Londis News, Vol 36, Issue 3, July 2023

Social media ‘game changer’ unveiled

Londis Wine Festival returns

Win at the FIFA Women’s World Cup

July 2023

BLACK HEART STOUTM285169

TESCOGROUP

BOOST YOUR PROFIT WITH BREWDOG BLACKHEART.

BLACK HEART IS BRINGING NEW CUSTOMERS TO STOUT:

41% £ Sales from new customers to beer & cider category

Data Source: Shopper Loyalty Data To 26/03/23

DRIVE YOUR STOUT SALES:

–25.5% Opportunity to refresh your stout range, currently in the impulse channel stout sales are -25.5% vs 2YA

Data Source: Nieslen Scantrack w/e 25.02.23

98%

Younger more affluent shopper than Guinness

Of all stout sales in the impulse channel are Guinness, it’s time for some disruption

Green gains

Sales opportunities

heating up

With the summer well on the way there is a whole new array of opportunities opening up for Londis retailers.

A very warm welcome to your latest issue of Londis News as we enter the peak summer period and a whole new world of opportunities opens up to drive new footfall, sales and profits in the warmer weather.

One opportunity certainly worth exploring is the Women’s World Cup which runs all the way through to the 20th of August and is set to be a highlight of this summer. With a total of 64 matches taking place there will be endless chances to grow sale in categories like BWS, snacks, confectionery and soft drinks as shoppers meet up to watch England and the Republic of Ireland as they bid for glory. Londis has a full promotional programme available to help retailers and their shoppers celebrate this huge global event so make sure you don’t miss out.

We’re also looking ahead to the ever-popular Londis Wine Festival in this issue which throws a fresh spotlight on a vitally important category. As ever Londis has a full programme of activity and promotions to help you grow your wine sales and profits.

The Jack’s range continues to grow, as you’ll discover inside, with new ranges of sausages, snack packs and carrier bags unveiled in recent weeks. It’s a brand that is perfectly in tune with today’s shoppers and I would encourage every Londis retailer to stock up. The feedback we’re getting from retailers and shoppers alike

is that the Jack’s brand delivers a magical combination of outstanding value and fantastic quality.

Don’t miss the feature on SocioConnect, our new social media solution that can help turbocharge your social media presence. It makes handling your social media feeds across all networks quicker and easier than ever before, and gives you instant access to professional Booker-produced posts that you simply repost to your own pages. Best of all, it’s absolutely free.

Another feature worth checking out is our sustainability article which highlights some quick and easy wins to help you continue to create a more business and support your local community.

I wish you all fantastic summer trading.

Look forward to seeing you in-store!

Stewart Fenn Sales Director, Booker Retail Partners

from around the Londis Family...

The Kay Group brings 23 stores into Londis

Leading forecourt business The Kay Group has joined Londis, bringing all 23 of the group’s convenience stores into the family.

Londis and The Kay Group have announced a new partnership agreement which has seen all 23 of the group’s convenience stores joining Londis. The stores are located on petrol forecourts across the midlands, north Wales and northern England.

This follows a six-month trial where two stores were awarded to Londis; the success of the trial led to Londis winning a five-year supply contract for the whole Kay Group estate. The rollout to Londis is now complete, with all stores now benefitting from having had a full store review and relaunch. This has seen the

introduction of more products, great value everyday prices, deep cut promotions and additional services such as food-to-go, coffee and a range of slush drinks, along with a wider range of both fresh and frozen foods.

Stewart Fenn, Sales Director for Booker Retail Partners, said: “We are absolutely delighted to be working with The Kay Group. The conversions to Londis have gone extremely well and we are seeing the fantastic results the stores are now delivering in terms of growing their business with increased sales, footfall, and profits.”

Social media ‘game changer’ unveiled

Booker has recently launched an exciting new free service which allows Londis retailers to control their social media platforms in one app and post engaging content more regularly with a minimum of effort.

The SocioConnect solution makes posting regular, high-quality content to multiple social media networks quicker and easier than ever before – and it’s entirely free. The app also lets retailers access Booker’s centrally produced posts and then copy them across to

their own social media pages in minutes with a minimum of fuss. The solution provides a full bank of easily accessible content that has been professionally designed and will help retailers quickly enhance their own pages.

SocioConnect has been trialled in 30 pilot stores over the last year and resulted in a mammoth 180% increase in posts and a 300% increase in followers.

To find out more, turn to p89.

Stewart Fenn, Sales Director, BRP (left) with Ken Kay, Owner and Chief Executive Officer, The Kay Group

Scottish DRS postponed and aligned with UK

Scotland’s recycling project has been postponed until at least 2025 in order to allow it to launch at the same time as schemes in England and Northern Ireland.

The launch of Scotland’s Deposit Return recycling scheme (DRS) has been delayed until at least October 2025 after the UK government refused to agree to a full exclusion from the Internal Market Act which would have been required for the scheme to progress in Scotland.

The UK government did grant an exemption but included a number of conditions, the most important being the removal of glass and the requirement to align aspects of the scheme with planned schemes across the UK.

Following consultations with key businesses including producers and retailers, Scottish ministers concluded that Scotland’s deposit return scheme will not now go live until October 2025 at the earliest.

The Scottish Grocers’ Federation said alignment with the UK scheme may now be the “best solution” for the sector and businesses across the UK. Chief Executive Pete Cheema said: “It is vital that both UK and Scottish Ministers provide immediate clarity for business on the critical path and timescale for the development for the UK scheme.”

Association of Convenience Stores Chief Executive James Lowman commented: “This is disappointing, but it is the right decision to work towards the launch of interoperable schemes across the UK. It is absolutely essential that the governments of the UK work together to introduce a scheme that works for everyone, is effective at increasing recycling rates, and does not impose unnecessary conditions on retailers.”

Retailers continue to push for energy support

The NFRN is calling on Chancellor of the Exchequer Jeremy Hunt and the business and trade secretary Kemi Badenoch to provide independent retailers with clarity and assistance over the future of their energy bills and the government’s aims to end the energy crisis.

Jeremy Hunt has said that the government is “willing to do what it takes” to help assist households and families with reducing their energy bills but the NFRN is concerned that

Cashless society ‘a long way off’

New research conducted by independent financial experts Enryo with input from LINK, the UK’s largest cash machine network, has found that most people in the UK still use cash, so a cashless society is a long way off.

The study found that the vast majority of people in the UK (71%) have used cash in the past two weeks to pay for something and that a quarter of people (25%) do not anticipate that their use of cash will change anytime soon.

high energy costs still pose a threat to many smaller retail businesses.

While the Energy Bills Discount Scheme, which has extended energy relief to businesses until 31 March 2024, will continue to provide some assistance to retailers in reducing the financial burden that high energy bills have placed on many in the independent retail sector, more work is still needed to aid retailers at this time, says the organisation.

The cost-of-living crisis has prompted a resurgence in the use of cash with the majority of households across the UK now tightening their belts in order to save money with one-in-10 UK consumers intending to use cash more frequently to help them budget more effectively for as long as this crisis continues.

The Enryo research found that nearly half (45%) of people in the UK have been somewhere that has not accepted, or has discouraged, the use of cash, and were inconvenienced by it.

STOCKTODAYUP

M279584

M285848

M279585

M279583

Key issues of interest to you

Londis retailers star in Movember video campaign

Two Londis retailers are starring in a new video campaign from men’s health charity Movember.

Two prominent Londis retailers have added a new string to their bow by starring in a new video campaign created by leading men’s health charity Movember.

Raaj Chandarana from Tara’s Londis in High Wycombe and Atul Sodha from Londis Harefield are actively backing KP Nuts’ ongoing support

Racy retailer

Londis Arlesey, in Bedfordshire, sponsored a race at Stotfold and Arlesey Royal British Legion’s race night.

The event raised £373 for the charity that looks after veterans and members of the armed forces in need.

Cancer care

Londis Stour Road, Christchurch, has raised £33 for The Isabel Baker Foundation, which supports families living with childhood cancer.The funds were raised via an in-store collection pot.

of the charity in a video campaign encouraging men to check themselves for possible signs of testicular cancer.

The retailers feature in the video discussing the importance of “checking your nuts” and explaining how to do it.

Children in need

Londis Fitzwilliam in Pontefract, West Yorkshire, has raised £320 for charity at its recent open day.

The store has donated the funds to MHA Communities Wakefield warm space, which is located in Fitzwilliam Community Centre, and to the spinal unit at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield.

Food funds

Londis Wolsey Road, Stowbridge, has raised £110 for the local foodbank. The funds will be used to support foodbank stocks in the local area. The store has raised funds for the charity for the past couple of years.

Choice, price and service

Insights, advice and deals were all flowing freely at the Booker Trade Shows 2023.

Luxman Selvarajah Londis Burbage

“The shows are such a great opportunity to see all the latest new products that are hitting the market and the key trends to be on board with for the year ahead. As business owners, we’re not always able to spend as much time on the shop floor as we’d like, which means that it can be harder to stay on top of key trends. We’ve come away with bags brimming with free samples of new products to try and lots of inspiration. It’s also been a great opportunity to catch up with fellow Londis retailers and here about some of the trends they are seeing in other areas and locations.”

Londis retailers from across the country flocked to the Booker Trade Shows 2023 in a bid to bag the very best inspiration, advice and support for the year ahead – plus hundreds of unmissable deals!

Held at Doncaster Racecourse on 16 March and Sandown Racecourse on 23 March, both shows provided a showcase of Booker’s key choice, price and service strengths, including exhibitions from more than 100 key suppliers from across the major food, drink and non-food categories.

Top Booker suppliers, including CCEP, Country Choice, Heineken, Britvic Soft Drinks/PepsiCo UK, Mondelez and Unilever showcased their bestsellers as well as the innovative new products tipped to help retailers drive sales and profits in 2023.

The shows also offered retailers the chance to make the most of market-leading WOW deals and take advantage of hundreds of Exclusive Trade Show Only deals.

Retailers attending the shows were also able to see and sample the full range of Jack’s and Euroshopper own-brand products available to them.

The Doncaster and Sandown shows also provided a valuable opportunity for retailers to network with fellow store owners and catch up with Booker Management and Leadership Teams.

Cooking demonstrations and free product samples also allowed retailers to fill their bags (and in some cases their car boots) with some of 2023’s most exciting new products yet, along with bestselling favourites.

Roli Ranger, Londis Ascot, Berkshire

“I’m so impressed by the turnout at Sandown, there are so many retailers here today, as well as leading suppliers, key industry representatives and senior figures from the Booker leadership team. It’s a real highlight of the networking calendar. It’s also been a great opportunity to find out about new products and the big trends that suppliers expect to see shaping the industry in the months ahead.”

FORUM

Retailer Forum meets once more to shape future

The Londis Retailer Forum met once more in April to continue the dialogue to ensure that Londis keeps delivering its winning formula in the future.

115 store refreshes completed

215 stores joined in 2023

The vitally important Londis Retailer Forum (LRF) met once again recently to continue the two-way dialogue between retailers and the Londis team. The Forum has long played a vital role in ensuring that retailers views are heard, and that learning are shared more widely across the group.

As well as bringing Forum members up to date on the latest developments and those that are planned for the future, the Forum allows retailers to feed back their thoughts and concerns as well as discussing fresh opportunities that can be shared among the entire Londis family.

The most recent meeting took place in April and allowed the Londis team to offer an extensive update on how the Londis brand is performing and how the market is developing.

Hugely encouraging is the fact that 215 new stores have already joined Londis in 2023 taking the total to more than

2,300 stores. Furthermore, 115 full store refreshes have already been completed since the turn of the year.

The market update presented to the Forum recognised that the cost-of-living challenges shoppers face are driving them to seek out the best value, and highlighted the vital role that own-brand products and promotions will play in the months to come.

Booker Retail Partners Sales Director Stewart Fenn told Londis News: “The Londis Retailer Forum has long been an indispensable forum for us, allowing retailers to bring us up to date on their own businesses while also providing a platform where we can share important updates with them on how the brand and the market is developing.

“The Forum allows us to hear open, honest feedback and ensure that we at Londis are doing all that we can to ensure that the Londis offer remains as fantastic as ever.”

Key issues of interest to you

Soft drinks ‘worth £2.8bn’ to convenience channel

A new report from Britvic has found that soft drinks have delivered the biggest value growth of any category over the last year and are now worth £2.8bn to independent retailers.

14.9% in 2022. Soft drinks’ share of these occasions also rose significantly, featuring in 48% of all on-the-go occasions, making them the number one on-the-go item bought in independent stores.

The resurgence of on-the-go trade is also changing dynamics in packaging formats, with on-the-go single-serve sales outperforming take-home across all channels.

The soft drinks category delivered the biggest absolute value growth of any product category in 2022 and is now worth £2.8bn to the convenience channel, according to Britvic’s Soft Drinks Review 2023.

The data shows energy drinks were the star performer last year, responsible for £96.9m (28%) of the category’s £347.4m growth. Cola and plain water added just over £70m each; due to the heatwave in 2022, sales of plain water surged by +39.4% to £250.3m.

The research also reveals on-the-go missions rose from 13% of store visits in 2021, to

Britvic has identified five key drivers for retailers to bear in mind as they tap into the opportunity on-the-go formats present: recruiting generation Z, winning with food, maximising health, simplifying shopping experiences, and evolving energy.

The Review highlights the continued importance of delivery for retailers. Although share has fallen since the height of lockdown, delivery still accounts for 6.7% of convenience occasions and soft drinks are one of the top 10 categories bought using delivery apps, ahead of hot drinks and confectionery.

Frozen returns to volume growth

The volume of frozen food sales has returned to growth in the first quarter of 2023, according to new Kantar data from the British Frozen Food Federation (BFFF). The 12-week figures to 19 March show that volume sales of frozen food grew by more than 2.5m tonnes, year-on-year.

The value of the retail frozen food sales also continued to increase in the same period, up 9.5% (£273m), largely driven by inflation across the entire food supply chain.

Frozen vegetables, meat and poultry, potato products, ready meals and savoury foods have all saw a jump in volume while more indulgent products such as ice cream and confectionery have seen a drop in sales volume in the same period.

62% of vegan shoppers focused on promotions

New data from NielsenIQ has revealed that 62% of vegan shoppers are increasingly buying into promotions to help them cope with the cost of living.

Following years of growth in plant-based product sales, new data from NielsenIQ (NIQ) has found that almost three-quarters (73%) of vegan shoppers are actively trying to make savings on their food bills with 62% of them believing buying into promotions is the best way to do this.

Data from NIQ shows that plant-based alternatives often cost more than the standard ranges and it is likely that shoppers are becoming more price sensitive in the current challenging economic conditions.

Veganuary, traditionally a time for shoppers to switch to dairy and meat alternative diets, resulted in a decline in unit sales for most dairy and meat alternative categories this year compared with the same period last year.

NIQ data shows, however, that 38% of the UK population are still replacing meals containing meat with vegan or vegetarian

Lottery sales hit near record levels

National Lottery sales for the year to the end of March increased by £99.6m to £8.19bn – the second-highest annual sales total since The National Lottery’s launch.

Returns to good causes from ticket sales also hit an all-time high of £1.8bn in 2022/23, £6.2m higher than in the previous year.

alternatives at least once a week. The data also shows that over half (52%) of plant-based shoppers buy vegan NPD at least once a month, offering retailers the opportunity to cash in by stocking new lines as they become available.

Katrina Bishop, UK Thought Leadership Activation Manager at NIQ, said: “There continues to be a market for plant-based alternatives, and many consumers are still reducing the amount of meat they eat, so it is important to appeal to flexitarians as well as those with vegan or vegetarian diets. Messaging is therefore key.”

Consumer confidence recovery continues

Consumer confidence has continued to improve, up 3% in May, according to GfK’s long-running Consumer Confidence Index.

Joe Staton, Client Strategy Director at GfK, said: “This is the fourth monthly increase in a row and retailers will be pleased to see further improvement in how people view their personal finances in the next 12 months.

“The overall trajectory this year is positive and might reflect a stronger underlying financial picture across the UK than many would think.”

Over the same period, The National Lottery awarded £4.69bn in prize money to players – up £81.7m and the second highest-ever amount awarded –and created 382 new millionaires.

Despite tough trading conditions, in-store sales recovered slightly over the past six months to reach £4.49bn for the full year as people visited stores more frequently in search of best value.

School Essentials Grant returns

Applications are now open for GroceryAid’s exceptionally popular Back-to-School Essentials Grant Scheme which offers industry colleagues up to £150 per child in financial support.

GroceryAid’s hugely popular Back-toSchool Essentials Grant Scheme is back once again this year to help people working in the independent retailing sector.

Applications can now be made at groceryaid.org.uk and is a great way to help industry colleagues at an expensive time for families: the start of a new school year.

Eligible families can get £150 per schoolage child, for up to three children per household. Applications will close once the fund is spent.

To get a GroceryAid School Essentials Grant, colleagues need to meet the following criteria:

l They have been working in your store

for at least six months;

l They are already receiving Universal Credit/Child Tax Credit for school-age children (aged 4-18 as of 31 August 2023);

l Their household savings/balances are less than £4,000;

l They haven’t received a financial grant from GroceryAid in the period since 1 April 2023.

To apply, colleagues imply need to upload onto the application form copies of a current payslip, their Universal Credit statement and their name and address. If they receive child tax credit, they should provide a PDF of their current bank statement showing the Child Tax Credit entry. The Fund will remain open until fully subscribed.

Checkout Scotland line-up revealed

The Scottish committee of GroceryAid has unveiled the headline acts for this year’s Checkout Scotland event, which takes place at Barras Art & Design in Glasgow on 31 August.

Crossover dance music star Example will headline the event and he will be joined by popular Irish girl group B*Witched and legendary Scottish songsters The Supernaturals.

Checkout Scotland will once again help raise awareness of the free and confidential support that GroceryAid offers to all industry colleagues.

Visit groceryaid.org.uk/ event-bookings/CS2023 to purchase tickets for the event, which cost £75 + VAT.

Fuel for thought

A new focus on food-to-go and key impulse categories has transformed the fortunes of Londis Wexham Road.

Aingaran Somasuntharam’s mind is a busy place – always racing with thoughts about how he can drive positive change, implement innovations, and ultimately generate success.

That forward-thinking mindset has certainly been put to good use with his most recent store development project: a 1,500sq ft forecourt store just off the M4 near Slough.

Owned by forecourt operator Highway Stops Retail Limited, Aingaran became Contract Manager in March 2022.

“The potential was clear to see,” he says, “and I couldn’t wait to get started.”

Primely located on a busy arterial road

between Slough and Wexham and just a few miles from the M4 motorway, Aingaran could immediately envisage the opportunities that the “high volume site” could offer.

“There is a fair bit of convenience competition around but no-one was really going after the food-to-go opportunity so that was a key area that I was keen to develop as soon as possible,” he says.

As such, plans were soon set in motion for a top-to-bottom refit that would do just that and much more besides.

Almost £100,000 was spent on a comprehensive store refurbishment which took place in November 2022.

The work also involved a number of structural changes including the removal of the customer toilet in a bid to create more room for key categories, such as hot food- and drinks-to-go and new ranges such as American Confectionery and international drinks.

The old suspended ceiling was also removed and opened up, with smart new flooring fitted down below.

“The biggest change,” Aingaran says, “is the strong food- and drink-to-go focus that we now have. The old store’s offer was quite limited before, with just one Costa Express machine and a small range of chilled sandwiches.

“Now, shoppers have a wide range of both hot and cold options to choose from, including the Stone Willy’s kitchen concept featuring freshly cooked pizzas, chicken wings and hot wraps; an array of hot foods from Delice De France; plus a Rollover Hotdog offer including a Halal Beechwood Smoked option.”

Sweet-toothed shoppers can also pick up packs of fresh Dunkin Donuts, along with freshly baked croissants and pastries from the four-shelf ‘Delice Bakery’ unit.

In terms of chilled food-to-go, shoppers can now bag an extended range of sandwiches and wraps from Urban Eat, as-well as slices and pies from Ginsters.

The store’s self-serve Costa Express machine, meanwhile, has been

The new food to go zone has transformed our offer. Our shoppers now have a real choice of quality hot and cold grab and go solutions throughout the day and into the evening.

Aingaran Somasuntharam

complemented by the arrival of a new self-squeeze orange juice offer from I Squeeze, which enhances the store’s fresh feel with its zesty aroma.

“The new food-to-go zone has transformed our offer,” Aingaran says. “Our shoppers now have a real choice of quality hot and cold graband-go solutions throughout the day and into the night.”

The store’s aisle orientation was also changed, which, along with the removal of the customer toilets, enabled the store to grow the size of its ambient bays from 16 to 28 metres.

“This change also allowed us to introduce a more comprehensive grocery offer including a wider variety of pastas, cooking sauces, soups and condiments as well as bread, cake and biscuit products. We’ve also increased the amount of space that we give to

crisps. In particular, sales of Jack’s-branded crisps have soared by double digits since the refit. Shoppers love the bigger pack format that Jack’s offers and the ‘2 for’ deals,” Aingaran says.

The change also allowed him to introduce two new bays of American Confectionery – a category which he says has become a “surprise hit.”

A whole double-door fridge for international soft drinks, including on-trend brands such as BubbleTea, Bonko, Calypso and Arizona, was also added.

The store’s counter area was also re-modelled, including the creation of an extended backlit spirits range and a brand new vape display offering shoppers a winning line-up of bestselling disposable brands.

“Vape sales are showing really strong growth, with

Wexham R ad

STORE INFO

Store name: Londis Wexham Road, Slough

Retailer: Aingaran Somasuntharam

Manager: Niranjan Aiyathurai

Size: 1,500sq ft

Staff: 12

Opening hours: 24 hours

Refitted: November 2022

Services: Epay, Costa Coffee, food-to-go, fuel, car wash

numbers up week on week,” Aingaran says. “The cost-of-living crisis is definitely having an impact. We’ve seen many more adult smokers starting to dual between tobacco and vape since the start of the year in a bid to keep their spending in check.”

More room has also been given to chilled wines, beers and ciders within the store’s existing bank of nine doubledoor chillers, which also house a small range of fresh produce, dairy items and staple ready meals, including Jack’sbrand favourites: Macaroni Cheese and Lasagne.

“All in all, shoppers are thrilled with the changes we have made,” he says. “The vast majority of our shoppers are local

people who can now rely on us for a much wider range of solutions whatever the time of day or night.”

To date, store sales are now exceeding £20,000 a week, up from just under £15,000 prior to the refit, with Aingaran expecting sales to hit £25,000 this summer.

Store manager Niranjan Aiyathurai agrees: “The shopper experience is totally different now and so is the way in which they shop the store,” he says.

“Prior to the refit lots of shoppers would fill up with fuel and walk straight to the till without stopping to look around but now they browse the whole store.”

“We’re also getting far more store-only shoppers now,” Aingaran adds.

“I’m so pleased with the outcome and there’s still lots of room to grow. We may introduce a new slush offer in the summer. Exciting times lie ahead.”

RETAILER PROFILE Racing

ahead

A very safe bet

Sales are off to a winning start at Londis Commercial Way.

As a former bookmakers, the prime retail corner unit on South London’s Commercial Way was certainly no stranger to big bets and success.

And, as soon as entrepreneurial retailers and cousins Shabs and Jey laid eyes on the modern red-brick unit, they knew they were on to a pretty safe bet.

Primely located on a busy crossroads in a desirable part of Peckham, the unit, which had lain vacant since early 2002, was surrounded by smart flats and family homes, with more on the way.

“The opportunity was clear for us to see,” Shabs explains. “The location was great, surrounded by housing, but not much in the way of other convenience competition.

“There are a few CTN-style stores nearby but none of them had much of a focus on fresh and food to-go.

“We wanted to introduce a

totally new retail concept into the area and we knew that with the right brand, range and disciplines behind us, we’d have a real chance of success.”

Fortunately, Londis RDM Brian Neve was in total agreement. “I invited Brian down to take a look and as soon as he saw it, he agreed that the site had ‘cracking potential’,” Shabs says.

“As there had never been a retail store there before, we were happy to follow Londis’ lead when it came to planning, ranging and merchandising the store,” he explains.

‘Following the Londis lead’ has led to the creation of a truly showstopping new store.

The doors opened in June 2022, presenting Peckham’s punters with a shining example of convenience shopping at its best.

“One of the first things that shoppers see when they

enter the store is our fresh and chilled offer,” Shabs says. “From the start we wanted this to be a core part of our offer and an area in which we really excelled,” Shabs says.

The 1,100sq ft store boasts two 3.75 metre chillers for fresh and chilled produce, with the category now accounting for just under 20% of total sales.

“We’ve got exactly the right range for the local market,” Shabs explains.

“It’s very focused on top-up shopping; sales are driven by ready meals but also fresh produce. The success of our fresh sales in particular have

The success of our fresh sales has been a real eye opener for me. I’m so glad that we put our trust in the Londis team as they have been proved right.

Shabs

been a real eye-opener for me and I’m so glad we put our trust in the Londis team.”

“Less than a year after opening we have become a real destination for local shoppers on the hunt for fresh, convenient evening meal solutions and bottles of wine or beer to accompany them.

“The Jack’s brand is the star of the show, with products like pizzas, ready meals and fresh pasta now top sellers. Fresh fruit and vegetables are also showing really positive growth. We have a really comprehensive range and it’s all backed by the strong Jack’s brand and eyecatching Point of Sale.”

“Promotions are also a big driver of success, especially the ‘2 for’s’ on ready meals and the ‘Fresh 4’ deals on fresh produce.

“Value for money is so important to all shoppers these days, regardless of their financial situation and emphasising it wherever possible is key.”

“Jack’s is really helping us to create a strong value proposition throughout the store, that’s further reinforced by Euroshopper. We have a whole aisle end dedicated to Euroshopper products which is very well shopped.”

Despite the store’s mainly local customer base, food- and drinks-to-go have also become best-selling categories, with success fuelled by a Costa Express offer.

“The Costa Express machine is a real draw. We sell at least 30 cups a day and the vast majority of those cups will be accompanied by a hot ‘to go’ product from our Country Choice or Rollover

STOCK UP CARTON ON OURNEW TOCK

Commercial Way

STORE INFO

Store name: Londis Commercial Way, London

Size: 1,100sq ft

Retailers: Shabeshan Balasundram (Shabs) and Jey Alakendran

Services: Costa Coffee, Payzone, National Lottery, Health Lottery

Top tips!

Give your range time to bed in before you start making tweaks. De-listing slow sellers too early could be a costly mistake.

Multi-buy promotions such as Londis’ ‘Fresh 4’ and ‘2 for’ deals can help to drive valuable sales and profits.

Cleanliness is critical, especially in high-traffic food- and drinks-to-go zones. Ensure that you enforce a rigorous plan to keep standards tip-top around the clock.

Hotdog range.” Shabs adds.

Alcohol is another key strength, especially wine, along with premium beers and ciders, which many shoppers buy to accompany their evening meals.

Vape is also emerging as another big hitter, with the store already racking up more than £1,000 a week in vape sales and growing.

“Shoppers are absolutely delighted by the range that they now have on their doorsteps but also the whole look and feel of the store,” Shabs adds.

“Availability is also critical. Shoppers need to know that they can rely on your store, especially in the early days when they are still getting used to your offer.”

“We’ve also taken great care to give the

range time to bed in before making any tweaks such as de-listing slow sellers. De-listing a product that sells slowly in a store’s infancy can be a real mistake. You need to give shoppers time to acclimatise to your offer.”

“What’s even more encouraging is that there is still so much room for growth in this store. We’re expecting footfall and sales to continue climbing over the summer months and we may look to add a new slush solution.”

Also encouraging is the fact that 109 brand-new flats are also soon to open just a stone’s throw away.

“Local people already routinely refer to our store as ‘a life saver’ which is such a great thing to hear,” Shabs says. “It’s been a tremendous start and I’m so positive about the months ahead.”

About turn

Londis retailer Harpreet Padda has reversed the fortunes of a small, underdeveloped unit in Stockwood, Bristol.

‘U-Turn,’ ‘volte-face,’ a ‘complete 180’: whatever you want to call it, independent retailer Harpreet Padda has succeeded in flipping the fortunes of a small retail unit in Stockton, Bristol, entirely on its head, following a game-changing refit in September 2022.

Based in the heart of a dense residential estate and adjacent to a busy health centre, pharmacy and school, the 800sq ft retail unit should have been a magnet for local shoppers, including the many young families who live in close proximity.

However, a weak value proposition, limited range and years of underinvestment had seen turnover slump to just £4,000 a week.

Yet despite its cheerless credentials, seasoned retailer Harpreet could see the site’s potential shining through and, after securing the lease in September 2022, work to totally re-imagine its offer began.

The unit, Harpreet explains, was immediately “gutted” to make way for the new flooring, ceilings, fixtures, energy-efficient refrigeration and LED lighting needed to create a clean, bright and welcoming retail space.

With Londis’ help, the store’s range was also totally reimagined in a bid to create a comprehensive new offer that would perfectly meet local needs and pull shoppers back into its revitalised aisles.

Responding to what Harpreet could see as clear consumer demand, the store’s BWS offer was totally transformed.

The range, which was previously restricted to just two metres, with nothing available chilled, was reborn as a bright and bold 7.5-metre chilled zone which now runs almost the entire length of the store.

The broad, value-focused BWS range has also been carefully curated to outshine local competitors’ smaller and more expensive alcohol propositions.

Londis Stockwood’s BWS range features a wealth of excellent value deals and everyday low prices on key brands, all of which are meticulously supported with professional and prominent POS.

Housed within smart and accessible chillers, Londis Stockwood’s bigger and better BWS range also includes an extended number of bottled beers and price-marked multipacks.

The offer also includes 30 new lines of RTD cans and a wider variety of bottled ciders.

A further 2.5 metres of space has also been dedicated to red wines and small wine formats, while a bold new spirits zone, featuring top-selling and on-trend brands and flavours, has been created along the back wall, in place of tobacco.

The results are certainly proving worthy

Store manager Hussain Kamawal

STORE INFO

Store name: Londis

Stockwood Stores, Bristol

Retailer: Harpreet Padda

Manager: Hussain Kamawal

Store Size: 800sq ft

Number of staff: 4

Opening hours: Mon-Sat 6am-11pm, Sunday 8am-10pm

Services: PayPal, National Lottery

of a cheers, with BWS now the store’s top-selling category, accounting for 40% of sales.

Harpreet and the Londis team have also totally reimagined the store’s fresh and chilled offer to better meet local needs.

Turning the previous store’s offer on its head, chilled foods, which were previously allocated just one metre of space, have now been granted 5.5 metres.

The store’s new chilled range now includes quality deli products, such as Jack’s ham, sliced turkey breast, mini sausage rolls and Brussels pâté, plus a wide range of sandwich fillers, dips and salads.

Londis Stockwood’s new chilled offer also includes a wide range of fresh meat products, such as Jack’s Beef Mince,

Burgers, whole chickens, steaks and even fresh fish from Mawgan Bay – much to the delight of local shoppers.

A large ready meal offer featuring bestselling Jack’s products including Beef Lasagne, Chicken Tikka Masala and Spaghetti Bolognese, plus new products such as Sweet & Sour Chicken is also selling strongly.

The store’s grocery offer was also doubled in size from six metres to 12 metres as part of the development.

Shoppers’ grocery needs are now perfectly met with a broad range of store cupboard essentials, such as tinned groceries, pasta, pulses, rice and cooking sauces.

Prominent ‘ready in minutes’ shelf-edge labels also showcase an extended range

Turnover has increased by 400% since the refit

of quick and tasty meal solutions such as soups, noodles and pasta cups, popular with home-workers.

The store also boasts a large new ambient drinks range, including juices and squash, with 1.5-ltr value packs of Jack’s Apple & Blackcurrant and Whole Lemon Squash catering to the area’s prominent family demographic.

Crisps and snacks have also been overhauled. The newly extended range offers shoppers greater choice with a strong combination of branded and own-label options including Jack’s Bacon Rashers, Cheesy Puffs and BBQ Beef Hoops, all of which are offered on greatvalue ‘any 2 for £1.25’ deal.

The store’s strong value messaging is particularly prominent within its bigger and better cakes and biscuit range, which has also been elevated with a winning mix of Jack’s and Euroshopper products.

The store also features two new promotional ends, where previously there were none.

Also new to the mix are a popular slush solution, not available in any other local store, and vape products, which were not

previously sold.

Housed in a smart counter-top display, the store’s new vape offer already accounts for 10% of total store sales and, according to Harpreet, has made it into a destination for vape.

The results of this battery of changes are understandably highly positive. Harpreet says he’s delighted with the development as a whole, which has led to a whopping 400% increase in turnover since the store opened in early October 2022.

Average basket spend has also leapt up to just under £10, driven by a surge in regular basket shoppers who have fallen for its comprehensive new range, smart look and great-value pricing.

Top tips!

1 2 3

Make all available use of Londis’ free and professional POS to give promotions and new products extra standout on shelf.

Don’t let a lack of space deter you from investing in vape. Valuable sales and profits can still be generated from simple counter-top displays.

Average basket spend is now £9.80

Learning

curve

In a little under two months, Londis retailer Anabazhagan Murugaiyan – aka Anbu – has transformed a “raw” retail unit in the heart of Birmingham’s vibrant university district into a perfectly cooked convenience hub for its key student demographic.

Located just across the road from Aston University and a short walk from Birmingham City University, students are Londis Onyx’s bread and butter, with student accommodation quite literally all around and up above.

Housed on the ground floor of a brandnew mixed-use development, the 2,200sq ft Londis store features housing for 1,200 students directly above its lofty four-metre-high ceilings.

Although brand new, the unit was an empty shell when Anbu bought it, even lacking a water supply – meaning that it was several months before work on the fit-out could even begin.

Begin it did though and on 9 March 2023, Birmingham’s student shoppers were granted entry to their brand-new and ultra-convenient store.

At a generous 2,200sq ft, the store has a bright, spacious feel which is further extenuated by lofty ceilings and large windows which allow light to flood in.

The range, as you would expect, has been carefully crafted to meet the very particular needs of its mostly student customer base.

A brand-new Londis store in Birmingham is scoring top marks with its student shoppers.

“Building the range has been quite an undertaking,” Anbu explains. “We’ve leaned heavily on Londis’ insights and my Londis RDM James Leyland has been a great support. I wouldn’t be here without him.”

A high volume of international students have resulted in the creation of a unique range to suit their very specific needs.

“We have a lot of students from China, Japan, Asia and African countries and many of them are also Muslim, meaning that we have introduced a number of Halal lines including Halal food to go options,” he explains.

Londis Onyx’s ambient grocery aisles include more than three metres for international foods: one metre for Chinese and Japanese products, including a wide variety of noodles and rice-based products, one-metre for Caribbean groceries, including popular vegetable dishes such as Jamaican

callaloo and lots of different seasonings, and just over another metre for Asian products including cooking sauces and onion bhaji mixes.

“I will probably increase this over time but I’ll wait to see what the data and feedback says,” Anbu explains.

Shopper feedback has also played a central role in helping him to shape the range.

“We are incredibly pro-active when it comes to capturing shopper feedback. Each day, either I or one member of my team will spend some time by the exit, interacting with shoppers as they leave. We ask them what they think about the store and what else they’d like to see. The feedback that we get is invaluable and in fact, I’ve started rewarding shoppers for their feedback with a free chocolate bar for their thoughts which is going down very well!”

“Last month, three separate shoppers asked me to start selling fresh yams. I was sceptical about it as cooking yams is a lengthy process and I was doubtful that the students would actually do it but they do! I source the yams though a local supplier and they are selling well.”

And yams aren’t the only fresh product selling well, fresh and chilled sales in general are very strong at Londis Onyx, with fresh and chilled participation currently just below 30%.

The store currently features 10 metres of refrigeration for fresh and chilled produce which is delivered three times a week.

“The range includes a number of fresh meat products, including steaks and Jack’s chicken breasts, for those shoppers who like to scratch cook, plus a wide range of Jack’s-branded ready meals which are a big success.

“We stock 13 different Jack’s ready meals plus four different fresh pizzas. All ready meals are on a ‘2 for £6’ deal and pizzas are on at ‘2 for £7’ and practically every shopper buys two at a time. The value for money that these ‘2 for’ deals offer is second-to-none and that’s key for this demographic.”

“Many of our student shoppers have strict daily budgets and for that reason, the vast majority of our stock is also price-marked. Price marking is exceptionally important to our shoppers. It’s another reason why the Jack’s brand is performing so well, as is Euroshopper.”

Shoppers’ quest for value is also being answered by Anbu’s confectionery offer, where sales are being driven by hanging bags.

“Hanging bags offer fantastic value for money. We have a one-metre bay for Jack’s hanging bags, another for Cadbury, one more for Haribo and another for Bonds.”

A clear value for money positioning is also helping to fuel the store’s strong vape sales, which are

already exceeding £800 a day.

“We currently have a tall threemetre-wide shop floor display featuring a wide range of greatvalue disposable brands that we buy through Booker. The range is heavily supported by promotions, with most products on offer at ‘2 for £10’. Virtually every vaper will buy two at a time. The promotional take-up is immense,” Anbu says.

The store’s dedicated 250sq ft Beer Cave features a similarly strong promotional focus, with a vast array of budget-friendly special offers on big brand multipacks.

“I’m particularly proud of our Beer Cave. It’s a real point of difference from the other convenience stores in this area.

“Ours is fronted by wall of chillers with doors for soft drinks. It looks great and having the soft drinks and beers chilled in the same space means that we’re also saving on energy costs.”

Onyx

Further exciting developments are also planned for the store’s STORE INFO

Store name: Londis Onyx, Birmingham

Retailer: Anabazhagan

Murugaiyan

Size: 2,200sq ft

Store type: City centre

Staff: 4

Key categories: Vape, fresh and chilled, confectionery, alcohol

Opening hours: 7am-11pm

100%

food- and drinks-to-go offer, which currently includes three kinds of Rollover hot dogs, a selection of bestselling Bake & Bite products and fresh milkshakes from The Thick Shake Company.

“We’re really excited about our plans to grow food-to-go,” says Anbu. “We’re currently awaiting delivery of a brand-new Costa Coffee machine which will dispense iced coffee as well as hot, and we are also going to introduce three lines of Jolly Rancher slush. A selfserve fresh orange juice machine from I Squeeze is also on order.

“We still have so much room to grow which is really exciting.”

Also set to grow is the store’s customer base. Even more new student accommodation is under construction just across the road, where former council offices and

“By the start of the next academic year we should have hundreds more students living nearby which is a fantastic prospect,” Anbu adds.

However, current results are already “very encouraging,” with sales in the store’s first two months of trading exceeding expectations.

“In terms of sales, we are well above target,” Anbu says. “On our first week of trading we expected sales to reach £7,000 but it ended up at just over £12,000 and in the last week of April, just eight weeks after opening, we hit £22,000.

My target is to reach £35,000 and I have no doubt that with all our exciting developments and our continued focus on meeting students’ needs, we will get there!”

Top tips!

Be proactive with sourcing feedback from your shoppers. Their insights can be invaluable.

Multibuys such as the Jack’s ‘2 for’ offer exceptional value for money.

Price-marked packs can help to drive footfall and sales.

Hanging bags hold strong appeal to valueconscious shoppers.

an old leather factory are being made into flats.

Jack’s adds bags, bangers and snacks

The continuing expansion of the extremely popular Jack’s range continues with the addition of new snacks and sausage ranges as well as the launch of two new carrier bags.

As the pressure on shoppers’ wallets shows no signs of easing it’s little surprise that more and more shoppers are turning to own-label products to help make their hard-earned pounds go further.

In a recent report from NielsenIQ, over a third of shoppers said they were watching what they spent more closely than ever and almost as many – 31% – said they were turning to ownbrand alternatives to help them do so.

The launch last year of the Jack’s own-brand range couldn’t have been better timed and with the range now extending to over 530 products across all key categories, Londis retailers have the perfect weapon in their armoury to meet the increased shopper demand for great value

without sacrificing on quality.

Coupled with an outstanding promotional programme and extensive EDLP offer, the Jack’s range provides retailers with all that they need to deliver value while also achieving the margins they need to run profitable, successful businesses.

SNACK ATTACK

The latest evolution of the Jack’s brand sees the launch of a whole new range of fruit and nut snack packs priced in two distinct bandings: £1 and £1.25. The 12-strong range features an array of healthy, popular snacking favourites such as almonds, dried apricots, fruit & nut mix, chocolate raisins and chocolate peanuts.

Jack’s £1 Snack Range

NEW TO THE CONTINUALLY EXPANDING JACK’S RANGE IS A SELECTION OF £1 SNACK PACKS.

Jack up your social pages

Jack’s £1.25 Snack Range

ALSO NEW TO THE JACK’S BRAND IS A RANGE OF £1.25 SNACK PACKS.

Jack’s Sausages Range

EXPANDING THE JACK’S CHILLED RANGE IS A NEW SELECTION OF GREAT QUALITY, FANTASTIC VALUE SAUSAGES.

Jack’s Bags

Social media is a fantastic way for Londis retailers to raise awareness of the Jack’s range, encourage trial and drive repeat purchases of Jack’s products – especially with the launch of Booker’s new SocioConnect social media solution [see page 89 for more].

The solution allows retailers to control all of their social media channels from within one simple app, as well as gain access to Bookerproduced posts that they can simply re-post to their own pages. The solution makes managing your social media presence easier than ever before and will help you drive engagement with your local community as well as reach out to new shoppers and grow your social media following.

Channels such as Facebook, Instagram and TikTok offer a great way for you to flag up Jack’s promotions and new products as well as highlight the range’s value and quality.

Speak to your local RDM for more information.

*All prices correct at time of going to press.

Presented in attractive recyclable pots, the range is perfect for tempting shoppers looking for healthier, tasty snacks at any time of day but don’t want to pay over the odds. The range should be ideal in helping boost basket spend, particularly at lunch and breakfast times.

Every product in the range delivers a strong POR of 25% for retailers.

MEATY PROFITS

Also new to Jack’s and further enhancing the already outstanding fresh and chilled range is a selection of three top-quality sausage lines: Traditional Pork Sausages, Cumberland Sausages and Lincolnshire Sausages.

All three lines are made in the UK from Red Tractor-certified pork and all three are glutenfree. Hand-trimmed by skilled butchers, the sausages are made with prime cuts of pork and offer shoppers great value for such high-quality products at just £3.50 for a pack of six.

The lines all carry the same WSP of £17.15 and deliver strong PORs of 30%. The products will make a welcome addition to the chilled cabinet and the eye-catching packaging will help drive trial.

IN THE BAG

The Jack’s range is also being expanded with the addition of a choice of three carrier bags to meet continuing shopper demand. While the carrier bag tax has resulted in fewer bags being requested by shoppers, data shows that a significant demand remains.

In order to meet that demand responsibly, Booker has launched two new branded solutions: a Jack’s Bag For Life and a Jack’s Paper Handled Bag.

The Bag For Life is made from strong yet light plastic which contains 30% recycled materials and is itself 100% recyclable. At 45cm x 45cm,

Developing our grocery and crisps & snacks offer was a key focus as part of our recent store development and the Jack’s brand has played a key role in its success. We now have 28 metres of grocery, up from 16, and the Jack’s brand is very prominent in these bays, where pasta, cooking sauce and condiments are all performing well. We’ve also increased the amount of space that we give to crisps. Sales of Jack’s-branded crisps have soared since the refit. Shoppers love the bigger pack format and the ‘2 for deals.

Aingaran Somasuntharam Londis Wexham Road, Slough

The Jack’s brand plays a key role in our student-focused store. Our range includes a number of fresh meat products including steaks and Jack’s chicken breasts for those shoppers who like to scratch cook but also a wide range of Jack’s-branded ready meals which are a big success. “We stock 13 different Jack’s ready meals including pasta dishes, curries and pies, such as fish and cottage pie, plus four different fresh pizzas. All ready meals are on a ‘2 for £6’ deal and pizzas are on at ‘2 for £7’ and practically every shopper buys two at a time. The value for money that these ‘2 for’ deals offer is second-to-none and that’s key for this demographic.

of meeting ongoing shopper demand for carrier bags.

BIGGER AND BETTER

Since launch, the Jack’s brand has continued to grow and evolve in response to retailer and shopper feedback and is now a fully-fledged brand in its own right. Feedback shows clearly that shoppers trust the brand and appreciate the Tesco branding that appears on-pack, giving them the confidence to trial products from the range. The quality of the Jack’s range then comes into its own and helps drive those allimportant repeat purchases.

it is identical in size to standard Tesco Bags For Life and is the ideal size for the convenience channel.

Each bag comfortably holds between 10 and 12kg and the bags are available in bundles of 25 or in outers of 10 x 25. The RSP on each bag is 19p, delivering a POR of 47%.

The Jack’s Paper Handled Bag is made from lightweight sustainably sourced, FSC certified paper and is manufactured in the UK. Again, the bag is 100% recyclable, holds between 10 and 12kg and at 31cm x 39cm is the perfect size for independent retailing.

The Paper Handled Bags are available in cases of 100 at £15.99 with an RSP of 25p, offering retailers a POR of 36%.

In addition, Booker has produced an unbranded Vest Carrier that contains 30% recycled materials and is 100% recyclable. These lighter bags can hold up to 10kg and are available in cases of 10 x 100 at £21.99 with an RSP of 5p and a POR of 60%.

The new bags provide Londis retailers with a great, and more environmentally-friendly way

Dhanabal Mohankumar of Londis Wynall Lane in Stourbridge says the Jack’s range has been fundamental to the success of his business. He told Londis News: “The Jack’s brand has played a key role in boosting our overall footfall and sales. Shoppers have a great deal of trust in Jack’s and its pricing and quality. We make as big a deal of Jack’s as we can in the store by supporting it with all the relevant POS and signage. Fresh and chilled is a particularly strong seller and we are also selling lots more grocery and non-food including pet food.”

The Jack’s ‘2 for’ deals have been particularly effective in Londis Wynall Lane and are becoming even more so thanks to the recent launch of new on-pack messaging to make the Jack’s ‘2 for’ deals unmissable and increase buyin yet further.

The mechanic is already available across a wide selection of high-volume categories such as crisps, nuts, confectionery, chilled foods and more, and features an even bigger and brighter ‘2 for’ band to help land the value message with even greater force.

Redemption levels on Jack’s ‘2 for’ offers were already over 85% and the bold new approach is expected to drive take-up even higher, improving retailers’ footfall, sales and profits into the bargain.

Anabazhagan Murugaiyan

Londis Onyx, Birmingham

Refresh your sales this summer!

With summer upon us, it’s the perfect time to consider installing a hot and cold refreshment zone in your store and follow the many other Londis retailers who have seen sales and profits rocket.

There’s no such thing as a magic bullet in retail to help you instantly grow sales and profits – but the Londis hot and cold drinks zone concept is as close to a guaranteed quick win as you are likely to get.

Many Londis retailers have already embraced the idea and adding a drinks zone is a feature of most refits in Londis stores these days. In fact, it’s usually the first item on the wish list for Londis retailers when they are refitting and updating their stores.

What’s so attractive about the solution? Well, there are three key benefits: increased sales, increased profits and minimum effort from your team.

When we refitted the store we were absolutely committed to adding a smart food- and drinks-to-go station, complete with footfall-driving self-service machines including Costa Coffee, Tango Ice Blast, Coca-Cola Frozen, Fanta Frozen and Callipo Slush. Shoppers can also prepare a fresh cup of tea or hot noodles to go, with a hot water boiler. The feedback we’re getting from shoppers on our new offer is so pleasing and they are also very complimentary about the look and feel that we’ve achieved in the store. Just as importantly we’re seeing sales and profits grow substantially.

Roger Perry Londis Prospect Service Station, Ossett

Roger Perry of Londis Prospect Service Station in Ossett in Leeds is one retailer who has invested heavily in his drinks zone – and seen the benefits.

“When we refitted the store, we were absolutely committed to adding a smart food- and drinks-to-go station, complete with footfall-driving self-service machines including Costa Coffee, Tango Ice Blast, Coca-Cola Frozen, Fanta Frozen and Callipo Slush,” Roger told Londis News.

“Shoppers can also prepare a fresh cup of tea or hot noodles to go, with a hot water boiler. Shoppers’ hot food-to-go needs are also met by freshly-baked products from Bake and Bite. The feedback we’re getting from shoppers on our new offer is so pleasing and they are also very complimentary about the look and feel that we’ve achieved in the store. Just as importantly we’re seeing sales and profits grow substantially.”

With additional sales of several thousand pounds a week common and margins of up to 80% available on many of the solutions available, it’s easy to see why so many Londis retailers are attracted to a drinks-to-go bar.

Those types of sales and profit increases have been replicated by many other Londis retailers in all sorts of locations and in all sizes of stores. Put simply, the solution works.

But it’s not just about footfall, sales and profits, as Booker Retail Partners Sales Director Stewart Fenn explains: “The concept requires virtually no input from staff, which helps keep costs down. The machines cost only around £10 a day to run, and customers serve themselves, which helps explain why so many Londis retailers are embracing the concept.”

The feedback we’re getting from shoppers on our new drinks-to-go offer is so pleasing and they are also very complimentary about the look and feel that we’ve achieved in the store.

Anabazhagan Murugaiyan Londis Onyx, Birmingham

STOCK UP NOW FOR BBQ SEASON!

Another Londis retailer currently in the middle of exploiting the food- and drinks-togo opportunity is Anabazhagan Murugaiyan of Londis Onyx in Birmingham. When Londis News spoke to him, Anabazhagan was awaiting delivery of a new Costa Coffee machine, new Jolly Rancher slush machine and a self-serve fresh orange juice machine from Squeeze.

He told Londis News: “We did a bit of research and visited other Londis stores, and we were also inspired by stores like Premier Singh’s in Manchester. We were blown away by the sorts of footfall, sales and profit increases that are available with a refreshment zone. They require minimum effort from my team and will be a huge benefit to the store and our shoppers during the summer. We already have a Thick Shake Company machine, but the addition of the new machines should really turbocharge sales when they arrive.”

So, isn’t it time you considered giving your footfall, sales and profits a Refresh? To help you decide, here are just some of the options available to Londis retailers…

Tango Ice Blast

Tango Ice Blast is a massively popular product that sells in high volumes in many Londis stores.

Profit margins are between 70% and 80% a cup and you only need to sell two large cups at RSP a day to cover the lease fee!

Coca-Cola Frozen

One of the fastest-growing brands in the refreshment zones in Londis stores is Coca-Cola and Fanta Frozen.

The option allows retailers to leverage the power of the well-known soft drinks brand and deliver increased footfall, sales and profits.

Through Londis, retailers have access to three different sizes of machine on lease for Tango Ice Blast and Coca-Cola Frozen:

C4: £7,500 + VAT

G3.5: £5,350 + VAT

H4: £8,764 + VAT

The three-year lease term includes installation, maintenance, servicing, repairs and parts, and monthly finance options are available.

Robinsons Fruit Ice

The Robinson’s brand is enjoyed by over 12 million families, according to the brand, and a Robinson’s Fruit Ice allows retailers to cash in on this massive popularity by offering Robinson’s favourite flavours but with an icy twist.

With real fruit in every drop, the solution also helps retailers to appeal to shoppers seeking out more natural options.

No Sugar Slushy Jack’s

Unlock the potential of Europe’s fastest-growing slush drink with No Sugar Slushy Jack’s, a great-tasting classic slush from a brand that has been tailored specifically to the needs of modern shoppers.

Through Londis, retailers have access to the Robinson’s Fruit Ice and No Sugar Slushy Jack’s at a lease rate of £1,997 + VAT for each machine.

Again, the three-year lease term includes installation, maintenance, servicing, repairs and parts and monthly finance options are available.

To find out more, speak to your RDM or contact: Web: frozenbrothers.com

Email: e-commerce@frozenbrothers.com

Tel: 020 8578 5785

Get sales flowing with Wine

Keep winning with

wine!

The recent Londis Wine Festival provided a great platform for building long term growth in the important wine category and boosting summer sales and profits.

MARVELLOUS MERCHANDISING

l Have at least two or three facings of your bestselling wines.

l Support promotions with displays in prominent sites in your store, like gondola ends.

l Chill all white and rosé wines, where possible.

“Wine is a strong seller in our store, and especially since our recent store refurbishment which has seen us devote more space to the category. We have a comprehensive range of chilled white, rose and sparkling lines plus a smart-looking range of reds which we have positioned in a dedicated unit next to the counter.

Sales are dominated by the big brands such as 19 Crimes, Casillero Del Diablo and promotions are a massive driver of sales.

Events such as the Wine Festival really helped to boost those sales. We took great care to support the festival, and its many great deals with the relevant POS to really maximise the opportunity.”

Aingaran Somasuntharam, Londis Wexham Road, Slough

EVERYDAY LOW PRICE!

Bin 201 Seven Tenths Red, White and Rosé

£4.99

Lower RSPs on key premium brands

OYSTER BAY PINOT NOIR

Was: £13.99

Now: £11.99

VILLA MARIA BLUSH

SAUVIGNON AND SAUVIGNON BLANC

Was: £11.69

Now: £9.49

FREIXENET ITALIAN ROSÉ AND PINOT GRIGIO

Was £10.99

Now: £9.49

Scrumptious sides

Retailers can also offer their wine shoppers a fantastic range of scrumptious sides and snacks to enjoy with their wine.

A wide range of Jack’s branded dips, such as Houmous, Cheese and Chive, Salsa and Taramasalata, are available on a Mix and Match ‘2 for £2’ deal.

The Jack’s brand includes four different types of Houmous: Classic, Reduced Fat, Red Pepper and Caramelised Onion.

The Jack’s range has also recently been augmented with the addition of new snack pots including a Roasted Nut Mix and Roasted Pistachios, both of which are available in case sizes of 12x55g for an WSP of £9.36 offering a 25% POR.

NEW PRODUCT

Londis retailers can now offer their shoppers a brand new fresh-tasting New Zealand white wine.

The historic Coronation of King Charles III in May provided the nation with a muchneeded shot of joy and merriment, as people from across the country came together to mark the historic event – often with a glass of something nice in hand.

Building on that momentum, the recent Londis Wine Festival helped shoppers remain in a celebratory frame of mind as well as pushing the important wine category into the limelight. Feedback from retailers suggests that the Wine Festival provided many with a great boost to footfall, sales and profits, thanks to an array of showstopping promotions and fantastic products.

The Londis Wine Festival provided a fantastic platform for retailers to keep building sales in the category and ensure a busy and profitable summer.

This year’s serving of special offers was carefully designed around key brands and the

Available now as a Group Exclusive, Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc Marlborough features “distinct notes of fresh melon and citrus” and pairs perfectly with fish and poultry dishes.

Bottles are available in cases of 6x75cl for a WSP of £37.99. With an RSP of £9.99, Nobilo Sauvignon Blanc offers retailers a POR of 23.9%.

Wine: top tips

l Having the right range will drive more sales than simply having a big range.

l De-list lines that aren’t working to make space for big sellers.

l Focus on the brands that sell.

l Offer a solid range across the key price points.

l Follow the RSPs.

l Sweeter wines are on trend, so try to reflect this in your range. Australian wines are a great option.

prevailing trends driving wine sales this year, including wines from Australia and South Africa, with sweeter taste profiles.

Deals were on offer across all price sectors, including value, mid- and premium-priced products, allowing Londis retailers to meet the needs of a wide variety of different shoppers and social occasions.

With demand for sparkling options remaining high, especially as we approach the summer, this year’s Festival also included a number of fantastic deals on sparkling products to suit all budgets.

BUILDING MOMENTUM

With the wine category firmly in the spotlight thanks to the Festival, it’s the perfect time to build that momentum further by following some simple tips that will keep

Trend watch

In terms of flavour trends, Booker’s lead for wine and RTDs Mark Oldfield says there is one trend that’s more noticeable than all the rest: a move towards wines with sweeter taste profiles.

This trend lends itself to Australian wines and Mark encourages retailers to make more of Australian wines in their stores.

“Australia is the biggest country in terms of sales volume so it’s really important that retailers also have a good core Australian offering across each of the price brackets,” he advises.

“Australian wines tend to offer that sweeter taste profile which a growing number of shoppers are looking for these days. They also tend to be more robust in terms of price and availability, which is key.”

shoppers coming back for more all summer long.

One of the most effective ways of doing this is to ensure that your range includes some wines that are in line with the latest trends. According to Booker’s lead for wine and RTDs, Mark Oldfield, the biggest trend of all is a move towards wines with sweeter taste profiles.

The easiest way to meet that demand is by focusing on Australian wines, advises mark. Not only do they tend to have sweeter taste profiles, they also tend to offer better pricing and availability since Australia is the world’s leading producer by sales volume.

It’s also important to regularly review your range, delist slow sellers to make room for more popular wines and focus your attention and shelf-space on the brands that sell.

Oldfield also suggests that, with so much pressure on shoppers’ budgets, retailers should follow the RSPs on wine to ensure that shoppers are getting the value they are seeking.

SPARKLING DEALS

Kylie Prosecco

Was: £12.99

Now: £10.49

New formats!

Most Wanted Cans 187-200ml

Pinot Grigio, Malbec, Sauvignon Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc Rosé

Social selling

Wine Festival promotional leaflets also seek to engage Londis shoppers yet further by encouraging them to tag the brand on social media.

Paul Langier Brut

Champagne

Was: £23.79

Now: £20.99

I Heart Prosecco

White and Rosé

Was: £10.99

Now: £9.49

The Londis Wine Festival was a massive hit for us this year and drove a significant uplift in sales. The fact that the festival coincided with a long period of warm weather only helped to drive them even further.

“White, rosé and sparkling wines did particularly well, especially the I Heart and Caparelli brands.

We also did very well at the premium end, thanks to great deals on premium-priced brands such as Oyster Bay. The Londis Wine Festival has definitely set us up for what we hope to be a winning summer for wine sales.

Jim Dixon, Londis Yealmpton, Devon

KEY MATCHES

Thursday 20th July (Opening Matches)

New Zealand v Norway – 8am

Australia v Republic of Ireland – 11am

Saturday 22nd July England v Haiti – 10.30am

Friday 28th July England v Denmark –9.30am

Tuesday 1st August China PR v England –midday Quarter Finals 11th & 12th August

Semi Finals 15th & 16th August

Final Sunday 20th August – 11am

Net new sales with Women’s World Cup

The FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in July and runs for a full four-week period offering retailers plenty of opportunities to cash in on a sporting highlight of the summer.

The growth of public interest in elitelevel women’s football over the last few years has been nothing short of remarkable, thanks in no small part to the heroic achievements of the Lionesses in winning UEFA Euro 22 at Wembley last year. Almost 90,000 people were packed into the stadium that night, a record for a women’s football match in the UK. Indeed, the Euro 22 final set the record as the biggest attendance at any Euros final – for men or women’s football.

Interest in women’s football shows no sign of waning, with over 77,000 people in attendance for the Women’s FA Cup Final between Chelsea and Manchester United last month, a world-record attendance for a women’s club match.

So, the stage is well and truly set for another footballing extravaganza when the FIFA Women’s World Cup kicks off in

Australia and New Zealand on the 20th of July. The tournament runs for a full month, all the way through to the final on Sunday 20th August. Among those hoping to make it all the way to that final will be England with the Lionesses hoping to build on their Euro glory by claiming the biggest prize in women’s football.

A total of 64 matches will see 32 nations compete in the ninth FIFA Women’s World Cup, offering Londis retailers extensive opportunities to cash in and

Snacks Promotions

help fans stock up as they prepare to get behind their favourite team, or simply to join in the fun for one of the biggest sporting events on the planet.

Current World Cup holders the United States are the bookmakers’ favourites to lift the trophy, but England can surely count themselves as strong contenders. Whatever happens, there will be plenty of excitement around the tournament and plenty of opportunities to grow footfall, sales and profits.

WALL OF RED

Among the major brands helping retailers make the most of the event is Budweiser, the official beer of both the Lionesses and the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Budweiser has committed to being a trailblazer for women’s football and has plenty of activity planned to generate in-store excitement around the Women’s Cup to help grow sales and profits.

A key activity is an on-pack promotion across all Budweiser packs offering a range of great prizes including top-end TVs. The scan-to-win mechanic makes it easy for shoppers to get involved and instantly learn if they have won a prize.

To make the most of the Women’s World Cup, Budweiser is advising Londis retailers to maximise profits by driving awareness through amplifying the fact that Budweiser is the Official Beer of the Lionesses and the FIFA World Cup by displaying Budweiser packs together instore. Budweiser is suggesting retailers create a ‘Wall of Red’ to make Budweiser and the Women’s World Cup unmissable in-store.

Throughout the tournament, Londis will be running a special promotion on 660ml bottles of Budweiser, offering shoppers ‘Any 2 for £5’ – a promotion which will run also run across a range of other large-format bottled beers

including Birra Moretti, Kronenbourg 1664, Heineken, Becks, Peroni, Stella Artois and Corona.

For fans of more traditional ale, Londis is also providing a range of great promotions to help shoppers get in the mood and get behind England in their bid to claim the biggest prize in women’s football. An ‘Any 2 for £4.50’ deal will run across a selection of the most popular 500ml traditional ale brands including Adnams Ghost Ship, Fuller’s London Pride, Hobgoblin, Abbott Ale, Old Speckled Hen, Fursty Ferret, Sharp’s Doombar, Spitfire and Bishop’s Finger.

Meanwhile, cider fans won’t be feeling left out with another great promotion, an ‘Any 2 for £4.50’ on 500ml bottles of flavoured and original cider from key brands like Kopparberg, Old Mout, Thatchers, Henry Weston, Brothers, Rekorderlig, Magners and Bulmers.

Almost 90,000 people watched the Euro 22 final, a record for a women’s football match in the UK and the final also set the record as the biggest attendance at any Euros final – for men or women’s football.

FLAVOURED COLA’S DRIVING +15% GROWTH 1

PEPSI MAX LEADING THE CATEGORY WITH

£181M+ RSV ALSO AVAILABLE IN £1.30 PMP

AND THE CATEGORY’S TOP THREE FLAVOURS 2

BE PART OF THE HYPE STOCK UP NOW

BIGGER BASKETS

As the tournament is being held in Australia and New Zealand, the time difference means that most of the matches kick off in the morning UKtime, which is why Londis’s Women’s World Cup promotional range covers a number of other important categories like soft drinks, confectionery, snacks and pizza.

A selection of great soft drinks promotions is available focusing on larger pack formats to help drive up basket spend. Larger two litre bottles of Pepsi Max, Diet, Cherry and Lime variants are all available on an ‘Any 2 for £3.50’ deal while 1.75l bottles of Coca-Cola and Cheery Coke are available on an ‘Any 2 for £5 deal’. Similarly, 1.75l bottles of Diet Coke and Coca-Cola Zero Sugar are being

offered on ‘Any 2 for £4’ shopper deals.

In confectionery, a special ‘Any 2 for £2.75’ deal is running across a wide selection of the biggest brands including Aero Bubbles Peppermint, After Eight Bitesize Pouch, Kit Kat Bites Pouch, Smarties Milk Chocolate Sharing Pouch and Munchies Pouch.

No Women’s World Cup party would be complete without some snacks and Londis has put together a fantastic package with Walkers that allows retailers to offer Walkers 12-packs of just £3.25 and Walkers 6-packs at just £1.75. And to cater for those with a bigger appetite, there’s a great deal that offers a free Magnum Classic 3-pack to shoppers buying any two qualifying Chicago Town Pizzas for just £6.

TIME TO WIN

All that remains then is for the Lionesses to give it their best shot and hopefully progress to the latter stages of the tournament. Whatever happens, the Women’s World Cup is set to be a true highlight of the summer and represents an opportunity not to be missed by retailers.

Top

new products

Every issue we bring you the latest product launches from your favourite suppliers

ST PIERRE 4 BRIOCHE BURGER BUNS

PERONI

NESCAF� 3 IN 1

DEAD MAN�S FINGERS SPICED RUM

Top

new products

Every issue we bring you the latest product launches from your favourite suppliers

CARABAO SPORT ORANGE

WSP: £9.49

RSP: £1.49

POR: £36.3%

GU INSPIRATIONS BROOKIE

WSP: £19.49

RSP: £4.30

POR: 24.5%

MAGNUM DOUBLE STARCHASER

WSP: £25.29

RSP: £2.30

POR: 34%

NOBILO NEW ZEALAND SAUVIGNON BLANC

Case size: 6x75cl

WSP: £37.99

RSP: £9.99

POR: 23%

LUCOZADE SPORT ZERO SUGAR RASPBERRY PASSION FRUIT AND ORANGE AND PEACH

WSP: £13.29

RSP: £1.95

POR: 31.8%

MEET THE BUYER

Job title: Category Manager

Fresh Produce

Category: Fresh Produce

DESCRIBE YOUR CAREER JOURNEY UP UNTIL NOW?

Before joining Booker I was an independent retailer and small wholesaler of fresh fruit and vegetables. I sold the business around 20 years ago with the aim of trying something different, but fruit and veg is in my blood and when Booker asked if I was interested in a 12-week sales and development trial at their Coventry branch, I jumped at the chance. Twenty years later I’m still here, now as a Category Manager, and I’m thrilled to say that I’ve loved every minute of it. I’ve been on an incredible journey with Booker and now that it is part of the Tesco Group, I feel that another very exciting chapter has begun.

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE KEY FUNCTIONS OF YOUR ROLE?

I’m one of three Fresh Produce Category Managers in the Booker Group. I work with

Peter Ireland and Glen Goodall, and together we are responsible for offering our retail and catering customers the best possible choice, price and service in fresh produce. We source and select products from the best suppliers in the industry and we work really hard with those suppliers to ensure that quality, value and freshness are always at their best. We are also constantly reviewing the range that is available to retailers and we work very hard on promotions, which are an absolute must these days.

The most important part of the role though is the customer. A key function of the role is spending time with those customers, and I love to spend time working with Londis retailers in their stores whenever I can. It’s a massive part of the job for me, especially as I have that hands-on retail experience from my past. I have a really good relationship with a lot of our key customers and that really helps me when it comes to planning range and

Martyn Hartshorne

HOW HAS THE ROLE OF FRESH PRODUCE CHANGED IN CONVENIENCE STORES OVER THE YEARS?

There’s certainly a bigger demand for a wider variety of fresh produce than ever before.

While the ranges that many our customers stock always feature a number of core items that have remained the same over the years, recent times have also seen the arrival of exciting new products such as prepared vegetables, and also fancier and more exotic products.

The pandemic really changed things too, many retailers increased their fresh produce ranges to better support local shoppers during those challenging times and many of them have retained that custom.

WHAT KEY TRENDS ARE DRIVING FRESH PRODUCE SALES AT THE MOMENT?

Healthy eating is a big one and is certainly driving produce sales at the moment, as is the movement towards vegan and vegetarian diets, which continues to gain momentum.

What is the main focus of activity in your department at the moment?

One of the biggest and ongoing pieces of activity is around price and value and that’s what we call our ‘Fresh 4’ produce promotion. Every period sees us run promotions on four key lines which are designed to drive incremental sales and profits for our retailers. We spend a lot of time on the programme, making sure that we have the right products at the right time and at the right price. They could be seasonal products or they could be core range, but either way, they are when the product is at its ultimate best.

WHAT OTHER EXCITING NEWS DO YOU HAVE FOR RETAILERS?

We’ve also got some exciting developments to come on flowers and horticulture where we have taken big steps to improve our quality, choice and value.

Recent months have seen the flower category bloom and

2 3 4 5

tips!

Consistency, quality and price are key to shoppers these days. Approach your range with these in mind at all times.

If there’s a line or two that aren’t selling that well, don’t give up! If you remain consistent, the sales will come.

Having a consistent core range of products will boost shopper confidence in your availability and they will purchase.

Go through your range and displays with a fine-tooth comb at least once a day to ensure that products are always looking at their best and always apply the ‘Would I buy it?’ principle.

Don’t let wastage scare you. It’s better to discard one bruised apple than leave it on display where it could put a shopper off your entire range.

The UK’s #1 Tampon brand*

NEW PRICE MARKED PACKS

we are now selling more flowers to existing customers, as well as to new customers who are wanting to start stocking them. Our flower pre-sells for Mothering Sunday and Easter 2023 were record-breaking and so this year we are planning even more seasonal products to complement the core range, including sunflowers which we are hoping to be a big hit!

Watch out for the Strawberry Pre-sell!

A relatively new initiative for fresh produce is offering our customers pre-sells, and from mid-June we will be offering an 800g ‘Bigger Pack, Better Value’ pre-sell on beautiful British strawberries – just in time for the start of the Wimbledon tennis on 5 July.

The concept has been launched in direct response to customer feedback saying that they would like something a bit different and special, outside of the core range. We’re hoping that these bigger packs will create real excitement for them and help them make fantastic in-store theatre. The packs will also be supported with a stunning promotional POS package.

WHAT IS IT ABOUT THE FRESH PRODUCE CATEGORY THAT KEEPS YOU SO ENGAGED?

It’s exciting, it’s fast moving, it’s bright and it’s beautiful. I also love the fact that when you work with fresh produce, every day is different, and brings with it fresh decisions that need making.

It’s certainly the most colourful department in any convenience store and often the most talked out. The people in the industry are also fantastic and there is so much incredible experience out there.

WINTER PRE-SELL Ahead of the game

Get ahead of The

Londis Winter

Pre-sell opens soon and is packed with outstanding deals once more, offering retailers the perfect opportunity to get ahead of the game.

Summer is just around the corner and temperatures are hotting up, but now is also the time for retailers to turn their minds to the cooler winter months which lie ahead. For months already, Londis’ buying teams have been hard at work curating the 2023 Winter Pre-sell which is set to open on 21 June.

Including an array of new Group Exclusive lines and other fantastic deals on key Halloween and Christmas treats, the 2023 Winter Pre-Sell is sure to help your sales and profits sizzle this winter season.

Products included in the 2023 Winter Pre-sell have been expertly curated in-line with the key shopper trends expected to drive demand over the coming months, giving retailers a valuable head start.

Londis retailers will also be able to order from a cache of more than 100 brand-new lines, guaranteed to help them ramp up in-store theatre and drive excitement at one of the most crucial times of year.

the game

Get ready for the 2023 Winter pre-sell! The pre-sell opens 21 June and closes on 24 July.

POWERED BY NATURE

NO ARTIFICIAL INGREDIENTS 15g PLANT PROTEIN

M265178

M285845

Londis retailer Vj Patel of Londis VJ Enterprise in Dagenham, said he was already planning to make the “very most” of the 2023 Winter-Pre-sell opportunity, especially across key categories such as BWS and savoury snacks.

“Pre-sells offer us retailers a fantastic opportunity to drive key footfall, sales and profits at important times of the year.

“Competition is tough out there and pre-sell products, including Group Exclusives, offer us a great way to set ourselves apart and drive real excitement in store,” he says.

Group Exclusive Lines and hot off the press new products won’t be the only stars of the 2023 Winter Pre Sell, which will also offer retailers the chance to win an array of great prizes and competitions.

The Londis Winter Pre-sell will open for orders on the 21 June before closing on 24 July, so don’t miss out!

The Londis 2023 Winter Pre-sell will include:

l Over 100 New lines

l Over 10 Group Exclusive Lines

l Key Halloween Treats

l Key Christmas Treats

l Plus, great prizes to be won!

I always look forward to pre-sells and the Londis Winter Pre-sell will be no different.

Pre-sells offer a great way for us to drive footfall, sales and profits for our store with a great mix of Group Exclusive products not available anywhere else, as well as top new products.

“I’ll definitely be buying into the Winter Pre-sell this year and am looking forward to it opening on 21 June so that I can see all the great deals on offer.

Haran Ponnampalam Londis Cannock

Conjure up bigger sales this Halloween

The 2023 Winter Pre-sell will also provide retailers with an array of spooktacular opportunities to bag bigger Halloween sales across key categories including confectionery, snacks and soft drinks.

Confectionery sales spiked over the 2022 Halloween weekend as shoppers stocked up on sweet treats. Sales of sharing bags, including chews and chocolates soared over the weekend of 29 and 30 of October, data from PayPoint’s 28,000 UK retailer partners showed.

Compared to the previous four weekends, some of the products that were most popular among consumers over the Halloween weekend were: Swizzles Chew Bag (+74%), Haribo Tangfastics (+66%), Daim Bars (+48%) Skittles (+42%) and Cadbury Dairy Milk Caramel (+40%).

Away from confectionery, Halloween 2023 could also conjure up additional opportunities for retailers to grow their alcohol sales, particularly on products popular with Gen Z and millennial shoppers such as flavoured ciders.

Pre-sells offer us retailers a fantastic opportunity to drive key footfall, sales and profits at important times of the year.

“Competition is tough out there and pre-sell products, including Group Exclusives, offer us a great way to set ourselves apart and drive real excitement in store.

“They can also offer some really interesting insights into the dominant and up-and-coming trends which are set to shape key product categories in the months ahead, helping us to get a head start.

“I’m already looking forward to the Londis Winter Pre-sell and will be getting my orders in early!

“I’ll be particularly interested in any deals, Group Exclusives and new products within the savoury snacks, party snacks and BWS sectors where we are seeing strong growth at the moment.

Vj Patel Londis VJ Enterprise Dagenham, London

Sustainable growth

Booker is encouraging all Londis retailers to take some simple steps to help improve their sustainability credentials and play their part in building a more future.

Sustainability is a critically important challenge for the independent retailing sector and a challenge that is only going to become even more important in future. It’s a challenge that Booker has been enthusiastically embracing for many years, culminating in the launch of the ground-breaking Better Trolley for a Better Planet set of commitments.

Under Better Trolley, Booker has committed to a series of important goals that are already having a huge impact across issues like waste, climate, diet and community. To support those commitments, Booker is also encouraging Londis retailers to work towards improving their own sustainability credentials and has put in place a number of programmes that make it quick and easy for retailers to play their part in tackling key challenges like minimising food waste, reducing energy usage and continuing to improve

recycling rates.

Under better Trolley, Booker has committed to leading by example when it comes to sustainability and has already achieved some remarkable successes:

FOOD WASTE

Booker has been awarded the Fareshare Partner logo to recognise its continued focus on redistributing surplus food. Over five million meals were donated to Fareshare charity by the Group in the last year alone.

In total, 91% of all surplus edible food was redistributed last year, a huge step towards the ultimate goal of ensuring 100% of all surplus food finds a good home. This achievement represents a 34% improvement on the base year of 2015/16 and clearly demonstrates the huge progress that is being made.

RETAILER FOOD WASTE

Fareshare donation boxes have been made available to all symbol group customers, including Londis. Booker helped more than 600 independent retailers redistribute over 220 tonnes of food in the last year, supporting local communities through a partnership with the Too Good To Go solution.

PACKAGING AND INGREDIENTS

All non-recyclable materials have now been removed from own-brand products and recycling logos have been added to all packs. All own-brand paper products are 100% certified FSC or recycled content.

All own-brand eggs are cage-free, a commitment achieved two years early, while all own-brand tea, coffee and cocoa are sustainably sourced. Ownbrand products containing palm oil use only sustainably sourced oil and the soy used in animal feed with Booker’s supply chain is deforestation-free.

All UK sourced meat and dairy will be Red Tractor accredited by 2025.

ENERGY

All Booker branches and sites are now lit by LED lights and Makro Exeter has become the first ever site in the UK to self-fund a solar power solution, expected to generate 25% of the energy required by the site.

GET INVOLVED

Booker has achieved remarkable success in building towards a much more future and is encouraging Londis retailers to play their part by considering how they

could make their businesses and stores more .

To help them do just that, Booker has entered a number of fantastic partnerships and secured some exclusive deals that can help Londis retailers continue to make steps in the right direction.

Here are some quick and easy wins that you could consider for your store:

1. EXCLUSIVE WASTE MANAGEMENT DEAL

Londis retailers can save 11% on their waste management thanks to an exclusive deal with Booker’s partner Valpak on the collection of general waste, recycling and more.

The service is available via a simple, easy-to-use website – collectmywaste. com – which provides instant quotes showing the best prices for each service, including a Booker Group exclusive discount.

Simply choose the service you require, and you will be kept up to date in real time on the progress of your collection, helping you organise your team and maximise efficiency.

Collections are made by professional, friendly drivers who know their way around and can ensure fast, no-fuss pickups to let you get back to the business of running a great store and focusing your attention on your business and your shoppers.

Visit collectmywaste.com and quote ‘BOOKERWASTE’ along with your Booker customer number to claim discounted rates today!

l Booker has been awarded the Fareshare Partner logo to recognise the continued focus on redistribution of surplus food.

l Over five million meals were donated by the Group to charity last year.

l Fareshare donation boxes have been rolled out for all symbol group customers.

l Booker has helped over 600 independent retail customers prevent and redistribute over 220 tonnes of food, supporting local communities by introducing them to our partners Too Good To Go.

l Science Based Targets are set as a Group with a Net Zero commitment by 2050 and carbon neutral in Booker’s own operations by 2035.

Gains: a snapshot

Sustainability

l All non-recyclable materials have been removed from own-brand retail products with recycling logos included on all packs.

l All own brand tea, coffee and cocoa are sourced ethically.

l Own brand products contain only palm oil and the soy used in animal feed within Booker’s supply chain is deforestation free.

l 91% of all surplus edible food was redistributed last year getting Booker close to its target of 100%.

l 34% reduction in food waste versus base line year of 2015/16.

l All own-brand eggs are cage free - a commitment achieved two years early.

l Own-brand paper products are all 100% certified FSC or recycled content.

l All Distribution and wholesale sites are lit by LED Lights.

l Planet Champions at every Booker site.

To find out about further ways we can support you please visit MY.CCEP.COM

M144607

2. VAPE RECYCLING SERVICE

Booker also works with Valpak to help Londis retailers comply with the recycling legislation that applies to disposable vapes. If your store sells any type of vaping or e-cigarette products, including disposable vapes, you are required by law to comply with Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) recycling legislation. These products are officially classed as electrical and electronic equipment and, as such, retailers are legally bound to help with the recycling of them.

The legislation requires you to offer your shoppers a free of charge, safe recycling point – and it makes no difference where your shoppers originally bought their vaping products.

To comply with the legislation, Londis retailers first have to calculate the value of vaping products they sell in their store each year. If that value is less than £100,000 you can join the Distributor Take-back Scheme.

If that value of products you sell is in excess of £100,000 however, you are required to provide your shoppers with a free in-store take-back service that complies with WEEE regulations.

To help Londis retailers quickly and easily put the relevant solution in place, Booker is working with leading environmental compliance business Valpak who can answer any questions you may have as well as helping you put in place the solutions you need to become fully compliant with the WEEE regulations.

Web: recycle-more.co.uk/vapes

Email: info@valpak.co.uk

Tel: 03450 682 572

3. ELIMINATE FOOD WASTE

Londis retailers can entirely eliminate food waste, recover costs and support their local communities by taking advantage of three fantastic partnerships set up by Booker:

l Too Good To Go: to sell short-dated food and recover costs.

l OLIO: to donate surplus food not sold to your local community and save on food disposal costs.

l FareShare: to set up a donation box for your shoppers to support local charities.

By taking advantage of these three partnerships, retailers can ensure that not a single food or drink product is wasted – and getting involved with all three solutions couldn’t be simpler.

TOO GOOD TO GO

Too Good To Go is a social impact company and the world’s largest business-to-consumer app for surplus food. Retailers simply sign up to the Too Good To Go website, then download and log in to the app. After that, all retailers need to do is preload the portions of unsold food as ‘Magic Bags’. Shoppers then buy the Magic Bags through the app and collect them in-store at the time set by retailers.

As a general rule, all Magic Bags sold should be sold at approximately one third of the cost of the contents.

With so many Too Good To Go app users in the UK, it can help you reach new shoppers and increase footfall and your local community is sure to appreciate your commitments to reducing food waste and helping the planet.

Each Magic Bag sold through Too Good To Go is subject to a £1.09 fee with a yearly admin cost of £39. This is deducted from what retailers are paid each quarter.

To find out more, visit www.toogoodtogo.co.uk and you can download the app on both Google Play and from the Apple app store.

OLIO

While Too Good To Go is a fantastic way to sell short-dated products, if any products remain unsold, don’t worry – you can use OLIO to ensure that the unsold food doesn’t go to waste. OLIO is a hassle-free way for Londis stores to redistribute more of their unsold food.

There are 6.5 million OLIO app users in the UK and a huge team of 68,000 volunteers help ensure that OLIO provides a fast, reliable service for retailers.

Retailers simply scan a QR code to let OLIO know if there’s food to collect. A volunteer collects it, lists it on the OLIO app, and arranges collections with people in their local area.

OLIO will collect all edible food waste including hot, chilled or frozen food, loose ingredients and cooked meals. They will collect food up to the ‘use by’ date and will collect any volume of unsold food from carrier bags to full pallets. Collections are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week and can be ad hoc or regular, all at times specified by the retailer.

Set-up is hassle free and the user-friendly tech means it’s easy for your team to get to grips with.

To find out more, visit www.olioex.com/business or email business@olioex.com. Alternatively, you can call 07729 130 824.

FARESHARE

If you want to take your commitments to the next level, you can even help generate additional donations to support vulnerable people by working with FareShare to set up a donation box in your store for your shoppers to support local charities.

To get involved, all you have to do is speak to your RDM about having a FareShare dumpbin and relevant POS installed in-store. Once the dumpbins are full, retailers can contact FareShare who will come and collect the donations.

SHARE GOOD TIMES WITH GREAT PILSNER

STOCK A BEER THAT’S CRISP, BRIGHT AND REFRESHING

4x440ML CANS NOW AVAILABLE

Drive footfall with SocioConnect!

Booker has recently launched an exciting new free service which allows Londis retailers to control their social media platforms in one app and post engaging content more regularly with a minimum of effort.

Social media is one of the most powerful tools available to Londis retailers to help drive footfall, reach new potential shoppers, highlight promotions and engage with the local community.

Finding the time, however, to manage social media channels, create regular posts and answer any queries or comments from shoppers

SocioConnect: the lowdown

Sign up to use Booker’s centrally created posts and copy onto your social pages for FREE!

l You can opt in to use Booker’s centrally-produced posts on your own social pages – either all posts, or just cherry pick those that relate to your store.

l Manage all your social platforms from one place – no more logging into separate networks. Just connect your chosen networks and you’re done.

l Track each post’s performance.

l Message customers directly and respond to their messages.

l Schedule promotional posts in advance or let the app do it for you.

l Compatible with phone and/or desktop.

l It’s super easy and it’s FREE!

can be difficult with so much going on in a busy store.

That’s precisely why Booker has launched a brand-new solution that can make posting regular, high-quality content to multiple social media networks quicker and easier than ever before – and it’s entirely free.

SocioConnect is an innovative solution that lets retailers manage all of their social media content across all popular platforms all from a single, easy-to-use app. SocioConnect lets you do it all in one single step.

All you have to do is register then download the SocioConnect app to your phone or, if you prefer, you can do it all from your desktop.

Once you’re registered and the app is installed, you are ready to start turbocharging your social media output, driving more footfall, attracting new shoppers and engaging more effectively with your local community. It’s that simple.

The app even makes responding to comments on your pages a piece of cake. Again, you can do it all, across every network, all from within the SocioConnect app.

Even better, the app allows you access Booker’s centrally-produced posts and then copy them across to your own social media pages in minutes with a minimum of fuss. The solution provides you with a full bank of easily accessible content that has been professionally designed and

will help you enhance your own pages.

Additionally, the app allows retailers to pre-schedule posts to ensure that they appear on the network at exactly the right time.

That could be to coincide with the launch of a new promotional period, for instance, or to highlight new products that are being listed in-store.

SocioConnect has been trialled in 30 pilot stores over the last year and resulted in a mammoth 180% increase in posts and a 300% increase in followers. In other words, it has been proven to work.

So, if you’re looking for a fast, efficient and professional way to enhance your social media presence and turbo-charge footfall, sales and profits, look no further than SocioConnect.

To get started, visit https://www. socioimplementation.com/londis-storessignup and enter your email and store number.

You can then download the SocioConnect app and link your social media pages to access branded content and scheduled posts from Booker. Perfect!

How do I sign up?

1. Visit www.socioimplementation.com/londis-storessignup and enter your email address and store number. You will then be sent an email to allow you to create a password.

2. Download the SocioConnect phone app and log in. Or you can use your desktop.

3. Link your social media pages to access branded content and scheduled posts from Booker!

Savings to smile about

Energy costs are one of the single biggest concerns for the small business community at the moment, with no sector hit quite like local shops.

Given the monumental rise in energy costs that have taken place over recent months, it’s clear to see why the issue is such a major concern to independent retailers, especially given the increased focus on refrigeration that so many stores now have.

Every pound that Londis retailers save can help boost profits and build a stronger business, and Booker is helping retailers do just that with a valuable package of support options that can help you run your business more efficiently and make meaningful savings on those all-important energy costs.

Londis retailers have access to a wide range of support from a number of key Booker partners, including Saffron Business Solutions, which has been working with Booker for more than 16 years and has helped thousands of retailers save on their bills over that time.

Saffron specialises in four distinct areas where it can bring its expertise and experience to bear:

l Energy (electricity and gas)

l Water

l Telephone and broadband

l Merchant terminals

When retailers approach Saffron to ask them to find them the best deals available, the process involves four distinct steps: analysis, pricing, switching and support.

Additional support to help retailers run their businesses more efficiently and reduce their overall energy consumption is also available from Hawley Energy.

Designed specifically for independent retailers, Hawley Energy’s Business Energy Savings Team (BEST) can help Londis retailers introduce a number of new energy-saving solutions in their stores via its new BEST package, including solar panels, EV charging points and battery energy storage systems.

Used together or independently, each of these powerful support measures can help Londis retailers to save energy, shave money off their bills and ultimately build a better business.

Saving money on key business costs, such as energy, has never been more important and Booker has a package of support to help Londis retailers do just that.

Hawley Energy BEST package

The Business Energy Savings Team (BEST) is a Booker Added Value Partner and can offer Londis retailers a raft of effective and efficient energy-saving solutions.

The new BEST package is designed specifically for independent retailers and includes energy-saving technologies such as:

SOLAR PANELS

l Generate your own energy and save money with the installation of Hawley Energy’s BEST solar panels.

l Benefit from reduced costs by being part of a larger group of Booker customers.

l Install a 4KW solar panel array for as little as £5,800* and produce up to 3,400 KWh of electricity annually.

l Change energy suppliers to one of its partners to receive a special feed-in tariff.

EV Car Charging

BEST EV CHARGING POINTS

l EV charge points compatible with Booker chargers, installed from £1650.**

l Thinking of launching your own home delivery service? Enjoy cheaper running costs with an electric car.

l Benefit from low vehicle tax.

l Charge your vehicle while you work.

l Reduce the carbon footprint of your business.

Battery Energy Storage Systems

l Store electricity with Hawley Energy’s BEST Battery Storage Systems and release it as and when your business needs.

For more information and a free quote call 0333 8000 771 or email best@hawleyenergy.co.uk.

* Cost based on a 4kw system installed within 50 miles of Halifax.

** Cost based on an approved charger installed within 50 miles of Halifax, charger located within three metres of a consumer unit.

The lowdown

BATTERY ENERGY STORAGE SYSTEMS

Battery energy storage systems can be charged by electricity generated from renewable energy, like solar power.

Energy is released from the battery storage system during times of peak demand, keeping costs down and electricity flowing.

Battery storage technology has a key part to play in ensuring that homes and businesses can be powered by green energy, even when the sun isn’t shining.

The UK government estimates technologies like battery storage systems could save the UK energy system up to £40bn by 2050.

Find out more about how you could store electricity with Hawley Energy’s BEST Battery Storage Systems and release it as and when your business needs. Email best@hawleyenergy. co.uk for more info.

Energy Saving Investments

Retailers across the UK have been investing in a range of energy efficient technologies in the past year, in a bid to keep rising energy costs in check.

According to the Association of Convenience Stores’ 2022 Local Shop Report

l 49% of stores now feature LED lighting.

l 48% of stores now feature energy-efficient chillers with doors.

l 33% of stores have been fitted with smart meters.

l 5% of stores now feature energy-saving solar panels.

Saffron Business Solutions

Saffron Business Solutions offers a wide package of support designed to save money, save time, and add value to all new and existing Londis businesses.

All solutions are tailored to the specific needs of the individual business from the first introduction all the way throughout the lifetime of the relationship.

SAFFRON BUSINESS SOLUTIONS

I have used Saffron Business Solutions to source a new energy contract and broadband supply. I found the process very straightforward and the options on offer were competitive. Using Saffron Business Solutions has saved me a lot of time and hassle as they put everything in place to move to the new suppliers. I would use them again in the future.

Londis customer

THE SOLUTIONS

ENERGY

l Offering market prices and expert knowledge on switching and renewing your business gas and electricity supply.

l Saffron helps with every aspect of your supply from initial pricing through to support.

WATER

l W ith the help of a selected panel of providers, Saffron reviews your water supply and provides quotes suited to your business needs.

l Saffron will help with the switching process and support, should you have any queries.

TELEPHONE AND BROADBAND

l Working closely with a trusted service partner, Saffron will pass on your details to obtain a quote for you to consider.

l The switching is managed by Saffron’s partner, but Saffron will ensure any queries are dealt with quickly and correctly.

MERCHANT TERMINALS

l Using your details, Saffron asks its trusted service partner to get in touch to discuss your requirements before providing a quote to consider.

l Saffron’s partner has a support desk of its own and can speak directly to its service partner on any issues or queries that may arise.

For more information, email info@sb-solutions.co.uk

Saffron Business Solutions

NEW BOOKER ENERGY BUYING CLUB

Saffron Business Solutions aims to support independent retailers with their energy supply, in what often can be a difficult marketplace to negotiate.

Buying as a group allows Saffron Business Solutions to potentially leverage improved terms for retailers who sign up to the Booker Energy Buying Club.

The club enables Saffron Business Solutions to negotiate on retailers’ behalf and give them an opportunity to secure better terms on their energy deals.

For more information on the Booker Energy Buying Club visit info@sb-solutions.co.uk

Retail more relevant than ever

ACS recently held its largest-ever annual conference with one of the clearest conclusions of the event being that, despite the enormous flux going on around us, independent retailing is more relevant to shoppers than ever.

At the end of April, we held our biggestever annual conference, with 500 retailers, suppliers and industry experts coming together to talk about the present and future of the convenience sector. There were some great insights from our speakers on the day, so I’ve reflected on some of the things that we’ve learned.

Firstly, convenience is as relevant to people’s lives as ever. Let’s be clear, these are challenging times for our sector with rising costs and increasing competition from all directions, but it’s not complacent to note that local shops can survive and thrive in tough economic times. There are a dozen or so reasons for this, but there’s one over-riding factor: relevance.

Secondly, it’s clear that innovation is a muscle. I could write thousands of words on the innovations that came out of our ‘10 Habits of Highly Effective Retailers’ films and the rest of the presentations, but there’s an overarching point: it’s not about individual initiatives or strategies, it’s the process of innovating, the constant strengthening and toning of that

innovation muscle, that really matters.

Finally, we heard that human interaction and investment in technology are compatible. Conference confirmed my opinion that technology can unlock better customer service rather than being a trade-off. Let the customer who wants to get in and out of the store while they’re on a Zoom call do that –and save colleague time by taking them out of that transaction… but then repurpose that colleague time by giving more attentive service to the customers who want it. Or introduce new services that you might have discounted because of the time taken to operate them.

If you were with us at Conference23, I’d like to take this opportunity to say thank you for joining us and being part of it. If you couldn’t make it, please check out the 10 Habits videos – there are some fantastic stories from leading independent retailers that can provide inspiration for all of us. All the content is available on our YouTube channel and our social media accounts.

Technology can unlock better customer service rather than just being a trade-off.

M283819

M283924

CELEBRATE

with our new members and longstanding partners

New stores

Londis - Welcome Break Wyboston

Bedford, Bedfordshire

Londis - Beddington

Wallington, Surrey

Londis - Saffron’s Cross

Bodenham, Herefordshire

Londis - Welcome Break Spaldwick

Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire

Londis - Welcome Break Darrington

Darrington, West Yorkshire

Londis - Welcome Break Fosseway

Radcliffe On Trent, Nottinghamshire

Londis - Kippax

Leeds, West Yorkshire

Londis - Parkside Retail Park

Bradford, West Yorkshire

Londis - Markfield Stores & Po Markfield, Leicestershire

Londis - Millgate Stores

Hamilton, Lanarkshire

Londis - Kph Traders

Edgbaston, West Midlands

Londis - Shivam Retail

Cooks Road, Greater London

Londis - Eltham High Street

London, Greater London

Chesterfield Café Local Chesterfield, Derbyshire

Londis - Dover International

Dover, Kent

Londis - Metheringham Self Service

Lincoln, Lincolnshire

Londis - The Village Stores

Reading, Berkshire

Londis - Asfordby

Melton Mowbray, Leicestershire

Londis - Welcom Break Cromwell

Newark, Nottinghamshire

Londis - Swalwell

Newcastle Upon Tyne, Tyne And Wear

Londis - Crewe Road

Crewe, Cheshire

Londis - Grove Road

Birmingham, West Midlands

Londis - Franklands Village Store

Haywards Heath, West Sussex

Londis - Wateringbury S/S

Maidstone, Kent

Fratton Cafe Local

Portsmouth, Hampshire

Londis - Hendra Stores

Truro, Cornwall

Londis - Inveraray

Inveraray, Argyll

Londis - Welcome Break Spalding

Spalding, Lincolnshire

Londis - Welcome Break Whitely

Warrington, Cheshire

Londis - Welcome Break Kates Kabin

Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

Londis - Tudor Parade

Rickmansworth, Hertfordshire

Londis - St Annes Road

Beccles, Norfolk

Londis - Emneth Post Office

Wisbech, Cambridgeshire

Londis - Xpress Earlsfield

Lakenheath, Suffolk

Londis - Fore Street

Seaton, Devon

Londis - Union Street

Glasgow, Lanarkshire

Londis - Jacobs Well

Wakefield, West Yorkshire

Londis - Europa

Pudsey, West Yorkshire

Londis birthdays

Many happy returns to all those celebrating their time with us. More than just a brand, Londis is a family of like-minded convenience retailers whose focus is to provide a much-needed service to their local community

Londis Burslem

Stoke On Trent, Staffordshire

Londis Frodsham

Frodsham, Cheshire

Woodland Store Londis

Leeds, West Yorkshire

Ace Wine Stores

Rochester, Kent

Family Supper Store

Kidwelly, Carmarthenshire

The Village Shop

Isle Of Wight, Hampshire

Norton Cross Service Station

Teynham, Kent

Hullavington Garage & Stores

Chippenham, Wiltshire

Londis Anakin Court

Redhill, Surrey

Londis Shreeji Enterprises

Burnham-On-Sea, Somerset

Londis Carmarthen Road

Fforestfach, Swansea

Londis J & J Campsie

Biggar, Lanarkshire

Londis Holyport

Maidnhead, Berkshire

Londis Poulton

Poulton, Lancashire

Londis Reigate

Reigate, West Sussex

Milton Mini Market

Sittingbourne, Kent

Teynham Stores

Sittingbourne, Kent

Hillcrest Filling Station

Huddersfield, West Yorkshire

Star Wines Classic

Neasden, Greater London

Londis Plough Road

London, Greater London

Balmore Filling Station

Glasgow, Lanarkshire

Fovant Store

Sailsbury, Wiltshire

Londis Boxley Road

Maidstone, Kent

Londis Morland Road

Croydon, Surrey

Castlebank Service Station

Glasgow, Lanarkshire

Ba Ba News

Newport, Mid Glamorgan

Princetown Post Office

Princetown, Devon

Londis - Weyhill

Andover, Hampshire

Londis Rochford Road

Southend On Sea, Essex

Londis Tilthams

Aldershot, Hampshire

Meadow Vale

Llanrwst, Conwy

Station Garage

Driffield, East Riding

Downside Supermarket

Dunstable, Bedfordshire

South Cave Service Station

Hull, East Riding

Becks Wine & News

Beckenham, Kent

Booth & Howarth

Manchester, Greater Manchester

S & M Convenience Store

Middlesborough, North Yorkshire Ascot

LUCOZADE SPORT ZERO S U G A R

Orange & Peach M285696

Raspberry & Passion Fruit M285679

the Londis Retail Forum Working together...

JAMIE WOOD

St. Michael’s Services, Dumfries

Tel: 01387 254304

Mobile: 07759 260621

Email: stmichaelsservicesltd@gmail.com

ASHTON GARDNER

Gardner Garages, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Mobile: 07826 857797

Email: ashton@gardnergarages.co.uk

SARAH COPE

Londis, Lynton, Devon

Tel: 01598 753326

Mobile: 07808 831379

Email: scope71@hotmail.co.uk

ARJAN MEHR

Londis, Bracknell, Berkshire

Tel: 01344 425565

Mobile: 07710 567008

Email: arjanmehr@aol.com

STEVE BASSETT

Londis, Weymouth, Dorset

Mobile: 07875 286657

Email: steedthrust@googlemail.com

Supporting the Londis retail family!

NATALIE LIGHTFOOT

Londis, Lanarkshire, Glasgow

Tel: 0141 7710490

Mobile: 07915 059101

Email: londis.solo@hotmail.com

TERRY CATON

Londis, Chesterfield, Derbyshire

Tel: 01246 208565

Mobile: 07769 644853

Email: tcaton.londis@gmail.com

ROGER PERRY

Londis, East Riding, Yorkshire

Tel: 01964 544200

Mobile: 07786 330164 : perryroger9@aol.com

NISHI PATEL

Londis, Bexley Park, London

Tel: 01322 527052

Mobile: 07799422372

Email: londisbexleypark@outlook.com

ALPESH PATEL

Londis, London N4

Tel: 020 8340 1919

Mobile: 07939 944557

Email: alpeshspatel@hotmail.com

We are always happy to hear from you, so please give us a call or send us a message on our contact details above…