NEWS
Sainsbury’s mentor scheme has recruited 120-plus small brands By Andrew Don
Sainsbury’s recruitment of distinctive small brands, through an incubator and mentorship programme, has created a line-up of more than 120 producers set to receive shelf space across its chain. The supermarket group confirmed that its incubator Future Brands initiative, first reported on in FFD a year ago, had culminated in a new phase from 23rd June, called Taste the Future. Brands will now be rotated every 12 weeks in special bays across 68 stores – with a view to securing a wider presence. Sainsbury’s said in its 2019 annual report that customers wanted distinctive products they could not find anywhere else and it now had 126 Future Brands in its stores. Independent specialist food stores are likely to
Sainsbury’s Future Brands scheme will see small start-up producers trialled across 68 stores
watch the supermarket’s scheme with a keen eye, with many openly ready to de-list items that make it to the multiples. Karen Price, owner of Ansty Farm shop in Salisbury, Wiltshire, said: “Obviously we like to deal with the small artisan producers and as soon as they get into mainstream supermarkets they’re not small artisan producers anymore. “As a smaller farm
shop, we are looking for the unique small local producer. If that is the way [these producers] want to go, and the big multiple is supporting them, good luck to them but we look for the smaller non-supermarket products.” Caroline England, manager of Manor Farm Shop in Lutterworth, Leicestershire, told FFD that she was not overly concerned about supermarket initiatives to
Top up for British wine A record three million vines have been planted in England and Wales this year to make the UK one of the world’s fastest-growing wine regions, Wine of Great Britain has reported. This equates to an extra 690 hectares of vineyards and a 24% increase in the overall land now under vine. The total is nearly double the 1.6m planted last year. Much of the planting took place in the South East – in Kent, Sussex and Hampshire – but there are also new vines in Gloucestershire, Northamptonshire, Devon, Somerset, Suffolk, Norfolk, Essex and Wales. Simon Robinson, chairman of WineGB, said: “Last year we set out our vision that in the next 20 years, at the rate of current growth, we could be producing some 40m bottles per year.”
recruit start-up brands. “Most farm shops and delicatessens offer something quite different to a supermarket,” she said. Sainsbury’s said: “Our dedicated Future Brands team works closely with small, specialist suppliers to bring these innovative and exclusive ranges to our customers.” “We have a longstanding history of working in genuine partnership with our suppliers and, over the last seven years, they have consistently ranked us first or second for supplier relationships in the industry’s largest independent supplier survey. We now have 126 Future Brands in our stores.” One of the latest incubator brands is Mighty Society, which makes a range of vegan milk alternatives made from yellow split peas. Other early participants have included Mallow and Marsh, Pip & Nut, Yaar, Lemonaid, No.1 Rosemary Water and Brain Füd.
IN BRIEF Spar Scotland has launched a 2,000 sq ft Scottish-focused store with ranges including Brownings the Bakers, Stuarts of Buckhaven, Malcolm Allan square sausage, Castleton Fruit Farm, and Mrs Tilly’s. Lincolnshire farmers Terry and Jane Tomlinson are celebrating 20 years of business this summer producing Redhill Farm Free Range Pork. They now sell from a purposebuilt farm shop, butchery and smokehouse, as well as online and another shop in Lincoln. In its latest UK Payment Markets report, UK Finance found that cash remains the second most frequently used payment method – accounting for 28% of all payments in 2018. For nearly 40% of all transactions, debit cards were used most.
DOWN ON THE FARM
The latest from farm shops across the country
Sandra McDowell has turned a former Co-op creamery in Gleno, near Larne in Northern Ireland, into The Dairy Café, Butchers & Farm Shop. Meat is sourced from Sandra and husband
Robert’s farm. Suppliers include Larne’s Sea Sugar Sweets, Just Live a Little Granola from Portaferry, Irish Black Butter of Portrush and Bangor’s Clandeboye Estate Yoghurt, thedairygleno.com
Katie Taylor, founder of Drewton’s Farm Shop, has been rewarded with an MBE in the Queen’s Birthday honours list for services to the economy and community in Yorkshire. The East Riding shop has also recently opened a wedding & events venue called The Manor Rooms. drewtons.co.uk
Portwood Farm Shop in Great Ellingham, Norfolk, made the most of the asparagus season by selling asparagus ice cream in 500ml tubs. It worked with Dann’s Farm to concoct the product using its own vegetables combined with Dann’s double cream and other local produce. portwoodasparagus.co.uk
Eight years ago, tragedy struck Hinchliffe’s Farm Shop in West Yorkshire when a fire devastated the much-loved shop. The future is looking much brighter as the owners are transforming Britain’s oldest farm shop into state of the art premises with a restaurant – scheduled to open this summer to coincide with their 90th anniversary. hinchliffes.com
Trading Post Farm Shop, in Lopenhead, Somerset, has been named Best Farm Shop/Deli in Somerset by Muddy Stilettos. The business focuses on organic and local food and drink. Cobbs Farm Shop (Berkshire), Thornham Deli (Norfolk), and Johns of Instow & Appledore (Devon) were among other regional winners. muddystilettos.co.uk
In association with
Fabulous Farm Shops fabulousfarmshops.co.uk
Vol.20 Issue 6 | July 2019
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