RN - 11 July 2025

CONTENTS

Editor Jack Courtez

jack.courtez@newtrade.co.uk 07592 880864

News editor

Alex Yau

alex.yau@newtrade.co.uk 020 7689 3358

News editor

Ciarán Donnelly

ciaran.donnelly@newtrade.co.uk 07743 936 703

Features editor

Charles Whitting

charles.whitting@newtrade.co.uk 020 7689 3350

Features & advertorial writer

Shyama Laxman

shyama.laxman@newtrade.co.uk 07395 260007

Senior designer

Jody Cooke

Designer Lauren Jackson

Senior production & content editor

Ryan Cooper

Production manager

Chris Gardner 020 7689 3368

Editor in chief

Louise Banham

louise.banham@newtrade.co.uk 07592 880864

Deputy insight & advertorial editor

Jasper Hart jasper.hart@newtrade.co.uk 07597 588975

Specialist reporter

Dia Stronach

dia.stronach@newtrade.co.uk 020 7689 3375

Reporter

Kwame Boakye kwame.boakye@newtrade.co.uk 07597 588955

WELCOME

Editor

Jack Courtez

jack.courtez@newtrade.co.uk 020 7689 3371

IHead of commercial

Natalie Reeve 07856 475788

Associate director

Charlotte Jesson 07807 287607

Account director

Lindsay Hudson 07749 416544

Account manager

Lisa Martin 07951 461146

Finance manager

Magdalena Kalasiuniene 020 7689 0600

Managing director

Parin Gohil 020 7689 3363

RN

@ThisisRN for expert advice to help you grow your sales

f there’s any role like running a shop, it’s running a pub. Both often require seven-day weeks, with few staff. There are complex regulations, and margins are often hampered by suppliers. For pubs, this means their brewer restricting where they can buy from. For local shops, this means price-marked packs.

As a landlord told me last week: “I shop at Booker and occasionally I’ll look at the retail section. I don’t see how shops survive – the margins are so tight, especially on price-marked packs.”

Another shared trend among shops and pubs is the need to replace declining traditional categories. For pubs, the declining category is their biggest –alcohol – which is why they’ve been much faster in their move towards foodservice than many local shops. The ‘evolve or die’ pressure has been more rapid, and the thousands of pubs that are now flats are a reminder that many couldn't adapt in time.

Independent shops often state preparing food in store is just too difficult, but in pubs it wasn’t unusual to see a premises going from having little catering equipment, kitchen staff or experience to a full food offer in a few years.

This change was aided by the excellent support pubs received from suppliers –‘drag and drop’ concepts complete with equipment, menus, training, branding and guides. All of this was driven by that higher ‘evolve or die’ pressure, but it provides a roadmap for how wholesalers could provide their symbol stores with a better food-to-go option.

HEADLINES

3 INDUSTRY NEWS

How and when Labour’s Employment Rights Bill will affect your store

One Stop and Morrisons launch and expand loyalty schemes in stores

5 SYMBOLS & WHOLESALE

Morrisons clamps down on franchisees shopping around

6 NEWS & MAGS

Stores to lose out on millions in profit due to News UK margin cuts

7 YOUR VIEWS

‘Co-op’s lone-working change puts staff at risk’

INSIGHT

8 FED FOCUS

‘We stand out with unique confectionery’

9 PRODUCT NEWS

New Highland Spring flavours

11 BRAND IN FIVE

Highland Spring's range explained

12 PRICEWATCH

Prices proven to add £7,200 profit for the average store

14 WHOLESALE PRICEWATCH

Compare these wholesalers’ prices on the top-selling energy drinks

15 STORE PROFILE

How Jempson’s retains a community feel in a giant supermarket

17 COMPLETE GUIDE TO UPSELLING

The tactics that can change a store’s weekly sales overnight

20 CATEGORY ADVICE

Phillip Morris’s guide to Iqos

22 VAPE & NEXT-GEN RETAILER

Advice on youth access prevention, plus the latest launches

24 HEATED TOBACCO

How to boost your sales

27 BRAND IN FIVE Helix’s tips for Fumi pouches

28 THE DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME EXPLAINED

The big changes required before 2027

30 WOMEN IN CONVENIENCE

Lessons from the leading event for female shop owners and staff

37 THIS WEEK IN MAGAZINES

Stock this massive crochet title to ride the latest crafting craze

Gov’t timeline for new workers’ rights revealed

by Ciarán Donnelly ciaran.donnelly@newtrade.co.uk

Retailers face a series of changes to employees’ rights, as the government last week unveiled a roadmap for law changes under the Employment Rights Bill, which will roll out in phases up to 2027.

Among other measures, shop workers will see increased access to sick and parental leave, harassment protections and the end of zero-hours contracts.

Statutory Sick Pay (SSP) –April 2026

Shop staff will see increased access to SSP with the removal of the lowerearnings limit.

Currently, workers qualify for SSP after four days of incapacity for work, and only if their average weekly earnings are £125 or more.

The first three of four days of absence are unpaid. Currently, those who have worked less than eight weeks will receive SSP, but based on a lower weekly average wage.

From April 2026, all employees regardless of length of employment or earnings will be entitled to the full SSP rate from their first day of absence.

A shop will therefore pay £23.75 per day for a sick staff member who is contracted five days a week.

Parental Leave –

April 2026

Paternity leave, as well as unpaid parental leave, will be available from day one of employment from April 2026, scrapping the threshold of 26 weeks in employment.

Unpaid bereavement leave will be introduced in 2027.

Julie Duhra, of Jules Premier in Telford, Shropshire, told RN: “Nobody chooses to suffer a bereavement or chooses to be sick. You may get people that take advantage,

and stores will have to pay a great deal of attention to their contracts, but I’m in agreement with employees having these rights.”

Fair Work Agency – 2026

A new Fair Work Agency will bring together enforcement of the National Minimum Wage and action against labour exploitation.

In a potential boost for retailers, the agency will have powers to investigate illicit high-street traders employing people illegally.

Zero-hours

contracts – 2027

Zero-hours contracts will be banned in 2027, which the government said will

“provide workers will stable hours and predictable income”.

The ACS gave evidence to the government following the initial publication of the bill in October 2024, warning of “unnecessary bureaucracy” and saying “working in the convenience sector already provides twosided flexibility”.

However, Duhra said: “Do shops need zero-hours contracts? Can hours not be made regular? Zerohours contracts dangle carrots in front of people – you can’t plan your life like that. I wouldn’t want to be on a zero-hours contract, and I believe in treating others as I wish to be treated.”

New sticker opportunity for shops

Sticker company Classic Sign has started supplying convenience stores, with the average stockist on track to sell more than 1,150 packs per year.

Classic Sign’s spinners are already in larger stores, and following a deal with a convenience chain this year, it is now also supplying independent stores.

Slimline spinners and

clipstrips are now available for smaller stores.

Sales director Philip Rakusen told RN: “Each strip holds 60 packs – 12 designs with five per clip, so it doesn’t need to be restocked often”.

Sheets costs 22p plus VAT and retail at twofor-£1, giving a 47.2% margin.

The director claimed

its average convenience stockist is selling 3.15 per day, worth £547.5 in sales and £258.42 in profit per year. He added: “We always bring out new and seasonal designs, so there’s always excitement and strong repeat custom.

“We’re the dentist’s friend in stores because confectionery is the perfect home for them. They

Retailers’ PO hopes revealed

Retailers’ hopes for the future of Post Office (PO) have been revealed via a briefing seen by RN.

The briefing covers recent meetings with the Voice of the Postmaster, the CWU and NFSP on the soon-to-be-released government green paper on PO’s operating model.

Retailer requests included protecting access to government services and standardising the services offered across all branches. There were also calls for a PO-specific business rates relief, PO Banking Hub services in more branches and mutualisation – retailer ownership of the Post Office.

PO retailers also met MPs in Parliament last week to explain the current challenges and discuss a potential all-party parliamentary group on PO issues.

Support

for shop teams

GroceryAid celebrated a “record-breaking” fundraising year at its annual music festival, Barcode, in London last week.

also work wonders at tills or with kids’ magazines, stationery or seasonal displays.”

Boxes of 10 or 20 strips are available at no delivery charge.

Retailers can email their stores’ addresses and mobile numbers to editorial@newtrade.co.uk with the subject ‘sticker strips’ to find out more.

The charity’s welfare director, Mandi Leonard, told RN GroceryAid is providing “unprecedented” levels of support to grocery industry employees, including shop teams. “Times are still really tough,” she said.

Leonard urged struggling retail staff to use its hotline (08088 021 122) to access free support, including £300 grants for those on means-tested benefits.

GroceryAid also sends trauma-support specialists to stores after violent crimes.

NEWS

Co-op axes PO branches

Co-op is removing and downgrading some Post Office (PO) branches due to “challenges of the current economic climate”.

Messages from PO to customers sent between April and June reveal Co-op is closing full branches in eight of its stores – around 3.5% of its total PO estate.

Seven will close completely. One is to be replaced by PO’s “lighter” Drop & Collect format.

Co-op’s “difficult decision” to axe the branches due to cost pressures comes as PO attempts to prove itself as a profitable partner for stores, backed by plans to boost remuneration by £120m this year.

In a sign of further cost challenges at Coop, its Project Lunar –first uncovered by RN –s introducing lone-working at its less-profitable stores during quieter daylight hours.

Retailer fatally stabbed

Police are investigating the fatal stabbing of a shopkeeper in Bootle, Merseyside, last month.

The incident occurred on Friday 20 June at Low Cost Food & Wine, where 44-year-old Nilani Nimalarajah had been stabbed in front of customers and collapsed in the shop’s doorway.

She was taken to hospital, but died shortly afterwards.

Merseyside Police had described the attack as a “domestic” incident.

A 47-year-old man from Widnes was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder.

One Stop and Morrisons add loyalty schemes

by Jack Courtez jack.courtez@newtrade.co.uk

Morrisons Daily and One Stop have introduced new reward schemes in an attempt to win greater shopper loyalty.

RN can reveal that Morrisons’ More card went live in the first Morrisons Daily franchise in late June, while One Stop began accepting Tesco Clubcards in a “small number” of sites.

One Stop & Tesco Clubcard

Messages for Tesco Clubcard members from One Stop show a trial began on 24 April and will continue for “a limited time period”.

No franchise stores are currently taking part in the Tesco Clubcard trial.

One Stop told customers: “One Stop is being trialled as a Points Partner. This is a pilot scheme run by Tesco Stores.”

The test allows shoppers to earn Tesco Clubcard points on their purchases when they present their Clubcard, Tesco Bank card or Tesco app at the counter, but does not include Clubcard discounted prices.

When contacted by RN, One Stop refused to say how many stores were participating in the pilot, how the trial is performing or whether it could be rolled out across its franchise and centrallyowned store estate.

RN first revealed One Stop was examining a potential loyalty scheme launch in October 2024.

At the time, sources close to the company claimed the launch of a loyalty scheme was teased to franchisees at a conference.

The use of the cards at One Stop sites is limited compared with Tesco’s retail estate, with cus-

tomers unable to collect points by tapping their Clubcard, and Clubcard vouchers cannot be spent in store.

Morrisons’ More rollout Meanwhile, Morrisons’ More rewards scheme is now live in a franchiseowned store for the first time, providing More Card holders exclusive discounts.

Morrisons Daily Congresbury in Bristol became the first franchise to accept More cards, with customers earning More points on purchases since 25 June.

Shop owner Priyanka Patel told RN: “With the

pressure on households at the moment, everyone is looking for a bargain, it’s great to be able to give points back on purchases.”

Under the next phase of Morrisons’ plans, franchises will offer discounts on goods to More Card holders, similar to in its centrally-owned Morrisons Daily stores.

A spokesperson for the supermarket confirmed: “This summer, Morrisons independent retailers will become the first in the sector to have access to a supermarket loyalty scheme as Morrisons More Card begins a phased rollout.”

Stores welcome gov’t crime blitz

Retailers have welcomed the government’s Safer Streets Summer Blitz targeting town centre crime, but warned remote shops may be left behind. Launched last week, the initiative promises increased police patrols near shops and community centres, as well as banning repeat offenders from high-street hotspots, form-

ing the first phase of the government’s Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee.

ACS chief executive James Lowman said the plan was “much-needed”, but said “thousands of convenience stores trade in town centres, but many others operate in neighbourhoods, housing estates and villages”.

“It’s important that ef-

forts to tackle crime and antisocial behaviour are spread to all the areas where businesses trade and where people live, work, shop and socialise,” he added.

The Fed also noted “the aim of the crackdown is to support town centres”, with national president Hetal Patel saying antisocial behaviour “can cost

retailers dear in terms of cleaning and clearing up, as well as increasing premiums, deterring footfall and shoppers”.

“This crackdown on shop theft, street theft and antisocial behaviour is timely and welcome,” Patel said, adding: “The costs of retail crime will eventually affect customers through inflated prices.”

SYMBOL NEWS Kitwave profit warning

Morrisons in supplychain clampdown

by Alex Yau alex.yau@newtrade.co.uk

Morrisons has started a new clampdown on franchisees buying excessively outside of its own supply chain, requesting stores to ask for approval when buying stock.

RN understands the supermarket had sent letters to partnered stores this month.

One franchisee, who asked not to be named, criticised the move by the supermarket.

They claimed the terms represented stricter new enforcement by the multiple, adding it was previously more relaxed.

They told RN: “Other franchises allow their members to purchase from outside their supply chain, albeit with a limit.

“Does this mean I’m going to be restricted from purchasing meat from the butchers nearby? Local products like these can help me offer points of difference no other store in the area offers.

“What does it mean for products not supplied by Morrisons, such as newspapers? Morrisons needs to be clearer on how these new terms will work and what the potential pun-

ishment for not abiding will be.”

Other franchise chains such as One Stop and Southern Co-op have restrictions on retailers buying outside their supply chain, but give certain allowances on products that aren’t already stocked by them.

However, one franchisee praised the move, adding it would help maintain the reputation of the Morrisons Daily brand across the estate.

They said: “It’s a good move because it can stop one franchisee from ruining the reputation of other store owners. As

it’s Morrisons, customers who get a bad experience in one shop will have the perception that other stores will be the same.

“We’re not an unaffiliated store. We can potentially get affected if another franchisee offers poor service.

“It stops other retailers from buying poor or bad products that can affect the brand. I understand Morrisons is negotiating with other potential suppliers and distributors to help expand the range. It all makes sense.”

When asked to explain the communication recently sent to stores, a

Morrisons spokesperson told RN: “Buying goods from Morrisons, except for agreed exceptions, is a standard part of our franchise agreement.”

The stricter terms come amid several promises by Morrisons to overcome significant availability issues.

Last month, it held a conference for partnered stores addressing complaints over distribution issues. Some of the improvements stated included separating distribution for smaller convenience stores and larger supermarkets into separate depots.

Wholesale group Kitwave has issued a profit warning, stating its performance will be “below current market expectations”.

The group provided the warning in its results for the six months ending 30 April 2025.

Despite this, Kitwave stated that its retail and wholesale division slightly outperformed expectations.

Kitwave chief executive Ben Maxted said: “As a result of some short-term additional operational investment relating to the new south-west depot, the increase in employer NI contributions and the macroeconomic backdrop detrimentally affecting consumer confidence and volumes in the destination leisure sector, the board now anticipates that the group’s adjusted operating profit will be below current market expectations.”

Spar hints at ownlabel line

A new trademark application by Spar has hinted at the launch of a premium own-label range by the symbol group.

Applications for ‘Something Special By Spar’ were filed on 17 June.

Nisa retailers served by Co-op Wholesale’s Harlow depot in the south of England experienced disruption at the end of last month due to a “busy trading period”.

In a message to partnered stores, seen by RN, the wholesaler said: “We acknowledge that, over the past week, you may have seen service

levels drop below what is expected, for orders out of our Harlow depot.

“We understand the disruption this may have caused to your store operations and apologise for the inconvenience.

“As we enter into a busy trading period, this has impacted our network, but we’re actively working to resolve any challenges

and expect them to be back to normal in the next few days.

“We understand the impact on your teams, stock levels and customers. Our priority is to restore stability and minimise further disruption.

“Thank you for your patience and for your continued support.”

The disruption, which

was resolved on 1 July, comes as the wholesaler pledged to improve delivery efficiency at its inaugural retail summit held on 26 June.

It asked partnered stores to assess their required volume of weekly deliveries, adding any cost savings could be passed onto reducing the prices of goods.

Several classes under the filing were for meat, fish, dairy, ambient, alcohol and soft drink products.

The company’s managing director, Michael Fletcher, recently claimed 57% of convenience store customers would be willing to pay more for quality own-label products. Spar declined to comment.

Print launch boom

NEWS & MAGS News UK slashes store terms on Sun and Times

The first half of 2025 has had a series of successful print launches, according to a half-year review by Wessenden Briefing.

Launches have included the first print proposition from online substack Vittles; Hello! magazine’s new London-specific title, Hello! London; and several magazines for high-street businesses including John Lewis and Gail’s bakery.

Kids’ publisher Kennedy launched two branded magazines – Monster High and Yummiland – for primary-school-aged girls in the past week.

A number of rebrands and relaunches have also been announced.

NME Networks’ Guitar. com and Music Tech are due to return to print after four years of digital-only publication, and The New European is to rebrand as The New World.

Shetland paper saved

A Shetland Islands-based local newspaper has been saved from closure following its acquisition by Highland News & Media. Independent news publisher Highland News & Media owns a number of Scottish regional titles including The Inverness Courier and John O’Groat Journal. It purchased The Shetland Times in what the paper’s director, Robert Wishart, called “a new lease of life”.

The Shetland Times will be published on the mainland with Highland News & Media’s other papers, in a smaller format and in colour after 131 years of being in black and white.

by Dia Stronach dia.stronach@newtrade.co.uk

A year on from News UK’s plan for ‘re-engaging with retail’, the publisher has announced major cuts to retailer percentage margins as part of price rises on The Sun and The Times.

From 14 July, all editions of The Sun will increase in price by 10p and retailer margins will be slashed from 21% to 20%.

RN estimates the move will cut retailer profits by £1.8m per year on weekday sales alone, compared with if the previous terms were maintained.

From the same date, The Times will increase its weekday editions by 40p to £3.20, but retailers will not make a penny more on copies sold as the publisher has frozen the current 56p-per-copy share until January.

This means margins on The Times will fall from 20% to 17.5%.

Even in January, percentage terms will remain lower than today, at just 19%.

RN estimates stores will lose out on £2.1m over the six months until January compared with if its current percentage terms

were maintained.

News UK’s letters sent to stores announcing the price change also failed to state the cut to retailers’ percentage terms, which the Fed described as an attempt by News UK to “sweep the enforced change under the carpet”.

When asked by RN to explain why it has decided to cut retailers’ terms, News UK’s response ignored the question and instead said The Sun provides “exceptional value for money” for customers and The Times remains “committed to maximising print sales”.

The decision to put further pressure on the many stores already struggling

to turn a profit on newspapers comes exactly a year after News UK published its report on ‘re-engaging with retail’, led by News UK’s director of retail and wholesale, Tracy Hart.

In the report, the first request of retailers was the exact opposite of News UK’s latest cuts – providing “better base terms”.

Despite promising its report would be the first step in addressing retailers’ concerns, no further steps were publicly announced by News UK.

A senior publishing industry source told RN: “News UK promised to try to win back the trust of retailers. Instead, News UK is busy banging nails

into that coffin.”

Reacting with anger to News UK’s treatment of retailers, Fed national president Hetal Patel said: “Many independent retailers will be unable to survive in business, if News UK and other publishers continue to accompany cover price rises with cuts to our terms.

“News UK’s actions could lead to more stores delisting its products, as well as threatening the future of home newspaper delivery.”

RN’s estimated retailer profit losses are extrapolations from both titles’ last published sales figures, assuming a 10% annual rate of sales-volume decline.

Smiths delays carriage-charge hike

Smiths News has confirmed it will be postponing the annual review of retailers’ carriage charges until the autumn.

After sources leaked the move to RN, a spokesperson for Smiths News confirmed that while it would “usually be communicating the outcome” of its annual delivery-servicecharge review in July, the company was “not able to

confirm the outcome of this year’s review”.

Smiths News added: “We expect to be able to communicate an update in the autumn and will provide the usual six weeks’ notice.”

This means retailers will not see any changes to the carriage charge they pay to Smiths News until at least 13 October.

Speaking to RN, indus-

try experts highlighted that the delay comes amid new threats to Smiths News and its rival InPost Newstrade.

Hundreds of forecourts have axed magazines in the past year because carriage charges made the category unprofitable.

Meanwhile, NewsTeam Group has revealed its ambition to replace Smiths News and InPost

Distribution as the supplier of newspapers and magazines to stores.

The Fed’s head of news, Brian Murphy, said: “We understand and welcome news that Smiths News is being diligent and taking more time to get this annual review correct.

“The Fed’s hope remains that alternative solutions are being seriously considered.”

YOUR VIEWS

Thanks for help with scam refund

On Friday, I received a full refund from a scamming business-rates-appeals agency. I am amazed.

I mentioned to its director that Jack Courtez from RN would be accompanying me to court to report on the proceedings against them, so thank you, Jack – maybe you were the reason.

I received my refund four days after sending my email.

Anonymous retailer

RN editor Jack Courtez responds: “I’m over the moon that you received the outcome you were looking for. For any retailer suffering from unfair treatment, RN will always fight your corner.”

Co-op loneworking move is safety issue

Co-op’s introduction of lone working is a huge safety issue.

If you’re the only person

in store, you have no real deterrent to a couple of people coming in and assaulting you before they rob the place.

At least when there is another person, you have a witness or someone who can call the police – particularly when the amount of violence against shopworkers has been increasing year on year since Covid-19.

I can see this kind of move ending in tears, or worse.

Once it becomes known that a shop only has one person on shift between certain hours, that shop will instantly get targeted.

Police won’t respond in timely fashion unless there is violence involved, but if the member of staff is on their own, who’s going to be calling the police?

I’ve been there when someone has been off sick and I’ve kept the store open, against the rules, and had bottles thrown at my head when I tried to stop them shoplifting, and had one woman pull a used needle out of her

GOV’T SUMMER

SAFETY BLITZ

IS STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION

James Lowman, chief executive, ACS

This week, the Home Office launched a ‘summer safer streets blitz’ to make 500 town centres more inviting places to shop. Measures include increased visibility of policing and banning repeat offenders from the places where they offend.

This is welcome news and we were pleased to be with the home secretary at the launch, but we need to make sure this campaign helps tackle rather than dis-

VIEW FROM THE COUNTER with Dipak and Jayshree Shah

bag and threaten to stab me with it.

Nathan Thomas Team manager, Tesco, Durham

Co-op’s introduction of lone working is a hugely dangerous step.

Those stores will definitely be targeted by criminal gangs.

Mike Wright Iceland Foods

A Co-op spokesperson said: “Co-op is committed to serving and supporting our communities, providing good value prices, excellent promotions and quality products for all of our members and customers. Alongside a rewarding and safe working environment for our colleagues across all our stores, all of which maintain the highest of standards. Co-op has been at the forefront of campaigning for a crackdown on retail crime, investing in the very latest security measures, with the safety and well-being of all colleagues as our clear priority.”

tract from the serious challenges with retail crime.

Retail crime and antisocial behaviour are problems 365 days a year and the idea that we can just increase the focus for a couple of months to flush it out isn’t realistic.

The measures announced should mark a new standard of police visibility that communities can rely on at all times.

Banning offenders from locations is fine,

but it’s only as good as the resources dedicated to enforcing the bans.

Let’s use these new powers and enforce them, and ensure we’re using the powers already available to tackle crime wherever it occurs.

If the focus on town centres is successful, we need to stop the same people committing the same crimes elsewhere, for example in the housing estates, villages and smaller parades where a lot of convenience stores trade.

Consumers want to see resources focused on the places they live, even more so than town centres.

Finally, while an increased police presence is a welcome sight, it only makes up part of the response to criminality.

Great weather, end-of-month payday and the start of Wimbledon – the stars have aligned for us. I’m hoping this winning combination means you’ve had a good week, too.

The new M&S Strawberry & Cream sandwich caught our eyes last week. We’re not sure how well it’d sell in store, but it was great marketing and timing with the tennis starting.

The publicity it achieved goes to show that having novel plans around the big events grabs shoppers’ attention. We’ve got a classic-car show, open-air cinema and a special market day coming up – we’ll have to think about how to capitalise on those.

Our star new product at the moment is the White Cadbury Twirl, but it could’ve been Pokémon if there was any stock out there for us to buy. We think Pokémon is purposefully creating the scarcity a little bit to increase interest. It is very much in demand.

WHAT WE’VE LEARNED THIS WEEK

Despite the protests against Dhamecha’s decision to introduce charges on some card payments from July onwards, its Hayes depot was still as busy as usual when we visited. Put simply, it’s just cheaper than other cash and carries, so it will be hard for protesters to stay away.

Rogue traders are selling dangerous illicit tobacco, vapes and alcohol without concern because they know trading standards are stretched to breaking point.

If we want to make our towns and high streets safer, we need to stop these criminals from trading.

The additional focus on retail crime is long overdue and welcome, and we believe that can build into a genuine reset on attitudes toward theft and antisocial behaviour with the introduction of the Crime and Policing Bill later this year.

In the meantime, please continue to report crimes against your business because if reporting rates go down, resources to tackle the problem go down with them.

FED FOCUS

Andrew Board

Core Convenience Store, Durham

Andrew Board swapped forecourt retailing for running a convenience store. Exceptional pricing and customer-driven ranges are earning his shop local and national praise

My parents started off with forecourts when I was a baby, so I’ve grown up with retail all my life. At one point, we had nine forecourts.

With my parents reaching retirement age, a convenience store came up close to where I reside. We bought that and sold off the last forecourt around three years ago. We’d had it since 1989, so it was a bit of a tearjerker, but this shop is keeping me busier than the forecourts ever did.

I’ve had the store since September 2019, and the pandemic was a whirlwind. I grew up in the area, so this store has a lot of sentimental value for me, and I’m well known locally.

I also picked this store because I wanted to put my own stamp on a site. I’d always focused on forecourt and impulse, so this larger store in an ideal location was an opportunity to do a full convenience range and give back to the community.

We still have a strong confectionery focus. We’ve got around 12 bays

The Fed’s legal and HR advice has come in useful – the membership is well worth the money

of confectionery in total. In the face of ‘shrinkflation’ and price increases, we’re shy of 10% up on sales and more than 1% up on gross margin.

A n important part of this is jumping on trends quickly. The Feastables bars went straight in when they launched, and we have a massive imported section including Indian Snickers and Irish Cadbury’s products. We don’t premium-price these lines because I’d rather have lower margins and high turnover. You gain trust and repeat custom this way. We’re cheaper than the supermarkets for many products.

I’m looking to expand my confectionery with pick ’n’ mix because we’ve got a diverse customer base. We’ll be going through Hancocks for this, but I’m looking to add other nostalgic sweets.

Other changes planned include putting in a beer cave, extending our post office and adding food-to go

nantly from my involvement in the business. We were members when we had the forecourts, and it still proves invaluable because the news supply is generally terrible.

We’ve had arguments and tension with Smiths News. Things have improved a little, but there are still times when we go to the Fed and it challenges Smiths on our behalf.

The Fed’s legal and HR advice has come in useful as well with some challenges; the membership is well worth the money.

At this year’s Fed’s awards, we won Responsible Retailer of the Year and Confectionery Retailer of the Year. We won Fed awards last year, as well. It’s acknowledgement of all the hard work and time we put in. The workload in retail is horrendous, so the trophies are personally rewarding for our team.

We advertised our awards on social media because it’s positive for the community to know it has a nationally recognised store on its doorstep. If you look after your customers, your customers will look after you.

SHOP-FLOOR WINS

• We’ve now got 1,000 followers on social media. We’ve achieved this in the past three years. You can spend a lot of time doing it, but you don’t have to. P ut photos up of new products, use the assets on manufacturers’ portals and don’t worry about every post looking professional – you’re a community shop and people want authenticity. Add humour, and share your posts and promotions in community groups.

• Range reviews are key to our success. We don’t follow national planograms – we ask shoppers what they want and take advantage of the fact many stores like Tesco or One Stop have fixed ranges by providing the products they’re missing.

Every month on confectionery, and up to every fortnight on fresh and chilled, we take out slow sellers

TREND TRACKER

Mini Melts Ice Cream

Recommend by: Kaual Patel, Nisa

Local, Torridon, south London

Who buys it: The ice cream is popular with kids and adults

RRP: £3 for a 70g cup

Why the product is important: It’s a unique seasonal product that works well in a saturated market

How to range it: The best place to put it is on a dedicated counter by the till

Where to buy it: minimelts.eu

Highland Spring expands range

by Shyama Laxman shyama.laxman@newtrade.co.uk

Highland Spring has expanded its still water range in cash and carries with the launch of three flavours.

The brand delivered £7.9m in retail sales, bringing in more than £3.4m in incremental value to the category since launching in 2024.

The new varieties –Juicy Strawberry, Tangy Apple & Blackcurrant and Zingy Lemon & Lime – are sugar free and combine natural fruit flavours with spring water drawn from Scotland’s Ochil Hills, said the supplier.

They are available in 750ml and 1.25l formats retailing at £1.75 and £1.69, respectively.

The nationwide rollout will be supported with a marketing campaign

called Make Your Day Fruitier, where 250,000 samples of the flavours will be delivered via the Highland Spring Flavours Van to shoppers across the UK during a 96-day tour. The campaign will also feature dedicated point-ofsale materials and promotions, social media and field sales support.

Nic Yates, marketing director at Highland Spring, said: “Our nationwide rollout of Highland Spring Flavours, including an activation plan to raise awareness, presents independent retailers and wholesalers across the UK with an opportunity to embrace change and stock up to drive sales.”

Nestlé launches heroic on-pack promo for Superman release

Nestlé cereal brands, DC Studios and Warner Bros have come together for an on-pack promotion to celebrate the new Superman film.

As part of the promotion, shoppers across the UK and Ireland stand to win family holidays to the Six Flags Over Texas theme park in the US. There are also 1,000 cash prizes up for grabs.

The promotion is available on lines including Shreddies, Cheerios, Nesquik, Go Free, Cookie Crisp and Golden Nuggets. Shoppers need to purchase a participating pack, scan the QR code, enter their

unique product code and upload their receipt to enter a draw.

Sarah Fordy, head of marketing for Nestlé Cereals, said: “It’s a pleasure to team up with DC Studios and Warners Bros for our exciting Superman onpack promotion. Through the partner-

ship, Shreddies, Cheerios, Nesquik and other brands will have increased visibility in store while offering shoppers a chance to be part of something fun and exciting this summer.

“Superman offers humour, heart and action, which is a great fit for our cereal brands.”

PRODUCT NEWS

Greek olives from Biona

Make sure you’ve got the right products at the right price on your shelves with Pricewatch, the only price-comparison tool for independent retailers. Free one-year access for RN readers – visit https://hubs.ly/Q02P565P0 to redeem your offer or scan the QR code.

Biona has launched a range of organic Greek olives, which were made available to convenience retailers this month. The new range consists of three different varieties of Greek Queen Olives of the Halkidiki variety, each stuffed with either garlic, pepper or jalapenos, as well as a jar of pitted Kalamata olives in brine. All four varieties are certified organic, with no artificial preservatives or additives.

RRP £3.69

Fruit Shoot launches accessible packs

Fruit Shoot has introduced accessible packaging for visually impaired shoppers. It uses NaviLens codes which when scanned with a mobile phone, allows partially sighted shoppers to see on-pack information easily, have it read out loud and locate the product, among other benefits. The packaging is available on Fruit Shoot multipacks and on Apple & Blackcurrant 275ml single and price-marked packs.

Available now

Ambrosia and Fuel 10K PMPs

Premier Foods has launched price-marked packs (PMPs) for its Ambrosia and Fuel 10K breakfast ranges. The new format will be available across Fuel 10K’s granola and Ambrosia’s porridge pots line-up, including Apple and Blueberry & Golden Syrup (PMP £1.19) and Fuel 10K Granola Chocolate and Super Berry (PMP £2.99). Premier Foods has also partnered with retail app Shopt to support the launch.

Available from Bestway, Unitas, Sugro

Lemon-flavoured Sterling Cigarillo

JTI has unveiled the UK’s first lemon-flavoured cigarillo, aimed at giving retailers another alternative option to meet growing demand for new flavours. Rolling out across wholesale and JTI360, Sterling Dual Capsule Xtra Yellow features a capsule in the filter, which adult smokers can click to release a lemon flavour. The lemon capsule comes in addition to the peppermint capsule, providing more flavour options for consumers.

RRP £6.95

Weetos launches Roblox game

Weetos has launched Weetos World, its first branded gaming experience on Roblox, developed in partnership with Fandom. The game targets 9–12-year-olds. More than one million limitededition Weetos packs are available, featuring a new design and a QR code linking to a dedicated Weetos hub on fandom.com. The campaign also includes weekly prize draws until 31 August, with chances to win consoles and gaming bundles.

Available from Bestway, Unitas

Summer Berries limited-edition launch

Echo Falls has partnered with social-media influencer GK Barry to launch a limited-edition Fruit Fusion Summer Berries fruit wine (ABV 9%). The collaboration is a “strategic move to inject energy and excitement into the fruit-wine category, boost relevance with new audiences and build on Echo Falls’ position as the number-one flavoured wine brand in the UK”, supplier Vinarchy said.

RRP

£5.50 Available from Booker, Morrisons, Co-op

BRAND IN FIVE

Nature just got fruitier

Highland Spring unveils its new Flavours range to help retailers to drive sales in this growing segment

As demand for quality, tasty and healthier drinks grows, Highland Spring is shaking up the £283m 1 still flavoured water category with a new and tasty range that retailers can stock up on now.

The range has already delivered £7.9m 1 in retail sales, with 54% of retail sales value coming from shoppers increasing their total spend within the still flavoured water category 2 since its initial

launch in 2024, making this a must-stock for retailers this summer. Here’s everything you need to know to capitalise on the opportunity it presents.

For more information, retailers can get in touch at enquiries@ highlandspringgroup.com.

They can also order stock through Highland Spring’s distributors, SHS Drinks, by calling 01452 378678 or emailing ordersshs@shs-group.co.uk.

1. What is Highland Spring and why should retailers stock it?

Natural source water brand Highland Spring is taking its new and tasty Flavours range nationwide this summer. There are three options available to stock up on now: juicy Strawberry, tangy Apple & Blackcurrant and zingy Lemon & Lime. All are sugar-free, combining fruity, natural flavours with refreshing Highland Spring water drawn from deep within Scotland’s majestic Ochil Hills. Its already-strong retail performance is a key reason for retailers to stock it.

2. Who is the

target market?

As a new, tasty and enjoyable way for everyone to stay hydrated, Highland Spring Flavours has an incredibly broad target market. Its nationwide rollout is about giving everyone who values great-tasting, healthier drinks the chance to make their day fruitier with a variety of the UK’s favourite flavours and formats available in store. The aim is for people to think flavoured water, think Highland Spring.

3. How will Highland Spring drive trial and repeat purchase?

This summer, Highland Spring will be supporting the nationwide rollout of Flavours by delivering 250,000 samples to shoppers, including city-centre sampling in London, Manchester and Birmingham. ‘Make Your Day Fruitier’ inspires shoppers to try the new fruit flavours, bringing playful disruption to a category that has huge potential, but has lacked brand choice until now. Watch out for dedicated PoS materials, promotions, social media and field sales support to drive awareness.

4. Why should retailers work with Highland Spring?

Highland Spring is part of Highland Spring Group, the leading UK producer of natural source waters, now bottling approximately 550 million litres of water a year. Its core range of products, including Highland Spring Still and Sparkling Waters, remain its bestselling products. Shoppers know and trust the brand because of these products, which provide great-tasting healthy hydration options every day. Being number one in plain water is what prompted the entrance into the flavoured water category, which has experienced encouraging growth of 4.3% (17.3 million litres)1 in the past 12 months.

5. What do retailers need to do to maximise sales?

Diving into category insights and data helps strike the right balance in product lineups. Combining bestselling products like the core Still and Sparkling range, while introducing new lines like Flavours, helps fixtures stay fresh and relevant. On ranging, remember the reliability of top products and formats from well-known, trusted brands such as Highland Spring will help captivate loyal customers and attract new incremental business. Finally, drive excitement with an effective marketing and activation plan overlaying ranging plans. l

PRICEWATCH GIN

£20.79 delivers best weekly profit (£63.52)

£18.49 delivers best weekly revenue (£250.06) and has the best rate of sale

Wholesaler RRP (£16.99) delivers £7.79 profit per week

£55.73 difference between best weekly profit and profit at wholesaler RRP

£3.49 delivers best weekly profit (£24.87) and best weekly revenue (£53.19)

Price with best rate of sale (£2.39) delivers £10.35 profit per week

Wholesaler RRP (£2.79) delivers £9.53 profit per week

£43.66 difference between best weekly profit and profit at wholesaler RRP

£20.56 difference between best weekly profit and profit at wholesaler RRP MAKE £7,166.64 MORE PROFIT PER YEAR: Check data from thousands of

£22.99 delivers best weekly profit (£34.80) and best weekly revenue (£104)

Price with best rate of sale (£17.99) is also wholesaler RRP and delivers £14.24 profit per week

Boost your margins with real-time pricing data across 350 core convenience products, exclusively on Pricewatch – the only price-comparison tool for independent retailers. Free one-year access for RN readers – visit https://hubs.ly/Q02P565P0 to redeem your offer or scan the QR code:

Visit the website betterretailing.com/ pricewatch

Data supplied by InTouch Group, based on sales from nearly 11,000 independent convenience stores

TANQUERAY LONDON DRY

GIN 41.3% 70CL

£29.99 delivers best weekly profit (£22.13)

£21 delivers best weekly revenue (£111.68) and has best rate of sale, delivering £6.50 profit per week

Wholesaler RRP (£24.79) delivers £10.02 profit per week

£12.11 difference between best weekly profit and profit at wholesaler RRP

BOMBAY SAPPHIRE 40% 70CL

£29.99 delivers best weekly profit (£20.29)

£24.49 delivers best weekly revenue (£70.31)

Price with best rate of sale (£20.99) delivers just 3p profit per week

Wholesaler RRP (£27.99) delivers £14.53 profit per week

£5.76 difference between best weekly profit and profit at wholesaler RRP

KNOW MORE, MAKE MORE

Suki

Athwal Shop Around the Clock, Tenterden, Kent

How does your pricing compare?

I predominantly shop at Nisa, but if I see Booker has 20% off, I’ll order in some cases. Our gin has slowed down, at one point we had around 45 gins, but that’s dropped to 30, mainly the mainstream ones. Spirits increases have come from halves and quarters, and new flavoured vodkas. We stock £16.99 price-marked bottles of Gordon’s Dry and Pink 70cl. Our Gordon’s Pink 5cl is currently at £2.60, which is a bit below RRP. It’s not very fastselling, so it may have been sat there for a while.

How do you balance price and margin?

We’ve also got Bombay Sapphire non-price-marked at £27.99 and Tanqueray at £25.99, which is above the RRP. Sometimes it’s a case of getting away with it on faster sellers or lines people aren’t too pricesensitive about to make a bit more margin.

PRICEWATCH

Wholesale checker

Energy drinks are crucial sellers for convenience stores. With some of the most recognisable brands in retail, they are backed by a wide customer demographic and a consistent pipeline of new sellers and promotional activity. To help retailers drive profits, we’ve compared the pricing of top-selling lines across five wholesalers

My main supplier is Booker, from which I order weekly deliveries of energy drinks. For launches, like the recent Lando Norris Monster, I go to Batleys in Swindon because it tends to get them first. I get the odd van-sales visit, reps from new brands such as Barebells and occasional offers from Bestway. I stock loads of energy drinks, so order quite a bit of excess to make sure my stock never runs down.

STORE PROFILE

Jempson’s

Alex Yau finds out how a commitment to local suppliers and customers has helped Jempson’s thrive for nearly 100 years

Last month, multi-site retailer Jempson’s celebrated its 90th anniversary. Over its near-century history, the family business has survived a world war and several major shifts across the independent convenience industry.

Founded by George Thomas Jempson in 1935, the business was taken over by his grandsons Stephen and Andrew in 1995 before being expanded from a single site to eight shops employing nearly 400 employees across the Sussex region. The site of the original store in Peasmarsh now hosts a 35,000sq ft independently-operated supermarket.

It has also since struck a partnership with supermarket chain Mor-

risons, becoming one of the multiple’s first ‘Together with’ shops.

However, despite this, the store hasn’t abandoned its commitment to the local community, which it owes t he majority of its success to.

Stephen explains: “You’ve got to keep close to your customers. I still work across the business six days a week and our top team works a minimum of five days a week.

Part and parcel of the Jempson’s philosophy is we’re very close to our customers. They’re all local people who work in a local community. You hear the good and the bad about the shop from the customers every day.

We don’t want to have an alienated head office.

“When you Google the store, customers are immediately given

details about the store managers. There are pictures of who they are. It’s about maintaining that relationship within the community. There’s a high service environment in each store with staff who are always willing to help. They’ll even say hello to customers in the car park and there’s a warmth when you come into the shops.

“When you work in the community and your family engages with everyone within it regularly, feedback and credibility are really important. It gives me the enthusiasm to drive the retail business forward.”

To see what other stores are doing, go to betterretailing.com/ store-profiles

You’ve got to keep close to your customers

STEPHEN JEMPSON

STORE PROFILE

Image credit: KT Bruce

Let customers sample products

Live demonstrations play a major role in helping Jempson’s encourage customers to spend more on local goods. For example, celebrity chefs James Martin and Jack Stein (son of Rick Stein) have previously held live cooking workshops at the store, with the cooks telling audiences what ingredients they have sourced from the shop to use in their demonstrations. This can include meat from the butchery for a pork chop dish or cakes from the bakery counter used to make a dessert from scratch.

Although most independent retailers cannot enlist the help of renowned chefs to promote what is in their store, there are simpler ways of replicating what Jempson’s has done. For example, retailers can host a beer-tasting night to showcase their store’s range of craft beers to customers, or ask a supplier if reps can come into store and allow shoppers to sample their latest product as part of a tasting session.

Supporting local suppliers

The firm’s Local Heroes initiative is “key to driving business”, according to Jempson. The scheme promotes products from local suppliers and ensures any sales from their products stays within the community. In 2024, the company sold more than £4.5m in local goods and services. Customers are also asked for feedback and recommendations of any local supplier they’d like to see in the store.

Jempson says: “It’s one of our unique selling points and we have a lot of responsibility with it. We’re currently looking at how we can upgrade it.

“We’ve been the main supplier for many local producers for generations. For example, there’s an apple supplier and we started working with them three generations ago. It’s the same with a potato farmer nearby. We’ve been their main supplier for many years.”

Use value to boost spend

Jempson’s offers several multi-buy options in partnership with Morrisons, which include three-for-£5 on strawberries and grapes. The store has similar value pricing on other Morrisons own-label products, such as poultry, meat and ready meals.

However, rather than push customers away from the store’s existing range, the supermarket brand has complemented it instead. The range is merchandised in a manner that encourages customers to explore the shop further. For example, when looking at Morrisons fruit, customers can spot certain drinks lines nearby, which pair well with the category.

Similarly, the supermarket’s poultry is placed near products that can be added as part of a recipe for a home-cooked meal.

“We were and still are pretty good at these ranges, but the partnership with Morrisons has helped us expand the range,” Stephen Jempson explains.

Maintaining staff

Despite the large staff count, Jempson says keeping a close relationship with employees has enabled it to maintain loyalty across the business.

He says: “I visit our stores in person on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, and then we have conference calls into our main Peasmarsh stores twice a week. We also have an internal forum where everyone speaks to each other.

“You can have all the meetings in the world, but staff love it when I go in and speak to them. They value this face-to-face relationship. You’ve got a lot of younger staff members coming in and suggesting communication through methods such as WhatsApp, but I believe the best approach is basic human interaction.

“We also operate a bonus system, which is decided from our end of year in June. However, they have to stay on until February to qualify and this is a good way of ensuring staff retention.” l

UPSELLING GUIDE

How to get each customer to spend more

Retailers talk to Shyama Laxman about what upselling entails and the categories that work

“Upselling gets confused sometimes in convenience – that upselling is just on one sale,” says Christine Hope, of Hopes of Longtown in Gloucestershire. “Upselling is selling more potentially the next time they’re in as well.”

D uring peak tourist season and Christmas, alcohol sales in Hope’s store increase by £200-£500 because of upselling. She swears by the category’s appeal for this sales approach. Hope says alcohol has remarkable success when it comes to upselling, especially if there is a local variety on offer. She has more than 30 local gins and liqueurs, including brands such as Black Mountains Botanicals, Brecon, Gun

You’ve got to pitch the right product at the right time

Dog and Rockfield.

“You’ve got to pitch the right product at the right time,” says Hope. “By asking the right questions, you don’t just sell the product, you sell the service as well.”

Equally, upselling for Hope also entails going that extra mile for her customers, like helping them carry heavy shopping to their cars.

A s such, upselling is an amalgamation of product, service and experience which, if executed properly, keeps customers engaged with a store.

UPSELLING AS PRODUCT-LED Joshua James, of Fresh & Proper in Fordham, Cambridgeshire, emphasises the value of upselling at the

checkout.

“With upselling, you have to be quick about what people would be fancying right now,” says James, adding that trending products and product launches placed at the till –as well as multi-sited elsewhere in the store – find favour over repeated displays of the same lines.

While impulse products lend themselves to upselling, Avtar Sidhu, from St John’s Budgens in Kenilworth, Warkwickshire, does something off kilter by placing fruit and packaged nuts near the till, offering customers a healthier option in addition to their “naughtier treat”. He notes that fruit and nuts sales have doubled since he started dual-siting.

In addition to impulse lines, James is focused on upselling fresh seasonal produce, which comprises 10% of his business. Currently, he’s finding traction with British strawberries, which he places towards the front of the store on a dedicated table.

“The look of it will sell itself,” explains James, who sells between 30 and 50 punnets a day at £4.95 each.

James also says customers are willing to trade up when it comes to chilled items if they are grouped strategically. He cautions this might not work all year around, but for retailers looking to capitalise on barbecue season, for example, placing high-margin beers next to steak can encourage additional purchase.

He also offers frozen alternatives

UPSELLING GUIDE

to chilled goods to combat wastage and drive better margins. After installing new freezers in March, sales of James’ frozen goods have gone up by 18%, especially as he offers multi-buy deals on these products.

The meal deal is another area ripe for trading up, James says, adding that customers end up buying an additional drink or snack. Priced at £3.99, he sells 250-300 meal deals a week. James’ average basket spend is £10, sometimes going up to £14.

from a brand called Living Things, as well as a changing selection of craft beers from local breweries such as The Kernel and Pressure Drop to keep his range fresh and encourage repeat custom.

DO HIGHER-PRICED ITEMS OFFER BETTER REVENUE?

Kirti Patel, Londis Ferme Park Road, Stroud Green, north London

It depends on the rate of sale. If you are selling four units of the standard item and only two of the premium items, at double the price, you might lose customers. You can’t just offer premium. You must keep a mid range and a low range as well. Customers might think you’re too expensive because you’re not selling a value brand. You must have the perception of value as well.

Premium is hugely important – our role is to give the choice to our consumers

“We do quite a few meal deals. But that’s not bringing down our average basket because customers are also purchasing enough to get it up to £10,” he explains.

A CASE FOR PREMIUMISATION

Kirti Patel, of Londis Ferme Park Road in Stroud Green, north London, says premiumisation won’t work for all retailers. It’s influenced by location, as affluent areas have more takers for premium lines.

Patel offers healthy ready meals from a brand called Fiid. Priced at £2.99 a unit, he sells about 150 a week at 33% margin. In-store sampling as well as prominent displays, highlighting the brand’s lowcarb, high-protein and high-fibre credentials, help boost sales, says Patel. He also offers meals from Leon and Merchant Gourmet, as well as speciality cheeses from Rowcliffe on two-for-one promotions.

Patel also stocks prebiotic sodas

However, location notwithstanding, those retailers looking to offer premium solutions can start by stocking local products as they add a point of difference to one’s store. James sources premium baked goods such as flapjacks and bread rolls from the local Boswell & Son Bakery. Currently, he takes around £700 a week in sales at 45% margin and hopes to increase this to £1,500.

“Premiumisation is hugely important. Our role is to give the choice to our consumers,” says Sidhu, who offers Italian cannoli, sourced from a specialist UK supplier. Pricing them at at £2.50 a unit, Sidhu takes around £250 a week from this alone.

Sidhu also offers a range of premium wines from Laithwaites Wine. He buys them at a set price and can opt for single units or a full case.

“I have a whole bay with about 30 different lines. Every six months, we’ll have a range review,” says Sidhu. Retailing between £10 and £50, the wines give him 30% margin.

SERVICE AND STORE ATMOSPHERICS

Multi-site Premier and Budgens retailer Jeyaseelan Thambirajah notes sales were down by 5% this year compared to last, across his 20

UPSELLING CHECKLIST

l Location: On the till, promotional bays, non-traditional locations like a dedicated section towards the front of the store.

l What to say: Can I help you? Have you found everything you need? Offer suggestions depending on time and queue at checkout.

l Categories that work: Alcohol, chilled food, impulse, local offerings.

l Stock: New and trending products.

l Display: Premium lines at eye level.

l Promotions: Offer multibuy on lines you want to upsell.

stores. In partnership with Booker, and with around £1m-worth in investment, Thambirajah’s approach to upselling is now focused on raising store standards by introducing new refrigeration units, offering an array of fresh and unique products – merchandised with clear pricing displays – as well as targeted promotions.

At the time of speaking to RN, seven out of the 20 stores had undergone a refresh. That, combined with offering premium goods in stores located in affluent areas, resulted in a 7% sales uplift across the board this quarter, according to Thambirajah.

He’s also in the process of offering delivery via Booker’s home delivery service, Scoot, and is in talks with his EPoS team to set up a loyalty scheme for his customers, redeemable in store on products other than spirits, vapes and cigarettes. Thambirajah hopes to launch both services before September this year.

Earlier this year, RN’s wesbite, Better Retailing, reported on the launch of Thambirajah’s 20th outlet, a concept store located in the city centre in Sheffield. Equipped with a vape cave, beer cave, 20 metres of soft drinks chillers and food-to-go options, the store attracts a mixed bag of shoppers including students and office workers. Since launching, Thambirajah takes up to £30,000 in weekly sales.

While a high-concept store might not be within everyone’s

reach, all retailers can ensure their store atmospherics are optimised to enhance customer journey and increase spending.

“We’re trying to capitalise on shelf space,” says James, explaining that he’s added dividers in the aisles to categorise the areas. From groceries and food to go, to household items like laundry detergent, James’ store caters to both trolley and basket shoppers.

James says ensuring products are clearly laid out and the bestsellers aren’t hidden has helped drive sales. Reducing confectionery facings and replacing them with varied products, such as meat, condiments and frozen vegetables, ensures his store can fulfil diverse shopping needs.

“We have electronic shelf labels,” says James, adding that the neutral colours in store help emphasise the messaging on the labels. While he does rely on point-of-sale (PoS) to highlight in-store deals, James says retailers shouldn’t be scared to “break free from their planograms” to position products differently if it leads to smoother customer experience.

“I don’t mind them hunting around the store, but when they’re hunting on the shelf as well, that doesn’t make any sense. Just by shifting the products, we made it easier for the customer to understand the deal, and we subsequently sold more,” he says, adding that he

would remove lines from shelves if they weren’t part of a deal.

Hope does theme-based monthly displays. For July, things like suncream, water, maps, snacks and cutlery are part of the display, encouraging additional purchase.

We’re trying to capitalise on shelf space

“The theme for July will be ‘jaunty’ because people are going on lots of walks,” she says. Hope says her store’s USP when it comes to upselling is “conversation”, not a hard sell, but one that’s steeped in making recommendations, listening to customer feedback and topping the service provided. “We are creating an experience, so they come back,” she says. l

CATEGORY ADVICE

Summer’s hottest opportunity: Terea

Become a destination c-store for summer travel stock-ups and boost your smoke-free sales

With an increasing number of adult smokers switching from cigarettes in favour of Iqos Iluma1, there has never been a better time to ensure you’re stocking Terea – the heated tobacco sticks used with the Iqos device. Particularly, with menthol and aromatic flavours unavailable in some European Union holiday destinations, you can benefit from consumers looking to grab their favourite flavours before their summer travel.

Offering the full Terea range not only meets a growing need for variety, but also opens the door to attracting legal-aged smokers looking to purchase Iqos Iluma and explore the full flavour range.

MEET EVERY TASTE AND PREFERENCE

Designed specifically for use with Iqos Iluma – the world’s numberone heated tobacco device 2 – Terea heated tobacco sticks use Smartcore induction technology to heat tobacco from within without burning it. Therefore, Iqos emits 95% less harmful chemicals compared with cigarettes3.

The Terea range offers 16 different tobacco blends, from classic and menthol to more aromatic varieties. The most recent launch is Terea Silver – a toasted tobacco blend gently refined with light aroma notes of spicy herbs. The launch of Terea Silver directly responds to consumer demand for smoother tobacco blends.

It’s designed to cater to adult users who prefer smooth yet satisfying flavours, complementing established flavours such as Amber, Sienna and Russet. With Terea Silver, retailers can offer more variety to adult nicotine users who are looking for real tobacco taste.

CONSUMER DEMAND FOR FLAVOUR

Helping retailers offer even more choice, the Terea range also includes six innovative, capsule-based Terea Pearls flavours4. These feature a built-in flavour capsule that adult users can activate with a ‘click’ for a taste transformation – ideal for those looking for something new or tailored.

The range, which includes popular flavours such as Watermelon,

With the Terea range, retailers can position themselves at the forefront of this fastmoving category

Green Apple and Blueberry with Menthol, supports in fulfilling the demand for flavour.

In fact, early sales data shows that nearly one-in-five Terea packs sold in a top-four grocery multiple within the first three months were Pearls5, underlining strong consumer demand.

With Pearls and Silver expanding the flavour portfolio, retailers can give adult users more compelling reasons to switch to heated tobacco.

HELP YOUR CUSTOMERS SWITCH

Backed by more than $14bn (£10.25bn) in research and development since 2008, PMI’s global portfolio of smoke-free products has reached more than 95 markets and is used by an estimated 38.6 million adults6.

Retailers are encouraged to sign up to Heatwave Open, Philip Morris’ digital trade engagement platform, to receive offers, updates and information on how to stock PMI’s smoke-free portfolio. Retailers interested should contact the Heatwave Open Support Team on 0333 320 0777 or email heetwave@iqos.co.uk. l

INTRODUCTION

One month on from the disposable-vapes ban, the category is still hitting the headlines, whether it’s for stores still not complying with the legislation or overall sales falling. But as shoppers better understand the legal options available to them, things will become easier, and hopefully more profitable, for retailers.

YOUTH ACCESS PREVENTION

It’s crucial as a retailer that you have stringent processes in place to ensure you and your team don’t serve next-gen nicotine products to underage customers. Ideally, you should follow a Challenge 25 policy. This can often be a source of conflict among customers. Follow these tips to help challenge underage sales calmly.

1. Get on top of potential underage sales attempts quickly. If you see a youth or group of youths interested in your next-gen range, offer assistance to ensure they know you are aware of them. This will often deter an attempt to buy products if they are under 18.

2. Make sure they know it’s not personal. When asking for proof of age, make it clear that it isn’t personal, but your legal duty as a responsible retailer.

3. Stay calm and professional. Explain which forms of identification are valid. Make it clear if they can return with valid ID, you will sell them the product.

4. Put safety first. If a customer becomes aggressive and your staff fear for their safety, they should try to remove themselves from the situation, asking a member of management or fellow employee for assistance. Get staff to a safe place and notify the police if the situation spirals.

UK Vaping Industry Association

Retailers must speak up to help shape regulatory change

John Dunne Director general, UKVIA

It is a month since single-use vapes were banned and it seems that things are not going exactly as the government planned.

Surveys have already highlighted that many vapers are willing to switch back to smoking or seek out illegal black-market vapes due to the change.

Meanwhile, the legitimate retail sector, which obeys the law, pays the price in lost revenue.

There is growing evidence that illegal operators are undercutting the legal retail sector by selling unregulated, disposable vapes, often through informal outlets, and we have received several reports of this on our ‘Be Vape Vigilant’ platform.

Sadly, this reform is just the tip of the iceberg as the Tobacco and Vapes Bill and new vape duties are coming down the line. These two measures could potentially have a far more devastating effect on the retail trade.

We desperately need to change the vaping mindset so that key stakeholders in the vaping sphere reexamine their approach to ensure that vaping fulfils its potential to help the UK’s six million remaining smokers to quit.

We need smokers, policymakers, health professionals, regulators, consumers, retailers and the wider vape industry to come together to make sure the new regulatory framework works to help smokers quit, promotes legal products and clamps down hard on those who sell illegal or illicit products.

‘The Way Forward – Changing the Vaping Mindset’ is also the theme of the UKVIA’s annual Forum, which takes place on 26 November at the London Marriott Hotel in Regent’s Park.

We always have good support from the retail sector and, with so much at stake, I urge retailers up and down the country to be sure to attend this year and make your voices heard.

In a first for this year, we have launched Forum Feed, a dedicated digital hub to explore the Forum agenda, meet the speakers, get exclusive updates, book tickets and more. Find all of this by visiting ukvia-forumfeed.co.uk.

‘Radical change needed’, says UKVIA

by Louise Banham louise.banham@newtrade.co.uk

The UK Vaping Industry Association (UKVIA) is calling for a “radical change in thinking” to ensure the vape market to achieve its goal of a smoke-free society.

The trade body will hold its annual Industry Forum event on 26 November at the Marriott Hotel in Regent’s Park, London. It comes as the government approaches a decision on the Tobacco and Vapes Bill.

The conference will tackle policy reform and the evolving product landscape, as well as running a new product

showcase.

“This year’s Forum comes at a defining moment – perhaps the most important yet for the future of vaping,” said John Dunne, UKVIA director general. “It also comes as millions of adults continue to smoke and the narrative around vaping remains clouded by fear and misinformation.

PRODUCT NEWS

AEQ Pro Tech

The AEQ Pro Tech is a new flagship device from vape manufacturer AEQ. The device, which is targeted at novice and experienced users, offers an affordable alternative in the refillable vape category. The device includes a 10ml e-liquid, and comes in four colours: Black, Brown, Neon Blue and Neon Pink.

RRP: £24.99

Welsh

store

in hot water over vapes displayed with sweets

A convenience store in Caerphilly is under investigation after it was reported to the authorities for placing vape starter kits next to children’s sweets.

“If we truly want to achieve a smoke-free future, a fundamental mindset shift is needed – not just from smokers, but from policymakers, health professionals, regulators and the industry alike – so we can replace stigma with science, confusion with clarity and opposition with opportunity.”

The store was initially called out in an anonymous post on a local community group, in which the group member said: “Exchange store selling starter vape kits on children’s sweet shelves.”

The local council confirmed that trading standards is investigating the store.

However, the shop’s owners claim the starter kits were acciden-

Elfbar and Lost Mary guide

This free guide from Elfbar and Lost Mary is aimed at retailers looking to address FAQs from shoppers about reusable vape devices. Offering support on compliance advice and education, it includes answers to questions about set up, recharging, replacing pods and flavours.

Available from: elfbar.co.uk/media/ reusable_alternatives_to_disposables.pdf

tally placed next to the sweets while carrying out work on the store.

A spokesperson for the business told the South Wales Argus: “We had a refurbishment in shop, so we are still trying to put stuff in the right places.”

IVG 2400 Reload

4-in-1

IVG 2400 has switched to a fully rechargeable system, compatible with new IVG 2400 Reload pods.

The pod packs feature four different pods, enabling users to explore a variety of flavours.

The top sellers are in up to 8.2% of shops, with each delivering between 1.6 to two units sold per stockist per week.

Retailer strategies to sell heated tobacco

Tamara Birch talks to retailers about how heated-tobacco sales are changing following the disposable-vapes ban

Iqos Iluma and Terea remain the key heatedtobacco products to stock, with the category acting as a bridge for tobacco smokers to give up entirely and experiment with different flavours, as evidenced by Kay Patel, owner of multiple stores in London.

“We have stocked Iqos from the very beginning and we have all 16 varieties, but our customer favourites change regularly,” he says.

Patel adds that customer decisions on his most-popular flavours are largely led by social influences. “Someone will be in a pub with their friends, see they’re using a flavour they haven’t tried and then they’ll go and buy a pack,” he says. “It’s also different for every area.”

A s a result, Patel says the key not only to achieving high sales, but also to securing repeat custom, is stocking a full range and maintaining availability.

“Not everyone stocks heated tobacco, therefore it’s our responsibility to stock the full range and ensure we never run out,” he says.

Jeet Bansi, owner of Londis Meon Vale in Stratford-uponAvon, Warwickshire, echoes this and recommends keeping an eye on the main flavours for the shop’s demographic as well as keeping plenty of stock to avoid customers going elsewhere.

“Our main flavour is Tobacco, as customers want a similar flavour to smoking, but Terea Mauve is a good seller, too,” he explains.

Keep more than you need to avoid customers going elsewhere

vanced from JTI. Patel stocks it, but says it’s not as big a seller as Iqos.

“It’s hard to say why, but it could be a distribution issue,” he says. “Not many retailers stock the device or sticks, so it’s hard to drive repeat purchases, but we see it growing.”

WHO’S BUYING

HEATED TOBACCO?

The market for heated tobacco is typically those looking to quit smoking, which is the main reason Patel’s customers move on to the product.

“Heated-tobacco targets smokers, as the category falls between cigarettes and vapes,” he explains. “Heated-tobacco customers want the taste and sensation of cigarettes rather than fruit flavours.”

However, he adds that in recent years, some Iqos lines have been launched that are fruit-flavoured. “A challenge within this, though,

is customers don’t necessarily know the flavour until after they’ve bought it, which can hinder future sales if they don’t like it.”

In fact, Patel says that some customers don’t like heated tobacco on the first try, so he has his team advise customers to try again, as it can take some getting used to.

For Bansi, his customer demographic for heated tobacco is slowly changing since the disposable-vapes ban came into effect on 1 June. “The impact has been positive so far and we’re seeing some disposable-vape customers try heated tobacco for the first time, instead of moving to other categories,” he says.

“We saw people buy devices after we did an in-store activation shortly after the ban, and they’ve also come back for the sticks we stock.”

He adds that, as a result, he’s had to expand his range already and said that sales have accelerated since the ban.

THREE TIPS TO SELL MORE HEATED TOBACCO

l Know what brands are on offer

Heated tobacco is dominated by Iqos Iluma and Ploom X Advanced. JTI UK and PMI have invested significantly in their devices, with both designed to be cost-effective and long-lasting. Alongside the devices are the tobacco sticks. For Iqos Iluma, this is Terea, which comes in 16 different flavours.

l Train your staff

Heated tobacco can be complicated for customers to get used to, which is also a barrier to adoption. Training your staff to know and understand each device can help. Take advantage of supplier websites or run educational days using supplier reps, and make sure they know about any new products.

l Understand your heated tobacco demographic Heated-tobacco customers tend to be looking to quit smoking. The key to selling more devices and securing follow-up purchases of the sticks is ensuring retailers are patient with their customers looking to try something new Retailers need to show their smoker customers the devices and refills, and ensure the products are always available to avoid losing repeat custom.

FEATURE

People bought devices after we did an in-store activation

He also says that having a relationship with your supplier or rep is vital for education and driving sales.

HOW TO COMMUNICATE THE KEY SELLING POINTS

Cost savings are important to consumers, as well as signs the category as a whole is helping them to give up smoking.

Bansi adds that ease of use is a positive attribute for heated tobacco that works for customers and retailers. “You can buy heated tobacco in most stores in our local demographic and it’s a convenient product for smokers,” he says.

He adds that retailers should recommend customers buy their replacements straight away, especially if heated tobacco isn’t sold in every store nearby.

Communicating the selling points of heated tobacco will help drive adoption, and this is where your staff can help.

If you’re new to the category, training sessions will be vital to bring your team’s knowledge up to scratch and build their confidence.

Patel did this when he first

started stocking heated tobacco and says now, there’s little need for refresher sessions. Supplier websites should be your first port of call when building a training session for your team.

From here, you can run group sessions or, if you can’t do it outside store hours, consider running multiple sessions for smaller groups. Alternatively, train a category champion who feels comfortable instructing others.

Within your sessions, focus on which brands are on offer, what devices you’ll stock and the flavour sticks compatible. Unlike vapes and e-liquids, you can’t mix and match.

For your customers, run instore demonstrations. Bansi says: “We have an in-store tester for Iqos and we have a good relationship with them, which helps with execution.

“They will show our customers the device and they do it in a way that’s very personable, without being pushy.”

He says that if you are pushy with customers on heated tobacco, it can hinder sales rather than grow them.

2025 PRODUCT LAUNCHES

l Terea Silver

In April, Philip Morris International expanded its Terea heated tobacco sticks range with the launch of Terea Silver across grocery, convenience and wholesale channels. Terea Silver is exclusive for use with the Iqos Iluma device and offers a balanced, toasted tobacco blend, gently refined with light aroma notes of spicy herbs. The addition brings the range to 16 different varieties.

He also recommends having PoS and ensuring your heated tobacco products are clearly displayed so customers notice them.

WHAT ARE THE CHALLENGES WITH HEATED TOBACCO?

Patel says the price difference can be challenging from a business perspective, as this often means lower cash margins.

“We stock heated tobacco at RRP because everyone else does and we need to remain competitive,” he explains.

“It’s also my only tobacco product sold at RRP. You need to look at your cash margin.

“We make around £1.50 on cigarettes, for example, but with

heated tobacco, it’s about half that because the RRP is half, so we’re shooting ourselves in the foot on that front.”

However, he says that from a responsible-retailing perspective, heated tobacco is a good category to have. “Approach it responsibly by doing your research, but make sure to have that availability to make up for what you could lose on tobacco sales,” he adds. l

BRAND IN FIVE

Bold flavours for a growing category

Swedish-made FUMI offers independent retailers nine bold flavours and growing consumer demand in the rapidly expanding category

The nicotine pouch category is experiencing unprecedented growth, and FUMI is perfectly positioned to help independent retailers capitalise on this opportunity.

With nine bold flavours and multiple nicotine strengths, FUMI delivers quick flavour release and long-lasting taste experiences in slim, premium pouches that consumers love.

But FUMI isn’t just another product – it’s a carefully crafted brand that carves out space in a

crowded market. In a world that tells consumers who to be, FUMI believes in curiosity over convention, creating ‘A Space to be Exploring’.

For retailers, this translates to premium opportunities, and a curated range that caters to every flavour and strength preference.

Swedish-made quality meets bold innovation, making FUMI the perfect addition to your nicotine pouch assortment, and a brand that drives both customer satisfaction and business growth.

1. What is FUMI and why should retailers stock

it?

FUMI is a premium Swedish-made nicotine pouch brand offering nine bold flavours with multiple nicotine strengths. Each slim pouch delivers quick flavour release and long-lasting taste experiences.

Retailers should stock FUMI because it combines a range of strengths and flavours with growing consumer demand. The brand’s premium positioning and carefully curated range cater to your customers’ preferences.

2. Who is the target market?

FUMI targets discerning consumers who value premium experiences and bold flavours. These customers choose nicotine pouches for discretion during travel, work and leisure activities.

The primary demographic includes adults seeking alternatives to traditional tobacco products, prioritising quality and taste innovation.

3. How can retailers maximise FUMI’s potential?

Smart secondary siting is crucial for success with FUMI. Till-point positioning has proved to increase impulse sales significantly.

Implement impactful PoS using FUMI’s supplier materials to drive awareness and influence purchase decisions.

Position core flavours such as Freezy Mint at eye level, while using premium packaging in secondary locations for maximum impact.

4. What support does FUMI provide retailers?

FUMI provides comprehensive retailer support to maximise category success. The FUMI field team helps educate retailers through in-store visits, providing hands-on assistance with merchandising, education and PoS placement to ensure optimal performance.

This includes supplier-provided PoS materials designed to drive awareness and create interest, helping implement impactful displays that influence purchase decisions. The brand offers merchandising guidance based on proven strategies, helping optimise placement and ranging decisions.

Additionally, FUMI provides category insights and trend analysis to help retailers stay ahead of market developments.

5. Why should retailers choose FUMI as their nicotine-pouch partner?

FUMI delivers premium quality and consumer appeal that independent retailers need. Swedish-made quality ensures consistency and reliability, while nine bold flavours cater to diverse customer preferences.

The brand’s philosophy of creating ‘A Space to be Exploring’ resonates with consumers seeking authentic experiences, driving loyalty and repeat purchases. Strong cash margins boost your business profitability, while carefully curated ranging simplifies stock management. l

This product contains nicotine, which is a highly addictive substance

DRS

Everything you need to know

Though

about the

DRS

it’s still more than two years away, the DRS will have a significant impact on retailers. Experts and retailers tell Jasper Hart what you need to know to be prepared

After several years of delays, a Deposit Return Scheme (DRS) looks set to go live in England, Scotland and Northern Ireland in October 2027, overseen by the UK Deposit Management Organisation (UK DMO).

Wales is designing its own scheme, to launch at an as-yet unconfirmed date afterwards. While this may seem far off, it is meant to greatly reduce the number of singleuse containers that are currently not being recycled, and will have an

undeniable impact on consumers, retailers and manufacturers.

Under the scheme, consumers will pay a refundable deposit for single-use drinks containers made from aluminium, steel or PET with a capacity between 150ml and 3l.

They can return these containers to a retailer to claim back their deposit. Retailers receive handling fees and have to store the returned containers for collection.

Stores can manually take returns over the counter, but a common

1. FACTS UNDERPINNING THE SCHEME

The DRS has an ecological aim with a strong precedent in countries where it is already in effect.

“Every year, UK consumers purchase an estimated 31 billion single-use drinks containers, and the average recycling rate is currently 70-75%,” says Travis Way, EcoVend’s managing director.

“This means that 7.7-9.3 billion containers are either being sent to landfill, energy recovery, or worse still they are being littered. By encouraging the return

of empty containers, which can be re-used and recycled back into the economy, the scheme has the potential to help tackle one of the greatest structural challenges in our economy.”

European countries with DRSs have recorded significant reductions in drinks containers as part of collected litter.

In Norway, this has happened to such an extent that only one in eight bottles washed up on the Norwegian coastline are Norwegian.

2. WALES IS OPERATING A SEPARATE SCHEME

At the time of writing, the Welsh government is committed to operating its own DRS despite backlash from trade associations, with no current projected start date and the intention to include glass containers. This raises issues for multi-site retailers, as well as those operating near the Welsh border.

“For retailers, especially those with operations across different parts of the UK, the key issue will be interoperability – how product labelling, deposit amounts and the handling of glass will differ between Wales and the rest of the UK,” says Steve Gough, chief executive at Valpak.

“At this stage, it is not yet clear if different labels will be required for aluminium and PET drinks sold in Wales, or if Wales will be treated as part of the wider UK DRS.

“Businesses – especially those operating across different parts of the UK – will need to stay abreast of any developments to avoid compliance issues.”

solution for accepting and processing these containers is a reverse vending machine (RVM), housed in store where customers can easily access it, but manual storage is also an option.

“With successful examples of DRS in countries like Germany, Sweden and the Republic of Ireland, they are a common-sense way to encourage us all to recycle our drinks containers,” says Stephen Stothard, a reverse vending machine expert.

It’s a great opportunity

3. EXTRA COSTS

Kaual Patel, of Nisa Torridon Convenience in south London, is planning to launch a trial DRS in the coming months to help get his customers used to the idea of a DRS, but warns about the potential costs for retailers beyond simply buying and installing a machine.

“We’re also liable for the cost of the bags [inside the machine], which can hold 150 units, although this can fluctuate depending on the size of the containers people deposit,” he says. “We also need rolls for the receipt printers and there’s a maintenance contract on top, which could be £200 plus VAT per year.”

4. EXEMPTIONS

As it stands, the DRS may seem unviable for some UK convenience retailers. However, retailers in urban areas are exempt from hosting a return point (either through an RVM or manually) if they have a retail space of under 100sq m (1,076sq ft).

Stores can also apply for an exemption if it’s not possible or easy to host a return point due to location, layout or size, or proximity to another return point. The latter may be fairly easy as hospitality

Mo Razzaq has carried out self-funded DRS trials

venues, schools, community centres and other buildings can also apply to be hosts.

However, Mo Razzaq of Premier Mo’s in Blantyre, Lanarkshire, urges retailers to consider the potential loss of revenue from an exemption. “The lesson we learned from Ireland’s DRS was that if you don’t have a machine, you’re going to lose footfall because customers are going elsewhere,” he says.

“RVM companies have told us the

The DMO is developing its operational framework

multiples have already ordered machines. They want to be sure that as soon as it’s up and running, they’re ready, because there’s a financial opportunity.”

Razzaq has already conducted self-funded DRS trials in his store. His most recent one had more than £2,000 redeemed by customers in his store and a further £4,600 donated to local charities. Hosting an RVM could lead to significant footfall increases for savvy stores.

5. APPROVED MACHINES

While Razzaq and Patel are aiming to establish how the DRS might best function once it is a legal requirement, Stothard says only certain machines will meet the UK DMO’s criteria. “The DMO will publish a technical specification document for automated return points,” he says. “Only RVMs that are approved by the DMO will be allowed to work in the scheme.

“I recommend that convenience store owners wait until the list of approved RVM suppliers is published on the DMO website before acquiring a machine.

“Alternatively, they could ensure the machines are currently used in other existing DRSs, otherwise they may buy a machine that cannot work in the UK scheme.”

If you don’t have a machine, you’ll lose footfall

6. BEING PREPARED

Right now, there is scope for retailers to begin trialling their own DRSs, should they have the means to do so. “We’re going to press ahead, regardless of whether it’s law or not,” says Patel.

“It’s inevitable. I want to be the trailblazer, and I believe it’s a great opportunity to capture an audience before everybody else.”

That said, in Stothard’s eyes, many details are yet to be established, to say nothing of consumer awareness of the scheme.

He says the best thing most stores can do is pay attention to the UK DMO as well as trade associations: “At this stage, retailers do not need to do anything, as the newly formed DMO are currently developing their operational blueprint on how the scheme will operate.” l

WIC 2025

Women in Convenience 2025

Dia Stronach and Jasper Hart report on the key lessons from this year’s Women in Convenience event on the path to empowerment

For the fourth annual Women in Convenience event, the focus was on how female retailers and members of key suppliers in the convenience channel have empowered themselves and their teams.

The event, in Coventry on 25 June, was the largest yet. Attendees were treated to panel discussions with

members of the Women in Convenience initiative, talks by supplier partners, networking sessions, inspiring speakers from industry and a workshop on identifying conscious and unconscious bias.

Here, the RN team has put together the key lessons from the event that you can apply to your business.

PANEL: The path to business and personal empowerment

Louise Banham, Newtrade Media’s editor-in-chief, led a panel of top female retailers and suppliers discussing how they have felt empowered to achieve personal and business growth

Retailers Amy Sohal, from Premier Ken’s Convenience in Winsford, Cheshire, and Dalal Al-Bazz, from Stannington Road Post Office in Sheffield, joined Central Co-op chief executive and the day’s keynote speaker, Debbie Robinson, JTI UK’s sales capability manager, Julia Glanville, and BAT UK’s trade marketing visibility manager, Louise Marcon, for the panel session.

The panelists discussed key sources of empowerment in their careers so far, with a variety of responses ranging from parents, early professional mentors and other female convenience retailers to childhood hardships and setbacks, and the way they chose to respond to them.

“I’ve taken every knock back as a chance to make myself stronger,”

Every knock

back is a

chance to grow stronger

said Robinson. “There’s a saying, ‘you have to see it to be it’, but I think if you wait to see it, you wait too long. I ask you to be the one who steps up to ‘be it’ and be the one that others look towards.”

In discussing common barriers that women face in the industry, a shared theme among the retail panellists was navigating ingrained biases against the idea of female leadership in store.

“A couple of months ago, a rep came in asking to speak to the boss,”

said Sohal. “I asked him to leave because he walked in, saw a woman, and asked her if he could speak to the boss.”

“There are sometimes double standards that occur,” added AlBazz. “If a gentleman is assertive, that’s considered positive; if a woman is assertive, that’s considered being bossy. My sister [Miriam, who helps run the shop] and I have had to develop thick skin and not let that obvious unconscious bias affect us, because I don’t think people

FOR ADULT NICOTINE CONSUMER ONLY. This product is not risk-free and contains nicotine, which is addictive. You should not use this product if you do not already use nicotine.

Ultra.

WIC 2025

realise that they’re treating you any differently than they would treat your male counterpart, but you start to notice it.”

Al-Bazz stressed the need to “kill with kindness” in these situations, which has led to customers apologising and subsequently building up a rapport with her and Miriam.

She also stressed the importance of independent retailers being just that – independent shops that reflect the makeup and needs of their communities. Part of this comes through working with independent local businesses and stocking their products, but retailers need to work on building a rapport with these suppliers, as the relationships can be far more personal than those with major wholesalers.

“The biggest thing we’ve been working on has been listening to our customers, who are very

community-driven,” she said.

“They’ve got a lot of local pride. We’ve almost become a gift shop at this point from bringing in local products. We get people coming in with parcels who are delivering products, we ask what they are and if they want to bring them in to see if it will sell.

“Now we’ve got so many local or Sheffield-based products, and people are really responding to that. It makes them happy seeing them, to the point where they’ll not go to town because they know they can come to us to buy them.”

The conversation also turned to dealing with negative connotations that come with empowerment, such as the aforementioned bossiness.

“I’d be lying if I said there haven’t been days when I haven’t ended the day in tears,” said Al-Bazz. “Sometimes, there are days when it gets to

KEYNOTE SPEAKER: Debbie Robinson

Sharing her experiences as a woman in the industry, Robinson talked about the way opinions of women in the workforce have changed over time, and how those changes have affected her personally.

One of the key themes she brought out was the need to respect women’s privacy and autonomy at work, to protect women from being pigeonholed as mothers, wives and household figures temporarily occupying a working role.

She shared examples of when failing to do this has affected her personally.

She highlighted the relationships she has built with other women in her 40 years in the convenience industry, and told the room how inspired she was by the stories of the people there.

Addressing retailers, she explained: “You have risked your livelihoods to set up businesses, to run shops, to serve communities. When there are challenges, it doesn’t mean you might lose your job. It means you might lose everything. You’re braver than I am for the decisions you have made and for the commitments you have made to the communities you serve.”

Robinson also talked about the role that community and diversity initiatives have at Central Co-op and how central they are to her ethos as a chief executive.

She ended by calling on everyone in the audience, including male allies, to “have an open mind, open spirit and an open heart”, saying: “If we have that, we will rise up and we will fulfill our potential.”

me, but it’s about reflecting on what happened.”

Direct confrontations with customers are inevitable on stressful days, but as long as you take the time to digest the interaction and learn from it, you can turn it into a positive experience.

Meanwhile, Glanville demonstrated an example of the direct influence that Women in Convenience is having on the channel with the success of JTI’s inaugural Give Her Engagement event, which took place in September 2024. The event was a direct result of feedback from last year’s Women in Convenience event.

Marcon also commented on the need for women to mark and celebrate their successes, as there is a tendency for them to downplay them or treat them as part of their job.

“It’s really important,” she said. “Your brain naturally goes to failures, so celebrating success makes people feel good about themselves and gives them confidence.

“We have a platform where we celebrate successes with retailers. Where we’ve done something great together on a partnership, we celebrate to give them confidence in developing their business.”

A crucial part of empowerment is the ability to empower others, which gives you a reputation as an authority figure and a leader.

“You have to educate people to think that they’re very capable of making their own decisions, and trust is a massive part of that,” said Glanville. “If a woman can straighten another woman’s crown, then that’s amazing,” added Sohal.

JTI UK is proud to support WOMEN IN CONVENIENCE 2025

Here at JTI UK, we’re passionate about our people.

Our way of working acknowledges and celebrates people’s differences, recognising them not as barriers, but as strengths. Our belief is that a diverse workforce is an asset to any productive team.

We’re constantly evolving our people and culture approach to adapt to the modern working world, whether that’s challenging unconscious biases, finding new ways to energise our teams, or helping our employees understand diverse experiences.

Female empowerment is a key part of this, which is why we’ve joined forces again with Newtrade to support Women in Convenience in 2025. We want to continue to use the positive changes we’ve made internally to help, inspire, and empower the remarkable women within the independent sector.

The positive impact that Women in Convenience is having in our industry is incredible, but there’s still more to be done to help females in the sector gain confidence and flourish in their roles.

These are challenging times for the convenience sector, and we’re committed to supporting retailers over the next 12 months and beyond.

WIC 2025

PANEL: My journey to empowerment

Kate Daw, head of marketing at Newtrade Media, chaired a panel of three Women in Convenience ambassadors to discuss the challenges and experiences that have shaped their retail journeys

Sunita Aggarwal, Natalie Lightfoot and Sophie Williams are all successful and influential retailers with very different stories and journeys to retail, which they shared with the room.

Aggarwal told attendees how, after the loss of her husband and partner Raj during the Covid-19 pandemic, she took over the business and ran it herself.

She described relying on the women in her life when her only options were to close the shop or to step out into the industry as the face of her business, and that when she chose to do the latter, she was supported by other women in the industry, who frequently took time to greet her at events and make plans to meet and support her.

She said: “Every time I went to an event, I thought I wouldn’t go to the next one. I would think it wasn’t the place for me as it was very male-dominated. But I persevered. When I think about where

INDUSTRY TAKEAWAYS

Susanna De Iesu, commercial director UK&I at headline partner BAT, spoke about her professional journey in a heavily male-dominated field. Describing the chance to speak at the event as a “dream come true”, she likened the journey to empowerment to that of in-flight safety: “You must put your mask on first before other people’s. This applies in life as well.

“It starts from yourself. You are the one who needs to take control and initiative to drive your life and business. I had to learn how to take control of the narrative and stop the little voice in my head saying I was never good enough.”

I get my confidence from, it’s from empowering other people.”

Lightfoot explained that she had moved across the country to open a shop with no experience in the industry and help only from her brother who lived nearby and quickly left the business.

“I entered a competition in the trade press for £50,000, and I won,” she explained. “That was a changing point in my career. That’s when I realised I had been doing this alone for 10 years and I hadn’t met any people.”

In the 10 years since, she has become a regular figure at all manner of industry events, praising the “wonderful, creative network” of other retailers that has been “so supportive” to her.

She explained that four weeks after winning the competition, she was broken into twice and, not having strong enough insurance, had to cover the cost of everything herself.

“You just have to find something deep inside yourself, and that is one thing retailers are really good at,” she said.

The community retailers, and female retailers in particular, have found with one another was a re-

I get my confidence from empowering other people

peated theme for the panel.

Williams is a third-generation retailer, who studied performing arts, but returned to retail after finding her passion for social media when the theatre industry was disrupted by the pandemic.

“I took on the role of social media as my creative outlet,” she explained, “and that gradually got me more ingrained in the business.”

She explained that early on, she struggled with being recognised as someone else’s daughter first, and that while she was proud of her family, she wanted to make a name for herself.

Fortunately, after just a few years in the industry, she is already becoming a regular at retail awards and events, and has addressed Scottish parliament to talk about the issues facing retailers.

“It was one of the proudest things I’ve ever done in my life,” she said. She, too, highlighted the female retailers who brought her into these spaces and helped her find these opportunities.

The panel ended with a recognition of the lessons all three have learned from other retailers, and the lessons they hope to pass on themselves.

WORKSHOP: Conscious and unconscious bias

Natalie Reeve, head of commercial at Newtrade Media, gave a workshop on unconscious bias where she taught attendees how to recognise, balance and work through their own biases

Having a diverse group of people involved in the decisionmaking processes is a way to combat biases

Types of bias discussed included conscious biases like:

l Racial bias

l Gender bias

l Age bias

l Affinity bias – bias towards or against another person based on their similarity to you

And how all of these can also be unconscious biases, along with others such as:

l Attractiveness bias, where attractive people can be seen as more or less competent for certain jobs

l Affect heuristic, where you are predisposed to agree to something if you were in a good mood when it was proposed

l Anchoring bias, where you place undue importance on the first suggestion that was made

l Authority bias, where people are

assumed to be more reliable if they are in a position of authority

l Confirmation bias, where you are more likely to pay attention to information that confirms your existing beliefs

l Conformity bias, where you change your mind to align with what the majority seem to think

l The halo effect and horns effect, where a positive or negative first impression colours all your subsequent interpretations of something

l Hindsight bias, where you retroactively change your memories to have been right all along

l Overconfidence bias, where being sure you will excel at something makes you unable to see your failings

Reeve suggested that acknowledging and challenging these biases and then training your mind not to make snap judgements is one step in countering them. She also recommended having more people, and a diverse group of people, involved in decision-making processes as an effective way to combat biases. l

THIS WEEK IN MAGAZINES

Opportunity of the week CROCHET MADE SIMPLE

Read more interviews at betterretailing.com

In partnership with

GUEST COLUMNIST

This magazine is launching in time for summer. With homecrocheted tote bags and crop tops in fashion and craft booming, this title is expected to be a big seller

What is Crochet Made Simple?

Crochet Made Simple is a new, value-packed magazine from the craft-focused Practical Publishing.

It is a 100-page monthly mag that will deliver more than 35 high-quality, modern and expertly checked patterns per issue, including amigurumi, home décor and wearable projects.

What makes it stand out from other craft titles?

With a cover price of £4.99, this accessible, eco-conscious title fills a muchneeded gap in the growing crochet market.

Crochet Made Simple offers high-quality patterns, modern designs, and beginner-friendly content without a premium price tag.

All patterns are designed with cost-conscious readers in mind, and are ideal for crafters navigating the costof-living crisis.

Designed for beginners

and intermediate makers, each issue also includes bonus content spotlighting a different craft – such as knitting, sewing or crossstitch – to broaden creative horizons.

Why is now a good time to launch a crochet title?

Crochet is having a cultural moment, not only in the craft industry, but also across social media and in fashion.

From TikTok trends and Instagram-ready wearables to celebrities like Taylor Swift donning crochet fashion, the craft has shaken off its ‘granny chic’ image and become one of the freshest DIY hobbies today.

TikTok boasts more than 2.3 million #crochetersoftiktok posts and an audience hungry for inspiration.

What made you want to launch Crochet Made Simple?

O ur goal was to create a magazine that delivered top-class crochet expertise for beginners and upwards at an affordable price.

Crochet Made Simple is designed to be inclusive in price and content, and aims to be the best-

value title in the market. It will certainly get more people crocheting.

What is special about the title’s design?

With no plastic packaging, a clean, easy-to-read layout, and patterns that reflect timeless staples and trending styles, Crochet Made Simple brings style, value and sustainability in one publication.

Why should retailers trust Practical Publishing for craft titles?

With a wealth of experience publishing bestselling magazines in the craft sector, Practical Publishing’s expert knowledge means Crochet Made Simple is certain to be a popular choice for readers.

Alex White, group managing director, Immediate

HOT SUMMER IS GREAT NEWS FOR GARDEN MAGS

The May issue of Gardeners’ World is a big one for us. The seasonality of the brand is also significant for us.

We’re very busy for the first half of the year, right up until the Gardeners’ World Live event a couple of weeks ago.

For people who are into gardening, spring and summer are happy times of year, especially when the weather is as good as it has been. Bad weather puts a dampener on our business.

Sunny weather is perfect for inspiring people to get out into their gardens. The magazine is all about practical advice and inspiration.

A lot of it is what to do and how to do it. People are very loyal to that quality gardening advice and news.

The ‘2 for 1 Gardens’ campaign is 30 years old, so this year was the time for a shakeup. It’s a hugely significant issue for us.

Its wonderful heritage enables us to talk once a year to a different audience who might not necessarily buy magazines about gardening, but love going out. They enjoy being in beautiful gardens, and garden tourism.

A normal issue might sell 20,000-30,000 copies, but the May issue sold more like 130,000. Adding the little booklet of gardens lets us sell the magazine for £9.99, which makes it the biggest monthly magazine on the newsstands by retail sales value. It’s very good for loyalty and retention, and adds perceived value to the product.

Danny Bowler

Managing director, Practical Publishing

THIS WEEK IN MAGAZINES

GARDEN NEWS

l This weekly gardening title includes practical and informative advice from experts such as Carol Klein and Rob Smith.

l This week’s issue looks at creating a wildlife pond on a budget, beating pests and diseases, and chocolate-scented flowers.

DESIGN CLASSICS

l This new bookazine is perfect for capitalising on an anticipated seasonal boost in design and renovation activity.

l With its subtitle ‘The Old Masters Still Going Strong’, this one shot is focused on timeless design and installations that will last for years.

GARDEN ANSWERS

l The August issue of Garden Answers moves into the hottest month of the year with summer gardening tips and tricks.

l This issue has features on fuchsias, how to get tumbling plants to spill out of baskets and fiery red-hot pokers as the Plant of the Month.

TEEN BREATHE SUMMER SPECIAL

l The well-being magazine for eight-to-14-yearolds is launching a special summer edition.

l It is packed with fun things to do, from junk journalling and coin collecting to stargazing and taking part in the Big Butterfly Count. It also includes recipes, puzzles, games and colouring.

METAL

l This alternative lifestyle, fashion and photography magazine is a great addition to a strong fashion range.

l This issue is all about facing modern reality, with features on Ai Weiwei, Marina Abramović and Sophia Al-Maria.

YUMMILAND

l This launch spotlights popular brand Yummiland, and is about a range of characters who get superpowers from lipgloss.

l The first issue comes with free gifts of a toy magic cube, lolly purse and a bracelet as well as two posters.

On sale 16 July

Frequency weekly

Distributor Frontline

Display with Gardeners’ World, Garden Answers

Barcode 9770016459253

SPECIALIST CHOICE

On sale 10 July

Frequency one shot

Distributor Marketforce

Display with World of Interiors, Living Design

Barcode 9788253552651

On sale 15 July

Distributor Frontline

with Fishing News Barcode 9770003330282

ANGLING TIMES

What is special about the title? It’s selling really well at the moment thanks to the recent hot weather, and the customers who buy it are very loyal to the title – they come in for it every week.

Who buys it?

On sale 15 July

Frequency bimonthly Price £5.99

Distributor Seymour Display with Breathe, Teen Mindfulness

Barcode 9772514930036

Quickmarsh

with Red, Glass

It’s almost all older or elderly men who are interested in fishing and angling.

Partworks and collectables

Scale of third-party advertising insert payments