Cash & Carry Management March 22

SPOTLIGHT FEATURING GURMS ATHWAL OF PARFETTS

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR CASH & CARRY/DELIVERED WHOLESALERS

MARCH 2022

Wholesalers respond to the Ukraine humanitarian crisis

Also available in PMP CCM Chefs Own-Brand Own-Brand A Awards wards 2022 20

CCM Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards 2022 launched with Craft Guild of Chefs

CATEGORY INSIGHT

Snacks & Biscuits Energy Drinks Tobacco Cleaning & Laundry RTD & Instant-Mix Coffee

ƴ UK’s no.1 premium milkshake brand (+75% YoY)* ƴ 3 delicious flavours - chocolate, chocolate vanilla and strawberry ƴ Non-HFSS ƴ Order samples now from info@shakenudder.com *Source – Nielsen IQ Total Coverage 52we 18/12/21

Contents

March 2022

This month don’t miss...

06

The union Unite consults Booker drivers after pay talks fail.

08

14

Blakemore unveils a new retail concept focused on food to go.

SPAR is one of many wholesalers supporting the people of Ukraine.

ESSENTIALS 05 06 42

21

Editor’s Comment Industry News Products & Promotions

FEATURES 11

Unitas Awards Unitas celebrates the achievements of its member wholesalers over the past year.

14

In Focus Wholesalers respond to the humanitarian crisis resulting from the Russia-Ukraine war.

16

Talking Point How the conflict and sanctions are affecting the supply and price of food and drink in the UK.

17

CCM Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards Cash & Carry Management launches the awards scheme for 2022.

21

Parfetts’ Gurms Athwal enjoys most sports, and captaining teams when he was younger helped him to develop his leadership skills.

42

16

Product of the month

Spotlight Gurms Athwal, trading director of Parfetts.

CATEGORY INSIGHT 22 28 32 34 38

Energy Drinks RTD & Instant-Mix Coffee Cleaning & Laundry Snacks & Biscuits Tobacco

Over 60% of the UK’s seasonal worker recruits are from Ukraine.

Britvic adds a third variant to the Robinsons ready-to-drink range.

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March 2022

03

HELPING WHOLESALERS’ PROFITS SOAR

BEST SELLER

The range is available in three flavours - Mint, Bergamot Wildberry, and new for this year, Spearmint.

Mint and Bergamot Wildberry are available in Regular and Strong strengths, with all three flavours offering an Extra Strong choice to meet the demand for higher strength variantsi.

Trading Director, says: “Being recognised by JTI for our £1.2 million of Nordic Spirit sales makes our work at Dhamecha even more rewarding.

We couldn’t have reached this milestone without the support that JTI has provided us over the past year.

They have continually helped us profit from the Nordic Spirit range with their ongoing wholesale support and helpful advice about ranging and merchandising.”

Want to achieve the same level of success

as Mukesh? Stock up on Nordic Spirit now!

Wholesalers should visit www.jtiadvance.co.uk or speak to their local JTI Business Advisor for more information. *IRi Market Place, Volume Share, Nicotine Pouch Category, Total UK, Q4 21. For more information or to verify comparison contact Nordic Spirit on Facebook or Instagram: @nordicspirit_uk or using our details at nordicspirit. co.uk/contact **Wholesalers are of course free to sell JTI products at whatever price they choose i. IRi Market Place, Volume Share, Nicotine Pouch Category, Total UK, Q4 21 vs. Q1 21. For more information or to verify comparison contact Nordic Spirit on Facebook or Instagram: @nordicspirit_uk or using our details at nordicspirit.co.uk/contact ii. IRi Market Place, Value Sales, Nicotine Pouch Category, Total UK, Annualised Figure Based on Dec 2021

[ EDITOR’S COMMENT ]

A price worth paying

T

he speakers at the recent food and drink supply chain AllParty Parliamentary Group (APPG) session made it clear that they were united in condemnation of the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

The APPG’s aim in highlighting the effects of the conflict and sanctions on UK businesses and consumers (page 16) wasn’t to criticise the penalties imposed on Russia but to consider how the UK Government should respond to the consequences.

The sanctions have already hit the pockets of UK consumers – just look at the price of fuel – but many consider this a price worth paying if the penalties succeed in reducing Russia’s capability to finance its war with Ukraine.

It is not just fuel prices that have skyrocketed. The cost of chicken has gone up, and there are expected to be substantial increases in the prices of fish, cooking oil and wheat. And surging prices for energy, fertiliser, animal feed and CO2 – which is used in packaging, the slaughter of livestock, and fizzy drinks – will mean that production costs for many food and drink items will rise.

Even the availability of pallets might be affected at some point, as much of the wood used for their production and repair comes from Russia, Belarus and Ukraine.

As this issue of Cash & Carry Management went to press, the UK Government had just imposed a 35%

Wholesalers respond to the Ukraine humanitarian crisis

MARCH 2022

NEW SHAKEN UDDER AMBIENT MILKSHAKES

Same great taste, with longer shelf-life

Also available in PMP CCM Chefs Own-Brand Own-Brand Awards Awards 2022 202

CCM Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards 2022 launched with Craft Guild of Chefs

CATEGORY INSIGHT

Snacks & Biscuits Energy Drinks Tobacco Cleaning & Laundry RTD & Instant-Mix Coffee

UK s no.1 premium milkshake brand (+75% YoY)* UK s 33 delicious flavours - chocolate, vanilla and strawberry

Non-HFSS

Non-HFSS Order

Order samples now from info@shakenudder.com *Source Nielsen IQ Total Coverage 52we 18/12/21

Kirsti Sharratt Managing Editor

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SPOTLIGHT FEATURING GURMS ATHWAL OF PARFETTS

THE BUSINESS MAGAZINE FOR CASH & CARRY/DELIVERED WHOLESALERS

additional import tariff on hundreds of products from Russia, including vodka, fish and cereals. The speakers at the APPG meeting said that the tariff increases will have a considerable impact on the UK food and drink supply chain.

Andrew Kuyk of the Provision Trade Federation commented: “The idea that we can punish Russia without any pain to ourselves is naive. For a lot of things, it will be poorer families that bear the disproportionate burden of the price rises. There are some significant policy challenges around that.”

The APPG emphasised the need to make sure that food security stays at the top of the Government’s priorities.

In addition, the FWD’s James Bielby said: “While there’s no short-term fix for many of the global issues affecting us, the Government does have the ability to prevent further disruption by delaying costly legislation, alleviating price inflation by cancelling the planned hospitality VAT increase, and ensuring public sector food is properly funded so that wholesalers aren’t supplying vital services at a loss.”

Away from UK politics, there has been a big response from wholesalers to the Ukraine humanitarian crisis (pages 14-15) – an indication of widespread support for the people of Ukraine.

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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 Siobhan Kielty 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

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March 2022

05

[ INDUSTRY NEWS ] HGV driver inquiry A group of MPs has launched a special inquiry examining HGV driver availability and its impact on the food and drink supply chain.

Chaired by Matt Vickers MP, the All Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on the Food and Drink Supply Chain is hearing from organisations including the FWD, as well as businesses supplying food and drink to schools, hospitals, care homes, pubs, restaurants and retailers.

The APPG is examining the severity of the shortage of HGV drivers in the UK, the challenges still facing businesses in recruiting drivers, the steps the Government has taken and should be taking to support the sector, and the impact on the price and availability of food.

The group will announce its recommendations to government ahead of the predicted demand peak for drivers in the run-up to Easter.

Dispute continues

Delivery drivers at Booker’s Thamesmead site are being consulted by the union Unite about possible industrial action following a breakdown in talks about pay.

The dispute dates back to July 2021 when Booker refused to pay the HGV drivers at its Thamesmead site the same temporary rise of £5 per hour that it had awarded to drivers at its Hemel Hempstead depot.

A 3.3% pay increase in October and the promise of a further pay review in February this year were enough to stop strike action due to start in October, but

the dispute flared up again in December. At that point, Booker had scrapped the planned review and was instead proposing to increase pay by £2 per hour.

The amount was dismissed as “completely unacceptable” by Unite, and strike action was scheduled for 23-24 December. However, this was suspended when Booker decided to take part in a pay review after all.

Talks continued over a two-month period, but were unsuccessful in finding a resolution to the dispute.

Unite regional officer Paul Travers said: “The pay review has ended and we are unhappy with the final position that the management at Booker Retail Partners has taken and, as a result, we are consulting our members at Thamesmead as to what the next steps will be. There is a possibility that we will hold a new ballot for industrial action.”

Fresh Deli fillings Fresh Fayre, part of the Sysco Speciality Group, has launched Fresh Deli, a new brand of chilled sandwich fillings.

The range initially features 49 lines and includes classic flavours, a selection of heatable sauce-based fillings, vegetarian options, fish, meat, and marinated meat fillings.

Recipes include Pulled Chilli Beef, Italian Grilled Vegetables, Falafel Chick Pea in Roast Pepper Salsa, and Jamaican Jerk Chicken.

More varieties will be introduced at regular intervals, keeping the range interesting and in line with current trends.

Helping to cut through calorie legislation Brakes has created a range of resources to help customers understand how the new calorie labelling legislation impacts their business.

The rules, which take effect from 6 April in England only, require businesses with more than 250 staff to display calorie information of non-pre-packed food and soft drink items, whether consumed on or off the premises.

However, there are exclusions and complications, and therefore Brakes is providing advice to foodservice operators through practical guides and a two-part on-demand webinar at www.brake.co.uk/ 06

March 2022

virtual-food-event.

In addition, Brakes has partnered with Nutritics to launch the ‘Virtual Chef’, a recipe management tool that feeds from a live list of

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Brakes’ products and incorporates highlighted allergen and nutritional information.

This helps save time and lowers risk by reducing human error and avoids

having to enter data separately for allergens and calories. With a bespoke label design function, outlets can easily comply with legislation for adding calories to menus and providing relevant allergen information.

Gerry Thomas, technical director at Brakes, said: “The feedback we’ve received from customers is that some are unsure about this upcoming legislation and how it applies to them.

We’ve therefore tried to create a range of resources that make it as easy as possible for individual operators to ensure that they are compliant with the new rules.”

[ INDUSTRY NEWS ]

£15 million investment S&W Wholesale is investing more than £15 million in a 20-acre site that will feature a new multi-purpose distribution hub, head office, vehicle management area and recycling area. The premises are expected to open in 2024.

The location in Chancellors Road, Newry, just off the A1 dual carriageway that links Newry to Dublin, will position S&W “in the best location to service retail and wholesale customers throughout the island of Ireland with greater ease”.

A new 180,000 sq ft stateof-the-art warehouse will store ambient, chilled, fresh and frozen products under one roof and will replace S&W’s current 100,000 sq ft warehouse in Carnbane, where the company has

Left to right: chief financial officer Anthony McVeigh, managing director Michael Skelton, operations director Norman Savage, and trading director Alan Dorman.

been based since 2010.

Michael Skelton, managing director of S&W Wholesale, said: “Over the past number of years we have experienced sustained growth. This investment in the new multi-purpose site is aimed at facilitating this growth further and providing

our employees with a better working environment, as well as providing a more efficient way of working across the entire business.”

The site will be more ecofriendly with the introduction of solar panels, electric car charging points and methods of reducing waste.

Senior Unitas appointments Unitas Wholesale has appointed Aoife Kenny as commercial director. She will take up the role in September.

Kenny was most recently interim head of foodservice at AF Blakemore, and she has also held senior roles with Central Co-op, Heart of England Co-op, Enterprise Foods, PepsiCo, Burton’s Biscuits and Kepak.

Her appointment at Unitas follows the recent announcement of the retirement of John Baines as trading director. Kenny will join the board and will be responsible for both the trading and commercial areas of the business.

John Kinney, managing director of Unitas, said: “I am absolutely delighted to welcome Aoife to Unitas at such an important time in our

Aoife Kenny

Cheryl Hope

development as we seek to re-shape the organisation to become more member-centric and cement our place as the UK’s leading buying group.

“Aoife has the skills, values and experience that we were looking for, gained during a successful career across wholesale, foodservice, retail and manufacturing.”

Unitas has also appointed Cheryl Hope to the newlycreated role of director of

trading & development. She will join the group in June.

Hope is currently head of trading (foodservice) at AF Blakemore & Son and she has also previously worked for Bako, Poundland, Iceland, Costcutter and the Co-op.

In her new role, Hope will report to Kenny and be responsible for a number of strategic projects including the development of the group’s new out-of-home trading strategy.

B Corps assistance Theale-based fine food wholesaler Cotswold Fayre has launched a B Corp Accelerator Programme to help its suppliers through the B Corp accreditation process.

Cotswold Fayre, which itself received B Corp accreditation in 2015, is now actively extolling the principles of the global organisation, which helps companies to improve their social and environmental impact for all people, communities and the planet.

Clementine De Zotti, impact manager at Cotswold Fayre, told Cash & Carry Management: “Many of our suppliers are eager to understand more about B Corp and how they can start to work towards accreditation themselves.

“From the outside, the process can look a little daunting. Many are already doing the right things but need some assistance on how to connect this with the certification process, and this is where we can really help.”

There are more than 600 B Corps in the UK, of which 103 are in the food and drink sector.

Cotswold Fayre has 35 B Corp suppliers and hopes that with the help of the new programme it will add a further 20 to its portfolio this year. To this end, Cotswold Fayre is currently running a three-month course for suppliers.

www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

March 2022

07

[ INDUSTRY NEWS ]

New director and food-to-go concept AF Blakemore has appointed David Cooke to the newly created role of group commercial director.

Cooke (pictured) has a background in trading, proposition and product development gained through stints with national and international organisations including Sainsbury’s, Tesco, health & beauty retailer AS Watson and latterly Dutch

store chain HEMA where he was director of food, health & beauty.

Cooke’s new job will entail end-to-end accountability for the company’s commercial function, with a focus on developing supplier partnerships, managing commercial trading terms, developing retail propositions and accelerating the roll-out of Blakemore’s fresh food strategy.

In other news, Blakemore Retail has unveiled a new concept, focused on food to go, at its 2,910 sq ft SPAR store in Aberystwyth.

Called ‘Eat Some…’, the concept is inspired by street food vendors and features six branded solutions available from a designated area

within the store, which is open from 7am to late. These brands are exclusively owned by AF Blakemore and comprise: a The Grill – meat and vegetarian products ready in wraps or in bowls a Oh So Toastie – six different toasties with a number of sides

WhirlyBird – rotisserie chicken a Prego! – authentic Italian pizza a Shake Waffle & Stroll – sweet shakes, waffles, coffee and hot drinks a Soup & Spuds.

A total of 23 new staff members have joined the store. a

James Hall promotes career opportunities Welcoming four digital T Level students and engaging with colleges on career opportunities are two of the ways that James Hall & Co celebrated National Careers Week earlier this month.

T Level qualifications require a minimum of 45 days of industry placement, and the students from Cardinal Newman College in Preston will spend this time working in the different areas of James Hall’s IT department.

These include the service desk, the infrastructure team, software development for both retailers and the wholesale division, and working alongside members of the IT business transformation team.

James Hall’s recruitment team have also been out on the road and held a Q&A session with students at 08

March 2022

Cardinal Newman College in Preston, while also supporting young people at Runshaw College who are looking to make their first steps onto the career ladder.

Internally, there has been a showcase of the current vacancies within the company, supporting existing

employees with the chance to progress in their career.

Based in Preston, James Hall is one of Lancashire’s largest employers with over 3,500 employees, and it serves as SPAR’s primary wholesaler and distributor for the North of England.

As well as the core

James Hall’s HR director Lee Smith (left) and recruitment manager Paul Armson (right) with the four T Level students.

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wholesale and distribution arm, there is a significant retail division with 153 company-owned SPAR stores.

Within the broader James Hall group of companies, businesses include Clayton Park Bakery, Fazila Foods, Graham Eyes Butchers, GAP Convenience Distribution, and the Great Northern Sandwich Company.

Paul Armson, recruitment manager at James Hall & Co, said: “Attracting the best young talent into our business is a key focus for us as we plan for the future.”

Emma Rowles, learning and development manager at James Hall & Co, added: “As well as opening up avenues for careers through new routes like T Levels, we have ambitious plans to grow our existing, high-quality apprenticeship offer right up to degree level.”

[ INDUSTRY NEWS ] ‘Outlook is positive’ Kitwave Group achieved revenue of £380.7 million and adjusted operating profit of £7.1 million in the 12 months to 31 October 2021.

The company is using the 18 months to 31 October 2020 as its comparative prior period, when revenue was £592 million and adjusted operating profit was £16.5 million. Kitwave had previously reported that, in the 12 months to 30 April 2020, its revenue was £399 million.

CEO Paul Young said: “With the worst of the adverse effects brought about by Covid-19 now behind us, and barring any further lockdowns, the outlook for Kitwave is a positive one.”

He added that Kitwave is currently trading slightly ahead of market expectations.

Woods wins green award

Lana Bhikha, commercial director of Woods Foodservice, collects the Green Wholesaler Award from Confex’s chairman Martin Williams (left) and managing director Tom Gittins.

After a three-year break due to Covid, Confex returned to the De Vere hotel in Cirencester for its trade show.

“With a host of suppliers and members over three days, the event was a huge success and the air was buzzing with business,” said director Jess Douglas.

The trading day was followed by the group’s awards ceremony. Woods Foodservice clinched the Green Wholesaler Award, while Kentish Match was named as runner-up.

Lana Bhikha, commercial director of Woods Foodservice, said: “We spent a jam-

Age-verification tech trial Bestway Wholesale is piloting the convenience channel’s first use of age-verification technology.

The regulatory ‘Sandbox’ trial, which is part of a Home Office programme, will run until May 2022 in three Bestway Retail stores in Leeds: Bargain Booze in Otley, Wine Rack in Roundhay, and Tippl in Garforth.

Developed by Innovative Technology, the ICU ageverification technology is said to be the most accurate independently-tested system worldwide and is tailored to help retailers avoid selling alcohol and tobacco products to under-age customers.

The ICU technology is non-intrusive and does not require internet access. It

scans the face completely in seconds. The technology is fully GDPR compliant, as once the face scan is processed, all related data to that subject is permanently deleted.

The ICU verification technology can be installed alongside point-of-sale material with the screen facing the customer and the screening outcome visible to staff.

Once a customer is scanned, the screen will flash green if above 25 or red if 25 or under, alerting staff that further age verification is required.

Mike Hollis, retail director at Bestway Wholesale, said: “We surveyed staff in our three participating stores and the responses received showed that staff abuse, particularly when it comes to the refusal to sell alcohol, is a significant issue.

“We believe that using the ICU screen will act as a deterrent when it comes to staff abuse.

“It will also give retailers peace of mind and ensure that they avoid prosecutions, fines or losing their licence for the miss-sale of alcohol or tobacco products.”

packed few hours at the trade show, followed by a fantastic dinner and evening of entertainment, topped off with our second Green Wholesaler Award win, a subject we are proud and passionate about at Woods.”

Meanwhile, the supplier award winners were: a New Supplier of the Year: Arla (George Marriott) a Non-Food Supplier of the Year: Robinson Young (Keith Nash) a Best Own Label Product: Core Chips – Clarebout (Lieslot Barrezeele) a Best Digital and Social Media Innovation: Coca-Cola Europacific Partners (Jack Hadland) a Foodservice Supplier of the Year: RH Amar (Karen Williams) a Retail Supplier of the Year: Suntory (Joe Kinsey).

Celebrating 60 years Hancocks Cardiff marked its 60th anniversary with an instore event for customers and suppliers on 10 March.

The Cardiff store first opened in 2002 and was relocated to its current site on Penarth Road in 2014.

The in-store event featured over 160 offers for retailers, as well as prize draws and giveaways.

Hancocks chief operating officer Jonathan Summerley said: “Reaching such a milestone anniversary is testament to how our teams across the business work together, the service and products we’re able to supply to retailers, however large or small, and the suppliers we work with on a daily basis.”

www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

March 2022

09

[ INDUSTRY NEWS ]

Non-exec chair SPAR UK has appointed Nick Bunker as non-executive chair of the SPAR Food Distributors (SFD) board.

He takes over from Martin Agnew, joint chair of Henderson Group, who has held the role since 2011.

Agnew will continue to be on the SFD board.

Bunker (left) has extensive board and stakeholder experience through a number of chairman and director roles over 25 years. He was MD of pladis from 2017 to 2019 and before that he spent 13 years with Kraft Foods, latterly as CEO for five years.

The purpose of the SFD board is to facilitate effective partnership between the five regional distribution companies (Henderson Group, CJ Lang & Son, James Hall & Co, AF Blakemore and Appleby Westward Group) and bring mutual commercial and customer benefit.

Support for Better Health Nisa Retail is supporting the ‘Better Health’ campaign from the Department of Health and Social Care.

The NHS Food Scanner App allows shoppers to scan products and find healthier alternatives, with a selection of Co-op own-brand items qualifying as ‘good choice’ products within the app. This is in addition to fruit and vegetables which are automatically included as healthy choices.

Regan Howard, brand manager at Nisa, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for Nisa to be involved with a national campaign, helping to educate shoppers into making better choices and enabling Nisa partners to demonstrate that they are

responsible retailers who care about their shoppers.

“It is also a timely opportunity to support those partners who will need to make changes due to new HFSS regulations coming later this year.”

In other news, Jisp’s Scan & Save technology is now available in 54 Nisa stores.

Scan & Save’s in-store

Retailer recruitment drive

Big removal All non-recyclable black packaging material was successfully removed from the production of new Country Range products by the end of 2021.

It is estimated that a minimum of 57 tonnes of nonrecyclable black packaging materials will be eliminated from the group’s supply chain each year (based on 2019 figures).

The group is now switching products from white cardboard to brown cardboard and is improving the recycled content of its plastic packaging.

10

March 2022

digital voucher redemption system allows customers to save money on branded products by scanning barcodes with the Jisp app.

Retailers earn 2p every time a customer taps an AR voucher, along with a further 4p for every redemption.

Nisa retailers have accumulated a combined discount redemption value of £48,248, with 2,076 repeat redeemers, since implementing Scan & Save instore.

James Taylor, head of central operations at Nisa, said: “The Scan & Save initiative is helping retailers to increase sales and they are reporting product volume uplift as well as improved shopper loyalty.”

Jane McCulloch (fifth on left) joins CJ Lang’s sales team, headed by wholesale sales director Steve Irons (third on right).

SPAR Scotland has embarked on a retailer recruitment drive as part of plans to grow the business.

Supporting the initiative is another addition to the sales team. Jane McCulloch joins as a business development manager. She has worked in retail for 22 years, having started with Asda whilst studying Retail Management

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at Glasgow Caledonian University.

She previously spent seven years at CJ Lang, and she has also worked at United Wholesale Scotland and, most recently, Costcutter Supermarket Group.

McCulloch said: “I am delighted to have returned to CJ Lang where my independent retail career started

as I believe that SPAR is the strongest brand in the convenience sector in Scotland.”

McCulloch joins a growing retailer recruitment team. Craig Lynn recently rejoined the business in the newly-created post of head of recruitment, and he will work with wholesale sales director Steve Irons who leads the sales team and spearheads the new retailer recruitment drive.

There is also a dedicated development team who focus on supporting the onboarding of all new retailers as well as taking responsibility for refurbishment projects for well-established SPAR retailers.

Irons said: “We want to give our retailer customers the best support, so that they have the confidence to invest and grow their business with us.”

[ UNITAS AWARDS ]

Celebration of achievements For its annual member wholesaler awards, Unitas strengthened the judging criteria by including input from suppliers with the aim of adding even more value to the recipients.

Rising Star Carl Stubbs (left) of Small Beer with awards host Paul Sinha.

U

nitas Wholesale celebrated the achievements of its member wholesalers over the past year at its Annual Awards Dinner at the Exhibition Centre Liverpool earlier this month.

For the first time, suppliers played a part in the judging, as Unitas’s managing director John Kinney explained: “We took a slightly different approach to our annual awards this year and strengthened the judging criteria by including input from our Supplier

Award winners Environmental & Sustainability Lomond Foods Digital Innovation United Wholesale (Scotland) Highly Commended: Savage & Whitten Employee of the Year – Rising Star Carl Stubbs, Small Beer Standard/Specialist Wholesale Wanis International Foods Foodservice Member MJ Baker Foodservice Highly Commended: Faílte Foods On-Trade Member Wilds Leisure Group Highly Commended: HB Clark Retail Member AG Parfett Highly Commended: Dee Bee Ramsden Symbol Store Day-Today, NB Supersaver, Airdrie

Council. We hope that this adds even more value to the recipient.”

On winning the Digital Innovation award, Chris Gallacher, managing director of United Wholesale Scotland, said: “All the team here at United are incredibly proud of winning this award and have done so due to the time and effort everyone put in to make it happen.”

In addition to the eight regular awards, Unitas presented Greg Suszczenia, former joint managing director of Parfetts, with an Outstanding Achievement award. Suszczenia, who has worked for Parfetts in two stints totalling nearly 20 years, was applauded for his contribution to the wholesale industry.

As well as an evening of celebrations, £17,500 was raised in aid of Unitas’s charity partner Bluebell Wood Children’s Hospice and the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. Kinney commented: “A massive thank you to all our Unitas members, suppliers and guests who raised a fantastic £16,000. With the further auctioning of prizes, we manCCM aged to raise that to £17,500.”

Special Recognition for Services to Wholesale Greg Suszczenia (below), Parfetts

Wanis’s George Phillips (left) and Julius Pereira with the trophy for Standard/Specialist Wholesale.

Anshu Chandra of United Wholesale Scotland collects the Digital Innovation award from Unitas chair Mark Aylwin.

Wilds Leisure Group’s Alan Smith and Susan McDonald with the award for On-Trade Member.

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March 2022

11

®Reg. Trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A

[ IN FOCUS ]

Helping the people of Ukraine The humanitarian crisis resulting from the invasion of Ukraine has stirred wholesalers into action, whether donating money or products to charity or even taking goods to the border.

T

here has been a big response from wholesalers across the UK to the plight of civilians from Ukraine, with financial support being given as well as donations of supplies.

At Sterling Supergroup’s spring show and dinner earlier this month, the 100 or so guests donated £3,895 to the DEC (Disasters Emergency Committee) Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal. This amount was matched by the Sterling board, bringing the total to £7,790.

“This is a staggering amount that totally exceeded our expectations – we are blown away by the very generous gesture from everyone present,” said a Sterling spokesperson.

DEC thanked Sterling Supergroup for the donation, adding: “As you know, the conflict in Ukraine has forced many families to flee their homes. People have left behind jobs, belongings and loved ones. DEC charities are working in Ukraine and in neighbouring countries, meeting the immediate needs of refugees and displaced people by providing food, water, health assistance, protection and trauma care.”

Similarly, at the Unitas Wholesale annual awards dinner, £17,500 was

Brakes’ staff at the Eastleigh depot put together a big donation of supplies.

14

March 2022

Castell Howell joined in community efforts to support Ukrainian people.

raised by the guests, and this was split between the DEC Ukraine Humanitarian Appeal and Unitas’s charity partner Bluebell Wood. This came from personal donations and the auctioning of prizes.

Musgrave donated €250,000 to the Irish Red Cross and Unicef to support the humanitarian response to the crisis and is facilitating donations at the tills in all of its branches.

Desi Derby, marketing director at Musgrave Wholesale Partners, said: “Our thoughts are with everyone in Ukraine at the moment, as well as our Ukrainian colleagues and friends.

“At Musgrave, we wanted to do what we can to support those trapped in the crisis, which is why we have launched a fundraiser for Unicef and the Irish Red Cross, two charities on the ground helping those who need it most.”

SPAR internationally is working with many organisations to support the delivery of relief goods to Ukraine. “We also have a system in place to keep supplying SPAR stores operating across the country, ensuring that the independent retailers can continue supporting their local communities,” said a spokesperson.

“So much has already been received but more donations are vital for Malteser International to keep giving maximum assistance to both Ukrainian refugees and the residents of Ukraine.”

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Several wholesalers decided to donate products to help refugees.

Jonathan Bolam, sales manager at RD Johns Foodservice, explained why the wholesaler had taken this step: “Iwona, one of our butchery team, has strong ties to the region and asked if we could donate anything for the people of Ukraine.

“Civilians are always the ones that suffer in conflicts so here is the first donation [of goods] to the people of the Ukraine on behalf of Iwona and RD Johns.”

Brakes’ staff at the Eastleigh depot also stepped up to arrange a donation of goods. “In 48 hours they put together an incredible donation of supplies to be taken to the Ukraine border,” explained a spokesperson for the wholesaler.

“This is the first of many drops they plan to do in the next few weeks.”

Meanwhile, Castell Howell Foods joined in community efforts, loading lorries with donated goods: “We are playing a small part in the delivery of essential items donated by Carmarthenshire’s community to Newport, for onward

Customs easement Customs processes have been simplified to make it easier to export donated goods to help the people of Ukraine.

Provided that the items are not exported to, or through, Russia or Belarus, then these simplified processes apply to qualifying goods regardless of the destination to allow maximum flexibility to get aid to where the need is greatest.

Businesses, charities and community organisations sending aid from GB ports will be able to make a Customs declaration by speaking to Customs officers or simply by the act of driving through a port.

The easement will also remove other Customs formalities, such as needing to notify HMRC when the goods have been exported.

[ IN FOCUS ] transportation to Ukraine,” the wholesaler commented, adding: “Overwhelming generosity and teamwork in support of those in desperate need!”

Mark Craven, commercial director of Forrest Fresh Foods, has been collecting donations of products from manufacturers, and launched an appeal for donations to buy items he couldn’t source. “I have been overwhelmed with the support from all manufacturers, small and large.

“I have also been contacted by so many people – close friends and also friends I haven’t seen for over 10 years – all wanting to donate to this Ukrainian appeal,” he said.

“We have trunkers and we will be taking the goods right up to the Ukrainian border.”

Forrest Fresh Foods also designed a CCM new logo to highlight its appeal.

£6m BRAND INVESTMENT

JJ positions itself as a refugee-friendly workplace JJ Foodservice is working with local councils to offer support to Ukrainian refugees who may be arriving in the UK over the coming months.

JJ is highlighting a wide range of positions across its 11 UK branches and is offering help with CV writing.

HR manager Joanna Florczak said: “As a nationwide foodservice company, our business never sleeps and

we are always looking for more people to join our team.

“We understand that candidates from overseas may have limited UKaccredited qualifications and might need help with re-training,” she added.

The business can offer full-time and part-time work, in addition to long-term career prospects and progression opportunities. JJ also offers mentoring placements across all departments.

“We aspire to be an inclusive, refugee-friendly business, which means our goal is to make every member of the JJ team feel accepted, comfortable, and able to share their ideas regardless of where they have come from or their personal circumstances,” said Florczak.

The company has signed a petition from Refugee Action to lift the ban that is stopping asylum seekers from being allowed to work.

ON TV FROM MARCH

[ TALKING POINT ]

Impacts from farm to fork From an increase in the price of fish & chips to a shortage of fruit pickers, the Russia-Ukraine conflict will have major ramifications on UK industry.

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here is a ‘significant threat’ to the UK’s food and drink supply chain resulting from the conflict in Ukraine and sanctions on Russia, Matt Vickers MP told an All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) earlier this month.

“Russia and Ukraine are the bread basket of Europe, exporting 25% of the world’s wheat and half of its sunflower products like seeds and oil,” he said.

“Russia also exports a large share of the world’s fertilisers, and Ukraine accounts for more than 60% of recruits under the UK’s seasonal worker scheme.”

The APPG – which was set up by the FWD – heard from various stakeholders who confirmed that effects will be felt in the UK from farm to fork.

Higher prices for energy, fertiliser and animal feed, together with a predicted shortage of skilled workers, mean that farmers are ‘very nervous’, said David Exwood of the National Farmers’ Union.

“There is a huge risk that farmers look at their increased costs, look at their potential return to the market, and say ‘I daren’t take the risk’. And that is probably our biggest challenge. We’ve got to keep farmers doing what they do best, which is producing food, so it’s about giving them the confidence or the money or the tools to keep farming.”

The UK isn’t self sufficient in beef – or pork or poultry.

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Tony Goodger of the Association of Independent Meat Suppliers pointed out that although the UK is self sufficient in lamb, it isn’t in beef or pork or poultry.

“We rely on imports. We rely on food as ingredients. We rely on fuel. We rely on fertiliser. We rely on CO2, manufacturing gas. We rely on energy. All of these have been impacted by the war.”

The APPG met after the Government had just announced an additional 35% tariff on a number of products imported from Russia, including fish.

Andrew Kuyk of the Provision Trade Federation explained why the UK has been so dependent on Russian-caught fish: “Something like 60% or 70% of fish used in fish and chips is of Russian origin, whether that’s cod, haddock or Alaska pollock, and the reason is that the Russians have a fleet of about 30 factory trawlers which catch and gut and fillet the fish in a format that can go directly into a fish fryer. You can get fish from other sources, but it won’t be in that same format.

“Neither pubs nor most fish and chip shops will have the expertise to take a whole fish and prepare it suitable for frying and serving to customers. So it’s both a supply issue and a format issue.”

For pubs, that could mean a hike in the price of fish & chips they serve, said Emma McClarkin of the British Beer & Pub Association: “We’re looking at cod prices going up by 40%,” she said. “Fish & chips could go up for pubs by £1.20 per customer, and with an increase in VAT, that could go up even more.”

She added that a lot of products in the pub sector will be affected. “We’re expecting increases in the price on cooking oil alone to be around 80%.

On fuel we’re already seeing 40%, chicken 10%.

www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

“The pressures on our food and drink supply chain were already immense, and the impact of this will extend our recovery for much, much longer.”

Wheat has seen price rises of 60% to 70% since September, and half of that followed Russia’s invasion of Ukraine.

“Where that is going to be felt most acutely is on the range of products that sell at a lower price in the supermarket – it’s a much bigger percentage of the value of a value product than it is of a high quality, expensive product,” said Alexander Waugh of UK Flour Millers.

“You can buy a loaf of bread from 40p to £1.80, so you can see there’s quite a big range of impacts.”

If product shortages arise and there is a return to product allocations by sector, the convenience channel could be hit, said Kuyk: “We had some experience of this [prioritisation of supplies] as a result of Covid and other disruptions, and I think that some of the convenience stores did not get as well supplied as some of the major retailers.

“It comes back to poverty and access to things. Do you put in place things that seek to alleviate the burden on poorer households? There are some significant policy challenges around that, as well as economic and market challenges.”

Jayne Almond of the Food & Drink Federation warned: “Let’s not panic our shoppers and our customers. We saw with Covid that there was short-term disruption but we’re not there yet.”

Concluding the meeting, Vickers said that the APPG will put forward its recommendations to government, including calls to create an integrated set of policies around food security and to pause non-time-sensitive government business to focus on critical issues. CCM

Price rises on wheat are expected to be felt most on lower-priced products.

CCM Chefs Own-B Own-Brand rand Awards A wards 2022 20 2

CCM Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards 2022 ENTER ONLINE www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

CCM Chefs’ Own-Brand Awards 2022 Now in its fifth 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.

These 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 £125 plus VAT per product, with one free for every 10 products entered.

The closing date for entries is Friday 1 July 2022. The 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 2022 We will then contact you with information about the next stage

[ SPOTLIGHT ] Gurms Athwal, trading director, Parfetts out two to three times a week. I struggle to switch off completely from work and luckily have a very understanding wife.

We try to spend as much quality time together as a family at weekends and on holidays doing the activities we enjoy. I do a lot of travelling for work and treat that as ‘my time’, which usually consists of thinking up ideas for the future (both work and personally) or even just catching up with friends on the phone.

Belief in teamwork What have been your biggest achievements in work and outside work?

One of my biggest achievements from a work point of view would be the loyalty and progression I have shown and maintained even since starting my career in wholesale (especially during the more difficult periods). More recently, becoming trading director at Parfetts has got to be my personal best achievement.

Who has been the biggest inspiration to you?

There are, and have been, so many inspirational people in my life, right from entrepreneurs, fellow directors and colleagues to family and key friends. I take a lot of inspiration from listening to and learning from people’s journeys in life and how they have overcome obstacles and still succeeded, especially when the odds were stacked against them. Like my late grandad once said to me, ‘Listen to everyone, take on board any advice that you feel is right and ignore the white noise’.

What were your ambitions when you were growing up?

I enjoy most sports and would have loved to have excelled in basketball

(dreaming of playing in the NBA with my hero Michael Jordan) or football but I simply wasn’t good enough; however captaining most of the teams I played for when I was younger helped me enormously in developing my leadership skills and competitiveness. Career-wise I remember wanting to go into banking and finance at a fairly young age and then I gradually thought about becoming a lawyer but I’m glad I found my passion in trading and business in general.

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

I’m quite a driven and passionate person who is firm but fair and can sometimes be a bit demanding (within reason I think). I believe in empowering people and also working together as a team and collaborating where possible with suppliers. I have been brought up to be respectful to all and to treat people the way I would like to be treated. I also encourage people, telling them to believe in themselves and do the best they can.

What are your interests outside work?

I still like to play five-a-side football when I get the chance and try to work

What is your favourite film, book and song/piece of music?

Favourite film is a tough choice – it would have to be Scarface, Reservoir Dogs, Goodfellas or Casino. I listen to all types of music; one of my favourites is Killing Me Softly by Fugees. I’m not big into reading novels so my favourite book would be Good to Great by Jim Collins – all about why some companies make the leap and others don’t.

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

I’d start off in Florida Disneyland with my wife and be like big kids with the kids, then move on to Vegas and party hard with family and friends, and finally relax in Hawaii and recharge the batteries.

What would people be surprised to know about you?

I used to work in women’s fashion retailing in London and was about to emigrate to Vancouver in Canada but instead dedicated 20 years to one company (Hyperama) and thoroughly enjoyed CCM every moment and challenge.

20 years at one firm After graduating from Nottingham in 2000 with a BSc (Hons) degree in Business Management, Gurms Athwal joined Hyperama. He stayed for 20 years, working in different departments and on different projects, and eventually became head of trading. He joined Parfetts in his current role of trading director in 2021.

www.cashandcarrymanagement.co.uk

March 2022

21

[ ENERGY DRINKS ]

Another burst of energy There are new trends and opportunities, along with supplier NPD, ensuring the continued growth of the energy category. Wholesalers and retailers are advised to be alert!

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he year has started promisingly for the sports & energy category, with growth totalling over £240.3 million versus 2021 (Nielsen). The functional energy segment has fuelled this, contributing growth of £187.6 million compared to 2021 and showing a 19.6% year-to-date increase (Nielsen).

Red Bull’s original 250ml Energy Drink has consistently been a top performer in energy, although sugar-free variants have also become an essential part of the energy fixture.

“Ensure each SKU has a sugar-free alternative easily available to consumers who are increasingly choosing these,” says a Red Bull spokesperson. “With the heightened importance placed on the health agenda, it’s important to offer shoppers the added choice that they are looking for. Sugar-free variants are growing penetration by 24.3% (Kantar).

“In the last year, Red Bull sold 16% more sugar-free volume through multipacks (Nielsen), with these variants growing frequency by 28% (Kantar).”

Red Bull has just unveiled its 2022 Summer Edition – a new Apricot-Strawberry flavour.

“With the performance of the Red Bull Editions portfolio growing across all metrics, including an 116% uplift in sales, now totalling £15.5 million (Nielsen), Summer 2022 is the perfect time for retailers to stock up on new flavour formats to maximise their seasonal sales,” the spokesperson says.

“As shoppers purchase Red Bull Editions more often than ever before – with average frequency up 129.6% versus a year ago (Kantar) – the launch of Red Bull’s latest flavour innovation aims to draw on the successful launch of the Red Bull Summer Edition 2021. This proved so popular with shoppers that it has now become a permanent SKU known as the Green Edition.”

The Red Bull Summer Edition is available in 250ml cans in both plain and PMP formats. It also comes in a sugar-free option. The launch is being supported with in-store marketing investment, including PoS materials and free-standing display units (FSDUs).

CCEP also highlights flavour sales opportunities in the energy segment – they are a pivotal sales driver for Monster. The brand recorded growth of £103 million over the last year and delivered the most value growth to overall soft drinks growth (Nielsen).

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“We know that taste remains high on the priority list for energy drinkers, and it’s key to the success of the sector, which is why we continue to deliver new and exciting flavours for our fans to enjoy,” says Amy Burgess, senior trade communications manager.

“Last year we added Monster Mule to our core range, the first ginger-flavoured energy drink to hit the market in GB, and it has been well received by consumers and retailers alike.”

The supplier has also launched Monster Ultra Watermelon, available in multipacks, supporting it with a snowsport-themed promotion for the Monster Ultra range. The winner will enjoy three days of skiing or snowboarding in Crans-Montana, Switzerland, and meetand-greet opportunities with high-profile Monster athletes.

“Amid the decline of the impulse mission when the coronavirus pandemic first took hold, we pivoted quickly to cater for new, home-based consumer occasions with an expanded range of energy multipack cans. And it’s become clear that alongside the return of on-the-go purchases, those new occasions for energy drinks are here to stay. That’s why it’s important to find the right balance between on-the-go and at-home formats, keeping space for both,” Burgess advises.

In functional energy, CCEP’s Reign brand saw two additions to its line-up: Peach Fizz and Orange Dreamsicle. “The energy segment continues to benefit from the healthier lifestyles trend, with consumers increasingly seeking food and drink with functional ingredients to help achieve maximum results during sports or when working out,” points out Burgess.

“Our Reign Total Body Fuel range is number one in performance energy and has outgrown its nearest competitor by more than three-and-a-half times in value terms over the past 18 months.”

CCEP also offers Monster Nitro, which uses blended gas technology.

“Designed to appeal to seasoned energy drink fans, Monster’s signature energy base has been supercharged with a blend of nitrous oxide and carbon dioxide gas, to deliver a light, dry carbonated texture.”

The supplier emphasises the importance of prioritising value at a time where purse-strings are tight, advising wholesalers and retailers to bear this in mind when ranging the energy drinks category.

HYDRATE YOUR MARGINS

N EW

STRAWBERRY & WATERMELON FLAVOUR

HYDRATING AND

ENERGISING FLAVOURS

UNBEATABLE

VALUE

GREAT TASTING

ADDED

VITAMINS

FOR MAX PERFORMANCE

email: info.uk@refresco.com | tel: 01509 674915

[ ENERGY DRINKS ] “Value is one of our key ‘enables’ in our ‘Taste Tomorrow’ soft drinks category vision. It’s all about making consumers’ favourite brands available at a price they’re happy to pay.

“Price-marked packs also have an important role to play, delivering visible value for shoppers,” says Burgess. “Our best-loved brands, including Monster, Relentless and Reign, are all available in PMPs and plain packs, so retailers can choose the best option for their stores.”

Boost Drinks similarly advises retailers to opt for PMPs in this value-driven market. “By offering PMPs, it allows you to build up reliable value where you can become a staple in the customer’s shopping basket. The customers know that they are paying what is deemed a good price and it builds trust, which is an integral part of the shopping experience. PMPs are something we would encourage all retailers to be stocking,” says Adrian Hipkiss, marketing and international business director.

“Energy is the largest soft drink category in the independent channel and has the largest overtrade versus supermarkets. 23% of all soft drink value sales are energy stimulation, so we recommend that approximately a quarter of the soft drinks range and fixture should contain stimulation lines (IRI).”

The supplier has further developments in the pipeline for this year and is also continuing its ‘Choose Now’ activation – its biggest campaign to date. The activity includes out-of-home advertising, TV ads and on-demand video presence.

“These are targeted towards programmes with a strong student and young adult viewership, driving further awareness of the Boost range,” says Hipkiss. “The ‘Choose Now Change Lives’ campaign is supporting local organisations, such as university societies, sports teams and voluntary groups, that benefit their community and have a positive impact on people’s lives. This is something Boost champions by working with local independent retailers and is a project we are continuing in 2022.”

Boost launched Mango Energy 250ml last year and is expecting fruity flavours to flourish during the summer months one again. “Summer is a time where people seek fruity tastes and to 24

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feel refreshed. Flavours now make up 38% of stimulation sales and are accelerating at 29% growth year on year (IRI),” Hipkiss adds. “With this in mind, it is vital that retailers stock up on a wide range of energy stimulation flavours to attract new shoppers to the fixture and capitalise on this growth opportunity during the summer.”

Suntory Beverage & Food GB&I has expanded its Lucozade Alert stimulation range with the launch of Lucozade Alert Original.

“Building on the success of the launch of its Tropical Burst and Cherry Blast flavours, Original is the latest addition to the Lucozade Alert range, which generated £1 million in sales in under two months through wholesale and convenience stores,” says Matt Gouldsmith, channel director, wholesale.

“As stimulation drinks have grown by over 22% in the past year (IRI), new flavours are important for retailers to continue to drive excitement and provide different options for shoppers in this growing category, which means cash & carries should stock them too.”

The focus on stimulation drinks is a result of insight showing that 75% of people are concerned about their levels of tiredness and stress, according to research from Catcom and Suntory GBI as part of the supplier’s soft drinks strategy.

“Insights and trends that highlight the headroom for growth will continue to dictate the market in the year ahead.

To increase relevance and expand consumption occasions requires the right pack, in the right place, for the right occasion,” explains Gouldsmith.

‘We’ve found that consumers are increasingly drawn to the hydration and refreshment elements of Emerge Isotonics’ Nick Partridge, commercial manager, Refresco UK Refresco UK’s Emerge brand has also added to its portfolio for the upcoming summer sales season with a new flavour. Strawberry & Watermelon is joining the brand’s five-strong isotonic sport drinks range, which the supplier sees as a key selling segment this year.

With isotonics growing in popularity, Refresco UK is making its biggest-ever investment into consumer activity.

“We’ve found that consumers are increasingly drawn to the hydration and refreshment elements of Emerge Isotonics, shown by the 25% sales growth we saw last year,” says Nick Partridge, commercial manager.

“We want to help retailers draw on this, innovating to expand our range to respond to consumer demands.”

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BOU G

MORE MULTIPACKS. MORE SALES.

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SOURCE: ¹NIELSEN SCANTRACK, SPORTS & ENERGY, TOTAL GB COVERAGE, UNIT SALES, RED BULL ENERGY DRINK 4 PACK, 52 W/E 19.02.2022. *RED BULL ENERGY DRINK 4 PACK.

[ ENERGY DRINKS ] Also in response to consumer trends, Emerge has been rebranded with eye-catching designs for increased on-shelf appeal and now also features an environmentally-conscious 30% recycled packaging.

“We’re here to support retailers when it comes to PoS materials, best use of space and displaying products,” adds Partridge. “Our new website includes tools to help boost trade, including a handy profit calculator and tips on driving footfall.

“This support, combined with products designed with the best possible value in mind, will help to drive success for our brand, our retailers and their customers.”

Britvic has reformulated its Rockstar range of energy drinks with a focus on sugar reduction. “When it comes to energy drinks, 44% of non-buyers state the reason they don’t buy into the category is that they contain too much sugar (Mintel). Through this move, we’re aiming to encourage continued growth within the category by energising those health-conscious consumers and meeting even more energy needs,” says Phil Sanders, out-of-home commercial director.

“Maintaining the Rockstar taste has been our priority in formulating these new liquids,” he continues. “Rockstar’s 500ml formats are also well placed to tap into retailers’ optimism around the return of food and drink to go, with a third of retailers (36%) expecting sales to grow beyond their 2019 levels in 2022.”

The updated core range, with less than 4.5g sugar per 100ml, will roll out this month in both plain and price-marked packs, with Original, Punched Tropical Guava, XDurance Blueberry Pomegranate Acai, Juiced El Mango, Juiced Tropical Punch, Juiced Tropical Orange Passion Fruit joining Original No Sugar and Punched Sour Bubbleburst. The activity will be supported by an out-of-home advertising and social campaign in June.

Barr Soft Drinks made a significant impact in the energy drinks market last year with the launch of Rubicon RAW. The product, which combines 20% real fruit juice with caffeine from green coffee beans and B vitamins, sold more than 11 million cans in its first 12 months. The 500ml Rubicon RAW range is available in plain and price-marked packs, plus there is now a 4 x 500ml multipack.

What’s more, a new Apple & Guava variant has joined the three existing Rubicon RAW flavours. The new recipe exceeded Barr Soft Drinks’ expectations in research, with 90% of shoppers saying that they would buy it again and 87% rating it as good or excellent (JVA).

The new variant is being supported with a 26

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wide-ranging social and digital marketing campaign as well as impactful in-store PoS materials.

“Big can energy is driving growth at 22%, with flavoured now accounting for over half of all volume sold (IRI), so it’s important that retailers offer a wide range of formats to cater for all shoppers,” advises Adrian Troy, marketing director.

“The category has to be exciting and varied to keep these shoppers engaged; over £130 million of category sales was generated from NPD last year (IRI).”

The iconic Scottish IRN-BRU brand is also driving sales in energy, with its energy drink growing four times faster than the energy market (IRI). “Half of IRN-BRU Energy shoppers buy it in addition to their normal energy product,” says Troy.

‘The category has to be exciting and varied to keep these shoppers engaged; over £130 million of category sales was generated from NPD last year’ Adrian Troy, marketing director, Barr Soft Drinks “The addition of our 500ml variant in December 2020 offers retailers the opportunity to build on this success by adding incremental sales to their already buoyant energy sector. IRN-BRU Energy is available in full sugar and no sugar, and retailers should stock both variants as each product attracts a different type of shopper.”

With over one in three soft drinks sold in convenience stores an energy drink (IRI), wholesalers are reminded to keep an eye on blossoming sales opportunities.

“Innovation in the energy category has seen the consumer base shift,” Troy points out.

“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). Because of this shift in demographic over the years, brands need to appeal to a wide range of consumers with a wide range of interests.”

He adds: “We work hard with our wholesaler partners on a national, regional and local level to ensure that they can offer their customers the right range and products for their local CCM shoppers.”

NEW EW FLAVOUR FLAVO FL FLA FLAVOU FLAV AVOUR TOP 5 BIG CAN ENERGY BRAND* *IRI ALL OUTLETS, VALUE SALES, ENERGY SALES, ENERGY DRINKS - 13 W/E 08/01/22

[ RTD & INSTANT-MIX COFFEE ]

Ready to profit?

Ready-to-drink coffee is attracting new consumers and looks set to continue its growth rate in convenience. With on-the-go purchasing this summer and supplier activity in the category, wholesalers are advised to highlight the sales opportunities to their customers. depot activations to help launch this into the trade market.

This will be supported by distribution-driving activity to over 10,000 retailers. Furthermore, we’ll be undertaking experiential activity involving sampling and exciting activations through social media support.”

The existing range is the fastest-growing RTD iced coffee brand in unit sales (IRI), and Hipkiss advises wholesalers to take advantage of the sales support and growth opportunities that Boost is offering this year.

“Advertising is often overlooked at a wholesale level but it is critical to driving sales from retailers. Wholesalers should ensure they draw attention to attractive price points, deals and cross-promotions with eyecatching PoS, to support those purchases,” he says.

A

category worth noting for its growth in popularity is ready-to-drink (RTD) coffee. It is worth more than £207 million and is up in value by 32.2% (Nielsen).

Boost Drinks is well placed to maximise opportunities in the convenience sector, advising wholesalers and retailers to push these products in the upcoming months.

“With the impressive growth trajectory of the RTD iced coffee market, we strongly advise allocating a generous amount of fridge space to this growing category, positioning it at eye level and alongside other RTD drinks to increase impulse and cross-purchasing,” says Adrian Hipkiss, marketing & international business director.

“We anticipate a strong summer for the category, particularly as 30% of hot coffee drinkers are opting for iced variants during the warmer months to get their coffee fix (Cousins Davis U&A). Likewise, we have a busy summer schedule of sport ahead so consumers will be looking to their local convenience store to get a caffeine hit while on the go.”

The supplier provides its RTD coffee range in PMP format, enabling retailers to capitalise on the ever-reliable £1 price point. “This is hugely significant given that this particular price point is the fastest growing in terms of units sold, and shows the attractiveness of the £1 PMP for consumers. By offering one-off deals and the odd price reduction with unmarked stock, retailers risk introducing new products to customers that, without a promotion, they will choose not to buy,” Hipkiss explains.

Boost’s three-strong range is to be expanded this year to meet the rising popularity of the RTD category, with supporting activity planned. “Within the RTD iced coffee sector, 75% of the sales value is made up of four flavours: latte, caramel, espresso and mocha. We’re proud to offer three of these flavours, with a new addition coming soon,” he says. “To support our coffee line, we will be taking part in digital and 28

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‘We anticipate a strong summer for the category, particularly as 30% of hot coffee drinkers are opting for iced variants during warmer months’ Adrian Hipkiss, Boost Drinks’ marketing & international business director “A key factor in maximising sales to retailers can be boiled down to the positioning within the depot and using exciting PoS displays to maximise visibility. Digital aspects of advertising are just as important – wholesalers should be using banners and other disruptive formats on their websites. To support this, email mailings and app-based promotions such as push notifications are key to helping drive further sales.”

CCEP’s Costa brand has brought new consumers to the category, with more than half of Costa Coffee RTD shoppers being new to RTD coffee. The brand has increased in value by more than 40% in the past 12 months and forms part of the ‘Get Me Through The Day’ driver in the supplier’s ‘Taste Tomorrow’ soft drinks category vision, which identifies growth opportunities for wholesalers and retailers.

*IRI Marketplace Data Symbols & Independents 52 week unit sales to 26th December 2021

[ RTD & INSTANT-MIX COFFEE ]

“The success can be put down to the strength of the Costa brand and the quality of what’s in the can. The Costa Coffee RTD range is a ‘coffee first ’proposition,” says Amy Burgess, senior trade communications manager. “The products contain 30% less sugar than the competitors and are all less than 50% milk, which gives them a point of difference in a market that is predominantly at least 70% milk, and allows Costa’s signature Mocha Italia blend to shine through.”

The addition of the 200ml Flat White variant to the line-up is attractive to shoppers looking for a lower-calorie option, coming in at 76kcal per can. The missions that can be merchandised with RTD coffee offer flexibility for retailers, as CCEP/Kantar/Brand Potential research has shown that one in five consumers have an RTD coffee as a morning snack and even more shoppers have one at lunch or in the afternoon.

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Molson Coors is also exploring the sales opportunities from the RTD coffee segment in the off-trade.

“Our dedicated Beverage Hub team is forging new partnerships with exciting brands in promising categories – including iced coffee brand Jimmy’s Iced Coffee, which we helped to roll out across the off-trade nationally earlier this year,” says Kevin Fawell, off-trade sales director. “The entire range is free of plastic packaging.”

While an increasing number of shoppers are exploring the RTD segment, there are still plenty looking for an on-the-go option in other formats. Of Nestlé’s top 10 performing Nescafé SKUs in terms of value sales for traditional convenience stores, three are instant mixes: Nescafé Gold Cappuccino 8 x 17g sachets, Nescafé Original 3 In 1 Fresher Richer 6 x 17g sachets, and Nescafé Gold Latte 8 x 19.5g sachets.

“Soluble coffee mixes continue to see strong growth – 7% in the latest year (IRI),” reports a Nestlé spokesperson. “This segment is dominated by frothy coffee such as café-style latte and cappuccinos. Highly incremental, this segment is more impulsive and commands a 450% higher price per cup than pure soluble (HIM).”

The company adds that Starbucks mixes are predicted to increase their share of the frothy CCM segment by 250% in the next 18 months.

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[ CLEANING & LAUNDRY ]

Cleaning up with big brands Consumers continue to seek household cleaning and laundry products that offer superior performance and antibacterial properties, and manufacturers are meeting this demand.

L

aundry & household is an important category, worth £4.7 billion in the total market and £200 million in the independent convenience channel (including household paper), according to DCS Group.

The most common shopping mission in convenience is planned top-up – 31% of total – and the household categories over-index on these larger missions (Lumina). “It’s worth noting that only 12% of convenience shopping missions are distress purchases. The point is that the planned top-up mission is the one to target,” says Matt Stanton, head of category and insight.

“This shows the importance of stocking a full range of laundry and cleaning products at the right prices, including a full range of PMPs, to retain a base of frequent, loyal shoppers who learn to trust the retailer and keep coming back.”

DCS, a leading distributor of household brands, points out that the top three laundry SKUs in independents make up 25% of the total category (IRI). They are: Daz Capsules 12s £2.49 PMP, Ariel Capsules 12s £3.99 PMP, and Daz Powder 10 wash £2.49 PMP. “Shoppers notoriously trust brands, believing that branded products are more efficacious than tertiary or own-label offerings,” says Stanton. “For this reason, shoppers are willing to pay more for these products.”

With the rise in demand of antibacterial products as a result of the pandemic, there has been an influx of NPD over the last year or so, he reports. In addition on-pack claims – for example ‘Kills 99.9% of bacteria’ – continue to be of high importance to consumers. “These claims help to reassure consumers of brand efficacy,” Stanton explains.

Recent NPD available from DCS includes Cif 750ml Ultrafast sprays in £1.50 PMPs. These replace the existing 450ml £1 PMPs and offer a better price per ml. There are available in kitchen, bathroom and antibacterial variants.

Another recent launch was Domestos antibacterial wipes in packs of 60. They are claimed to kill 99.99% of bacteria and are biodegradable.

“Shoppers continue to look for products with antibacterial properties, and retailers should ensure these products are listed as part of their core range,” advises Stanton.

During the worst times of the Covid-19 pandemic Robinson Young saw huge increases in the demand for surface cleaners, disinfectants and other household hygiene products, reports managing director Michael Robinson.

“Although there has been a dip in the levels of 2020, we 32

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are still seeing very strong demand for all types of household cleaners in both the surface and laundry categories,” he adds.

“It is therefore still important for wholesalers, and their retailer customers, to carry a comprehensive range of products which perform a range of different tasks. Having just partnered with laundry and home care giants Henkel, we have a strong and comprehensive portfolio of cleaning brands, such as Jeyes disinfectant and the Bloo toilet cleaning range, which are ideally placed to provide wholesalers with some core products to meet consumer demand.”

‘We are still seeing very strong demand for all types of household cleaners in both the surface and laundry categories’ Michael Robinson, managing director, Robinson Young In the laundry category, Robinson Young is seeing ‘unprecedented demand’ for the ACE range – particularly ACE for Whites which contains hypochlorite bleach that kills all viruses including Covid-19.

To add to the range of in-wash and spray products, Robinson Young is developing an ACE Whites spray, to be used alongside the in-wash product. It is expected to be available in the summer.

Robinson told Cash & Carry Management: “The heightened awareness of the need for hygiene and robust cleaning regimes is here for the foreseeable future. Consumers are looking for products they can trust and rely on and, in the main, this is well-established brands.

“Products such as Jeyes Fluid and the ACE laundry range, along with Parazone bleach, span most of these core categories and adequately meet current wholesaler needs, CCM driven by hygiene-focused consumer demand.”

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[ SNACKS & BISCUITS ]

Grabbing the sales Snacking opportunities provide convenience retailers with numerous chances to boost their profits, as long as they ensure that their range caters to shifting consumer habits.

C

risps, snacks and nuts are worth £3.5 billion and are a vital driver in convenience, showing year-onyear growth (Nielsen). Companies are identifying trends and shopper behaviours that can improve retailer profits, so it’s important for wholesalers to stay abreast of developments in the category.

Family business Envis Snacks has seen sales more than triple in the past few years. The supplier focuses on the £1 PMP market, importing and distributing snacks for Lorenz Snackworld and OK Snacks to the convenience and wholesale channels.

“We focus on the basics of making sure products are available to purchase with clear pricing online – particularly with the growth of delivered – but also ensure the due diligence is given in cash & carry depots in terms of making sure products are available to purchase with clear pricing and PoS,” says Andy Brown, sales director.

This year, new lines have been added from Lorenz to make the most of current trends such as value and more adventurous flavours. The Lattice Cut X-cut Salted is now available in the larger 150g bag range, X-cut Chilli & Lime now comes in 75g (rsp £1), and Crunchips Rustics are a thicker cut chip to give a fuller potato flavour.

Meanwhile, Crunchips WOW Jalapeno & Cream Cheese and Paprika and Sour Cream flavours are set to satisfy demand for world flavours.

The manufacturer has also updated its graphics to increase onshelf appeal.

All products have a shelf life of more than six months, enabling wholesalers and retailers to avoid waste. Lorenz now supplies all products in recyclable outers made from recycled materials. “As a business they continue to work alongside some key partners to help drive distribution across the convenience retail sector, as well as offering low minimum order quantities for direct wholesale customers,” says Brown.

With sharing and value key drivers in the snacks category, the latest developments can only build on the recent sales uplift seen by Envis. “We’re extremely excited by the new graphics that will be across the Lorenz range to boost sales in 2022, and continue to offer products that can add real differentiation or choice and are therefore great opportunities for wholesalers to add incremental sales,” concludes Brown.

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Also new to the category is Wotsits Crunchy from PepsiCo. The NPD will be available to the convenience channel next month in £1 PMP formats, in Really Cheesy and Flamin’ Hot flavours. The launch will be supported by a £1.5 million marketing campaign throughout April which includes digital, social advertising and shopper activations.

“We know there is an appetite for crunchier snacks, especially when it comes to sharing, as 95% of shared snacking occasions are based around this texture,” says Katherine Cook, Walkers Snacks marketing manager. “Wotsits Crunchy range aims to help retailers tap into this segment, and also bring new shoppers to the Wotsits brand.”

KP Snacks highlights its Tyrrells brand as a star performer, thanks to consumer demand for premium sharing. “Tyrrells Premium Hand Cooked Crisps are growing 14% year to date (Nielsen), with the brand strongly supported to drive growth and premium credentials,” says Matt Collins, trading director.

“Last year we expanded our PMP range with the addition of three of the most popular flavours of Tyrrells, with 60g bags of Lightly Salted, Sea Salt & Cider Vinegar, and Mature Cheddar & Chive now available in £1 PMP.” This year, the Golden Wonder brand is celebrating its 75th anniversary, reports Tayto.

Fans voted to bring back their all-time favourite flavours – Beef & Onion and Chip Shop Curry – in classic 1970s packs.

Cheese & Onion, the flagship flavour launched in 1962, joins the other flavours in heritage packs, which feature an onpack promotion to win one of 75 experience vouchers. Every entrant will receive 10% off at experiencedays.co.uk.

The on-pack promotion, which is also running on Golden Wonder’s £1 crisps range, is being promoted across social, digital and trade channels throughout 2022.

Tayto stresses the importance of the £1 PMP for independents in the bagged snack category. “Capturing the booming sharing snacks market means retailers need to

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 d available il bl in i small ll cases. and • Pomsticks 14 x 85g, • Crunchips X-Cut 12 x 75g, • 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.

[ SNACKS & BISCUITS ] Category initiative proves effective Biscuit sales have grown by almost 20% for Nisa retailers involved in a trial with pladis.

The snacks supplier teamed up with Nisa Retail last autumn and worked with eight Nisa stores to increase sales through range optimisation and merchandising recommendations.

The Better Biscuit initiative took place over an eightweek period and involved stores located in different parts of the country. The stores recorded an average sales increase of 18% following the trial.

The work undertaken through the trial is now set to be rolled out to all Nisa retailers.

be stocking, and giving prominence to, a strong range of £1 PMP snacks,” says Matt Smith, marketing director.

“We’ve seen Golden Wonder Spicy Bikers become a top 10 seller within months of launch, joining Ringos and Transform-A-Snack as our top performers in the £1 sector.

We continue to promote the launch through digital support and activity exclusively for independent retailers, including money-off vouchers.”

Healthier snacking brand Graze introduced its pricemarked range in 2020 and acknowledges the appeal of the £1 price mark. “The PMPs have been designed to make purchasing decisions easier for shoppers, whilst enabling wholesalers to tap into the healthy snacking opportunity,” says Melanie Tucker, head of out-of-home.

“Making our products more accessible is very much part of our brand mission to help people enjoy healthy living every day, and given the amount of people seeking healthier snacking alternatives, this is an untapped market for wholesalers to capitalise on.”

Graze is also looking to increase sales through NPD offering indulgent flavours in healthier formats. The Oats Boost range is lower in sugar and higher in fibre than traditional sweet snacks, while offering a tasty treat with its Cherry Bakewell and Chocolate Cookie flavours. Low calorie Wow Bakes range is designed to satisfy cravings for an afternoon treat, offering Lemon Drizzle, Chocolate Hazelnut and Salted Caramel variants at less than 90 calories per bar, while avoiding artificial colours, sweeteners, flavours and preservatives.

Mondelez International has highlighted the shift in consumer demand back towards pre-lockdown impulse on-thego snacking, which has in turn seen an increased interest in healthier snacking. “In the past two years we’ve seen a significant shift as shopper dynamics have changed, impacting the buying habits of certain formats,” says Susan Nash, trade communications manager. “More recently however, as restrictions lifted, we’ve seen on-the-go occasions begin to recover, which is helping to drive more sales in snacks like healthier biscuits, cereal bars and on-the-go biscuits.”

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The manufacturer has also announced activity to drive consumer excitement. Celebrating The Batman coming to screens, Oreo is featuring on-pack and off-pack promotions as well as a Batman-embossed biscuit.

Also new on the shelves from Mondelez is a range from French biscuit brand LU. Four continental variants – Le Petit Chocolate, Le Petit Buerre, Le Petit Biscotte and Le Petit Citron – offer a taste of France to consumers.

Burton’s Biscuit Company addresses the potential impact of the upcoming HFSS (high fat, salt & sugar) legislation, an important consideration for wholesalers. “Biscuits typically feature in most shoppers’ weekly shops, so we expect that footfall down the main aisle will remain largely unaffected.

However, HFSS will undoubtedly impact impulse sales of biscuits,” states Kate Needham, marketing director.

“We predict the biggest impact will be felt from shoppers on a top-up mission popping in for a few items, who may have previously picked up a pack on impulse when they see biscuits on a gondola end on promotion.”

She continues: “Stand-out on-shelf on the main fixture will become increasingly important in lieu of secondary sitings no longer available to the category, with impactful pack designs, shelf-ready packaging and PoS key to achieving this, alongside discount-led promotions.”

In terms of consumer behaviour, the manufacturer has seen shoppers switching out of the healthier/cereal category into the likes of portion packs, particularly under-100-calorie products. “This has been driven by changes in perceptions of health and consumers looking for portion-controlled treats rather than traditionally perceived ‘healthier’ products,” explains Needham.

“While the focus of this growth was from kids’ lunch boxes, we also saw an additional 21 million mini biscuit portion pack occasions from adults aged 35-64 with no children.”

Border Biscuits has also seen a marked increase in minipacks, this time in the out-of-home market. “Within out-ofhome channels, there’s been strong wholesale demand for mini-packs in particular, with these proving popular among foodservice buyers,” says Lisa Manning, category and insight manager. Border Biscuits offers several of its biscuit varieties in boxes of 48, 100 and 150 mini-packs.

Meanwhile for the sharing occasion, the company recently unveiled a Luxury Chocolate Sharing Pack featuring two new biscuit varieties, Dark Chocolate Raspberry and Milk Chocolate Salted CCM Caramel.

[ TOBACCO ]

Demand for value continues It is a difficult time economically, so value is key to continuing growth of the tobacco category. Wholesalers can help their customers by advising them on shopper needs.

W

ith the UK having to economise wherever possible, value is a particularly important aspect for a large number of adult smokers. While restrictive legislations do limit the amount of awareness that suppliers can create for their brands, manufacturers are looking to ensure that wholesalers are well placed to maximise opportunities in the tobacco category.

In the £285 million cigars category (IRI), brand and subsection performance holds few surprises, with a continuing rise in the medium/large segment supplementing the popularity of miniatures, according to Scandinavian Tobacco Group (UK).

“It’s miniatures that remain the engine room of the category so it’s important for cash & carries to get this segment right. By far the biggest player here is our Signature range, which is ably supported by our Moments brand,” says Alistair Williams, country director.

“The search for value has also been a consistent trend in cigars for a while now, evidenced by the success of our Moments Blue brand.”

The cigar category has seen a significant increase in retail sales value of 20.3% over the last year, as well as a 24.3% volume increase (IRI). “This stellar performance is largely driven by the fast-growing cigarillo segment, which already accounts for 43.7% of all cigars sold in volume terms,” continues Williams. “Miniatures are still the largest segment within cigars, while the small cigar segment appears to be continuing a slow but consistent decline.”

With the category looking stable and the best-sellers continuing to perform as expected, Williams advises cash & carries to stock their range and advise retailers accordingly: “The top 10 cigar brands account for more than 90% of total sales, so there’s little point offering your retail customers a huge range,” he states.

“It’s worth considering that there are key times of the year when cigar sales are on the rise. Typically, as spring approaches, bringing with it more outdoor smoking opportunities, some adult smokers will treat themselves and ‘trade up’ to a larger format option, but this doesn’t mean that retailers need to start stocking larger, more expensive, hand-made cigars. It may be as simple as a miniature cigar smoker opting to jump to a panatella.”

In the cigarette market, the same focus on value is predominant, according to Imperial Tobacco. “Overall, we’re seeing continued movement towards low-priced propositions 38

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across the entire category, as consumer demand continues to drive tobacco purchasing patterns,” says Duncan Cunningham, UK corporate affairs director.

“As part of this shift, the lower price tiers now account for the majority of sales, with the sub-economy segment making up 63% share of FMC (factory-made cigarettes) and the economy segment accounting for 51% of RYO (roll your own), with both value segments growing at 4% year on year (ITUK).

“In order to effectively harness the sales opportunities this presents, retailers and wholesalers must be equipped with the right products and, importantly, the right knowledge, to help their customers navigate the tobacco category.”

To deliver added convenience to adult smokers, Imperial has launched limited-edition 21s packs across some of its leading products exclusively for the independent channel. The rsps for the new format are £9.75 for Richmond, £10 for Players JPS and L&B Blue, and £10.80 for Lambert & Butler.

‘We’re seeing continued movement towards low-priced propositions across the entire category’ Duncan Cunningham, Imperial Tobacco’s UK corporate affairs director Tom Gully, consumer marketing manager UK, comments: “Driving value for our customers remains a top priority for our business. Through this latest launch, we’re offering the same popular blends at great value price points, but in a bigger box format for consumer convenience.”

The manufacturer’s presence in the economy segment includes JPS Players Easy Rolling Tobacco, which benefits from an instantly recognisable brand while offering a new blend of fine-cut tobacco and lower moisture levels for an easier rolling experience.

In the FMC subcategory, the manufacturer has redesigned its Richmond brand to feature prominent outer branding and deliver a coherent design across the range. The brand’s value credentials have built up solid support from shoppers looking for familiarity and satisfaction at a low price.

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[ TOBACCO ] “The entire Richmond portfolio is positioned within the new value tier and is available to buy in packs of 20 at an rsp of just £9.75 per pack to deliver great value to hard-working shoppers looking for a well-known brand at the lowest price,” says Cunningham.

JTI has responded to the growth of the value segment with 50g Sterling Essential Rolling Tobacco.

“Sterling Rolling is the UK’s fastest-growing RYO brand, showing that the demand for value tobacco continues,” says Ross Hennessy, sales vice president.

“JTI’s decision to release this larger format of Sterling Essential Rolling Tobacco reflects the increase in demand for value RYO, with the category growing £14.3% year on year and generating sales of £3.9 billion a year.”

Hennessy also points out the attraction of convenience in the category, evidenced by the popularity of Sterling 3-in-1 Rolling Tobacco. “Our Sterling 3-in-1 Rolling Tobacco offers existing adult smokers the fuss-free and convenient format they want, with tobacco, filters and papers in one handy pouch,” he says.

“Wholesalers should look to stock up on value brands to cater to this ongoing demand and offer Sterling 3-in-1 as an option to their customers.”

JTI continues to support retailers and wholesalers through its JTIAdvance online platform, as well as actively addressing the illicit tobacco trade with its DontBeComplicit microsite.

“Having up-to-date knowledge on the latest products is key to offering an informed and good level of customer service,” says Hennessy. “To confidently talk about new products, wholesalers and their staff should use all the platforms available to them. This will help them to understand key category insights and product developments.”

To further develop its client relationships, JTI has announced that it will be evolving its sales force into business advisers. The move will create 58 new jobs and is designed to offer JTI’s trade partners best-in-class support.

The JTI sales force historically operated as a dual entity with an internal JTI team and a third-party sales force which

JTI’s business advisers will be ‘total category experts’.

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was split across channels. The change will see JTI consolidate the team and create an in-house sales force of JTI business advisers who will each be allocated a smaller, dedicated catchment area in which they will be responsible for every trading channel – from independents to wholesale and multiple grocers.

“We have taken the time to upskill our JTI business advisers to a superior standard. Combine this with the fact that this role is completely customer-centric, we are confident that the transition can only be of benefit to our trade partners, as they will receive an even greater level of service,” announces Hennessy.

‘Having up-to-date knowledge on the latest products is key to offering an informed and good level of customer service’ Ross Hennessy, sales vice president, JTI Republic Technologies calls upon its detailed and longstanding knowledge of the roll-your-own category to ensure that current trends and shifts are being catered to.

“As category specialists, we’re continuing to innovate – not just with NPD but with a renewed focus on merchandising solutions, enabling retailers to highlight NPD and increase visibility of best-selling products,” says Gavin Anderson, sales & marketing director. “Our team’s valuable expertise in the category means that we are well placed to add real value to convenience retailers.”

With the tobacco accessories category worth £320 million (IRI), retailers should be looking to profit from the increasing demand from shoppers for value RYO products, and wholesalers should be assisting with this sales approach.

“To drive RYO sales, focus on the products that are meeting your customers’ specific needs and stock the brands that they’re seeking in these areas,” advises Anderson.

Trends should also be factored into range selection: “Environmental considerations continue to influence convenience store shoppers. With growing demand for more natural products and reduced packaging, Republic Technologies is increasing its focus on sustainably sourced products,” Anderson continues.

“Countertop display units are a great way to signpost the category and provide visibility for best-selling products,” he adds. The manufacturer launched an OCB counter display unit last year which contains 10 booklets of each of the three OCB Slim & Tips products: OCB Virgin, OCB Premium and CCM OCB Organic Hemp.

STERLING

R O L L I N G TO B ACCO Steve Bassett, Owner of Abbotsbury Road Post Office says:

“My customers already know and trust the Sterling name because of its great value and competitive RRP which is why Essential has already proved so popular. Offering Sterling Essential with its unique blend, without filters or papers, means that my customers have a less for less alternative at the lowest price point.”

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[ PRODUCTS & PROMOTIONS ] PRODUCT OF THE MONTH

Fruity flavour

Non-HFSS snacks

Sparkling addition

Britvic has added a third variant to its Robinsons ready-to-drink portfolio.

The Blackberry & Blueberry recipe, which contains no added sugar, joins the existing Raspberry & Apple and Peach & Mango variants. All are available in 500ml bottles, price-marked at £1 and non-price-marked (rsp £1).

The NPD is designed to support retailers in driving on-the-go sales by introducing some instantly recognisable refreshment to their chillers from a trusted and well-known brand.

Support for the new flavour includes digital advertising and disruptive instore activation.

Kettle Foods has introduced a new Bread Bites range.

There are three variants: Sourdough Bites with Parmigiano Reggiano & Balsamic Vinegar of Modena; Focaccia Bites with Sea Salt, Rosemary & Extra Virgin Olive Oil; and Naan Bites with Spiced Onion Bhaji with Chilli & Toasted Onion.

The range is fully non-HFSS, helping retailers to offer consumers healthier options in light of the upcoming regulations.

The Bread Bites, which can be warmed in the oven or enjoyed straight from the bag, have an rsp of £2.09.

Accolade Wines has extended its Echo Falls Fruit Fusion line-up with a Sparkling Passion Fruit & Sicilian Lemon variety.

The new edition (rsp £5.50) is expected to appeal to loyal Echo Falls shoppers, as well as encourage the brand’s target audience of younger consumers (25-34 years) into the wine category.

The launch is being supported by in-store advertising and digital activation, and Echo Falls’ latest campaign, ‘Phone on Silent, Girls on Loud’, will continue to run throughout the summer months.

‘Biggest spend’

Extra strong

Ambient shakes

Budweiser Brewing Group has announced the launch of Stella Artois Unfiltered.

The new 5% abv lager comes in 660ml bottles, 12 x 330ml bottles and 6 x 330ml cans.

The unfiltered lager category, highly popular across Europe, is currently an untapped segment in the UK market, according to the company.

To support the launch, a media campaign with the biggest spend of any alcohol innovation since 2017 will begin in May. In addition, there will be a bespoke trade support package and comprehensive PR and sampling.

JTI has expanded the Nordic Spirit portfolio with a new flavour, Spearmint, and a new extra-strong nicotine strength for Bergamot Wildberry.

Nordic Spirit is the UK’s No.1 nicotine pouch brand (IRI). With strong and extra-strong now making up 72.6% of nicotine pouch sales (IRI), the latest variants (both of which are extra strong) will help retailers to provide options for customers seeking a stronger nicotine experience.

As with other SKUs in the range, the new variants will be running at 20% POR, with the potential for wholesale deals in the future. The rsp is £6.50.

Shaken Udder has introduced a new ambient milkshake range designed to meet the needs of the convenience/ impulse channel.

The new product comes in 330ml bottles, in Chocolush, Vanillalicious and Strawberries & Cream varieties, and has a longer shelf life than the existing chilled range.

Shaken Udder significantly outperformed the milkshake category in 2021, achieving more than 70% growth year on year (Nielsen).

The shakes are compliant with HFSS regulations and contain no preservatives, artificial colours or flavours.

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