RN - 3 February 2023

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Jack Courtez @JackCourtez

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From symbol groups to suppliers, if there’s one tip for local shops in the cost-of-living crisis we’re hearing, it’s to find ways for customers to maintain their habits at a lower cost. At first glance, it sounds difficult to do without sacrificing swathes of margin, but many already have the tools required to achieve just this and even grab more sales and profit in the process. Take newspapers, for instance. A seven-day subscriber with The Times saves 50%, as does a Mirror subscriber for 13 weeks, all the while, you continue to take the regular commission plus a voucher handling fee.

Some papers, like the Telegraph, even have incentive schemes with cash payouts for stores that sign customers up. A quick word at the counter can turn a four-day-a-week shop visitor into an every-day spender and save them money in the process.

The second area is the ‘fakeaway’ – offering a family meal solution that feels special and premium, but at below the cost of a takeaway. The average household takeaway spend is around £25, so what can you put together for £15?

Just as restaurants and bars don’t sell the wine brands found on your shelves to preserve a sense of speciality – and extra margin – I’d say the trick to a fakeaway is finding a brand from outside the norm – for instance Cook or By Ruby ready meals or a ‘cook at home’ range from a restaurant or takeaway, such as Pizza Express or Zizzi’s.

These need to be clearly marketed as a takeaway replacement and sold on multi-deals with cheap, instant extras such as microwave rice, naan bread or single and multi-serve ice cream. The concept is exceptionally strong for stores working with a delivery partner, where it should be prominently placed and listed together so it only takes a single click to order.

Lastly, it’s another portmanteau – the ‘staycation’. People have the same annual leave, but less funds to spend on it – are there local attractions you can partner with to sell discount tickets? Will you be organising a street party for the coronation? Did you advertise the Sun Holidays vouchers in January? Can you use shelf wobblers to highlight brands such as Kellogg’s that have free tickets to 15 top UK attractions? Do you stock local walking guides or OS maps?

INSIGHT

IDC collapse could cause supply crisis for stores

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

The potential collapse of Londis and Bestway’s partnered drop-shipping company, IDC, could shut down some suppliers delivering to stores, as retailers have already reported order disruption.

Last month, RN revealed that IDC, which also trades as Dropshipment UK, told suppliers it had filed an intention to appoint administrators in December.

Reports from CreditSafe, seen by RN, showed another notice of administration was filed again on 20 January.

Various suppliers confirmed they halted orders after IDC failed to make payments last year.

CreditSafe’s report showed IDC has 946 invoices outstanding, with nearly half unpaid for more than 90 days. The average order value was around £200, giving an estimated £190,000 in orders yet to be paid by the company.

A collapse would mean Bestway and Londis stores that relied on dropshipped goods would face

Nisa in petcare reduction

potential lost sales, shelf gaps and missed deliveries if they were unable to secure an alternate means of sourcing goods they would normally obtain through IDC.

Issues related to IDC have now affected suppliers in Londis’ central billing system.

In an update to stores on 26 January, seen by RN, Booker Retail Partners sales director Stewart Fenn said: “Some smaller suppliers choose IDC as a facilitator for their invoicing. Unfortunately, we understand there may have been a delay in issuing payments to these suppliers by IDC.

“IDC have assured us this is a temporary issue that will be resolved. However, we are also working with the most popular central billing suppliers on an interim solution.”

Fenn warned retailers not to pay for any outstanding invoices to IDC, and to contact suppliers directly for a solution.

According to IDC’s website, the company works with more than 40 suppliers across grocery, food to go, vaping, EPoS

and bakery. Partners listed include Warburtons, Bobby’s, Aquavape and Country Choice.

Despite the communication to Londis, other affected suppliers criticised the lack of clarity from the company.

One supplier, who asked not to be named, said they were unable to make deliveries to a key retail account and warned that smaller suppliers could be at risk if IDC goes into administration.

They told RN: “We stopped putting invoices through as it became clear they weren’t going to pay. I looked up IDC’s credit file and saw there was a notice of intention to appoint administrators. Apparently, there are ongoing discussions, but we’re having to

work on the assumption that they’ll go into administration and we’ll lose the majority of that debt. The issue could be critical for smaller suppliers.”

Another senior industry source agreed, adding: “Supply from larger companies could be affected, as they won’t deliver to stores through IDC when they know they’re not receiving payment.”

One affected retailer, who asked not to be named, added: “It’s affected the newspaper orders I make through central billing. It’s not affected supply yet, but I’m concerned this could be an eventual consequence. I just want more clarity on what is happening.”

IDC failed to comment as RN went to print.

Food-to-go standards rise in shops

The rollout of Asda Express and McColl’s to Morrisons Daily conversions will encourage convenience stores to improve their food-to-go offer, according to Fri-Jado.

The equipment provider’s UK director of national accounts, Gary Thacker, told RN the inclusion of brands such as Leon in Asda Express and Morrisons in former McColl’s sites will change

consumer expectations of food to go. “As they roll out those c-store offerings with better-quality food to go, others will have to follow suit.” he said.

Fri-Jado produces hot and cold displays and ovens, with new compact display units suited to the convenience market, a retail area he described as Fri-Jado’s “big opportunity for 2023”.

He explained independ-

ents have the largest potential for growth in hot and cold food to go, fuelled by these rising standards and cuts to fresh counters at multiples such as Tesco and Sainsbury’s.

“These are opportunities for enterprising store owners to use counters, especially in market towns. That’s where we’re going to see a change. The interest in our products will come from that inde-

pendent market,” he said.

Asked about developments making hot food to go simpler for local stores, he said: “We’re starting to see more suppliers creating their own concessions, the likes of Proper Cornish and Rollover.

“Everyone wants to take a piece of the Country Choice and Cuisine de France models, which work for independent [stores].”

Nisa has “significantly reduced” its range of Wagg Petcare products after accusing the supplier of making “unwarranted price increases”.

In a message to retailers, seen by RN, the wholesaler said: “We cannot tolerate suppliers who do not want to work collaboratively with our business. There had been a discussion around the removal of Wagg products from our business for some time – however, an unwarranted price increase has forced our hand early, and we have been given no choice but to cease supply of certain lines as this is simply no longer commercially viable.”

Although other wholesalers had previously boycotted brands for squeezing retailer margin, this is one of the first times a major wholesaler has called out a supplier to its customers.

Celtic mobile display

Celtic Frozen Drinks is launching a new moveable display bar, helping stores bring together multiple drinks machines without the challenges of adding a fixed drinks station.

Featuring wheels, LED lights, changeable magnetic branding, storage and dispensers for cups, lids and straws, director Gareth Dunning said it was an alternative to “costly and time-consuming” fixed units, while also enabling quick updating to feature new brands or products when added by store owners.

ACS calls for rural support

The ACS is calling on the government to better protect and equip rural shops across the UK.

At its Rural Shop Report launch last week in Parliament, chief executive James Lowman outlined how it wanted the government to commit to its pledge, including ensuring access to cash for those in rural communities; delivering levelling up funding; and supporting investment in digital infrastructure.

The event was attended by rural affairs minister Lord Benyon and shadow minister for food Daniel Zeichner MP.

Speaking at the event, Benyon thanked independent retailers for their service to the community. “People need to either lose it or use it, and find ways to make shopping locally easier to do,” he said. l Turn to page 20 for more on running a rural store

McColl’s helped Morrisons

Morrisons confirmed the acquisition of struggling chain McColl’s helped it deliver a “leading position” in the convenience market.

In its latest financial results, for the 52 weeks to October 2022, the supermarket said it intends to continue investing in McColl’s and “accelerate the conversion programme”.

The news comes after Morrisons closed 132 “lossmaking” McColl’s stores at the end of 2022.

The reduction brought the number of stores across the entire estate to around 900.

Threats and abuse as more groups get Prime

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

The reputations of independent stores are being damaged by others ‘profiteering’ on Prime, leading symbol groups to crackdown on stores charging above the RRP.

Stockists have reported hundreds of people queuing to get their hands on the product, whose popularity has been driven by creators and YouTube stars KSI and Logan Paul.

Independent retailers such as Wakey Wines have gained notoriety for trying to take advantage of the craze by selling a bottle for £100.

However, independent retailers told RN they had faced abuse from customers who accused them of profiteering.

Serge Notay, of Premier Notay’s in Batley, West Yorkshire, said he received racial abuse online, with some comments comparing him to Wakey Wines.

He added: “Some people are profiteering, but the demand is so high it’s difficult to say no. Wakey Wines has done more harm than good.”

Similarly, multi-estate

Spar owner Sunita Aggarwal said she had experienced issues with customers accusing her of selling fake stock.

The backlash from customers has made some Spar stores reluctant to stock the drink since the chain announced it was the first symbol group to become an official distributor last month.

Spar has also been clamping down on retailers selling the drink above the £2.99 RRP, as it sent warnings to stores on 29 January.

One Spar store owner confirmed to RN that they had reduced the pricing down to RRP after receiv-

ing the warning.

As well as Spar, Prime is also available at Asda and Costco, with One Stop joining the list of approved stockists later this month.

Dee Sedani, owner of One Stop Packmoor in Matlock, Derbyshire, said he is due to receive six flavours.

Another retailer, who wished to remain anonymous, reported the RRP is £2.35. “It’s good to know we are being tied down to a price and can sell it fairly,” added Sedani.

Sources also claimed to have seen the product in some Tesco stores.

As the craze continues, services have become

available to help the public hunt down Prime at a lower price.

However, independent retailers have received a blanket ban from some services who accused them of profiteering.

Prime Tracker app developer Tom Bastable told RN: “We did list independent shops at one point, but we’ve removed them because of incidents like Wakey Wines.

“We’re aware of the cost of importing, and anything over £6 is profiteering. Show me a shop that’s dealing it at a fair price, and I’d be happy to put it on the app. From what I’ve seen, no one is.”

Shops get bottle-return pay rise

Independent retailers are to receive an increase in commission for taking part in Scotland’s upcoming deposit return scheme (DRS).

In a message sent to businesses by scheme administrator Circularity Scotland Limited last week, and seen by RN, the handling fee had been raised by 19%, following analysis by accounting firm PwC.

Retailers operating a DRS via a reverse vending machine (RVM) will receive 3.7p for the first 8,000 items returned each week, up from 3.55p.

They will also receive an extra 1.6p for each additional item, up from 1.35p.

Those taking bottles back manually, however, will see no change in handling fee, with this being kept at 2.6p per bottle.

The message said PwC “considered the impact of inflation and changes to the guidance around exemptions for return points announced by the Scottish government last year”.

An industry source told RN the changes “will provide more of an incentive for smaller retailers to go for an RVM” and help them “make decisions about which take-back method to use”.

In the same week, it was reported the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs is “leaning towards” applying a variable fee to different containers for its DRS in England, Wales and Northern Ireland in October 2025.

A different industry source warned this would create in-store confusion, and a greater risk of crossborder fraud.

SYMBOL NEWS

Booker to raise Spend & Save threshold

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

Booker is to raise the minimum threshold for its Spend & Save rebate scheme, while including vaping purchases in the qualifying spend for the loyalty scheme.

The changes, which take place from 20 February, were communicated in letters sent to Londis and Budgens stores this month, while Premier retailers were informed in messages from their retail development managers.

The changes mean the firm’s symbol retailers will need to spend more across a four-week period to qualify for varying discounts across different bands.

The changes for Premier stores are:

• Qualifying spend for a 0.5% rebate to change from £10,000-£14,999 to £11,500-£17,249

• One per cent to change from £15,000-£24,999 to £17,250-£28,749

• Two per cent to change from £25,000-£34,999 to £28,750-£40,249

• Three per cent to change from £35,000-£44,999 to £40,250-£51,749

Blakemore invests in retail

AF Blakemore invested £19m in improving its retail and infrastructure operations during its last financial year.

This month, the wholesaler and Spar operator released its annual trading results for the year ending 1 May 2022.

The company’s chairman, Peter Blakemore, said that group sales grew 19% year on year, despite challenges in the supply chain.

• Four per cent to change from £45,000-£54,999 to £51,750-£63,249

• Five per cent to change from £55,000+ to £63,250+.

Meanwhile, Budgens stores have an additional tier of 6% rebate, with the preceding thresholds differing from Premier and Londis.

One Budgens retailer claimed the threshold for the 6% rebate is to increase from £65,000+ to £74,750+.

Londis retailers told RN that they were unaware of any changes to their rebates.

In the same letter, stores were also told that vaping purchases would be included in the qualifying spend.

In it, Booker Group Retail managing director

Colm Johnson said: “Vape is fast becoming an important part of every retailer’s offering, so I hope that you will be able to take advantage and further enhance your Spend & Save rebate on vape purchases from Booker Retail Partners and Booker Wholesale.”

The inclusion of vaping is likely to affect the purchasing of retailers and any loyalty schemes they participate in. One affected store owner, who asked not to be named, told RN: “I purchase all my vaping products from third-party suppliers, and none from Booker. I’m encouraged to go to these suppliers as they have their own rewards programmes, but this decision from Booker will make me rethink how

I buy vapes from now on.

“I spend £5,000 a week on vaping products, but I will probably have to shift a proportion of this to Booker. I’m not worried about meeting the increased threshold, however, as my spend when it includes vaping will be more than enough.”

A Booker spokesperson said: “Following customer feedback, we are delighted to announce that retailers will now have the opportunity to earn discount on their vape spend with Booker.

“This is one way we’d like to say thank you to our customers for choosing Booker and help with their profitability. The new discounts will start from 20 February 2023.”

Bestway bags 3.45% Sainsbury’s share

Bestway has acquired a 3.45% share of Sainsbury’s, according to messages sent to the multiple’s investors.

A notice published on 27 January said the wholesaler and symbol operator had purchased the holding after trading closed the day before.

The holding is valued at approximately £193.4m at the time of purchase.

A statement from

Sainsbury’s said Bestway “is not considering an offer for the company”.

However, former Costcutter founder Colin Graves later told the Telegraph he had advised Bestway managing director Dawood Pervez to make a Sainsbury’s takeover less than a year ago.

Explaining the new shareholding, the supermarket stated Bestway's decision was driven by

“investment purposes”.

Sainsbury’s added: “Bestway Group may look to make further market purchases of Sainsbury’s shares from time to time.”

Sainsbury’s attempted a short-lived expansion into wholesale, beginning in 2020 and ending in 2022, leaving a trail of frustrated convenience store groups and owners in its wake, including the

now Bestway part-owned chain SimplyFresh.

Last month, Bestway Group released its annual results for the year ending 30 June 2022. Revenue grew by 11% from £2.66bn to £2.94bn.

The company attributed its growth to the acquisition of Costcutter at the end of 2020.

Pre-tax profit nearly doubled from £37.2m to £70.8m.

He added: “It is a direct result of the team commitment and investment made in the previous year to stabilise outbound supply, invest in new format propositions and continue to develop our IT systems to optimise sales and margin opportunities.

“Opening our Bedford depot provides supplychain security and enables greater stock holding at a time when many manufacturers continue to struggle with inbound availability.”

Co-op in supply pledge

Central Co-op has pledged its stores will not be affected by the company moving its distribution to Co-op.

The regional chain is to shut its three distribution centres down as it plans to transition supply to Co-op from next year.

The purpose is to help Central Co-op support expansion across England.

Central Co-op chief executive Debbie Robinson said: “As we grow and invest in the society to support communities, we need to be ready for the future, and we have now outgrown our current distribution facilities.”

NEWS & MAGS

Reach ups bundle pricing

Reach has announced price increases on a number of its bundled titles. From 28 January, the Saturday Express and Star bundle will cost 30p more at £2.50; the Sunday Express two-forone will cost 25p more at £3.25; the Sunday Express and Star Liverpool Echo as well as the Sunday Express and Star Manchester Evening will cost 50p more at £4. Margins on all bundles remain pro-rata.

Sasi Patel, who owns multiple Go Local stores across north-west England, said: “It’s disappointing news because they offer these deals to consumers without considering how it affects retailers.”

Patel explained the demographic for these papers is unlikely to be turned off by the price rise, and expected a rise in uptake driven by the saving, compared with buying the titles separately.

DCMS aid for local papers

The government has been advised to make it easier for local papers to achieve charitable status to save regional news.

A Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Committee’s report on the sustainability of local journalism recommended the measure, highlighting that 320 local newspapers closed in the decade up to 2019.

It also highlighted that two-thirds of local papers are owned by the three largest publishers – Reach, Newsquest and Newsworld – stating that “more must be done” to support the remaining smaller publishers.

Smaller launches leave indie retailers behind

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

Stores had access to fewer magazine launches in 2022 than nearly any other year on record, with total launches, copies printed and first-edition stockists all in decline.

Only the pandemic year of 2020 saw fewer new titles land on mag stands. The largest launch was Immediate Media’s Lego Minecraft at 66,000 copies, followed by Egmont’s Disney Princess Ultimate Collection (50,000 copies), Immediate’s Pixar Adventures With (46,000 copies), Panini’s Hero Time Presents (28,000 copies) and Kennedy’s Miraculous (17,000 copies).

The widest stocked of the five titles went out to 13,500 sites, meaning only one in four magazine sellers received an allocation.

Asked about Immediate Media claiming the biggest launch of the year crown, the company’s youth and children publisher, Alex Coates-Newman, told RN: “Our launch strategy is to only launch magazines we think have the best chance of longterm success

“When we do launch, it is slightly more cautious

Smiths

than previous years.

“We may launch with national print runs of 50,000-70,000, depending on the brand – this is reflective of average sales in the category.

“It allows us to assess the print runs once we’ve had some sales results.”

In good news for those outlets with large ranges, the data from distributor Seymour, analysed by Wessenden Briefing, also showed the number of print magazines available in shops increased for the first year in recent history, fuelled by a lower rate of title closures.

Sell-through rates on first editions of launches also increased from 33% in 2021 to 39% last year.

Neil Selby, managing director at circulation

consultant Magcirc, told RN the numbers point towards a launch market being driven by niche titles.

“They have customers the publishers know will hunt down every last copy,” he explained. “You can go small on those, because they’re not like the magazines people can just take or leave.”

Specialist distributor Ra & Olly’s director, James Laffar, added the figures may be driven by stores being more conservative with adding new titles. “You can’t just send out what you want – now, retailers are a lot more selective, so you can’t just throw out loads of copies,” he said.

However, several retailers told RN they felt left

out by many launches.

Mark Dudden, of Albany Road Post Office, has a large range and great success with more niche titles. He said: “I’ve been seeing fewer copies sent out. I know Lego magazines sell very well, but I’ve had to chase them. I’m often getting only one or two smaller titles in.

“I’d picked up on it as a problem because, often, a magazine is launching that could be popular, and I’ll know nothing about it. It isn’t just kids’ magazines.

“New train magazines have come out, and I haven’t heard a thing.”

One shots, special editions and annuals were identified as a star area, with 330 launches in 2022 – up 22% year on year.

Oxford depot remains shut

Stores served by Smiths News’ Oxford depot continue to face delivery uncertainty as the depot was shut, a month on from its first emergency closure.

Initially closing due to a gas leak on 21 December, the site reopened on 23 January only to shut again on the same day due to more gas-leak readings.

Despite praise for

Smiths News and publishers’ efforts in rerouting drops from its Reading depot, stores reported increasingly feeling the strain from later deliveries.

The emergency system relies on publishers delivering early editions to Smiths News’ Reading depot ahead of their usual schedules to make up for the longer drives.

Smiths News said its retail delivery times showed an average performance rate of 90.71% over 31 days.

Simran Johal, internal communications specialist at Smiths News, said: “Our Oxford depot remains closed and in the hands of our gas provider.

“However, the situation is being constantly reviewed and we are

hopeful the site will be handed back to us in the near future.”

A message sent to stores by the wholesaler said the staff can only return to the Oxford depot after “a sustained period of zero-level gas readings”.

RN understands the Fed is supporting members affected by the temporary depot closure.

INDUSTRY EVENTS

Fed Awards winners’ tips

Last week, the Fed celebrated its members’ achievements at its awards ceremony in London. Speaking to RN, the winners reveal how they excel in their award area

BEST USE OF TECHNOLOGY

If you want to make technology work in your store, it’s important to make the investment. You don’t always have to spend lots of money, but a small investment can result in larger returns. I always keep an eye out for the latest technology and ask myself how it will help staff and improve the way my stores operate.

INDEPENDENT CONVENIENCE RETAILER OF THE YEAR

COLLECTABLES RETAILER OF THE YEAR

COMMUNITY CHAMPION

It’s about stocking the full range including the special lines. We use Menzies, but also Asmodee for Topps and Click Distribution for Panini. The stock is a firm sale, but the margins are better. We recommend associated magazines and also pay attention to when free packs are available to give away or with national papers.

SYMBOL CONVENIENCE RETAILER OF THE YEAR

It doesn’t have to cost a lot of money to help your community. It’s all about using your passion and ingenuity to utilise anything you can to help those who need it. There is always time to do this, even when it might feel like there isn’t. Sometimes the smallest ideas turn out to be the most effective.

STORE OF THE YEAR

We have a Tesco Express one side of our store and a large Tesco on the other. The secret to our success is always having good availability and being well known for finding the lines people can’t find elsewhere. We’ve been trading 30 years and people know we will help with whatever request they have.

You have to make the most of whatever your symbol store offers you in terms of produce and promotions and then give it all your own unique spin. Our mission so far has been to focus on offering a highquality, fast delivery service, motivating all our staff and promoting ourselves well across all social media.

We’ve grown from a forecourt and shop to five or six brands under one roof, including Papa John’s. It’s about continual evaluation and finding inspiration. We WhatsApp other stores whenever we see something we like online and we pivot quickly to make the most of sales opportunities.

Dee Sedani

One Stop, Packmoor, Stoke on Trent

Andrew Howell Loch Lomond News, Balloch

Trudy Davies Woosnam & Davies News, Llanidloes, Powys

Ijaz and Shaheen Ahmed

Falcon Food Express Limited, Bethnal Green, east London

Mandeep Khaira Singhs Premier, Sheffield

Casey’s, Roscommon, County Roscommon

Jim McCausland, Site manager

SUPPLIER OF THE YEAR

Topps

The Fed explained: “In 2022, the company released another range of collections – from its I Love series through to its Champions League and its second The Hundred Collection. It engaged with Fed members at local events and introduced performance-based incentives. Members signing up for its Match Attax display units were rewarded with a free box of I Love Bunnies collectables, which would normally retail at £40.”

FOOD-TO-GO RETAILER OF THE YEAR

Our best advice is keep food-to-go simple. Start with a small shelf that has cakes or pastries. Take time to perfect that and then move up when you’re ready. It’s also important to partner with an established food-to- go supplier that can give you useful guidance and resources, such as in-store PoS and marketing.

RESPONSIBLE RETAILER OF THE YEAR

PRODUCT OF THE YEAR

Camelot Orange Scratchcard

The Fed explained: “Launched last summer, Camelot’s Orange scratchcard certainly added some zest to the instantwin category in independent retailers’ stores. To help promote the card to shoppers, Camelot provided retailers with its biggest-ever point-of-sale kit yet. No surprises, then, that the scratchcard has boosted retailers’ sales and earned plenty of positive feedback from Fed members as a result.”

NEWS DELIVERER OF THE YEAR

Store owner Muntazir Dipoti: Ella has been with us for around four years. She hasn’t just delivered on time, she has consistently gone the extra mile. She says hello to customers, checks on them if they are elderly and she’s always available for extra rounds. I regularly get messages of thanks about her service.

SUSTAINABLE RETAILER OF THE YEAR

CUSTOMER SERVICE RETAILER OF THE YEAR

The Fed said: “There is a friendly smile and warm welcome for everyone entering Steemers O’Leary’s. The store is an Aladdin’s Cave, offering shoppers everything from specialist magazines to coffee, local products including Wexford strawberries and cream, jewellery, gifts, toys and even a business area, where customers can work and photocopy.”

NEWSAGENT OF THE YEAR

We analyse our full till data regularly and speak to customers all the time about what they are reading and what they want us to stock in store. Speaking to them is vital in ensuring that magazines sell. We rationalised our range and weeded out slow sellers, and it was worth it. News is hard, but it is not dying.

MEMBER OF THE YEAR

I invest all my money in staff training, which includes face-to-face training as well as in-store guidebooks. It’s also important not to punish staff if they make an honest mistake for the first time. For example, if they don’t check ID, I sit with them to identify what went wrong and how to correct it.

We started stocking a lot of local produce. We now stock honey produced 100 metres from our store, and beef and lamb vacuum packed from the butcher in our town. Retailers can often get blinkered by what’s on offer at the bigger wholesalers, but it’s amazing what you can find if you look on your own doorstep.

I was so surprised and touched to receive this special award from the Fed. To have been picked is such a real honour. Being part of the Fed and being an active voice in plans for a deposit return scheme allows me to raise all the concerns of independent retailers and help them wherever I can.

Peter Steemers Steemers O’Leary’s, Bunclody, Enniscorthy

Jack and Paul Matthews Bradley’s Supermarket, Quorn, Loughborough

Ella Gregory Todmorden News, Todmorden, West Yorkshire

David Robertson

JP Pozzi Newsagents, Buckie, Banffshire

Bay Bashir

Go Local Extra Belle Vue Convenience, Middlesbrough

John and Marie Vine Vine & Co, Church Stretton, Shropshire

Mo Razzaq Premier Mo’s Blantyre, South Lanarkshire

YOUR VIEWS

VIEW FROM THE COUNTER with Enya McAteer

I looked at the rotas at the beginning of January and slimmed down the hours, and I’m glad I did. It’s a week until payday as I write this, and it’s clear from customer behaviour they are feeling the pinch – we haven’t needed a fourth person working evenings.

Another sign of the spending squeeze is the strong response to leaflets. Henderson is running a series of strong one-week deals on basic items, such as loo rolls. The leaflets promote the upcoming deals, and customers are asking about ones that are three weeks away, which is usually rare.

We’ve given up trying to sell our store

We have had two sales of our store fall through.

The first buyer tried knocking another £15,000 off a week before completion, while the second pretended they had some money as an inheritance, and put it into a separate account to prove to the Post Office he had it, but once they’d done that, they gave it back to whoever had loaned it to them.

This dragged it on for around 15 months. They kept delaying by not signing stuff, then they had Covid-19, then their partner had Covid-19, then their cat had Covid-19.

I kept telling our agent we needed to pull out. I told her they had no money, but she told me they had and I had to be patient. That fell through before Christmas.

We then had another offer at Christmas that was £40,000 less than the shop was up for – they offered £121,210.00 because 21 was

SCOTTISH GOV’T MUST MATCH ENGLISH RATES RELIEF

Pete Cheema, chief executive, SGF

The term ‘level playing field’ has been a bit overused in recent years, but here is a scenario that exemplifies why this phrase has come into our vocabulary.

It was with great disappointment that we noted the opportunity was not taken by the Scottish government to further support businesses at this critical time by offering comparable support to that available in England and Wales, where – in

the case of the former – the chancellor of the exchequer committed to provide 75% business rates relief for properties in the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors for the 2023-to-2024 tax year, up to a maximum of £110,000 of relief per business.

The Scottish government should act now and provide, at the very least, similar assistance in Scotland while at the same time ensuring the current support

their lucky number, or so they told the agent.

Well, it wasn’t that time. They also didn’t want to buy the alcohol stock because it was “against their ethics”.

We are now looking forward to our retirement in March. We are closing after 41 years, and we will sell the property afterwards.

We are lucky we also own our home nearby and therefore weren’t in the process of having to buy somewhere else to live.

We’ve used the month to brush up on team training, such as customer service and portion control for the deli. They’re important tasks, and when better to do them than in a quieter month before spring. Speaking of which, Easter eggs are out, as are flowers and boxed chocolates for Valentine's Day. We’re doing heart-shaped doughnuts and will make up boxes of sweets.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED THIS WEEK

I heard about offering a gift-wrapping service for boxed chocolates and other items for £1 or so. What a great way to add a little bit to baskets and win a ton of goodwill from panicked last-minute gift-buyers. The opposite can be said of Prime. I’ve heard of local shops selling it for £15, and still only taking 50p profit. What a lot of risk for so little reward.

Yes 14% No 86%

and relief available are not affected or other businessrelated rates increased.

Shopper footfall has yet to reach pre-pandemic levels and retail sales are subdued given the cost-of-living crisis for consumers. In addition, convenience retailers are having to contend with their own pressures, such as soaring business energy costs, rising inflation and supply-chain disruption. If the convenience sector is going to continue to play a vital role in the

national economic recovery from the pandemic, it needs support now.

SGF has urged its members across Scotland to write to their local MSP and the minister for public finance, calling on the Scottish government to match the rates relief provided to retail businesses in England.

A ‘level playing field’ is required urgently if we are to avoid store closures and damaging the key economic asset that is the convenience sector.

NEXT

QUESTION

Graham Doubleday Doubleday Newsagents, Mossley, Ashton-Under-Lyne

Providing a helping hand

Despite existing for 184 years, there are many operating in the convenience sector who are unaware of the financial, emotional and practical support NewstrAid can offer. CEO Neil

Neil Jagger CEO, NewstrAid

RN How long has NewstrAid been operating for and what is the charity’s purpose?

NJ NewstrAid was founded in 1839, and Charles Dickens became one of our earliest supporters and was made president in 1853.

NewstrAid aims to provide welfare for people who are, or have been, employed in the selling and distribution of newspapers and magazines in the UK, and who find themselves in hardship. This includes their immediate family and dependants who are in need or in distress.

What criteria do beneficiaries have to meet to be eligible for NewstrAid’s assistance?

In order for retailers to receive financial support, they have to have had an industry connection for at least two years and may be subject to a means assessment. For our other services, which include emotional support via our online well-being portal or for practical advice on other state benefits they may be eligible for, there are no qualifying criteria.

What help do you offer retailers eligible for your support?

We offer financial support from a range of different funds, which include regular grants paid three times each year, one-off grants for items such as household appliances that need replacing, and cost-ofliving support.

We also offer support to help chil-

dren take part in extracurricular activities, such as football clubs and dance lessons – there’s a wide range of ways in which we can help.

Tell us more about your cost-ofliving fund.

In response to the rising costs of living, in the final quarter of 2022 we launched our Cost-of-Living Crisis Fund, which encourages people and families facing hardship to get in touch with us to apply for a £250 grant to help them make ends meet. We marketed this on social media, with RN and Retail Express, and via The Fed magazine, and we have had an excellent response, with new beneficiaries coming forward every day.

There is a growing focus on mental health and well-being in retail. How are you helping retailers deal with these challenges?

We have an online well-being portal that can be accessed through the Emotional Support pages of our website, newstraid.org.uk, which

THREE TOP TIPS

Seek support. If you’re feeling down in the dumps, go to the Emotional Support pages of our website, newstraid.org.uk, and log onto our Wellbeing Portal for great lifestyle tips.

Find out if you’re eligible. Not sure if NewstrAid can help you? Pick up the phone and call 0800 917 8616 and let’s talk.

Keep this page. Stick this page on your noticeboard so you have all of our details handy for any time in the future that you might want to get in touch.

offers a range of services and advice on improving mental health, creating a better lifestyle, healthy diets and much more.

We also have counselling sessions that can be made available through the portal or by calling our free well-being helpline.

How does NewstrAid plan to support independent retailers in the future?

We are continually improving our communications to help more people take advantage of our support. The most frustrating element is we know there are people out there who need our support, but they don’t know about NewstrAid. Our focus this year is to find and support those retailers facing hardship. We will also continue to evolve our welfare offer to cater for the changing needs of our society. l

To hear more about NewstrAid, scan the QR code and listen to our podcast

Jagger explains more about the charity and how you could benefit

We offer financial support from a range of different funds

Non-HFSS Rowntree’s gummies

Nestlé has launched a non-HFSS range of Rowntree’s gummy sweets. It features Berry Hearts, Safari Mix, Gummy Bears and Jelly Snakes, and is made with 30% less sugar than other Rowntree’s products. It contains no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. The first three listed will be available to wholesalers later this year with an RRP of £1.35 following an initial supermarket launch.

Juulpods Blackcurrant Tobacco

Juul Labs has added to its range with Blackcurrant Tobacco Juulpods. The supplier said it has been encouraged by the number of adult smokers and vapers who have transitioned to its new Juul2 system, and so the new flavour is designed to provide more customers with a greater choice to help them move away from combustible cigarettes. Juul2 recently won a Product of the Year award.

Grenade launches Oreo variety

Grenade has launched a new Oreo protein bar, containing 21g of protein and 1g of sugar. The protein bar contains a creme layer with the same vanilla flavour found in Oreo cookies, and a nougat centre with the same cocoa Oreo flavour. It comes topped with sugar-free Oreo cookie pieces, which have been exclusively made for the bar. The bar has an RRP of £2.85 and is available from Booker and Bestway.

RRP £2.85

Baxters reformulates soup range

Baxters has improved the recipe of five of its bestselling soups, including Cream of Tomato, Minestrone, Cream of Chicken, Carrot & Coriander and Country Garden. The soups now contain more locally sourced ingredients, are cooked in small batches, and are taste-tested every 30 minutes. The brand said the soups have a creamier and richer taste due to the addition of more tomatoes and cream used in the recipe.

RRP £1.60

Carling strengthens football partnerships

Carling has become the official beer partner to the Emirates FA Cup and Vitality Women’s FA Cup. As part of the deal, running until at least 2025, it will be rolling out promotional activity throughout the remainder of this season’s competitions to generate excitement among fans. It follows recent football-themed campaign ahead of and during last year’s World Cup, including a limited-edition shirt giveaway.

Partnership with Emirates FA Cup and Vitality Women’s FA Cup

Old El Paso encourages fajita Fridays

Old El Paso’s new campaign will encourage shoppers to eat fajitas on Friday nights. Running through to the end of March, it will span TV, Spotify and radio, and a strong digital presence will be maintained on social media channels such as TikTok and Instagram, supported by video-on-demand. In-store PoS will also be available, including bundle offers in partnership with Coca-Cola.

Campaign spans TV, social media, digital and in-store PoS materials

RRP £5.99

RRP £1.35

SPECIALIST CHOICE

New Epic Eats from McCoy’s

by Priyanka Jethwa priyanka.jethwa@newtrade.co.uk

Jamu Wild Water in three flavours

The Jamu Wild Water range consists of three flavours: Natural Sparkling Raspberry, Natural Sparkling Blood Orange and Natural Sparkling Lemon.

RRP £20 (20 case)

Contact jamuwildwater.co.uk

KP Snacks has launched a new range under its Mc Coy’s brand with Epic Eats, available in Nacho Cheese and Spicy Salsa varieties. Available from 20 February, Epic Eats has been designed to disrupt the category and strength en the McCoy’s brand, while emphasising its flavour options.

The supplier said with younger consumers significantly influenced by flavours when making purchasing decisions, the new range is positioned to attract these shoppers to the category and to the brand to drive penetration.

The range is available in a 45g grab-bag format with an RRP of £1, and

Human Nature plant-based snacks

Human Nature’s plant-based snacks range is available in varieties including Cheddar Cheese Flavour Lentil Sticks and Hot Jalapeño & Lime Flavour Sticks.

RRP £1.49

Contact humannaturefood.com

Bareksten Navy Strength Gin

Bareksten Navy Strength Gin is now available in the UK. The gin is part of Bareksten Spirits’ range of Norwegian craft spirits.

RRP £49 (70cl)

Contact sinead@osscraft.no

a 65g price-marked pack (PMP) format with an RRP of £1.25.

McCoy’s is one of the top three PMP brands in the category, with large-format McCoy’s PMPs currently growing ahead of the category at 45.1% in value.

The launch will be supported by a campaign spanning radio and social

of the new product range. Running from now to March, the radio activity is part of McCoy’s ongoing partnership with Global radio and will feature a range of on-air adverts including a competition offering listeners the chance to win their own ‘epic adventure’.

Mr Kipling expands non-HFSS range with Hot Cross Pies

Mr Kipling has expanded its HFSS-compliant Deliciously Good range with the launch of Hot Cross Pies.

The limited-edition Easter product will be available from 27 February in a pack of six with an RRP of £1.75.

Sweet treats are key to the Easter occasion, with 87% of shoppers buying more cakes than usual during Easter.

In addition, 83% of shoppers agree they want to try new Easter flavours and themes.

Mathew Bird, brand director at Premier Foods, said: “These non-HFSS pies contain 30% less sugar and real fruit pieces, making them

ideal for driving penetration with healthconscious consumers. As they are HFSS-compliant, Mr Kipling’s Deliciously Good Hot Cross Pies can be promoted throughout the store for maximum visibility.

“Shoppers also look to brands they know and love during key seasons, and – with Mr Kipling ranked as one of the top

Easter cake brands – the new Deliciously Good Hot Cross Pies are set to help retailers boost basket spend.”

The pies join the Mr Kipling and Cadbury Easter cake range, which includes Mr Kipling Lemon Bakewell, Cadbury Mini Egg Chocolate Cake, Cadbury Crème Egg Choc Cake, and Mr Kipling Egg Fancies.

PRICEWATCH

Profit checker Crisps and snacks

Behind the numbers

The crisps, snacks and nuts category is worth £3.8bn, providing a clear opportunity for retailers to generate higher profits. Most retailers charge the most-common prices, but the pricing of some products can be reviewed.

For example, Flipz Pretzels Salted Caramel, is sold by 23% of retailers at its most-common

price of £1, but with 76% charging more – some going as high as £2.69 – it begs the question: could you be missing out on a higher profit?

When RN last reviewed crisps and snacks, 25% of retailers sold Takis Fuego above its mostcommon price of £1. This year, that proportion has increased to 56%, despite a move towards

value, leaving scope for the 43% sticking to £1 to review their pricing.

TOP PRODUCTS

Walkers Ready Salted 45g

Walkers Cheese & Onion 45g

Walkers Roast Chicken 45g

Availability is hit and miss at the moment. We sell a lot of multipacks, and we haven’t been able to get hold of them for the past three weeks, but they’re coming through now. A Walkers rep said there had been issues with them. I go to three different wholesalers and order through Parfetts, but none of them had them in. We only do price-marked packs. All the £1 bags have gone up by 25p. Our main brands are Walkers, McCoy’s and Jack’s. Our nuts are mainly KP, and we also do some fruit-and-nut bars which we pick up from Bestway.

Sue Nithyanandan STORE Costcutter Epsom LOCATION Epsom, Surrey

SIZE 2,600sq ft

TYPE Residential

TOP PRODUCTS

Shoppers are more price-conscious on McCoy’s Flame Grilled Steak, with 91% of retailers selling it at £1. Similarly, at least 83% of retailers sell each of the three Walkers lines examined at its most-common price. Walkers

Hula

Doritos

We mostly stock plain grab bags, except for some brands that younger children like, such as Monster Munch, which are 40g. All our crisps go in the meal deal, because otherwise it’s a problem for customers to navigate. Because of HFSS regulations I have brought in some Proper Snacks and Popworks lines. My Doritos 70g packs are price-marked at £1.25, but we have them on offer at £1. We’ve been doing offers with large packs and multipacks. There’s constantly something on offer, and we’ve got a mix of products for all demographics.

RetailDataPartnershipisaspecialistdataandEPoS suppliercommittedtoservingtheindependentretail sector.Tofindouthowtheycanhelpyouimproveyour business,call01780480562

Must-stock products

Price

STORE ADVICE

Winter deliveries

The RN team talks to retailers about how they are continuing to offer a strong delivery service during the winter

Ahome delivery service is a strong opportunity for independent retailers to boost sales outside of their stores, especially in winter. Shoppers don’t want to venture out in the cold, opting to stay warm wherever possible, especially with energy costs at an all-time high.

The challenge for retailers, however, is making sure their service is robust and strong enough to withhold extreme weather conditions.

“We recently found a store close to us uses bikes, so when the weather is bad, their delivery service shuts down,” says Justin Whittaker, of MJ’s Premier in Royston, Greater Manchester. “This is something we haven’t considered before, but it

made us aware of how lucky we are to have cars.”

Using cars can eliminate one challenge in winter, but it can increase unforeseen costs, such as MOTs, breakdowns and general servicing. Talk to other retailers about the additional costs and weigh up the pros and cons before investing.

Gary Dhaliwal, owner of two stores in Southampton, uses drivers and increases prices to ensure his delivery remains viable. “People are still ordering and the company we work with to get the drivers takes a 15% cut,” he says. “The company covers insurance and everything for us.”

Partnering with a food delivery app can remove the additional costs

involved, as noted by Kamlesh Patel, of Londis Manor Park in east London. However, Patel’s biggest challenge is maintaining availability.

“We try our best to order what we can, but it’s hard,” he says. “It’s about control and knowing what we can get from wholesalers.”

Communication is vital in situations like these, and Patel contacts the customer straight away if there’s an issue. “We contact them to let them know we haven’t got that product,” he says. “We offer an alternative and if they are happy with that, then so are we.”

To see what other stores are doing, go to betterRetailing. com/advice

People don’t want to leave their house, so you get a spike over winter

FAISAL NASEEM

Scan this QR code to find out more about how retailers are making the most of home deliveries in this free report

Preparing effectively

Delivery orders at Justin Whittaker’s MJ’s Premier in Royston, Greater Manchester, increase by 20% in the winter, and he says taking the necessary precautions is vital.

“We have five cars for our delivery service, so before winter hits, we have them all serviced,” he says.

Whittaker makes sure the tyres are road-worthy and ensures there is plenty of tread on them. Whittaker also recommends using winter screen wash.

“Also, have spare bulbs of headlights, break lights and indicators in case they stop working,” he recommends.

For extreme weather conditions, Whittaker has a Jeep Wrangler he can use for deliveries. Above all, he says common sense is vital to continuing a winter delivery service. “If a house is down a side road, park on the main road and walk down,” he says. “And double up in case there’s an emergency.”

Growing demand for essentials

Kamlesh Patel, from Londis Manor Park in east London, finds that demand for home delivery grows significantly during the winter as people try to avoid heading out into the cold to do their shopping.

“In the winter, we get orders for essentials like milk and eggs, whereas in the summer the orders are more for drinks and alcohol,” he says.

“We’ve even recently had two orders for birthday cards, which tells you how desperate people are not to go out.”

Availability issues are growing for Patel, but customer service and communication are key to ironing out most difficulties.

“Lately, it’s been hard to have enough of the products in stock and it can be upsetting if we can’t get it,” he says. “If that happens, we tell the customer and some are fine, but others put their foot down. It’s the way the market is going. It’s important you have the essentials, like milk and eggs, over drinks and alcohol.”

Keep an eye on stock

With his Party Time Premier store on Scotland’s east coast, winter weather is a double-edged sword for Arbroath retailer Faisal Naseem. It increases the popularity of his rapid delivery service, but also makes it more difficult. “People don’t want to leave their house, so you get a spike over the winter period,” he says.

As a result, products that aren’t usually popular on delivery become more sought after in the winter. “Some customers might buy items they usually would get from the supermarkets, but haven’t got a timeslot,” he says. “I’m lucky because my store is close to our local Booker – if we run out of something, we can fulfil that order by collecting it.”

Making sure his drivers are well equipped is also key. “When we get a severe weather warning, we get our drivers a bag of salt for the road and make sure they’re topped up with screen fluid,” he adds.

Be vigilant

Gary Dhaliwal, who runs two stores in Southampton, sees an increase in alcohol sales through his third-party delivery platform during the winter.

“At Christmas and New Year’s, people want to treat themselves and have a laugh with friends and family,” he says.

He also needs to keep on top of stock levels, as customers come down from London to buy some of his more premium spirits in large quantities at cheaper prices.

However, Dhaliwal stresses the need to treat online orders with the same respect as in-store sales.

“If a customer looks under 25, we have to request an ID,” he says. “Sometimes we come across issues, like we know a regular customer has made an order, but their children answer the door. We just have to tell them to get their parent, otherwise we can’t give them the items.” l

GUEST COLUMN

Learn from Ireland’s best shops

Scott Annan’s Independent Retail Owners Forum (IROF) and Retail Leaders Forum visited Ireland last week to see some of ‘The World’s Favourite Stores’ and find out the opportunities on offer for independent shops

‘The World’s Favourite Stores’ was the title of our 2022 report, and last week, we visited five of the excellent stores it studied, three around Dublin in the Republic and two in Newry, Northern Ireland.

The report nominations were not all in Ireland, although this green island – with the population of greater Manchester – punches well above its weight in convenience. I’m often asked why Ireland is a world leader in retail foodservice. This article throws some light on to this excellent question.

The quote that closes the report is: “Only where you were walking, you have really been,” from the great German philosopher and writer Goethe. Three German retail experts joined the trip – it was their first Northern Ireland retail visit.

Aptly, they confirmed that walking the stores is ‘light years’ ahead

of looking at photos and reading reports – a note to those reading this to get out there and visit as many sites as you can.

Our first visit was J14 Mayfield M7, one hour south-west of Dublin. This independent service station was opened in 2011 by Liam and Donal Fitzpatrick and offers customers a choice across eight food brands: Insomnia, Spar, Supermac’s, Chopped, Zambrero, Subway, Gino’s Gelato and the proprietary Mayfield Fare. There is a large outside seating area, extensive car, bus and truck parking, charging points for electric vehicles and Texaco fuels. Two exceptional operational points stood out:

1 A permanent crew cleaning all customer areas while the store is open.

2. Site manager Gavin Moran’s energy and smiles to provide a great

customer experience for all.

Junction 14 Mayfield shows that great independent retailers can deliver customer experience well ahead of corporate ‘cookie-cutter’ stores every time.

Our second visit was Maxol M3 Mulhuddart Services in Dublin. The site is owned by The Maxol Group and operated by the Fitzpatricks. Once again, a wide selection of fresh-food brands and coffee is offered in an environment that encourages one to sit and eat. The store, toilets and site cleanliness were again outstanding for me.

Wednesday’s last visit was Fresh The Good Food Market in Grand Canal Square, Dublin. Fresh is an independent high-quality grocer and delicatessen specialising in fresh foodservice and distinctive Irish and international products and premium wines and beers. Estab-

Scott Annan is the founder of The Independent Retailer Owners Forum, a closed group of top store owners who visit the best food businesses on the planet and exchange insight and ideas.

Milestone, Rathfriland

Milestone, Rathfriland

lished in 2006, there are seven Fresh stores in Dublin. BWG Foods, which operates the Spar and Londis franchises in Ireland, has invested in a 38% stake. BWG board member and independent retailer David Bagnall is an IROF member.

Stand-outs were the store standards and the afternoon cleandown in preparation for Thursday’s breakfast and lunch fresh-food rush hours.

The store looked ‘shopped’, which was the top yardstick of all the retailers on the visits.

Thursday saw an early start and a sunny bus ride north, and Mulkern’s Eurospar in Newry. Terry and Adina Mulkern have won so many awards, they’d fill this article twice over The store is famous for its proprietary ‘Mulkerns’ ready meals, fresh tapas, produce, meats and Sunday lunches.

Terry the chef heads a team that produces 1,000 Sunday lunches in

addition to the massive assortment of fresh components and ready-toeat/heat foods.

The core grocery sections feature hundreds of ‘Tesco price match’ shelf wobblers, which give customers the confidence to make it their top-up and big-shop store of choice when they are buying Mulkern’s meals.

The store has won awards for tech, with electronic shelf-edge labels throughout. Customers can scan, pay and go using Ubamarket. Automatic stock replenishment does away with the need for a stock room.

Our fifth store visit was Milestone, in Rathfriland. Tom and Anne McAvoy own and operate what is the UK’s largest convenience store, at 15,000sq ft. Now expertly overseen by store general manager Noel Hadden, the site opened some 34 years ago as a small kiosk and fuel station.

More than half of their sales are from their Milestone-branded proprietary food assortment. That’s 1,000 lines including bread, through cakes, gelato, meats, prepared vegetables, pies, produce, ready meals, soups and much more.

Core grocery value comes from a Morrisons supply chain that provides a wide assortment of private label and national brands across ambient, frozen and chilled. Although Morrisons has no stores in Northern Ireland, the feedback and sales show Milestone customers love the brand and store pricing. The full-service

restaurant, Loft 56, was added in 2019 and, after a few stop-starts from government-imposed shutdowns, is the place to have lunch or dinner.

The store and restaurant are named after the historic milestone, which dates back to the days of Cromwell and still sits on the site. It was 56 Irish miles to Dublin. l

THE BIG LESSONS FROM OUR TWO DAYS IN IRELAND ARE:

1 . Abundant, quality proprietary retail foodservice br ings high margins, alongside exceptional customer experience, staff commitment and engagement , that is difficult for competitors to replicate.

2 . The foundations of success are retailer ownership of the recipe, process and brand intellectual property

3 . Core grocery and national retailer price matching is possible if the customer destination is proprietary fresh food for today.

4 . Customer experience is the daily foundation.

5 . Retail technology enhances store efficiency and margins.

Fresh The Good Food Market, Dublin

Maxol M3 Mulhuddart Services, Dublin

Mulkern’s Eurospar, Newry

RURAL RETAILING

Running a rural store

With the release of the ACS’ latest Rural Shop Report, Jasper Hart talks to rural retailers about their challenges and successes

Of the 48,590 convenience stores in the UK, 17,720 are rural. They form a crucial part of the country’s convenience landscape and provide lifelines to their communities to a greater extent than many of their residential and city-centre counterparts. They are also just as important to the economy. According to the Association of Convenience Stores’ (ACS) Rural Shop Report 2023, released last week, rural convenience stores achieved £16.4bn in sales and contributed £3.5bn in gross value to the UK in 2022. Their importance cannot be understated, and yet they face many

difficulties that threaten their existence. Increasing energy bills have affected everyone in the UK in the past year, but for rural shops, they are compounded by ongoing issues. “Rural shops face unique challenges compared to their more urban counterparts, with many not able to gain access to a secure and reliable broadband or mobile connection, and supply chain issues that make it more difficult to get a regular supply of products without paying excessive delivery charges,” said James Lowman, chief executive of the ACS, at the launch of the report. “We’re calling on all MPs in rural areas to support their local

shops at this incredibly challenging time for the whole rural convenience sector, as the loss of any rural shop would have a huge impact on the community it serves.”

Dean Holborn, whose Holborn’s store serves the village of South Nutfield in Surrey, says the report is a vital signal to policymakers from rural stores. “It highlights the importance of rural retail networks, what they do for their communities, what an intrinsic part of village life they are and how they went above and beyond during the pandemic,” he says. “The report highlights the truth that these stores are the lifeblood of their communities. They’re different

Rural stores achieved £16.4bn in sales in 2022

places without a rural store.”

The principal issues facing Holborn’s store are energy bills and staff wages. “On energy, we’ve gone from 15p per unit to 40p,” he says. “We’ve had a bit of government help, but the next round of support will only equate to 1.9p per unit. Considering what we’re faced with, it doesn’t make any difference. I also want to pay the best I can, but there’s a limit. There’s an upmarket farm shop and garden centre near us that pays very good wages, but they’re working on margins of 40%-50%, which we can only dream of. It’s very hard for us.”

Recruitment from a limited pool can be tricky, and Holborn has had to absorb a lot of the price increases to avoid what he describes as “offensive” pricing. In turn, this has hamstrung his ability to invest in his store.

PRIDE IN PRODUCTS

Even rural retailers who can afford to invest in their stores are limited by the number of people they can attract. While many stores try to invest in services to widen their customer bases, rural retailers often deal with more fixed populations

within a certain radius. “We don’t have passing trade. We’re in a village you have to make a conscious decision to go to,” says Jonathan Cobb from Miserden Stores & Post Office in Gloucestershire. “Our issue isn’t gaining new customers, because it’s very hard to do that – it’s retaining the ones we already have.”

He does that by providing specific products for his customers to keep them coming back. “If somebody asks for something we don’t have, I’ll buy it on Amazon Prime, put it in the shop and sell it to them the next day at cost to keep them coming through the door. In the past, we’ve bought millet seed for somebody who had parakeets, which isn’t something we usually stock,” he says.

“We don’t have the space for a larger shop, so buying things as and when we need them to retain customers works well.”

This also works for products more suited to rural people’s lifestyles that they may need on an ad-hoc basis. “We try and have everything from WD40 to boot cleaner, shoelaces, deicer and homemade jam jar covers, but we’re only a 300sq ft shop and a lot of what we carry, we wouldn’t get through a whole case of quickly enough,” he says. “We buy some of those in supermarkets when we’re in town and stick them on a shelf because it’s something people always need. You need to keep track of the weather all the time, so you know when to put de-icer and salt for sale. When it was about to snow, I had sleds ready to go and put an announcement out on Facebook.”

When it comes to a rural shop’s more mainstay ranges, working with local suppliers serves a practical purpose, as well as giving you a point of difference. Rural areas suffer much more from road closures and com munication breakdowns in adverse weather than urban areas. “Bad weather can affect us at peak times, and if it’s nice, we’re a lot busier, and it brings people out of the towns,” says James Stead, manager of White’s Calver (Spar) in Calver, Derbyshire.

“But bad weather affects deliveries, the roads aren’t as well looked-after here as they are in town centres, so we can have delivery problems. But even when the weather’s bad, if the Spar lorry can’t get to us, we can nip to a local supplier like Peak District Dairy to stock up. A lot of suppliers help like that.”

Meanwhile, Cobb’s community expects a high level of local product representation in his shop, fuelled by a sense of identity and a growing environmental consciousness.

RETAILER VIEWPOINT

Jonathan Cobb Miserden Stores & Post Office, Miserden, Gloucestershire

In the summer, we have a small amount of tourist trade uplift, but nothing like the rest of the Cotswolds. Miserden isn’t a tourist destination like Bourton-on-the-Water. We’ve put an Airbnb in a nearby unit, and when people stay, they buy things from the shop. We’re in a state-owned village and the landlords give us a discounted rent. If it wasn’t for that, the shop would have been gone years ago, but they want a shop to exist in the village. Even with that it needs a second income; the previous owners did dog boarding and dog walking.

We have one member of staff who does weekends so we get half the weekend off. We find recruitment very difficult – we would like to have two members of staff, but because we are small, having two members we can retain at regular hours is difficult.

Our current member has been with the shop for more than 25 years, through four different owners, but she will be leaving soon because she’s coming up to retirement age.

Customers expect us to have local meat and veg. People like their produce to be from within a certain mileage

RURAL RETAILING

“Customers expect us to have local meat and veg,” he says. “We had to change our butchers in 2021, because they opened their own shop about five miles away. But with the new butchers’ labelling and packaging, people were asking us where the meat came from. We’ve found people like their produce to be from within a certain mileage. Because we’re rural, we’re lucky that farmers use the shop, so we can buy directly from them. When somebody asks where the lamb is from, we can point to the fields outside.”

The presence of the post office in Cobb’s store is another way to get people in the door. As major banks have closed branches in nearby towns, he has highlighted the banking services the post office can offer.

ENGAGING WITH THE COMMUNITY

Getting in particular products that give people a sense of pride and place is one piece of the rural community retailer puzzle. But direct involvement and making your store a social hub where possible is also important, especially when your customer base is scattered across different settlements.

Holborn uses the space outside his store to keep customers sticking around. “We have a very nice canopy area outside with an awning, but we

also have a seating area with umbrellas you’d see outside a restaurant, and we put tables and chairs there,” he says. “There’s a primary school opposite us, so parents are dropping off and picking up their children, and it’s a good use of dead space.” Seasonal events, such as last year’s Platinum Jubilee, also play a key role in bringing people together, and Holborn has one eye on King Charles’ upcoming coronation.

Cobb and his wife, Laura, involve themselves in their community through local committees and the parish council. “I’m on the village hall committee and my wife is a parish councillor,” he says. “She was heavily involved with organising fireworks in the village for the first time since Covid-19. Attendance used to be about 200-300, but we helped get it up to 2,500, which got us a bit of exposure. You’ve got to set foot in every part of the community to know what’s going on and get your face out there so everyone knows you.

“The shop becomes a bit of a community hub because people come and talk to you about things, which is beneficial for the other people in the community. With Laura being a parish councillor, people will come to the shop to talk about parish council affairs, and then they buy things or use the post office.” l

KEY FINDINGS FROM THE ACS RURAL SHOP REPORT 2023

25% of people who own and run rural stores are 30 or under

41% are isolated stores with no other retailer or service businesses nearby

There are a higher proportion of rural shops in Wales than in any other part of mainland UK

66% of rural retailers do not use online wholesaler platforms

The average basket spend in rural shops is £6.24

77% of rural retailers engaged in some form of community activity in 2022

65% of rural store workers are satisfied with their job

Rural convenience stores in the UK provide more than

142,000 jobs

Provide the essentials for higher sales

Retailers talk to Tamara Birch about how they are making their bakery categories a success and ensuring customers are getting the essentials they need

Consumers are looking for a broad choice in convenience stores’ bakery ranges,” says Josh Corrigan, senior national account manager at St Pierre Groupe. “Everyday loaves are still very important to shoppers, but bakery is a fastpaced, dynamic sector.”

While bread remains the biggest sub-category, worth £1.5bn, consumers are looking to elevate their meals further, especially in the morning.

“Morning goods as a whole are now worth £1.18m and sandwich alternatives have seen strong performances in the past two years, with bagels and wraps now worth £146m and £144m, respectively,” adds Corrigan.

A lthough hybrid working is the new normal, customers are still wanting to buy products on the go. This is where a dedicated instore bakery can play a key role.

“ We have a Swan bakery unit, and customers have to walk by it to get to the tills,” says Goran Raven, of Raven’s Budgens in Abridge, Essex.

“ They often smell the pastries and are enticed by them.”

The challenge with hybrid working styles is maintaining sales on the days workers aren’t travelling to the office. Raven’s solution was introducing a multipack of frozen pastries from his supplier, Country Choice, for customers to bake at home.

“ We’ve found customers are buying them freshly baked throughout the week, but then buy the frozen packs for the weekend,” he says.

A benefit of hybrid working is consumers are willing to trade up, as noted by Rachel Wells, UK sales director at St Pierre Groupe.

She says: “The two key customer drivers retailers should be thinking about are indulgence and premiumisation, with people looking to bakery fixtures for affordable treats.

“ We have also noticed over the past year in the bakery category, people are experimenting with new recipes and perfecting their favourite out-of-home dishes at home, as they try to save on going out.”

Corrigan says retailers can meet this trend by providing ranges that enable customers to ‘upgrade’ from traditional staples for different meals.

“Brioche is one way to enable customers to do this, and St Pierre’s brioche range is an ideal base to achieve this,” he says

WRAPPED BAKERY: BRANDED OR LOCAL?

Wrapped bakery is considered an essential convenience store product. Raven’s biggest seller in the category is medium sliced white bread.

He also finds customers often buy wrapped bakery products as distress purchases or as part of a larger shop.

“ Young children will come in after their parents have forgotten it, or it will be bought as a wider shop,” he says.

While br ands are important to Raven, he says customers also buy a lot of their locally sourced freshly baked bread.

“ You can’t compare locally made products with branded options, but it’s a category where customers will choose a local product if it’s freshly made,” he says.

Jason Byrne, of Kingswear Post Office in Devon, has also noticed this, and works with a local bakery that he discovered after a nearby shop closed down.

We have a Swan bakery unit and customers have to walk by it to get to the tills

“I’ve always wanted to focus on bread, and, after I asked all my customers about it, I went to a supplier,” he says. “The challenge was the minimum order because of where we are located. We couldn’t commit because we would have a lot of waste.”

The bakery Byrne now works with supplies fresh products and delivers them for him, helping him to save on wholesaler delivery costs, but he says the popularity of the fresh bread is dependent on season.

“In winter, sales are terrible,” he says. “Some weeks, we don’t order enough to cope with demand and on other weeks we order too much.”

I n summer, Byrne also stocks cakes, pasties and pies. “We would love to keep improving it further, but it comes down to people coming in and buying

rently facing is best-before dates labelled on the bread sometimes hindering sales. “Most buy bread cheap, and not fresh, so it has a best-before date of seven days,” he says. “The ones we offer only have three or four days.”

To reassure his customers, Byrne took some of the bread home and tested how long it lasted. “The best-before dates and final dates are different,” he says. “We found the bread lasted up to seven days.

“ We approached our supplier to see if we could extend it, but they said it was an industry standard. It’s been a challenge to get an increased shelf life.”

I S VALUE PLAYING A ROLE WITHIN BAKERY?

“No one comments on the price if it’s fresh,” explains Byrne. “The y know it’s freshly-made and are

L ATEST INDUSTRY NEWS

P REMIER FOODS MR KIPLING’S NON-HFSS HOT CROSS PIES

T he limited-edition Mr Kipling’s Hot Cross Pies will be available to wholesale and convenience stores by the e nd of February, and will launch in a six-pack at an RRP o f £1.75. Matthew Bird, brand director at Premier Foods, s ays of the launch: “These non-HFSS pies contain 30% less sugar and real fruit pieces, making them ideal for driving s ales with health-conscious consumers. As they are H FSS-compliant, Mr Kipling’s Hot Cross Pies can be promoted t hroughout the store for maximum visibility.”

LOTUS BISCOFF’S FIRST SOCIAL-MEDIA CAMPAIGN

A head of Pancake Day on 21 February, Lotus Biscoff has announced the launch of its first social media campaign. ‘This Pancake Day, show off with Biscoff’ will run across Instagram, Facebook and YouTube . It aims to encourage consumers to p ost pictures and videos of their pancakes made with Biscoff with a #showoffwithbiscoff hashtag.

S T PIERRE MORNING GOODS

“ St Pierre’s core products for retailers are our morning goods and our rolls,” says Josh Corrigan, senior national account manager at St Pierre Groupe on behalf of the St Pierre brand. “Our most popular morning goods products are the St Pierre Sliced Brioche Loaf, Pain au Chocolat products and St Pierre Croissants.”

St Pierre Groupe has also recently launched a new recipe of its eight-pack of St Pierre Croissants and Pains au Chocolat. “Not only is the recipe a new, improved formulation, but it also means these breakfast treats will cater to vegans, another trend in growth.”

PAUL HOLLYWOOD’S READY-TO-BAKE RANGE

T he range includes Crusty Rolls four-pack, Multi-Seed Rolls four-pack and Rustic Rolls four-pack. “The range continues to perform well thanks to their high quality and great taste, with the Crusty Rolls, Multi-Seed Rolls and Rustic Rolls making up three of the top four branded partbacked breads,” says Danielle Dransfield, brand director at St Pierre Groupe.

lenge for Byrne, but many customers inspect products before they buy them . If they know bread is soft and ready for consumption, Byrne says they tend not to question its price.

If we don’t sell them, we often buy them ourselves and take them home,” he says.

But it’s important to be careful with ordering. I won’t buy 10 knowing I’m going to sell three.” aven says value is a playing a role to some extent. “In wrapped bakery, brands are often a strong seller because people trust them,” he says.

But they will also see a freshly baked roll and consider if they are willing to pay more.” l

REGIONAL LINES

awareness of the product, but could be worth considering nonetheless.

Mentos Fanta also ranked in the top 25 in the south east region, despite not making it into the top 25 sellers nationally.

According to our data, Northern Ireland has a wider array of regionspecific bestsellers that rank lower than the top 25 bestsellers nationally. Multipacks are a strong format to focus on, specifically Cadbury Dairy Milk four-pack and the brand’s Freddo five-pack, ranked first and second, respectively.

But what else can you include in your offering to build a niche that customers keep returning for? For Joe Williams, owner of The Village Store & Post Office in Hook Norton, Oxfordshire, it’s about including a selection of local products.

Finding the right products for your region

The RN team talks to retailers on how they are using local and region-specific bestsellers to build a strong range

Finding a balance between local and named brands can be a challenge for many stores. It can mean selling cakes, snacks and pastries that are produced within a few miles of your community. It can also mean finding the right brands that are most popular within your region, that aren’t necessarily labelled as a national bestseller.

R N has analysed the pricing of a range of products in core categories across different regions.

These include East and West Midlands, Scotland, Northern Ireland, London, the north east and west, and the south east and west, against its national ranking to help stores find potential bestsellers. There were no major outliers in other regions of the UK.

In the East Midlands, for example, the highest-ranking beer line is Perla Chmielowa 6% 500ml. However, the product is only ranked as number 12 nationally. Other lines East Midlands retailers could consider stocking within the beer category are Oranjeboom Strong 8.5% 500ml (ranked six regionally, 14 nationally) and Karpackie Super Mocne 9% 500ml.

Across chocolate and sugar confectionery, lines launched in the past 12 months are performing well, particularly in the north west and the south east.

K itKat Chunky Biscoff is currently ranking sixth in the north west and was ranked lower than 25 nationally.

This could be due to wholesalers running a promotion to drive

“We sell local eggs from Cotswold Eggs, sandwiches made by a local firm called Tea Set Catering and sourdough bread from Marks Cotswold Bakery,” he says.

“We have a mix of customers, and some of them will want local products, while others aren’t as interested and will want to buy a mix of local and standard products.”

Williams says local products provide him strong margins, in comparison with standard products. “Customers are also prepared to pay a bit more for something local,” he adds.

Having a strong range of local products can also help when times are tough. “Stocking local products during the pandemic was useful, as some of our usual suppliers struggled to deliver stock and local companies stepped up,” says Williams.

“Our bread supplier, for example, began supplying us with flour at a time when it was very difficult to get any flour from wholesalers. I’ve found local suppliers can adapt a lot quicker than national suppliers.”

With their knowledge of local markets and passion for selling through as much product as possible, local suppliers will often provide retailers with the tools they need to sell their products.

“A lot of local suppliers will provide their own point-of-sale material for their products, but we also tend to make a feature of local products in store as well,” says Williams. “And, on the shelf, we will position local products as the most premium option within the category.”

PROFITABILITY IS KEY

Sourcing products unique to different communities within your region will also help sales, profits and

Customers are prepared to pay a bit more for something local

RANKED: How products are performing in different regions against national sales

REGIONAL PRICING

footfall. K ay Patel, owner of several Best-one stores in east London, for example, stocks a selection of spices and other ingredients for West African and Asian customers.

He says: “We use a local supplier called Oriental Foods, which is now based in Leyton, e ast London. We’ve been sourcing products from them since they were a small market stall with a range of 15,000 herbs, spices and other ingredients.”

While Patel began stocking these products to meet the needs of a small amount of his demographic, he says that over the years, demand for these products has grown from all customers

“ The ranges account for a lot of daily cooking recipes for a lot of our customers, so we couldn’t put them in a separate section,” he says. “And gradually, we found that other customers were buying these ranges to cook authentic meals at home, too. We even started to supply restaurants in the area.”

Local in Kirkcaldy, Fife, negotiated his terms with his local supplier, helping to boost profitability.

“One of the things we negotiated with Stephens Bakery, a local business, was a sale-or-return agreement,” he says. “They collect any unsold items and credit us at the end of every day.

“It’s good for them because it means we’re selling fresh cakes every day and it helps eliminate the risk of having unsold cakes for us, too.”

WHAT TO DO AS BESTSELLERS CHANGE

Regional and national bestsellers update regularly, especially as new products enter the market and customer needs change. Patel says retailers across the country are now benefiting from sales of Magnum, an alcoholic drink he’s been selling for two decades.

“It’s made in Jamaica and is very popular with the Afro-Caribbean community,” he says.

“It is 17% alcohol, contains a blend of 15 herbs and is considered an

aphrodisiac, which comes across on its labelling.”

This is echoed in RN’s data, with the 200ml format of Magnum Tonic Wine Original Jamaican Recipe 16.5% ranking number one nationally in wine (most-common price, £3.99), as well as regionally for the East Midlands, East of England, London, north west, south east and west, Wales, West Midlands and Yorkshire & The Humber.

The popularity of the product has yet to reach the north east and Scotland, ranking only sixth and third place, respectively. The line ranks below the top 25 lines in Northern Ireland

“While it began just being popular with the Afro-Carribean community, we find office workers and others are coming in to take home a bottle at the end of the day,” says Patel.

Iqbal, however, says local or regional products don’t have to be premium or specialist.

“In England, I know retailers stock a lot of Carling, but we sell next to nothing in our store,” he says. “Instead, it’s all Tennent’s.

“Similarly, we sell a lot of Barr’s soft drinks and Irn-Bru, which isn’t the case in England.” l

Faraz Iqbal, of Premier Linktown

Local or regional products don’t have to be premium or specialist

GUEST

COLUMNIST Opportunity of the week

LEGO JURASSIC WORLD

Following its one-off success last year, publisher Immediate has launched a regular title focusing on the popular dinosaur franchise. Find out why this launch belongs on your shelves

What’s the idea behind the magazine?

Lego Jurassic World magazine brings to life the multi-award-winning movie franchise Jurassic World, with the fun and humour the market has come to expect from Lego.

We launched Lego Jurassic World magazine as special in 2022, and its success has led to the launch of its own magazine.

Who’s the target audience?

Issues will predominantly be suited to boys and girls aged six-to-11 years old, in much the same way other licensed Lego titles are, including Lego City, Lego Explorer, Lego Friends, Lego Giant Series, Lego Minecraft, Lego Ninjago, Lego Star Wars and Lego Superhero Legends.

We feel confident the content in Lego Jurassic World magazine will excite young audiences and get them thinking about the prehistoric world.

The fact this is now a regular monthly title means readers will be able to get continued access to everything from the fran-

chise, with their interest remaining high.

What exciting coverage does it include?

Each issue will come with an official Lego Jurassic World toy – our next issue comes with a Lego Raptor and laboratory set – and readers will enjoy discovering the tricky puzzles, dinosaur facts, exciting games, funny comics, cool colouring in, slick posters and much more.

Why should independent retailers stock it?

The Lego Jurassic World special sold well in 2022, which demonstrates an appetite for the title. It’s hardly surprising, considering it combines the popular Jurassic World and Lego brands.

The gift lineup for this year’s issues is outstanding, and, when you throw in the continual appeal of dinosaurs to children, there is plenty of cause for optimism.

Lego titles sell strongly in independent retail, and we urge store owners to add this title to their selection to help bolster sales and attract repeat customers.

It's also worth placing this prominently on the newsstand so shoppers know that it is new, if they didn’t already

Talking to customers as much as possible about its arrival will definitely help sales grow.

This is bound to get its target audience excited, so we urge independent retailers to stock it and do all they can to promote it.

NewstrAid Cost of Living Crisis Fund

John Freeman, publisher, downthetubes.net

LOOK FORWARD TO MONSTER COMIC SALES

After launching last April, Rebellion Publishing’s Monster Fun comic went on sale on 1 February for its second year on shelves. It is the kind of title that should appeal to readers new and old.

Rebellion has an impressive track record as a publisher, making a success of 2000AD and Judge Dredd Megazine, two strong comic titles that eschew free gifts in favour of strong stories and, like Beano, a relatively low price in comparison with some aimed at young and teenage readers that offer a ‘free’ gift with every issue.

Aimed at eight-to-12-year-olds, Rebellion has freshened its latest issue, released as the Monster Fun Ghoulish Gaming Special, with three new strips – one is a revival of a popular character, Gums the toothless shark.

Combining screen-free fun with children’s love of video games, the Monster Fun Ghoulish Gaming Special includes ‘Witch versus Warlock’ from Marvel Comics talent Ramsey Hassan, alongside art from Rebecca Morse.

“Listening to what children and their parents have had to say about Monster Fun throughout 2022 has helped us to shape the comic and content, while growing our family of readers,” says head editor Keith Richardson. “We’re always listening, and our first issue for 2023 shows no signs of being an exception. From what families have told us they want to read, we’ve introduced these comic strips and characters alongside the characters they’ve told us they love.”

Richard Clare

Youth & children’s editor, Immediate Media

Up to £250 available

per

household for independent retailers and their staff who are involved in selling newspapers and magazines and are facing hardship. Applicants must have worked in this sector full time for a minimum of 2 years. Eligibility criteria apply.

THIS WEEK IN MAGAZINES

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC LITTLE KIDS

l The team behind National Geographic Kids UK has launched a plastic-free magazine aimed at children aged three to six.

l Each issue is packed with 36 pages of activities, colourful photos, fun facts and puzzles about wildlife, culture and the natural world.

MOTOR SPORT

l The March issue of this racing magazine contains an interview with double-world-champion driver Mika Häkkinen.

l It also includes a profile on Walter Brun who raced F1 and started his own GPC team, plus a report into the 2023 Dakar Rally.

ADVENTURES WITH...

l This preschool title is packed with pets, and supports early years learning through stories, counting, puzzles, colouring and makes.

l Every issue comes with a high-quality vet set gift which has been created to encourage imaginative play and stimulate children’s curiosity.

POLLY POCKET

l This magazine is dedicated to the toy line and animated TV series, and includes puzzles, games, colouring, crafts and stories.

l Each issue comes with bespoke, high-quality Polly Pocket toys, essential for all fans of the popular character.

LEGO JURASSIC WORLD

l This is the second edition of the newly launched title, created after the success of a special, which was released last year.

l It explores the Lego world of the dinosaur franchise, and features puzzles, comics, posters and an official toy with every issue.

HOUSE BEAUTIFUL

l This magazine is for anyone who wants to make the most of their home, regardless of its size, value or location.

l This seasonal issue is marked as the publishers bestselling issue of the year and comes with a premium supplement.

On sale 25 January

Frequency monthly

Price £3.99

Distributor Seymour Display with Animal Planet, First News Barcode 9772753351005

SPECIALIST CHOICE

On sale 1 February

Frequency monthly

Price £6.49

Distributor Marketforce Display with Autocar, Classic Sportscar Barcode 9770027201988

On sale 1 February Frequency fortnightly

£12.99

Distributor Marketforce

with Fast Bikes, Practical Sportsbikes

9772039760040

On sale 31 January

Frequency monthly

Price £5.99

Distributor Marketforce Display with CBeebies Weekly Barcode 9772752326974

ROSSI BIKE COLLECTION

How is the title performing?

It’s our bestselling higher-priced title. The latest issue comes with a scale replica of a racing hel met, which is attracting some attention.

Who buys it?

On sale 31 January

Frequency monthly

Price £6.49

Distributor Marketforce Display with Barbie, Cute Barcode 9772754128972

We have about two-to-three regular customers who always pick it up, and they tend to be collectable fans.

Bestsellers Gardening

On sale 1 March

Frequency monthly

Price £4.50

Distributor Frontline Display with Lego Star Wars, Lego City Barcode 9772755293006

On sale 1 March

Frequency monthly

Price £5.99 Distributor Frontline Display with Ideal Home, Your Home Barcode 9770955353391

Partworks and collectables

Scale of third-party advertising insert payments