C&C Management March 21

SPOTLIGHT: DARREN PUGH, EAST END WHOLESALE STORES

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR CASH & CARRY/DELIVERED WHOLESALERS

MARCH 2021

Exclusive!

Steve Foster on his progress and priorities as MD of Hancocks EASY TO USE INDIVIDUAL CARDS - AVAILABLE NOW IN TWO GREAT FLAVOURS

CCM Chefs Own-B rand Own-Brand Awards Awards 2021 2021

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CCM Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards 2021 launched with Craft Guild of Chefs

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CATEGORY INSIGHT

4Snacks & Biscuits 4Energy Drinks 4Cleaning & Laundry 4Tobacco, Accessories &

Next-Generation Products

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Contents

March 2021

This month don don’’t miss...

06

08

12

Hyperama divides its allegiance between Caterforce and Unitas.

Drinks wholesaler LWC is fully reopening its depots on 5 April.

Hancocks boasts more than 4,000 confectionery lines in store.

ESSENTIALS 05 06 22

16

Editor’s Comment Industry News Products & Promotions

FEATURES 12

Interview In his first interview since becoming managing director of Hancocks, Steve Foster talks about steering the business through the pandemic and his plans for growth.

16

Spotlight Darren Pugh, senior trading controller, East End Wholesale Stores.

17

CCM Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards Cash & Carry Management launches the awards scheme for 2021.

CATEGORY INSIGHT 26

East End Wholesale Stores’ Darren Pugh (left) – who played rugby for many years – with former international rugby union referee Nigel Owens.

Product of the month

42

22

Manufacturers are investing in the smoking alternatives sector.

Kervan Gida introduces a new 150g gummy sweets range.

Energy Drinks Innovation is driving growth.

34

Snacks & Biscuits The pandemic has shifted sales towards sharing formats.

42

Tobacco, Accessories & NextGeneration Products Price remains a key focus.

46

Cleaning & Laundry Products with disinfecting properties have soared in demand.

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March 2021

03

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Change is everyone’s duty n a Sunday Times interview, Microsoft’s co-founder Bill Gates warns that climate change is far more dangerous than the COVID-19 pandemic.

The potential scale of the danger is spelled out by Mark Suzman, CEO of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation: “Within decades, climate change impacts could kill nearly three times as many people per year as COVID did in 2020.”

The scientific and business communities are attempting to find solutions to this growing challenge. For example, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is investing heavily in research and development into ‘tools’ to stave off the worst consequences of climate change. These range from exploring ways to capture carbon dioxide from power stations to developing vegetable varieties that are more resistant to climate stresses and disease.

Suzman explains: “The fight against climate change must be waged on two fronts: we must eliminate the emissions that are causing the problem, and we must ensure vulnerable communities can adapt to the changes already here.”

So what has this got to do with the cash & carry/delivered wholesale industry? The vast quantity of wholesalers’ delivery vehicles and temperaturecontrolled warehouses produce greenhouse gas emissions that contribute to the climate crisis. Individual wholesalers have been taking steps to reduce their emissions, and now the Scottish

I

MARCH 2021

Exclusive!

Steve Foster on his progress and priorities as MD of Hancocks EASY TO USE INDIVIDUAL CARDS - AVAILABLE NOW IN TWO GREAT FLAVOURS

CCM Chefs Own-Brand Own-B rand Awards Awards 2021 2021

PLACE CARD IN PACK

CCM Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards 2021 launched with Craft Guild of Chefs

Kirsti Sharratt Managing Editor

NEVER MISS AN ISSUE...

SPOTLIGHT: DARREN PUGH, EAST END WHOLESALE STORES

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR CASH & CARRY/DELIVERED WHOLESALERS

Wholesale Association has launched a project to investigate how to decarbonise the wholesale industry in Scotland (page 10).

The industry body is aiming to identify and recommend how wholesalers’ delivery vehicles and warehouses could be made less environmentally harmful.

The project’s findings and recommendations will be shared not only with the SWA’s members but also with the Scottish Government and enterprise agencies, with the aim of securing investment to help the wholesale supply chain transition to greener technologies.

What’s more, the Scottish wholesale industry could become Scotland’s first ‘commercial testbed’, particularly for Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) technology.

To any sceptics who think that their involvement in such a project would not make any difference, it is worth noting that the huge UK reduction in the use of single-use plastic bags was triggered by one person – Rebecca Hosking – who launched an anti-plastic bag campaign after she was moved to tears filming a turtle that had a plastic bag in its mouth and was slowly dying.

In the words of former US president Barack Obama: “Change will not come if we wait for some other person or some other time.”

Cash & Carry Management is free to cash & carry and delivered wholesale directors, buyers and managers.

The magazine is available to other subscribers for just £74 a year or £7 per copy. Overseas yearly subscriptions are priced at £95. Back issues dating back to 2011 are available online.

FOR AT LEAST AN HOUR

LEAVE IT LONGER TO MAKE IT STRONGER

CATEGORY INSIGHT

4Snacks & Biscuits 4Energy Drinks 4Cleaning & Laundry 4Tobacco, Accessories &

Next-Generation Products

ENJOY THE FLAVOUR FUSION

FROM THE UK’S NO.1 FILTER BRAND Log on to our trade website at republictechnologies.co.uk

Follow us at @RTUKtrade

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

Email mail.winlove@btconnect.com or call (01342) 712100 for more information.

[ EDITOR’S COMMENT ]

Address Winlove Publications Ltd PO Box 366 East Grinstead RH19 4ZE Tel (01342) 712100 Email mail.winlove@btconnect.com Publisher Winlove Publications Ltd EDITORIAL Managing Editor Kirsti Sharratt Contributor Kevin Whitlock ADVERTISING AND MARKETING Publishing Director Martin Lovell Media Sales Manager Clare Phillips 4,448 July 2018 – June 2019 Audit Bureau of Circulations Printed by Bishops Printers ISSN 1352-254X All media rates, feature lists and deadlines can be accessed online by visiting: cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

THREE WAYS TO GET INVOLVED THIS MONTH 1. ONLINE Catch up on all the latest news via our website, including developments from wholesalers and suppliers, and view our current online magazine edition, as well as back issues. cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk cashandcarrymanag ement.co.uk

2. LINKEDIN Join our official page for latest events, announcements and forum discussions.

3. TWITTER Follow us to receive breaking news, plus live updates from industry conferences. @CandCManag @CandCM anagement ement

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March 2021

05

[ INDUSTRY NEWS ]

Unitas drops fees after Hyperama loss

All Unitas Wholesale members operating primarily in the foodservice or on-trade channels will be given a 30% reduction in their membership fees for 2021/22.

The one-off drop in fees is in recognition of the ongoing issues that the out-of-home channel is facing because of the COVID-19 crisis.

John Kinney, managing director of Unitas, said: “We appreciate that the financial impact of the pandemic on our out-of-home members is huge and damaging, and we hope that this reduction in

John Kinney: Demonstrating commitment to members.

fees goes some way to demonstrate our commitment to our foodservice and on-trade members.”

The news about the fees follows an announcement that the foodservice business of Nottingham-based C&C/wholesaler Hyperama has become a member of Caterforce, while its retail business remains with Unitas.

In addition to Nottingham, Hyperama operates from Derby, West Bromwich and Peterborough and it owns the JK Foods ethnic food distribution business.

Marcus Singh, CEO of Hyperama, told Cash & Carry Management that the foodservice/catering element represents approximately £35 million of Hyperama’s turnover, which was reported as £138.1 million for the 12 months to 26 January 2020.

However, he added: “The value that Unitas loses in revenue is tiny (approximately

Marcus Singh: looking forward to joining Caterforce.

£2.5 million). This is because most of our catering business did not come from suppliers that had central terms with Unitas. Caterforce gains £30 million plus [in buying power].”

The addition of Hyperama to Caterforce’s membership, effective from 1 April, takes the group’s foodservice wholesale members to eight.

Singh commented: “The past year has been an incredibly difficult one for all in foodservice and catering which brought into sharp focus our desire to be part of

Wholesalers offer COVID testing Bestway Wholesale, working closely with local authorities, is offering lateral flow testing (LFT) to its employees.

Dawood Pervez, managing director, commented: “Following the stats that over 30% of all COVID cases are without symptoms, all of our staff are encouraged to be tested at the local borough council offices during work time, every two weeks.

“So far, we have been able to identify four asymptomatic members of our team. In these positive cases, (which were all in the same area), we have a rigorous policy of self-isolation, cleaning premises, and safeguarding other colleagues.

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March 2021

“With results showing after 30 minutes, this enables us to take swift action should a member of our team test positive. By testing staff on a regular basis, we have been able to maintain a safe working environment for our staff and our customers.”

By offering testing, Bestway has been able to maintain a safe environment.

www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

Pervez said that with careful planning, the impact of undertaking LFT on the business has been minimal, and he urged other businesses to consider lateral flow testing.

Birchall Foodservice has been carrying out weekly rapid COVID tests among its workforce since the end of January, and has declared the programme a “huge success”. It is also encouraging other businesses to implement the testing.

Businesses in England can register for free lateral flow tests at www.gov.uk. a Bestway Wholesale 0208453 1234 a Birchall Foodservice (01282) 429446

a buying group with a vision and ambition that supported our own.

“The team and I are looking forward to joining the Caterforce group and fully utilising its buying power, marketing expertise and the shared experience of its membership.”

Gary Mullineux, managing director of Caterforce, said: “The values held by Marcus and the team at Hyperama fully align with ours. We are absolutely delighted that they will be joining us.”

Kinney said: “Whilst we are disappointed that Hyperama has made the decision to move the foodservice element of their business, we recognise and respect their requirement to obtain very specific support to meet the longer-term plans of the foodservice arm.” a Hyperama (0115) 985 1301 a Caterforce (01625) 440188 a Unitas (01302) 249909

Thanks a million!

SPAR UK has delivered one million pieces of personal protective equipment (PPE) to Marie Curie nurses working on the frontline, as part of its ‘PPE Click & Collect Service’.

Across the south west and north of England, Marie Curie nurses use an average of 118,000 pieces of PPE a week.

Thanks to SPAR wholesalers James Hall & Co and Appleby Westward, Marie Curie nurses have been able to collect their PPE, including face masks, aprons, gloves, visors, goggles, and hand sanitiser, from their local SPAR store, rather than waiting for it to arrive in the post. a SPAR UK 020-8426 3700

Get ready for Natasha’s Law Wholesalers are helping to educate their customers about the introduction of Natasha’s Law in England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland* on 1 October.

For example, Creed Foodservice is offering its customers advice and support through its key account managers, while Bidfood is running a two-part webinar series with UK Hospitality the impending about changes to food labelling.

These have come about after the death of teenager Natasha Ednan-Laperouse, who suffered a fatal allergic reaction to a sandwich in 2016.

Natasha’s Law will mean that businesses must label all foods pre-packed for direct sale (PPDS) with a full list of ingredients. Allergens must be emphasised.

Bidfood explains that

PPDS food is defined as food that is packed on site before being offered for sale by the same food business. This could be a ‘grab and go’ sandwich where the operator has prepared the sandwich on site, wrapped the product and placed it in a chilled counter unit ready for a consumer to select.

There are 14 allergens that must be highlighted: a Celery a Cereals containing gluten a Crustaceans a Eggs a Fish a Lupin a Milk

Molluscs Mustard a Peanuts a Sesame a Soybeans a Sulphur dioxide and sulphites (if they are at a concentration of more than 10 parts per million) a Tree nuts (such as walnuts, almonds and hazelnuts) For more information, visit https://www.food.gov.uk/bus iness-guidance/introductionto-allergen-labellingchanges-ppds * Food Standards Scotland has confirmed that Natasha’s Law will be implemented in Scotland from 1 October. a a

Harlech donates surplus food

Refugees and asylum-seekers from the Middle East, who are now living in Newport, Wales, are getting a taste of home thanks to supplies donated to a local food bank by Harlech Foodservice.

Olive oil, tortilla-style wraps and chickpeas are going into up to 30 food parcels a week, put together by the Feed Newport CIC food bank in the city. The products were among a major consignment dropped off by Harlech Foodservice.

The deliveries are organised by Ceri Brown, Harlech Foodservice’s digital project manager, who said: “We have up to 10 delivery vans going out several times a week to food banks across Wales and the border counties. There

L to r: Harlech Foodservice driver Tony Thomas; MD David Cattrall; Feed Newport food bank manager Gemma Walker.

are a lot of people out there facing really tough times and we’re just doing our bit to help them.”

Harlech Foodservice’s MD David Cattrall added: “Clearly, because of lockdown, we are not supplying the amount we would normally to our customers in the

health, care and education sectors or to restaurants and pubs, so that has left us with £250,000 of surplus food. In the circumstances the best thing we can do with that surplus is to direct it to food banks across Wales.” a Harlech Foodservice (01766) 810810

[ INDUSTRY NEWS ]

Three recruits

National Buying Consortium (NBC) has boosted its membership with three new recruits.

Reading-based Berkshire Beverages supplies retail and on-trade outlets with beers, wines, spirits and soft drinks.

Blue Banana is located in London and supplies confectionery, snacks, and soft drinks to the independent retail trade.

Ever Fresh Dairy, which trades as 7 Stars Cash & Carry in Croydon, supplies a wide range of food and beverages to catering and hospitality outlets.

NBC managing director David Lunt commented: “It is great to see the level of interest in our group that has converted into membership so soon in the year.

“We truly believe that our buying group is unique and that if you want to take control of your future, membership through shareholding of NBC is the way to go.

“This brings the membership to 40 since we started in 2019, representing well over £400 million of turnover and serving retail, catering, government, and hospitality sectors.”

Ramesh Varsani, owner of Blue Banana, said: “I believe that the fundamental principle of membership through shareholding ensures that my business interests are always front and centre.” a NBC (01608) 692410

www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

March 2021

07

[ INDUSTRY NEWS ]

Support for Y International joins Unitas charities

SPAR Scotland has launched its second Community Cashback campaign to give away a further £30,000 to community groups and charities.

A total of 24 organisations benefited from the first campaign last October, when shoppers and staff of SPAR stores placed nearly 7,000 votes for local causes.

This round, the closing date for nominations is 28 March, and prizes will be distributed at the end of May. In other news, SPAR Scotland raised £59,350 during 2020 for Marie Curie from collection tins sited in CJ Lang’s 108 company-owned SPAR stores. a CJ Lang (01382) 512100

Milestone

Nisa retailers have raised a milestone amount of over £100,000 for local causes with ‘Making a Difference Locally’ collecting tins sited in their stores.

Kate Carroll, Nisa’s head of charity, said: “Despite customers generally moving towards using contactless payments for their shopping during the pandemic, income from collecting tins has remained the same as shoppers look to donate any spare change.” a Nisa Retail (01724) 282028 08

March 2021

Y International, based in Aston, Birmingham, has joined Unitas Wholesale.

The company is the independent buying arm of the Lulu Group, which owns and operates more than 200 retail stores across the Middle East and India.

With a turnover of around £35 million, Y International supplies grocery, impulse, chilled, frozen and non-food products, including health & beauty items and pet foods, to the Lulu Group’s store network. Y International is currently trading with over 70 supplier partners of Unitas.

John Kinney, managing director of Unitas, said: “We are delighted that Y International have decided to join the Unitas Wholesale family. We are looking forward to working with Y International to support them in growing and developing their business into the future.”

Tony Perks, operations director of Y International, added: “Our business has seen growth over the years and will continue to do so. To aid our future strategic plans the Unitas Wholesale model provides a perfect partnership for our needs.”

Y International is the latest independent to join Unitas and follows recent new members, Albion Fine Foods, Primo Drinks, Drink

Warehouse UK and KD Wholesale. Unitas receives around 12 enquiries per week from potential members and adopts a robust membership criteria to ensure that the benefits of joining add value for the wholesaler, the group and its supplier partners. a Unitas Wholesale (01302) 249909 a Y International 0121-326 9050

Too Good To Go app users can then purchase.

Each Magic Bag contains food worth a minimum of £10 at full retail price, but is sold for £3.09. After placing an order and paying for it on the app, customers collect their bag at the allocated time from their chosen SPAR store.

Blakemore Retail MD Matt Teague said: “The bags have proved very popular with shoppers. Since registering our first stores on the app we have saved an incredible 17,400 bags of food from going to waste.” a Blakemore (01902) 366066

LWC, described as the UK’s largest independent drinks wholesaler, is fully reopening its 14 depots on 5 April. During lockdown, the branches had been open only on Fridays.

Founded in 1979, LWC was originally based in an old mill in Greater Manchester; it now operates from a support centre in Manchester city centre and has depots across England.

The wholesaler has a range of more than 9,000 product lines and uses a fleet of 170 vehicles to service 13,500 outlets in the on-trade across the UK. The company also owns 52 pubs. a LWC 0161-438 4060

All stores signed up

Blakemore Retail has signed up all 275 of its SPAR stores in England and Wales to the ‘Too Good To Go’ app.

The convenience retailer first partnered with the foodwaste-fighting platform in January 2020, when it began a trial with 15 stores.

In June 2020 the business registered a further 43 stores, and it has now completed its roll-out.

The Too Good To Go app is designed to help tackle the 10 million tonnes of food wasted each year. Towards the end of each day, SPAR stores make up ‘Magic Bags’ of surplus fresh food, which

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Reopening

100 more employees recruited FMCG wholesaler and distributor Pricecheck has recruited 100 new employees in the past 12 months.

The Sheffield-based wholesaler’s investment in talent has expanded the workforce across all areas of the business. Many of the roles have been created in the past year due to developments in new departments such as ecommerce and business change.

The new starters mean that Pricecheck now employs 300 people.

Debbie Harrison, joint managing director, said: “Recruitment processes during the pandemic have certainly been different to normal. However, we recognised early on that to continue to tackle the challenges, and ultimately to grow the business, we needed to keep

expanding our teams and the knowledge within them.

“We’ve focused on welcoming experts in specialist areas alongside a number of graduates – a combination we believe will bring new ideas and challenge current ways of working.”

The wholesaler is pushing towards its £200 million turnover target within the next five years, and its ‘Vision 200’ strategy has kept

the company moving forward throughout the pandemic after hitting the £100 million turnover milestone in July last year.

Pricecheck currently has a large number of office roles available across all areas of the business including IT, marketing, buying and business change. For more information: pricecheck.uk.com/ en/pages/careers. a Pricecheck (0114) 244 0887

Essentials at ‘lowest prices’

Brakes has announced the launch of Brakes Essentials, a value range that offers the “lowest prices, guaranteed” on nearly 60 everyday Brakes own-brand products.

The range includes meat, poultry, fish, bakery and store cupboard essentials, all benchmarked for quality and taste, so that customers can be sure they are as good as, if not better than, comparable economy products.

The products – previously available under the ‘Brakes’ label – come in new packaging, which features larger, more prominent product information, including code, pack size and temperature.

The packaging also includes illustrations to help identify the product quickly and easily, and a standardised layout for

key information such as ingredients, allergens and cooking instructions.

“As well as making our range easier to shop, Brakes Essentials will support our customers’ business needs by fulfilling their demand for value for money on everyday essentials,” says Leon French, customer marketing director.

Brakes parent company Sysco has established brand

and product tiering across its global portfolio of foodservice businesses as a way of helping its customers to shop.

‘Brakes Essentials’ marks the first step in a Europewide implementation of this strategy and draws on all the technical, CSR and chef-led benefits of the Brakes ownlabel brand. a Brakes (01233) 206000

[ INDUSTRY NEWS ]

Bob Muir

Bob Muir, former chief executive of Booker, has died after a long battle with cancer.

Born in 1939, Robert Muir (pictured) began his career as a management trainee at Littlewoods, and he then became a branch manager of Tesco. He subsequently worked at Fine Fare, Alliance C&C and Budgett’s Cash & Carry before joining Booker, where he was director of the business from 1992 to 1999.

In the ’90s, under Muir, Booker ran cash & carries in several countries including Spain and Portugal. Then, in 2009, Booker opened a branch in Mumbai, India.

Zunaid Bangee, managing director of Booker India, commented: “Bob was a great mentor to so many of us over the years at Booker; he was always helpful and very kind. Condolences to his wife Doreen and the family.”

Fast-track plea The FWD and individual businesses continue to press the Government for specific support for wholesalers.

Chief executive James Bielby said: “The Government has clipped the wings of the economic recovery by forgetting about wholesalers. From hospitals to hospitality, they hold the key to the restart. Wholesalers simply don’t have the cash to re-stock ahead of their hospitality customers opening.”

Since the Budget, the FWD has been urging the Treasury to fast-track wholesalers for discretionary local authority grants, for which £425 million has been allocated. a FWD (01323) 724952

www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

March 2021

09

[ INDUSTRY NEWS ]

Scotland’s first commercial testbed?

The Scottish Wholesale Association has launched a project to investigate how to decarbonise the wholesale industry in Scotland.

The initiative, which supports the Scottish Government’s ambition for Scotland to be carbon net-zero by 2045, is in two phases: the first will look at wholesalers’ distribution fleets, with a particular focus on Hydrogen Fuel Cell (HFC) and Electric Vehicle (EV) technologies, and the second phase will consider the environmental impact of wholesalers’ cold storage facilities.

The SWA has recruited Jessica Palmer, who has an MSc in Environmental Entrepreneurship, for an initial 12-week placement to work on the project. By speaking to wholesalers and working closely with SWA affiliate member the Scottish Hydrogen and Fuel Cell Association and their own

members, she will aim to identify and recommend how wholesalers’ delivery vehicles and warehouses could be made more sustainable and environmentally efficient.

Once the project is complete, SWA members will be given information that will enable them to make calculated investment decisions for the decarbonisation of their businesses. On a wider scale, an aim of the project is to create a Scottish wholesale industry net-zero transition plan.

The initiative will also

Increase in sales

JJ Foodservice increased sales by 1.3% to £225 million in the year ending 31 December 2020.

The pandemic had a devastating impact on the business initially, but a businessto-consumer service launched by the wholesaler helped to recoup sales. More than 30,000 people registered for the service, boosting the weekly number of orders from 24,000 to 34,000.

The wholesaler dropped the minimum order from £125 to £79, kept prices stable to 10

March 2021

promote fairness, and sustained product availability.

JJ Foodservice also achieved a 22% increase in foodservice accounts during the year, following a surge in sales to takeaways.

“Not only did we support our existing takeaway customers with great deals, but our low prices and fast service helped to attract many new businesses,” said senior category manager Mehmet Can Nohutcu Savings were shared with customers through ‘pay online offers’, which resulted in 85% of customers ordering online, versus 70% in 2019. a JJ Foodservice (01992) 701701

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help to identify where investment and infrastructure requirements should be directed by the manufacturers and developers of alternative fuels and vehicles.

In addition, the project will enable the SWA to make recommendations to the Scottish Government, and enterprise organisations, for financial investment in helping the wholesale food and drink supply chain to transition to greener technologies.

Commenting on the initiative, SWA chief executive Colin Smith said: “Through our ‘Decarbonisation Of The

Wholesale Industry Project’, the SWA has the opportunity to be the first organisation in the UK to investigate and implement the private commercial use of HFC technology and/or EV technology at a sector-wide level. The Scottish wholesale industry could therefore become Scotland’s first ‘commercial testbed’, particularly for HFC. “Carrying out this project on an industry scale will generate bigger benefits to our members than if they do it alone – not only in time and cost savings, as we are conducting the research on their behalf, but also in hopefully being able to attract funding.

“For example, the SWA will be pushing for our members to get access to some of the £109 million Scottish Government funding set aside for business investment in this technology.” a Scottish Wholesale Association 0131-556 8753

Jon Burton, business development director of Confex, retires at the end of this month.

Burton (above) has worked in the wholesale industry for over 30 years, 17 of which were spent at Landmark and Unitas Wholesale. He joined Confex 16 months ago.

Confex managing director Tom Gittins commented: “We wish Jon Burton well in his retirement and thank him for all his hard work.

“Jon has supported our members and suppliers impeccably and will be much missed by the head office team and his industry peers.

“We wish him the best of luck with his retirement and I personally look forward to playing a round or two of golf with him.”

Burton’s replacement is Kirsty Winkel. She previously worked at Landmark for 10 years and was most recently a non-food buyer at Dhamecha. a Confex (01608) 652333

30 years in wholesale

BOLD SAME NEW GREAT LOOK TASTE

OUR SMARTER, BOLDER CANS AND BOTTLES STAND OUT ON THE SHELF. WITH THE SAME GREAT FLAVOURS AND UNBEATABLE PRICE CONSUMERS LOVE.

‘Confectionery is in our DNA’

[ INTERVIEW ]

In his first interview since becoming MD of Hancocks last June, Steve Foster (pictured) talks to Cash & Carry Management’s managing editor Kirsti Sharratt about his strategy and priorities. bit Willy Wonka-ish: that’s how Steve Foster, managing director of Hancocks, describes the company’s stores. “You’ve got this sea of colour, you can smell the flavours and see all the different shapes of sweets,” he says animatedly. “I think a lot of people who don’t know of Hancocks don’t appreciate just what’s inside our buildings.”

Foster is determined to change that – a new focus on communication forms part of his strategy to maximise the potential of the business, which has specialised in confectionery since it was founded in 1962 by Ray and Liz Hancock.

Acquired by the IB Group in 2017, Hancocks now has 14 cash & carries and a burgeoning ecommerce business serving 30,000 customers, from corner shops to ice cream vans, and from sweet shops to festival vendors.

Foster, who joined Hancocks in April 2016 as chief financial officer/chief operating officer and became MD in June 2020, spoke to Cash & Carry Management about his business approach, his plans, and changes he has made so far:

A

How have your previous career roles helped you with your job as managing director of Hancocks?

I’m a qualified accountant, so I have good business appreciation, but I actually graduated in aeronautical engineering, which gave me a logical way of

thinking and problem-solving. One of my roles in engineering was lean management – I was working with crossfunctional teams across six factories in Europe to improve their practices.

I’m a firm believer that people make a big difference. I saw that a lot in the States where I spent eight years in a business turnaround role at Hero Group. When we got a new CEO, Jeff Boutelle, he was inspirational. I learnt so much from him about how to manage people. He was of the opinion that if you’ve got a good team, your main job is to support them and stay out of their way. At the start of my time in the States, Hero had a union that despised management; by the time I left, the

Ecommerce sales have made up for the decrease in footfall at the cash & carries.

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March 2021

www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

union was working with management – it was a sea change and I loved it. My time there gave me a taste for a director role, and so when I joined Hancocks it was with that in mind.

At Hero, I also learned about pace, branding and the consumer – all important elements of FMCG – and I think I’ve brought these learnings to Hancocks.

What has been your business approach since becoming MD of Hancocks?

Getting the MD role in the middle of the COVID crisis and an ecommerce boom meant that a lot changed quickly, and I had to ensure that the leadership team were aligned with what we were doing at that moment and what we were trying to do for the longer term. I put people at the heart of our strategies.

Hancocks is lucky to have Ian Gavin, who joined us last year as business development director – he has so much experience in sourcing confectionery and novelty products. We also have Helen Bradshaw, our sales & marketing director, who has a ton of experience in confectionery, and we’ve got Jonathan Summerley, our chief operating officer – he’s been at Hancocks for 35 years.

I refer to those three as the magic triangle because between them they know what’s right for the customer. I think of them as being the engine room for solutions and innovation.

[ INTERVIEW ] How would you describe your management style?

I’m very open and quite reflective. I think it’s good to try something, and it’s ok to get it wrong. That’s a big part of the culture I’m trying to get into the business. Let’s learn from what works and do more of it and let’s learn from what didn’t work and see what we can do differently.

I’m also big on recognition: I’m always looking for an opportunity to say ‘well done’ to a person or a team. For example, when we launched our new website last year, we posted a box of sweets to all our employees and a letter saying how proud we were of the team’s achievements.

What changes have you made in the past year?

Unfortunately, it was the COVID crisis that ultimately made five of our cash & carries financially unviable. We saw customers from our Dundee, Coventry, Stoke, Croydon and Reading branches transitioning to online, and when lockdown happened those sites saw a further reduction in footfall. At the same time we were looking at rent increases for those sites, and so we closed them.

It was horrible. You can say it’s business and that’s one way of justifying it in your head, but ultimately you know that behind those decisions are people.

We are also moving from the Dunstable site. When we went into lockdown, the customer base switched almost overnight to online, and in the space of about three weeks our online

The magic triangle (left to right): Ian Gavin, Helen Bradshaw and Jonathan Summerley.

business tripled. As we came out of lockdown, many of our customers did come back to cash & carry but a lot of our new ecommerce customers stayed online, and we very quickly realised that the Dunstable facility couldn’t cope. We therefore decided to go for a bigger site.

The bitter-sweet bit is that the team at Dunstable walked through fire for us, servicing the customers really well as online orders soared. We have offered all of them the chance to move to the new distribution centre in Manton Wood, and Johnny Kumar, our warehouse manager at Dunstable, is heading up the new site. Some employees have opted not to come because the job market in the Dunstable area is so strong.

We are due to leave that site by June, and the landlord already has two interested tenants.

Our Manton Wood facility has just opened and eventually we expect to employ 100 people there, more than double the number at Dunstable. We will run ecommerce from there and branch replenishment, but it won’t have a cash & carry.

At any one time, there are more than 4,000 confectionery lines in store.

How have the COVID crisis and Brexit affected your product availability?

To try to ensure that our stock position stayed healthy, we put an extra £1 million into stock. We deal with so many small, niche confectionery suppliers, which is brilliant because they bring a real passion to the industry, but the flip side is that it doesn’t take much for staff sickness to hurt those businesses.

With regard to Brexit, we have a significant European supply base and so, since January, we have been trying to understand the problems affecting the supply chain. These include commodity codes, paperwork, and to some extent truck drivers not wanting to bring product into the UK because of COVID testing and the risk they’re going to get stranded. What we’ve managed to do is connect some of our European suppliers who have managed to get stuff moving with the ones who haven’t, and they’ve been able to help one another.

It’s a minefield, and we are talking to HMRC, but I think they’re learning as well.

What were your financial results for 2020 and how did the C&Cs and ecommerce side of the business perform?

Turnover in 2020 was circa £70 million – basically in line with 2019.

We saw more than 200% growth in our ecommerce sales over 10 months, and even in January it didn’t quieten down. We reduced our minimum order to £30 at the start of the COVID crisis but because it resulted in too many small orders, we reverted to £50.

Cash & carry sales last year were interesting. We shut our stores during the first lockdown, and had a phased reopening after six weeks. From then, it took about three months to get back to 80% of pre-COVID levels of footfall – customers were coming less often but spending more, so that was ok.

www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

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[ INTERVIEW ] We didn’t see much impact from the second lockdown in November – I think our customers just carried on, a bit like we did. However, the next lockdown in January, which came on the back of Christmas and messages about the new strains of COVID, did drive numbers down by around 30%. Today we are down by about 20% in our cash & carries but our ecommerce business is more than covering the decline.

With so much turbulence in the market place, to what do you attribute Hancocks’ solid performance?

The fact that our turnover has been stable over the past year shows the strength and resilience of confectionery.

Everybody wants that pick-me-up, that bit of sunshine.

We’ve also seen a lot of people starting online businesses during lockdown.

I was at our Watford depot in September and got chatting to a British Airways pilot who was furloughed, and he had set up an online sweet shop. I know of accountants and teachers who have done the same.

We’ve also had traditional sweet shops moving online and selling pick & mix packs and ‘movie night in’ products.

COVID definitely affected our own sales of pick & mix but sales of shaker cups and mixed bags of sweets made up for that volume; in essence, pick & mix just morphed into new formats.

What are your priorities for the business this year?

We are focusing on three things – solutions, expertise and innovation – and we’re calling the strategy ‘Partners in Sweet Success’.

Solutions: we’re looking for ways to overcome challenges. For example, as our ecommerce sales grew, our customer service was affected and we

•

Pick & mix has morphed into new formats like shaker cups due to hygiene concerns during the pandemic.

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How do you balance making profit with offering choice?

We need our products collectively to make a profit but there are certain lines that are not about profit; they are about giving our customers access to brilliant lines. American confectionery is an example – the margins aren’t necessarily great because of the cost of importing, but our customers love it.

A new range of PoS material has been introduced in the C&Cs this year.

quickly realised that the tools we were using weren’t good enough. Therefore, this month we are implementing Zendesk, an industry-leading cloudbased ticketing software solution, which will be a way for our customer services team in Sutton to manage calls better.

Expertise: we’re trying to find ways to share our expertise with our customers. We will be rolling out a training programme – a bit like the McDonald’s five-stars scheme – with our cash & carry colleagues in the coming months.

We want to be able to direct a customer to a specific member of staff who can talk to them about particular aspects of confectionery.

Innovation: this is about giving our customers exciting NPD from our suppliers – such as the blue tongue painter lollies developed by Astra Sweets in Holland. There are quite a lot of small start-up confectioners as well, and I love to be supportive of these pioneers by giving them access to the market.

NPD also comes from our own team working with some of our trusted manufacturers to produce own-brand lines.

We have Crazy Candy Factory, Bonds of London, and Kingsway own-brands, and our aim is to offer insight-driven innovation. We would rather not step on the toes of well-known brands, and so typically you will find our own-label where it suits both us and the manufacturer.

Also, we are now having meetings with customers to find out what they think could work in confectionery, just to feed into that innovation pipeline.

•

•

www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

Do you have plans to diversify into any other product categories?

Not really. One thing we’ve learned in the last couple of years is that confectionery is in our DNA so we will leave all the other stuff to the big, successful cash & carries – the Bookers and Bestways of this world. We are experts in confectionery, we’ve got the biggest range, we’ve got the best people when it comes to product knowledge, so we’re doubling down on confectionery.

When and how do you intend to announce the detail of your plans?

We will share our ‘Partners in Sweet Success’ plans with our team and our supplier base in the next three months.

We’ve got a lot to offer suppliers, including exclusive partner relationships. Pez would be a good example of where we have used insights to grow the brand and provide great products to our customers.

Our communication with existing and potential customers will also be a priority. Back in the ’60s when the Hancock family started the business, if you were a sweet shop you had to deal with Hancocks. The world has changed over that time but we didn’t necessarily change our communication style and that’s what we’re doing now.

Hancocks in numbers

£70 million turnover (2020 and 2019) 14 branches 140,000 sq ft new distribution centre in Manton Wood, Worksop 30,000 customers 400 employees 4,000+ product lines 200% growth in ecommerce sales in past 10 months 5% of business from exports 0 delivery vehicles – Hancocks uses a third party for distribution

[ INTERVIEW ] We’re improving our communication to reach out to new customers. We’re a well-kept secret, and so we’re making a real effort to raise awareness in the press and online – we’ve just started our own Instagram page.

We have also introduced a new range of point-of-sale material into our cash & carries, effectively to point out best-sellers and ‘must stocks’. Longerterm we want to be able to recommend a particular range to customers based on demographics in their area.

What does a typical week look like for you?

Quite busy! There is a lot of interaction with the leadership team, and at the moment I’m going into the office twice a week and working from home the rest of the time.

During the week, I start every day with breakfast with my family – I check in with my daughters (age 6 and 9) and that’s important to me. I can then focus on work. I’m definitely a hard worker, but I’m quite protective of my weekends.

Steve Foster with his Harley-Davidson at Goathland, where Heartbeat was filmed.

What are your interests outside work?

I’ve got a Harley-Davidson, and my dad’s a keen motorbiker too, so before lockdown we would meet up about once a month for a ride somewhere, and I miss that. The bike hasn’t started since October; we have stuck to long walks. I also like DIY. In 2017 we bought a new house and it turned out to be a lot more work than expected – we had to gut it in the end. I would finish work, go straight to the house, grab the tool bag

and start smashing things – and then I would get the proper tradesmen to come and fix it all!

Last but not least, what is your favourite confectionery?

A Double Decker! I’m a chocoholic. That said, a Sherbet Dip Dab and Wine Gums are old favourites too. I could eat sweets all the time at work – they’re everywhere – but I actually only have them CCM two or three times a week.

www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

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[ SPOTLIGHT ] Darren Pugh, senior trading controller, East End Wholesale Stores

sponsored by

What are your interests outside work and how do you maintain a work-life balance?

I played rugby for many years at Telford Hornets – it was a good way to unwind at the end of a challenging week.

Nowadays I enjoy reading and spending time with my family, as well as an occasional holiday. I also enjoy riding motorbikes. My father-in-law has some vintage bikes: Rudges and a Sunbeam. I am only able to ride them on the fields at home as I was part way through getting my licence when COVID hit.

‘I went through the university of life’ What have been your biggest achievements in work and outside work?

There have been many during my career, from store management to distribution, from cash & carry to trading.

Being a father to lovely daughters (age 25 and 28) is my biggest achievement outside work, and I am delighted to have become a Taid (grandfather) in November.

Who has been the biggest inspiration to you?

My father, who, as a van salesman in north Wales, taught me at eight years old that you work to get what you want – I was a van lad for a while and also had a stint on a milk round. Others along the way to mention are Elwyn Davies (formerly of Blakemore) and John Searle (ex-Landmark and now at East End Wholesale Stores), who have given me an opportunity to take on a new challenge at key times in my career.

What were your ambitions when you were growing up?

I wanted to be a policeman or join the RAF, but unfortunately my hearing was 16

March 2021

not up to scratch to get me through the medical. As it was, I actually went back to school to re-sit my O Levels and left with five in total, to the disappointment of my parents. I didn’t go into further education; I went through the university of life instead! A career in retail beckoned and I started at Leo’s supermarket in Menai Bridge (subsequently the Coop and now Waitrose). I have always been a glass-half-full person and opportunities always come my way in the end. I have always tried to apply myself to whatever role I am in to the best of my ability.

What has been your biggest challenge and how did you overcome it?

There have been many challenges in my career but they have all been to do with taking on a new role. They were all unique but involved using my skill set and working with those around me to figure out solutions whilst being responsible and accountable. Outside work, a big challenge was completing the London marathon, given the time I had available to train before the big day.

www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

How would you describe your personality and what approach do you take in business (and in life)?

Easy-going but driven. I believe that when doing a job or task it is worth getting it right at the first attempt.

What are your favourite film and book?

My favourite film is The Shawshank Redemption (good things do happen in the end) and my favourite book is Game of Thrones by George R R Martin.

If you won a holiday, where would you go and who would you take with you?

I would love to travel in America from Florida Keys up the west coast, and I CCM would take my wife Linda.

Picker career start When Darren Pugh left school, he became a twilight picker and shelf filler at Leo’s supermarket in Menai Bridge on the Island of Anglesey. He worked his way up to department manager/buyer and then joined AF Blakemore as store manager of SPAR in Valley, Anglesey. In 2004, Pugh was appointed as operations director of Blakemore, and a year later he became trading controller at Landmark, where he stayed for 13 years. He carried out the same role at Unitas for two years before leaving to join East End Wholesale Stores last year as senior trading controller.

CCM Chefs Own-B rand Own-Brand A Awards wards 2021 2021

CCM Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards 2021 ENTER ONLINE www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

CCM Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards 2021 Now in its fourth year, the prestigious CCM Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards is run by Cash & Carry Management magazine, in association with the Craft Guild of Chefs.

We know the care and passion that goes into creating a successful own-brand. It doesn’t just happen by magic: development chefs and supply partners work hard to bring exceptional products of excellent quality and great value to market – products that are driven by customer need and provide innovation in many categories. ese awards give cash & carries and delivered wholesalers whose own-brand products hit the mark the recognition they deserve, with endorsement from the Craft Guild of Chefs – the leading chefs’ association in the UK – who conduct the judging in blind tastings.

Entries are open for products in all food & drink categories at a cost of £115 per product, with one free for every 10 products entered. e price has been held at last year’s level. e closing date for entries is ursday 1 July 2021. e products must be delivered on the date and to the delivery address that will be confirmed on receipt of your entry.

Judging will take place in August and the winners will be announced at a prestigious awards lunch in October.

For further information, contact Martin Lovell on 01342 712100.

Product Categories

Are your own-brand products the best in foodservice?

Best Innovation of the Year – Savoury Best Innovation of the Year – Sweet Afternoon Tea: scones, cakes, sweet bakery, muffins, doughnuts, cookies, traybakes Antipasto Bakery: baguettes, artisan, bread, rolls, petit pain, burger buns, hot dog rolls, dough balls, tortillas, bagels, ethnic bread, savoury hand-held, pies, pasties Baking Biscuits Butchery: poultry, beef, pork, lamb, game Butter, Fat, Spreads Canned: vegetables, beans, tomatoes, fruit, fish, meat, lentils, pulses, noodles Cereals Cheese Children’s Selection Chocolates, Mints, Petits Fours Cooking Sauces Crisps & Popcorn Delicatessen: sandwich fillings, salads, pesto, dips Desserts: sponge puddings, crumbles, tortes, gateaux, trifles, pies, tarts, flans, pancakes, crepes Egg Products: omelettes, tortillas, souffles, quiches, Yorkshire pudding Fish & Seafood: fishcakes, scampi, breaded fish, battered fish Fork Buffet: canapes, Oriental, buffet bites, mini desserts Frozen Vegetables & Fruit Gluten-Free Gravies, Stocks, Bouillons, Jus

Product Categories

Are your own-brand products the best in foodservice?

Hot Beverages: tea, coffee, hot chocolate Ice Cream, Sorbet, Gelato, Frozen Yogurt Pizza & Pasta Potato Products: baked, chips, fries, mash, hash browns, wedges, croquettes Preserves Processed Meats: bacon, cooked meats, sausages, stuffing Ready Meals: British, Indian, Mexican, Americas, Middle East, Oriental, Italian, pies, bakes, vegetarian/vegan Rice Sauces & Condiments: portion packs, bulk Seasonal Products (Christmas, Easter, etc) Soft Drinks: carbonates, still, juices Soup Spices & Seasonings Street Food Vegan Vegetarian Wines, Beers, Spirits Yogurts Please note that this list is not exhaustive: let us know if you would like any other categories to be included.

To enter, send a list of the products you wish to enter and the category for each product to mail.winlove@btconnect.com or complete the online entry form at www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk Closing date for entries: 1 July 2021 We will then contact you with information about the next stage

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Health and Wellbeing

WE’RE HERE We provide emotional, practical and financial support for all grocery colleagues through the 24/7 Helpline and website.

Online Wellbeing Community for ages 11-25 Family & Relationship Support Workplace Critical Incident Support Managers Help & Information line Telephone Information Specialists Debt Advice

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[ PRODUCTS & PROMOTIONS ]

‘Perfect for families looking for a sweet treat’ PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

Kervan Gida, owner of confectionery brand Bebeto, has launched a new 150g gummy range.

Managing director Stuart Johnston says: “We’ve taken our best-selling shapes and flavours and we’ve mixed, matched and repackaged them in a bigger bag format.”

The range comprises Strawberries, Fizzy Watermelons, Big Mix and Big Fizzy Mix, available in both pricemarked and non-price-marked packs.

“The impact of COVID-19 has forced us all to spend an increased amount of time at home, enjoying ‘big nights in’,” Johnston continues. “In fact, nearly half of UK consumers say they’re snacking more at home during office closures, and this includes small indulgences like sugar confectionery. Our new line-up of gummies are perfect for families

looking for a sweet treat.

“This medium bag format, typically sold at £1, works extremely well for both wholesalers and retailers. This category continues to see exceptional growth because it’s easy to merchandise and appeals to shoppers due to its great value and convenient format.”

Kervan Gida (01243) 530550

Aston Manor Cider has introduced Crumpton Oaks Cherry & Berry Cider in a 4 x 440ml carded can multipack and a two-litre PET bottle (both £4.50 rsp).

“Cherry & Berry is a well-known flavour combination in soft drinks but completely new to the cider category,” says brand manager Alison Reilly.

“28-34-year-olds account for the biggest share in total fruit cider growth (Kantar), which presents a huge opportunity for Crumpton Oaks.”

The company has also extended the Crumpton Oaks range with a two-litre PET of its Dark Fruit variant.

Aston Manor Cider 0121-328 4336

Backing Beefeater

Return for Easter

TV campaign

Pernod Ricard UK has relaunched Beefeater gin with a new bottle design and a multi-million-pound marketing campaign aimed at the brand’s target audience of 25-34-year-olds.

Spearheaded by TV advertising, video on demand and online video, the ‘Spirit of London’ campaign also includes digital, e-commerce, in-store and in-bar support to coincide with the on-trade reopening for outdoor hospitality in mid-April.

The campaign runs through to the end of August to capitalise on the summer months.

Pernod Ricard UK 020-8538 4000

Soreen has announced the return of its Chocolate & Orange Mini Loaves for Easter, and they are now vegan-friendly.

Liz Jacobs, head of marketing, says: “In the lead-up to Easter, we tend to find that parents are interested in healthier choices for their children. Our spring Mini Loaves provide just that, offering families a tasty treat at 50% less sugar and also 64% less fat than the average Easter cake bar.”

The development follows news that the majority of Soreen’s products have gone vegan-friendly for 2021, including its original malt loaf products.

Soreen 0161-874 4100

Coca-Cola European Partners has developed its ‘Schweppes, We’ve Got The Tonic, You’ve Got The Spirit’ TV campaign.

Two new adverts, which aim to celebrate and encourage Brits’ thirst for positivity in the run-up to summer, feature the Schweppes Classic and Schweppes Signature Collection ranges.

Schweppes outperformed the mixers sector in retail with 32.7% value growth last year (Nielsen), fuelled by consumers’ efforts to recreate the pub, bar and restaurant experience at home.

CCEP (0808) 1000 000

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March 2021

Cherry & Berry

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ADVERTISING FEATURE

Nescafé brand shows its strength in convenience channel A total of 97.6% of households buy into hot beverages each year1 and the category continues to evolve with new products and trends emerging.

Nescafé Azera has introduced crafted coffee to the market through a collaboration with Grindsmith coffee roasters.

Nescafé Gold has also focused on the roasting stage of coffee with the introduction of Roastery Collection in Light and Dark variants. This new product development is set to bridge the gap between the premium coffee segment and the super-premium.

With some shoppers trading up to Roastery Collection, the category will grow in value and keep coffee drinkers moving up the pence-per-cup journey.

However, it is important to maintain focus on the established Nescafé products, as well as these new products. The Nescafé brand accounts for 31.3% of the total spend in hot beverages across the convenience channel, and over 40% of this value comes from the Top 5 selling products. These 5 products are different pack formats of Nescafé Original, Nescafé Gold Blend and Nescafé Azera Americano, making these ‘must stock’ products in any hot beverages range.

Wholesalers can provide extra value for their customers with these products by selling the Price Marked Pack (PMP) variations. PMPs can be used to build trust with shoppers while also utilising brand strength and value to increase the products’ appeal.

Prices should be clearly displayed to ensure a simple shopper experience, and they should be eye-catching to encourage impulse purchases. 44% of shoppers are more likely to shop in a convenience store that stocks Price Marked Packs2, making them an obvious choice for wholesalers.

Additional to PMPs, wholesalers can maximise profits by providing a product offering across all the segments of tea and coffee to ensure no sales are lost. Key segments that are growing and should be stocked as part of any hot beverages range are roast & ground coffee, coffee pods and origins instant coffee, as well as speciality teas, fruit and herbal teas and green tea3.

On top of stocking the correct products, it is important to understand in what format consumers want to purchase the products. Lately, with consumption in-home being far higher than in recent years, shoppers are deciding to choose larger pack sizes4. Therefore, wholesalers should consider stocking larger packs of the top selling hot beverages products if they are not doing so already.

1 Kantar household penetration 27 Dec 2020 2 HIM Price Marked Packs In Convenience Stores Nov 2019 3 IRI Convenience exc major mults data 30 Jan 2021 4 ACS The local shop report Oct 2020

PRICE MARKED PACKS

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THE NO.1 SELLING * COFFEE BRAND

• Price Marked Packs attract younger, more affluent shoppers • 44% of shoppers are more likely to shop in a Convenience Store that stocks Price Marked Packs • 26% of Convenience Store shoppers say that price shown at shelf is an extremely important factor in deciding what to buy Source: HIM November 2019. ®Reg. Trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. Sales not guaranteed. *Source: IRI 52/we 15 Aug 20.

Supplier activity energises sales

[ ENERGY DRINKS ]

Energy drinks are worth £1.4 billion, growing at 8% (IRI), and are the top ‘drink now’ segment of soft drinks. A total of 72% of energy drinks growth over the last year came from new products (Nielsen), highlighting the importance of keeping ranges up to date. nergy is a fast-growing part of the soft drinks market, delivering the highest profit per litre, with over one in three soft drinks sold in convenience stores being an energy drink (IRI), reports Adrian Troy, marketing director at Barr Soft Drinks.

Flavoured energy drinks now account for 34% of the mainstream energy market and are growing faster than original energy (IRI), he adds. “Flavour remains really important to energy drinkers – they are looking for more than functionality, they want a great tasting product,” he comments. “Eight of the fastest growing energy SKUs are flavoured, four of which are juice-based (IRI).”

Troy points out that the energy category has always been driven by people’s needs, and there are currently big sections of society that are busier than ever before. “We may have lost the busy morning commute, which has always been a hotspot for energy consumption, but it’s been replaced by the pressure of lockdown, juggling childcare and the need to catch up on work late into the evenings which creates the need to feel alert throughout the day,” he says.

E

‘No longer are energy drinks the preserve of the traditional young male gamers...42.8% are female’ Adrian Troy, marketing director, Barr Soft Drinks “The category has to be exciting and varied to keep these shoppers engaged,” he maintains.

Innovation in the energy category has seen the consumer base shift. “No longer are energy drinks the preserve of the traditional young male gamers.

There are 13.9 million people in the UK consuming energy drinks – 36.4% of those are between 15-29 years old and 42.8% are female (TGI).” What’s more, energy drinkers have a wide range of interests, including music, theatre, photography and experimenting with food (TGI). A total of 135 new energy SKUs were introduced last year, generating £95 million growth (Kantar).

Within the energy drinks market, big can energy is driving the growth at 13%, highlighting an opportunity for wholesalers and retailers to take advantage of innovative NPD. In the big can segment, Barr Soft Drinks has just launched Rubicon Raw. Made with 20% real fruit juice, caffeine from green coffee beans and B-vitamins, Rubicon Raw comes in 26

March 2021

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three variants – Raspberry & Blueberry, Orange & Mango and Cherry & Pomegranate – with natural flavours and no artificial colours.

The launch is being supported by a £1.5 million consumer, social and shopper marketing campaign, plus a range of in-store and in-depot PoS to signpost the category and engage shoppers at the fixture.

Rubicon Raw comes in 500ml plain cans (rsp £1.29) and £1.29 PMPs. In line with Barr Soft Drink’s commitment to environmental sustainability, the Rubicon Raw outer case is wrapped in 100% recycled film, which has less than half the carbon footprint of its virgin plastic equivalent.

In other news, Barr Soft drinks reports that IRN-BRU Energy has sold over 7.5 million cans since it was launched in July 2019 and was last year’s fastest selling soft drink in convenience (IRI). More than 80% of consumers who have tried it say they will purchase it again. The drink combines the iconic flavour of IRN-BRU’s secret essence with the taurine, caffeine, B vitamins and taste of an energy drink, and is available in sugar and no sugar variants.

Red Bull has announced the launch of this year’s Red Bull Summer Edition – a cactus fruit flavour. The latest variant, available in 250ml cans, delivers “all of the functional benefits of Red Bull Energy Drink, along with an invigorating burst of berry that blooms into an exotic fruit and violet flower taste”.

Red Bull Editions grew by 32.6% in value last year (Nielsen). The Watermelon Summer Edition in 2020 proved so popular that it has now become a permanent SKU known as the Red Edition.

Shoppers are buying Red Bull Editions more often, with average frequency double the rate of a year ago (Kantar).

Energy drinks are big business. Time to take advantage with Sales Supercharged. The exciting new retailer support initiative from Monster. Learn which products are really driving sales. How to give your chiller more merchandising muscle. And get the low down on all the latest consumer trends. You’ll even get the chance to grab some free stock.

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VISIT SALESSUPERCHARGED.CO.UK AND YOU COULD WIN 10 FREE CASES OF MONSTER OR RELENTLESS Source: 1 in 3 soft drinks sold are energy drinks – Nielsen: IC Energy drinks, Units Sold in Symbols and Indies YTD w.e 03.10.20 Source: Monster is driving 77% of energy category growth – Nielsen Symbols and Indies, % value growth YTD w.e 03.10.20 ©2020

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Monster Energy Company. All rights Reserved. MONSTER ENERGY

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[ ENERGY DRINKS ] To help drive overall category growth, the launch is supported with comprehensive in-store marketing investment.

“This new Red Bull Edition is an exciting addition to Red Bull’s product range and aims to drive more growth of flavours in the sports & energy category,” says a Red Bull spokesperson. “Red Bull Summer Edition is set to land well with new shoppers whilst exciting existing shoppers, with its stand-out green can drawing shelf attention.”

Meanwhile, the company’s best-seller, Red Bull energy drink 250ml, is worth over £135 million. “We believe this is the perfect pack size for functional energy and it fits most consumers’ energy needs, containing the same amount of sugar as a glass of apple juice and the same amount of caffeine as a cup of coffee,” says a Red Bull spokesperson.

In the six months to December, Red Bull sold 32.5% more Sugarfree volume through multipacks (Nielsen), with these variants also growing penetration by 24.6% (Kantar).

The company recently added a Red Bull Zero 250ml four-pack to its range. The Zero variant has sold over one million cans since its launch and is one of the biggest NPD contributors of growth to the sports & energy drinks category, adding almost £1.5 million of value as part of Red Bull’s £35.4 million year-to-date growth (Nielsen).

To help retailers maximise soft drinks sales in store, Red Bull has joined forces with Bestway Wholesale to create a digital consultancy tool. The online platform takes retailers through a step-by-step process, first asking for the store’s geographic location, followed by the chiller size and the number of facings per branded SKU. The tool then calculates the best SKU ratio, delivering a personalised planogram.

The tool is available to stores in England, Wales and Scotland. It aims to help retailers remove soft drinks from their chillers that aren’t performing as well in the local area and replace them with more popular SKUs to maximise profit and sales. The tool also allows retailers to access the suggested replacement SKUs through Bestway online.

The category tool will be rolled out to additional wholesale partners during this year.

In a similar vein, Coca-Cola European Partners (CCEP) and the Monster Energy Co have unveiled a new initiative to help convenience retailers maximise energy drink sales.

Sales Supercharged (www.salessupercharged.co.uk) highlights the latest trends and best performing segments and includes tips on getting the energy drinks range right and how to bring the category to life in-store. Retailers can also request the latest PoS material and find out about chilled equipment.

Monster has delivered more than two-thirds of the energy sector’s £72.5million growth over the last year (Nielsen) and is now worth £287 million. “As well as supporting our core range with impactful marketing and promotions, we continue to focus on flavour innovation and range expansion to drive growth, engage our loyal fans and recruit new drinkers,” says senior trade communications manager Amy Burgess.

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Also from CCEP are Relentless, worth £42 million, and Reign Total Body Fuel, the biggest performance energy drink in GB – four times bigger than its nearest competitor (Nielsen).

The performance energy segment has grown at 62.7% over the past six months (Nielsen), and CCEP expects it to continue growing.

There has also been an increase in demand for larger pack formats as more consumption moved into the home. CCEP saw 46% growth across its energy multipacks in 2020 (Nielsen).

The Monster Ultra White four-pack is the No.1 low-calorie future-consumption energy SKU in GB (Nielsen).

“We expect this trend to continue, which is why all three of our new additions to the Monster portfolio – Monster Mule, Monster Ultra Fiesta and Monster Juiced Monarch – will be available in four-packs later this year, as will Monster Pacific Punch, Monster Ultra Paradise and Monster Ultra Black,” reports Burgess.

A total of 35% of consumers say that their income has taken a hit as a result of the coronavirus pandemic and, as a result, many are focused on saving money. “Price-marked packs have a key role to play in delivering visible value (HIM),” says Burgess. Monster, Reign and Relentless 500ml packs come in PMPs, as do the Monster Green and Monster Ultra White four-packs.

Monster Energy Green remains the brand’s most popular SKU and is the third biggest soft drink SKU in symbols and independents (Nielsen), highlighting the importance of a strong core offering.

Taste is a key driver of growth in energy drinks, and CCEP has brought this to life with its Monster Juiced range, which is now worth £92 million and growing by 44% (Nielsen). The latest addition is Monster Juiced Monarch, which comprises a mix of peach and nectarine flavours. Last year, CCEP also added a cherry-flavoured variant to the Coca-Cola Energy range, which is now valued at £6 million (Nielsen).

Demand also continues to grow for zero-sugar options.

The Monster Ultra range is No.1 in zero-sugar energy, worth almost £76 million and in 19% growth (Nielsen).

Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I is backing Lucozade Revive with a new marketing campaign, which is set to reach at least 80% of all UK adults a minimum of 11 times with social media, digital and out-ofhome advertising including roadside locations.

The campaign is part of a £1.7 million media spend for the brand in the first quarter of this year and aims to educate consumers on the drink, which is aimed at the 59% of UK shoppers who don’t currently buy energy drinks but are looking for a naturally inspired lift during their day.

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[ ENERGY DRINKS ] Launched last year, Lucozade Revive has natural fruit flavours, real fruit juice, no artificial colours, and contains vitamins B3, B5, B6 & B12 to help reduce tiredness. It is sweetened with a balance of Stevia and sugar (4.3g sugar per 100ml).

Depots should stock a range of drink options to enable their shoppers to find the right drink for them, maintains Matt Gouldsmith, channel director, wholesale.

Lucozade Energy’s core range is the biggest seller within the company’s energy portfolio, and in line with increased demand from consumers for drink-later formats, the Lucozade Energy drink-later selection has grown by 9.1%

View from HQ Kenton Burchell, trading director, Bestway Wholesale How are energy drinks performing through Bestway?

We have delivered a very strong performance, with brands such as Monster and Red Bull leading the way with double-digit growth. As consumption took place almost entirely in the home during recent months, we saw an increase in demand for take-home multipacks and large can energy drinks.

Which elements of the category are performing well?

Functional energy is driving the growth – up 14.26% – whereas refreshment energy is in decline. New product development, new flavours, core lines and multipacks are all driving significant growth in this category.

Which brands or products have shone so far this year?

Red Bull Energy and Monster Energy have been the shining stars so far this year. Red Bull Cactus Edition launches in April, and Monster has new flavours Mule, Monarch and Ultra Fiesta in 500ml PMPs. We are excited to see these new editions in our range; our customers will be looking for newness to keep shoppers spending.

How important is price in the energy drink category, and specifically PMPs? Price is important in convenience, particularly now with economic uncertainty. PMPs increase shopper confidence and increase rate of sale (Mintel). Our PMPs always perform well and have become core to the range we offer.

Which energy drinks suppliers are the most progressive in their dealings with you as a business, and why?

All our key supplier partners are aligned to our key pillars of protecting the core range, unlocking new trends and giving Bestway Wholesale a point of difference. A good recent example of a progressive strategy has been Red Bull working closely with Bestway’s digital team to create an online category tool for retailers (see page 28).

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(IRI). In fact, the top three one-litre Lucozade Energy SKUs represent 22% of the brand’s total sales (IRI). “This means it’s increasingly important that cash & carries have a larger format offering,” says Gouldsmith.

“However, we’d advise cash & carries to pay close attention to the needs of their shoppers and adapt their soft drinks range accordingly as local and national lockdown restrictions continue to be reviewed, as we’ve seen encouraging evidence that the impulse and drink-now occasions will re-emerge as lockdowns are relaxed.”

Gouldsmith also encourages wholesalers to consider the trends towards lower-sugar drinks within their range. “This segment of the market is extremely important in contributing to the growth of take-home soft drinks, with diet and zero drinks growing by 19.3% (Kantar) and outperforming the total ‘drink later’ market.”

Flavours is another strong area of growth for the soft drinks category, and Raspberry Ripple is the latest variant in the Lucozade Energy range.

Available in 380ml PMPs and standard packs, the new flavour is designed to build on the success of Citrus Chill, which was launched last February and added £1.73 million in category sales (IRI). Raspberry Ripple will be supported with a bespoke social media marketing campaign.

This year, new products will be added to the Emerge range of energy drinks from Refresco UK, reports Nick Partridge, commercial manager. This follows the launch of several new lines last year, including a 500ml size of Emerge original functional energy. “This product expanded on our best-selling product, offering a bigger portion size and same great taste but at a more affordable price compared to competitor brands,” says Partridge.

“Last year we took time to consider what is right for Emerge and its consumers, and our new branding is very much the result of extensive market research. We are proud that consumers have driven the new look and feel, and we are excited to see our new packaging lining wholesalers’ shelves in the coming months.”

The biggest budget spend to date has been allocated to Emerge for 2021 with the aim of engaging customers more than ever before. The company also continues to work directly with wholesalers and cash & carries to drive sales, such as by ensuring that products are stocked in the right place, sited off-shelf at key times during the year, and backed with PoS. “We have an extremely strong marketing team who are able to provide wholesalers with support, and we are always there to work with them,” says Partridge.

He adds: “It’s important to be able to adapt to opportunities and challenges, especially when it comes to consumption habits of soft drinks and energy specifically. From outdoor exercise to working from home, consumer needs have been revolutionised at an accelerated pace and it’s important to offer the right range of products and brands within those categories.”

[ ENERGY DRINKS ] Energy drink sales had a strong 2020, particularly amongst independent stores which saw value sales grow by 4.4%, whereas grocery sales grew by only 0.8% (Nielsen), reports Carabao Energy Drinks.

“This suggests that independents are well prepared to face into the economic uncertainties of 2021 and are on a stronger footing than the grocers, with increased footfall once lockdown restrictions ease likely to accelerate this further,” says Mark Tanner, head of wholesale and independents. “The challenge ahead is for wholesalers to stay ahead of market trends in order to allow retailers the opportunity to hold onto this increase in footfall.”

Since the release of Carabao Energy Drinks’ ‘Only 69p’ price-marked 330ml cans across Original, Green Apple and Mandarin Orange variants in June last year, and then the launch of Mixed Berry PMP in November, the brand has seen excellent value sales growth, reports the company. Mixed Berry is now the brand’s best-selling flavour.

With shopper decisions likely to still be impacted by value for money for the foreseeable future, the decision on purchase could be made simply on whether a pack is pricemarked or not, points out Tanner.

He adds: “We know that PMPs only work if the price point is attractive to shoppers – after all, 18% believe that energy drinks are too expensive. Carabao’s ‘Only 69p’ cans give shoppers instant reassurance that they’re picking up a great tasting, great value product.”

Simon Gray, founder & managing director of Boost Drinks, agrees that value will continue to be high on the agenda for consumers this year. “Research has shown that 43% of retailers have been offering more price-marked packs as a result of coronavirus. With less face time between retailers and customers, it is vital that they are able to communicate value effectively and PMPs are a great way of doing that.”

He also points to the 13% of energy sales that come from sugar-free products and the 17% growth of flavours, which make up 39% of the stimulation market (IRI). “As such, we have seen a significant demand from retailers for new and eclectic variants to inspire shoppers and encourage repeat purchases,” says Gray.

“We currently have six flavours in our stimulation portfolio, with a brand new flavour on the horizon for the spring.” This will be backed by above and below-the-line activations, print and digital promotions, sampling, and distribution drives aimed at engaging both retailers and consumers.

In addition, Gray emphasises the importance of offering take-home packs: “We have seen an uptake in sales of both multipacks and larger formats, seeing double-digit growth on our four-pack multipack offering. With the shift to takehome packs in mind, we offer our one-litre in original and 32

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sugar-free original variants and recommend that wholesalers stock up on these formats to enable retailers to meet their shoppers’ needs and capitalise on this opportunity. ” Boost Drinks is celebrating its 20th birthday this year. This follows a successful 2020, when Boost was one of only three brands in growth in the sector (IRI). The company’s original energy product is currently the third largest energy SKU by volume and Boost is also the No.2 sports drinks brand within independent convenience (IRI). Energy and sport drinks are worth over £500 million in symbols and independents, and are growing at 7.2% year on year in value (IRI).

Building on the success of its 2020 ‘Choose Now’ campaign, Boost will launch a follow-up campaign this year.

Targeting an audience that personifies ‘Generation Hustle’, the campaign is about grabbing life by the horns, all while juggling multiple jobs, hobbies, and passions.

“From a wholesaler point of view, in line with our continued commitment to the independent retail sector, we are placing a huge focus on stock availability and distribution this year, aiming to double our investment in distribution versus 2020,” says Gray.

The company has developed plans for in-depot activation designed to engage retailers and wholesale employees, and will also carry out in-store sampling when current restrictions ease. In addition, Boost is continuing to invest in its cash & carry/wholesale partners through the key digital channels.

Mawé, which is part of AB InBev, has introduced Mawé, a new challenger brand in the energy drinks category.

Aimed at millennial parents, gym goers and health-conscious on-the-go workers, Mawé is designed as a caffeine-free, low-sugar alternative to quick-fix energy and soft drinks. Named after the Amazon tribe who first grew the guarana fruit, Mawé uses guarana fruit from Brazil, fresh pear and apple. It contains no artificial ingredients and is vegan.

A 330ml can of Mawé contains 50% of the daily recommended amounts of vitamins B5, B6 and B12. And, at 1.7 grams of sugar per 100ml, Mawé contains less than half the sugar of leading natural competitors per serving.

Mawé is available in packs of 4 x 330ml cans, with an rsp of £6.99. The launch will be supported with an integrated marketing campaign over the coming months, including CCM influencer outreach.

For further information: Barr Soft Drinks (01204) 664200 Boost Drinks (0113) 240 3666 Carabao Energy Drinks (0118) 907 3052 Coca-Cola European Partners (0808) 1000 000 Mawé (01582) 391166 Red Bull (0203) 117 2000 Refresco UK (01278) 441600 Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I 020-3727 2420

£1.19** OR 2 FOR £2.20**

STOCK UP NOW.

Sofa, so good for snacking

[ SNACKS & BISCUITS ]

At a time when pubs, cinemas and non-food shops are shut and we’re spending much more time at home, innovation plus an emphasis on taste, health and the right products for each occasion are helping to drive the snacks & biscuits market. Kevin Whitlock reports. ver most of the past year, the UK population has largely been confined indoors. As one might expect, this has led to rise in at-home consumption, be that Netflix or other entertainment streaming services, delivered takeaways, ready meals, alcohol, soft drinks, confectionery, and, of course, snacks and biscuits.

With virtually every night becoming a ‘big night in’, consumers have been looking for accompaniments to the movies and box sets they’ve been bingeing on and what could go better than some tasty snacks or biccies?

Matt Smith, marketing director for the Tayto Group, owner of brands such as Golden Wonder and Mr Porky, comments: “Crisps, snacks & popcorn is a mature £3 billion market in steady growth of 3.6% (IRI).

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At-home special treats “As with most categories, Coronavirus has made its mark,” he adds. “Consumers have changed both what they buy and where they buy it. In the convenience sector [about 20% of all sales, IRI], more ‘special’ products such as pork snacks and hand-cooked crisps are seeing good growth, as people look to treat themselves at home as a substitute to going out.

“Pork snacks have been the fastest growing category (+7.6%) due, in part, to pub closures leading consumers to pick up scratchings in shops so that they can ‘take the pub taste home’. Take-home alcohol sales have soared by 18% during lockdown (Kantar) so that’s not surprising.”

Tayto refreshed its entire pork snacks portfolio in 2020, tailoring it to the latest consumer insights, with awardwinning products and new formats including clipstrips and more pubcards for easy merchandising.

The company also expanded its £1 PMP range to include Spicy Bikers and will be supporting the launch with digital activity, including opportunities to win bikes, and an independent retailer focused trade campaign.

In addition, Tayto announced that it will be adding a Sour Cream & Onion flavour to its Golden Wonder £1 Ringos range in April. At the same time, it will make its Cheese & Onion Transform-A-Snack available as a £1 PMP. 34

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Smith points out that changes to how we socialise have accelerated the shift away from impulse packs to sharing and multipack formats, with 24% of consumers buying more sharing packs than a year ago (Norstat): “With going out still on ice, a night in front of the TV or a Zoom catch-up has become the norm and people are treating themselves with a pack of their favourite snacks, meaning that wholesalers must give choice by offering snacks across brands and pack sizes.”

Smith points out that one thing hasn’t changed – taste remains king: “In every piece of research we have conducted, taste is always the No.1 reason for purchase as consumers recognise that savoury snacks are a treat and so have to be ‘worth the calories’.”

Matt Collins, trading director at KP Snacks, concurs, adding that bagged snacks remain a vital driver of growth within convenience: “Since the beginning of the pandemic there has been a marked increase in savoury snacking occasions within the home, which were up 47% at the height of lockdown (Kantar), with crisps, snacks & nuts continuing to perform ahead of other impulse snacking categories.

“In the last year, we have seen a significant increase in multipacks and sharing format sales, with familiar, trusted and well-known brands driving segment growth.

Sharing is strong and growing.

Worth nearly £1.3 billion, the largest within crisps, snacks & nuts, it is currently experiencing growth of 10.4%.”

Collins also agrees with Tayto’s Smith that the No.1 driver in the crisps, snacks & nuts category is taste, and he sees many of the trends we’ve seen in lockdown continuing.

Among them are smoky, chargrilled flavours traditionally associated with cooking meat slowly over an open fire,

THERE’S NO MATCHING A SCRATCHING FOR MORE SALES AND PROFITS

CONVENIENCE

LICENSED/ON-TRADE

Display with Crisps and Nuts Hang clipstrips with BWS to aid incremental sales

Stock up on the leading pubcards - highly visual and space saving merchandising

STOCK UP NOW FOR HIGH PROFIT VAT-FREE SALES

[ SNACKS & BISCUITS ] as in the new McCoy’s Fire Pit range (Flame Roasted Peri Peri, Flame Smoked Chorizo, and Flame Scorched BBQ Ribs), launched in January with a £2 million ad campaign, including TV. Other flavour trends are spicy (a 55g bag of KP Aromatic Thai Chilli Coated nuts was launched earlier this month in a £1 PMP); meaty flavours; and premium sharing brands like Tyrrells.

“Looking ahead, we’re likely to see a focus on healthy snacking, ‘together time’ as people spend more time at home, and a heightened importance in the role of PMPs – such as our new £1 Salt & Vinegar Discos PMPs – in convenience as budgets are squeezed.”

On the sweeter side, Burton’s Biscuit Co is reminding wholesalers about the importance of offering retailers a biscuit range that enables them to appeal to a broad range of shoppers and missions. From the cost-conscious to those looking for a treat, it’s important to offer something for every occasion, argues marketing director Kate Needham.

“As consumers continue to face a backdrop of economic and political uncertainty, many of them are turning to affordable, everyday treats from their local store to cheer them up, including their best-loved biscuits and snacks,” she says.

“This presents a clear opportunity for wholesalers and retailers looking to generate incremental sales.

Dual-siting to drive sales “Wholesalers can also drive sales by signposting and dualsiting biscuits alongside complementary lines such as tea and coffee,” she adds.

The total sweet biscuits market in the UK has value sales of £2.75 billion (Nielsen). The largest sub-category within sweet biscuits, special treats (which includes cookies) is currently worth £931 million and growing at a rate of 5.5%.

Burton’s £50 million flagship Maryland Cookies brand (Nielsen) is encouraging consumers to ‘Keep it Kookie’ in a major brand repositioning. Backed by a £750,000 investment, Keep it Kookie includes a digital-led marketing campaign, complemented by a new commercial which will run extensively across social channels and on prime-time TV. Meanwhile, in its biggest ever onpack promotion, Burton’s Wagon Wheels is giving consumers the chance to live life in the fast lane and enjoy a ‘money can’t buy track experience’ with Top Gear’s infamous racing driver The Stig. The instant-win promotion also involves a temporary name change to Stig On Wheels.

The promotion is running until the end of May, with 30 consumers winning an action-packed track day with The Stig and 90 runners-up receiving subscriptions to Top Gear magazine. The initiative will be supported by a social media campaign on Top Gear’s Facebook, Instagram and Twitter profiles which have a combined reach of over 27 million followers, 36

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boosted by activity on www.topgear.com. Burton’s will also be publicising the promotion on all its social media channels and via in-store activation.

Very much in the spirit of innovation, in September last year, Mars Chocolate Drinks & Treats (MCD&T) unveiled Mint Maltesers Biscuits, an extension of the successful original Maltesers Biscuits, which were launched in early 2020 and are now worth more than £6 million at retail sales value.

Michelle Frost, general manager, says: “While the appeal of Maltesers is universal, mint chocolate particularly appeals to consumers aged 35 and above. We believe a combination of format, flavour and brand will drive new consumers to the category.”

Also in 2020 MCD&T relaunched Tracker bars, with new packaging and an improved recipe. Frost says: “When it launched in 1986, Tracker was the UK’s first cereal bar; today cereal bars are purchased by almost two-thirds of households. Tracker’s heritage means that it has a unique nostalgic appeal while also attracting a new young consumer.”

For Susan Nash, trade communications manager at Mondelez International, the fact that shopping habits have changed over the past year has been central to the company’s activity. “The biscuit category, which has a penetration of 99.5% (Kantar), remains a staple for practically every household in the country and is growing at 1.5%,” she says.

“The key to driving category growth is to offer products that meet evolving needs.

“As with savoury snacks, the ‘healthier‘ biscuits sub-category is growing by 2% and accounts for 24% of the total biscuit market (Nielsen). In fact, it has contributed to more than half of the total category growth in the past two years. With 85% of consumers claiming they are trying to improve some of their diet to become healthier, almost one in every three food items are now chosen for health.”

Nash believes there is an untapped opportunity for cash & carries within ‘healthier’ biscuits such as belVita and Cadbury Brunch and savoury brands like Ritz (which has reduced its salt and fat content).

She is another industry executive who believes that consumers are currently prepared to spend more on something that tastes great and that they feel good about: “The ‘special treat’ segment is in 1.6% growth (Nielsen), with consumers willing to trade up from commoditised offers to more premium treats. Cadbury Biscuits are the No.1 special treat brand, accounting for nearly half of this sub-category’s value.”

The average biscuit shopper is over 65 (Kantar). However, says Nash, by offering a differentiated experience that meets their needs, the next generation of biscuit lovers can be attracted to the category.

Mondelez’s NPD over the past 12 months has concentrated on meeting these needs: an Oreo hook-up with pop star Lady Gaga;

[ SNACKS & BISCUITS ] Have a vegan break!

Nestlé’s KitKat occupies a unique place in the UK market – it is regarded as a confectionery countline and as a snack biscuit – and remains one of the UK’s most-loved and best-selling brands.

Now Nestlé, which has launched a number of KitKat variants over the years, has announced that it will be getting on board with the country’s enthusiasm for all things vegan (according to Ipsos Mori, the number of vegans in the UK quadrupled between 2014 and 2019 to 600,000) with the launch later this year of a vegan KitKat, KitKat V. The new line features chocolate blended with plant-based ingredients to balance the brand’s trademark crisp wafer. It is certified by the Vegan Society and is made from 100% sustainable cocoa.

KitKat V was developed by chocolatiers and food scientists at Nestlé’s research & development centre in York. Alex Gonnella, marketing director for Nestlé Confectionery, says: “There is a quiet food revolution underway that is changing how people eat – the most common request we see on social media is for a vegan KitKat.” Nestlé has also recently launched an on-pack promotion, ‘Win a Break from Bills’, which offers shoppers the chance to win a £10,000 prize. The promotion runs until the end of 2021 on a range of KitKat formats including 2 and 4 Finger, and Chunky. ‘Win a Break from Bills’ benefits from a £2.5 million media campaign which includes TV advertising, digital and social media.

PMPs on Cadbury Bournville Fingers; new belVita Seeds and Berries in Raspberry & Chia Seeds and Blueberry & Flax Seeds varieties, both of which are available in cases of six packs; a reduced sugar variant of belVita Chocolate Chip with 30% less sugar; the launch of the Cadbury Nuttier fruit and nut snack brand last year; and new Cadbury Brunch Bars with added protein.

Pladis has entered the special treats sub-category with its McVitie’s brand and a new ‘Fully Coated’ collection, which consists of McVitie’s Digestives ‘The Fully Coated One’ and McVitie’s Hobnobs ‘The Fully Coated One’. Both have an rsp of £1.79 and are completely enrobed in milk chocolate.

Pladis is also extending its savoury portfolio and tapping into what it calls ‘new evening consumption occasions’ with its biggest launch to date: Jacob’s Mini Cheddars Sticks, comprising ‘nibbly baton shapes’. Available in a 150g sharing pack, they come in two flavours – Rich & Tangy Cheddar and Grilled Cheddar & Sizzling Steak. The launch is being supported by a new TV ad plus digital and social activity.

PepsiCo’s Walkers crisp brand has benefited in the past decade or so by expanding its range of flavours in limited 38

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editions, especially when the public gets involved by voting for the flavours they’d most like to see and taste.

This strategy – bringing a bit of fun to the market and focusing on taste – is continuing all through 2021, with the launch earlier in the year of Kentucky Fried Chicken Walkers Max varieties, KFC and Double Crunch Zinger. These are supported by a marketing campaign and a ‘2 for 1’ meal offer at KFC, running until the end of July and valid when consumers present their KFC crisp packets.

The core Walkers range, meanwhile, was expanded last month with the launch of Flamin’ Hot flavour (Doritos and Wotsits have already launched the flavour successfully), available to the impulse trade in grab bags and £1 PMPs. The value segment brands, Smiths and Cheetos also got a range extension last month with the launch of Cheetos Footballs and Smiths Funyuns Onion Flavour Rings in £1 PMP packs. In addition, two Quavers varieties – Prawn Cocktail and Salt & Vinegar – were revived in January in response to ‘popular demand’.

The company has just announced a new crisps and snacks range strategy, adapting to changing shopper habits in symbols and independents. The launch of the new initiative, claims Guy Harvey, impulse category director at Walkers, can help retailers “grow their savoury snack sales by up to 46% more per week”.

Major changes in shopping habits “2020 saw a number of major changes to how people shop in the impulse channel, many of which remain relevant today,” he explains. “Shoppers are continuing to look for larger pack formats across £1 rsp PMP, bigger bag sharing and multipacks. It was therefore a no-brainer to evolve our recommended range of core bestsellers.”

Walkers has also launched an additional element to its recommended ranging strategy. The DRIVE 25 range for medium and larger stores offers greater choice and breadth to shoppers, focusing on a prioritised list of 25 products.

However, there is a growing awareness among both consumers and suppliers that all this snacking might not be good for us, particularly if we’re a little more sedentary than we used to be.

“Since the pandemic, snacking has seen a 40% increase among young people (Guy’s & St Thomas’ Charity and Bite Back) and, as a result, demand for ‘better for you’ options are booming,” says Adrienne Burke, marketing manager, snacking at General Mills.

“Since the beginning of the pandemic, the diet management category has grown by 2% and is now valued at £106 million (Nielsen), as an increased focus on health and limited movement due to lockdown caused shoppers to worry about weight gain,” continues Burke.

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Pack shown for illustrative purposes only ®Reg. Trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A.

[ SNACKS & BISCUITS ] “In the cereal bar space, the ‘better for you’ range from Nature Valley, now a £56 million brand (Nielsen), meets a variety of need states – from ‘functional’ to the more indulgent ‘9pm sofa moment’.”

Even before the pandemic, one of the biggest trends in food consumption was avoidance of certain foods or ingredients – dairy, wheat or gluten, meat, sugar and so on – either for health or allergy reasons, or for the perceived general benefits of doing so. For example, one in 10 people are avoiding gluten altogether (Mintel).

Meeting dietary requirements “We’re seeing increasing numbers of people making the choice to include more minimally processed, plant-based foods in their diet,” agrees Burke. “Shoppers are also actively looking for snacks to boost nutrition – whether that’s through added fibre or protein, snacks that are fortified with vitamins or those that help them get their five-a-day.”

An interesting snack innovation comes from Eatlean, which has launched Eatlean Nibbles, low-calorie, high-protein snacks in three flavours: Sweet Chilli, BBQ and Spicy.

The snacks are described as “perfect for dipping, dunking and nibbling away at”.

Each Nibbles pack contains 100% natural high-protein cheese sticks (lactose-free veggie cheese with at least 50% fat), a selection of roasted seeds, pulps, beans and a sugarfree dipping sauce. With an rsp of £2.50 per single pack or £7 for all three flavours, each pack has fewer than 205 calories.

Also in the ‘better for you’ sector, Gullón, the Spanish family-owned biscuit brand, saw sales rise by 37% in the last 12 weeks of 2020. Surb Kaur, UK sales director, comments: “Our Zeroh! brand [launched in the UK last year] offers wellestablished popular biscuit varieties refigured in a modern and healthier way that ties in with the current preoccupation with diet and healthier eating.

“The new Chocolate Digestive – baked with no sugar or palm oil and low in salt – is a great addition. It is vegetarian, high in fibre and made with sunflower oil which contains high oleic fats. All of this makes for a healthier, more wholesome biscuit which has a high repeat purchase rate among our target market of women interested in healthier snacking for them and their families.”

Kaur adds: “The snacks and biscuit categories offer opportunity for cross merchandising, bringing traditional and free-from products together to boost overall sales. Pairing free-from with traditional products is an effective sales tool, alerting wholesale customers to the options available.”

There are specialist operators too and these can help create differentiation for wholesalers and their customers: Envis Snacks is a family-run business which imports and 40

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distributes crisps from Lorenz Snackworld and OK snacks.

The firm specialises in the convenience and wholesale market and offers a wide range of sharing bags with £1 rsps that offer both differentiation and choice. All lines have a shelf life of over six months to avoid waste and the company has seen sales more than double in the last few years.

Andy Brown, Envis’s sales director and general manager, says: “Products that can add real differentiation are great opportunities for wholesalers to add incremental sales, and products like our Lorenz Pomsticks, available in five flavours, and the Lorenz Curly range (available in classic peanut or spicy Mexican) really fit the bill.”

Envis also supplies ranges that create extra choice within the market, for example Crunchips Xcut ridged crisps in more unusual flavours such as Chilli & Lime, along with Wanted Tortilla Chips in a £1 PMP for 150g to offer value.

Brown adds: “We have also latched on to the demand for some hot and spicy flavours with the recent launch of Crunchips WOW that are available in Jalapeno and Cream Cheese and Paprika and Sour Cream flavours, which are adding incremental sales.”

Pandemic or no pandemic, availability remains crucial in the wholesale and convenience channels, says Brown: “We work alongside key partners to help drive distribution across the convenience sector as well as offering low minimum order quantities for direct customers.

“In terms of making sure wholesalers maximise sales, it is crucial to ensure all products are available to purchase online, particularly with the growth of delivered, but also to ensure that the basics in terms of availability are always in CCM place in cash & carry environments.”

For further information: Burton’s Biscuit Company (01727) 899700 Eatlean (01270) 841500 Envis Snacks (023) 9262 7130 General Mills (01895) 201100 Gullón (07960) 247962 KP Snacks (0845) 601 7583 Mars Chocolate Drinks & Treats (0330) 660 0196 Mondelez International (01214) 582000 Nestlé 020-8686 3333 PepsiCo (0118) 916 0000 Pladis 020-8234 5000 Tayto Group (01536) 204200

R O F G N LOOKI ?

S LE A S K C A N S & P IS R C Then how about listing some Lorenz products as they: • Offer Differentiation • Have a Long Shelf Life • Provide Great POR‘s

• Add Incremental Sales • Taste Fantastic • Are Much Loved Across Europe

All products now with RSP of £1 and available in small cases.

• Pomsticks 12 x 85g, • Crunchips x-cut 12 x 85g, • Crunchips 12 x 100g, • Curly Peanut 14 x 120g and • Crunchips WOW 12 x 80g

Widely stocked now through symbol groups and wholesalers, but please contact Envis Snacks on 023 9262 7130 or sales@envissnacks.com for your nearest Lorenz Snack-World stockists.

Cost is a key consideration

[ TOBACCO, ACCESSORIES & NGPS ]

Tobacco, accessories and next-generation products continue to drive footfall and revenue for wholesalers and their customers, and NPD from suppliers is fulfilling consumer demands. rice remains a key focus for consumers, and tobacco sales are reflecting this, with an uplift in consumers switching to roll-your-own as well as value factory-made cigarettes.

Imperial Tobacco has launched New Crush, an addition to its Embassy Signature range designed specifically for ex-crushball smokers looking for premium nicotine solutions at a competitive price.

Building on the success of Embassy Signature, New Crush comprises a modern blend of Virginia tobaccos wrapped in premium paper with a unique cooling sensation filter. When coupled with flavour cards, such as Rizla Flavour Infusions, New Crush provides one of the closest menthol alternatives available on the market today, says the company.

New Crush Superkings have an rsp of £9.50 per pack of 20 and £47.50 per pack of 100.

Chris Street, market manager UK at Imperial Tobacco, comments: “The Embassy brand has enjoyed consistent growth over the last 12 months, with its share value climbing in the independent trade. We’re confident the launch of New Crush will help drive sales in the months to come as Embassy Signature grows its appeal even further with this latest launch.”

He adds: “Embassy Signature New Crush follows in the footsteps of our Players and L&B Blue New Crush variants.

Both New Crush launches have substantially exceeded distribution targets, highlighting the great sales opportunities available through this growing sub-economy sector.”

Imperial will be running a ‘national ambassador programme’ to support the launch, with visits to approximately 480 outlets each month in over 30 cities across the UK and Northern Ireland.

The launch of New Crush follows the recent addition of a Gold Superkings variant to the Embassy Signature range.

The new line (rsp £9.50 for 20) is a straight swap for Embassy No.1 Red Superkings – a move designed to help differentiate the new Embassy Signature range from the existing Embassy premium offering, which includes Embassy Filter.

Although there is a growing trend towards roll-your-own tobacco – which now accounts for 45% of tobacco sales and is growing by 30% in volume (ITUK) – factory-made cigarettes still account for the majority of tobacco sales with a 55% share of the market and are experiencing volume growth of 4% year on year (ITUK).

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“As in the wider category, interest in value for money remains a leading trend, with many consumers seeking products that offer the lowest out of pocket spend,” says Duncan Cunningham, UK corporate affairs director.

“We actively monitor the emerging market trends in the tobacco category and adapt our product offering to ensure it is well positioned to help our trade customers tap into the latest sales opportunities. In recent years, this has included the repositioning of some of our leading brands into the subeconomy sector, such as L&B Blue and Embassy, which both now offer premium quality and at an affordable price.

“We also launched a raft of new innovations in the wake of the menthol ban to help wholesalers provide their retail customers with suitable solutions for ex-menthol shoppers.

These include Green Filter and JPS Bright.”

‘Many people are now shopping more frequently at stores local to home and this is helping to maintain the strong performance of tobacco accessories in c-stores’ Gavin Anderson, head of sales, Republic Technologies (UK) Sales of tobacco accessories in the convenience channel are now worth over £230 million – making up more than three-quarters of the tracked total tobacco accessories market – and are up 3.1% year-on-year (IRI).

Filters continue to be the category’s strongest performer, with sales rising by 10% year-on-year. They are now worth more than £75 million and growing three times faster than the total accessories market (IRI).

“The fact that people are working from home in the largest ever numbers and have access to a raft of NPD, which is broadening tobacco accessories’ appeal, is contributing significantly to the growth of the market,” says Gavin Anderson, head of sales at Republic Technologies (UK).

“Many people are now shopping more frequently at stores local to home, avoiding large numbers of shoppers in supermarkets, and this is helping to maintain the strong performance of tobacco accessories in convenience stores.”

He adds: “Market growth has also been accelerated by the record number of consumers turning to roll-your-own products, recognising the quality and affordability they deliver, as cost-conscious shoppers look for greater value for money in both tobacco and accessories.”

L O N D O N C E RT I F I E D

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15% POR

LONDO

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50 £ 9.RRP

NUMBER 1 RED IS NOW

BRIGHT IS NOW

SIGNATURE SILVER

SUPERKINGS IS NOW

SIGNATURE GOLD SUPERKINGS

UPGRADE YOUR SHOPPERS TO A NEW NAME & BLEND

L O N D O N C E RT I F I E D

L O N D O N C E RT I F I E D

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SIGNATURE GOLD

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D O N C E RT I F I E D

RT I F I E D

For Tobacco Traders Only.

*RRP: for the avoidance of doubt, retailers are free at all times to determine the selling price of their products and must contact their local supplier for promotional dates.

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[ TOBACCO, ACCESSORIES & NGPS ] Meanwhile, environmental considerations continue to influence shoppers, with increasing demand for more natural products, reduced packaging and removal of singleuse plastics. This has resulted in Republic Technologies increasing its focus on environmentally-friendly NPD. The company offers OCB Virgin Slim and OCB Virgin Slim & Tips, which are unbleached papers with OCB natural gum that is sustainably sourced from African Acacia trees. Both lines are available in a slim, vertical shelf-ready box, enabling c-store retailers to manage display space more efficiently.

“We’ve also seen increased interest in premium paper and tips formats, such as OCB Virgin Slim & Tips, OCB Premium Slim & Tips and OCB Organic Hemp Slim & Tips, with the sub-category now worth nearly £14 million and growing at 80% year-on-year (IRI),” Anderson reports.

“Demand for OCB products is such that it is currently the fastest-growing paper brand in the market (IRI).”

Republic Technologies is maintaining its NPD focus this year, starting with the launch of Swan Flavour Fusion Cards, which enable consumers to create their own level of flavour in a packet of cigarettes or roll-yourown tobacco in 30 minutes. The cards come in two variants, Fresh Burst and Menthol, and have an rsp of 39p per card. Each outer contains 25 individual cards.

“Following the change in legislation last May, we have seen a significant number of consumers looking for flavour alternatives to menthol cigarettes. The iconic Swan brand is a beacon within the tobacco accessories category and is synonymous with quality and value. We’re confident that this latest product innovation will drive sales within the tobacco accessories fixture,” says Anderson.

From 1 April, the Royal Agio cigar brands will be joining Scandinavian Tobacco Group UK’s portfolio. These include Mehari’s, Panter and Balmoral. Mehari’s Red Orient is the 13th biggest cigar brand in the UK. STG UK’s country director Alastair Williams comments: “We are very pleased to welcome these brands into our cigar portfolio as it further cements our position as the leading player in the UK cigar category.

Brands like Mehari’s enjoy a great heritage and brand story and give us an additional foothold into the small cigar segment.”

Commenting on trends in the cigar category, he adds: “The medium/large segment is enjoying something of a renaissance, growing by 11.6% in volume and nearly 16% in value versus the same time last year (IRI). This may be down to people being at home more with increased time on their hands to enjoy a larger format cigar, and is being led by our Henri Wintermans Half Corona brand, which is responsible for nearly three-quarters of all sales in this segment.

“We have also seen the recent emergence of cigarillos as a growing segment within the cigar category. Our Signature Action filter cigarillo has been growing steadily in popularity since launch around this time last year, so cash & carries will 44

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Wholesalers can advise retailers on latest consumer trends.

be well advised to consider it as a must-stock to meet this growing demand.”

In the cigarillo segment, JTI recently introduced Sterling Dual Capsule Leaf Wrapped in a 20s format (rsp £9.10). An extension to the established king size cigarillo product, the new option follows the same stick configuration as the 10s, with a mentholated Virginia blend tobacco and capsule filter that when crushed releases a peppermint flavour.

Other recent developments from JTI include the launch of Ploom S, a heated tobacco product. The Ploom S device is currently sold through accredited retailers in London, and the device uses EVO tobacco sticks, which are available to wholesalers within the M25. The EVO sticks (rsp £4.50) come in four variants: Bronze, Sepia, Emerald and Purple.

Following the menthol cigarette ban, a third of the 1.3 million smokers who chose menthol cigarettes were looking to switch to a heated tobacco or e-cigarette product (Populus).

IQOS, from Philip Morris, is now the No.1 smoke-free product in the UK (ibid). To build further momentum, the company is planning to give more convenience store owners the opportunity to stock IQOS and HEETS nationwide.

“No single smoke-free product will ever be able to appeal to all adult smokers,” says head of commercial planning Kate O’Dowd. “It is important then that retailers provide a wide range of alternatives for smokers who can’t or won’t quit.”

Vaping products are obviously a key part of the smoking alternatives market – the vape category is currently worth around £1 billion in the UK. Around 30% of vaping sales take place in traditional retail stores (ECigIntelligence), and there is therefore a huge opportunity to increase market share in CCM the convenience channel.

For further information: Imperial Tobacco (0117) 963 6636 JTI UK (01932) 372000 Philip Morris 020-7076 6000 Republic Technologies (01494) 492233 Scandinavian Tobacco Group UK 020-8731 3400

Importance of product choice

[ CLEANING & LAUNDRY ]

As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, consumers are increasingly looking for brands with disinfecting properties, including household cleaning and laundry products.

overnments across the world have been testing the ability of the COVID-19 virus to live on surfaces, such as door handles, walls and work surfaces. A study released in May 2020 by microbiologists in Beijing found that Sars-CoV-2 (the name of the virus that causes the disease COVID-19) could remain infectious on smooth surfaces including plastic, stainless steel, glass, ceramics and even latex gloves for up to seven days.

“Therefore, now more than ever, it is vital to keep surfaces clean, especially common touch points such as car door handles, toilet seats and kitchen worktops,” points out Michael Robinson, managing director of Robinson Young.

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‘Now, more than ever, it is vital to keep surfaces clean, especially common touch points’ Michael Robinson, managing director, Robinson Young A report by the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control and a further report by the World Health Organisation recommend the use of bleach containing sodium hypochlorite (not to be confused with bleach containing hydrogen peroxide) diluted with water as one of the most effective ways to deactivate viruses when in non-health care environments.

Robinson Young is proud to be the distributor of family cleaning brand ACE as it is currently the only company to produce two different laundry cleaning products that contain sodium hypochlorite bleach. The two products, ACE for Whites and ACE Ultra, are more commonly used for cleaning and brightening white laundry and textiles; however, when diluted correctly they can be used as surface cleaners too.

ACE for Whites and ACE Ultra have an rsp of £2 each.

“Therefore, when diluted with water, they provide an extremely effective and affordable cleaning solution, and this 46

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may be why Robinson Young saw phenomenal growth with ACE in 2020,” says Robinson. ACE is the fastest growing brand in the category (Nielsen).

Household cleaning and paper products equate to 53% of the total home care category, reports DCS Group, and kitchen, bathroom, multipurpose and floor cleaning products have collectively seen 62.5% year-on-year growth (Nielsen).

“As a result of the pandemic, products with disinfecting properties soared in demand, including disinfectants, bleach and multipurpose cleaners,” notes Matt Stanton, head of category and insight at DCS Group.

Multipurpose cleaners saw 44% growth year on year, and Dettol was up by 49% year on year (Nielsen).

The importance of anti-bacterial and disinfectant products was the biggest change to the home care market in 2020. “We have seen many new products enter the market to fulfil this shopper need,” says Stanton.

For example, new to the market are Ajax Biodegradable Wipes in 70s and 100s.

“Leading household cleaning brands such as Flash, Dettol and Mr Muscle have updated on-pack claims to call out ‘anti-bac’ and ‘kills 99.9% of bacteria’. Wholesalers should ensure case labels are visible at fixture for retailers who may be looking for information like this,” says Stanton.

Key lines available through DCS Group are Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleanser and Flash Lemon Antibacterial Wipes.

“Core anti-bacterial lines should be featured as part of an all-year-round core range for retailers, meaning they should be available in depot too,” he says.

Laundry is the second largest segment of the home care category behind paper, at 14% (Nielsen). “In 2020, with people having fewer occasions to dress up for, laundry was the only category within the home care category not to see growth year on year,” notes Stanton.

Recent NPD includes Persil Antibacterial Laundry Sanitiser, which is designed to be used alongside the usual detergent and fabric conditioner. Also new is Febreze AntiBacterial Fabric Refresher, which includes the on-pack claim, CCM ‘Kills 99.9% of bacteria on fabrics’.

For further information: DCS Group (01789) 208000 Robinson Young (01284) 766261

ACE sales continue to grow, with more and more loyal customers.

Stock up now to keep your laundry shelves looking bright and full of colour.

To book an appointment to discuss how ACE can improve your household offering call Robinson Young on 01284 766261 or email info@ry.tm

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