Talking Shop August 2019

Talking Shop ISSUE 102 – August 2019

The magazine for Premier retailers

Going local!

Faraz Iqbal uses locally sourced products to drive footfall, sales and profits.

PLUS

New POS

Grow your sales with new POS kits

Back to school

Cashing in on a big opportunity

Talking Shop | August 2019

Welcome Talking Shop ISSUE 102 – August

Welcome to your latest edition

2019

The magazin

e for Premier

of Talking Shop and we have

retailers

another packed issue to help you grow your footfall, sales and profits. As always, we have been out and about visiting some fantastic Premier stores to share their experiences with you in our profiles section, including an outstanding Premier store in Glasgow with a liquid nitrogen ice cream parlour!

You will also learn more about the exciting new POS kits that Premier has launched which have been created to help retailers cash in on three very important footfall and sales drivers: Amazing Value Essentials, Amazing Value Evenings In and our successful Sandwich Meal Deal. Free to Premier retailers, these kits will help you execute the three initiatives perfectly in-store.

Going local!

Faraz Iqbal use s sourced produc locally footfall, sales ts to drive and profits.

see how he has been working with a well-known local

THE THREE BIG STORIES 15 Sub zero sales

With the schools, colleges and universities all preparing for the new term, we also take a look at what you can

Glasgow Premier unveils liquid nitrogen ice cream bar.

43 Sweet deals

bakers and butchers to add new food-to-go sales to his business and to grow footfall and profits.

Back to school

Cashing in on big opportu a nity

COVER STORY Kirkcaldy retailer harnesses the power of local sourcing.

Local sourcing is increasingly important these days so we visited PDG member Faraz Iqbal in Kirkcaldy to

PLUS

New POS

Grow your sale s with new PO S kits

New 2-for-£1 confectionery deals to boost sales and profits.

53 Staples success

Make more of bread, milk and eggs with new POS.

do to cash in on this important seasonal opportunity.

On top of all that, you’ll find the usual selection of advice, help and inspiration to help you get set for sales growth throughout the autumn.

Great trading!

Martyn Parkinson, Brand Director Premier

4 TalkingShop

August 2019

Share your shop news

If you’ve got news, tips or feaure ideas, get in touch with Talking Shop. Just pick up the phone and call:

0141 22 22 100 or write to: Talking Shop c/o 55 North Ltd. Waterloo Chambers 19 Waterloo Street Glasgow, G2 6AY or email: talkingshop@55north.com DISCLAIMER: Prices are correct at time of going to press, but may be subject to change.

45

15

More vegan lines added

Super cool innovation in Glasgow

24

400% growth by joining Premier

39

28

Build sales with protein

The back to school opportunity

07 Scratchcard promo a winner

promotion has been a huge hit

joining Premier.

Premier retailers have kept up their fantastic run of form in winning major industry awards.

15 Sub zero strategy liquid nitrogen ice cream range.

18 Off to a flyer Gosport retailers turn vacant store

to school’ opportunity.

33 Making more of local sourcing

with local baker and butcher.

39 Bulk up your sales

Driving footfall with bread, milk and eggs.

60 Guest column

Euro Shopper relaunch hits the mark.

63 Ask ACS

We need more dialogue

Protein represents a big growth

with MPs,

opportunity for retailers.

says James

43 Sweet deals

five months.

A new series of 2-for-£1 deals on confectionery singles unveiled.

Chris Love is the third generation of

45 Ones To Watch

his family to run successful stores in

Stenhousemuir.

53 Core essentials in focus

PDG member Faraz Iqbal grows footfall, sales and profits by working

A new set of free POS kits will help drive perfect execution in-store.

How to make the most of the ‘back

into a £25k a week business in just

22 It’s a family affair

28 Term time tricks

Glasgow Premier retailers unveil striking new store complete with

A Surrey retailer can’t believe the 400% growth he’s achieved since

08 Premier retailers grab more awards

49 Free POS kits

Premier’s biggest ever Scratchcard with shoppers and retailers.

24 ‘Unbelievable’ growth

The latest lines including a vegan sausage roll.

Lowman.

46

Booker-exclusive gins set to grow category

August 2019 TalkingShop

5

PremierNews NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS PREMIER

Scratchcards go down a storm!

CEL EBR ATING

TV TIME: A lucky Premier Allerdene Convenience Store customer celebrates winning a 4K Smart TV.

INBRIEF DON’T MISS THIS YEAR’S RETAIL TRADE SHOWS! There are only a couple of

months to go until this year’s Booker Retail Trade Shows and Premier retailers are advised to put the dates in their diary immediately.

The two shows will take place on the following dates: l Tuesday 8th October – Farnborough Exhibition Centre l Wednesday 16th October – Doncaster Racecourse The Retail Trade Shows promise to be a highlight of the annual calendar once more and are must-attend events for Premier

Premier’s 25th birthday Scratchcard promotion has been a huge success with hundreds of thousands of prizes handed out to shoppers and store turnovers boosted into the bargain!

retailers keen to learn more

Premier’s biggest ever Scratchcard promotion so much excitement among my customers. We to celebrate its 25th birthday has proven to be a handed out lots and lots of smaller instant-win huge hit, generating massive excitement in-store prizes but we had one customer who won himself with hundreds of thousands of shoppers collecting a 4K Smart TV. instant-win prizes.

“He was over the moon and once word got The campaign rewarded shoppers who spend round, we had lots more shoppers come in trying £5 or more with a Scratchcard and saw shoppers to see if they could win something too. win over £1.2m in prizes. With a fantastic “It was a great footfall driver and it 1-in-4 chance to win, Premier definitely helped us increase out footfall shoppers collected over 700,000 and sales.” instant-win prizes including smart As Vacas pointed out, it’s not just speakers, wireless headphones, shoppers who were winning with 4K Smart TVs, Fitbits, Sound prizes per Premier the promotion. The Scratchcard Bars and Amazon fire tablets. campaign helped dramatically store on average increase basket spend for retailers That means that there were an average of 200 prizes per Premier too, driving up footfall, sales and store! profits.

Vacas Ali who runs Premier Allerdene Ramsey Hasaballa who owns Premier Speke Convenience Store in Gateshead was delighted to Town Lane in Liverpool saw the promotion see one of his shoppers win a 4K Smart TV. literally double his sales overnight and many other Vacas told Talking Shop: “The promotion was retailers experienced similarly strong sales growth absolutely huge in the store and it generated in their stores.

venue, the Farnborough

200

ways of growing their footfall, sales and profits.

The Southern show has moved to an exciting new Exhibition Centre, right on the iconic Farnborough Airfield.

The events will be the largest yet with over 20 new suppliers booked to attend and an expanded Food-toGo area, including a new Desserts concept. There is also a new Beer Garden, a larger Lichfields lounge and vape zones to take a break.

A selection of great Show Deals will be on offer which will be exclusively available to attendees at the two Shows.

As well as a great chance to network, there will be competitions, games, feature vehicles and fantastic selfie opportunities!

August 2019 TalkingShop

7

News

INBRIEF

PREMIER STORES IN RUNNING FOR RETAIL INDUSTRY AWARDS Premier looks set for another great performance at the forthcoming annual Retail Industry Awards with a fine showing on the recently published shortlist.

Premier stores secure 22 places on IAA Top 100 list Premier stores have put in another fantastic performance with no fewer than 22 Premier stores making it onto this year’s Independent Achievers Academy (IAA) Top 100 stores list. The list features what the independent judging panel considers to be the best 100 stores in the country with Premier accounting for almost a quarter of these stores.

Premier Brand Director Martyn Parkinson told Talking Shop: “I am delighted that so many Premier retailers have once again been recognised for the fantastic work they have done over the last year.

Securing almost a quarter of the places on the IAA Top 100 Stores list is a fantastic achievement and demonstrates the progress we continue to make.”

Anita Nye of Premier Eldred Drive Stores in Orpington commented: “We’re absolutely thrilled to be once again named as one of the top 100 stores in the UK. It’s a great achievement for the team here.”

Similarly thrilled was Justin Whittaker of MJ’s Store in Oldham: “It was a big year for us with a full refurbishment of the shop so it’s great to already be seeing the benefits of that investment.”

#IAA19 Top 100 Premier Stores l Arnold Road Premier Stores, Nottingham l Broadway Convenience Store (Premier), Edinburgh l Chingford Premier Stores, Nottingham l Cinderhill Premier Express, Nottingham l Eary Till Late – News Food & Wine, Stenhousemuir l MJ’s Premier Store, Oldham l Morely Premier Convenience Store, Leeds l Premier Eldred Drive Stores, Orpington l Premier Extra Gedling, Nottingham l Premier Gibson Food & Wine, Preston l Premier Gostwick Road, Bedford l Premier Jules Convenience, Telford l Premier Hayers Meadvale, Weston-super-Mare l Premier Linktown Local, Kirkcaldy l Premier Lower Darwen, Darwen l Premier Matlock, Derby l Premier Sall’s Convenience Store, Chesterfield l Premier SNA Supermarket, Southampton l Premier Value Centre, Newcastle Upon Tyne l Premier Upholland Village Store, Skelmersdale l St Mary’s Supermarket (Premier), Southampton l Vyas Convenience Store (Premier), Manchester

Imtiyaz Mamode of Wych Lane Premier in Gosport has been named on the shortlist in the Newcomer of the Year category while Kirkcaldy retailers Asif and Abada Akhtar of Premier Smeaton Stores feature on the Independent Community Retailer of the Year shortlist.

Justin Whittaker of MJ’s Premier Store in Royton, Lancashire did the double by making it onto the shortlists for both the Drinks Retailer of the Year and the Trailblazer of the Year categories.

Additionally, Premier itself has been shortlisted in the Symbol/Fascia Group of the Year category.

The winners will be announced at the awards evening on Tuesday 17 September at The Brewery in London.

8 TalkingShop

August 2019

Premier Turriff scoops SLR Reward Aberdeenshire Premier retailer Ian Smith has been named Newstrade Retailer of the Year at the recent SLR Rewards in Glasgow.

Ian runs Premier Turriff and collected the Reward for the second consecutive year by hugely impressing the judges with his commitment to the news and magazines category and to meeting the needs of his shoppers in his rural community.

As part of the prize Ian receives for winning, he and his wife will be attending a special concert of his choice at the SSE Hydro in Glasgow from the comfort of the plush News UK private box at the venue. Last year he chose Kylie Minogue and had a fantastic evening.

He told Talking Shop: “We were surprised and delighted to win last year because we don’t enter many industry awards, so we were even more surprised to win it again! I haven’t looked at the calendar for the Hydro yet but last year’s trip to Glasgow to see Kylie was fantastic so I’m sure it’ll be another brilliant trip this time around too.”

The judges commented: “Ian Smith’s Aberdeenshire store won this award last year and

has retained his title with another exceptional year in the category. An enormous range of newspaper and magazines caters for all tastes and is routinely developed and evolved in line with shopper requests. Ian uses news as a key footfall driver to the store and also operates a significant Home News Delivery service with over regular 300 customers and is a fine example of how the news and magazines category continues to deliver for retailers willing and able to focus on it.”

New POS kits turbo-charge vital sales initiatives

INBRIEF VEGAN RANGE GROWS FURTHER

Booker has responded to retailer feedback to grow its range of vegan products with the launch of a new Snax on the Go Vegan Sausage Roll.

With shopper demand for vegan and vegetarian products expanding rapidly, Premier retailers now have another fantastic line to help drive footfall, sales and profits.

The vegan sausage-roll style product also fits perfectly within the chilled food to go category, which is itself in growth, and offers shoppers on specialised diets yet more choice when they visit their local Premier store.

A new set of free POS kits from Premier is helping retailers get the most out of vital sales occasions and initiatives.

Price-marked at just £1 and delivering 25% POR for retailers, the new product perfectly complements the

Premier has unveiled a new set of high quality, eye-catching POS kits to help retailers cash in some of the most important meal occasions and initiatives.

The kits, entirely free to Premier retailers, have been designed to help draw shoppers’ attention to key products and ranges in-store to boost footfall, sales and profits.

While Premier already provides retailers with

a comprehensive set of POS solutions, the three new kits include posters, banners and shelf cards and target three specific opportunities: the Sandwich Meal Deal, the Amazing Value Essentials scheme and the Amazing Value Evening In Deal.

Speak to your RDM for more information and turn to p49 for more information on the new range of kits.

fast-growing range of vegan and vegetarian Discover the Choice ready meals launched in recent months by

‘Support needed’ as shoplifting rises 17% Shopworkers trade union Usdaw has called for more Government action in light of a new Office for National Statistics report highlighting a 17% increase in police-recorded incidents of shoplifting in England and Wales over the last decade.

These statistics back up an Usdaw survey of 3,272 retail workers across which revealed distressing growth in the amount of verbal and physical violence being directed at shopworkers.

Usdaw leader Paddy Lillis has written to the Home Secretary and other Ministers calling

for tougher action. He said: “Shoplifting is not a victimless crime, with theft from shops often triggering violence, threats and abuse against shopworkers. The rising trend in shoplifting is extremely worrying for our members.

“We also believe that police-recorded incidents under-estimate the scale of the problem because of significant under-reporting of incidents.

“The evidence from retailers, police and our own survey of shopworkers all show a disturbing increase in retail crime. This cannot be allowed to continue, action must be taken.”

Booker.

TALKING TACTICS What are you doing in-store to stand out in your local market?

Share it with us and your Premier retailer colleagues at talkingshop@55north.com 0141 222 5380

August 2019 TalkingShop

9

CommunityNews OPINION, NEWS AND ACHIEVEMENTS FROM PREMIER RETAILERS

Glasgow Premier store INBRIEF HATS OFF TO shopper wins £10,000 RESPONSIBLE JULIE! with McCoys!

A lucky customer of Glasgow Premier retailer Barry Oujla won the £10,000 top prize in the recent McCoy’s ‘Win Gold’ on-pack promo, and Barry collected £1,000 to donate to charity into the bargain.

Barry Oujla who runs Barry’s Licensed Grocers in Glasgow was over the moon recently to learn that one of his shoppers had scooped the £10,000 top prize in an on-pack promotion run

by McCoy’s.

The ‘Win Gold’ promotion saw 10 UK shoppers collect the cash if they found a golden crisp in their pack of McCoy’s and Barry’s shopper was one of those lucky 10. Not only did the shopper pick up £10,000, Barry also collected £1,000 to donate to a charity of his choice.

The campaign ran exclusively in independent retailing stores and was created to both support

the independent channel and give shoppers another reason to keep McCoy’s as their number one choice at lunchtimes and sharing occasions.

Barry told Talking Shop: “It was a brilliant promotion that helped grow sales and it’s important that it was only running in independent stores. When I heard that one of my shoppers had won £10,000 I was absolutely delighted. £10,000 is a nice little windfall and it’s a nice touch that we’ll be getting £1,000 to donate to charity too.

We’re currently trying to decide who to give it to but we’ll let you know in time for the next issue of Talking Shop!”

Responsible retailer Julie Buttery who works at Singh’s Premier in Sheffield has been rewarded by The National Lottery for passing a recent mystery shop test with flying colours.

Julie correctly refused to sell age-restricted products without the appropriate ID. She challenged the mystery shopper – without knowing she was a mystery shopper, of

Crossgates retailer backs Green Gala Day

course – and soon received

Big-hearted Crossgates Premier retailer Robert Kirkwood recently donated £623 to the local ‘Crossgates Goes Green Gala Day’, helping to ensure a fantastic day for the entire community and also helping to encourage his shoppers to be more proactive on environmental issues.

The event saw a whole range of activities take place for the whole family including

on being a true, responsible

a parade, a craft marquee, a majorettes display, a bouncy castle, and a pipes and drums display.

Robert told Talking Shop: “It’s important to get behind important local events like this and we always try to do our bit for the community. It was an amazing day and I was delighted to be able to play a small part in helping make it a success.”

a commendation through the post to congratulate her community retailer.

Well done Julie!

TALKING TACTICS What are you doing in-store to stand out in your local market?

Share it with us and your Premier retailer colleagues at talkingshop@55north.com 0141 222 5380

August 2019 TalkingShop

11

M235675- -192 192 M235675 mlml

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Stock up Stock up now now

® Reg. Trademark of Société des Produits Nestlé S.A. ®

Reg.ending Trademark Société des S.A. IRI 52 weeks 29Decof 2018 - value *inProduits symbolsNestlé and independents

IndustryNews A DIGEST OF NEWS FROM THE INDEPENDENT RETAILING INDUSTRY

IGD: Food-to-go to grow INBRIEF ‘by 26.4% by 2024’ NEW GROCERYAID CAMPAIGN Grocery and independent

retailing charity GroceryAid

In its latest revised forecast for the UK food-to-go sector, IGD predicts huge growth of over 26% in the next five years including big growth in the independent retailing sector.

campaign highlighting solutions to many of the key issues that industry colleagues face. The range includes Fresh Start Cereals for debt advice, Soften Fabric Conditioner for counselling services, Relief Cream for crisis situations and Cope Drinking Chocolate for

prospects of most convenience stores. Similar principles apply to the forecourt channel, where the added need to encourage dwell time among shoppers will grow in importance.

“While there continue to be good opportunities for growth in this area, the gap will continue to grow between those businesses who are actively targeting food-to-go growth and those who simply want a presence in the channel.

Opportunities remain, however, for those with clearly defined and relevant strategies.”

“Consumer expectations around convenience food-to-go are rising fast, creating an opportunity for businesses to invest and upgrade, or else risk getting left behind. The good news here is that there’s lots of growth to go for, and in many locations there remains opportunity to do more to meet these evolving shopper needs.”

the charity’s new Workplace Critical Incident Support.

The campaign extends to press, digital adverts and social media activity.

Last year GroceryAid supported over 15,700 colleagues with practical and emotional advice and nonrepayable financial grants.

For more information call 01252 875925 or visit www.groceryaid.org.uk.

GroceryAid is the trading name of the National Grocers Benevolent Fund. A registered Charity Reg. No 1095897 (England & Wales) & SC039255 (Scotland). A company limited by guarantee, registered in England & Wales no 04620683

The latest predictions from IGD suggest that the UK food-to-go market is set to grow by 26.4% over the next five years, up almost £5bn on 2019 figures. This puts the growth at more than twice the level of growth expected in the wider UK food and grocery retail market – 12.5%.

Convenience retailers, forecourts and other independent retailers are expected to see sales grow from £2.9bn today to around £3.8bn in 2024 with the sector’s share of the market growing from 15.5% to 16.1% over the same period. This represents an annual growth rate of 5.4% and highlights a big opportunity for Premier retailers.

Rhian Thomas, Head of Shopper and Foodto-Go Insight at IGD, said: “Convenience and food-to-go are increasingly intertwined as foodto-go success becomes increasingly critical to the

has launched a new ad

Drift to online shopping ‘not inevitable’ A new survey examining the growth of online purchasing over the next five years has made some interesting discoveries that challenge the notion that all shopping is inexorably moving online.

The research by consumer behaviour company Go Inspire Group has found that the number of shoppers who expect to buy fresh food online in five years online is actually in decline at -12%.

Despite many fearing that online shopping will

become ubiquitous, the findings also revealed a slight net return to purchasing all food in-store.

Crawford Davidson, Managing Director at Go Inspire Group, said: “The ‘drift’ to online transactions is very different for each product category. Products like electronic products are shifting online but food is not, and particularly not fresh food. Retailers need to be alert to the dangers of making decisions about the future that are not based on facts and research.”

WE’RE DEFINITELY BUYING THAT.

If you’re struggling to deal with trauma from a critical incident at work, let’s talk. We can support you in so many different ways, including free counselling and programmes designed to help you manage your emotions. To turn your life around just call 08088 021 122 or visit groceryaid.org.uk

TALKING TACTICS

Workplace Critical Incident Support is kindly funded by Leverhulme Trade Charities Trust.

What are you doing in-store to

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19/07/2019 10:48

stand out in your local market?

Share it with us and your Premier retailer colleagues at talkingshop@55north.com 0141 222 5380

August 2019 TalkingShop

13

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Ibrox, Glasgow | STORE PROFILE

And now for something

completely different…

I

NITRO LAB: The store features a liquid nitrogen ice cream parlour.

Premier Racetrack Ibrox in Glasgow is a convenience store like no other with over 60 slush flavours, a Havana cigar humidor, a chilled beer cave, a huge dessert bar – complete with liquid nitrogen ice cream – and an enormous vaping range.

t’s fair to say that Premier Racetrack Ibrox in Glasgow is not your average convenience store. How many stores do you know that have a liquid nitrogen ice cream parlour, over 60 flavours of slushes, a Cuban cigar humidor, a dedicated six metre vaping island that would put a specialist vape shop to shame and an enormous dessert bar that runs the entire length of the back wall?

The stunning forecourt store sits within a stone’s throw of Ibrox Stadium, home of Glasgow Rangers Football Club, and re-opened just a month or so ago after what was effectively a full rebuild of the site from the ground up.

The brainchild of husband and wife team Shamly and Vikas Sud, Premier Racetrack has the look and feel more of a US mega-forecourt than a UK convenience store, which is no coincidence, as Shamly explains: “We spent a long, long time researching and planning the store and we visited the US on several occasions to get inspiration and ideas. We acquired the site in September 2014 but we didn’t want to create a standard convenience store, we wanted a destination store that would be a real experience for our shoppers when they visit us.”

On that front, it’s definitely job done. The front half of the store would be largely recognisable to Premier retailers, perhaps with the exception August 2019 TalkingShop

15

STORE PROFILE | Ibrox, Glasgow

HIGH END: Havana cigars and fine single malts are on offer.

of a massive vaping fixture, the Cuban cigar humidor and a chilled beer cave, but it’s the back half that makes the store so unique.

For a start, it has a central island of over 20 slush machines serving over 60 weird and wonderful flavours. This sits in front of a Tubbies dessert bar that runs the entire length of the back wall, perhaps 20m wide. The dessert bar features everything from churros, smoothies, cakes, crepes, waffles, sundaes and shakes to the real star of the show: the Nitro Lab. “We first saw liquid nitrogen being used at an ice cream parlour in Dubai,” explains Shamly, “and we instantly decided we needed to bring it to Glasgow. It adds theatre and excitement and it creates the smoothest ice cream you’ve ever tasted because it freezes so fast that ice crystals don’t get the time to form.”

At almost £13 a go, the Nitro Lab ice creams are a high value option for shoppers but Shamly says that they’ve been selling really well and people have been coming for miles around to try them.

“The first thing everybody does when they buy one is take a selfie with it and put it on Instagram or Facebook!” she laughs.

All of the dessert bar offerings are made fresh and use the highest quality ingredients. “Yes, the dessert bar has premium pricing but we’re using premium products,” says Shamly.

16 TalkingShop

August 2019

CLOUD CHASING: The extensive vaping range is a huge footfall driver.

“Real Belgian chocolate, genuine Nutella, top grade fresh fruit.”

This commitment to quality extends to the standard of shopfitting and the materials used. Everything is the best of the best. “We used to have a property redevelopment business so we’re experienced in that side of things and we wanted to build this store to the highest possible standards,” she says. “When you’re promising a highquality experience, every aspect of the offer has to reflect that high quality.”

That even extends to the customer toilets which wouldn’t feel out of place in a 5-star hotel!

An extensive seating area means that shoppers can enjoy their Nitro Lab ice cream in comfort and spend a little longer in the store, hopefully being tempted into another unplanned purchase or two into the bargain.

“The aim wasn’t to have people come in, grab what they need and leave,” says Shamly. “We wanted them to enjoy the experience and want to hang around a while and have a nice time with us.”

The huge vaping range has also been a hit with shoppers and has driven brand new footfall with a range that tops most specialist vapeshops. Their son Gunaranjan handles that part of the store. He explains: “Vaping is huge and we wanted to become a destination store for vapers by delivering an exceptional range and by having staff that are genuinely knowledgeable

CORE RANGE: The core convenience and grocery range is well presented.

SLUSH QUEEN: Shamly tries one of the 60 flavours on offer!

SWEET TREATS: A huge range of freshly made cakes is popular.

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

SUPER PREMIUM: At £13 each, the liquid nitrogen ice creams generate big profits and footfall.

DIGITAL COMMS: There are 60 digital screens around the store.

Store CV:

NEXT LEVEL: A dessert bar, but not as you know it.

NEXT GENERATION: Shamly and Gunaranjan are setting new standards

Name: Premier Racetrack Ibrox, Glasgow Retailers: Shamly and Vikas Sud Time as retailers: 5 years Time with Premier: 5 years Stores in group: 5 (All Premier) Size: 3,500sq ft Services: Lottery, PayPoint, licensed, hot and cold food to go, ATM, coffee, vape island, Havana cigars, beer cave, American candy and drinks, dessert bar, Liquid nitrogen ice cream Nearest competition: Co-op across the road, Asda less than a mile Trading hours: Mon to Sat 5.30am – 11pm, Sun 7am – 11pm

EXPERIENCE MATTERS: The tillpoint and beer cave add to the shopper’s exprience.

about the category and can offer great advice and support. It’s a big, big footfall driver for us – and it generates great profit margins.”

The store also sells vaping products online through a dedicated website, further extending their reach.

Gunaranjan has taken the clever decision to slightly discount its range of vaping products, making it cheaper than the vapeshops they compete with but still delivering big PORs of 40% and upwards. “We can afford to undercut the vapeshops and still make strong profits,” says Gunaranjan, “which brings customers through the door – and when they arrive we hope there’s plenty more in the store to tempt them.”

The beer cave offers a big range of chilled multipack beers and ciders as well as a full range of wines from the value end right through to the premium end with wines topping £30 a bottle. Then there’s the Havana cigar humidor, another great idea that brings shoppers to the store who would normally have to travel into the centre of Glasgow to find the world’s best hand-rolled cigars.

All told, the rebuild of the store is nothing short of spectacular. “It was expensive to do,” concludes Shamly.

“But we wanted to build something special and the fact that our turnover has risen by more than 200% since the refit tells us that we’re on the right track.”

August 2019 TalkingShop

17

STORE PROFILE | Wallington, Surrey

of life

New lease

After 18 years in the same store, Surrey retailer Siva Ruban can hardly believe the turnaround in his business since joining Premier with sales up 400%!

FRESH START: A rejuvenated Siva and his fast-growing store.

BIG DEAL: Premier’s promotional programme was vital for Siva.

DOUBLING UP: The store was doubled in size by the extension.

Store CV:

Name: Allsorts Premier Express, Wallington, Surrey Retailer: Siva Ruban Time as a retailer: 18 years Time with Premier: 9 months Size: 672sq ft Staff: 4 Services: licensed, Lottery, PayPoint, Collect+, food to go, coffee, slush, American candy, locally sourced products Nearest competition: Sainsbury’s, Co-op, M&S, Londis, Nisa all under 1 mile Trading hours: 7am – 10pm

18 TalkingShop

August 2019

L

ike many unaffiliated independent retailers, Siva Ruban had been finding it harder and harder to maintain sales and profitability in recent years and decided he had to make a change. Siva had been running his store in Wallington in Surrey for 18 years, as he explains: “I realised a year or two ago that the retailing sector had changed and that I had to change with it or I would have been left behind. I knew that I had to join a symbol group and I also knew

that I had to try to extend the store as it was only 298sq ft and there simply wasn’t enough space to allow me to drive good growth back into it.”

It was at that point that Siva happened to be in his local Booker branch in Croydon and got talking to a Premier RDM about the best way of developing his business.

“That seemingly innocent little conversation ended up changing everything for me,” says Siva. “I had been planning on a small extension but after chatting to the team at Premier

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

I was advised to take a more radical approach to the extension which would then allow me to become a Premier Express into the bargain.”

That radical approach involved a full rethink of the extension which ended up more than doubling the size of the shopfloor as well as the implementation of a full refit.

Siva explains: “I already had some plans for the refit which I showed to the Premier team and they had a look at them for me then decided to come out and visit the store. After the visit they suggested I rework the plans to significantly grow the shopfloor by reclaiming some of the large storage space I had at the back of the shop. As soon as I heard their ideas, I immediately saw the potential. A lightbulb came on.”

The Premier merchandising and planning team quickly got involved and helped map out both the layout for the new store and the optimum range for Siva’s shopper base.

“Premier did a demographic survey of the local area for me which helped us decide on which categories to include and how much space to give each category and even each product,” says Siva. “We also had some key categories

and sections that we wanted to add into the much bigger store like fresh and chilled, coffee, food to go, promotional bays and meal deals.”

One of the big attractions of joining Premier for Siva was access to a fantastic promotional programme, something the store had never had before. “You have to remember that as an unaffiliated retailer before I didn’t have any promotional programme instore,” laughs Siva. “I absolutely knew that my shoppers were looking for great deals and great everyday pricing but I just couldn’t offer that without a symbol group.”

He also points out that before he made the move to Premier he did have a look around the market at what was available but “very quickly” realised that Premier’s package was by the far the best for him.

“The Premier package is, for me, the best out there,” he says. “And on top of that, the support and advice they have given me since I joined around nine months ago has been genuinely exceptional. They have been instrumental in transforming my business to a degree that I wouldn’t have believed possible.”

The store was duly refitted and

400%

Sales increase since joining Premier

NEW & IMPROVED: Promotional bays, food to go and increased chilled space have grown sales by 400%.

BIG PLANS: Siva is already planning for a bigger food to go offer.

ON IMPULSE: The tillpoint spirits fixture and £1 hanging bags drive spend.

GET FRESH: Adding the Farm Fresh range has seen category sales rocket.

CHILL OUT: Frozen space has been tripled in the store.

August 2019 TalkingShop

19

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

FRESH START: The new store is heading for 500% sales growth.

re-opened with Premier Express above the door earlier this year.

“We saw sales and profits grow from day one,” he says. “As soon as we re-opened as a we started seeing faces we’d never seen before and we started seeing bigger basket spends than we’d ever seen before. A few months down the line we are now doing weekly sales four times higher than they were before we joined Premier!

“Remember, I had been here 18 years and if someone had told me that I’d grow sales by 400% I’d have said they were mad!”

And, remarkably, sales are still growing with Siva aiming for yet more growth by

the end of the year that will make that figure nearer 500% growth.

How did he manage it? Siva modestly says he “didn’t re-invent the wheel”. Instead he simply got all the basics right, as he explains: “The Premier team was right when they urged me to do the extension and make room for key categories. It’s not rocket science, but when you’ve been behind the same counter for 18 years sometimes you can’t see the wood for the trees.”

Those basics included adding more chilled space for ready meals and food to go solutions, three times as much frozen space, a new coffee machine, two promotional

bays, a focus on the Premier Meal Deals, a new American candy fixture and the addition of a good range of Euro Shopper and Happy Shopper lines.

“We also removed the tobacco gantry and replaced it with an eye-catching backlit spirits fixture,” adds Siva. “And we added in some more locally sourced lines like bakery and eggs. We did have a little fresh fruit and veg before but we’ve now added a full Farm Fresh bay and that’s transformed sales in that category too.”

It’s a remarkable story, as Siva admits: “We’ve managed to turn this business on its head and I can’t thank Premier enough.”

AMERICAN DREAM: A new American candy fixture is popular.

GO LOCAL: Siva has added a range of locally sourced products.

THAT’S THE SPIRIT: A backlit spirits fixture has replaced the cigarette gantry.

August 2019 TalkingShop

21

STORE PROFILE | Stenhousemuir

Keep it in the

family GENERATION GAME: Chris Love represents the third generation of retailers in his family.

Store CV:

Name: Premier Early Till Late, Stenhousemuir Retailers: David and Chris Love Time as retailers: 54 years Time with Premier: 25 years Size: 1,500sq ft Staff: 15 Services: Licensed, Lottery, PayPoint, Collect+, ATM, hot food, coffee, locally sourced produce, US candy and soft drinks.

Nearest competition: Asda, Scotmid, B&M and Tim Horton’s under ¼ mile Trading hours: Mon to Sat 5.30am – 9pm; Sun 6.30am – 9pm

EFFICIENCY DRIVE: The refit saw all-new energy efficient chillers installed.

22 TalkingShop

August 2019

CANDY MAN: The American and kids candy fixture has recently been doubled in size.

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

Stenhousemuir retailer Chris Love is the latest in a long line of family members to run fantastic convenience stores over three generations and it seems the family legacy is in good hands.

W

hen your business has been serving the same community for well over 50 years, you develop a unique relationship and bond with your shoppers. That’s certainly the way Stenhousemuir Premier retailer Chris Love views it. “We’ve had shops in this area since 1964 and it’s a real family business so we’ve built a really strong relationship with our shoppers,” he explains. “My grandfather started it and along the way my dad, my uncle and my cousins have all been involved.

In fact, despite being in his 70s, my dad still has an active involvement in the store, even if he does spend six months a year in the States!”

The store that Chris runs now was first bought in 1982 and, as is the case in many retailing families, Chris grew up in and around the store. “I got hooked on it,” he readily admits.

“After school I spent a couple of years as a pension administrator of all things, but it wasn’t for me and I was desperate to get back into the shop, so that’s exactly what I did.”

That was back in 1998 and he has been involved in running it ever since, growing and developing it along the way. “My dad was, and remains, a real inspiration and he was a very creative retailer,” says Chris.

“These days we’re all getting into food to go but I remember my dad walking into the shop 17 years ago with a frying pan, telling us that making food for shoppers was the way forward. We thought he was mad – but it turns out he was right!”

Chris is hardly short of a great idea or two himself, as well as having a keen ambition to keep the business

relentlessly moving forward. The store had been reworked on a number of occasions but in December 2017 a full extension and refit was carried out to allow for the addition of a large new area dedicated to food to go.

“We took back some of the storage space and reclaimed as shop floor space so that we could introduce a serve over counter for hot and chilled food to go,” he says.

The refit also involved a lot of work on the main shopfloor with new energy-efficient chillers added, some awkward pillars removed and a relaying of the shelving to make the shopper journey around the store easier and more logical.

A range of American candy and soft drinks has also proven popular. So much so that that Chris has recently doubled the size of the fixture to cope with the growing demand.

Locally sourced products including butchery lines, bakery items and confectionery feature prominently with shoppers more than happy to pay the premium for local brands they know and trust.

This includes an extensive range of craft beers from nearby Tryst Brewery which the store has stocked for an amazing 15 years, way before the days when ‘craft beer’ suddenly became all the rage.

“We’ve always tried to stay up with the times, or ahead of them if possible,” concludes Chris. “We like to mix it up and we’re willing to try things in the store.

“If our customers ask for something specific, we’ll do our best to find it for them. I think that’s why we’ve been successful for so long. We understand our shoppers and they understand us.

It’s a true community store.”

GO LOCAL: Locally sourced products are a feature of the store.

DRINK TO THAT: Coffee and slush are popular.

MEAT TRADE: Local butchery items drive footfall and profits.

August 2019 TalkingShop

23

STORE PROFILE | Gosport, Hampshire

Rocket-fuelled growth in

Gosport The Mahmode family in Gosport took over a store that had been closed for over three years yet grew weekly sales to over £25,000 in under five months with the help of Premier!

Store CV:

Name: Wych Lane Premier, Gosport, Hampshire Retailers: Imtiyaz, Sohil and Basir Mahmode; Supriya Namdeo Time as retailers: 3 years Time with Premier: 5 months Size: 2,600sq ft Staff: 5 Services: licensed, PayPoint, Western Union, hot food to go, coffee, ATM, Tango Ice Blast, F’Real, Chicago Town Pizza, gluten free Nearest competition: Co-op, McColl’s and One Stop all under a mile Trading hours: 7am – 11pm

T

GROWING FAST: The store was formerly a pub.

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August 2019

here is always some apprehension around taking on a store that hasn’t been trading for a long time and Gosport retailer Imtiyaz Mahmode is more than happy to admit that he spent many long nights wondering if he had made a mistake after buying a 2,600sq ft store that had lain vacant for over three years. “It had been a pub and was then sold to the Co-op who only operated it for six months before closing it and it then lay empty for three years,” explains Imtiyaz. “So, after we’d committed to buying it and spending a very significant six-figure sum on refitting it, I did have the odd sleepless night!”

To add to his anxiety, Imtiyaz was actually an IT engineer to trade who only got into retailing three years ago when he agreed to do some IT work in a store his brother managed before “getting fascinated by retail” and deciding on a drastic change of career.

“I did some IT work in my brother’s store while I was on

holiday from my day job and somehow managed to get hooked on the idea of becoming a retailer myself,” he says.

Having made the jump, he and his brother ran the leased store for a few years before deciding the time was right to buy a store of their own.

“We decided with my wife Supriya and some family members in July last year to start looking for something,” he recalls. “We had been aware of this store but hadn’t pursued it, but we revisited it and decided that, even though the Co-op couldn’t make it work, we thought we could.”

The store was finally acquired and a full-scale refit was carried out with the store officially opening in February this year with some challenging but hopefully achievable targets.

“The store had been closed for years so we didn’t know how long it would take to get up to speed,” he says. “We agreed with Premier and the bank that we would target having a weekly turnover of

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

AMERICAN DREAM: Over 800 American candy lines are stocked.

GO FOR IT: The store has a strong food to go offer.

MEAL SOLUTIONS: The Premier Meal Deal solutions perform well.

PIZZA THE ACTION: A pizza unit draws shoppers in the evening.

DONE DEAL: The store has seven promotional bays.

£12,000 after six months. What actually happened was that we hit £15,000 within a week and are now doing over £25,000 a week just five months later!”

Needless to say, both Premier and the bank are as pleased as Imtiyaz and his family at the results.

To hit the ground running, the family had run an extensive social media and leafleting campaign before the store had even opened, keeping the local community up to date with the progress of the refit. That campaign meant that from day one the store saw a steady stream of shoppers come through the door.

“The Facebook campaign worked really well and we now have over 1,700 followers,” he says.

As for the store, it’s an extremely professional looking modern convenience store that ticks every one of the key boxes.

“We took Premier’s advice on the categories we needed to focus on like food to go, coffee, American candy, free-from and so on,”

HAVE A BLAST: The store has sold over 9,000 cups of Tango Ice Blast in five months!

comments Imtiyaz. “That strategy has worked so well for us and we have also made a few upgrades of our own such as growing the range of American candy to over 800 products, adding two Tango Ice Blast machines and F’Real machine, a Chicago Town Pizza unit and creating a full bay of gluten-free lines.”

To say the additions have been a success is an understatement.

The store has sold 9,000 cups of Tango Ice Blast since opening and 1,250 cups of F’real since the machine was added less than two weeks ago!

It’s no surprise then that the store has been shortlisted in the Newcomer of the Year category at the Retail Industry Awards. It’s also no surprise that Imtiyaz and his family have plenty more ideas up their sleeves for the future.

“We’re trying to get a Lottery machine and we’re launching a home delivery service,” he concludes. “And we’re also looking at adding a second store at some point. It’s definitely more fun than being an IT engineer!”

August 2019 TalkingShop

25

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Tango is the BEST tasting orange fruit carbonate*

+£2M Marketing spend in 2019

New SUGAR FREE flavours Tropical and Strawberry & Watermelon

M235784 - Tango Orange PMP 500ml PET M249662 - Tango Strawberry & Watermelon PMP 500ml PET M249663 - Tango Tropical PMP 500ml PET * MMR Consumer Product Benchmarking Dec 2017 (Base: Sugar free Rep Sample 18-24 yr olds n=81)

Time to

MAXIMUM RASPBERRY NO SUGAR

ALSO AVAILABLE IN 330ML PMP CANS M247068 - Pepsi Max Raspberry PMP 500ml PET

FEATURE | Back To School

New term

brings new opportunities It’s almost that time of year again when pupils and student of all ages return to schools, colleges and universities across the UK, creating an important annual opportunity for Premier retailers.

MERCHANDISING ADVICE

ON THE MENU: Offering simple menu cards is a helpful way of growing basket spend among students.

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August 2019

A few simple steps can help drive sales as the new terms start: l Create a dedicated ‘Back to School / College / University’ display to capture interest and remind shoppers to stock up with suitable products. l Stock price-marked packs of best-selling products to reinforce the great value available on leading products. l Use clear POS to communicate seasonal offers throughout the store, with secondary sightings supporting top-up shops and impulse purchases. l Promote your ‘Back to School / College / University’ promotions on social media to give shoppers more reasons to visit the store. l Inspire meal ideas with complementary products, such as displaying snacks and drinks alongside quick meal solutions such as pot snacks.

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

T

he annual ‘back to school’ period is one of the most significant opportunities every year for retailers as millions of pupils and students return to school, college, university and all other forms of education.

It’s an opportunity that applies to stores in practically every village, town and city so it’s one every retailer has the chance to cash in on. That special period of the year invariably sees these pupils and students – often with the help of parents or family – plan to start afresh for the new term and this often involves stocking up on a wide variety of food.

This is where Premier retailers can take advantage by providing shoppers with a good choice of products catering for every breakfast, lunch, evening meal and snacking occasion.

To help target this lucrative seasonal sales opportunity, Premier has created a bespoke programme of ‘back to school’ promotions offering fantastic value for money deals on many of the best-selling products.

These include half price deals on Pot Noodles, 2-for-£1 deals on Quaker instant porridge products and a buy-one-get-onefree deal on the new Snax on the Go Vegan Sausage Roll.

The truly comprehensive range of promotions will help you drive up footfall, sales and profits.

QUICK AND EASY

At this time of year, quick-and-easy meal solutions are particularly popular with students living away from home for the first time, either because they are not used to preparing full meals from scratch, or because they have a busy schedule that draws them

MERCHANDISING ADVICE: POT SNACKS

BACK TO SCHOOL CIES DEALS – BREAKFAST Quaker OatSoSimple Original Pot PM99

Case size: 45g WSP: £3.20 Deal: 2 for £1 POR: 20.0% Quaker OatSoSimp GS Pot PM99

Case size: 57g WSP: £3.20 Deal: 2 for £1 POR: 20.0% Oatso Simple Express Pot Original

Case size: 45g WSP: £3.20 Deal: 2 for £1 POR: 20.0% Oatso Simple Express Pot Syrup

Case size: 57g WSP: £3.20 Deal: 2 for £1 POR: 20.0% Kelloggs Rice Krispies PM299

Case size: 510g WSP: £9.60 Deal: £2.00 POR: 20.0% Kelloggs Coco Pops PM299

Case size: 480g WSP: £9.60 Deal: £2.00 POR: 20.0% Kelloggs Crunchy Nut PM299

Case size: 500g WSP: £12.79 Deal: £2.00 POR: 20.1%

50%

Talking Shop offers the following Pot Snack merchandising advice to Premier retailers: of shoppers are l Make products easier to find by locating noodle snacks together with rice snacks. l Site Pot Snacks near crisps and soft drinks as many are consumed at lunchtime ‘reassured’ by and are often eaten on the go with crisps and / or a soft drink.

PMPs. l Allocate space appropriately; if sited on the same fixture, give 70% of space to pot snacks and 30% to block noodles. l Make it easy for shoppers to eat them by making hot water available in-store, if possible, and have forks and napkins to hand so people can eat them immediately. l Keep similar products together by merchandising all flavours of multipacks together and all flavours of single packs together.

58%

of pot snacks are consumed at lunchtime

towards options that can be enjoyed on the go, or prepared and consumed immediately upon arriving home.

The start of term is the perfect time for retailers to meet their needs and help create repeat shoppers who come back all year.

Many students living away from home won’t drive, so are more likely to buy small amounts on a regular basis from a nearby retailer. Having simple meal solutions, as part of multibuys or by stocking complementary ranges together, means they can top up as required or when short on time.

SNACK POTS

On-the-go products and quick meal solutions – such as pot snacks – tend to perform very well among student communities and at the start of term. Quick and convenient, pot snacks require no planning, preparation or August 2019 TalkingShop

29

FEATURE | Back To School

45%

of food to go shoppers buy Meal Deals

BACK TO SCHOOL DEALS – SNACKS & TREATS Pot Noodle Chicken & Mushroom PM119

Case size: 90g WSP: £5.65 Deal: HALF PRICE 59P POR: 20.2% Pot Noodle Beef & Tomato PM119

Case size: 90g WSP: £5.65 Deal: HALF PRICE 59P POR: 20.2% Pot Noodle Curry PM119

Case size: 90g WSP: £5.65 Deal: HALF PRICE 59P POR: 20.2% Pot Noodle Bombay Bad Boy PM119

Case size: 90g WSP: £5.65 Deal: HALF PRICE 59P POR: 20.2% Batchelors PastaNSauce Cheese/Leek/Ham PM109

Case size: 99g WSP: £3.89 Deal: 2 for £1.50 POR: 25.9% Batchelors PastaNSauce Mac Cheese PM109

Case size: 99g WSP: £3.89 Deal: 2 for £1.50 POR: 25.9% Batchelors Supernoodles Mild Curry PM109

Case size: 90g WSP: £4.49 Deal: 2 for £1.50 POR: 25.2% Batchelors Supernoodles Chicken PM109

Case size: 90g WSP: £4.49 Deal: 2 for £1.50 POR: 25.2% Batchelors Supernoodles BBQ PM109

Case size: 90g WSP: £4.49 Deal: 2 for £1.50 POR: 25.2% Batchelors Supernoodles Bacon PM109

Case size: 90g WSP: £4.49 Deal: 2 for £1.50 POR: 25.2% Doritos Cool Original

Case size: 180g WSP: £9.60 Deal: £1.00 POR: 20.0% Doritos Chilli Heatwave

Case size: 180g WSP: £9.60 Deal: £1.00 POR: 20.0% Doritos Tangy Cheese

Case size: 180g WSP: £9.60 Deal: £1.00 POR: 20.0% Rustlers Breakfast Sausage Muffin PM150

MAKE SURE THE PRICE IS RIGHT 1. Insights from research agency HIM show that Price Marked Packs (PMPs) play a very important role.

2. 47% of consumers compare prices between other stores when grocery shopping, and year on year, fewer convenience shoppers expect to pay a premium.

3. 50% of shoppers say “PMPs reassure me I am not being overcharged” and “make me aware of the true price”.

4. Promotions are still extremely beneficial in certain instances such as: l NPD: Six in 10 UK adults would try NPD if it were on promotion. l Meal Deals: 45% of Food to Go shoppers buy Meal Deals, boosting ‘third item upsell’. l Treats: promotions can be highly effectively at driving incremental sales.

Case size: 155g WSP: £4.20 Deal: £1.50 POR: 30.0% Peperami Original PM79

Case size: 22.5g WSP: £9.90 Deal: 2 for £1.20 POR: 31.3% Peperami Hot PM79

Case size: 22.5g WSP: £9.90 Deal: 2 for £1.20 POR: 31.3% Peperami Firestick PM79

Case size: 22.5g WSP: £9.90 Deal: 2 for £1.20 POR: 31.3% Peperami Beefstick PM79

Case size: 20g WSP: £9.90 Deal: 2 for £1.20 POR: 31.3% Euro Shopper Chocolate Chip Cookies PM100 TWIN

Case size: 400G WSP: £8.39 Deal: £1.00 POR: 30.1% Euro Shopper Chocolate PM100

Case size: 200G WSP: £9.29 Deal: £1.00 POR: 30.3% Snax on the Go Vegan Roll

Case size: 120g WSP: £2.35 Deal: BOGOF @£1 POR: 21.7% Dairylea Dunkers Jumbo PM69

Case size: 45g WSP: £5.99 Deal: 2 FOR £1 POR: 20.1% Dairylea Dunkers Breadsticks PM69

Case size: 47g WSP: £5.99 Deal: 2 FOR £1 POR: 20.1% Dairylea Dunkers Ritz PM69

Case size: 46g WSP: £5.99 Deal: 2 FOR £1 POR: 20.1% Euro Shopper Sandwich Ham

Case size: 140g WSP: £5.60 Deal: £1.00 POR: 30.0%

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August 2019

chilling, unlike a homemade sandwich or salad, and can be consumed either out-of-home or in the workplace – for example, in colleges or universities.

Premier offers a wide range of quick meal solutions, in pot and sachet formats to suit different shoppers, with students immediately recognising the Batchelors, Pasta ‘n’ Sauce and Super Noodles Pots brands, for instance.

Creating impactful displays with a full range of complementary products is key to helping shoppers stock up quickly and easily so consider grouping products from different categories that tie into the same occasion to increase basket spend. Price promotions or multibuys can also help drive spend.

Bear in mind that more than

58% of pot snacks are consumed at lunchtime and are often eaten on the go, along with a soft drink, crisps or confectionery. Siting them next to other ‘food for now’ categories can really boost sales, as can making hot water and forks available to shoppers.

PASTA, NOODLE & BEAN MEALS

One of the most traditional staple categories for higher education students is the pasta, noodle and bean meals and accompaniments market.

This category often accounts for a large part of the student diet, so it’s a market Premier retailers should take seriously – particularly if the store is near a college or university.

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

THE STUDENT STAPLE DIET TOP 10!

Here’s a handy list of the 10 top-selling products to build your full back-to-school range around: PRODUCT

CASE SIZE

WSP

RSP

POR

Pot Noodle Chicken & Mushroom PM

12x90g

£10.39

£1.19

27.2%

Pot Noodle Original Curry PM

12x90g

£10.39

£1.19

27.2%

Batchelors Super Noodles Chicken PM

8x90g

£5.99

£1.09

31.3%

Happy Shopper Micro Rice Basmati PM

6x250g

£3.99

£1.00

33.5%

Batchelors Super Noodles Pot Chicken PM

8x75g

£7.59

£1.20

20.9%

Euro Shopper Baked Beans PM

12x410g

£3.25

£0.40

32.3%

Happy Shopper Beans and Sausages PM

6x395g

£3.45

£0.89

35.4%

Batchelors Super Noodles Pot BBQ PM

8x75g

£7.59

£1.20

20.9%

Naked Noodle Singapore Curry Pot

12x78g

£7.99

£1.19

44.0%

£5.69

£1.20

21.0%

Batchelors Pasta n Sauce Pot Cheese and Broccoli PM 6x65g

The beans and pasta segment alone is worth more than £400m to the UK each year, according to Nielsen, with the average shopper picking up two items every time they shop.

Annually there are over 293 million shopping occasions with bean meals and accompaniments. So it’s important for retailers to organise their grocery range carefully.

FRESH APPROACH

While traditional ‘back to school’ ranges will certainly deliver for your store, it’s also worth noting that shopping habits are evolving, even among students, which means that more and more students are likely to be looking beyond pot snacks, beans and pasta.

With the next generations more health conscious than ever, stocking a strong range of fresh fruit and vegetables,

freshly made food to go and free-from lines – including vegan – will help target pupils and students keen on maintaining a balanced diet.

Many of today’s younger shoppers also appear to have larger disposable incomes than students of a decade or more ago, so ensuring you have a good coffee offer as well as some innovative solutions such as hot pizzas, Tango Ice Blast and F’Real shakes can really help drive footfall, sales and profits at this time of year.

KEEP IT QUICK AND EASY!

BACK TO SCHOOL DEALS – DRINKS Tropicana Original Orange PM250

Case size: 850ml WSP: £5.99 Deal: 2 for £3 POR: 20.1% Tropicana Smooth Orange PM250

Case size: 850ml WSP: £5.99 Deal: 2 for £3 POR: 20.1% Copella Apple PM250

Case size: 900ml WSP: £5.99 Deal: 2 for £3 POR: 20.1% Naked Blue Machine

Case size: 450ml WSP: £10.49 Deal: £2.00 POR: 21.3% Naked Green Machine

Case size: 450ml WSP: £10.49 Deal: £2.00 POR: 21.3% Yazoo Strawberry Milk PM100

Case size: 400ml WSP: £4.99 Deal: 2 FOR £1.50 POR: 33.5% Yazoo Choc Milk PM100

l Students of all ages are always looking for options that require minimal effort so the ‘Quick & Easy’ meal options are just that: quick and easy to prepare, able to be eaten on the go or at home, and great on their own or as an accompaniment to a larger meal. l The light meal solutions category contains a variety of convenience based products that are quick and convenient to prepare, including Pot snack (e.g. Pot Noodle & Uncle Ben’s Rice Pots) Savoury Noodles/ Rice/Pasta (e.g. Batchelor’s Super Noodles) and Dry Soups (e.g.

Batchelors Cup a Soup & Heinz Cup Soups).

Case size: 400ml WSP: £4.99 Deal: 2 FOR £1.50 POR: 33.5% Yazoo Banana Milk PM100

Case size: 400ml WSP: £4.99 Deal: 2 FOR £1.50 POR: 33.5% Yazoo Vanilla Mlk PM100

Case size: 400ml WSP: £4.99 Deal: 2 FOR £1.50 POR: 33.5% Yazoo Choc Caramel PM100

Case size: 400ml WSP: £4.99 Deal: 2 FOR £1.50 POR: 33.5%

August 2019 TalkingShop

31

Local Sourcing | FEATURE

Unleashing the power of local! W Sourcing high quality local-sourced products that are trusted by your shoppers and can often attract a premium is a great way of helping set your store apart from the competition.

GOING LOCAL: Faraz Iqbal has seen footfall, sales and profits increase.

HERITAGE: Stuart’s has a long history and is well loved by Faraz’s shoppers.

SEASONAL SALES: In-store activity reflects various sporting and sesonal events.

DAILY DROP: Faraz gets deliveries seven days a week.

ith more competition than ever, Premier retailers are always on the look out for ways to set themselves apart from the rest and one fantastic way of achieving this is by actively working with more local suppliers.

Stocking locally-sourced products can be a very effective way of driving footfall to your store as well as driving up sales and profits with many shoppers prepared to pay a premium for high quality lines from local suppliers that they know and trust.

Many shoppers also like supporting smaller local businesses and will appreciate it if you can help them do just that.

Kirkcaldy retailer and PDG member Faraz Iqbal believes that locally-sourced lines can bring significant benefits, as he explains: “At our Premier Linktown Local store we try to stock as many locallysourced lines in certain categories as we can and about six months ago we introduced a whole new food-to-go solution from Stuart’s Bakers & Butchers. They’re based just along the coast in Buckhaven and they offer a fantastic range of butchery and bakery products that complements our existing range perfectly.”

Having successfully trialled food-to-go on a small scale in his Premier Linktown Local store, Faraz had been looking for a more comprehensive solution to take his offer to the next level “Stuart’s were an obvious choice for us as everyone in this area knows and trusts them, but I hadn’t been aware that they offered a complete end-to-end solution for food-togo,” says Faraz. “I was really impressed at how well thought through the solution is.

They deliver seven days a week for me and August 2019 TalkingShop

33

% 4

** s n el wee z z lo i Sw Hal ht st g u la o b s et e sw

7

*

E V I US

L C EX

*IRI Total Marketplace Sugar Confectionery 5 w/e 05/11/17 **Survey Monkey Consumer Research via Families (1500+ Respondents)

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

NO TIME TO GO DIRECT? CHOOSE CENTRAL BILLING

If you want to increase the amount of locally-sourced product you sell but can’t find the time to seek out and make contact with local suppliers, don’t forget that you can make use of Premier’s Central Billing facility.

Central Billing covers a massive array of food and non-food categories from more than 200 suppliers as well as more than 150 smaller local suppliers. Check out the latest list at smallsupplier.com The benefits: l Centrally negotiated pricing and low minimum order quantities. l Exclusive discounts and high PORs from suppliers. l Reduced admin, leaving you more time to run your business. l Savings on bank charges with only one direct debit. l Bespoke Booker promotions.

Central Billing couldn’t be simpler.

The supplier begins delivery an on agreed date and orders are delivered directly by the supplier with a detailed delivery note.

Booker then sends a weekly statement, including invoices and credits and payment is collected via a variable Direct Debit.

More and more Premier retailers are increasingly relying on Central Billing to increase efficiency and reduce complexity in their businesses as well as to grow the number of smaller local suppliers they use.

FOOTFALL FOCUS: Adding Stuart’s has helped attract new shoppers.

IMPULSE BUY: The serve over counter drives impulse sales.

TAILORED RANGE: The range is constantly monitored to reduce waste and grow sales.

Contact the Central Billing team on 0845 850 5051 or email centralbilling@booker.co.uk to order now.

provide a huge range of rolls, bread, cakes, biscuits, pastries, pies and pasties.”

Stuart’s even provided a free serve-over counter for Faraz and a selection of highquality POS to help him highlight the range in-store and on social media.

As well as the food-to-go and bakery lines, Faraz also buys a range of cold meats and butchery products for the chiller which are popular with shoppers.

“The Stuart’s range is perfect for us and

WORKING TOGETHER: Faraz and Stuart’s Pat Pelosi work closely.

our shoppers because not only is it high quality, it’s also priced sensibly and it’s 25% POR,” comments Faraz. “We know that our shoppers will pay a little extra for premium, local lines but we still have to be 100% sure that we’re delivering the brilliant value for money that the store is know for.”

As well as delivering the lines daily, Stuart’s actively and regularly works with Faraz to proactively manage his range, particularly around seasonal events like Halloween and Easter.

Stuart’s area sales manager Pat Pelosi told Talking Shop: “We work hand in hand with our retailers like Faraz to help them manage their range carefully to minimise wastage and maximise sales. Every two weeks I review the sales then we adjust the volumes of each line that are supplied.”

This stage is important because no two stores have the same sales patterns, as Pelosi explains: “In bakery and butchery, it’s hard to stipulate a set range because no two stores have the same sales patterns, even when they’re on the same street! So we do have the core range that sells well everywhere but we also actively manage the rest of the range to ensure we are helping the retailer achieve the best sales they can.”

And there’s no question in Faraz’s mind that taking the local route has had a hugely beneficial impact on his business. “Firstly, bringing Stuart’s in has definitely helped to drive footfall to the store. I’m a bit of a prolific social media poster and we worked hard at letting the community know when we brought Stuart’s in. That worked well.

“Secondly, it has helped drive up sales, especially unplanned impulse sales.

Shoppers that we’ve known for years are still coming in for their crisps and soft drinks but now they’re also picking up a pie or a piece of cake – or both – and we’re seeing basket spend moving solidly in the right direction.

“Thirdly, the POR we get on the Stuart’s range is good. We get 25% on all bakery lines, for instance, which is pretty good and we also qualify for further volume discounts based on the amount we buy from them, so it’s definitely helping us increase the profits in the store.” It’s a real win-win situation for Faraz and has shoppers and highlights how working with local suppliers can help add another dimension to your store and give shoppers yet another reason to drop by regularly.

August 2019 TalkingShop

35

GET HEALTHY SALES GROWTH

FROM YOUR SNACKING FIXTURE 236605

242653 217763

SHOPPERS ARE DEMANDING AND BUYING MORE HEALTHY SNACKS...

Worth £231m +8% YoY value growth1, the Fruit, Nut & Granola Bar segment is leading the way as 45% of UK consumers are trying to actively make healthy decisions in their diets2

...& SPENDING MORE

50% of shoppers are willing to pay more for healthy food3 47% of Fruit & Nut bar shoppers will buy healthy snacks in addition to their usual purchase4

...AND NAKD IS LEADING THE WAY! • UK’s No 1 Healthy Snacking Brand4 • Blueberry Muffin was the No 1 NPD launch in 2018

generating the biggest value sales5

£2m

PRODUCT

MIDAS CODE

PACK

Nākd Cocoa Orange Fruit & Nut Bar 35g

217763

18

Nākd Peanut Delight Fruit & Nut Bar 35g

236605

18

Nākd Blueberry Muffin Fruit & Nut Bar 35g

242653

18

CAMPAIGN INC. TV!

1: IRi Retail Data to w/e 22.06.19 2: MCA & HIM Healthier Eating Report, 2019

3: IGD Shopper Vista (base 1700 GB Shoppers), April 2018 4: HIM Healthy Snacking Report 2018

5: IRI Retail Data to w/e 05.01.19 – Fruit, Nut & Granola segment

Protein | FEATURE

Bulk up

your sales with

protein!

High protein products are now a regular feature in many Premier stores and the category continues to offer a great opportunity for retailers to build new sales.

THREE STEPS TO BIGGER SALES: 1. Stock a strong range of protein products in your store and try to free up some space to allow you to create a dedicated protein section instore.

2. Site the best-selling lines at the tillpoint to drive up impulse purchases.

UNMISSABLE: A dedicated bay is a great way to drive sales.

3. Talk to your shoppers about the category to raise awareness.

August 2019 TalkingShop

39

FEATURE | Protein

58%

Growth of protein bars in last year

RAISE THE BAR: Protein bars are in growth and have wide appeal.

H SHAKE IT UP: Shakes offer value for money protein boosts to shoppers.

BIG GUNS: Big brands are on board with protein.

40 TalkingShop

August 2019

igh protein foods and drinks are now squarely in the mainstream market with many Premier retailers stocking a strong range and many shoppers purchasing them regularly.

The category remains a very important opportunity for independent retailers, particularly those that make the category highly visible in-store through the use of a dedicated bay or section in a high traffic part of the store.

The category grew by over £350m last year according to Euromonitor sales data with protein-based nutrition continuing to be by far the biggest driver of growth in the overall sports and nutrition category, according to IRI. Mintel data also shows that around 17% of UK consumers already consume food or drink that contains protein as a snack between meals while sales of protein bars alone grew by 58% last year, according to Nielsen figures. In other words, it’s a category that still offers Premier retailers plenty of scope to increase sales and drive new footfall to their stores by targeting shoppers who are actively seeking out high protein snacks, foods and drinks.

CASHING IN

Growing your sales of protein-high lines couldn’t be simpler. Firstly, ensure you stock a good range of products including protein bars, shakes and chocolate singles.

Secondly, make them as prominent in-store as you can, either by siting them in areas that see high levels of traffic or by creating a dedicated bay or section in-store to make them impossible to miss. Try siting a few of the very best-selling lines at the tillpoint to drive up impulse sales.

Lastly, and very importantly, talk to your shoppers about protein. It can be a confusing category for shoppers so a little conversation can help simplify things and add some more high value sales into their basket.

SHAKES AND BARS

As in all product categories, shoppers are still looking for products that taste great and offer strong value for money. Two of the most popular ways to consume Protein comes from Bars and Shakes.

Protein bars is a fast-growing category with sales currently valued at £22m, up a whopping £8.2m on the previous year, according to Nielsen stats.

What are your views? Call 0141 222 5380 or email talkingshop@55north.com

ADD MORE MUSCLE TO YOUR SALES! Talking Shop recommends the following lines:

17%

of shoppers consumer protein snacks between meals

CORE IN EVERY STORE Products

Case Size

WSP RSP

POR

Nature Valley Protein Peanut PM85

12 x 40g

£6.39 £0.85

25%

Nature Valley Protein Salted PM85

12 x 40g

£6.39 £0.85

25%

Dr Nurishment Chocolate

12 x 400g

£13.49 £1.50

25%

Dr Nurishment Chocolate PM110

12 x 400g

£9.99 £1.10

24%

Dr Nurishment Strawberry

12 x 400g

£13.49 £1.50

25%

Dr Nurishment Vanilla PM110

12 x 400g

£9.99 £1.10

24%

Mars Protein Bar

18 x 50g

£17.99 £1.59

25%

Snickers Protein

18 x 47g

£17.99 £1.59

25%

Eat Natural Protein Pack Bar

12 x 45g

£6.19 £0.89

30%

Grenade CarbKilla WhiteChoc

12 x 60g

£13.79 £2.49

45%

Grenade Dark Choc Raspberry

12 x 60g

£13.79 £2.49

45%

Grenade Peanut Nutter

12 x 60g

£13.79 £2.49

45%

Grenade White Choc S/Peanut

12 x 60g

£13.79 £2.49

45%

Grenade Carb Killa Cookies & Cream

12 x 60g

£13.79 £2.49

45%

Grenade Carb Killa Caramel Chaos 1

2 x 60g

£13.79 £2.49

45%

Dr Nurishment Banana

12 x 400g

£13.49 £1.50

25%

Dr Nurishment Banana PM110

12 x 400g

£9.99 £1.10

24%

Euro Shopper Chocolate Protein PM89

8 x 330ml

£4.95 £0.89

31%

Euro Shopper Strawberry Protein PM89

8 x 330ml

£4.95 £0.89

31%

Grenade CarbKilla ChocMint

8 x 330ml

£12.69 £2.49

36%

Grenade CarbKilla White Choc

8 x 330ml

£12.69 £2.49

36%

Grenade CarbKilla Cookies & Cream

8 x 330ml

£12.69 £2.49

36%

Grenade CarbKilla Fudge Brownie

8 x 330ml

£12.69 £2.49

36%

Weetabix Protein Strawberry /Raspberry

8 x 275ml

£11.99 £1.99

25%

Weetabix Protein Vanilla Dark

8 x 275ml

£11.99 £1.99

25%

For Goodness Shakes Protein Chocolate

6 x 475ml

£8.69 £2.49

42%

For Goodness Shakes Protein Nutrition

6 x 315ml

£7.35 £1.75

30%

Naked Protein Tropical Punch

8 x 360m

£14.89 £2.99

41%

Cadbury Boost Protein Peanut Bar

24 x 49g

£19.99 £1.59

16%

Cadbury Boost Protein Bar

24 x 49g

£19.99 £1.59

16%

Other Products to consider

Protein shakes are also an important part of the category which has been recognised

by Booker with the launch of its must-stock range of Euro Shopper Protein Shakes.

Available in Chocolate and Strawberry flavours with a price-mark of just 89p for a 330ml bottle, the range is substantially less expensive than branded equivalents which can often retail around the £2.49 mark. Not only that, the range delivers PORs of over 30% and each bottle delivers over 20g of protein.

The growth of the category has also ensured that many of the world’s largest

manufacturers have now launched high protein variants of already household names. Products like Mars and Snickers Protein Bars offer 19g and 18g of protein per bar respectively and have helped move the market on and bring new shoppers into the category.

SPECIALIST SALES

Many companies may be new to the protein market but there are also many who have been focused on this once niche market for a long time, successfully serving the needs of high protein shoppers for many years

One such brand is Grenade, a specialist brand that has been around since 2010.

Already one of the most popular food brands sold on Amazon, Grenade already enjoys strong credibility within the sports market. Its bestselling “Carb Killa” range of High Protein bars have a proven rate of sale with the the two top variants being Cookies & Cream and Caramel Chaos.

These 60g bars contain over 23g of Protein and less than 1.5g of carbs. These are premium 45% POR products available in a range of popular flavours such as Fudge Brownie and Cookies & Cream Flavours.

August 2019 TalkingShop

41

PricesDown

FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITIES TO SAVE ON COSTS AND BOOST YOUR PROFITS

2-for-£1 confectionery promotion drives profits Premier has launched an amazing 2-for-£1 deal with dedicated POS on a huge range of big-selling lines to help retailers boost confectionery profits over the coming months.

S

ales of confectionery and sweet snacks in Premier stores are set to receive a major boost thanks to a fantastic ongoing promotion that sees a 2-for-£1 deal on a massive selection of big brand lines.

The Every Day Low Price deal covers much-loved brands including Maltesers, Galaxy, Mars, Twix, Milky Way, Snickers and M&Ms. Specially discounted wholesale prices for Premier retailers means PORs on the deal run from a minimum of 20% all the way up to 34.8% which means that retailers will benefit from the promotion just as much as shoppers.

The promotion is being supported with a POS pack which is free for Premier retailers and features shelf edge strips and shelf cards while the deals will be featured prominently in the Premier leaflet.

Many of the products in the deal are Core In Every Store, so don’t miss out – make sure you are fully stocked up so you can meet the increased demand.

CORE IN EVERY STORE

The following Core In Every Store lines are included: Product

Case size Promotion Price

RSP

POR

Bounty Milk

24x57g

£8.00

£0.65

20.0%

Bounty Plain

288x57g

£96.00

£0.65

20.0%

Bounty Plain

24x57g

£8.00

£0.65

20.0%

Galaxy Milk Standard

24x42g

£8.00

£0.69

20.0%

Galaxy Caramel Twin

24x48g

£8.00

£0.69

20.0%

Galaxy Ripple

36x33g

£12.00

£0.69

20.0%

Maltesers

40x37g

£13.33

£0.60

20.0%

Mars Standard

48x51g

£16.00

£0.60

20.0%

Milky Way Crispy Rolls

288x25g

£96.00

£0.51

20.0%

Milky Way Crispy Rolls

24x25g

£8.00

£0.51

20.0%

Milky Way Magic Stars

36x33g

£12.00

£0.65

20.0%

Milkyway Standard Twin Pack

28x43g

£9.33

£0.56

20.0%

M&Ms Crispy Bag

24x36g

£8.00

£0.69

20.0%

M&Ms Peanut

24x45g

£8.00

£0.69

20.0%

Topic

40x47g

£13.30

£0.69

20.2%

Snickers Standard

48x48g

£16.00

£0.60

20.0%

Twix Twin

160x50g

£53.33

£0.60

20.0%

Twix Twin 32x50g £10.66 £0.60 20.1% Aero Bubbly Peppermint

24x36g

£7.19

£0.59

28.1%

Yorkie Milk Standard

24x46g

£7.19

£0.59

28.1%

Milkybar Medium

40x25g

£11.99

£0.59

28.1%

Smarties Hexatube

48x38g

£14.39

£0.59

28.1%

Lion Bar

36x50g

£12.00

£0.67

20.0%

Rolo Tube Single

36x52g

£12.00

£0.69

20.0%

Cadbury Starbar

32x49g

£10.60

£0.55 PM

20.5%

Cadbury Twirl

48x43g

£16.00

£0.55 PM

20.0%

Cadbury Wispa

48x36g

£16.00

£0.55 PM

20.0%

Cadbury Boost

48x48.5g

£16.00

£0.55 PM

20.0%

Cadbury Double Decker

48x54.5g

£16.00

£0.55 PM

20.0%

Cadbury Crunchie

48x40g

£16.00

£0.55 PM

20.0%

Daim Bar

36x28g

£11.99

£0.70

20.1%

Cadbury Dairy Milk Wholenut

48x45g

£16.00

£0.70

20.0%

Cadbury Caramel Standard

48x45g

£16.00

£0.70

20.0%

Kinder Bueno Classic

30x43g

£9.49

£0.60 PM

24.1%

Kinder Bueno White

30x39g

£9.49

£0.60 PM

24.1%

Nature Valley Protein Peanut

12 x 40g

£3.99

£0.85 PM

20.2%

Nature Valley Protein Salted

12 x 40g

£3.99

£0.85 PM

20.2%

Belvita Honey & Nut

20x50g

£7.69

£0.55 PM

23.1%

August 2019 TalkingShop

43

TOUGH ON THE TOUGHEST MESSES

IN STORE NOW! M248548

• 42% of UK households buy dishwasher tablets in a year: 35% of them buy at least one Fairy product.* *Source: Kantar Worldpanel - Total Auto Dish category - Great Britain, past 52 weeks ending on Oct 7th 2018

To purchase these products now, visit www.booker.co.uk

Ones to

watch

A selection of key products that will deliver for you in-store

Vegan range grows once more WHAT? SNAX ON THE GO VEGAN SAUSAGE ROLL WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Booker is continuing to meet the growing demand for vegan and vegetarian products with the launch of a new own-brand Snax on the Go Vegan Sausage Roll. The vegan sausage-style product also fits perfectly within the chilled food to go category, which is itself in growth, and offers shoppers on specialised diets yet more choice when they visit their local Premier store. Yet another great way to target a new shopper base and grow sales and profits with the new line delivering 25% POR for retailers.

25% POR

WHO? There are more shoppers than ever choosing to adhere to a strict vegan diet or who wish to simply reduce the amount of meat and dairy products they consumer on a weekly basis. This new product offers them a fresh, tasty alternative from a trusted own brand. As with the entire Snax on the Go range, the Vegan Sausage Roll combines great quality with superb value and is price-marked at just £1.

WHERE TO STOCK? Site the new line within the chilled food to go fixture to draw more vegan and vegetarian shoppers into the category. Be sure to encourage your staff to highlight the product to any shoppers actively seeking out top quality, great value vegan and vegetarian lines.

SNAX ON THE GO VEGAN SAUSAGE ROLL Case size: 6 x 120g WSP: £4.50

Veganfriendly

RSP: £1.00 PM POR: 25.0%

August 2019 TalkingShop

45

To purchase these products now, visit www.booker.co.uk

Get the edge with Booker Group-exclusive gins WHAT? NEW BOOKER GROUP-EXCLUSIVE GIN AND GIN LIQUEUR RANGE WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? The popularity of gin shows no signs of waning anytime soon so it’s a great time to ensure your store has a great point of difference with three new Booker-exclusive gins and gin liqueurs. Available exclusively in Booker until September, the range covers a fantastic Blackberry Gin from Whitley Neill and two gin liqueurs from TW Kempton: Rhubarb & Ginger and Parma Violet.

WHO? These top-quality lines from respected producers are packed with summer flavours and will help you bring even more shoppers into this already hugely popular category, driving sales and profits into the bargain. The entire range delivers 20% POR. WHERE TO STOCK? Stock all three lines prominently on your spirits fixture alongside other gins and gin liqueurs to help drive trial and repeat sales.

WHITLEY NEILL BLACKBERRY GIN 70CL Case size: 6x70cl WSP: £101.94 RSP: £27.99 POR: 20% TW KEMPTON RHUBARB & GINGER GIN LIQUEUR 50CL Case size: 6x50cl WSP: £55.74 RSP: £13.99 POR: 20% TW KEMPTON PARMA VIOLET GIN LIQUEUR 50CL Case size: 6x50cl WSP: £55.74 RSP: £13.99 POR: 20%

Get in the pink this summer WHAT? PINK SPIRIT AND RTS RANGE WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Make sure you get the most out of your spirit sales this year with a range of pink gins and ready to serve (RTS) products available now from Booker. Gordon’s Pink Gin has been delivering sales and profits for retailers and is now available in smaller, more affordable 35cl bottles while a great pink gin RTS offering from WKD means there is something refreshing and tasty for everyone this summer.

WHERE TO STOCK? Stock the pink gin line on the main spirits gantry to attract attention and don’t forget to post on social media that you have it in stock. The RTS drink should be merchandised in the chiller alongside other RTS lines for instant consumption, particularly on warmer days.

GIN GORDON’S PREMIUM PINK GIN 35CL Case size: 6x35cl WSP: £43.95 RSP: £10.99 POR: 20% READY TO SERVE WKD PINK GIN FLAVOUR RTS PM£2.99 70CL* Case size: 6x70cl WSP: £11.95 RSP: PM £2.99

WHO? Pink gin has a very large and loyal following with many shoppers looking to try new flavours. These lines will be just what these shopper are after, bringing exciting flavours and formats to a huge category.

46 TalkingShop

August 2019

POR: 20% *included within the ‘2 for £5’ basket in Premier P6 [7th Aug – 3rd Sep] for England & Wales and priced at £2.50 in Scotland.

To purchase these products now, visit www.booker.co.uk

Cash in on Kopparberg Gin WHAT? KOPPARBERG GIN RANGE WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? The Kopparberg gin range is set to be one of the hits of the summer with shoppers flocking to try the strawberry & lime flavoured premium gin from the Swedish cider specialists. Booker has two lines available to help grow footfall, sales and profits: Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime Gin and Kopparberg Strawberry & Lime with Lemonade ready-to-serve option in cans.

23% POR

WHO? The lines will appeal to both Kopparberg fans and fans of gin looking to try something new and refreshing.

WHERE TO STOCK? Stock the gin on the main spirits fixture and the can alongside other ready-to-serve spirit lines to draw new shoppers into the category.

GIN KOPPARBERG STRAWBERRY & LIME GIN 70CL Case size: 6x70cl WSP: £68.75 RSP: £22.49 POR: 20% READY TO SERVE KOPPARBERG STRAWBERRY & LIME AND LEMONADE RTS CANS 250ML Case size: 12x250ml WSP: £12.99 RSP: £1.69 POR: 23%

Drop the sugar, boost the profits WHAT? NEW SUGARFREE PEPSI MAX AND TANGO LINES

media coverage expected to reach 72% of 16-24 year olds.

WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW

WHERE TO STOCK? Site the new lines within the main impulse soft drinks chiller to bring more shoppers to the fixture and boost profits.

330ML CAN: PM £0.59 PEPSI MAX RASPBERRY TANGO TROPICAL

WHY? Soft drinks giant Britvic has continued to focus on reducing the sugar and calories in its products and its three newest products are all sugarfree. On the back of big growth for Pepsi Max and Pepsi Max Cherry which have driven almost £80m growth into the Cola Category in the last 12 months, the latest addition to the Max family is Pepsi Max Raspberry.

Tango will also be boosting its sugarfree credentials with the launch of Tango Tropical (Mango, Pineapple & Passionfruit) and Tango Strawberry & Watermelon, both in new pack designs.

TANGO STRAWBERRY & WATERMELON CASE SIZE: 24X330ML WSP: £5.99 RSP: £0.59 PM POR: 49.24%

500ML PET: PM £1 / 2-FOR-£1.70 PEPSI MAX RASPBERRY TANGO TROPICAL TANGO STRAWBERRY & WATERMELON CASE SIZE: 12X500ML WSP: £5.99 RSP: £1.00 / 2-FOR-170 PM POR: 40.10%

WHO? The Pepsi Max launch will be backed by a huge £12m campaign with a further £2m marketing spend on the new Tango lines. The result of that will be increased demand in-store and a great opportunity for Premier retailers to grow footfall, sales and profits this summer. All three products will be advertised through the summer until September with social August 2019 TalkingShop

47

BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

New POS kits set to boost

sales in-store

Premier has unveiled a brand new range of high quality, impactful POS kits to support a number of key initiatives and help retailers drive more sales and profit in-store.

MAKE YOUR OWN ONLINE! l Don’t forget that you can use Premier’s online portal to help you create bespoke, professional POS for your store.

Simply log in here:

printshop.premier-stores.co.uk

G

reat quality Point of Sale (POS) materials are an invaluable tool in the Premier retailer’s armoury. They can help bring shoppers into the store, draw attention to key products or ranges in-store and pull shoppers into a fixture to boost sales and profits.

While Premier already provides retailers with a comprehensive set of POS solutions, three brand new

POS kits have been created to help support three vitally important initiatives: Sandwich Meal Deal, Amazing Value Essentials and Amazing Value Evening In. The highly impactful kits have been carefully designed and tested to maximise visibility in-store. They will ensure that your shoppers can’t miss these three important initiatives that have been proven to increase footfall, sales and MORE profits.

Â

Your username is your email address and your password is the word ‘Prem’ followed by your customer number. You can access a huge array of customisable templates that you can tailor and then print out there and then. l Great quality, consistent POS is vital in ensuring your store looks its best and in driving increased impulse sales.

August 2019 TalkingShop

49

NEW IMPROVED MEAL DEALS

DISPLAY YOUR FREE POS PROMINENTLY TO MAXIMISE SALE Amazing Value

Offer ends 01/10/2019

M ea l De al

or

£2.85 Offer ends

++

or +

sand wich

01/10/2019

92637 Sandwich

Meal Deal

Small Shelf

• NEW look POS Kit

Amazing Valu

Meal Deale

only

Card.indd

1

• NEW price point

+

• Better sandwich quality and wraps

or wrap + Drink + crisp s 30/05/2019

17:03

• Improved snack range

Amazing Value

l Mea l Dea

only

£2.85

or

+ +

• Save your POS & use in P5-P6

+ crisp s wrap + Drink sandw ich or 30/05/2019

92637 Sandwich

only

£2.85

Amazing Value

Meal Deal

92637 Sandwich Meal

Deal _Shelf Strip.indd

sandw ich or wrap

Meal Deal

Shelf Card.indd

1

sandw ich or wrap

Amazing Value

sandw ich or wrap

Meal Deal

Amazing Value

Meal Deal

sandw ich or wrap 29/05/2019 15:14

Amazing Value

M ea l De al

1

sand wich or wra p + Drin k + cris ps

See Instore For Details 92637 Sandwich Meal

Meal Deal Large

only

£2.85

I’M IN THE

£2.85 MEAL DEAL

30/05/2019 17:03

05/06/2019

11:55

Deal Poster.indd 1

x38.indd

92637

Sandwich

Meal Deal_SEL

1

++

or

sand wich or wrap + Drin k + crisp s

l New impactful POS kit l New competitive price point with higher PORs l Better quality and bigger range, including wraps

17:03

Offer ends 01/10/2019

Amazing Value

SANDWICH MEAL DEAL

l Bigger range of snacks 30/05/2019 17:03

Backer_138

offer ends: 01/10/19 92637 Sandwich Meal

Deal _BANNER_2438x610.indd

Banners available from your Booker Retail Development Manager, Limited stocks available.

1

Use your retailer POS to drive sales and awareness 92637 55 Sandwich Meal Deal A4 PromoPackPage.indd 1 92692 NP05 Premier Promo Pack.indd 47

19/06/2019 20/06/2019 12:05 16:52

Amazing Value

Amazing Value

Offer ends 03/09/2019

Esse ntia ls

NEW £1.09 POS

E s s e n t ia l s

only

AMAZING VALUE ESSENTIALS

Incl. Wholemeal/5050 Thick/Medium 800g

only

Drive your stores footfall!

£2

Amazing Value

Essentia ls

only

£1

PM £2 15 Pack

l New impactful POS kit

each

any 2 for

£2

1.4L

Offer ends 03/09/2019

Some offers may not be available in all stores and are subject to availability. The higher price shown is the Premier RRP and may differ in some stores.

92633 04 Premier NP05 Amazing Value_Small Shelf Card.indd 9

07/06/2019 15:12

Amazing Value

Essentials

only

£1.09 92633 01 Premier NP05 Amazing Value_Posters.indd 2

92633 03 Premier NP05 Amazing Value_Large Shelf Card.indd 22

07/06/2019 14:45

07/06/2019 15:26

Shelf cards

Posters

Large & Small Shelf Cards

Multi deal & single deal versions

Amazing Value

any 2 for

Esse ntia ls

£2

only

only

£2

£1.09 You WILL grow your * Limited stock 8'x 2' banners Footfall, Sales & Profits with great execution on CORE save your POS ESSENTIALS! Incl. Wholemeal/5050 Thick/Medium 800g

2L

PM£2 15 Pack

ALL THESE GREAT PROMOTIONS AT

20% POR!!

offer ends: 03/09/19

92633 Premier NP05 Amazing Value_Banners.indd 3

07/06/2019 15:34

Ask your RDM for availability.

20/06/2019 15:27 16:51

Amazing Value Amazing Value

even ings in

only

+

only

or

£6.99

POS

92633 Evening Meal Deal Small

Offer ends 01/10/2019

£7.99

+

or

BUY 2 PIZZAS +

or

Offer ends 01/10/2019

only

£7.99 or with Alcohol

only

£6.99

92633 Evening

Meal Deal Large

BUY 2 PIZZAS evening s in + COKE

Shelf Card.indd

1

only

Amazing Value

Offer ends 01/10/2019

£6.99 or with coke

Amazing Value

BEER OR WINE OR

BUY 2 PIZZAS +

evening s in BEER OR WINE

Offer ends 01/10/2019

only

COKE 31/05/2019 09:28

Amazing Value £7.99 or evening s in with Alcohol

BUY 2 PIZZAS + COKE

Offer ends 01/10/2019

only

£6.99 or with coke

Amazing Value

only

£7.99 with Alcohol

offer ends: 01/10/19 1

+ or

or or only

05/06/2019 11:49

92633 Evening Meal Deal_Shelf Strip.indd 1

92633 Evening Meal Deal_BANNER_2438x610.indd

+

with coke

31/05/2019 09:31

Shelf Card.indd 1

BUY 2 PIZZAS + evening s in BEER OR WINE

Amazing Value

evenings in

evenings in

with Alcohol

Offer ends 01/10/2019

Amazing Value

Amazing Value

only

with coke

BUY 2 PIZZAS + BEER OR WINE OR COKE

Offer ends 01/10/2019

or

or

P5 HE UR T YO IL 6 E NT F P US TS U D O KI EN

NEW

e v e n in g s in with Alcohol

l Free banners available from your local RDM

& USE P5 - P6

92636 Essentials A4 PromoPackAdvert.indd 1 92692 Amazing 55 NP05 Value Premier Promo Pack.indd 44

£7.99

l Now includes Euroshopper 15pk eggs for £2

2L See Instore For Details

Incl. Wholemeal/5050 NP02 ENDS: 08/05/18 Thick/Medium 800g

Some offers may not be available in all stores and are subject to availability. The higher price shown is the Premier RRP and may differ in some stores.

Offer ends 03/09/2019

ev en in gs in

or

BUY 2 PIZZAS + BEER OR WINE OR COKE

only

with Alcohol 31/05/2019 09:17

See Instore For Details 92633 Evening Meal Deal Poster.indd

1

with coke

£7.99

£6.99 with coke

only

£6.99

BUY 2 PIZZAS + BEER OR WINE OR COKE

AMAZING VALUE EVENINGS IN l New impactful POS kit l Drive bigger basket spend and footfall l Free banners available from your local RDM

31/05/2019 09:24

DISPLAY YOUR FREE POS PROMINENTLY TO MAXIMISE SALES 92692 NP05Meal Premier Pack.indd 50 92633 55 Evening DealPromo A4 PromoPackAdvert.indd 1

20/06/2019 16:27 16:52 12/06/2019

August 2019 TalkingShop

51

BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

STAPLE SUCCESS: Bread, milk and eggs are core to driving daily footfall.

Focus on the daily essentials for footfall There are many reasons why a shopper might visit your store but among the most important footfall drivers of all are the essentials like bread, milk and eggs – so great in-store execution is a must.

D

riving footfall is near the top of the list of priorities for all Premier retailers and there are lots of ways of achieving it. Offering a differentiated product range that sets you apart from your competitors, for instance, can help bring shoppers to your store. Stocking locally sourced products can act as an effective USP for you. Having a fantastic food to go and coffee offer is another brilliant way of encouraging new faces into your store. But there’s also a much more fundamental way of driving consistent footfall: focusing on the staple products that the vast majority of shoppers consider as daily essentials – bread, milk and eggs.

Very few categories will bring shoppers back to your store day after day quite like these staples so it’s absolutely critical that the in-store execution on these products is fantastic. That’s precisely why Premier has unveiled a fresh new range of POS that will help retailers grow footfall as well as sales and profits with these core essentials.

August 2019 TalkingShop

53

FOOTFALL DRIVER DEALS – CORE IN EVERY STORE Grow your footfall, sales and profits with these amazing deals on core essential products: Product

Case Size Promo Price

RSP

Muller-Wiseman Dairies Semi Skimmed

4x2l

£3.20

£1.39 Any 2 for £2

Consumer Deal POR 20.0%

Muller-Wiseman Dairies Semi Skimmed

1x2l

£0.80

£1.39 Any 2 for £2

20.0%

Muller-Wiseman Dairies Whole

4x2l

£3.20

£1.39 Any 2 for £2

20.0%

Muller-Wiseman Dairies Whole

1x2l

£0.80

£1.39 Any 2 for £2

20.0%

Kingsmill 50/50 White Medium

10x800g

£8.00

£1.19 ONLY £1.09

26.6%

Kingsmill 50/50 White Medium

1x800g

£0.80

£1.19 ONLY £1.09

26.6%

Kingsmill 50/50 White Thick

10x800g

£8.00

£1.19 ONLY £1.09

26.6%

Kingsmill 50/50 White Thick

1x800g

£0.80

£1.19 ONLY £1.09

26.6%

Kingsmill Everyday White Medium

10x800g

£8.00

£1.19 ONLY £1.09

26.6%

Kingsmill Everyday White Medium

1x800g

£0.80

£1.19 ONLY £1.09

26.6%

Kingsmill Everyday White Thick

10x800g

£8.00

£1.19 ONLY £1.09

26.6%

Kingsmill Everyday White Thick

1x800g

£0.80

£1.19 ONLY £1.09

26.6%

Kingsmill Everyday Wholemeal Thick

10x800g

£8.00

£1.19 ONLY £1.09

26.6%

Kingsmill Everyday Wholemeal Thick

1x800g

£0.80

£1.19 ONLY £1.09

26.6%

Kingsmill Everyday Wholemeal Medium

10x800g

£8.00

£1.19 ONLY £1.09

26.6%

Kingsmill Everyday Wholemeal Medium

1x800g

£0.80

£1.19 ONLY £1.09

26.6%

Warburtons Crumpets

1x6s

£0.55

£0.89 ONLY 69P 20.3%

HIGH VISIBILITY: Shelf cards in-store help attract shoppers’ attention.

PULL THEM IN: The exterior posters are a great way of attracting shoppers in.

54 TalkingShop

August 2019

GO LARGE: Exterior banners deliver highimpact messaging.

WIN-WIN: The deals offer shoppers great value and retailers great PORs.

BASKET BUILDERS: The multibuy deal will grow basket spend.

FOOTFALL FAVOURITES: The new POS helps bring shoppers into the store.

FOOTFALL DRIVER DEALS – MORE GREAT ESSENTIALS As well as the Core In Every Store range, retailers should also consider the following important lines to help drive footfall: Product

Case Size Promo Price RSP

Consumer Deal POR

Cravendale Semi Skimmed Milk

6x1.4ltr

£4.19

£1.19

ONLY £1

30.2%

Cravendale Whole Milk

6x1.4ltr

£4.19

£1.19

ONLY £1

30.2%

Cravendale Pure Filtered Semi Skimmed 12x500ml

£4.59

£0.65

ONLY 55P

30.5%

Cravendale Pure Filtered Whole

12x500ml

£4.59

£0.65

ONLY 55P

30.5%

Muller-Wiseman Dairies Skimmed

1x2ltr

£0.80

£1.39

2 for £2

20.0%

Euro Shopper Eggs PM200

6x15pk

£8.40

£2.00

ONLY £2

30.0%

Euro Shopper Eggs PM200

1x15pk

£1.40

£2.00

ONLY £2

30.0%

Warburtons Fruit Teacakes

1x4s

£0.59

£0.89

2 FOR £1.50

21.3%

The new Amazing Value Essentials POS kits include posters and shelf cards as well as a limited stock of striking 8’ x 2’ banners.

(Ask your RDM for availability.)

Siting the posters and banners prominently outside the store will help let shoppers know the great value they will get on bread, milk and eggs and will bring new shoppers in.

Once inside, your shoppers will be blown away by the amazing deals available on fantastic big name and own brand products including Core in Every Store Kingsmill 800g loaves at just £1.09, Cravendale 1.4l milk for just £1 and Euro Shopper eggs at only £2 for a 15-pack.

There is also an outstanding 2-for-£2 multibuy deal on Core in Every Store 2l jugs of Muller-Wiseman Dairies milk as well as additional deals on popular lines like Warburtons crumpets and fruit teacakes.

Every line delivers at least 20% POR for retailers with many generating 30% POR and above. Cashing on these vital categories has never been easier.

August 2019 TalkingShop

55

STOCK UP ON JACK DANIEL’S

THE BEST SELLING WHISKEY BRAND IN THE CONVENIENCE CHANNEL Drive growth in your store with Jack Daniel’s and Jack Honey 35cl PMP’s Maximise on the fastest growing pack formats of the convenience spirit category, from the No.1 Imported Whiskey brand in the UK*

Source: *Nielsen Data, MAT to July 13th 2019

GROW THE FAMILY. AND YOUR PROFITS. HOW EV ER YOU ENJOY IT, E NJOY R E S PON S I BLY. JACK DANIEL’S AND TENNESSEE HONEY ARE A REGISTERED TRADEMARKS. ©2018. JACK DANIEL’S PROPERTIES, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

LaunchReview FEEDBACK ON THE LATEST BOOKER PRODUCTS

Vegetarian and vegan range helps attract new shoppers

SPICY CHICKPEA & CAULIFLOWER CURRY WITH PILAU RICE (VEGAN) CASE SIZE: 6 X 450G WSP: £11.49 RSP: £2.99PM / 2 FOR £5 POR: 35.79%

Meat-free range opens up fresh opportunities The Discover the Choice range of vegetarian and vegan ready meals has helped retailers target a significant and growing group of shoppers.

With more people than ever looking to buy vegetarian and vegan foods, the launch of a range of meat-free Discover the Choice chilled ready meals by Booker has allowed Premier retailers to cash in on this profitable new opportunity.

The three new lines, including two vegan lines, are price-marked in line with other Discover the Choice ready meals at £2.99 or 2 for £5 and offer retailers outstanding PORs of 35.79%.

The three new lines are Spicy Chickpea &

Cauliflower Curry with Pilau Rice (vegan), Five Bean Chilli with Brown Rice, Lentils & Quinoa (vegan) and Mediterranean Vegetable Lasagne (vegetarian), offering something for every taste.

These products broaden the appeal of the Discover the Choice range even further and have been helping bring new shoppers into Premier stores, offering the same great quality and great value that they have come to expect from the Discover the Choice range.

DISCOVER THE CHOICE FIVE BEAN CHILLI WITH BROWN RICE, LENTILS & QUINOA (VEGAN) PACK SIZE: 6 X 400G WSP: £11.49 RSP: £2.99PM / 2 FOR £5 POR: 35.79%

DISCOVER THE CHOICE MEDITERRANEAN VEGETABLE LASAGNE PACK SIZE: 6 X 450G WSP: £11.49 RSP: £2.99PM / 2 FOR £5 POR: 35.79%

August 2019 TalkingShop

57

THE UK’S NO.1

CHILLED COFFEE BRAND*

MOCHA

STOCK UP NOW Date Source: Nielsen 52 June 2019

shopper’s view…

David Leishman, Glasgow “While I am not a vegan or vegetarian, I try not to eat too much meat. The most difficult thing about not eating meat is how difficult it can be to find vegetarian and vegan products. If I don’t feel like cooking one night, picking something up that’s quick and tasty is a lot harder than it should be – which is why I love the new Discover the Choice vegan and vegetarian range of ready meals. I’ve tried all three and not only are they brilliant value at 2 for £5, they also taste fantastic. It’s great to see Premier stores offering more choice to people like me who are trying to reduce their meat consumption and it’s another reason why my local Premier store is where I shop most often.”

RETAILER VIEW SHAMLY SUD Premier Racetrack Ibrox, Glasgow “There are a lot of our shoppers who are vegetarian or vegan for a whole variety of reasons and it seems clear that more and more people are trying to cut down on the amount of meat they consume.

The Discover the Choice range lets us provide tasty, great value options for them and undoubtedly helps to drive footfall for us.

“Our store has a very diverse shopper base and we try to cater for everyone’s tastes and make sure that they can find great meal solutions when they visit us. The new range lets us do just that.”

RETAILER VIEW RAMSEY HASABALLA Premier Speke Town Lane, Liverpool “Vegetarianism and veganism have gone beyond simple trends and I think we’ll see meat-free foods continue to grow in the future. As with all growing categories, retailers need to stay on top of them and make sure that they offer a good range and make them visible in-store.

“The Discover the Choice ready meal range ticks all the boxes for vegans and vegetarians, or just those cutting down on meat, because they’re exceptionally convenient to prepare, they taste great and they are amazing value.”

RETAILER VIEW

IN SUMMARY

1

THREE GREAT READY MEAL OPTIONS THAT WILL HELP BRING MORE SHOPPERS TO YOUR STORE ON A REGULAR BASIS.

2

FANTASTIC VALUE FOR SHOPPERS AT JUST £2.99 OR 2-FOR-£5 OFFERING QUICK AND TASTY MEAL SOLUTIONS.

3

OUTSTANDING PORS OF 35.79% FOR RETAILERS HELPING THEM BOOST MARGINS FROM A KEY CATEGORY.

4

PERFECTLY ‘ON TREND’ LINES ENSURING DISCOVER THE CHOICE REMAINS RELEVANT FOR AS WIDE A SHOPPER BASE AS POSSIBLE.

PAUL EDWARDS Premier Edwards of Bebington, Wirral “The Discover the Choice range has been a revelation for us because it’s the complete package: it looks fantastic on-shelf, it’s the same amazing value you always get with Booker ownbrand products and the quality is there too.

“The addition of three vegetarian and vegan lines means we can offer our shoppers even more choice and hopefully bring a new audience into the store. I think shoppers totally trust the Discover the Choice brand these days which has helped drive trial of the new lines.”

RETAILER VIEW TAJINDER SINGH Premier Middlecroft Convenience Store, Staveley “It’s great to see Booker moving so quickly in what looks set to be a very important, growing category.

We’ve all seen vegetarian and vegan products are in greater demand so it’s brilliant to be able to offer these shoppers some more choice and all with the same great value and quality that they expect from a Premier store.

“The fact that the new lines are included in the 2-for-£5 deal with the other Discover the Choice ready meals has helped encourage shoppers to give them a go.”

August 2019 TalkingShop

59

Euro Shopper Retail Choice Project | GUEST COLUMN

Marketing / Own Brand Trading Controller Freddie Brisbane outlines the huge progress made on the relaunch of the Euro Shopper own brand.

BIGGER IS BETTER: A bigger, bolder price band has been a hit with retailers and shoppers alike.

Retailer feedback shapes Euro Shopper relaunch With price the most important factor to many shoppers, the relaunch of the Euro Shopper range with more prominent price bands has been driven by feedback from retailers.

W

e regularly talk to Premier shoppers and the feedback we often get from them is that price is the single most important motivation to purchase.

That’s why the Euro Shopper range has always been price-marked and has carried a bright, eye-catching yellow band making the great value price hard to miss.

But we also talk regularly to Premier retailers and many of them told us that they thought the yellow price band could be even bolder. This led us to conduct a full review and come up with some new design concepts which we then tested in stores. The great news is that the new designs received very positive feedback from retailers and shoppers alike.

This project started in September 2018

and within six months we had redesigned over 70 retail products. At the same time the outer packaging was also improved to ensure good visibility both in-branch and in-store.

For maximum impact, the refreshed Euro Shopper range was given a high-profile relaunch in branches across the UK. An easy-to-read range guide was produced to highlight the breadth of the Euro Shopper range, along with new posters and shelf cards for retailers.

We also introduced a Buy One Get One Free voucher campaign to ensure maximum engagement with retailers.

As we all know, every Euro Shopper product offers retailers at least 30% POR and this continues to be an important factor in helping retailers become even more profitable.

At Booker we believe in making ‘the big lines bigger’. This means we only introduce new lines when they offer both outstanding value for money for shoppers and great profits for our retailers. Recent launches include a £1 price-marked 200g milk chocolate bar and two new 79p Strawberry and Chocolate Protein Shakes. Watch this space for more new product development.

As a result of this activity, sales of Euro Shopper products are increasing and we are seeing customer numbers rise as more people are discovering Euro Shopper’s outstanding value. In taste tests we are delighted to hear that Euro Shopper always does well. At the recent Quality Food Awards, for example, Euro Shopper Jaffa Cakes won the best tasting value product in the UK! Value and quality, working for you.

August 2019 TalkingShop

61

IN CONVENIENCE*

~ Distilled in Scotland, HENDRICK’S 35cl is the #1 Premium 35cl Gin in convenience ~ Gin is the fastest growing spirits category in convenience up +8% year on year ~ HENDRICK’S 35cl is growing more than 5 times as fast up +45% year on year

Stock up now *NIELSEN TOTAL IMPULSE 52W/E 13.07.19 (VALUE SALES) PLEASE ENJOY THE UNUSUAL RESPONSIBLY

Political Engagement | ACS Viewpoint

James Lowman It’s time to tackle the fact that our MPs don’t always value our sector as much as their constituents do.

The ACS Community Barometer reveals that our MPs don’t always value the independent retailing sector as highly as their constituents do – and that must change, says James Lowman.

W

hat do convenience stores add to the economy and society?

This is probably a question you don’t step back and consider very often – you’ve got more important things, like running those stores, to do – but it’s one that we have to think about when we’re talking to politicians and the media. Why should they care about our concerns, and what would the world look like without local shops?

From the research that we’ve conducted, and from thousands of conversations with retailers and visits to stores, I think that one of our biggest – and most unique – attributes is the reach we have into every type of community across the UK. No other business sector has this reach into villages housing estates and high streets, and no other sector provides the breadth of products and services that we do, in so many locations.

Many of these services can’t be sustained on a standalone basis, so increasingly we are seeing that convenience stores adding

them to a traditional grocery offer, making themselves ever more relevant to their customers.

So, it’s not surprising that our research of consumers shows how positively they see our community impact, and specifically that they value the role we play in tackling loneliness. Our Community Barometer also seeks to find out the views of MPs and councillors about convenience stores and the services available in their local area. These policymakers also rated us positively, but less so than consumers did, so it seems they need some convincing about the true value of convenience stores.

Why does MP and consumer perception of convenience stores differ when it comes to the value that we offer? I think maybe some of our representatives aren’t aware of the breadth of what we offer, and to be fair, if we don’t tell them and show them, how can they be expected to know? That’s why it’s vital that we help policymakers to understand the positive role that convenience stores play in their local communities.

From increasing their fruit and veg offer

to organising litter picks, convenience retailers and their staff actively work to enrich the communities that they operate in.

Our Local Shop Report shows that 81% of independent retailers took part in some form of community activity over the last year.

Consumers and MPs do agree that convenience stores provide an essential service, so we’re pushing at an open door in trying to help policymakers to fully understand the positive impact that our sector has.

One of the most effective ways that you can engage with your local MP could be through inviting them to your store to tell them about the policy issues that affect your business and about your involvement in your community.

Over the years, we have helped to organise countless store visits between MPs and retailers up and down the country, and our latest research findings show that we have to do even more of this.

If you’d like more information or help to organise a visit from your local MP, please get in touch with us on 01252 515001.

August 2019 TalkingShop

63

YOURSHOUT GOT A QUESTION? Want to post a question or raise an issue with the Premier Team?

Get in touch by email at talking shop@55north.com or call 0141 222 5380.

YourShout WHAT’S ON YOUR MIND? RETAILERS PUT THEIR QUESTIONS TO PREMIER

Is it Pot Noodle time?

Time for more local sourcing?

All Premier retailers are looking for ways to set themselves apart from the competition and one way that interests me is using more local products. I believe shoppers can often trust lines from well established companies more than the big brands and will even pay a premium.

Is this a good route to go down?

CHRIS LOVE, PREMIER EARLY TIL LATE, STENHOUSEMUIR MARTYN PARKINSON, BRAND DIRECTOR – PREMIER SAID: Making more use of locally sourced products is definitely a

brilliant way of driving footfall, sales and profits.

This is particularly true in certain categories like butchery and bakery where a local supplier may already be very well known in your community and your shoppers can buy from the locally sourced range with confidence.

There’s an interesting case study in this issue (p33) where one Premier retailer has worked closely with a local supplier to bring in new shoppers and grow sales. Don’t forget too that Premier’s Central Billing service can help you add more local and small suppliers with a minimum off fuss. Speak to your RDM for more details.

Is protein still a big opportunity?

We stock a range of protein products in the store and while the category may not be showing the stellar growth rates it was a year ago, do you believe that it’s still a great opportunity for retailers?

IMTIYAZ MAMODE, WYCH LANE PREMIER, GOSPORT

I know that the ‘back to school’ occasion is always a great chance to grow sales as students return for the new term but with changing shopper habits, should we still be focusing on Pot Noodles and tins of beans, or should we be looking more at fresh and chilled, for example?

SHAMLY SUD, PREMIER RACETRACK, IBROX MARTYN PARKINSON, BRAND DIRECTOR – PREMIER SAID: It seems clear that the diets of today’s students have probably moved on a little from those of a decade ago. While the traditional instant snack student staples will still be popular with a lot of shoppers, there is growth to be had from offering a more up to date range focusing on categories like fresh, chilled, coffee to go and ‘free from’. It makes sense to cater for both these markets in-store to ensure you have a range that suits as wide an audience of students and pupils as possible.

MARTYN PARKINSON, BRAND DIRECTOR – PREMIER SAID: There’s no doubt that high protein products still represent a huge opportunity for Premier retailers. The category has settled down now after a couple of years of massive growth, but retailers that focus on protein by siting the products prominently and creating dedicated displays in-store are seeing very strong sales and profits in the category. Talking to your shoppers about the category is vital to maximising sales.

August 2019 TalkingShop

65

SMOKERS ARE .*

YOUR SALES AND PROFITS.

HEETS IS THE SMOKE-FREE T O B A C C O T H AT G I V E S Y O U 9 %** P O R . S T O C K U P N O W AT Y O U R C A S H A N D C A R R Y .

*This communication is for the information of tobacco traders only IQOS.COM **All on-shelf prices are selected by the retailer alone and margin may therefore be affected. THIS PRODUCT IS NOT RISK-FREE. FOR ADULT USE ONLY

TO STOCK HEETS.

NEW

SIE NN A & B LU E AVAILA BLE NOW

For use only with IQOS

Talking Shop

Issue 102 August 2019