The Week In Retail Issue 51

RETAIL

THE WEEK IN

...MORE IF YOU PLEASE

SUSTAINABILITY

RECYCLING GIANTS PARTNER FOR DRS PITCH

CATEGORY FOCUS

CIDER HAS ‘BIGGEST EVER’ YEAR OFF-TRADE ENJOYS RECORD YEAR

VIRIDOR AND TOMRA JOIN FORCES

+

COVID-19

STURGEON ACCELERATES EASING PLAN

NEW, RELAXED RULES KICK IN ON FRIDAY

COKE REBRANDS LOMOND’S ‘GIVE BACK’ CAMPAIGN BARRIER PACKAGING IN FOCUS

Brought to you by:

Issue 51 Wednesday 14th April 2021

+ DCS ROLLS OUT 43 PMPs Commercial Partner:

Symbol Partner:

n ee b er ev n s a h s es en r a w Lees’ brand a

B awarrand eness

76%

**

of Scots like Lees Snowballs

Our delicious snowballs and teacakes have been family favourites for 90 years. Following 2019's TV campaign, awareness is at its highest level ever, with 76% of Scots surveyed saying they liked Lees Snowballs and 44% buying Lees products every month.

There’s never been a better time to stock up.

Scotland loves Lees 01236 441 600

sales@leesofscotland.co.uk *Source: JLral. Post TV Campaign Evaluation- Sept 2019 **Refers to Scots who viewed the 2019 TV ad

THE WEEK IN RETAIL

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

IS IT ALL SET TO END AS QUICKLY AS IT STARTED? I must admit to being taken by surprise when First Minister Nicola Sturgeon announced the other day that the Scottish Government would be accelerating its easing of Covid restrictions.

After a year of her characteristically downbeat, cautious and doom-laden briefings, it was strange to hear Sturgeon suddenly change tack.

The cynic might argue that the forthcoming Scottish Parliament elections might have played a small part in her decision to start announcing some good news for a change, but whatever your view of her handling of an unfathomably complex task over the last 12 months, we can probably all agree that it’s good news that we seem to be pointing in the right direction for the first time in a very long while.

But where exactly are we pointing? The roadmap may be a little clearer and the markers along the way are in place – but where exactly is this freshly laid path taking us?

When the world opens up again – and it looks like it might happen as quickly as it closed down

in the first place – what exactly will things look like from a retailer’s point of view?

What will consumers do when everything is open again? How have they been affected by the last year? Will there be a monster rush back to our ways of old, or will we emerge blinking and dazed into a world that’s largely unrecognisable?

In reality it’s likely to be somewhere in between those two polar extremes, but the world will have changed. So much has changed in the last year that we most certainly have another difficult year ahead of us. Only when consumers are free to do exactly as they choose will we start to understand exactly what they’re choosing to do.

What will happen to home delivery, online shopping, food-to-go and hospitality, to name a but a few of the biggest winners and losers of the Pandemic Stakes?

So a fresh start promises challenging, exciting times for local retailing, but it’s highly unlikely that it will bring much in the way of the clarity that our sector craves.

ANTONYBEGLEY ANTONYBEGLEY ANTONYBEGLEY

ANTONY BEGLEY, EDITOR

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 3

CONTENTS

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK

6

11 THIS WEEK’S NEWS IN BRIEF

SUSTAINABILITY

A ROUND-UP OF THE LATEST

CATEGORY OVERVIEW: CIDER

Viridor and TOMRA bid jointly to operate sorting centres for recyclable drinks containers for Scotland’s Deposit Return Scheme.

The revamped Press Distribution Charter is “fit for purpose” and Scotmid refits its Barnton store.

9 COVID-19 UPDATE

15

Westons’ annual Cider Report reveals the biggest-ever value growth in the off-trade cider category.

19 PICKS OF THE WEEK

29 BEFORE YOU GO...

A LOOK AT THE LATEST NEW PRODUCTS

OUR LATEST RETAIL RANDOMS GIVE

CORONAVIRUS-RELATED NEWS INCLUDES

AND MARKETING CAMPAIGNS.

THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT’S DECISION

27 OUT THE BOX: PAPER PACKAGING

THE HOSPITALITY TRADE, WHICH MAY

TO ACCELERATE ITS PROGRAMME OF

CREDIT TO TESCO FOR ITS SUPPORT OF

RITTER ROLLS OUT ‘BARRIER PAPER’

BE DEALT ANOTHER BLOW IN THE FORM

COVID-RESTRICTION EASING, WITH NEW

THAT HAS ALL THE BENEFITS OF PLASTIC

OF CALORIE CONTENT LABELLING ON

RULES KICKING IN ON FRIDAY.

PACKAGING BUT IS FULLY RECYCLABLE.

ALCOHOLIC DRINKS.

TWITTER.COM/SLRMAG

WWW.FACEBOOK.COM/SLRMAG

WWW.SLRMAG.CO.UK

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 5

NEWS DIGEST

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

UNITAS COFFEE GUIDE

POLITICS

partnered with Nestle Food

NFRN ONLINE HUSTINGS EVENT FEATURES BIG HITTERS

& Beverages and CCEP to

NFRN’S ONLINE SCOTTISH ELECTION HUSTINGS EVENT ON MONDAY

launch two new editions of

FEATURES FIGURES FROM THE FIVE MAIN POLITICAL PARTIES.

Unitas Wholesale has

‘Focus On’ by Plan for Profit.

The newest editions include key insights and advice on the coffee and RTD coffee categories. All guides are available via the Plan for Profit website and app.

COLD TOWN CANS Edinburgh’s Cold Town Brewery has launched its first canned craft lager available from selected local retailers and direct to consumer via a number of online retailers,

NFRN has lined up leading Scottish election figures from the five main political parties for an online election hustings at 6pm on Monday. NFRN members are invited to watch the event on Facebook Live and submit questions to candidates in advance or on the night.

Labour will be represented by Scottish Party Leader Anas Sarwar.

He is no stranger to retail as the son of Mohammad Sarwar who ran a convenience store before branching into wholesale and politics.

Ash Denham has for the last five years been SNP MSP for Edinburgh

Eastern. As the Scottish Government’s Minister for Community Safety since 2018, she is familiar with the concerns of NFRN members about abuse, assault and theft in shops. Conservative MSP Maurice Golden from Dundee, Shadow Cabinet Secretary for the Economy in the last parliament, ran a c-store as part of a family business.

Former journalist Christine Jardine is the MP for Edinburgh West and Liberal Democrat Treasury and Trade spokesperson. The Scottish Greens also plan to send a representative.

Elections to the Scottish Parliament take place on 6 May.

including the brewer’s own site.

Hand-brewed in small batches, Cold Town’s craft lager is now available in 330ml cans.

BLOSSOM HILL RULING The Portman Group has upheld a complaint that cans of Blossom Hill Spritz didn’t clearly communicate the alcoholic nature of their contents. Brand owner Treasury Wine Estates has already produced a revised version of the product label.

SCOTMID REFITS BARNTON STORE Scotmid has reopened its Barnton store in Edinburgh following a major refit. A sales floor increase in size from 2,500sq ft to 3,000sq ft has allowed the retailer to introduce an enhanced customer offering such as an expanded Cook frozen range and extended food-to-go range.

The fit out saw the replacement of the shop front windows and doors and the removal of the suspended ceiling to open up the height and space within the sales area and enhance the overall look and feel of the store.

The renovation also included the latest Scotmid branding and design as well as new LED lighting, new ventilation, air conditioning systems and energy efficient refrigeration. The store also features new bakery cabinets, digital screens, selfcleaning oven, pizza bench, bakery equipment and food-to-go range.

6 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 51 / WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021

NEWS DIGEST

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

TESCO PROFITS FALL

NEWSTRADE

NEW WHOLESALER COMPLAINTS PROCESS ‘FIT FOR PURPOSE’

Tesco’s full year pre-tax profit has tumbled by 19.7% to £825m despite strong sales during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Retail operating profit fell

THE NEW REVAMPED PRESS

by 14.7%, thanks in part to

DISTRIBUTION CHARTER HAS

Covid-19 related costs of

BEEN DESCRIBED BY NFRN

£892m in the UK and Tesco’s

AS FINALLY BEING ‘FIT FOR

decision to repay £535m worth

PURPOSE’.

of business rates relief.

The Federation of Independent Retailers (NFRN) has hailed the revamped Press Distribution Charter as now being finally “fit for purpose”.

NFRN members played a key role in the review of the Charter which was relaunched on Monday alongside a dedicated new website [www. pressdistributioncharter.co.uk].

NFRN National President Stuart Reddish said: “The new streamlined charter is now fit for purpose and

better reflects today’s marketplace.

There is more transparency around what constitutes an official complaint and guidance on how to resolve the situation so one-off issues do not happen again.

“The Charter is no longer cumbersome, difficult to find and hard to understand, and we hope that this will encourage more retailers to use it with confidence when they need to make a formal complaint.”

Grocery shopping app Jisp has announced that it has exclusively signed up 100 stores with the NFRN in its bid to empower local businesses and convenience stores with Home Delivery and Click & Collect services. Jisp launched its partnership with NFRN last May with a six-store trial.

CO-OP GROWS

NISA OVERHAULS FEES AND REBATES Nisa has overhauled its partner rebates and fees terms, offering independent retailers the chance to gain rebates of up to 5.5%, based on weekly spend and stocking Co-op own label lines.

Fresh Rewards rebates kick in from £4k spend a week – 1% – and rise to 4% for spend of £12k or more with further benefits available to Nisa fascia stores. A number of fees such as marketing and membership fees have

JISP 100

The Co-op’s food business

been scrapped and are now included in a yearly membership fee of £860, which could save retailers up to £600 a year.

The symbol group has stripped out the “historic complexity” of its terms to create a simple set of five criteria it says will allow its Partners to “find a combination that works for them and their business” and “save time and energy”.

has seen full year sales rise 3.5% increase to £7.8bn with like-for-like sales up 6.9%. In the 12 months to 2 January, wholesale sales reached £1.6bn, up from £1.4 bn the previous year. Underlying profit also rose, up to £350m from £283m. The retailer opened 56 new stores during the pandemic.

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 7

L I A T E R ...M OR E

EEK THE W

IF YO U

PL EA SE

IN

SUSTAI

9 COVID-1

ALL JA M E HN IS E S RECOG HEROES C O V ID ALER ES WHOL H A IL S OW N LO C K D D S LEGEN

TERY

A L D IS T H E W I N T E RY LOT NATION

AL LOT

NABILIT

Y

N MOLSO S C L A IM T S IR F ST GREEN

E R F IR B R E W LY 100% TO R E N W IN D O R P OW E DOG B R E W IN LO S T GETS S A LE W H O LELA N D H IG H 0M L G’S 33 S P R IN V E N T U R E BN T H E £3 IT B IS C U Y T U N IT R O P P O

IN LAND RY TO L O T T E D I S TO R E S LES L HY SA A 900 H E A LT CTS = U D O R HY P H E A LT Symbol

+

Brought

er:

ial Partn

Commerc

to you by:

Issue 49 ay Wednesd 2021 ch 31st Mar

Partner:

NEWS SPECIAL

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

SCOTLAND SPEEDS UP EASING OF RESTRICTIONS THE SCOTTISH GOVERNMENT HAS UNEXPECTEDLY ACCELERATED

T

ITS PROGRAMME OF COVID-RESTRICTION EASING WITH NEW RULES KICKING IN ON FRIDAY.

This easing of restrictions has been brought forward as data shows continued progress on vaccination against coronavirus and suppression of the virus. Should data permit, the whole of Scotland will then be in Level 3 from Monday 26 April which will mean non-essential travel between Scotland, England and Wales will be permitted, and tourist accommodation in Scotland can reopen subject to socialising rules.

Shops will be able to fully reopen with precautions including physical distancing requirements, face masks and hand sanitiser in place. Pubs, cafes and restaurants will reopen outdoors.

OFFICIAL COVID CASES CONTINUE TO FALL The average number of new daily cases of Covid-19 in the UK has fallen significantly since the start of the year and continues to fall, but the rate of decline has slowed in recent weeks.

A further 2,472 cases were announced by the government yesterday, meaning that there have been approximately 4.4 million confirmed cases of the virus in the UK. The numbers show that in excess of 127,000 people have died.

More than 32 million people in the UK have now had their first dose of a coronavirus vaccine, however.

According to the ONS, infections are level in England and Northern Ireland and have decreased in Scotland and Wales.

Russian company X5 Retail Group has rolled out a Green Dot labelling system across 10 million labels on a range of ready-to-eat and ready-to-cook products.

TECH SOLUTIONS

he Scottish Government has announced an earlier than expected easing of Covid restrictions with some of the latest sets of rules coming into play as early as Friday.

Six people from six households can now meet outdoors from Friday and travel throughout Scotland is also permitted for outdoor socialising, recreation and exercise. Socialising in homes is still not permitted.

People must continue to Stay Local for other purposes such as non-essential shopping, and public transport capacity will continue to be limited.

GREEN DOT FRESHNESS LABELLING

The labels include sensors that show the temperature of each item and its compliance with specific storage requirements. The move is believed to be the largest roll-out ever of this type of technology in Europe.

The tech lets customers and staff see the freshness of a product in real time and get accurate information about its remaining shelf life.

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 9

Let’s create a great recycling experience LY EVER YM BAL O L I G

1M IL

E PURCHASE AR D ES

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

TE U N

PLASTIC BOT TL ON LI

The deposit return scheme is coming to Scotland in July 2022.

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

SUSTAINABILITY

SCOTLAND’S DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME TOMRA / VIRIDOR

VIRIDOR AND TOMRA COLLABORATE ON SCOTTISH DRS PROJECT

R

THE TWO RECYCLING SPECIALISTS WILL BID JOINTLY TO OPERATE SORTING CENTRES FOR RECYCLABLE DRINKS CONTAINERS.

ecycling specialists Viridor and TOMRA have formed a partnership to bid for the design, build and operation of the Scottish deposit return scheme (DRS) counting and sorting centres.

Viridor is one of the UK’s biggest recycling and resource management companies with significant Scottish investments, including a residual Materials Recycling Facility (rMRF) at Bargeddie in North Lanarkshire, which receives waste as part of a 190,000 tonne contract with five Scottish councils, diverting non-recyclable waste from landfill and generating energy.

TOMRA is a recycling infrastructure company operating across more than 80 global markets, specialising in the design, manufacturing and sale of reverse vending machines (RVMs) and other advanced collection and sorting systems that optimise resource recovery and minimise waste, with more than 100,000 installations worldwide.

The counting and sorting centres represent a critical part of the infrastructure required to underpin the efficient and accurate function of the DRS. Under the scheme, the retail price of a drinks container will include a deposit element and the deposit, being reimbursed in full, offers a financial incentive for consumers to return used containers for recycling, stimulating high community participation and high return rates. The policy is expected to drive collection rates on drinks containers to levels in excess of 90%, reducing littering and contributing to net zero climate goals, when introduced in 2022.

Viridor Director of Business Development (Polymers) Luke Burgess says: “Viridor has a long history of investing in Scottish recycling infrastructure, and the DRS offers the opportunity to supplement that investment and contribute to green job creation and the development of a truly circular economy. We are delighted to build on our relationship with TOMRA, the world leader in the provision of equipment for deposit return schemes, to work with Scotland to develop a smooth transition to a sustainable future.”

TOMRA Collection Solutions UK & Ireland Managing Director Truls Haug adds: “The TOMRA Viridor partnership is formed under the shared vision to facilitate a modern, cost-effective and best practice Scottish deposit return system, acting as a catalyst for sustainable recycling outcomes, delivering key sorting and counting centre services to the deposit operator.

“Our partnership forms a unique and complementary mix of global and UK-based experience, enabling a compelling ‘fit-for-purpose’ service offer.”

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 11

£1.25M

sales generated by our top retailer in 12 months (1)

17.6K

av. weekly delivery sales by top 10 stores in January (2)

£27.74

average basket spend vs £7.60 industry average (3)

Fully supported onboarding, sales ramp up and dedicated Account Manager to help you succeed call: 0333 900 1250 email: contact@snappyshopper.co.uk web: retailers.snappyshopper.co.uk

(1)

12 Months to 31st January 21 /

(2)

Sources: Lumina UK Convenience Market Report 2020 /

(3)

Sales W/C 31st January 21.

SUMMER CHOICES. SUMMER SALES. 5M

£

TO

R E C AT E G O

T

H

Y*

RED

ADDED

NGE RA

LL 250ml BU

*SPORTS & ENERGY CATEGORY. SOURCE: NIELSEN SCANTRACK, SPORTS & ENERGY, LATEST 26 WEEKS TO W.E. 16.01.21).

CATEGORY OVERVIEW

CIDER WESTONS

NEW CIDER REPORT HIGHLIGHTS BOOM YEAR FOR THE OFF-TRADE THE SIXTH EDITION OF WESTONS’ ANNUAL CIDER REPORT REVEALS THE BIGGEST-EVER VALUE GROWTH IN THE OFF-TRADE CIDER CATEGORY.

T

he national lockdown produced a huge swing in cider consumption from the on-trade to the off-trade during 2020, resulting in the biggest year on record for the off-trade cider category, according to the latest edition of Westons Cider’s annual Cider Report.

The report shows record growth for cider in grocery retail – up 21.2% year-on-year – taking overall value to £1.3bn through the channel.

The study also reveals that almost half of UK households (47.7%) now buy in to the category, which attracted almost a million more shoppers in 2020.

The full or partial closure of hospitality outlets during the lockdown periods in 2020 skewed the sales returns from the channels significantly, with the off-trade accounting for 63% of cider value and 83% of the volume during 2020, compared to

35% and 62% respectively in the previous year, while the on-trade suffered a corresponding reverse. With volumes and price per litre generally significantly higher in the ontrade, the total cider market was down 12.2% in volume and 32.1% in value YOY – the equivalent of £2.1bn.

Tim Williams, Insight and Innovation Manager at Westons Cider, comments: “The past year has been undeniably challenging for retailers and suppliers alike. The initial surge in demand in the off-trade meant that production of priority, bestselling SKUs had to be ramped up significantly. However, the outlook for the cider category is no doubt a positive one, as it has yet again shown itself to be buoyant and in high demand.”

Online and convenience cider sales predictably boomed, up 81.4% and 19.0% respectively, in both cases ahead of the 17.9% growth seen in the total grocery market. In convenience, the crafted cider subcategory reached triple digit growth, with independents seeing volume growth of 153.4% YOY.

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 15

Helping you to make an extra 3% Gross Profit Ease of use

Simple to use touch screen till software

Backoffice admin software

Cigarette Gantry integration

Indepth reporting and analysis

Touch screen handheld device to control the shop from the shopfloor

Supplier Data links with all major Wholesalers

Credit Card integration

Weekly health check reports to guide you to improve your sales and margin.

Access to background database with over 100,000 products

Benefits of MPos ✓ Built around a retailer, not a computer user ✓ Simple to use till, powerful admin tools ✓ Built from retailers perspective ✓ Reduces labour by downloading products, price changes, invoices and promotions

✓ Reduces labour by allowing one click order generation and one click invoice downloads - easily shave off 10 hours of work per store

✓ Increased control on stock; all stock deliveries downloaded and all stock adjustments emailed to the owner; NO stock is unaccounted for

✓ Emails store performance to the user with real actionable data once a week rather than stats heavy reports that overwhelm the user

✓ Based in Scotland with excellent support and training program

✓ Easy to use Hand Held terminal to control the store from shop floor ✓ Integration with Credit Card terminals, Zapper, Cigarette Gantry, Loyalty Schemes and more ✓ Developed and supported by people that know the retail trade

So How much Could our System make for you?

We can demonstrate a 3% uplift in Gross Profit in using our system.

£5,000 £10,000 £15,000 £20,000 £25,000

£7,800 Current Weekly Turnover Extra profit per annum

£15,600 £23,400 £31,200 £39,000

Even a Single Lane system can more than pay for itself in the first 4 months!

MHouse, 349 Shields Road, Motherwell, ML1 2LD

Tel: 0800 242 5360 email sales@mhousesolutions.com

CATEGORY OVERVIEW

CIDER WESTONS

Crafted cider turned out to be the fastestgrowing segment last year – up 48.7% in the off-trade as a whole – as consumers turned to more premium, higher-value offerings to mimic the out-of-home drinking experience, explains Williams.

“In fact, and perhaps unsurprisingly, the biggest cider drinking occasion last year was a quiet night in – up from 19% of serves a year ago to 21.6% of serves in 2020 – and, with this, came just short of a million new shoppers into the category,” he says.

In flavours, apple cider continues to dominate, accounting for 60% of total off-trade sales, with fruit cider accounting for 35%. Sales were up 22.3% and 22.9% respectively during the year, but even greater increases were enjoyed by cloudy and rosé ciders, with respective growth rates of 104.1% and 481.3%.

Low & No Alcohol cider volume also grew significantly, up by 32.6% in the off-trade. These products attract a more affluent shopper, explains Westons, pointing out that 3.2% of cider buyers purchase only no/low alcohol products.

Larger pack formats are on the rise, with 10pack value increasing by 40% YOY and packs even larger than this saw a 31.6% increase. Canned

lines continue to prove popular among shoppers, now accounting for 59% of all sales – up 31.7% from the previous year. Glass is also maintaining its popularity, accounting for 29% of sales, whilst plastic bottles (10%) continue to decline.

Despite the gradual reopening of the hospitality sector, research suggests the future is still looking bright for the UK off-trade, according to Darryl Hinksman, Head of Business Development at Westons Cider.

“A summer of sport and the possibility of meeting with wider circles of friends and family will undoubtedly drive both out-of-home and inhome drinking occasions,” he says.

“Over the past year, UK grocery retail has played a crucial role in maintaining presence and momentum for the cider category. The sheer popularity of crafted ciders, the emergence of diverse offerings within the cloudy and rosé subcategories and the growth of the online and convenience channels have played a key part in this, and we expect these factors to remain important throughout the year ahead.”

The full report – including impartial stocking advice for retailers of all shapes and sizes across the off-trade – is available for digital download.

Q Sources: All data to IRI 52 w/e 2nd Jan 2021 and Kantar 52 w/e 27th Dec 2020 unless otherwise stated.

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 17

FLAVOUR FUSION CARDS

FROM THE UK’S NO.1 FILTER BRAND EASY TO USE INDIVIDUAL CARDS - AVAILABLE NOW IN TWO GREAT FLAVOURS

FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR

PLACE CARD IN PACK

LEAVE IT LONGER TO MAKE IT STRONGER

Log on to our trade website at republictechnologies.co.uk

ENJOY THE FLAVOUR FUSION

Follow us at @RTUKtrade

Republic Technologies (UK) Limited, Sword House, Totteridge Road, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP13 6DG

NPD AND MEDIA

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

DCS GROUP EXPANDS PRICE-MARKED RANGE THE SPECIALIST PERSONAL CARE AND HOUSEHOLD PRODUCTS DISTRIBUTOR HAS CREATED A PORTFOLIO OF LEADING BRANDS WITH PRICE-MARKS FOR THE CONVENIENCE SECTOR.

DCS Group has rolled out a range of 43 pricemarked packs in the personal care and household categories to help wholesalers and retailers meet the needs of today’s convenience shopper.

The distributor used market data and worked closely with leading brand owners to create the range, designed to help convenience retailers stock the right range at pricepoints that give shoppers increased confidence about purchasing these items in the channel.

The latest additions to the portfolio are nine Unilever lines, including Dove and Sure deodorants, Impulse body sprays, Dove body wash and Simple moisturiser and face wipes.

These new SKUs follow 34 others created over the past 12 months, covering a range of brands and shopper needs across the household and health & beauty categories, including shampoos and conditioners, shower gels and bodywashes,

deodorants and body sprays, moisturisers, face wipes, hand washes and bar soaps, household cleaning products, laundry detergents and fabric conditioners.

Alongside the new Unilever range, notable successes include a £1.99 PMP version of Fairy Antibacterial Washing Up Liquid 625ml and a £2.99 PMP variant of Head & Shoulders 2-in‑1 Men Total Care 225ml. New SKUs are being added to the range regularly.

Matt Stanton, Head of Category and Insight at DCS Group comments: “The pandemic caused well-documented challenges for the FMCG supply chain.

“We use market data to identify gaps in the market, and worked with our Co-Packing team and our brand manufacturer partners to create the right packs that will drive sales in convenience stores.”

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 19

Give your customers control EDGEPoS Self-Checkout gives retailers more choice to utilise space and staff throughout the store, enhancing the customer shopping experience.

Beat the queues No additional counter or floor space required Reduce overhead costs Satisfy customer demands Increase store productivity Now over 100,000 customer transactions via EDGEPoS Self-Checkout on a weekly basis across the UK

EDGEPoS Self-Checkout works seamlessly with:

Fully integrated with BP, Texaco, JET and other leading fuel brands.

Keep your shelves talking with EDGEPoS ESELs The EDGEPoS Electronic Shelf Edge Label (ESEL) System is a tool used by retailers to display specific product pricing on shelves.

Electronic display modules are fixed to the front edge of the retail shelving.

Accurate pricing Shelf edge influence Enhance your shopper experience Increase margin instantly Utilise assistant hours in different areas of the store Reduce wrong pricing customer complaints Instant promotion changeovers and price changes

� +44 (0)28 9094 1900

� www.henderson.technology

sales@henderson.technology

@_HendersonTech

NPD AND MEDIA

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

COCA-COLA UNVEILS REFRESHED NEW LOOK THE BRAND’S FIRST GLOBAL PACKAGING UPDATE SINCE 2016 BRINGS COCA-COLA, COCA-COLA ZERO SUGAR AND DIET COKE CLOSER TOGETHER.

The Coca-Cola Company has unveiled a new design for the Coca-Cola trademark that brings Coca-Cola, Coca-Cola Zero Sugar and Diet Coke closer together.

The new design is simplified, removing extraneous elements to deliver global consistency to the trademarks as part of the ‘One Brand’ strategy that launched worldwide in 2016. The new design also raises the Coca-Cola logo to the top of the label.

The intention is to provide a simple and intuitive navigation system that carries across all Coca-Cola variants, while simultaneously “celebrating” the Coca-Cola logo. The updated

design will be led by Coca-Cola Zero Sugar, which also features a new recipe intended to bring it even closer to that of Coca-Cola Original Taste.

The new recipe, design and campaign for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar has already launched in Europe and Latin America. The rest of the trademark design evolution will follow, rolling out globally throughout 2021, with flavours to be fully converted over in 2022.

A new marketing campaign will support the new recipe for Coca-Cola Zero Sugar inviting trial and debate under the strapline ‘Best Coke Ever?’

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 21

NEW AWARDS FOR A NEW NORMAL ENTRIES OPEN SOON

Event: November 2021

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT EVENTS@55NORTH.COM

WWW.SLRAWARDS.COM

@SLRMAG

NPD AND MEDIA

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

LOWER RSP FOR KENSITAS CLUB ROLLING TOBACCO RANGE IN SCOTLAND

REDUCED RETAIL PRICE REFLECTS GROWING DEMAND FOR VALUE IN THE RYO MARKET.

JTI has repositioned its Kensitas Club Rolling Tobacco in Scotland with a lower recommended retail price.

With an RSP of £11.95 for 30g 3-in-1 packs, the range will have the lowest RSP for a 3-in-1 rolling tobacco product in the UK, claims the company. In addition, 50g pouch formats will have a new RSP of £19.60.

Kensitas Club is the fastest-growing cigarette brand in Scotland, says JTI, so the decision to lower the RRP offers retailers the chance to tap into this brand performance, as well as reflecting consumer demand for value RYO tobacco, which currently accounts for 50.1% of the RYO price sector [IRI].

Kensitas Club Rolling Tobacco with the new, lower price is rolling out across all channels in Scotland now, with the same product formulation and pack formats as before, and

retailers can benefit from a 15% POR offer in selected wholesalers (POR calculation based on purchases at £42.32 (30g) and £69.42 (50g) when sold at RSP).

Ross Hennessy, Head of sales at JTI UK, says: “We know that for many existing adult smokers, price is a key factor when deciding what brand to purchase. By repositioning the Kensitas Club Rolling Tobacco range in Scotland, it will allow retailers to capitalise on the brand’s momentum and success over the past 100 years, as well as tap into the growing RYO segment which now generates sales of £3.7 billion a year. We’re confident that the price drop will provide Scottish retailers with an even more competitive product for existing adult smokers and drive incremental sales.”

Retailers are free to sell JTI’s products at whatever price they choose.

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 23

NPD AND MEDIA

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

LOMOND BRINGS BACK ‘GIVE BACK’ PROMOTION TO BOOST CUSTOMERS FOLLOWING GREAT SUCCESS LAST YEAR, LOMOND: THE WHOLESALE FOOD CO HAS BROUGHT BACK A PRICE-CUTTING PROMOTIONAL CAMPAIGN TO RUN THROUGHOUT THE SPRING AND SUMMER.

Glasgow-based wholesaler Lomond has rebooted its ‘Welcome Back, Give Back’ campaign, slashing the prices on many of its bestselling food-to-go products to help boost retail and foodservice customer margins as they prepare to reopen.

Starting this month and running throughout the summer, the campaign will see a variety of new lines and food-to-go products on promotion each month, as well as promotional pricing on many of Lomond’s core range of bestselling products. This will include everyday purchases such as bacon, chips, chicken, soft drinks and bouillons. For April, the standout offer is on Lomond’s bestselling Lomond 49 unsmoked Danish back bacon, 1 x 2.27kg for £6.99.

Barbara Henderson, Director at Lomond: The Wholesale Food Co, comments: “The feedback we had from our customers last year was that our Welcome Back, Give Back campaign was a

24 I SLRMAG.CO.UK / ISSUE 51 / WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021

gamechanger for them. We were absolutely blown away by the response to the promotion last year and it made sense to bring it back to offer support when our customers need it most.

“Just like last year, our customers are under pressure and will be operating on much lower volumes and we recognise that they need a great offer for their customers. By offering incredible low prices on the products they most want to buy, we’re helping them to boost their margins and rebuild their businesses for the future.

“By focussing on the products we knew were most in demand, not only did we see sales increase by a minimum of 100% on all key lines on offer, but we also saw a staggering 400 new customers come on board during the campaign.”

NPD AND MEDIA

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

GREEN FOR GOLD

MULTI BENEFITS

READY FOR ANYTHING

Birds Eye’s Green Cuisine

CCEP has launched Capri-Sun

Gordon’s 0.0% is now available

brand has become the official

Multivitamin Squash, which

in a premixed ready-to-drink

plant-based supporter of Team

comes in Orange and Apple

can. The new format follows

GB ahead of the Tokyo 2020

& Blackcurrant variants. Both

the launch of Gordon’s 0.0% in

Olympic Games, which start

contain vitamins B1, B3, B6

December and is intended to

on 23 July. A new marketing

and Biotin, and the Orange

capitalise on interest in the low

campaign includes in-store

variant also offers Vitamin C. A

and no alcohol RTD category.

activations, on-pack promos

new TV ad backs the launch.

RSPs: £1.60 (250ml can) /

and social media activity.

RSP £1.99

£5.50 (4-pack)

GET THE SHIRT

AROUND THE BLEND

POUCH PERFECT

Carling lager has teamed up

The Laughing Cow has ex-

Ritter Sport has launched

with Umbro to give shoppers

panded its range with the

the brand’s first ever sharing

the chance to win one of

launch of The Laughing Cow

pouch. The Mini Chocolate

10,000 limited-edition football

Blends, a creamy cheese

Mix Pouch features nine

shirts. The retro-style shirt has

spread blended with chickpeas

individually–wrapped mini bars

been specially designed by

and herbs. The new line is

(150g) in a variety of flavours,

Umbro for Carling. Consumers

supplied in 133g packs of eight

while Mini Nut Selection Pouch

will be able claim a shirt by

individually wrapped triangles.

has seven mini bars (116g).

finding special golden cans.

RSP £1.40

RSP £2.50 (£2 at launch)

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 25

R E T A I L L I A RET TH E W EE K IN

EEK THE W

...M OR E IF YO U PL EA SE

IN

COVID-19

JA E H A L L R A JR EM O G N IS E S DO AS !

D O TC OC V ID H E R O E S W O U LSDUPPOCRAW L H O LE LO CHARITY

RETAIL

CRIME

£142M TO LOST E C RS ICM R IM E

SA LE R YO U R IT Y IN H AI LS UN Y COMM MEMOR LO CK DOW N H IS

AC T REPOR ENTS DOCUMOF SCALE ENGE CHALL

C2M, E? A N Y O N E RTRADING

SUM IS C O N TO TURER C A F U IG MAN EXT B T H E N T H IN G?

U 1901 IR N-BR R G O O D FO BAC K EL R T S KE N S TO RETUR S N SCREE S R E LK WA ORE NDS C REBRA RANGE

+ t to you

Brough

LE G EN DS

MODELS

NATIONAL LOT

AM

UR D A FO SH AN E R F AZON

by:

Issue 48 ay Wednesd rch 24th Ma

ALDI WINS THE L O T T E RY TERY

SUSTAINABILITY

M O L SO N C L A IM S G R E E N FI R ST BR EW ER FI RS T TO RE LY 100% O N W IN D POW ER

BR EW DO G GE TS LO ST IN W HO LE SA LE HI GH LA ND SP RI NG’S 33 0M L VE NT UR E TH E £3BN BI SC UI T OP PO RT UN IT Y

D LOR WOR L E T T E TT ERY TO LA N D IN 900

AL DI STO RE S

Symbol

r:

ial Partne

Commerc

+ Brought to you

by:

Partner:

H EA LT H Y PR O DU CT S = H EA LT H Y SA LE S

2021

Commercial Partne

r:

Issue 49 Wednesday 31st March 2021

Symbol Partner:

NOW THAT’S A GOOD IDEA…

OUT THE BOX RITTER FLEXIBLE PAPER PACKAGING

BARRIER PAPER GERMAN CONFECTIONERY GIANT RITTER IS SWITCHING ITS MINI MIX LINES INTO FULLY RECYCLABLE ‘BARRIER PAPER’ PACKAGING THAT DELIVERS ALL THE BENEFITS OF PLASTIC POUCHES BUT IS FULLY RECYCLABLE.

IN ENGLISH? It works just like a plastic pouch but is recyclable. The company, which is huge in Germany with 99% consumer awareness, says that sustainability is now a key issue for shoppers when making purchasing decisions. The green credentials of the packaging itself are increasingly viewed as just as important to consumers as the product.

AND IT’S FULLY RECYCLABLE? The main advantage is that it is manufactured from sustainable raw materials that can be fully fed back into the recycling loop.

ANY OTHER BENEFITS? WHAT’S THE BIG IDEA? Ritter has launched new ‘flexible barrier paper’ packaging materials for one of its ranges, created from raw materials that are fully recyclable and create a “new customer experience”.

WHAT’S NEW? The product retains all of the benefits of plastic packaging but without actually using any plastic, a tricky engineering challenge. Ritter’s Mini Mix range is now available in markets across the globe in the new Koehler NexPlus packaging which is a barrier-coated paper made from fully recyclable raw materials that protects the product with a barrier against odours, grease, mineral oil, water vapor and gases but retains the inherent high strength, natural feel properties of paper.

One of the key attractions of the Koehler NexPlus solution for Ritter was that it allowed the company to switch its packaging without having to change its (very expensive) packaging lines. Ritter sells products in over 100 countries worldwide but services this global market from just two production sites in Germany and Austria.

WHAT ARE KOEHLER SAYING? Eckhard Kallies, Head of Flexible Packaging Paper at Koehler, says: “Barrier paper is part of our future vision. Paper has an increasing number of capabilities that in the past only plastic could offer. And the difference with paper is that it has a much more sustainable life cycle. Consumers can simply dispose of the mini pouches in paper recycling trash cans so that they can be turned back into paper or cardboard. With our flexible paper packaging solutions, we’re reducing the proportion of plastic in product packaging and making the world a bit more sustainable in the process.”

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 27

SUPPORTING GROCERY COLLEAGUES The GroceryAid Covid-19 Fund is designed to help colleagues who need support now and throughout the full impact of the pandemic.

Grocery colleagues have access to:

“Amid the huge challenge of Covid-19 our trade has done a great job of keeping the nation fed. GroceryAid has raised a special Covid-19 fund to help our industry colleagues at this time of need. The 24/7 Helpline will deal with concerns and assist with financial stress caused by this terrible virus.”

- Charles Wilson, GroceryAid President

Mental Health Support Offering ‘in the moment’ emotional and practical support for colleagues dealing with shock, anxiety and stress through BACP trained counsellors, our Health and Wellbeing portal and Woebot, our AI Robot App. Bereavement Financial Assistance Providing financial assistance for the loss of a loved one through Covid-19. Available to colleagues who lose a partner or the immediate family of a colleague who has passed away as a result of Covid-19 whilst working in our industry.

Crisis Grants Non-repayable grants, designed to help with financial emergencies. This is available for colleagues experiencing unexpected financial difficulties due to Covid-19 with a year’s industry service.

GroceryAid Helpline: 08088 021 122 Visit: www.groceryaid.org.uk Follow us:

BEFORE YOU GO

RETAIL RANDOMS TESCO / ALCOHOL CALORIE LABELLING

FAIR PLAY

A PINT OF LOW CALORIE PLEASE, BARMAN As if the hospitality trade hasn’t had it tough enough, leaked reports reportedly show that the Government is considering proposals for calorie labelling on pints.

To be fair, the report was actually around labelling of all alcoholic drinks, not just beer. However, focusing on that iconic symbol of Britishness – the pint – makes a much better headline.

Hospitality outlets would be forced, under the proposals, to list calories on menus as well as potentially on pump labels.

The proposals could also affect the off-trade. Pre-packaged alcohol drinks could be forced to carry information on drink driving, calorific content and – most bizarrely of all – personal warnings about the perils of booze from Chief Medical Officer Chris Whitty.

And if a personal message from Chris Whitty on your can of Carling doesn’t put you in the mood for another quick one for the road, nothing will.

Now it’s easy to be cynical about enormous companies making magnanimous gestures in tough times when we haven’t all suffered equally, but fair play to Tesco for running these ads in the national press this week.

Every little does indeed help – and hospitality needs all the help it can get.

WEDNESDAY 14TH APRIL 2021 / ISSUE 51 / SLRMAG.CO.UK / 29

More than meets the eye!

B awarrand eness Our delicious snowballs and teacakes have been family favourites for 90 years. Following 2019's TV campaign, awareness is at its highest level ever, with 76% of Scots surveyed saying they liked Lees Snowballs and 44% buying Lees products every month.

There’s never been a better time to stock up.

Scotland loves Lees 01236 441 600

sales@leesofscotland.co.uk *Source: JLral. Post TV Campaign Evaluation- Sept 2019 **Refers to Scots who viewed the 2019 TV ad

76%

**

of Scots like Lees Snowballs