DON’T MISS...
Exclusive new SEL deal for Londis retailers
Score with cracking Euro 24 deals
Add some muscle with Fit for The Future 5
Vol 37 Issue 3 May-June 2024
Driving sales
New look Londis Girton is on a roll following a full store refit.
Green buzz
Booker’s pioneering bees project is going from strength to strength, 26 50
9 LONDIS WINS BIG
Londis has claimed two key accolades at the Convenience Awards 2024.
11 EXCLUSIVE SEL DEAL
Londis retailers have access to a new Group Exclusive deal on ESLs.
13 COMMUNITY NEWS
The latest round up of community news from Londis stores.
17 BRAND BANK
Make more of the growing own brand opportunity.
23 GROCERYAID UPDATE
Industry charity GroceryAid has committed £1m to the School Essentials Grant.
26 FUEL FOR THOUGHT
Highway Stops reveals its latest forecourt development.
36 KERB APPEAL
New store Londis Katherine Road is proving a hit with shoppers.
46 FIT FOR THE FUTURE
Get your store in shape with Fit For The Future 5!
50 BOOKER BEES
Booker’s bees are going from strength to strength.
Booker Retail Partners
Tel: 0870 050 0158
Opening hours: 8am–5:30pm Monday to Friday
IT and Customer Services
Opening hours: For customer services: 6am–9pm (Monday to Friday)
56 BEER AND CIDER FESTIVAL
Amazing deals aplenty at the Londis Beer and Cider Festival
60 GET SET TO SCORE
Euro 24 offers stacks of opportunities to net bigger sales and profits.
65 JACK’S UPDATE
The latest developments to hit Booker’s great value Jack’s brand.
73 JOLLY GOOD SHOW
Highlights of Booker’s Retail Trade Shows.
79 NPD
The hottest new products to hit your shelves.
87 GET SOCIAL
SocioConnect makes social media management a breeze.
91 DRIVE SALES WITH YEXT
Booker’s partnership with Yext has been extended.
95 ACS VIEWPOINT
James Lowman shares insights gained at the ACS Conference.
For IT: 7am–9pm (Monday to Friday)
Email: For customer services: londis.claims@bookerretail.co.uk or enquiries@londis.co.uk
Helpdesk: 0800 298 0758
Londis News team: Email: londisnews@ londis.co.uk
STOCKED IN: ON PROMOTION NP5 2 FOR £3 MIN POR 37%
The UK’s no.1 vitamin drink is now worth £4.5m RSV in Total Impulse, £1.8m RSV in Multiple Forecourts and worth £1m in symbols alone which is over double the size of the number 2 brand and growing at over 40% value & volume YOY.
*Source: Nielsen UK Total Market 52 w/e 23/3/2024
Welcome to our June issue of Londis
This summer features a packed calendar of high profile sporting events and Londis has you covered with fantastic deals, new and exclusive products and helpful services to help you make the very most of it.
A very warm welcome to the latest packed issue of Londis News as we move towards the all-important summer season, and what a season of opportunity it promises to be. This summer is crammed full of fantastic sporting events like the Euro Finals 24 and the Olympics, which are sure to drive footfall, sales and profits as shoppers stock up to enjoy the action with friends and family.
The Euro Finals 24 will be here very soon with the opening match on 14th June set to be a cracker as Scotland face hosts Germany. It’s a tough challenge for Scotland but it’s a huge opportunity for retailers both in Scotland and across the country as the tournament gets off with a bang. Then it’s back-to-back matches for a full month with England also involved and hoping to progress to the latter stages.
To help you make the most of the festival of football, we’ve organised this year’s Londis Beer & Cider Festival to coincide with the Euro Finals 24, meaning you’ll have a whole array of NPD and Group Exclusive products to tempt your shoppers with, as well as a host of fantastic beer and cider promotions.
We also take a look back at our recent hugely successful Trade Shows in this issue and update you on the latest developments on some great solutions to help you save money on waste management with Collect My Waste
and make money through more efficient social media planning with SocioConnect.
And if you haven’t yet invested in digital SELs, there’s news inside of a brilliant Group Exclusive discount deal on solutions from Avery Berkel that make adding digital shelf labels in your store more cost-effective than ever.
It’s set to be a cracking summer for Londis retailers and I wish you all the very best of trading over the next couple of months – and the best of luck to England and Scotland at the Euro Finals 24!
Look forward to seeing you in-store!
Stewart Fenn Sales Director, Booker Retail Partners
M286314 24pk M286315 4pk
M286316 24pk M286317 4pk
M286327 28pk M286329 4pk
The Londis group and Londis retailers shone at the Convenience Awards 2024 held in Manchester on 21 March.
Londis was awarded a duo of impressive accolades at the recent Convenience Awards 2024, including the coveted ‘Retailers’ Favourite Symbol Group’ prize.
The award was based upon the insights of retailers from across nine different symbol groups and included satisfaction scores across various criteria, such as business comprehension, promotional vigor, margin strength, ordering convenience, and product availability.
Commenting on Londis’ win, the judges said: “With an impressive outlet expansion of nearly 3% in the past year, Londis’ concerted efforts in refining and revamping its formats are nothing less than admirable. In an industry where competition for outlet recruitment remains intense, securing the vote of confidence from fellow retailers is a fantastic recognition and makes them worthy winners.”
Londis retailer Nakendram ‘Theepan’ Piratheepan of Londis Cinderford in Gloucestershire also scooped the Convenience Rising Star of the Year award.
Bursting onto the scene in 2020, Theepan has built a portfolio of 18 sites across Wales and the South-West of England. He has already invested heavily in the business, upgrading his stores to enhance both the fuel and food to go offerings. Theepan has also committed to giving 10% of the business’ profits to charity.
There was a significant increase in cash transactions at Post Office branches in April, with cash deposits and withdrawals across the counter totalling £3.48bn across 11,500 branches, their highest levels ever.
Total cash deposits (business and personal) stood at £2.62bn in April, marking an increase of 4.7% month on month and a significant 26.5% increase year on year.
Total withdrawals amounted to £864.9m, despite a slight month-on-month decrease of 0.77%. However, year on year, withdrawals saw an increase of 20.4%.
Londis retailers can now benefit from a Group Exclusive deal offering discounted Electronic Shelf Labels to help them take the next step towards the digital future.
Many Londis retailers have already taken advantage of the huge benefits of installing Electronic Shelf Labels (ESLs). Thanks to a Booker Group Exclusive deal, all Londis retailers can now gain access to a specially discounted 0% interest package that allows them to kit out their full store for as little as £232 a week.
The deal with leading provider Avery Berkel offers Londis retailers an exclusive deal on a package featuring 2,500 ESLs, a mix of 2.6” and 2.4” ESLs, and all networking equipment. The deal also features an additional £100 per year saving on the solution and includes an additional two-year warranty on top
of the standard two-year guarantee, giving retailers complete peace of mind for four years in total.
The ESLs have up to 10 years’ battery life and are available with up to two years interest-free credit. All of this is available for as little as £232 per week.
ESLs have been proven to cut labour costs by up to 70% and can deliver up to 10% additional revenue every year simply by ensuring that prices are always up to date and accurate.
Real-time pricing and promotional updates mean the entire store can be re-priced in seconds with nothing more than the click of a mouse.
EXCLUSIVE DEAL
l Up to two years’ 0% interest-free credit.
l Up to 10 years’ battery life
l Two extra years’ warranty – four years in total.
l From only £232 per week.
EXCLUSIVE SPEC
l 2,500 ESLs.
l Mix of 2.6” and 2.3”.
l Networking equipment.
l Software as a Service (SaaS).
l Extra £100 discount on yearly SaaS.
BENEFITS
l Up to 70% labour savings.
l Real-time price and promotion updates.
l Manage from any device from anywhere at any time.
l Up to 10% additional revenue per year through accurate price updates.
Londis Solo Convenience in Glasgow is offering its shoppers added value with a new range of gift hampers that are available to purchase all year round. Hampers can be personalised with any products from the store, including BWS, confectionery and local goods as well as more unique item such as wax melts and perfumes. Shoppers can further customise their picks with a range of gift-wrapping techniques on offer as well as different hamper bases and coloured bows.
Londis St Michael’s Services in Dumfries has enhanced its already impressive food- and drinks-to-go offer with the introduction of a further three new drinks-to-go machines.
Shoppers can now refresh themselves with Snow Slush, Think Fresh Shakes and Reese’s Hot Chocolate. The new line up is complemented by a hot and cold Costa Express machine and food to go from the Stone Willy’s Kitchen concept.
Weymouth Londis has further expanded its growing range of products from local suppliers with a range of new products from The Dorset Sea Salt Co. The sea salt is infused with flavours to enhance cooking creations and includes Garlic, Chilli, Fennel and Beetroot. The store also stocks a selection of rubs to help shoppers add more spice to their early summer BBQs.
Londis Seaton in Devon, has continued to support the town’s Gateway Theatre with a further donation. Local shoppers helped to raise more than £140 for the local theatre following an in-store charity raffle.
A spokeswoman for the theatre said: “Huge thanks to the customers of Londis Seaton, Fore Street and store owners Will and Mike for their continued support of The Gateway. We are so grateful for any fundraising for the theatre.”
The latest monthly Barclays Consumer Spend Report shows a record 73% of shoppers are looking to cut the cost of their weekly shop with many turning to ownbrand products.
The opportunity for Londis retailers to leverage the power of the Jack’s and Euro Shopper own-brand ranges is clearer than ever as the latest Barclays Consumer Spend for April showed that a record-high of 73% of shoppers are looking to cut the cost of their weekly shop.
One of the key ways many shoppers do this is by switching to trusted own brands like Jack’s and Euro Shopper that deliver great quality products at exceptional value prices.
Almost half of all shoppers (49%) said they worry about how much they spend on food and drink, with the same proportion making the effort to cut back on discretionary spending. Of this group, the majority (54%) are spending less on dining out and ordering takeaways.
Despite falling food price inflation, down from 5.0% to 4.0% in April, grocery
spending growth reached its lowest level (1.0%) since June 2022 (-0.8%), hampered by the cold and wet weather.
More broadly, spending on essential food and drinks grew just 1.7% year on year in April, the lowest rise so far this year.
Other opportunities for retailers presented by the findings are that more than a third of shoppers (37%) are stockpiling their go-to products when they are on special offer, and three in 10 shoppers (29%) are now batch cooking to save money.
Total consumer card spend growth slowed to 1.6% in April, down from 1.9% in both March and February, and supermarkets saw the smallest uplift in sales since June 2022.
Despite all of this, consumer confidence in household finances reached a 28-month high at 71%.
The Westminster government has confirmed that the introduction of deposit return schemes (DRS) in the UK will be pushed back two years to October 2027.
In a written ministerial statement, Robbie Moore MP said this was a “stretching” target and that an October 2027 implementation would be required to ensure that the rollout of schemes was effective and efficient.
The revised date has been agreed by the devolved administrations.
Moore also confirmed that the UK government has no intention of including glass within its DRS, with only the Welsh government currently committed to a scheme that includes glass. The statement refers to figures from Keep Britain Tidy which show that just 4% of litter was comprised of glass drinks containers in 2020.
JACK COLOUR IN FULL
Retailers, the Home Office and industry groups came together in May to once again support #ShopKind Week urging shoppers to treat shopworkers with consideration.
The retail sector, a collection of industry groups and the Home Office worked together in May to support #ShopKind Week, the annual awareness-raising initiative that aims to remind shoppers about the importance of being considerate to shopworkers and each other.
UK-wide polling highlights that 31% of customers are more anxious when they shop and 36% of customers have witnessed violence and abuse towards shop workers while shopping.
Figures from the Association of Convenience Stores’ annual Crime Report also show that almost nine in 10 colleagues working in convenience stores have experienced verbal abuse over the last year.
The #ShopKind campaign is backed by the Home Office and supported by high street retailers, convenience retailers and trade
In April, the Government announced that it would be introducing a separate offence in England and Wales for assaulting a retail worker, building on previous sentencing guidelines that made assaulting someone working in a store an aggravated offence.
#ShopKind Week ran from 6-10 May and gave retailers a platform to remind shoppers of the important role of shopworkers to communities.
Westminster MPs have voted overwhelmingly in favour of the ‘generational smoking ban’, passing the Tobacco and Vapes Bill by 383 votes to 67.
The bill, which could pass into law as soon as the second half of this year, means that anyone born on or after 1 January 2009 will never legally be able to buy cigarettes or tobacco in the UK.
The bill also includes measures to tackle underage vaping, with new restrictions on the display of vapes, packaging and flavours.
The minimum unit price (MUP) for alcohol in Scotland is set to rise by 30% from 50p to 65p per unit from 30 September after the Scottish parliament voted to back the proposal.
MUP has been set at 50p since Scotland became the first country in the world to implement such a policy in May 2018. The increase is intended to counteract the effect of price inflation.
It means the minimum price for a 70cl bottle of 37.5% ABV spirits will increase from £13.13 to £17.06.
A sunset clause in the MUP legislation meant the current rules would have expired at the end of April but MSPs voted by 88 to 28 in favour of extending them – with the increase thrown in.
union Usdaw.
STOCK UP NOW FOR SUMMER
IT TAKES 15 YEARS TO FILTER THROUGH THE ROCK, WE BOTTLE IT JUST DOWN THE ROAD
The illicit trade in disposable vapes will see a £645m boost if the Government proceeds with a ban on the products next year, warns ACS.
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has called on the Government to focus on effective enforcement to deal with the huge illicit trade in vapes that it says will receive a £645m boost if disposable vapes are banned next year.
In response to the Government’s short consultation on the proposals to ban disposable vape devices from April 2025, ACS has highlighted a number of fundamental issues with DEFRA’s own impact assessment on the ban, warning that it has significantly underestimated the losses that will be felt by retailers.
The impact assessment fails also to recognise the significant illicit trade that already exists and will receive a huge boost when disposables are banned.
Consumer polling conducted by Yonder for ACS of existing vape users suggests that almost one in four (24%) will continue to use disposables after a ban is introduced. The only way they’ll be able to obtain those products is from illicit sources, resulting in a £645m annual loss to the convenience sector.
ACS Chief Executive James Lowman said: ““Banning something does not mean it ceases to exist. If the Government were really committed to stopping children getting their hands on disposable vapes, then they would focus on cracking down on the illicit trade and enforcing the laws that already exist to prevent children from accessing these products.”
Royal Mail customers can now drop off parcels in convenience stores around the UK using the Collect+ network. More than 700 locations are already live in shops with 5,000 planned by summer.
Royal Mail customers are able to drop off packages up to large parcel size using 1st and 2nd class and Tracked 24 and Tracked 48. This applies to both returns and items that someone has paid for the postage for online and either printed a label or generated a QR code.
In the future, the service will be expanded to enable customers to collect online purchases.
Nick Wiles, CEO of PayPoint, said: “Today marks an important step in the roll-out of our Royal Mail partnership, with customers now officially able to use Collect+ on a nationwide basis.”
GroceryAid is set to provide £1m of support to retailing industry colleagues who have children of school age this year to help buy the essentials they need.
Industry charity GroceryAid has announced that its School Essentials Grant will make £1m of support available to convenience and grocery colleagues who have school-aged children this year.
thrilled to be able to offer more children than ever the chance to start school with the essential items they need to have the best start to the school year.
The support has been made possible after GroceryAid secured funding from The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust.
Now in its fourth year, the fund provides a £150 non-repayable grant for every child of school age, up to a maximum of three children per eligible household, up to the fund total.
This year, it is estimated that more than 6,660 children will benefit from the fund, an 11% increase on last year.
Industry colleagues can apply for the School Essentials Grant on the GroceryAid website from 9am on Tuesday 18 June with an extended application window of three days and a closing date of 5pm on Thursday 20 June.
“After listening to valuable feedback from our supporters, we are leaving applications open for three days to enable more people to apply. We want to ensure the application process is fair for shift workers and those who may not have access to a computer/phone during working hours. We will notify colleagues about the outcome of their application within six weeks.”
Sir Dave Lewis, Adviser to the Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust said: “The Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust is delighted to support GroceryAid’s Schools Essential Grant, providing much-needed assistance to grocery workers and their families during the expensive back-to-school period.”
Mandi Leonard, Welfare Director at GroceryAid said: “We are
Successful applicants will be chosen at random from those who meet the criteria and have provided all the information requested.
FROM THE NUMBER 1 UK CIDER BRAND*
TAKE A BOW.
Highway Stops has unveiled its latest forecourt store development in Girton, Cambridgeshire.
With 16 Londis sites successfully trading across the South-East of England, Highway Stops’ Operations Director Sellarajah Gunalan (Guna) is very well versed in what a winning store development looks like.
And the company’s newest development in Girton, Cambridgeshire is picture perfect.
Primely located on the busy Huntington
The foodand drinksto-go offer has been enhanced with a Stone Willy’s Kitchen and Londis’ new Treat Stop concept.
Road, on the outskirts of Cambridge, the site is also surrounded by residential housing – with much of it sitting in the affluent price bracket.
The company purchased the site back in June 2016, however, no major development took place at that time, meaning that by early 2024 it was high time for a spruce up.
“Girton is a neighbourhood site, there’s
a lot of residential housing around and local people were in need of an enhanced neighbourhood offering that could provide them with a greater range of fresh and chilled products as well as everyday groceries,” Guna explains.
In addition, with the site located just off the M11 and just over a mile from the centre of Cambridge and its eminent university, it was also crying out for a development that could make more of its sizeable food- and drinks-to-go opportunity.
Work to do exactly that, and more besides, began on 5 February 2024 – with the store closed for four weeks while Guna’s plans took shape.
“It was a really big project,” Guna adds. “We ripped everything out and replaced it all. From floors to ceilings, fixtures, fittings, POS and refrigeration, everything is new.”
The store’s range has been totally reimagined with a much stronger emphasis on fresh and chilled produce to answer those all-important neighbourhood needs.
The old store only sold a very limited range of fresh and chilled produce, so this was a big change which is already being very well received by local shoppers.
Sellarajah Gunalan
All-new Londis Girton now boasts a six-door chiller for wines and beers, plus six doors for chilled produce and dairy, including deli items and Jack’s-branded ready meals.
A small selection of key frozen products is also housed in a one-door upright freezer.
“The old store only sold a very limited range of fresh and chilled produce so this was a big change which is already being very well received by local shoppers,” Guna adds.
Enhancing the store’s new fresh and chilled offer is an additional threemetre bay for chilled soft drinks and an additional one metre bay dedicated to American soft drinks – which the old store had not previously stocked.
The new range includes canned formats from leading US Brands such as Mentos, Candy Can, Sneak Energy and Warheads.
New American lines have also been added to the store’s fast-selling confectionery range.
Up at the new counter area also sits a large three-metre back-lit spirit display and a prominent two-metre vape unit.
Sitting loud and proud at the entrance meanwhile, is also a brand-new foodand drinks-to-go zone designed to take a bigger bite out of the lucrative ‘to go’ opportunity.
Thanks to the introduction of a Stone Willy’s Kitchen concept, shoppers at Londis Girton can choose from an array of hot to-go products including pizzas, sausage and bacon muffins, hot wraps and more.
Store name: Londis Girton
Service Station
Operations director: Sellarajah Gunalan
Store size: 1,500sq ft
Number of staff: 6
Opening hours: 24-hour
Services: National Lottery, ATM, food to go
The Stone Willys range is complemented by a Rollover Hot Dogs offer and a selection of hot Bake & Bite goods including pasties and potato dogs.
Chilled food-to-go products, including Londis-supplied sandwiches and wraps, are conveniently located in a new open deck chiller.
Complementing the new food to go offer is Londis’ new Treat Stop concept for drinks to go.
Featuring the vibrant pink and blue Treat Stop branding, the new Treat Stop zone features freshly squeezed orange juice and three flavours of Think Fresh Shakes.
There’s also two Costa Express machines, both of which offer hot and cold drinks.
“Coffee is always a big draw, especially a
Freshly squeezed orange juice creates a really appealing fresh look and smell.
Create a strong value for money message by making the most of Londis’ suite of POS. 1 2 3
Leaflet drops are a great way to drive awareness of your range and special offers.
brand like Costa, and we have also had a very positive reaction to the new fresh orange juice offer. It creates a wonderful zesty smell in the store which is very appealing,” Guna adds.
Londis’ Amazing Value offer is clearly signposted around the store via bold messaging on aisle ends and POS materials.
“Shoppers have reacted so positively to the new store,” Guna says.
“The Grand Opening on 8 March was a fantastic success. Lots of local shoppers came down, including our local MP Anthony Browne.
“We actively engaged with the local community in the run-up to the development and throughout and the Opening Day was supported by a raft of special promotions.”
Gunda says that footfall and sales are both up since the relaunch, with food to go, in particular acting as a key sales driver. The Stone Willy’s Kitchen concept alone is bringing in £800 a week on average.
Average basket spend excluding fuel, is also now up to £28.59.
Outside, the store was also fitted with the smart new grey and green Londis fascia and external POS, while forecourt facilities were also enhanced with an upgraded car wash and the introduction of Ad Blue.
“Everyone is delighted with how the development has turned out,” Guna concludes. “The local community has a store that can meet a much wide range of their needs and the food to go opportunity is being maximised. There’s no other stores on this stretch of road so it really has had a positive impact, just as we hoped and planned it would.”
Local shoppers have welcomed Londis Katherine Road’s unique multi-layered offer with open arms.
What does the humble onion and an 800sq ft Londis store in Barking have in common? The answer is layers of course! Ranga Jayalath’s new Londis store on Barking’s Katherine Road boasts a deep dish of fascinating layers, but unlike the humble onion, the only tears that this store is bringing to Ranga’s eyes are those of joy.
Ranga, who ran a successful grocery business in Italy for 25 years before arriving in the UK nine years ago, already has one top-performing Londis store under his belt – and in November 2023, he added a second.
Despite having only been trading for just over five months, the brand-new store
already holds a special place in local hearts – with shoppers unable to resist its tasty multi-layered offer.
Ranga explains: “I bought this store and the unit next door in the summer of 2023. They were previously trading as a small convenience store and bike repair shop and both were in need of a huge amount of work, having not been invested in for many years.
“We knocked through the wall to create one big space before commencing the redevelopment and fit out.”
“The store is surrounded by housing and there are 150 new flats being built at the back and 800 new homes currently
under development to the side. Given its location, I knew that the store needed to have a really strong neighbourhood offer and Londis was the perfect partner for the job.”
Sitting at the centre of the store’s quality neighbourhood offer is a solid core range that stars Jack’s-branded products.
“The store is only 800sq ft, but we offer as many Jack’s lines as we can fit into the space,” says Ranga. “The brand is such a huge draw. Price marking is so important to shoppers these days and the Jack’s brand excels here.
“Shoppers are instantly reassured that they are getting the best value for
money around and great quality too. Having a brand like Jack’s is such a major benefit in a neighbourhood store like this.
“The same is true for Euroshopper, which also has a strong presence in our store and really helps to promote the message that at Londis Katherine Road, shoppers really can rely on great value all year round.”
The second layer to Ranga’s success is a rock-solid promotional stance. “Promotions are key in the current climate. We run all of the Londis promotions and we maximise their power by supporting them with all available POS. We also take the time to talk to shoppers about our offers. Deals
are a great talking point!”
Making up the third layer of Londis Katherine Road’s successful new offer is a unique range of specialist Italian products.
“There’s a vibrant Italian community in this part of London and – given my background and experience in the Italian grocery trade – I knew that I could really set the store apart with a unique range of Italian groceries,” Ranga explains.
It’s a point of difference that has already proved to be a winner at Ranga’s first and much larger Londis store on the Barking Road.
The range includes classic Italian dry
goods such as sweet and savoury biscuits, tinned groceries, condiments, oils, olives and more, much of which he sources from a specialist Italian supplier.
“However, a lot of the range also comes from Londis,” he adds. “Through Londis I am also able to buy a great range of Italian products including mozzarella, Barilla pasta, cooking sauces and of course Italian wines. We have a very strong wine range, which is another unique selling point.
“Even in a small store such as Katherine Road I have more than 40 different wine lines and we offer our shoppers a great choice across all the price brackets. We have a selection of fantastic high-end lines as well as great-value ones.”
As such, Ranga says that wine is one of the store’s top-selling categories.
“Shoppers know that if they want a good bottle of wine and all the ingredients to cook up a delicious dinner, they can rely on us,” he adds.
Store name: Londis Katherine Road, London
Retailer: Ranga Jayalath
Store size: 800sq ft
Staff: 3
Opening hours: 6am-12 midnight
Services: National Lottery, Payzone, PayPoint, E-Top Up
Size: 2,200sq ft
Store type: City centre
Staff: 4
Key categories: Vape, fresh and chilled, confectionery, alcohol
Opening hours: 7am-11pm
1 2 3
The power of pricemarked goods can’t be overstated in the current climate. We buy PMP goods wherever possible.
Jack’s and Euroshopper brands offer another fantastic way to communicate value for money.
We ensure that all promotions are well supported with relevant POS to maximise standout on shelf.
“Shoppers love the Italian focus and we’ve become a big destination for that. In fact, we have some shoppers who come to us from as far as 10 miles away because of it and everything else that we offer besides.”
A standout US confectionery offer accounts for another layer. “American products also set us apart. We have a large range of US products across the confectionery, snacks and soft drinks categories. We source it through Londis, and shoppers love it,” Ranga says.
“US products tend to be more expensive than traditional ones, but our shoppers seek them out nonetheless.”
Shoppers are also grateful for Londis Katherine Road’s lengthy
opening hours.
“We are open from 6am until midnight every day of the week,” Ranga says. “For me, being a neighbourhood store means being there for your community when they need you to be, and that necessitates longer opening hours.
“Shoppers constantly comment on how convenient it is for them that we are open from so early in the morning and late at night and we get a lot of good business in those hours when other stores on the high street are closed.
“Services play a key role too. We have the National Lottery, PayPoint, Payzone and we offer home delivery to local elderly people and those who are unable to carry heavy bags of
Shoppers absolutely love the store; they really are delighted that we are here and with all that we offer. We are seeing strong growth every month, so I am happy too and there’s plenty more to come.
Ranga Jayalath
shopping home. We want to be the type of store that local shoppers know they can depend on to help and support them.”
Supporting local good causes is another layer – with Ranga striving to support as many local charitable initiatives as possible with product donations and fundraisers.
“Shoppers absolutely love the store; they really are delighted that we are here and with all that we offer. We are seeing strong growth every month, so I am happy too, and there’s plenty more to come.”
Ranga plans to add a new layer to Londis Katherine Road’s offer later this year when he introduces food and drinks to go with a Costa Express machine and small range of in-store baked goods.
“The store also receives a lot of passing trade, so I know that a food- and drinks-to-go offer would work very well, especially given our early opening hours,” Ranga adds.
“We’ve worked very hard to establish this store and give our customers the best range, prices and service that we can. They certainly seem delighted so far, and so am I.”
Londis retailers have all the tools they need to get fit for the future thanks to the launch of Londis’ new guide.
The fifth edition of Londis’ Fit For The Future Guide has landed – and it’s the best one yet!
Available to Londis retailers now, the guide is a veritable powerhouse of advice, insight and solutions all of which have been specifically designed to help retailers grow sales and maximise cash profits in 2024 and beyond.
The latest edition focuses on three key areas: range, retail crime, and saving and making more money.
Londis retailers now have access to a comprehensive convenience range that covers all need states and allows their shoppers to choose from a truly compelling Good, Better and Best proposition.
Choice is now better than ever thanks to own-label and branded product enhancements as well as an increase in choice on price-marked packs.
The Londis range now includes 346 new price-marked packs, including 96 new PMP confectionery lines, 80 new PMP soft drink lines and 26 new PMP spirit lines. That all adds up to a stonking 1,636 PMP lines in total available now to Londis retailers.
Fresh and frozen choice has also been significantly improved, including more than 900 new products which are now available to Londis retailers.
More space has also been devoted to fast-growing categories such as world beer and confectionery multipacks – which are growing at a rate of 10% year on year.
Be sure to check out Londis’ new planograms which reflect the latest range updates!
The Fit For The Future Guide also includes a raft of helpful advice and solutions to help Londis retailers stand up to the growing menace of retail crime.
It also features easy to follow best-practice guidance on how to act in a variety of scenarios such as dealing with shop thieves, enforcing age restricted sales, refusing to serve intoxicated customers and robbery.
Please report all incidents of violence and abuse to the police.
l Londis retailers also have access to an exclusive Booker deal with Reliance Protect whose body worn cameras can act as a visual crime deterrent. The deal offers exclusive pricing on 12-, 24- and 36-month contracts for their VT100 device. Email denise.gamage@ reliancehightech.co.uk for more info.
l Londis stores can also take advantage of an exclusive 15% off deal with Veesion. The clever gesture recognition system can detect suspicious gestures via CCTV, helping to strengthen security systems. Use code BOOKERVEE15.
l An exclusive deal on FaceWatch is also available. The system has been proven to reduce crime by up to 50% in the first year and improve staff retention and morale. For more info call 07967 500 952.
l A Booker Exclusive deal on Quail Digital Headsets is also on the table. Retailers who purchase three or more headsets can receive an extra one for free!
Londis retailers can also make up to £165,000 with Booker’s new ‘Save £££ to invest and grow’ model.
The Fit For The Future Guide features 22 different solutions for retailers including new ranges, exclusive money-saving deals and profit-driving initiatives including:
l MAKE £40,000 WITH VAPE!
Based on £1,750 sales per week with 45% POR on brands such as Elf Bar and Lost Mary.
l SAVE £22,500 WITH SPEND AND SAVE!
5% Spend and Save now includes vape! Retailers could save up to £22,000!
(Based on £17,000 a week spend and a 50/50 split between tobacco and non-tobacco.)
l MAKE £12,480 WITH JACK’S!
Based on £4,000 weekly sales.
l MAKE £5,500 WITH COFFEE CLUB!
Based on an average of 25 cups per day and with Booker-enhanced POR.
l SAVE £2,000 WITH BARCLAYCARD!
Saving based on a sample of 10 retailers comparing existing rates versus the Barclaycard rate.
We hope retailers find our Fit For The Future Guide useful, this is one of our best yet! It really helps retailers identify new opportunities, increase footfall, sales and cash profit.
Stewart Fenn
Booker’s pioneering project to introduce bee hives to its sites has continued to flourish in recent months with apiaries now thriving at its Hatfield, Eccles and Haydock sites where they are creating a buzz locally.
Booker’s commitment to helping make the planet a little better every day is by now extremely familiar to retailers and there have been many fantastic initiatives and projects along the way. And there is one unusual project that perfectly demonstrates the creativity, commitment and passion of the outstanding team at Booker: the famous Booker Bees!
Keen readers of Londis News will recall that back in 2018 a group of willing colleague volunteers set out a plan to start an apiary at Hatfield Distribution Centre in Hertfordshire. The volunteer beekeepers, with the help of the local beekeepers association (BBKA), soon had three hives set up on an unused area of the site and filled with colonies of bees.
Neonicotinoids, or ‘neonics,’ are a group of pesticides that were once widely used in the UK until a growing body of scientific evidence highlighted the damaging impact that they were having on our pollinators. After years of campaigning, these chemicals were banned for outdoor use in 2018. A single teaspoon of this type of chemical can kill 1.25 billion honeybee. Even tiny traces of these toxic chemicals play havoc with bees’ ability to forage and navigate, with catastrophic consequences for the survival of their colony. Sadly, for the fourth year in a row, the government has temporarily lifted this ban, instead of embracing solutions that work with nature.
While this was clearly an interesting and fun project for everyone involved at Booker, there was a serious and important point to it. Bees play a crucial role in pollinating plants which then contributes to the production of various fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds that are essential in human and animal diets.
(Source: Bumblebee Conservation Trust)
Like many animals, bees are greatly affected by climate change. Warmer weather and changes in the environment cause some flowers to bloom earlier
or later than usual, leaving bees with fewer food sources at the start of the season. Bees also suffer habitat loss from development, abandoned farms, and the lack of bee-friendly flowers, This is precisely where the Booker bees project comes into its own. Thanks to its team of dedicated volunteers, Hatfield has managed to maintain the apiary ever since. Since then, two further Booker sites – Eccles and Haydock – have also introduced apiaries, with both colonies settling in well.
Wendy Pennington has worked at Booker’s Haydock Regional Distribution Centre as a Warehouse Administrator for 11 years. Here she tells the story of how she has helped bring an apiary to the site.
“I first got interested when I found an article on the OurBooker intranet site about the apiary at Hatfield and I thought this would be a great idea for Haydock. I contacted the Sustainability Team to ask about the possibility and, as a result, we got a visit from Douglas Waight who had been instrumental in setting up the Hatfield apiary. We had a walk around site and Douglas found us the perfect spot for an apiary!
“We began preparing the area, removing some tree stumps and laying down some tree bark, we then ordered some fencing to create a boundary, along with a shed to store all the equipment. I was introduced to a local beekeeper who kindly agreed to be our mentor here and he invited me to visit some of his hives on a local farm close to where I live.
“During the visits I was given so much information and had the experience of opening the hives and learning about what to look out for in preparation for when our bees arrive. Eddie, our mentor, agreed to take me to collect the bees when they were ready for us, to guide us through the following weeks, and to visit the site as and when we need any advice or help.
“We plan to continue working on the area around the apiary in the coming months, planting flowers to supply our bees with as much pollen and nectar as we can. Wild flower seeds will be planted, and we have someone who is starting some sunflowers for us to plant. We will only start to see the real benefits next year, but we plan to create a natural environment for our bees to thrive in.
“Going forward, we are confident our hives will be successful and provide us with a good supply of honey! Hopefully we can add another hive in the near future but for now we are just enjoying working on this fascinating project, gaining some new skills and contributing to protecting our environment.
“And after all that work, I’m delighted to confirm that we finally took delivery of our bees during the May Bank Holiday. They appear to be settling in well and happy in their new hives – and the team at Booker Haydock is buzzing too!”
The Londis Beer and Cider festival is back and brimming with a barrel-load of opportunities to drive sales and profits this summer.
Summer’s almost here and bringing with it the promise of long sunny days and warm evenings – perfect for picnics in the park, garden gettogethers and a multitude of fun-filled outdoor sporting occasions and events.
And thanks to the return of the Londis Beer and Cider Festival, Londis stores will be able to offer their shoppers a refreshing array of perfect pairings to their summer festivities.
Running from 20 May until 14 July, the Londis Beer and Cider festival features an extensive array of Group Exclusive products, NPD, firstto-market packs, outstanding deals and more.
As always, the activity will be supported by a comprehensive programme of high-quality instore POS and digital support to make sure the festival is unmissable for your shoppers.
It’s the perfect opportunity to bring more shoppers to your door more often and to encourage them to spend more on each trip.
As all Londis retailers will be aware, there’s nothing quite like Group Exclusive products for driving footfall and sales. Stocking products that are not available in your competitors’ stores is a powerful way to generate fresh footfall, particularly if you shout about the exclusive products on your social media channels.
The Londis Beer and Cider Festival runs from 20 May to 14 July – throughout the NP4 and NP5 promotional periods.
The Londis Beer and Cider Festival will feature a range of fantastic Group Exclusive products that will help you set
yourself apart from the competition.
Group Exclusives include Brewdog’s new Cold Beer, which is available to retailers in multipacks of 10x440ml. Featuring the fantastic-value RSP of £7.99, new Cold Beer is made with a combination of pale and light Munich malts. The crisp-tasting lager has an AVB of 3.4% and each multipack of 10 offers retailers a POR of 17.55%.
As well as bringing your shoppers exclusive and first-to-market products, the Beer & Cider Festival will also deliver footfall and salesdriving deals throughout the duration of the event.
These deals include fantastic-value RSPs of only £7.99 on a range of big brand multipacks including Stowford Press cider, Carlsberg Pilsner and Fosters Shandy, which are all available in multipacks of 10x400ml.
The Beer and Cider Festival also includes a striking ‘only £10’ deal on 10x440ml multipacks of Cruzcampo, Fosters, Strongbow, Carling, Coors, Hobgoblin Session IPA and more.
When it comes to cider, fresh and fruity flavours look set to continue dominating the NPD agenda and shopper demand this summer.
Cider sales are currently growing by 4.5% year on year in Great Britain and 1.8% in Scotland, driven by Flavoured and Premium ciders.
Four-packs continue to be a hugely popular format for convenience shoppers and once again the Londis Beer and Cider Festival has you covered with a plethora of great deals on 4-packs from leading brands. Deals include a special offer of £5.99 on 4x440ml packs of Madri, Staropramen, Birra Moretti, and Guinness Draught – all of which offer PORs of more than 20%!
Within lager, low and no products are seeing growth of just under 30% year on year. [SmartView Convenience MAT Oct 23]
Cider sales are growing by 4.5% year on year in Great Britain driven by Everyday, Flavoured and Premium ciders. In Scotland, the Cider Category is also experiencing growth of 1.8% year on year.
[SmartView Convenience MAT Oct 23]
Mixed packs which offer a range of different flavours and formats are a popular choice for shoppers over the summer season. Londis retailers can offer their shoppers a great deal on Brewdog Mixed Cans with an RSP of just £11 for an 8x330ml pack. The deal offers retailers a POR of 15.02% too.
Once again, Londis’ Beer and Cider Festival has everything you need to make the most of this trend with a jam-packed array of fruity fusions including 10x330ml cans of Kopparberg Raspberry, which are available to shoppers for just £7.99. Other deals include Thatchers Apple and Blackcurrant 10x330ml for £11, offering retailers a POR of 13.93%. Multipacks of Strongbow Tropical Cider are also on offer for an RSP of just £5.99, offering a POR of 20.23%.
The low and no category continues to grow its share of the total market and this summer will prove no exception as shoppers seek out light and refreshing options to accompany their summertime festivities.
Within independent convenience, the low to no alcohol category is now rapidly
growing and is worth more than £7.7m sales a year according to SmartView Convenience data.
Within lager specifically, low and no products are seeing growth of just under 30% year on year. In fact, low and no is one of only two sub-categories seeing growth in the channel – the other being craft. The Londis Beer and Cider Festival also includes an array of great deals on low and no beer and cider brands including 10x440ml packs of Bud Light which are available to shoppers for an RSP of just £7.99, offering retailers a POR of 17.5%. Also on offer is Corona Ligera for an RSP of £5.99 for 6x330ml. The newly launched light beer has an ABV of 3.2% and is designed to appeal to mid-week drinkers and those looking to moderate their drinking more generally.
The Londis Beer and Cider Festival will be supported with a wide array of eye-catching point of sale material to help retailers make the most of the event and create engaging displays both on- and off-shelf.
This year’s suite of materials for Londis retailers includes header boards, barkers, shelf strips and pennants.
POS features a fresh montage of beer glasses and bottles along with summer fruits and snacks.
Londis has everything you need to press go on jucier beer and cider sales!
A fantastic summer of top-class sport is set to create endless opportunities for retailers to maximise footfall, sales and profits with the Euro Finals 24 in Germany the pick of the sporting bunch.
This summer has the makings of a cracker for retailers across the country, particularly if the sun shines for extended periods, but what is most likely to drive footfall and sales is a packed calendar of amazing sport. From the FA and Scottish Cup Finals, the Champions League Final to Wimbledon and the Olympics, there’s a back-to-back calendar of top-class sport to drive shoppers to your door more often.
The undoubted key opportunity, however, is the Euro Finals 24 held from 14th June to 14th July in Germany. It’s the first Euro Finals 24 since the pandemic pushed the 2020 event back to 2021, when Italy beat England in the final at Wembley. With both England and Scotland having qualified this time around, it’s sure to be a massive opportunity for stores.
Both home nations will play in three matches each in the first round, guaranteeing at least six huge chances to cash in across a range of categories.
Additionally, Scotland have the unenviable task of facing hosts Germany in the opening match on 14 June. It may be a tough start to the campaign for the Scotland team, but it’s likely to be a great start to the footballing festival for stores with so much interest in the tournament.
The event features back-to-back matches for a full month and has the potential to provide retailers with an unbelievably strong start to the key summer trading period.
With the effects of the cost-of-living crisis still being felt, it also looks likely that many people will choose to watch the matches at home with family and friends, rather than venturing out to the pub. Indeed, the latest monthly Barclaycard Consumer Spending Report for April which combines hundreds of millions of customer transactions with consumer research, shows that almost half (49%) of shoppers are concerned about how much money they spend on food and drink. They are managing that challenge by reducing discretionary spending, with more than half of respondents (54%) saying they were cutting back on visits to pubs and restaurants.
That is likely to mean a wave of Big Nights In over the month of the tournament, representing a massive opportunity for retailers to grow sales in all key categories from soft drinks, snacks and confectionery to vapes, wine and spirits.
The biggest opportunity, however, is likely to come in the critical beer and cider categories.
As luck – and careful planning – would have it, the annual Londis Beer and Cider Festival coincides with the Euro Finals 24 this year, guaranteeing retailers a host of market-leading deals to drive up footfall, revenues and profits.
Jun – 14th July
The Londis Beer and Cider Festival runs all the way through the Finals and features a huge selection of Group Exclusive products, NPD, first-to-market packs and fantastic deals. The Festival is also being supported as usual by a full POS and digital support pack to help you make the tournament unmissable for your shoppers.
OPENING MATCH
Friday 14th June
SCOTLAND
Sunday 16th June
ENGLAND – 8pm
Wednesday 19th June v Switzerland – 8pm
Thursday 20th June
ENGLAND
Sunday 23rd June v Hungary – 8pm
Tuesday 25th June v Slovenia
ROUND OF 16 MATCHES – 5PM AND 8PM
Saturday 29th June
Sunday 30th June
Monday 1st July
Tuesday 2nd July
QUARTER FINALS – 5PM AND 8PM
Friday 5th July
Saturday 6th July
SEMI FINAL – 8PM
Tuesday 9th July
Wednesday 10th July
FINAL – 8PM
Sunday 14th July
Among the many exceptional offers available is a range of 4-, 10- and 12-pack deals on big brand beers and ciders like Cruzcampo, Stella Artois, Heineken, 1664 and Budweiser as well as Hobgoblin Session IPA, Thatchers Gold and more.
Ranging from only £7,99 to £11 a pack, these multipack deals are sure to drive basket spend, especially if you are able to offer them chilled, something that the supermarkets can’t match.
If you don’t have sufficient chilled space, why not create visually-arresting floorstacks with these deals to grab customers’ attention and get them in the mood to start shopping for an exciting night in watching the match?
All Londis retailers know the power of the many exclusive deals that Booker has been able to deliver. Exclusive and first-to-market products are proven winners when it comes to driving footfall, especially when retailers use social media effectively to reach as wide an audience as possible.
The Londis Beer and Cider Festival will feature a range of fantastic Group Exclusive products that will help you set yourself apart from the competition. These include Brewdog’s new Cold Beer in 10x440ml multipacks – the perfect product to light up your social media channels and stand apart from the competition.
If you don’t already take advantage of the SocioConnect solution that’s available, it’s certainly worth looking it – see our feature on p82. 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. This could help save time around the Euro Finals 24 when Londis will be providing a wave of professionally created content to help grow footfall and sales around the tournament.
Cider comes into its own during the warmer summer months so expect sales to spike during the Euro Finals 24. Londis’s Beer and Cider Festival has a selection of deals and products to help you cash in.
From multipacks of Strongbow and Thatchers at just £11 to £7.99 offers on 4-packs of Kopparberg and Stowford Press, there’s a fantastic deal for every cider-loving football fan in June and July. Don’t miss out on new and exclusive 4x400ml packs of Strongbow Strawberry for just £5.99 either!
Last but not least, a simple way of adding excitement and driving sales during the Euro Finals 24 is to add some theatre in-store to really bring the tournament to life. Why not invest in some football strips for your team and hand out scarves to your shoppers?
With shoppers looking to cut the cost of their weekly spend, leveraging the power of Booker’s Jack’s and Euro Shopper brands is a great way to grow sales and profits.
Despite some light appearing at the end of the cost-of-living tunnel, the latest market data shows clearly that shoppers are prioritising cutting the cost of their weekly shop more than ever – creating a huge opportunity for great quality, great value ranges like Jack’s and Euro Shopper.
The latest monthly Barclays Consumer Spend Report for April shows a record 73% of shoppers are looking to cut the cost of their shop with many turning to own-brand products to help them achieve that goal.
Encouragingly, consumer confidence in their own household finances reached a 28-month high at 71% in April as food price inflation fell from 5.0% to 4.0%, but it remains clear that the data, which combines hundreds of millions of customer transactions with consumer research, shows that shoppers remain committed to cutting what they spend each week.
41.9% POR
Save £1.80
Case size: 12 x 150g
WSP: £9.00 RSP: £1.29 POR: 41.9%
Case size: 12 x 150g
WSP: £9.00
RSP: £1.29
POR: 41.9%
Londis has quickly recognised this opportunity and is helping retailers boost their profits by increasing the PORs available on key everyday lines like the Jack’s cheese range.
The Jack’s cheese range features 11 different products from Jack’s Mature Cheddar and Jack’s Red Leicester to Jack’s Grated Mozzarella and Jack’s Grated Mature Cheddar.
EDLP WSP: £13.99
RSP: £2.49 / Any 2 for £4
POR: 43.8% / 30.0%
All 11 of the products are price marked at just £2.49 providing shoppers with the reassurance they need they are getting the best possible value as well as the exceptional quality they have come to expect of the Jack’s range.
Just as important, until 16th July retailers can now secure huge PORs of 43.8% on every product in the Jack’s cheese range when sold individually. The range is available to shoppers on
an ‘Any 2 for £4’ deal to drive basket spend but even when sold in this deal, retailers still make 30.0% POR.
Also available until 16th July is a special deal offering retailers £1.80 off a case of Euro Shopper bacon. Available in both Unsmoked Rindless Back Bacon and Smoked Rindless Back Bacon variants, the products cost just £9.00 a case and deliver PORs of 41.9%.
deals available until 16th July
A rich, refreshingly fruity cider created with the sweetest dessert apples, a fresh berry aroma and bold blackcurrant flavour.
Booker’s Retail Trade Shows at Doncaster and Sandown showcased Booker’s choice, price and service muscle.
Retailers from across the country raced to the Booker 2024 Retail Trade Shows in their droves, keen to grab a slice of the many fantastic deals on offer and see the best of Booker’s choice, price and service.
Live at Doncaster Racecourse on 14 March and at Sandown on 20 March, both shows offered retailers the chance to take advantage of a great mix of exclusive trade show-only deals.
Representatives from hundreds of leading suppliers were on hand to talk retailers through their key initiatives and developments for 2024 – and of course to offer bags of tasty treats to take away.
Retailers could also enjoy a range of cookery demonstrations and the chance to see and sample some of the very latest new product developments about to hit the shelves.
They were also treated to a showcase of key brand initiatives, including the opportunity to get up close and personal with interactive food-to-go zones.
Londis retailers could touch, taste and talk all about Londis’ new footfall-driving Treat Stop concept for stores, including the many drinks solutions available.
Retailers also had a fantastic opportunity to learn more about Booker’s Exclusive own brand ranges including the latest innovations from the Jack’s and Euroshopper brands.
And of course, with ample seating, great views and food and drinks aplenty, both shows also provided the perfect place for retailers to meet, greet and exchange ideas with each other – as well as key Booker team members.
The show is always such a nice opportunity to get out of the store and see all the fantastic new products that are available to us. It’s also a great chance to meet with suppliers and of course to take advantage of the many exclusive trade show deals.
Marian Power Powers Londis, Homefield, Sutton, Surrey chance to meet with suppliers and of course to
Booker’s sterling sustainability efforts were also on display at the Booker Planet stand where Booker’s sustainability manager Cath Marsdon and her team were on hand to talk to retailers about the five pillars of its ‘Better Trolley For A Better Planet’ initiative and the many ways in which Booker is working to better serve its customers, communities and the planet. On display were Jack’s milk chocolate covered peanuts and raisins which are coated in Rainforest Alliance certified chocolate and plastic-free Euroshopper baby wipes.
The show always offers a fantastic chance to see where fresh opportunities may lie, particularly when it comes to the food-to-go category and to speak with senior management. I’ve already had some really great conversations with key Booker team members as well as other Londis retailers.
Dave Hiscutt and Hazel Stone Londis Abbotsbury Road, Dorset
Plan your shelves the right way to increase SALES
The recommended 1 shelf range for Mex ican
Old El Paso is the biggest brand in World Foods FOR £1 spent in Mexican another £3-4 are spent in other foods and drinks
Fajita Kits are the most popular products for the typical convenience shopper who wants a quick & easy meal solution
Tortillas & spice mixes sell faster for the Mexican food lovers!
UK’S NO. 1 ENERGY BRAND
82% WOULD BUY A FOREST FRUIT FLAVOURED ENERGY DRINK IF AVAILABLE2 RED BULL FLAVOURS GROW 3X FASTER THAN MARKET FLAVOURS1
Londis retailers across the country are making use of Booker’s exciting free service which takes the stress and hard work out of efficiently and effectively managing all of your social media networks from one app.
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 networks from one place – no more logging into separate networks.
l Track each post’s performance.
l Message customers directly and respond to their messages.
l Plan 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!
Social media is, as most retailers will be well aware, one of the most powerful tools available to help drive footfall, reach new potential shoppers, highlight promotions and engage with the local community.
Finding the time, however, to manage social media networks, create regular posts and answer any queries or comments from shoppers can be difficult with so much going on in a busy store.
That’s why Booker has recently relaunched a fantastic 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.
Relaunched at the recent Booker Trade Shows, SocioConnect is an innovative solution that lets retailers manage all of their social media content across all popular networks all from a single app. No more having to log into each social media network individually, SocioConnect allows you to manage all of your networks from one place.
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.
So it’s easy to understand why more than 100 Londis retailers have now signed up to use the free service and take their social media to an entirely new level.
Once you’ve signed up and connected your channels, you are ready to start turbocharging your social media output, driving more footfall, attracting new shoppers and engaging more effectively with your local community.
Did you know that so far in 2024, Londis stores that are signed up to SocioConnect have received an average reach of 2.8k people per month? They also have an average of 18 posts going out on their social media pages per month!
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.
Additionally, the app has some powerful functionality that allows retailers to track the performance of every post, helping them work out which posts are most popular and allowing them to continually tailor their new posts to achieve maximum reach and engagement.
On top of all that, the app allows you to access Booker’s centrally produced videos and images. 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.
A varied range of promotional posts are available, as well as engaging content to entertain your social media followers.
The app also allows retailers to plan posts in advance 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.
The SocioConnect solution was initially trialled in a 30-store pilot and resulted in a mammoth 180% increase in posts and a 179% increase in followers!
I think this will be a great thing, I find we post here and there when I think of it, but great to know there’s a stream of content all the time.
1 Visit www.socioimplementation.com/booker-stores-signup or scan the QR code opposite, then 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. You’re good to go!
STOCK UP NOW!
Booker’s successful partnership with Yext has been extended, helping Londis retailers to improve their all-important web search results and boost sales into the bargain.
The world wide web has been revolutionary in its ability to help customers quickly find what they want and help retailers grow footfall and sales. Now, thanks to a new partnership between Booker and online data management platform Yext, Londis retailers have a meaningful and significant opportunity to drive even more shoppers and spend to their door.
If you’ve ever spent time trying to ensure that all your various online listings and data are correct and up to date, you’ll know how time consuming that process can be. Regularly updating every listing on every major search engine as well as various relevant directories is clearly important, but it’s a huge task – and that’s precisely where Yext comes in.
Available to all Londis retailers absolutely free, Yext enables stores to keep all their online information in one place and update all major search engines and directories with just one simple click.
Booker has recently announced that it has now extended its partnership with Yext, representing a significant investment but it is forecast to be money well spent. It is estimated that Yext could help generate a £20m retail sales opportunity across the group.
Yext is an online data management platform where you can update your business information once in just one place and it then updates it everywhere for you.
It helps you to manage key information about your business, such as its address, phone number, opening hours, products, menus, services and more, across all search engines and social media platforms. No more inaccurate opening times or out-of-date information!
Critically, Yext also helps to improve your store’s visibility and ranking in web searches. In other words, ‘you’ appear much closer to the top of the page in online searches.
Yext will help Londis store owners to ensure that Google and all other major search engines have your most up-todate information on their platforms.
In trials, a 77% increase in ‘Get Directions’ searches was seen for stores on Google Maps – proving that Yext really can help to drive footfall to your store.
Nothing! Booker is providing access to Yext for all Londis retailers FREE OF CHARGE.
If you haven’t claimed your Google business listing, then you don’t have to do anything.
If you have claimed your business, then follow the below guidance:
If you have already claimed ownership of your Google business listing, you will have received an email from Google with the subject line: ‘You’ve received an ownership request’.
l Click on the blue ‘Respond’ button.
l Click on the link to accept Booker as an owner of the profile.
l If you don’t respond to your Google Listings Permissions Email, Google will send a postcard in the post.
l The postcard will contain a five-digit code and link to complete your registration.
l Following launch, you will receive an email from Yext, inviting you to register with the platform.
l Click on the link at the bottom of the email.
l Set up your account and password.
l Your store information can be updated in the Knowledge Graph panel and Entities sub menu. All amendable information is indicated using a pen icon.
l You can also enable SMS updates to make changes using your mobile phone.
Harnessing the power of Yext, Londis retailers really do have the opportunity to be at their digital bests, improving their web search results and ultimately boosting footfall and sales into their stores.
Talk to your Londis RDM or visit help.yext.com for more details and extra help on how to use Yext. £20m Sales
Make your voice heard
Our annual conference is always a fantastic way to pick up nuggets of information and insight that will be useful to retailers and suppliers in upcoming discussions about their businesses and this year I was really impressed with the learnings that our speakers and panellists shared on the day. Here are some of the highlights of what was discussed, insights that I hope will resonate with many of you reading this.
First, we heard the idea that space constraints are a driver of innovation. When stores have space constraints, retailers need to adapt, prioritise, and embrace technology that can make their stores more efficient. For example, Zabka stores in Poland utilise fully automated food-to-go offers and day part marketing through the use of technology to boost profits.
Paul Stone, who operates as a multi-site Spar retailer, ensures that he cuts space from underperforming categories when needed to ensure profits can remain maximised.
Next up, we heard about being measured with change – essentially taking a ‘two steps forward, one step back’ approach. It was highlighted that it is important and often quite normal to drop failed initiatives, as this is a part of natural innovation and will ultimately lead to growth.
Thirdly, it was clear during the day that the rate of change is speeding up. While retailers
The recent ACS Conference gave delegates the opportunity to share insight, views, news and innovations from across the sector.
may not always find themselves being able to adopt every new trend, they can benefit from embracing innovative new products and making space for them to shine.
In the first of our panel sessions with independents and large retailers, we heard about the importance of a loyal customer base and not just a loyalty card offer. While loyalty cards can be powerful engagement tools, retailers should always prioritise building a loyal customer base, which many retailers have managed to do despite having no loyalty card scheme in their stores.
Getting maximum value from every colleague in store is more important than valuing space. Retailers should consider using technology to remove unnecessary tasks for colleagues and protect them from the rise of retail crime, and this will ultimately help retailers keep the employees they cannot afford to lose.
Finally, we were all inspired by the stories of care-experienced people and the employment opportunities that have improved their lives. Retailers can work harder to find new colleagues in places that might be overlooked, such as care-experienced people, refugees, ex-offenders, and ex-forces personnel. With the core value of the convenience sector being to treat every customer and colleague with respect, this is a natural place for all to feel welcome regardless of their background.
