bring in a new, younger audience, so that’s why we’re putting that at the forefront – not making the shi over there but making sure that it gets nurtured just as much as our Facebook and Instagram does.”
It’s early days, but the account is already a resounding success, having achieved more than 140,000 views and over 400,000 impressions across multi-channel mix in its rst 12 days. is is in no part down to the hilarious antics of CJ Lang & Son Demand Planner, Shaun Fleming, who has been given the additional role of Digital Content Creator.
Videos have seen Shaun don a fur coat and pledge his appreciation of Irn Bru’s new Winter Bru to the festive soundtrack of East 17’s Stay, as well as dressing up as Elphaba from the Wicked
TOP TIP
TOP TIP
MAKE THE MOST OF SEASONALRECURRINGTRENDS
“Halloween’s a good one because it’s the same trends that circulate [each year]. There’ll always be new trends, but there are ones you can rely on like The Addams Family.”
MAKE THE MOST OF NEW PRODUCTS, AD CAMPAIGNS AND MOVIE RELEASES
“Wicked is going into cinemas in November, so that’s really popular at the moment. Robinsons have got a new glitter juice for Wicked, so we’ve been filming some content centred around that.”
Lori Watson, CJ Lang & Son
Lori Watson, CJ Lang & Son
TOP TIP
FEATURE PEOPLE IN YOUR POSTS
“Bellshill is quite a tight-knit community, everyone seems to know everyone, so getting all the recognisable faces that I try and put on social media as often as I can is definitely helping with repeat sales and that loyal custom.”
Amy Bennett, Baba’s Kitchen
movie to promote Robinson’s new Wickedthemed avours.
Spar Scotland TikTok has over 15,000 likes and Lori’s goal is to hit the million mark next year.
e Baba’s Kitchen team has also embraced TikTok in recent months, with a host of comedy capers. Skits include supervisor and Above & Beyond hero Reece Beattie mixing up a messy Buckfast Bucky Bramble cocktail and a ‘day in the life of a manager’ video, starring manager Umar Majid donning shades and dodging any work that comes his way.
THINK FIRST, FILM LATER
But content creation isn’t all fun and games.
“It’s actually quite tiring,” concedes Watson.
“ ere’s a lot of thinking beforehand. People maybe don’t appreciate that.
the sta to tell me when they’ve made something new so I can get photos and videos.”
Photos really do have to be picture perfect for Amy’s socials. “ e quality of the photo is a massive thing,” she says. “No one’s going to buy something if it’s shot in bad lighting or it’s blurry. ey’re always going to go with the item that looks the most appealing, especially foodwise. I’ve warned Bella, our chef, that she needs to have a garnish on everything before I take a picture.”
She aims to publish one post a day for Facebook and Instagram, and one a month on TikTok, due to the timeconsuming nature of creating video.
TOP TIP DON’T GET DROWNED IN SOUND
“Most of our TikToks are fun, so I try and keep the music quite light-hearted, but something that’s not too distracting from the video. You don’t want folk getting overstimulated with the music versus the text and then a voiceover!”
month consuming nature of creating video.
CALL IN THE PROS
is
can’t just go out and be really
ey think you just go out and lm, but it’s got to be strategized somehow. We can’t just go out and be really da – there are products to sell at the end of the day.”
Amy Bennett, Baba’s Kitchen
She spends a day a week on content creation and posts videos on a neardaily basis. “I’ll plan on that Monday what we’re going to do on the Friday.”
Many of her posts focus on products or special o ers. “We know our products may be two months ahead because [Spar Scotland] promotions work like that, so that’s a good aspect of it, but the actual planning of what that video is going to be centred around needs to be pretty close to the lming date.” is is due to the fast-moving nature of social media, and particularly TikTok, where Watson says a trend could last as little as a day.
Amy agrees with Watson that there’s a lot of planning behind the madcap videos. “ e girl that used to be in a lot of our TikToks, Hayley, was such a natural on camera, but she’s recently le us to go to uni, so we’re nding that we’re having to be a bit more creative in terms of making up scripts and things like that.
“I tend to do all my planning and scheduling on a Sunday and get the weekly schedule up for the following week. en I spend between two and ve hours a week working on social media, just between scheduling the posts and doing any lming or editing.
In addition to funny footage, new products and services make for good content, as do foodto-go products being prepared. “I’m always looking for new products that have come in, especially in our kitchen, and I’m always getting
If you have a member of sta who is skilled and willing to spend time on social media, then it can be a great way for them to drive business, whilst encouraging creativity. But some retailers are opting for outside help.
Asim Iqbal, who runs Premier Roslin Convenience Store in Midlothian, has partnered with Empros Retail to boost his social media. “Before it was us doing the occasional post – a couple of times a week,” he says. “I was spending about an hour or two at best. Now, we spend the same amount of time, but we get more content out of it. It takes a burden o your shoulders with manual posts.”
e store now posts several times a week on Facebook and TikTok, with most videos featuring Asim himself promoting special deals.
“Anyone can go on social media and post, but with regards to how you’re communicating with your audience, the time of day you’re posting, what you’re posting in the morning, what you’re posting in the evening – all these di erent things clump together and come into this strategy,” says Empros Retail Director Ross Lile.
STRATEGIC APPROACH
A more strategic approach is clearly working for Premier Roslin. Between January and June, the store had amassed 1.2m views across Facebook and a 470% increase in followers, as well as a 145% increase in Snappy sales. “It’s just going up and up and up and up,” beams Asim.
Nadeem has also worked closely with Empros Retail. “Before, our social media was a bit hit and miss,” he says. “Day-to-day tasks would get in the way and I wouldn’t know how to navigate certain tasks on Facebook.
“I’m a slightly older chap and, while I know my way around social media, it is not my natural way to communicate with people, I’m a face-toface person. So we decided to bring these guys on and what a change!”
While Nadeem lms all the content, Empros helps him with ideas and video editing, as well as social media advertising management. “ ey have a great itinerary that they have me follow with videos and promotions. I don’t spend a huge amount of time on social media now, Empros does the hard work for me. I can’t really shout about them enough. From where we were and where we are now, we’re night and day.”
His Facebook following now stands at 3.9k and sales have rocketed. “We look at the response from our social media customers on our posts, and we also look at how Snappy Shopper sales have grown over the last year. We’re up 100% from last year. It’s been a combination of things – obviously promotions, our performance on Snappy and customer service, but the social media aspect is really important.”
Empros handles stores’ social media under its basic package, while its premium service includes managing social media ad campaigns for retailers who are willing to invest.
“We’ll speak to a retailer and they’ve got 1,000 followers, but they’re lucky if they’re getting a
TOP TIP
LEARN FROM OTHERS
“Go look at retailers who are doing a good job on social media. You can look at the engagement and you can get a really good idea of what tends to work well and you can use that as essentially your learning material.”
Fraser MacDonald, Empros Retail
handful of likes and comments on each post,” says Empros Director Fraser MacDonald. “ e paid advertising campaigns are a massive driver to actually generate results both online and on the in-store foot tra c side of things because there’s a lot you can do there with regards to targeting your local area, di erent interest demographics. And, if you are on a delivery platform, we can also use the data from there for people that have previously been on the site before and purchased, so you can actually retarget essentially on the advertising front.”
TICK THESE FOUR BOXES
He claims that there are “four boxes you really want to tick”, the rst being the retailer providing good content. “ e second is building community engagement because Facebook’s algorithm will reward you for that,” he says.
Next, he claims that advertising spend makes a big di erence. “ e last thing is actually having good o ers on so that you’re actually pushing them to an o er which is worthwhile for that customer at that end point.
“If we can tick all of those boxes, it’s not uncommon for us to drive the delivery sales increases of between 50 to 60% over the course of just a short few months.”
He claims that the rewards are sweet for retailers who want to take the leap. “We had a few stores that had started in June under this premium package and since then the majority of them are up over 60% in their delivery sales already and that’s not stores that have gone from £1,000 to £6,000 per month. A lot of the time that’s stores that have gone from £80,000 to £130,000 a month within the space of just a few months.”
Whether you want to experiment with organic growth or work with a third party to send your socials skyward, there’s no doubt that getting on board with social media is an opportunity not to be missed.
Says MacDonald: “You’re essentially standing out with a megaphone, shouting out to your local community – it makes a massive di erence.”
If you would like to nd out more about Empros Retail, then please visit empros.co.uk or telephone 0131 210 0159.
Sweet
deals
Hancocks has two one-day showcases coming this month, with doors open from 8am to 8pm across all 14 nationwide depots. On 6 November, Sweetest Day will offer savings across iconic lines alongside bulk deals on pick & mix. The 27 November event will be themed around Black Friday, offering deep discounts across seasonal confectionery, bestsellers, drinks and impulse buys. Promotions will run both in-store and online.
PepsiCo signs multi-year Wembley deal
Wembley Stadium has teamedup with PepsiCo, making the food and drink giant its Official Carbonated Soft Drinks & Crisps Partner until 2030. This will see a range of PepsiCo beverages and crisps supplied throughout England’s national stadium. The deal marks PepsiCo’s first partnership with a UK national stadium, showcasing brands such as Walkers, Doritos, Cheetos and Pepsi MAX.
Greens Retail secures Nutrilean exclusive
Greens Retail has launched Northern Ireland-based healthfocused food brand Nutrilean exclusively in its stores across Scotland. Created by Rosie’s Bakes, Nutrilean is known for its high-protein meal plan delivery service. The Greens deal marks the brand’s first entry into the Scottish market. The Nutrilean range includes lean ready meals, energy pancakes, protein bites and more.
New Philip Morris boss
Philip Morris Limited (PML), the affiliate of Philip Morris International in the UK and Ireland, has appointed Peter Nixon as its new Managing Director. Nixon will oversee all aspects of PML’s business operations, with a focus on accelerating growth of its multicategory portfolio of smoke-free products. He succeeds Christian Woolfenden, who leaves the business.
Rustlers kicks off Big Night In competition
Rustlers has launched an on-pack promotion giving shoppers the chance to win a bumper Big Night In bundle, featuring £100 gi cards, an air fryer, a hi-tech screen projector, snacks and more.
e promotion is supported by in-store merchandising as well as online and out-of-home platforms. Retailers wishing free POS material can email foodtogo@kepak.com or visit kepaktrade.co.uk/marketing/.
Running until the end of November, the competition follows a campaign last month that targeted students at colleges and universities
SNACKS
across the UK with awarenessbuilding, on-campus activity including events, sampling and distribution of money-o coupons for their local onsite convenience stores.
Both initiatives follow a recent brand refresh for Rustlers, which has made the range more relevant to consumers by improving the clarity of messaging on-pack and driving clearer di erentiation between Rustlers Burgers, Sandwiches and Subs.
e brand is urging retailers to use the broad consumer appeal of
Darts ace Luke Littler stars in £42k KP Nuts giveaway
KP Snacks has launched a major new on-pack promotion for KP Nuts, featuring PDC World Darts Champion Luke Littler and offering consumers the chance to win £180 every 180 minutes.
With a prize fund of more than £42,000, the promotion features across £1.35 price-marked packs of KP Original Salted Peanuts, Dry Roasted Peanuts and Aromatic Thai Chilli Flavour Coated Peanuts. It runs until 7 December, with entries open between 09:00 and 21:00 daily. Consumers enter by scanning an on-pack QR code on promotional SKUs, which links directly to a dedicated website.
A late entry promotion will run until 25 January 2026, with entries made after 21:00 on 7 December added to a prize draw.
The campaign builds on KP’s partnership with Luke Littler, which launched in 2024. It promotes the link between KP Nuts and Littler, the 18-year-old darts player who rose to fame after winning the World Championship last year. The promotion aims to boost KP Nuts sales in the sharing segment, tapping into the popularity of nuts during social occasions like watching darts with friends and family.
new-look Rustlers as an integral part of their Big Night In selection, o ering complementary drinks, snacks and desserts as part of a basket-boosting meal deal.
CONFECTIONERY Cadbury backs Children in Need
Cadbury has launched a new promotional campaign in partnership with BBC Children in Need and its Bitesize Giving Initiative, transforming Cadbury Share Bags into Care Bags.
The brand is teaming up with Pudsey to donate £150,000 to BBC Children in Need, with proceeds from share bags of Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel Nibbles and Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons going to charitable causes that support young lives in communities across the UK.
Hovis and Butterkist unveil Wicked promotions
Hovis and Butterkist have both launched on-pack promotions to mark the release of Wicked: For Good, which hits cinemas on 21 November.
inspired by Wicked: For Good and seasonal food ideas that embrace the lm and its main characters.
One Stop freshens range
One Stop has launched a major reset of its chilled food range to meet changing customer needs. The overhaul introduces 78 new lines, including yogurts, dinner and side options, and healthy on-the-go drinks. The retailer has also redesigned its own-label sandwich packaging with a more muted colour palette to create a more premium feel across its on-the-go range. The refreshed range is now branded as ‘The Deli’.
Promotional packs of Hovis Best of Both Medium and ick Sliced o er shoppers the chance to win a family holiday to Canada, along with ve runner-up prizes of o cial Wicked: For Good merchandise. Entry is via a QR code featured on packs, which are available until 31 December.
Hovis is supporting the promotion with activation across social and digital platforms, as well as through retail media tie-ins. Social activity includes recipes
Meanwhile, shoppers can win a family trip to see the Northern Lights, alongside hundreds of themed prizes such as branded popcorn buckets and water bottles, in a new Butterkist on-pack
competition. All core Butterkist avours – including Sweet, Salted,
To ee and Sweet & Salty – feature Wicked: For Good-themed ash designs across sharing, microwave and price-marked packs.
Wicked: For Good is the nal chapter of the untold story of the witches that rst appeared in e Wizard of Oz.
SPORTS & ENERGY Luxury trip up for grabs
Celsius launches Las Vegas Grand Prix fan experience
Energy drink brand Celsius has launched a high-octane promotion o ering fans the chance to win a luxury trip to the 2025 Las Vegas Grand Prix.
e top prize includes three-day grandstand tickets, along with ights, private transfers, luxury accommodation and spending money.
e campaign is part of Celsius’ wider ‘Get Race Day Ready’ initiative, which includes in-store activations, digital content and a partnership with the Ferrari F1 team.
CHILLED
Good times await with Richmond Sausages
Richmond has launched a brand-new onpack promotion across its fresh sausages.
Shoppers have the chance to win one of five Good Times Getaways, consisting of a £6,000 Travel Card by Inspire gift card plus £750 spending money, redeemable towards a holiday of their choice. There are also hundreds of instant-win prizes, including Richmond-branded neck pillows and inflatable lilos.
The promotion is supported by a highvisibility out-of-home nationwide campaign and is also backed by a £350,000 media spend, featuring social media content fronted by TV personality Cara De La Hoyde, who stars in a bespoke social media ad.
Radnor Fruits teams up with Disney
Radnor Hills has partnered with Disney to celebrate the live-action reimagining of Lilo & Stitch. Three Radnor Fruits drinks in specially branded 200ml cartons feature the new film’s Stitch character. The new range include Apple, Forest Fruits and Orange flavours. The launch is supported by advertising, sampling, Disney digital point of sale and a TikTok live event with giveaways.
iPRO hits Morrisons Daily
iPRO Hydrate has won a listing that will see the sports drink on shelves in 550 Morrisons Daily stores across the UK. The drink is caffeine-free, contains no artificial colours or flavourings, and is naturally sweetened. Each bottle delivers 100% of the recommended daily intake of vitamin C and is enriched with B vitamins and electrolytes. The brand is the global hydration partner of Parkrun.
Co-op’s Christmas cracker Co-op Wholesale has launched ‘Cracking Christmas Deals’ to help indies drive festive sales. Running to the end of the year, the campaign delivers two new deals each week on highdemand, seasonally relevant products – available on a freesell basis. From w/c 3 November, the deals will also be promoted through Co-op Wholesale’s One Week Deal campaign – featured in its consumer leaflet and supporting channels.
CINEMA TIE-INS Brands hop on movie broomstick
Speciality Brands unveils three new Chichibu whiskies
Premium spirits distributor
Speciality Brands has introduced three new expressions from cult Japanese whisky producer Chichibu. Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu 10-Year-Old (ABV 50.5%, RSP £250), Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu Distillery II (ABV 55.5%, RSP £150) and Ichiro’s Malt Chichibu The London Edition 2025 (ABV 50.5%, RSP £210.66) are all available now.
Kingsbarns marks decade with new single malt
St Andrews-based Kingsbarns Distillery has reached a major milestone with the launch of its first-ever 10-year-old single malt (46% ABV, RSP £65). The new release has been matured predominantly in ex-Bourbon barrels with a touch of shaved, toasted and re-charred wine casks, resulting in a soft and balanced profile with notes of summer fruits and vanilla.
International Beverage opens community awards
International Beverage has launched its Spirit of Our Community Awards for a third year. The Awards were originally created to celebrate and reward charities making a difference in Airdrie and Coatbridge, where the company is headquartered, before expanding to include areas around its distilleries in Speyside and the Highlands. More information and entry forms are available on the IB website (bit.ly/4hk4FsV).
Kingfisher backs National Curry Week
Kingfisher Drinks marked National Curry Week with a digital campaign designed to drive awareness and sales of its world beer range in the off-trade. The brand launched The National Curry Week Cook-Off, a sevenpart online series that saw six home cooks battle it out for the title of Cook-Off Champion, with a £1,000 donation to the winner’s chosen charity.
Vinarchy unveils ‘Jam Sled’ bottles
Vinarchy has launched a limitededition festive range for its Australian wine brand Jam Shed, under the name ‘Jam Sled’.
e seasonal collection gives Jam Shed’s bestselling Shiraz variant a Christmas makeover, with ve new label designs across 750ml bottles.
e new packaging is designed to stand out on shelf and is available now.
Christmas remains a key trading period for wine. In the nal four weeks leading up to Christmas last year, shoppers spent 3.4% more on
SPIRITS
table wine than the year before. With 19.7% of consumers saying they would pay more for limited editions, Jam Sled aims to help retailers drive incremental sales during the festive season.
Jam Shed’s Shiraz is known for its sweet red berry avours, balanced with subtle hints of vanilla and spice.
Jam Sled Shiraz 750ml has an RSP of £8.25 and is available from a number of wholesalers and retailers, including One Stop, Coop, SPAR, Booker and Costco.
Chivas Regal launches clear spirit
Chivas Regal has launched Crystalgold, a new clear spirit drink that “reimagines Scotch whisky for modern drinkers”. Presented in a clear bottle with gold detailing, Crystalgold (40% ABV) is positioned as a mixable spirit for early-evening occasions.
The launch will be supported by a global campaign fronted by Chivas Regal’s brand ambassador, racing driver Charles Leclerc. Crystalgold is initially available from Amazon with an RSP of £51.
Jameson ups size on Ginger & Lime RTD
Pernod Ricard is relaunching its 5% ABV Jameson, Ginger Ale & Lime RTD in a larger 330ml can format.
Up from 250ml, the new can has an RSP of £2.39 and is available from Bestway.
e launch comes with RTDs holding steady as the number one value-gaining category in the o -trade, up by 13%, with pre-mixed whiskey drinks growing sales value by £3.5m.
fire to whisky range with Agneya
Premium spirits distributor Mangrove Global has expanded its world whisky portfolio with the arrival of Agneya, the latest expression from Indian single malt producer, Indri.
The name is rooted in Sanskrit and means belonging to fire.
Agneya joins Indri’s existing UK range, which consists of Trini, Dru and Diwali. It will be the first ongoing peated expression available year-round for the UK market.
The whisky sits at 46% ABV and delivers notes of mango, banana, melon and toffee wrapped in a gentle dried peat smoke.
WINE Jam Shed gets a Christmas makeover
CRACK CHRISTMAS DRINKS – P50
gentle dried peat smoke.
BeatBox lands in UK
Red Star Brands has launched BeatBox, the number one singleserve RTD in US convenience stores, in the UK.
Known as the ‘Original Party Punch’, BeatBox combines a neutral wine base with bold fruity avours.
It is available in four 6.1% ABV variants – Blue Razzberry, Juicy Mango, Orange Blast and Fruit Punch – from a number of wholesalers. In Scotland, these include JW Filshill, UWG and UWS.
e striking 330ml recyclable Tetra Pak cartons have an RSP of £3.29 and are designed to deliver high on-shelf visibility.
BEER Retro tops up for grabs in hidden can promo
e UK launch will be supported instore with a wide range of branded PoS materials and FSDUs, alongside monthly in uencer campaigns, sampling events and
high-pro le activations at festivals and events throughout 2026.
Originally founded in the US in 2012, BeatBox has grown into a $250m+ brand.
Carling fleeces punters
Shoppers can win an Umbro eece inspired by 90s and noughties football fashion in a new Carling promotion.
e lager brand has hidden 1,000 limited-edition retro cans inside 10x440ml and 18x440ml promotional multipacks in UK supermarkets and c-stores. e can features Carling branding from 2002 and promo multipacks are available now.
e eece takes its design cues from the style of the early English Premier League era. Winners can claim theirs by scanning a QR code on the retro cans.
e giveaway is part of a wider campaign marking 32 years of Carling’s support for British football – from becoming the Premier League’s rst ever title sponsor in 1993, to sponsoring the League Cup (Carling Cup) in the early 2000s, and now serving as the o cial beer partner of the Emirates FA Cup and Adobe Women’s FA Cup.
Jim Beam launches pineapple-flavoured bourbon
Suntory Global Spirits brand Jim Beam has launched its new Pineapple flavour in the UK, marking its first flavoured spirit release in two years.
Available now, the 70cl bottle blends Kentucky straight bourbon with the bright sweetness of pineapple.
Bottled at 32.5% ABV, it carries an RSP of £20.
The launch is designed to appeal to both seasoned bourbon drinkers and newcomers, offering a fruit-forward, versatile spirit suited to cocktail experimentation, casual sipping and athome entertaining.
CCEP is Wembley’s exclusive RTD supplier Coca-Cola Europacific Partners Great Britain (CCEP) has signed a five-year deal to become the official ready-to-drink (RTD) supplier to Wembley Stadium. CCEP will supply its full RTD portfolio to Wembley, offering fans a range of pre-mixed serves across match days and concerts. The partnership is now live, with more than three million people expected to visit Wembley Stadium throughout 2025.
Au makes alcohol-free debut with Blue Raspberry Au Vodka has launched Blue Raspberry 0%, a zero-alcohol RTD version of its popular premix. Aimed at consumers “who love the taste of Au without the buzz,” it is initially available in 330ml can four-packs with an RSP of £7.99 from Tesco stores and direct-to-consumer online. The brand said the launch reflects changing drinking habits and rising demand for premium alcohol-free options.
BrewDog makes rugby deal
Ellon-based BrewDog has signed a 10-year deal with St. Helens RFC, securing stadium naming rights and pouring rights from the 2026 season. The BrewDog Stadium will feature a refurbished matchday bar and exclusive branding on team shirts. The partnership includes community initiatives and fan perks, marking one of the club’s biggest commercial agreements to date.
Pernod Ricard hopes for a merry Christmas
Pernod Ricard’s UK off-trade sales dipped slightly in Q1 FY26, as part of a modest decline across Europe. Despite this, brands like Kahlúa and Perrier-Jouët delivered strong performances. The group is maintaining high marketing investment to support festive season demand and expects improved momentum in H2, with a focus on premium spirits and RTD growth.
RTDs Wine-based ‘Party Punch’ is a smash in the States
FLAVOURED SPIRITS
A match made in road trip heaven
From vintage car shows featuring the Glasgow Moggies, to collaborating with Sony’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey for exciting giveaways, working in partnership with Gulf can really help your forecourt to stand out from the competition.
Collaborating with Sony’s A Big Bold Beautiful Journey
Glasgow Moggies wow with pop-up car show
HELP US CELEBRATE THE STARS ON YOUR TEAM!
Shopfloor staff going above and beyond the call of duty is what makes local retailing so very special – and we want to hear about the stars in your business.
At its heart, what separates local retailing from all other retailing channels in Scotland is one simple thing: the relationships we enjoy with our customers and the communities we serve across the country.
e nature of our sector means that we o en see the same customers two and three times a day and, over time, strong bonds are created and lasting relationships are developed.
And it’s perhaps as a consequence of those relationships that many in-store teams view their customers as friends more than just shoppers. Which in turn may explain the many instances of shop oor sta going well above and beyond the call of duty to help colleagues, customers or local communities.
e reason we launched the SLR Above & Beyond Awards was to provide a platform where those shop oor heroes and their actions could be recognised and rewarded publicly. ese acts of heroism typically go unnoticed when really, we should be celebrating them as the very essence of local retailing and why it’s di erent from every other form of retail.
But we also know that people in Scotland have a natural tendency to be modest and self-e acing. It’s an endearing national characteristic, but sometimes we really should shout about our amazing colleagues and our amazing sector.
But we can only shout about our shop heroes if we know about them – which is why we are asking you to take a few minutes to get in touch and tell us about some of the examples of colleagues going above and beyond in your store.
It only takes a minute or two to nominate a colleague and it would mean so much to them.
So to help inspire you, we thought we would highlight some of our previous Above & Beyond Award winners. Perhaps their stories will ring a bell with you and remind you of something one of your colleagues has done?
AWARDS CATEGORIES
INDEPENDENT STORE COLLEAGUE
Sponsored by Mondelez International Open to all colleagues working in independently owned local retailing stores in Scotland that are unaffiliated or members of any symbol group, fascia or franchise.
COMPANY-OWNED STORE COLLEAGUE
Sponsored by CJ Lang / Spar Scotland Open to all colleagues working in CJ Lang company-owned stores in Scotland.
BUSINESS BOOSTER
Open to all colleagues who have materially improved their store’s performance by suggesting or introducing a new concept, product, service, communication method or a change in operational process.
TEAM OF THE YEAR
Open to all in-store teams which have pulled together to make a positive difference to their store’s performance and/or to their community.
UP & COMING STAR
Sponsored by Coca-Cola Europacific Partners
Open to all colleagues aged 25 or under working in any of the store formats detailed above who have shown themselves to be outstanding colleagues with a bright future in the sector ahead of them.
LONG SERVICE AWARD
Sponsored by Mondelez International Open to all colleagues working in any of the store formats detailed above who have worked in the sector, or a single store or chain, for an extended period of time.
ASTONISHING ACT
Open to all colleagues working in any of the store formats detailed above who truly went Above & Beyond to perform an astonishing act that had a massive positive impact on a customer, colleague or the community.
Kyrie Davidson, Spar Kincaidston
Kyrie wowed the judging panel with her fantastic ‘Angel Tree’ campaign where she asked customers to ‘buy’ one of the decorations on her in-store Christmas tree with the money being used to buy gifts for 30 local children who might not otherwise have woken up to a present on Christmas morning. A fantastic and simple idea that could easily be replicated in other stores.
Claire Fleming, SPAR Portland St, Troon
Claire Fleming spearheaded an astonishing campaign during her time as the manager of Spar Portland Street in Troon that saw her physically rework her store and train all staff to better meet the needs of customers coming in daily from a local dementia hospital.
“Winning my award was such a proud moment for me, but win or lose, it didn’t matter, simply being nominated was enough. It’s all about having someone notice you and say well done. Some people don’t have anyone in their life who says ‘well done’ or ‘I’m proud of you’ to them and that’s what makes the Above & Beyond awards so powerful. That recognition could be a pivotal moment in someone’s life.”
Salman Javed, A&J Stores Stenhousemuir
Young Salman Javed just happened to step outside his parents’ store when he noticed a man suffering with chest pains in the road. He rushed over to help and before he knew it the man had collapsed. Salman dialled 999, put him into the recovery position and then sprinted for the community defibrillator which is housed outside his store. He then used the defibrillator to resuscitate the man and save his life.
“It was all a bit of a blur but we had been fully trained on using the defib and, even though I was shaking with nerves, I followed the instructions and, thankfully, it worked.
“I would urge everybody to have a think about some of the amazing things their colleagues may have done and make sure they nominate them. Our stores are true community hubs and it’s great that the Above & Beyond Awards helps shine a light on the stuff that usually goes unnoticed.”
Alison Lennon, Day-Today Shotts
Alison helped save the life of an elderly customer who didn’t arrive for his usual morning paper. Alison went to his house where she discovered that he had had a serious accident and had been unable to call for help. Alison quickly raised the alarm, calling the emergency services, and the customer’s life was saved.
“The Above and Beyond Awards were such a fantastic experience,” Alison says. “I’d never really considered that I was doing anything that special or ‘astonishing’ until I was nominated, so it was really lovely to be told that and to meet so many other inspiring people.”
Alix Kligg, Londis Solo Convenience Store, Baillieston
Quick-thinking Alix performed crucial first aid when a local lady fell and hit her head in the street outside the store last summer. An ambulance had been called but was still a long way off – so Alix calmly took matters in hand by assessing the lady and giving vital first aid before phoning back to the store for blankets to keep the poor lady warm.
Alix then found the lady’s phone and called her husband, before arranging for someone to bring him to the scene.
HOW TO NOMINATE A COLLEAGUE…
Q Find the simple nomination form online: www.slrmag.co.uk/aboveandbeyond
Q All we need from you is some very basic information like: the nominee’s name, job title and contact telephone number.
“I didn’t really think of this as anything special. It’s just what we do at the store because we’re really community focused. But the Award helped me realise that I had actually done something pretty special and I was delighted to have it recognised.”
Q one or two bullet points on why you believe your nominee should be considered for an award.
Q Complete and return to events@55north.com
Q Contact Cara with any questions: cbegley@55north.com
Q Our judging panel will then personally call every nominee to find out a little more from them. It’s a very informal and relaxed call and allows us to gather the information we need to share your nominee’s story with the world.
MACHINE LEARNING
Blantyre retailer Mo Razzaq explains how he tripled his vending machine sales by fine-tuning his product offer.
BY SARAH BRITTON
Aware that a growing number of customers would like to buy food, drink and household items outside of his shop’s opening hours, Mo Razzaq was keen to adapt in order to grow sales and meet shoppers’ needs.
In an ideal world, he would have extended the opening hours of Mo’s Premier Blantyre to 24/7, but the cost of energy was prohibitive, so he then had the idea of installing two external vending machines.
Mo installed the machines alongside his selfservice laundry machines and parcel lockers at the beginning of August.
e vending machines are on a six-month trial, but they would cost £23,000 to purchase.
A shopper survey revealed that snacking was high on the agenda, so Mo lled one machine with confectionery and so drinks lines, including Pepsi, Coca-Cola and Monster energy drinks, and the other machine with sandwiches, milk, bread and food-to-go lines.
Prices were kept the same as in-store and sales got o to a positive start of £400 a week a er a so launch.
As time went on, Mo continued to analyse the o er and see where improvements could be
REFRESHEDOFFER
REFRESHEDOFFER
made. “We’ve taken energy drinks out because there wasn’t an age restriction process and we don’t want under-16s purchasing them,” he says. “So, we put glucose-based drinks in instead.”
He then added a range of condoms, tampons, towels, wipes and pregnancy test kits. “We were thinking of emergencies and also that people, especially young men, were embarrassed to come in the shop to buy condoms. ey are now buying them from the machine, so that was a good move.”
He also made the decision to introduce sanitary products at cost price, both in-store and in the machines. “We have monthly meetings where we speak to community groups and customers, and they told us about period poverty. Also, we run a foodbank for Hamilton Church’s drop-in centre – they told us women were stealing due to period poverty. We put baby wipes in the machine as well – as that’s a household item that people in a pinch struggled with.”
His savoury snacks, such a pies, sausage rolls, Rustlers Burgers and sandwiches have performed well. “If people are going to work, they can pick it up from a petrol station, but they’ll pay a premium for it because Rustlers
Burgers at a petrol station aren’t price marked, so they’re paying a higher price for them. We don’t put a surcharge on them, they’re the same as they are in the shop.”
Another distress purchase people tell Mo they have used his machines for is if they are visiting someone who has been rushed to hospital. “Hospital vending machines are quite limited… so they stop and pick up their drinks and snacks here because they know they’re going to be there a while.”
Mo’s other core shoppers are gamers. “ ey’re up half the night and sleep in the day – they’re like Dracula!” he jokes. “ ey’re a lot happier because they’re having a chance to use the machine for snacks and drinks, and we’ve got a pretty healthy balance of goods.”
Six weeks into the trial and sales have topped £1,200 a week. “ is is the tip of the iceberg,” says Mo. “We’ve not advertised it or anything. We kept it low key.”
He is planning to add a shelter to the units and will continue to monitor their performance but if early results are anything to go by, Mo believes that vending machines may well become a common sight outside convenience stores in the future.
DRS 2.0: THE IRISH EXPERIENCE
There’s been a lot of noise around the implementation of DRS in Ireland, much of it negative, but official figures clearly show that the scheme has had a huge positive impact.
BY ANTONY BEGLEY
“More than 3,600 schools, clubs and charities all over Ireland have engaged with and utilised the scheme to raise funds for a wide variety of worthy causes.”
For everyone in the Scottish local retailing sector scarred by the botched rst attempt to implement a Deposit Return Scheme in Scotland, the rollout of a similar scheme across the water in Ireland was always going to make for interesting viewing.
ere were many people, of course, with raw emotions and vested interests keen to see the Irish scheme collapse in disarray and, yes, anecdotal reports continue to appear demonstrating how the Irish DRS isn’t yet working precisely as planned.
ere’s no doubt, however, that it’s working across the major metrics. e 2024 Annual Report from Re-turn, the Irish scheme administrator, concludes that Ireland’s recycling rate for plastic bottles and aluminium and steel cans has jumped from 49% to 91% since the introduction of DRS in February 2024. Of this, around 76% is directly captured by the DRS.
More than 1.6 billion containers have now been recycled since launch, an annual increase of 798 million containers.
CIARAN FOLEY, CEO, RE-TURN
Chair of the Board of Re-turn Tony Keohane, Minister for Climate, Energy and the Environment Darragh O’Brien TD, CEO of Re-turn Ciaran Foley.
“Ireland’s experience with DRS shows that engaging early really makes a difference for convenience retailers. Bottle returns quickly become a key part of the in-store experience, and waiting until others have rolled out their solutions could mean missing out, and potentially losing valuable customers.
“Local retailers are at the heart of their communities, and the successful retailers in Ireland are those who’ve embraced DRS as an opportunity to offer a simple, convenient service that keeps shoppers coming back. We’ve seen that stores which planned early and chose a solution that suited their unique store became the go-to return point in their local area.”
TRULS HAUG, VP, NEW MARKETS EMEA, TOMRA COLLECTION
IRELAND’S DRS IN NUMBERS
1.6BN containers recycled since launch in February 2024.
798 MILLION more containers recycled per year.
Recycling rate for containers jumped from 49% to 91%
Lowest average levels of bottle and can litter on Irish shores in 25 years.
50% drop in container littering.
[Source: Re-turn Annual Report, 2024]
RETAILER CASE STUDY
HANLON’S GALA SHOP, LONGFORD
PATRICK HANLON, OWNER
“We are probably one of maybe three stores in the whole of Ireland that open fully 24 hours. Some people still don’t like the idea of coming to the machines during the day. They have a bit of a hang-up about it, but at night, we are offering something a little bit different. A lot of my customers are happy to use the reverse vending machine somewhere like this that’s a little quieter and easier to access.”
RETAILER CASE STUDY
COSTCUTTER EXPRESS MACROOM
JUNE MURPHY, OWNER
“At first, we were unsure about DRS but we were hopeful. Now, everyone brings their recyclables back to us because there are no long queues like in the bigger stores. Customers tend to bring back their empty containers weekly which sees the deposit refund mostly being spent in-store. The machine is processing over 7,000 containers monthly.”
RETAILER CASE STUDY
COSTCUTTER WINDY ARBOUR, DUBLIN
AARON MASSEY, OWNER
“We’ve had an RVM since September 2023 but since the DRS went live in February 2024, the number of drink containers returned to the store rose more than 350%. We’ve embraced the process. We’ve educated our team and educated our customers in turn.”
POSITIVE PROGRESS
Ciaran Foley, CEO of Re-turn, said: “ ese recycling gures are far beyond what we had projected to achieve just a year a er the end of the transition phase for the scheme.”
Importantly, Foley also touched on the wider bene ts of the scheme, over and above the clear environmental ones: “ e social impact of the scheme and the engagement with it from community groups across the country has exceeded any and all expectations. Schools, clubs and charities all over Ireland have engaged with and utilised the scheme to raise funds for a wide variety of worthy causes.”
Meanwhile, Tony Keohane, Chair of the Board of Re-turn, explained that the success of the Scheme was only possible because of the way the various stakeholders worked together to deliver the best possible solution: “ e success has been driven by extraordinary collaboration across government, retailers, producers and the wider supply chain, and most importantly by the enthusiastic participation of the Irish public.”
And on top of all of that good stu , Re-turn is helping in the development of Ireland’s rst PET bottle-to-bottle recycling facility which will enable PET plastic bottles collected through the DRS to be fully recycled within the country. is will reduce Ireland’s reliance on exporting PET plastic for processing.
NEXT OBJECTIVES
So, while we may continue to hear negative stories around Ireland’s DRS, and Re-turn itself admits there’s a long way to go, it’s simply inaccurate to conclude that, from a big-picture point of view, the system isn’t working.
In its 2024 Annual Report, it’s also instructive and interesting to learn of the key priorities that Re-turn set for itself for 2025:
Q Expanding the return network and high-capacity RVMs.
Q Improving access and participation across all communities.
Q Supporting retailers and producers.
Q Investing in public education to encourage consistent recycling behaviours.
REAL LEARNINGS
ere’s a lot we can learn from the Irish experience as we approach the October 2027 deadline, not least the fact that once it’s actually in place, it seems like customers have no major issues with engaging. In retailer terms, that engagement means footfall and footfall presents opportunity.
With the clock already ticking, it’s time to grasp this particular thistle and ensure that your store and your business is ready to take advantage of the opportunities that a well implemented DRS scheme can hold for you, you store team, your store and the community you serve.
“At first, we were unsure about DRS but we were hopeful. Now, everyone brings their recyclables back to us because there are no long queues like in the bigger stores.”
COSTCUTTER
RISING TO THE OCCASION
Fully refitted at the end of 2023, Spar Erskine has continued to shine with its spectacular bread and bakery offer deemed the best in the business at this year’s SLR Awards.
BY ANTONY BEGLEY
W
As many retailers know, fully refitting a store can in some senses be the easy bit: the hard part is keeping it looking the way it did on the day of the grand re-opening. Fortunately for CJ Lang & Son, the fate of its swanky new 3,000sq ft Spar store in Erskine was always in safe hands with experienced and talented manager Paul Kenyon at the helm.
The store had traded for over 25 years but was refitted to the tune of £500,000 at the tail end of 2023 to bring it up to the standards of Spar Scotland’s modern design ethos. Spar Erskine was nothing short of stunning when it re-opened – and thanks to Paul and his team, it was just as stunning when the SLR Awards judges visited earlier this year.
A big, spacious store, it’s full of all the latest local retailing mod cons: multi-coloured LED lighting, digital SELs throughout, a striking drinks-to-go section, closed-door eco-friendly chillers, smart dark flooring and shelving, and lots more besides. All told, it looks a thoroughly modern convenience store – and it’s just as tidy, pristine, clean and immaculately merchandised as ever.
Nowhere is that attention to detail more evident than in the frankly huge bread and bakery offer.
Since the refit, sales in the category rocketed with bakery up 31% and bread up 14.9%. The refit paid special attention to this vital category which saw the imposing main fixture sited right in the middle of the store while a range of tempting cakes and other bakery products are dotted around high traffic areas of the store in FSDUs to drive impulse sales.
A dedicated serveover at the tillpoint offers shoppers a final opportunity to indulge themselves with sweet treats.
Paul and his team work closely with the major bakers like Hovis to ensure that the store has the big brand products that many customers expect, but an extensive range of Spar own-brand lines offers value alternatives while there’s also an exceptional range of products sourced from local and regional bakers.
A dedicated aisle-end features a range of rolls and other bakery lines from Browning’s while the main fixture plays host to a strong range of quality own-label and branded products, many sourced from Ireland, something that CJ Lang does well through its wider Spar network.
The store also offers a wide selection of thaw-and-serve products under the CJ’s food-to-go own-brand umbrella, exclusive to Spar company-owned stores, from traybakes to donuts and apple pies.
NPD is enthusiastically embraced with promotions and secondary siting used to great effect to get those exciting new lines in front of customers.
The bread and bakery range effectively delivers something for every taste and every pocket. From superplush treats to great-value loaves, shoppers can find what they want. Just as importantly, Paul and his team work the shopfloor obsessively, replenishing shelves and making sure the merchandising is on point at all times.
Spar Erskine is a great example of what a modern local retailing outlet can look like, delivering a fantastic shopping experience for customers. With competition so fierce in the sector these days and costs so high, the store demonstrates the critical importance of staying ahead of the game and keeping up with – or surpassing – customer expectations.
BESTWAY CELEBRATING 50 YEARS OF GROWTH, PARTNERSHIP & GREAT DEALS
As part of Bestway’s 50th anniversary celebrations, it is celebrating longstanding supplier partnerships like the one it enjoys with 150-yearstrong AG Barr.
As Bestway marks its 50th anniversary, celebrations wouldn’t be complete without recognising the role of long-standing supplier partners, and relationships that deliver growth and upli for all. Few partnerships are as enduring as the one with AG Barr. Founded in 1875, AG Barr is celebrating 150 years of creating some of the UK’s most iconic drinks brands, from Irn-Bru to Rubicon, Boost, Barr, and Tizer.
For ve decades, these household names have been a staple of independent retail, supported by Bestway’s scale and reach. Barr’s Scottish heritage is rmly ingrained in popular culture, most memorably through the legendary ‘Made in Scotland from Girders’ campaign, voted Best Advertising Strapline of the Last 21 Years at the Scottish Advertising Awards.
is shared milestone year is marked by standout joint activity, not least AG Barr’s investment into Golden Week promotions, which delivered exceptional rewards for customers, signposting that investment reaps results and rewards!
GOLDEN REWARDS FOR RETAILERS
As an example of how to capture peak season demand, AG Barr invested in the 50th Anniversary campaign with a £20,000 prize draw for retailers stocking Irn-Bru. Every ve cases purchased earned an automatic entry, with prizes ranging from £250 to £2,000. Among the winners was e Wee Bake Shop in Dundee, which scooped £1,000.
GOLDEN RESULTS FOR SALES
Bestway’s Golden Weeks, run with AG Barr, have generated spectacular results. Latest gures
show promotional SKUs surged by +185% against the weekly average, fuelling +104% SKU volume growth and +90% value growth across the Barr portfolio. e mix of compelling deals, hot summer weather and soaring shopper demand led to a record-breaking week. Best products during the Golden Weeks were Rubicon Mango 1L and Irn-Bru.
e success of the Golden Weeks campaign re ects the power of collaboration between wholesaler and supplier. Not only did sales soar, but independent retailers saw stronger margins, proof that when partners work hand-in-hand, everyone bene ts.
As Bestway celebrates its 50th year, and AG Barr proudly marks 150 years, they celebrate a shared legacy of trust, innovation, and support for independent retail. A legacy that will continue to ourish for generations and, by working with suppliers alongside a commitment to invest, has delivered solid growth results for all.
Telephone: 020 8453 1234
For more information, visit bestwaywholesale.co.uk
Ready to join our symbol group? Visit bestwayretail.co.uk
Sourdough Cobs Hovis
New White Sourdough Cob and Seeded Sourdough Cob are available now in Tesco and Morrisons, with a wider rollout to follow. Both use Hovis’ signature starter dough, which is fermented for at least 24 hours. The loaves are baked in small batches and handfinished to deliver a thick, golden crust and strong flavour. The launch is supported by retail media, social media, PR, digital and sampling activities.
Cathedral City Chilled Ready Meals
Saputo Dairy UK
PepsiCo adds festive twist with Doritos Gingerbread and new Walkers flavours
Cathedral City has expanded its chilled ready meal portfolio with eight new products developed in partnership with Oscar Mayer. The new lines include Cheese & Bacon Loaded Fries, Sausage & Bean Bake, Margherita Loaded Fries, Spaghetti Carbonara, Fish Pie and Chicken & Leek Pie, alongside 1.2kg family-sized formats of Lasagne and Macaroni Cheese. The range is available from Co-op Wholesale.
PepsiCo is bringing a hint of sweetness to the savoury snacks category this festive season by launching the first-ever Doritos limited-edition Christmas flavour –Doritos Gingerbread.
JUUL2 Pods
Juul Labs
New Mango, Apple, Watermelon and Lychee flavours are now available for the JUUL2 system. Starter Kits – which contain Virginia Tobacco & Crisp Menthol – have an RSP of £9.99. Device Kits (RSP £6.99), Refill Kit 2-packs (RSP £6.99) and Refill Kit 4-packs (RSP £13.99) are also available. Retailers can contact their Juul rep for pointof-sale materials.
Available now, the Doritos crunch will be paired with the warming spiced flavour of gingerbread. The flavour combination is designed to disrupt the category and create intrigue and excitement, helping to drive impulse purchases among shoppers looking to experiment with new flavours this Christmas.
The festive line-up also includes two new Walkers multipacks – Walkers Emmental Cheese and Walkers Beef Wellington – alongside the return of Sensations
Taco Recipe Kits
Gran Luchito
Coming in four flavour profiles –Al Pastor, Barbacoa, Birria and Carnitas – the kits (RSP £3.95) launch initially in Ocado and Waitrose. They will be available to convenience retailers from Cotswold Fayre in January. Made in Mexico using high-quality ingredients and authentic recipes, the kits are designed to emulate scratch-style cooking and deliver bold flavours in just 15 minutes.
Honey Glazed Ham sharing bags. The limited-time offerings will be complemented by festive re-skins across selected products in the core Walkers, Sensations and Doritos ranges, as well as Wotsits Giants.
The launch will be supported with shopper marketing and influencer activities.
The Walkers five-pack Emmental Cheese flavour is available at RSP £2.15, Walkers five-pack Beef Wellington flavour at RSP £2.15, Sensations Honey Glazed Ham flavour 150g sharing bag at RSP £2.50, and Doritos Gingerbread flavour 180g sharing bag at RSP £2.50.
Chocolate-Covered Snacks Biona Organics
Salted Caramel Dark Chocolate
Coated Almonds (RSP £2.49) feature crunchy almonds coated in dark chocolate with a hint of salted caramel and sea salt. Dark Chocolate Coated Raspberries (RSP £3.59) offer whole freeze-dried raspberries enveloped in layers of dark chocolate. Dark Chocolate Coated Ginger (RSP £3.69) contains crystallised ginger chunks coated in dark chocolate.
The new smooth, mild and creamy yogurt is rich in calcium and vitamin D, with no added sugar. It comes in a 450g sharing pot, RSP £1.95, that provides four to five servings, making it suitable for various at-home occasions including breakfast. The launch is backed by a six-figure investment and will slot into the latest Petits Filous ‘Mischief Makes Us’ campaign, alongside bespoke shopper marketing in major national retailers.
Petits Filous Natural Yoplait
retail media, social
KLAR Blank Emplicure
Swedish nicotine brand KLAR has launched a new unflavoured nicotine pouch called Blank. The product uses patented bioceramic technology which the brand says delivers a faster and more efficient nicotine experience. Blank is available in three strengths – Regular (3mg), Strong (6mg) and Extra Strong (9mg). Each unbleached pouch provides up to 45 minutes of use.
Cheerios Very Berry Nestlé
Cheerios first new product in nearly three years features multigrain rings made from oats, wheat and barley, blended with real berry purée from blackberries, raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. It is high in fibre, fortified with seven vitamins, calcium and iron, and contains no artificial colours or flavours. The cereal is also suitable for vegetarians and is available now in 435g boxes at an RSP of £3.50.
Tilda Taste Travellers
Ebro Foods
This new range of veg-packed, nutritionally balanced, rice-based meals for kids has been created in collaboration with dietitian Lucy Upton. Four internationally inspired variants – Mexican Rice Bowl, Japanese Katsu Curry Rice, Pesto & Pea Risotto, and Mild Thai Green Curry Rice – are suitable for toddlers and up. They are available via Tesco, Ocado and Amazon, with a wider multi-channel rollout to follow.
RSP £2, 220g.
Dr. Oetker Suprema Dr. Oetker
The new Neapolitan-style frozen pizza range brings “artisanal quality to the home dining space”. The pizzas feature a sourdough base and each one is baked over a 400°C hot stone, resulting in an irregular, airy and crisp crust with authentic charring. The range includes
Nothing to see
three flavours: La Margherita, La Calabria and La Romana. Suprema is available now with an introductory price of £3 (RSP £5).
2025 Advent Calendar Swizzels
With an RSP of £6 and available now in cases of six, the advent calendar features a fresh, eyecatching design for 2025 and is packed with 24 days of Swizzels favourites. Inside, shoppers will discover a mix of Swizzels’ bestloved sweets, including Squashies, Refreshers, Drumstick Chews and Love Hearts. The back of the advent calendar introduces the magical world of Sweetville, where each sweet has its own personality.
Festive Shortbread Shapes Walker’s Shortbread
Part of the brand’s festive range, Walker’s Festive Shortbread Shapes (260g, RSP £5.75) come in seasonal designs including Christmas trees, bells, stars and Santa. The range also includes Mince Pies, Mini Mince Pies, Gingerbread Mince Pies, Gingerbread Men and Mini Festive Shortbread Trees/Stars.
‘Nothing to Hide’ is a multi-million-pound campaign celebrating Quorn’s high protein, no artificial ingredients range. A new ad stars the brand’s puppets, Perry Pig, Clarence Cow and Chickson Chicken, cooking up a storm –naked. The 10-week blitz includes traditional media, video on demand, social, influencer, podcast, PR and shopper marketing activities.
Purple stain
Colgate has squeezed out a new digital-first campaign for its Max White Purple Serum, a post-brushing gel that neutralises yellow stains on teeth. Targeting 18–34-year-olds, the campaign runs across TikTok, Pinterest, Meta, YouTube, and Amazon. It includes a number of light-hearted short films inspired by social media trends like photo booth pictures.
Retailers take centre stage
Fuel brand JET has launched its 2025 advertising campaign, ‘JET Carousel’, the latest instalment in its long-running ‘Keep on Moving’ series. The campaign celebrates the role of forecourt retailers and staff in keeping communities moving, with a bold, theatreinspired film built around a rotating set that spotlights everyday customer journeys.
Buff it like Beckham
David Beckham stars in a new campaign to support Pepsi Max’s third year of partnership with EA Sports FC. A short film shows Becks meticulously cleaning mementos from his career, including an international cap and UEFA Champions League medal, before proclaiming to have “the ultimate silverware” that “wins every time” – a can of Pepsi Max.
Pie hard
Fray Bentos has launched ‘Bish Bash Bentos’, a new campaign starring social media sensation Big John Fisher. This sees the so-called ‘Boshfather’ apply his “bosh” catchphrase to the brand’s full range, from pies and meatballs to new protein pouches. The campaign runs across out-of-home, social, digital audio, and in-store POS.
FULL OF SEASONAL
Sparkle
Whether it’s bestselling carbonates and energy drinks or glitter-infused fruit drinks and limitededition flavours, the soft drinks category has plenty to offer this Christmas.
BY SARAH BRITTON
They don’t call October to December “the golden quarter” for nothing, with sales warming up nicely over Halloween and Bon re Night, ready to set alight in December.
“Christmas is one of the most pro table times of year for retail, an excuse for shoppers to indulge, opting for more premium products versus their everyday purchases,” says a Red Bull spokesperson. “ is presents a huge opportunity for retailers to drive sales, with the four weeks of December 2024 delivering £13.7bn in FMCG sales and shoppers increasing their household spend by 10% on average [Kantar Worldpanel, Take Home, 4 weeks to 24 December 2024].
“Not only does Christmas deliver more sales, but it is also a highly incremental time of year, delivering increased volume and frequency. Around 35% of promotional volume at Christmas is incremental to the average store, compared to just 25% during the rest of the year [Kantar Worldpanel, Source of Volume Analysis, two years of promotions data until July 2023]. is impact is felt across categories, and functional energy is one of them, with shoppers making an additional 3.2 million trips vs the average month in the year [Kantar Worldpanel, Combined Panel, 4 weeks to 29 December 2024].”
As one of the busiest shopping periods of the year, Christmas continues to be a major moment for retailers, concurs Carlsberg Britvic. “With many social events taking place within the home, the demand for a variety of drinks increases, giving retailers an opportunity to capitalise on
the seasonal demand,” says Ben Parker, VP Sales
the seasonal demand,” says Ben Parker, VP Sales – O Trade. “To meet this need and bene t from the li in food and drink sales, retailers should o er a well-curated mix of fan favourites like Pepsi Max, 7UP, and Tango, alongside bold new avour innovations.”
Claire Fleming, store manager at Spar Saltcoats in North Ayrshire, agrees that, alongside bestsellers, “anything weird and wonderful at Christmas” seems to capture so drink shoppers’ imaginations.
FESTIVE NPD
Consumers looking for something new this season are spoilt for choice. Carlsberg Britvic has launched a range of Robinsons and Fruit Shoot avours in celebration of the new Wicked movie. With whimsical names including ‘Wonderfully Fruity Twist’ and ‘Sparkle Berry’ and the addition of edible glitter, Claire reckons they may well appeal to Christmas so drinks consumers. “ ey’re going on my promo end,” she says. “Any products linked with a lm always go well and because it’s glittery people might associate it with Christmas.”
Festive favourite J2O Glitterberry is also back. e grape, cherry and winter spice avour with edible red glitter is available from now until the end of December. e launch is supported by an on-pack promotion, o ering shoppers the chance to win Ticketmaster e-gi cards and Bluetooth speakers. To enter, consumers must buy a pack of J2O Orange & Passion Fruit, Apple & Mango, Apple & Raspberry or Glitterberry and visit the J2O website.
CARLSBERG
SEASONAL DISPLAYS
Q Draw shoppers in with bold, seasonal displays featuring popular products like Pepsi Max and use festive colours, signage, and lighting. Place popular picks like soft drinks and snacks in high-traffic spots to grab attention and drive impulse buys.
GROUP PRODUCTS BY OCCASION
Q Create themed zones like ‘Christmas Morning Essentials’ or ‘Party Picks’ to inspire shoppers and make navigating the store easier. Bundling complementary items – like coffee with breakfast foods –encourages cross-category purchases and boosts basket spend.
PROMOTIONS
Q Promotions are a great way to encourage impulse purchases, and this is especially true during Christmas. Communicate promotions to shoppers to drive both awareness and footfall. For example, placing core soft drinks such as Pepsi Max and 7UP alongside complementary categories like savoury sharers and party snacks can encourage impulse purchases and increase basket spend.
CHOICE
Q Stock up on multipacks and large bottles near seasonal food to drive bulk buys. Mix trusted favourites with bold new flavours to suit every shopper, and don’t forget family-friendly options to make your store the go-to festive stop.
J2O is one of Spar Saltcoats’ top sellers. “ e orange J2O sells all the time in my shop, but we sell more of it at Christmas and people buy the di erent variants too,” says Claire.
Another yuletide drink that is already making a splash is Irn-Bru’s Winter Bru, which is infused with Spiced Cinnamon & Ginger. e red cans are emblazoned with snow akes and come in 330ml plain (RSP £1.09) and 79p price-marked cans (cases of 24) and 8 x 330ml multipacks (RSP £4.50).
Kenny Nicholson, Irn-Bru Brand Director, says: “We know that our limited-edition avours are hugely popular and a big incremental sales driver. Retailers have sold more than nine million cans of Irn-Bru Xtra limited editions in the last two years [AG Barr Sales Data, Unit Sales 2023, 2024], with almost half attributed to new category shoppers.
for retailers and wholesalers to create festive theatre in store throughout the winter months. e Christmas concoction is already working its magic at Spar Saltcoats. “We’ve got Irn-Bru’s Winter Bru in and it is ying out the door,”
Claire says.
Joining Irn-Bru on its ginger journey is Red Bull’s third Winter Edition, with the taste of Fuji Apple and Ginger.
“As shoppers continue to experiment with avoured energy, Christmas is also an important time to drive trial, with shoppers more open to trying something new or seasonal as they prepare for the festive season,” says Red Bull.
“Sales of ginger- avoured drinks are also increasing by 27% [Circana / All ginger avour so drinks / L52 w/e 19 April 2025], so we know that this is the perfect time for Winter Bru. A spicy hit in every sip, we’ve combined our iconic Irn-Bru taste with a truly delicious festive avour that we know will have shoppers running back for more before it’s gone.”
e launch is being backed by PR, social and in uencer activation, and POS will be available
four weeks of December [NIQ Scantrack, Total
31% of functional energy shoppers buying a Red Bull Edition avoured energy drink over
WICKED SEQUEL SEES ROBINSONS AND FRUIT SHOOT GO GLITTERY
Carlsberg Britvic has unveiled a host of glitter-infused Robinsons and Fruit Shoot soft drinks to celebrate the release of Universal Pictures’ ‘Wicked: For Good’ movie.
The limited-edition run of flavours includes a new ‘Wonderfully Fruity Twist’ flavour, alongside the return of ‘Amazifying Citrus Twist’ and ‘Outstandiful Berry’ in Robinsons Double Concentrate. These are available across the convenience channel in 750ml formats until mid-December.
For the first time, the partnership also extends into Fruit Shoot, with ‘Thrillifying Citrus’ (Citrus Twist) and ‘Sparkle Berry’ (Strawberry & Pineapple) flavours, which come in eight-pack formats for the convenience channel.
Wicked: For Good launches in cinemas on Friday 21 November, creating a clear opportunity for retailers to unlock additional squash and Fruit Shoot sales in the lead-up to Christmas, states the firm.
Inspired by the film’s iconic characters, Elphaba and Glinda, a supporting campaign will encourage shoppers to answer, ‘Witch Flavour Are You?’, driving interaction at purchase and promoting trial across the limited-edition range. To further increase campaign visibility, Robinsons core Orange and Apple & Blackcurrant will feature exclusive Wicked-themed on-pack designs across its 750ml and 1.75-litre Double Concentrate formats.
Clare Brosnan, Brand Marketing Director at Robinsons, says: “Last year’s partnership with Universal Pictures was a huge success, with 1.3 million limited-edition bottles sold in Q4 and £1.6 million RSV delivered in total market [Kantar, Take-Home Panel, 12we 29 December 2024.] Building on this momentum, this year we are going bigger and better, introducing new flavours across the Robinsons and Fruit Shoot brands to extend appeal and further drive engagement. Pairing Wicked: For Good, one of the year’s most hotly anticipated films, with such well-loved family brands is perfectly set to deliver success in the squash aisle for retailers.”
Last year Red Bull Editions were key to driving the category at Christmas, accounting for 49% of all avoured functional energy growth in the four weeks of December [NIQ Scantrack, Total Coverage, 4 weeks to 28 December 2024]. “With 31% of functional energy shoppers buying a Red Bull Edition avoured energy drink over this timeframe, the demand is clear [Kantar Worldpanel, Combined Panel, 4 weeks to 29 December 2024],” says Red Bull.
Christmas 2024 saw Red Bull launch its second Winter Edition, Iced Vanilla Berry. “With 63% of purchases planned [Kantar Worldpanel Plus Survey, N = 621, February 2025], the launch was e ective at bringing shoppers into store
Winter Edition, Iced Vanilla Berry. “With 63% of purchases planned [Kantar Worldpanel Plus Survey, N = 621, February 2025], the launch was e ective at bringing shoppers into store
at a key time to drive sales – demonstrating the additional sales opportunity presented by limited edition and seasonal product around at Christmas.”
Flavoured Editions shoppers tend to be younger than the average energy drink consumer, with 60% of buyers being under 35 [Kantar Worldpanel | Combined Panel | Total Market | 52 weeks to 20 April 2025].
e original Red Bull Energy Drink 250ml is also a must-stock, selling more packs than any other single serve so drink all year round, according to Nielsen Scantrack, Total Coverage, Latest 52 weeks to w/e 19 April 2025. “Ensuring it is well-stocked, chilled and always available is key to driving sales over the festive season,” says a Red Bull spokesperson.
GO LARGE
As occasions get bigger, shoppers are also looking to trade up, notes Red Bull. “With consumers spending more time at home and catering to guests, they are in uenced to try larger, more premium pack formats,” says the rm. “As a result, multipacks see a notable li in rate of sale over those four weeks (an increase of 16% vs the average week in the year) [NIQ Scantrack, Total Coverage, 4 weeks of December (2023 & 2024) vs average month over 2 years].”
Last year, penetration of functional energy multipacks grew by 7% vs the average month in December as shoppers traded up into higher volume packs [Kantar Worldpanel, Combined Panel, 4 weeks to 29 December 2024], making multipacks an essential way to capture shoppers looking for more volume over Christmas.
“At Christmas time we de nitely sell bigger packs of so drinks,” says Claire. “We get in more 2-litre bottles and I’ve pre-ordered 18 packs of Coke and the big packs of Schweppes. at screams Christmas.”
She claims that there is a notable switch towards big brands during this time of year as shoppers look to indulge and impress their friends and family. “When it gets close to Christmas, people upgrade from Spar lemonade to Schweppes and I can’t keep the shelves full!” she says. “It’s the same with Spar Coke and CocaCola. ey are our bestsellers at Christmas.” is shopper behaviour aligns with broader brand strategies, notes Coca-Cola Europaci c Partners. “For instance, Schweppes and CocaCola are key to Christmas celebrations thanks to iconic campaigns that consumers look forward to every year,” says Senior External Communications Manager Kate Abbotson.
“ e Coca-Cola portfolio, being a so drink staple all year round, accounts for over twothirds (69.3%) of value sales in cola [Nielsen & CGA Total GB value data: Value share of Total Cola: MAT to 25.01.25]. Coca-Cola Original Taste remains GB’s number one so drink
[Nielsen, Total GB, Val Sales MAT 17.05.25] and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar is worth more than £477m [Nielsen Total Coverage incl. discounters value data MAT to 22.03.25]. While Diet Coke is the original sugar-free cola and is worth more than £495m in retail [ibid].”
She also ags up the importance of so drinks’ role as mixers. “Making mixed drinks or cocktails at home over the festive season can be a more a ordable, fun alternative to going out to a bar,” says Abbotson.
“Consumers are looking to pair their favourite spirits with quality mixers like Schweppes
Classic Tonic and Slimline Tonic. is is why we expanded our PMP range by introducing price-marked Schweppes 1-litre PET bottles, enabling more convenience customers to enjoy the advantages of PMPs – perfect for a big Christmas night in or New Year’s Eve party.
“Premium adult so drinks, such as Appletiser, can also be used as a avoured base for cocktails and mocktails, or in a mixed drink, delivering a more sophisticated serve for any athome occasion.”
Adult so drinks perform well for Spar Saltcoats. “Appletiser is a core line for us, it sells all the time,” says Claire, observing the popularity of bigger formats at Christmas. “Also, kids like Shloer because it’s bubbly and they feel grown up drinking it when the grown-ups have Prosecco.”
Stocking up on bestsellers and seasonal limited editions and including larger pack sizes within your o er will ensure you sleigh with so drinks this season.
GET ON BOARD!
The festive season is the ticket to sparkling tobacco sales – have you got yours?
BY GAELLE WALKER
Sit down and buckle up! It’s time to board the Christmas express – the annual ticket to sparkling footfall, sales and pro ts – and 2025 is promising to be a ride to remember.
At Christmas time, indulgence takes centre stage, with shoppers increasingly driven by the desire to treat and be treated as the season climbs towards its celebratory peak.
One category that tends to sizzle thanks to the desire to treat and trade up at Christmas is, of course, tobacco – speci cally cigars.
“It’s well known that cigar sales enjoy an upward trajectory over the Christmas period when many adult smokers like to enjoy one as part of their festive celebrations,” Prianka Jhingan, Head of Marketing at Scandinavian Tobacco Group says.
“It’s typically larger cigars that people will gravitate towards as a bit of a Christmas treat when they are in celebratory mood and typically have more time to enjoy it.”
With the festive season approaching, Jhingan advises retailers to “always make sure you have brands like our Henri Wintermans Half Corona in stock, as it is easily the UK’s best-selling medium/large cigar and has a loyal following due to its quality blend and heritage”.
Cigarillos should also certainly not be overlooked. At £154m, the category is worth almost half the value of the total cigar market – and easily the largest of the four segments in terms of volume. e last couple of years have been strong ones for STG’s Signature Action cigarillo brand – in fact, sales have almost doubled since last year, “with adult smokers appreciating the great avour and cheaper price point, compared to other brands in the market,” STG’s Jhingan adds.
“ is latest addition complements the existing two 10-pack o erings, providing consumers with greater choice and value, but features the same menthol avour that has been synonymous with the brand since its launch back in 2020.
Flavoured cigarillos continue to score with adult smokers – a fact which prompted STG to launch Signature Action Mix cigarillos at the start of the year.
Containing two capsules, which release Berry and Mint avours, Signature Action Mix is available in 10-packs with an RSP of £5.85.
And that’s not all. “We recently announced the expansion of our Signature Action menthol capsule range with the introduction of a new 17pack format which has been available to retailers since August,” Jhingan adds.
“It’s well known that cigar sales enjoy an upward trajectory over the Christmas period when many adult smokers like to enjoy one as part of their festive celebrations.”
PRIANKA JHINGAN, HEAD OF MARKETING AT SCANDINAVIAN TOBACCO GROUP.
“With an RSP of £9.89, including a price-marked version, the new 17pack delivers value to consumers, positioning it as a competitively priced option in the market. It also o ers an attractive margin for retailers, reinforcing STG UK’s commitment to supporting its trade partners with high-quality, high-demand products.”
ACCESSORIES OFFER MORE OPPORTUNITIES TO UNWRAP
Sticking with the Christmas theme, tobacco accessories are another gi that just keeps giving – especially in Scotland.
Here, the tobacco accessories category is outperforming the UK as a whole, valued at more than £45m and growing at 18% year-onyear according to Republic Technologies.
And, at £13m, the papers sector continues to perform well, with value sales up 10.9% on last year.
YELLOW
ILLICIT MOVES
Complaints from members of the public and local businesses have resulted in a sizeable seizure of illicit tobacco from shops in Inverness and Easter Ross.
Acting on the reports, Highland Council Trading Standards Enforcement Officers uncovered illicit cigarettes and hand-rolling tobacco in four shops.
During the visits, officers seized a range of noncompliant tobacco items, including counterfeit and nonduty paid tobacco products which lacked the correct packaging, appropriate health warnings and tax markings. Investigations are now underway, and enforcement action may follow.
The operation was part of an ongoing joint initiative between HMRC & Trading Standards – called Operation CeCe – which tackles the illegal tobacco trade in the UK.
David MacKenzie, Head of Service for Highland Council Trading Standards, said: “This enforcement action sends a clear message that the sale of illicit tobacco will not be tolerated. These products not only pose serious health risks due to unknown ingredients but cost the public purse millions, due to tax evasion. Illicit tobacco is a serious issue which undermines genuine Highland businesses.”
Retailers with concerns should contact their local Trading Standards.
CIGAR STATS
Q The total cigar category is worth £327m in annual sales – a year-on-year rise in value terms of 2.6%.
Q Sales from the cigarillo segment currently account for nearly £154m of that total, while the three other segments combined (miniature, small and medium/large) account for just over £171m.
Q The remaining £2m is made up of handmade cigar sales.
Source: IRI MarketPlace, Value and Volume sales w/e 06-07-2025
Republic Technologies has made its mark on the sector this year by o ering consumers more choice within its environmentally friendly OCB range.
e brand has undergone a pack refresh across its full range, with the new modernised designs enabling clearer product di erentiation.
Republic Technologies has also been nailing its colours to the environmental mast in the lters sector, with the rollout of Just Paper plastic-free Swan lter tips.
In what it describes as a “category-boosting rst for tobacco accessories,” Just Paper Swan Filters provide adult smokers with an experience that “is similar to traditional cellulose acetate lters, but with a much lower environmental impact”.
e Swan Just Paper range features a ‘ ip-a-tip’ design which dispenses loose extra slim lters, without the use of plastic rods.
Each box contains 120 lters, with 10 boxes per outer, with an RSP of £1.45 per consumer unit.
“Choice, innovation and quality are well-established drivers of the tobacco accessories category and the Just Paper range delivers in each of those areas,”
Gavin Anderson, Sales & Marketing Director at Republic Technologies says.
“ e range has advanced the development of lter tips by o ering roll-your-own consumers a product which not only delivers on performance, but which also has a signi cantly reduced impact on the environment.”
Stock up now with a premium Italian beer
PLENTY OF FESTIVE CHEER
Find out which drinks shone in Scottish c-stores last Christmas and which segments will keep consumers in high spirits this season.
BY SARAH BRITTON
There was much for Scottish convenience retailers to be merry about last Christmas, with alcohol enjoying value sales growth of +11.2% (8 w/e 04/01/2025), according to our exclusive data from Clarity by Talysis.
Beers, wines and spirits all saw an increase, led by spirits with a 38% value share and growth of 12.2%.
Vodka remained category king, accounting for nearly half (47.1%) of spirit sales, with value up +10.1%. Glens 350ml, 700ml and 1l formats formed the top-three spirit SKUs by value sales. ese were followed by Smirno Red 21 Vodka 700ml and Smirno Red Label Vodka 1l.
“Vodka is a seasonal must-have, as it forms the basis of many spirit mixer drinks, cocktails and can also be enjoyed neat,” says Chris Jones, Managing Director at Paragon Drinks, which distributes Zubrówka Polish vodka.
e second-biggest spirit in Scottish convenience last Christmas was whisky, with a 14.5% value share (up 13.4%), followed by schnapps with a 6.8% share (-4.3%), and rum, which achieved a 5.9% share with strong growth of +17.5%.
Another notable sales spike was in what Talysis refers to as ‘Other Spirits’. is
segment accounts for 15.2% of Christmas spirit sales in Scottish convenience and rose by a whopping 32%, fuelled by alcoholic ready-to-drink lines (RTDs).
According to Clarity data, Four Loko White 440ml was the top-selling RTD by value sales with a 7.3% share of RTD sales, while AU Blue Raspberry 330ml took the second spot with a 5.7% share and experienced the fastest growth, up 40.1%. Dragon Soop Dark Punch bagged the third spot with a 5.6% share. In fact, Four Loko, AU and Dragon Soop dominated the top 10, accounting for 47% of RTD sales at Christmas.
“RTDs present a golden opportunity to tap into shoppers looking to elevate their at-home experiences with minimal e ort,” says Janel Fatania, Customer Marketing Manager at Diageo. She advises retailers to stock up on Gordon’s Gin & Tonic cans or the Smirno RTD range, ensuring they are prominently displayed and kept in chillers.
Pernod Ricard has high hopes for its newly relaunched Jameson Ginger & Lime cans in a larger 330ml format. “RTDs are holding position as the number one value-gaining category across the UK otrade, growing +13% [Nielsen IQ 6/09/25 L52wks], with pre-mixed whiskey drinks
Photoby RDNEStock Project
WRAPPED UP
WITH SCOTLAND’S FAVOURITE BEER AND CIDER BRANDS* WRAPPED UP
Tennent’s Lager is Scotland’s best selling lager by volume. Magners is number one packaged apple cider brand by volume.
**Range available via buying group and/or wholesaler
THE ORIGINAL IRISH CIDER STOCK UP NOW
increasing sales value by £3.5m [52 w/e Nielsen data to 17.6.25],” says Ian Peart, Commercial Director for Pernod Ricard UK.
As Christmas approaches, RTDs take on even greater importance, claims Coca-Cola Europaci c Partners (CCEP).
“ eir grab-and-go appeal makes them particularly well suited to impulse purchases, with 70% of RTDs consumed within just two hours of purchase,” says Kate Abbotson – Senior External Communications Manager at CCEP.
Jack Daniel’s & Coca-Cola is the number one RTD SKU in GB [Nielsen Total Coverage RTD Value MAT 14.06.25] and was the 16th best-selling RTD SKU in Scottish convenience over Christmas 2024, according to Clarity data. CCEP added a cherry variant to the range last March.
It’s not only spirit-based drinks that enjoy a festive upli . Beer amassed a 26% value share of alcohol sales and achieved growth of +12.3%. e number one beer SKU by value sales was Tennent’s 500ml four-pack cans with a 6.5% value share, while the brand’s 12-packs were the third best seller. Stella Artois 568ml four-packs claimed the second spot.
“With socialising and entertaining more frequent in the lead-up to Christmas, shoppers are more prepared to treat themselves and trade up into more premium categories and products,” says Georgia Ladbrook, Shopper Marketing Manager –Impulse, BrewDog PLC. “As a result, last year saw cra beer grow exceptionally well over Christmas (+15.8% vs beer at +3%) [Circana Total Impulse 8w/e 05.01.25].”
She points out that the stout category has also been re-energised and continues to do well over Christmas. In fact, Clarity gures show stout leapt an incredible 47.6% in value sales growth in Scottish convenience over Christmas 2024, reaching a share of 2.8%. Ladbrook claims that this growth is in part thanks to BrewDog Black Heart, which has helped to introduce a younger and more a uent shopper.
Source: Clarityby Talysis
Alexander Wilson, Category & Commercial Strategy Director at Heineken UK, also highlights premium as an opportunity. “Premium and world lager contributes to 62% of sales [Nielsen IQ: Value Sales 5 weeks to 28/12/24], as people look for reasons to indulge in something extra special, and that’s where brands like Birra Moretti will shine,” he says.
Asahi concurs: “12.3% of all premium lager bottles are sold in December [NielsenIQ – Total Coverage data], demonstrating the signi cant opportunity for retailers that extend their ranges with brands that o er something special,” says Rob Hobart, Marketing Director at Asahi UK.
Peroni Nastro Azzurro’s share increased by +40% in Christmas week 2024 vs 2023 [Savanta BrandVue Most Loved Drinks Report 2025], he claims.
Execute a strong alcohol range that incorporates top-selling spirits, chilled RTDs and premium lager, and you’ll be on track for a cracking Christmas.
RTDs and premium lager, and you’ll be on
I AM FURIOUS, ORANGE MISSING COO ALREADY
As a conspicuous confectionery consumer, Under The Counter was outraged to discover that a man has donated a dozen 20-year-old Chocolate Oranges to a museum.
Ian Bradshaw was gifted the haul when Kraft Foods shut the Terry’s factory in York and switched production to France, making him redundant.
UTC would have preferred a week’s pay for every year he’d been employed, but hey ho.
It gets worse. The Chocolate Oranges were originally bound for Australia, before an order was cancelled.
been making sweeties since 1767. It goes without saying that readers, especially paid-up Fed members, will know this was the year that Norway’s oldest newspaper still in print, Adresseavisen, published its first edition. Sticking with the newstrade theme, it was also when The Auld Boy made his debut as a paper boy. Commenting on his decision to squirrel away rather than scoff the now-foosty foodstuffs, Bradshaw said: “It felt right to preserve them to help tell the Terry’s story to future generations.”
Under The Counter nearly spat his tea halfway across the office when he heard that the UK has a licensed horse milker.
Now, the Auld Boy’s not one for horsing around; the milk that goes in his hot beverages comes strictly from the domestic coo – via the c-store just down the street from SLR Towers.
Still, he was spurred on to take a closer look at horse breeder Frank Shellard, who’s been milking his female cuddy buddies for the past four years.
They were then foisted onto the factory’s 300 staff to sweeten the bitter taste of being chewed up and spat out by remorseless global capitalism.
The closure brought the curtain down on nearly 250 years of Terry’s confectionery production in York, where it had
Except he didn’t preserve them. They were left to slowly bloom, crack and crumble, instead of serving their true purpose. Namely, bringing joy to chocaholics – not informing the weans of tomorrow.
As UTC wistfully concluded: “A chocolate in the mooth is worth 12 in a museum.”
THE MOON AND A BROOM
The recent reopening of the Beaverbrooks store at Glasgow Fort reminded Under The Counter of President Kennedy’s visit to NASA in 1962 at the start of the space race.
It was here, so the story goes, that JFK came across someone pushing a broom and enquired what their job was.
“He’s a very eccentric father,” said Frank’s daughter Alison, who will be representing Britain at the forthcoming World Understatement Championships.
Drinking horse milk is nothing new. Ask any nomad from the steppes of central Asia, where they’ve been doing it for donkey’s years. “Nomad? Stark staring mad, more like,” scoffed UTC, blissfully unaware his comments were likely to stirrup trouble in Kyrgyzstan.
Meanwhile, back at the ranch, Frank is finding it an uphill – almost vertical – struggle to rein in the UK’s unbridled enthusiasm for coo juice, a market that’s worth almost £6bn annually.
So, would UTC help out a fellow eccentric in his hour of need and neck a glass or two of mare’s milk?
It’s fair to say the prospect didn’t exactly have the Auld Boy champing at the bit. “Neigh chance,” he growled.
“I’m helping to put a man on the moon, Mr President,” came the reply, perfectly illustrating the importance of the smallest of roles in achieving a larger goal.
And what has this to do with a seller of Swiss watches in the east end of Glasgow? Beaverbrooks marked the store’s reopening
with a ribbon-cutting ceremony, lining up its staff for the obligatory team photo. Despite his failing eyesight, the Auld Boy nodded approvingly when, amidst the sleek sales assistants, he clocked a wee wumman in a tabard that could only be the store’s cleaner.
