TalkingShop February 2022

Talking Shop ISSUE 116 – February 2022

The magazine for Premier retailers

PLUS

Small but beautiful Durham store offers the best of Premier in a small format

Longer life, bigger profits

New range of more than 450 long life products

Delivering sales

Home delivery can transform your store

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Talking Shop | February 2022

Welcome Talking Shop ISSUE 116 – Februa

ry 2022

A very warm welcome to this first issue of Talking Shop of 2022 with another exciting and opportunity-filled year ahead of us. There is plenty to look forward to and I look forward to working with you all to make 2022 a successful and profitable year.

In this issue, you will find news on a number of major new initiatives that will help you grow your footfall, sales and profits this year. Among the biggest news is the launch of Premier’s new small store format which offers retailers with stores of under 1,000sq ft the best of Premier tailored specifically for a smaller footprint. The first store to benefit from the new concept is Premier VG in Durham and you can read all about it on page 16.

Also worth checking out in this issue is the launch of an extensive new range of long life chilled and bakery products. The range extends to more than 450 lines and will allow retailers to offer their shoppers far greater choice in these large and growing categories while minimising waste and maximising profits.

There’s also an interesting article on the Premier Coffee Loyalty Club which demonstrates the value of implementing the Loyalty Club in your store and there’s also a great article on the continued growth of home delivery and how Premier can help you take that first step, or grow your existing home delivery offer.

Plus there’s the usual mix of fascinating store profiles, fantastic new products – including another Group Exclusive – and an inspiring Guest Column from community star Julie Kaur who explains how rewarding community involvement can be.

I wish you fantastic trading in 2022!

The magazine

for Premier reta

ilers

Small but beautiful

Durham store offers the bes t of Premier in a small format

PLUS

Longer life, bigger profits New range of mo than 450 lon re g life products

Delivering sales

Home delive transform youry can r store

COVER STORY Premier unveils new small format concept in Durham store.

THE THREE BIG STORIES 44 Long life, big profits Premier adds 450 long life chilled and bakery lines.

50 Seasonal sales Spring is full of seasonal opportunities.

70 Delivering growth Home delivery can transform your business.

Share your shop news

If you’ve got news, tips or feature ideas, please get in touch with Talking Shop: EMAIL:

talkingshop@booker.co.uk Martyn Parkinson, Sales Director – Retail

4 TalkingShop February 2022

DISCLAIMER: Prices are correct at time of going to press, but may be subject to change.

44

Eliminate waste and maximise profits with Booker’s new range of longer life chilled and bakery products.

16

New Premier small-format store launches

76

58

Tropical tipple takes-off, continuing strong sales for flavoured spirits

Ensure your range of medicines is comprehensive and well presented.

24

Refit triggers triple turnover

7

8

Premier News

36 Team spirit

70 Delivering the goods

Premier unveils new Small Store

Partnership approach delivers in

Home delivery can transform your

format.

Northumberland.

store.

News

44 Long life launch

Booker provides a million meals for the needy.

10 Community News A round-up of the latest community news.

13 Industry News Dorset Premier named Retailer of the Year.

16 Size matters The best of Premier in a small store format.

24 Fast forward Kirkcaldy store triples turnover with refit.

28 Grand Designs Heyside Premier goes from strength

Premier unveils new low-life range.

50 Seasonal success

74 Looking good New POS range proving a hit.

76 Launch Review

Making the most of spring

Smirnoff Mango & Passionfruit in

occasions.

the spotlight.

52 Join the club Premier Coffee Loyalty Club

79 Guest Column Retailer Julie Kaur talks community.

growing.

58 Medication time Medicines drive sales at this time of year.

61 Ones To Watch The latest products to hit the shelves.

67 Getting fresh Premier RDMs benefit from fresh

61 Jack’s comes to Premier

training.

to strength.

February 2022 TalkingShop

5

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SUGARS1 © 2022 The Coca-Cola Company. All rights reserved. COCA-COLA ZERO, DIET COKE, FANTA, SPRITE and The CONTOUR BOTTLE are registered trade marks of The Coca-Cola Company. Source: TCCC Category Vision 2021, (1) IFIC Food & Health Survey, (2) Industry Estimates EU Top 10

PremierNews NEWS, ACHIEVEMENTS AND OPINIONS FROM ACROSS PREMIER

Booker launches new INBRIEF small format Premier store BOOKER EARNS GROCERYAID GOLD AWARD

Booker has earned the highest possible accolade from industry charity GroceryAid, a coveted Gold Award. Gold winners have participated in at least eight activities across all three GroceryAid pillars:

Booker has unveiled a new flagship small format Premier store.

The 600sq ft VG Foodstore in Wheatley Hill, County Durham, has been run by the Dhinsa family for more than 35 years and was previously independent.

Brothers Steve and Jassy, who have taken over the running of the store from their parents, decided the time was right for a refit and it closed for six weeks as it took place.

The new format takes the best learning from Mandeep Singh’s store in Sheffield, which trialled lots of new elements to attract consumers, and has won praise from retailers. However, the store is 1,800sq ft and its refit cost in the region of £150,000 to £175,000.

Martyn Parkinson, Booker Sales Director, said: “We found retailers wanted to replicate it but in a smaller store. So we worked on how to get the best bits into a smaller space. That was a real challenge.

“Luckily Steve and Jassy were looking to have a refit, they had visited Mandeep’s store, and asked us to implement whatever we could into their store.”

The biggest transformation for the store was its chilled solution. The brothers were keen to

introduce more chilled but were put off by the possibility of wastage. However, through Booker, they have access to 330 lines of long-life chill.

The store also features Refresh@Premier, which includes fwip, Hersey’s Freeze, Jolly Rancher Slush, and Douwe Egberts coffee.

In the impulse aisle, small bags were removed – reducing the range by one-third – because bigger bags increase basket spend. In addition, Booker is aiming to keep items in shelf-ready packaging, so retailers only have touch stock once and replenishment is efficient.

Meanwhile, the store still features newspapers, magazines, and greetings cards so it keeps its CTN identity.

Previously the store made £8,000 sales a week on average, but the week before Christmas it peaked at £24,000 and is now averaging £20,000, however every week this is still growing.

Steve said: “The format is brilliant – other retailers have been surprised at the range we stock.”

He added: “My advice to other retailers is 100% do this – I should’ve done it before.

Everyone at Booker believed in us and gave us the best help.”

awareness, fundraising and volunteering.

During an immensely tough year, Booker raised its game even further for GroceryAid, taking part in 11 separate major activities including GroceryAid day, communicating GroceryAid internally, fundraising and offering free advice to the charity. Booker also took an active part in numerous GroceryAid committees including the Independent Retail Strategy Group.

For more, visit groceryaid.or.uk

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@booker.co.uk

February 2022 TalkingShop

7

News

INBRIEF ‘ONE IN THREE’ GO LOW OR NO UK consumers are increasingly choosing low and no alcohol products all year round and not just for Dry January, according to the fourth annual online study by drinks watchdog The Portman Group, carried out in December.

Carried out by YouGov, the report found that almost

Booker provides one million meals for needy Booker has redistributed enough food to provide the equivalent of one million meals through FareShare’s network of charities.

one in three (32%) UK drinkers now ‘semi-regularly’ consume low and no alcohol products compared to one in four (25%) in 2020. A fifth (20%) of those who have tried low and no alcohol say they are more likely to drink these products now compared to a year ago, almost double the number saying this in last year’s survey (11%).

The most popular reason given is ‘being able to drive home from social events’ (33% of respondents) while healthier consumption concerns were cited by 22% of consumers.

More than one in 10 consumers (12%) said they currently alternate between low/no products and regular strength alcohol to moderate their overall consumption.

However, well over half (58%) of non-drinkers have never even tried a low/no product and just 14% are semiregular consumers.

8 TalkingShop February 2022

Working with FareShare, the UK’s biggest charity fighting hunger and food waste, Booker has redistributed enough food to provide the equivalent of one million meals for communities across the UK since April 2021.

Booker is the first wholesaler to redistribute food directly to FareShare’s network of charities through the FareShare Go programme and the free sharing app OLIO. ‘Food Waste Heroes’ collect food directly from Booker and Makro branches, which is then added to its app for people in the local area to collect.

Through FareShare Go, Booker sites are matched with charities and community groups in the local area that collect the items and turn that into food parcels or hot meals for the people they support.

The food redistributed by Booker includes a range of large catering size packs, vegetables, deli and sandwich fillings, as well as smaller packs of meats, fish and fruit.

Lindsay Boswell, Chief Executive at FareShare, said: “Thank you to Booker for working with FareShare and OLIO to redistribute the equivalent of one million meals.

This food is needed now more

than ever and is making a huge difference to people in need across the country.

“We’ve received lots of positive feedback from our network of charities collecting food through Booker and the colleagues in Booker branches are building strong relationships with their local community thanks to this programme.”

Tessa Clarke, Co-founder & CEO at OLIO, said: “This is such an incredible milestone, as one million meals is an enormous amount of food.

We’re absolutely thrilled about the impact our partnership with Booker and FareShare is having - both on the local community and the climate - and we look forward to saving many more

millions of meals together.”

Catherine Marston, Head of Sustainability at Booker said: “We are delighted that our teams across the whole Booker business have worked so hard with their local partners to reach this fantastic milestone.

Not allowing any edible food go to waste is something that everyone at Booker is passionate about and we are proud to be the first wholesaler to work in such a collaborative way with FareShare and OLIO. Our food waste represents just 0.15% of total food handled which is market-leading. We are off to a great start with this partnership and I’m really looking forward to building on this success.”

News

Shopper spending in double digit growth The latest Barclycard data shows shopper spending rose 12.2% in December with food and drink spending up 13.7%.

INBRIEF SHOPPERS BUYING MORE FROM LOCAL STORES New data from PayPoint’s UK network of 28,000 convenience stores has revealed that shoppers purchased an increasing number of items at their local stores when compared to the same period last year.

Between October and December 2021, shopper purchased an average of 4.25 items per basket in

Shopper spending increased by 12.2% in December compared to the same period in 2019 as shoppers made the most of Christmas.

Data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card transactions, reveals that spending on essential items like food and drink grew 13.7% as shoppers stocked up on festive food and drink.

Fuel spend also rose by 11.8%, compared to 8.5% in November – driven by rising fuel prices and many travelling to see friends and family over the festive period.

New Year’s resolutions are providing another source of optimism with nearly a fifth (19%) expecting to spend extra money this year to

achieve their goals including health, wellness, and fitness.

Sustainability also remains front of mind for many, with two fifths (41%) planning to make changes in 2022 because they’ve become more conscious of their personal impact on the environment, with half (50%) of shopper planning to buy fewer plastic goods and 41% buying less overall to help reduce their carbon footprint.

The report does point out, however, that the uncertain wider economic picture is encouraging shoppers to be more cautious with their spending, leading to an increased focus on value for money.

convenience stores, up 12% on the previous quarter.

Several product categories recorded double digit growth year-on-year: a 13% increase in food to go, a 12% jump in grocery items and a 10% hike in household items like toilet rolls and cleaning products.

Sales of winter medicines also grew significantly with sales, for example, of Halls and Lockets increasing by 95% and 92% respectively.

Treasury examines rising card payment costs The Treasury Committee has been examining the increasing cost of card payments for businesses in the UK with new correspondence published recently revealing how the Committee has contacted the Payment Systems Regulator (PSR) to raise these concerns.

The PSR initially responded by saying that they have not seen evidence that the costs of operating payment services have increased sufficiently for card issuers to warrant the recent increases in fees for retailers.

Findings from the Association of Convenience Stores’ Voice of Local Shops Survey found that 61% of independent and symbol retailers have not compared or switched acquirers in the past three years and 48% of retailers who have compared providers in the past three years did not choose to switch.

ACS’ has recommended that acquirers are required to provide all pricing information to retailers in an easily comparable format, provide contracts with compulsory end-dates, and introduce measures to ensure payment terminal contracts do not unduly prevent switching activity.

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@booker.co.uk

February 2022 TalkingShop

9

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CommunityNews OPINION, NEWS AND ACHIEVEMENTS FROM PREMIER RETAILERS

Julie Kaur hailed as unsung community hero

Shropshire Premier retailer Julie Kaur has been named as an Independent Retail News Unsung Hero.

Community minded Julie Kaur, owner of Jule’s Convenience in Hadley, Shropshire, has been named as one of Independent Retail News’ Unsung Heroes 2021.

The accolade recognises just some of the vital work retailers undertake in their communities.

Julie’s past fundraising achievements have included sponsored skydives and community raffles, as well as sitting on various boards, including the council interface committee, the Guru Nanak temple committee, and acting as a trustee for Age UK Shropshire’s Telford & Wrekin branch.

Julie has recently picked up a string of awards, including the inaugural Raj Aggarwal award from the ACS and the Local Legends award from Boost Drinks in recognition of her fundraising efforts. She also works with West Mercia Police

and is district president for the NFRN. Julie told Talking Shop: “It’s always nice to be recognised for the community work we do as a team in the store, but we don’t of it for the recognition. We do it because we believe in playing an active and positive role in the community we serve and are part of.”

INBRIEF FIRST AID STARS

Two Northamptonshire-based Premier stores are among the first in the UK to host new first aid kits in-store that are helping to fight violent crime.

Finedon Premier and Premier Irchester Park Stores have taken possession of the kits which work in the same way as public-use defibrillators. A cabinet is attached to the side of a building and the contents can be located and then accessed using a code provided by 999 operators.

The kits are then used by a first aider to help anyone who has been injured.

Co-founder Rav Jones said: “While our mission is to eradicate violent crime we are very aware of the current volumes of violent crime,

Premier retailers raise much needed funds

especially among children and young people. You only have to read social media or

At a time when charities and community groups need support more than ever, Premier retailers have risen to the challenge across the country.

Premier Stores Thomastown Post Office in Mid Glamorgan has held an in-store collection for Tonyrefail & Gilfach Goch Community Defibrillators. The charity supplies, installs and maintains 24-hour public access defibrillators freely to the local and offers free awareness and training sessions on their use.

In Middlesborough, Premier Stores The Avenue Convenience Store helped collect toys on behalf of The Teesside Family Foundation at Christmas. The charity helps support and provides help to Teesside families and individuals who simply do not have the means, are underprivileged or have fallen on hard times due to ill health. The store located a

decorated collection point outside Premier Lornshill and Medwyn Stores in Alloa collected £90 from its customers for local charity The Gate which aims to prevent or relieve poverty and improve the conditions of life of people who are marginalized, facing exclusion, vulnerable or homeless in the area.

Wych Lane Premier Shop in Gosport, Hampshire, has raised more than £69 for Autism Hampshire via a collection tin in-store to help the charity develop and deliver services that meet the diverse needs of people on the autism spectrum in the surrounding area.

In Aylesbury, Grendon Stores & Post Office has been helping collect toys and gifts for children and young people across the county.

The store acted as a collection point for local charity Inspire Bucks, which supports families in crisis.

turn on the news to know this is a huge problem within some communities.

“Our hope is that in the event of any unfortunate incidents these kits may well save a life.”

February 2022 TalkingShop

11

FRESHEN UP YOUR GUM RANGE IN 2022 COMING SOON

COMING SOON

M235006

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IndustryNews A DIGEST OF NEWS FROM THE INDEPENDENT RETAILING INDUSTRY

Christchurch Premier store claims Retailer of the Year Award

A family run Premier store in Christchurch in Dorset has been named Retailer of the Year by The Daily Echo newspaper.

INBRIEF YOUNGER SHOPPERS EMBRACE DATA A new report from data

A Premier Store on The Grove in Christchurch, near Bournemouth, has been named as the winner of The Daily Echo newspaper’s Retailer of the Year award.

The store is run by the Gunduz family who bought the store 11 years ago and has been praised by the local community as the “champion’s league of shops” after supporting elderly residents and young families in the area during the pandemic.

When the first lockdown started, the family chose to focus on supporting their local community in whatever way they could.

Huseyin, the eldest brother, said: “During the lockdown we were pushed to the limits and one of our fundamentals during that time was that the prices of the items were selling would not change, lockdown or no lockdown.

“At the height of the pandemic, business was not the number one priority. It was about providing value for money because, due to people being on furlough, everyone was feeling the squeeze.”

and digital experts TWC has revealed that two thirds of 18-34 year old shoppers are “happy for retailers to collect data about their spending and purchasing habits if they personalise offers better in return”.

The TWC Savvy Shopping report also highlights how almost half of younger shoppers are struggling to make ends meet financially and are therefore more likely to be seeking out deals or

The store helped to source specific items for customers, as well as launching a delivery service, free of charge, to shoppers who were forced to isolate.

Huseyin added: “We had to be especially warm and welcoming to our shopper because for some of them, we might have been the first person or the only person they might see all day.”

shopping in better value stores.

Overall, 35% of shoppers claim to be opting for better value stores to save money on groceries, whilst the same proportion are hunting around for the best deals on everyday food items. Deal hunting was highest for Millennials at 40%.

Essential spending ‘up 11.1% in 2021’ The latest data from Barclaycard, which sees nearly half of the nation’s credit and debit card

transactions, has revealed that spending on ‘essential’ items like food and drink rose 11.1% in 2021.

Consumer spending in total increased 5.9% in 2021 compared to 2019, fuelled by growing demand for convenience.

Online food and drink spend also continued to grow substantially, peaking in March as it rose 119.7% as many households continued

to rely on home deliveries for food shopping.

Jose Carvalho, Head of Consumer Products at Barclaycard, said: “2021 was another challenging year.

However, categories such as local food retailers, continued to do well, thanks to demand for convenient, local, and athome shopping experiences.

Local shops continue to be supported by communityspirited shoppers.”

Sarah Coleman, Communications Director at TWC comments: “Given that younger shoppers are more likely to be struggling financially and are also more likely to be hunting for deals, surely there is an opportunity to create a loyalty proposition that resonates with these shoppers. Understanding the purchasing behaviour of these shoppers is critical but their loyalty is not likely to be easily won, so there must be clear benefits for participating.”

February 2022 TalkingShop

13

IndustryNews A DIGEST OF NEWS FROM THE INDEPENDENT RETAILING INDUSTRY

Peers agree protection INBRIEF of workers amendment WOMEN’S NETWORK LAUNCHED

House of Lords passes an important amendment that will add further protection for workers in independent convenience stores.

The House of Lords has passed a new protection of workers amendment to the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Bill in the House of Lords.

The amendment places in statute the

aggravating factor applied by the courts in cases of assault where an offence is committed against those providing a public service, performing a public duty or providing a service to the public.

The Government says it will reinforce in statute the seriousness with which the courts should treat these offences and send a very strong signal to the public that assaults of this kind are totally unacceptable. The new measure will be reviewed in 12 months.

ACS Chief Executive, James Lowman, said: “After many years of campaigning we are please the government has introduced tougher penalties for attacks on shopworkers. This sends a muchneeded signal to our colleagues that violence and abuse will not be tolerated.

“We still need more resources for police forces to focus on neighbourhood policing and delivery of the drug rehabilitation strategy to reduce acquisitive crime that often leads to violence in local shops.”

The Association of Convenience Stores has launched a new group that aims to act as a support network for women running independent convenience stores.

The group was formed to provide women with a space to connect with each other and share their experiences and perspectives.

ACS will facilitate quarterly meetings for the group, featuring guest speakers and workshops where the group will explore a range of topics, including public speaking,

Home entertaining now ‘key’ for retailers

confidence, and how to use

A new report has found that entertaining at home is a fundamentally important legacy of the last 18 months. A TWC survey in the run up to Christmas found that almost seven in 10 shoppers said they had entertained friends at home in the past month and/or plan to do so in the next month.

This is a higher number than those that said they had met friends and family in a pub, and implies a significant opportunity for retailers.

Sarah Coleman, TWC’s Director of Communications, said: “Retailers have an opportunity to target home entertaining occasions, to meet the needs of those that don’t want to go out, or indeed those who have enjoyed entertaining at home through the pandemic and wish to continue.

If current concerns lead to further restrictions, retailers need to be prepared for an increase in at-home occasions.”

The report also suggested that home delivery can play an important role in helping retailers service shoppers entertaining at home, as well as allowing retailers to get closer to shoppers and understand their buying behaviours better through data collection and analysis.

Convenience, a member of

social media.

Julie Duhra of Premier Jules the new network, said: “I am proud to be an independent retailer of 30 years, today I am learning from another retailer how to get to do wine courses and grow sales with your expertise - knowledge is key.”

To join or for more information, contact sarah. johnson@acs.org.uk

February 2022 TalkingShop

15

STORE PROFILE | Durham

Sm bu perfe form

SMALL AND MIGHTY Brothers Steve and Jassy Singh Dhinsa (r-l)are flying the flag for Premier’s new small store concept.

ROOM TO GROW: At just 600 sq ft the small store has been cleverly merchandised to feel much more spacious.

RISING STARS: Food to go and chilled produce are the stars of the show.

TOP OF THE STOCKS: The store has a strong promotional focus.

16 TalkingShop February 2022

Steve and Jassy Singh Dhinsa are the first retailers to showcase Premier’s brand new small store concept – and it’s proving to be a smash-hit with local shoppers.

D

Despite their youthful appearances, Steve and Jassy Singh Dhinsa are old hands when it comes to independent retailing, having worked in their family-owned store since boyhood.

They’ve witnessed a great many changes in that time, but none more so than the shift which took place in the summer of 2021 when, following the challenges afforded by the global pandemic, the pair decided to make the leap to join Premier. Up until that point, the store had been trading as an unaffiliated store but Steve and Jassy quickly recognised the benefits of becoming part of Premier, especially as part of its exciting new concept for small stores.

“Our parents established the business back in 1987,” Steve says “and we’ve always used Booker and know everyone in the local branch.

“Mum was always going on about how we should join Premier. She wanted the shop to be fitted out properly and to have a solid fresh range as she could see the opportunity there, but for one reason or another the timing just wasn’t right and we didn’t get round to it.”

Once restrictions eased, however, Steve knew the time was right. He explains: “We just felt that it was the right time to make the move and we just jumped! It was scary to make such a big change after so long but sometimes you just have to take a leap of faith.”

It may have been a daunting decision to

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

mall ut ectly med

make but Steve says that Booker quickly made him feel that he had made the right move.

“We knew from the start that we would go with Premier, it was what mum wanted and you simply can’t fault the offer, especially the new concept for smaller stores which just felt like it was made for us!”

Armed with the knowledge that a compelling fresh and chilled offer was key to propelling footfall and sales, the store was fitted out with a striking five meter-long display of long life chill where Booker’s 330 lines are truly allowed to shine.

“The fit out was actually incredibly quick considering what a drastic change has taken place. In just over a week we had a totally new store, complete with the smart Premier fascia, floors and all new fixtures and fittings.

“The fit out itself took just over four days but the rest was just stocking the new store up. The range is totally different now and fresh is by far one of the biggest changes. All we really used to sell in terms of fresh before was potatoes, onions, ham and cheese and now we’ve got a really compelling offer of around 350 fresh lines.

“It’s wide but it’s tight and gives shoppers a totally new opportunity to top up locally.

POSTING SALES: Post Office shoppers are ringing up bigger baskets.

350 fresh lines available

BIG CHILL: The small store features fivemeters of chilled.

February 2022 TalkingShop

17

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MG

CAFFEINE

REIGN MELON MANIA 500ML PM £1.49 M255055

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What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

270% increase

RISING SUCCESS: Sales have rocketed with a new dedicated vape display.

in sales

REFRESHING SALES: The Refresh section is racking up £1,600 a week – in the winter!

Store CV:

Name: Premier VG, Wheatley Hill, Durham Retailer: Steve and Jassy Singh Dhinsa Size: 600sqm Services: Post Office, National Lottery, Phone Top Up, Coffee to go Staff: Three Opening Hours: 7am-8pm

GREAT VALUE: At £2.99 a drink the Jolly Rancher slush offers young shoppers great value for money.

We’re getting people in spending big baskets that we barely ever saw before, or if they came in it was just to visit the Post Office and grab a paper on their way out.

“We were nervous at first as fresh just wasn’t something our store was known for and we worried that we’d end up chucking loads away but boy were we wrong!

“Shoppers are delighted with the range, especially our many elderly customers as it saves them a much longer walk to the only other local competitor.”

The store’s younger demographic has certainly not been forgotten either, with a new ‘Refresh’ zone complete with Fwip ice cream, a Jolly Ranchers Slush offer and coffee to go.

“The Fwip offer and slush are so popular with our younger shoppers, they’ve never had anything like this on their doorstep before as we’re the only shop within walking

distance, so it’s a real boon for them.”

Such a boon in fact that the Refresh@ Premier section is now taking up to £1,600 a week and attracting shoppers from neighbouring villages. With a margin of 65% the offer is also proving distinctly refreshing to Steve too!

“We’ve also introduced a comprehensive vape range which is totally new. We’d dabbled in vape before, with a small counter top display unit, but this is a serious commitment to the category, as vape is now stocked in a dedicated 1m cabinet on the shop floor.

“We’ve got some e-liquids and pod mod devices, but the vape pens are by far the biggest sellers, especially among our 25 to 35-year-old shoppers.

“I’m even seeing a growing number of smokers now dualling with the vape pens as they try to cut down on tobacco. The margins February 2022 TalkingShop

19

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

SHELF LIFE: The frozen range has a strong focus on value.

ALL GOOD THINGS: The small concept store features a small yet perfectly formed range for modern convenience needs.

on vape products such as Geek Bar, which I get from Booker, are great at around 41% so that’s a big win in my book.”

From a standing start the store’s new vape offer is now generating £2,300 a week at a 45% margin.

“Booker’s support at introducing all of these new elements has been second to none. My RDM is constantly on the phone checking that we’re ok and if we have the slightest query, he’ll visit the shop in person.”

“Were not a large store and don’t have much storage space so since the refit we visit Booker every day, sometimes twice or three times to ensure that availability and quality remain tip top.

“The branch is just down the road and it’s something we both still really enjoy doing.

Nothing beats walking around the branch in person if you can find the time. We know a lot of the other retailers there and we have a good craic with the staff too, it’s rare to leave

SIGN OF THE TIMES: Categories are well signposted with striking black and yellow signage.

without a smile.”

Another element contributing to that smile is the store’s new sales figures, which peaked at just under £24,000 the week of Christmas.

Sales are now averaging a touch under £20,000 excluding VAT and services, while overall margin has grown from 18% to just under 25% and continues to improve every month as the higher margin departments sales keep building.

“The sales increases are obviously fantastic, but even better is the margin because the range we now stock offers far better margins that we were getting before,” Steve adds.

“My mum sadly passed away recently and she would have been so pleased too.”

“We have a picture of her on the wall right by the entrance so her presence is still very much felt in the store, you see her as soon as you walk in. I know she would be so proud.”

FLYING THE FLAG: American confectionery lines add further interest for young shoppers.

PERFECTLY BAKED: Freshly made sandwiches from the local Taylors Bakery are also popular with shoppers.

February 2022 TalkingShop

21

STORE PROFILE | Birnham

The height of

ambition The Johal family had big dreams for Premier Birnham but what they created was even bigger.

FAMILY AFFAIR: Brothers Josh and Guv Johal (l-r) are “so proud” of Premier Birnham.

22 TalkingShop February 2022

A

mbition: it’s a quality that a great many people possess but few actually act on.

Thankfully for the local community of Kirkcaldy, the Johal family are not among the latter set.

The Johal’s have ambition; in-fact, they have trolley-loads of the stuff and they aren’t afraid to let it fly.

The fruits of this ambition are clear to see should you take a trip down Kirkcaldy’s busy Birnham road.

At the end of a now thrumming parade of shops stands their “baby” – an innovation-crammed 3,300 sq ft Premier super-convenience store which is not just transforming the fortunes of the Johal family but that of Kirkcaldy’s community too.

With more than 31 years of successful convenience trading under their belts (The Johal family have owned a number of different stores over the years) the family were no strangers to refits and refreshes, but as eldest son Guv puts it: “this store was an entirely different beast.

“The store itself was more than double the size of any other stores we had operated.

You could literally get four trolleys side by side down the aisles, it was massive, yet the weekly turnover when we first bought it was half what we were used to in our much smaller stores and no-where near where it should have been.

“We knew that big changes needed to be

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

made, we had big ambitions for the site and we needed a symbol group that was going to help us achieve them.

“When we first bought the store we sat down with all of the symbol groups but Premier just stood out.

“I still remember the RDM looking me straight in the eye and saying ‘whatever you need, you will have and this will be one of the best-looking Premier stores ever seen.’

“His enthusiasm and genuine passion for our business were just utterly inspiring so

ON THE BOIL: The store features a state of the art £70,000 kicthen.

SPACE RACE: The 3,300 sq ft store has a bright and spacious feel.

SHAKE IT UP: Freal milkshakes complement the ‘to go’ offer.

DRINK IT UP: The store’s 36-meter alcohol range has a rustic feel with feature lighting.

there was never really any question about joining Premier.”

And the family’s faith certainly hasn’t been disappointed.

“The team at Premier have been integral to the success of this store. They are so enthusiastic, energetic and supportive. They are hungry for innovation and for the stores to be the best that they can possibly be and that fills us with confidence.

“Initially our refit was going to cost £150,000 but in the end the final plans came to £260,000.

“We weren’t phased though because thanks to the support of Premier we knew

that it would pay back.”

“The refit needed at Birnham was going to be the biggest we’d ever done and with a store of this size we also knew that we had a golden opportunity to try new things and really push the innovation boundaries.

“All credit has to go to my youngest brother Josh at this point because during the planning stages he took it upon himself to travel all around the UK for months on end visiting as many new stores as he could for inspiration. He went to England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales; any new store that was creating waves he checked out.”

“It was that journey that inspired him

LOCAL LOVELIES: Local eggs provide yet more USPs.

February 2022 TalkingShop

23

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What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

and us to really push the boat out and do something truly unique.

“One of the elements that inspired him the most on his travels was food to go and we knew because of the location of our store that we had a huge opportunity to create a stunning food to go offer that would truly set us apart and get people taking.

Located at the end of a parade of shops with ample parking and amid a sea of residential housing and two big schools, the food to go opportunity was certainly clear.

“As a result we decided to fit a £70,000 instore kitchen and deli counter at the rear of the store,” Guv explains. “We came up with the name ‘Papa Jol’s Kitchen’ and employed two dedicated chefs to create an outstanding menu of breakfast, lunch and desert options.

“We don’t buy in foods to heat up, the chef and sous chef cook everything fresh. Not only does this approach elevate our offer in terms of quality and taste but it also serves a really important practical function as it helps to keep wastage low.”

“If we have mince or chicken in the shop that is approaching the end of its shelf live for example, the chefs will use it to create amazing daily specials which we then promote on social media.”

The Papa Jol’s set menu includes mouthwatering hot meals to go, from Spanish loaded fries to mac n cheese balls, chicken pakora and chimichurri steak fat wraps.

Given the store’s proximity to two local schools it also offers an array of healthy, yet no less tasty, meal to go options, all of which are also freshly prepared on a daily basis.

“The healthy lunches for example are really popular with the local teachers who come in at break times. We have a ‘warm chicken and cous cous salad’ on today which is proving very popular,” Guv adds.

“We also make an incredible array of desserts in-house which have become a huge footfall driver. Again, we promote the range heavily on social media and they fly out.

When we first launched the desserts, dad said ‘you’ll never sell a cheesecake slice for £5!’ but guess what? It’s become one of our most popular sellers!”

“Desserts were actually the big trigger for us deciding to expand into the evening meal market which is something we are literally about to launch.

“We realised very early on that shoppers

were visiting the store throughout the evening to buy deserts after dinner.

As a result, we going to start opening Papa Jol’s right through until 9pm to hit that evening meal market which we expect to be another huge opportunity.”

The store’s food to go offer is complemented by an on-trend selection of drinks, slush and hot drinks to go including F’real milkshakes and Tango Ice Blast.

Fresh and chilled produce is another major boon.

“When shoppers first enter the store they see out drinks to go offer which then leads into more than 10 meters of fresh.

“When it comes to fresh, appearance is everything. We’ve worked really hard to create a stunning-looking fresh range that rivals even the elite street supermarket stores.

“In the coming months we will also be FRESH THINKING: The store’s fresh offer is housed in smart chillers with energy-efficient doors.

DINNER TIME: Premier Birnham will soon offer hot food to go until 9pm.

Store CV:

Name: Premier Birnham Stores Retailer: The Johal family (Surinder and Ravinder Johal and sons Guv, Josh and Aman) Size: 3,300sq ft Services: ATM, Lottery, Food to go, Staff: 22

SWEET TREATS: The store has become a destination for deserts and cakes.

The store features a

£70k

kitchen manned by dedicated chefs

February 2022 TalkingShop

25

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

PACKING A PUNCH: A lot of space is devoted to great-value multi-packs.

Store sales have trebled since the refit COCKTAIL HOUR: The store features a vast range of flavoured gins to suit all tastes.

launching our own chilled Papa Jol’s ready meal brand which will all be prepared inhouse. We’re just waiting for the packaging machine to arrive but again we expect that to be a huge opportunity.”

And speaking of opportunities, the Johal’s are also making the most of a big one with alcohol.

“We have 36 metres of alcohol, it’s massive! The alcohol section wraps around the whole side of the store. We’ve gone for a rustic look and feel with wooden tiles, suspended ceilings, lights that cost an absolute fortune.

“Sales have grown exponentially. We have really majored on vodkas and gin and I think that we must have every single flavour under the sun! Gin is such a massive category; the opportunities are endless.

“The dynamic has changed so much in a relatively short space of time. When I was younger, shoppers would buy Glen’s and Smirnoff but now those brands are actually our slowest sellers.

“We sell loads of Grey Goose and AU vodka because that’s what’s trending on social media. Social media is such a big driver of sales, it’s influence, really can’t be overstated.

“We also have a great selection of champagnes and in recent months have started to sell a lot of Moet Ice Imperial Champagne, again a trending champagne that has been created to be drunk over ice.

“We also have a large selection of craft

ales and local beers and we also devote a lot of space to multi-packs because the Booker promotions are so good on these.”

“All in all, the footfall increase that we have seen since the refit has been huge.

Footfall has sky-rocketed and sales have more than trebled.”

And while the footfall and sales increases have undoubtedly been great news for the Johal family, the new Premier store has also had a positive knock-on effect for the whole community.

“When we first bought the store, only one of the seven other units in the parade of shops was occupied, but now, since we’ve opened, they all are,” Guv adds.

“The rise in footfall gave other traders the confidence to open up.”

The shopping parade’s transformation from vacant to vibrant has also helped to reduce local crime and antisocial behavior.

“The previously empty shopping units used to attract gangs of youths who would congregate there but now that all the shops are occupied and well lit, those gangs have moved on, which local people are obviously pleased about, especially the more elderly shoppers or those with young children,” Guv adds.

“We’ve achieved so much here in such a short space of time and what’s incredible is that we know we still have so much more room for growth with the launch of an evening food to go offer, chilled home-made ready meals and probably a delivery service

TROLLEY DASH: Shoppers at Premier Birnham regularly collect trolleys as well as baskets.

too.

“We are all so proud of what we’ve done here. This store has been like our baby, we’ve never spent so much time and money in one place but it’s certainly paid off.

“Shoppers walk in here and they collect trolleys not just baskets.”

However, while the turning of trolley wheels and ringing of tills must certainly be music to Guv’s ears, one of the sweetest sounds has been shopper feedback.

“We’ve been blown away by how our shoppers have received the store,” he explains. “We’ve been inundated with messages of thanks and support from the local community.

“Shoppers come in and say to us: ‘thank you so much for creating this wonderful store on our doorstep.” Comments like that give me goosebumps. They are incredibly humbling and make the whole thing worth every penny.”

February 2022 TalkingShop

27

STORE PROFILE | Heyside, Oldham

Grand

Designs

LOOKING GOOD: Mos and his wife Anj have transformed their 1,400 sq ft Premier store in Heyside.

28 TalkingShop February 2022

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

Creating a successful modern convenience store is something of an art-form and Premier retailer Mos Patel has become a true expert at his craft.

I

f you build it they will come, or so the famous misquote from 1989 movie “Field of Dreams” tells us. However, awardwinning Premier retailer Mos Patel says that building it once isn’t enough. You have to keep re-building it and evolving it on a pretty much constant basis if you are to ensure that shoppers come, stay and spend.

That philosophy explains why his 1,400 sq ft Premier store in Heyside, Manchester is unrecognisable from the unit be first bought it a decade ago in 2011. Over the course of that journey, his sales have been transformed from a situation Mos describes as “tragic” to weekly sales these days in excess of £35,000 a week and growing.

Hitting those lofty sales hights has been achieved with the help of a constant process of evolution, including the adoption of the Premier fascia, regular refits, and an unrelenting focus on innovation and above all skyhigh standards.

“You can’t just open a shop anymore and expect shoppers to come,” Mos says. “Convenience retail is about so much more than that now, the bar has been raised and just keeps on getting higher. We are constantly pushing, trying new things and evolving our offer to ensure that we remain one step, or ideally ten, ahead!

For Mos, remaining ten steps ahead

has meant a significant two-phase refurbishment carried out either side of lockdown in 2020, which has since been supported by a litany of further investments, tweaks and innovations.

The gargantuan initial refit process saw Mos invest £120,000 in February 2020 on the creation of a showstopping Food To Go offer, including a Cool Desserts Co dessert bar, complete with an ultra-indulgent home-made waffle offer.

Tango ice blast, F’Real, regular slush, alcoholic slush, cocktails, and a new coffee machine were also added to the mix.

With the help and advice of Booker, the store’s layout was also re-jigged during the development, with aisles repositioned to run horizontally instead of vertically – a change which now means that Post Office shoppers must now walk past the enticing Food To Go Offer and promotional bays in order to reach the counter.

The second phase of development came in June 2020 when, keen to exploit the opportunity that Mos could see for an even heftier hot food to go offer, he invested in transforming old back-office space into a full kitchen.

Manned by a team of dedicated chefs, the kitchen now offers local people a jaw-dropping range of freshly cooked meals to order.

“There are lots of shift workers in

FLUID SALES: Tango Ice Blast and Freal milkshakes complement the store’s food to go offer.

HOT STUFF: A dedicated instore kitchen has helped Mos elevate his offer.

COOL DESERTS: The in-store desert bar offers more than 25 different types of waffle – including vegan options.

February 2022 TalkingShop

29

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What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk this area and our fresh sandwich sales were always really good so we knew there was an opportunity to really drive food to go like never before,” Mos says. “We started out with hot sandwiches and freshly cooked breakfasts and then we grew it to include burgers, fries, pizzas, vegetarian meals and more.”

Customisation is also central to the offer’s success. The fact that everything is made to order means that shoppers can personalise their orders to their heart’s content.

There’s an impressive line-up of nine different sauces to accompany burgers, plus 16 different side options, including jalapeno bites, popcorn chicken, samosas and salt & pepper fries.

Then, noticing a further gap in the market for a quality evening food to go offer, Mos decided to invest even further on the creation of a range of fresh home cooked curries, flying over a chef from India to train his staff in authentic Indian cookery.

“We know we are never going to replicate the full restaurant experience but what we can do is be as good as, if not better than a restaurant in terms of taste and quality,” Mos says. “I brought in an authentic chef from India who spent six weeks teaching my kitchen team how to cook real curries.

“At the start of the process some of them had never even cooked rice before but after six- weeks of intensive training they’ve nailed it and can now all cook restaurantquality curries.”

Needless to say, the food to go offer has become a runaway success, and in addition to catering for a vast number of local families and individuals, the store now supplies regular cooked meals to staff from 20 different local businesses.

“Food to go has become our signature – it’s something we have really made a name for ourselves with and it truly sets us apart,” Mos explains.

“We do a vast number of orders for unique shoppers but we’ve also developed valuable tenders with lots of local businesses to deliver them freshly-made breakfasts and lunches.

“Supplying those businesses alone brings us in more than £5,000 a week. One company orders 50 breakfasts every other day, another orders 60 breakfasts every Sunday, while a local hairdresser orders lunches three times a week.

“Lots of local companies also order our pizzas on Fridays as a treat to their staff. In total we are now averaging £9,000 a week

Online orders account for

CUSTOM MADE: Kitchen staff can customise meals to individual shopper tastes.

50% of total sales

MOTORING ON: Premier Heyside features four branded cars and two bikes.

just on the kitchen which is more than many standalone cafés do.

The speed and quality of the store’s home delivery service has also played a key role in shaping the offer’s success.

“We now have four fully-branded Premier Heyside cars, two bikes and nine dedicated delivery drivers to support the delivery offer and ensure that food gets delivered on-time and crucially hot!” Mos laughs.

“We’re now averaging 150 deliveries a day at Heyside and on weekends that rises to around 250, with half of those deliveries accounted for by food to go and the rest

grocery.

“The numbers only tell one part of the story though, the cars themselves tell the other, all you see when you’re out and about on the local streets is our little pink delivery cars flying around.”

And despite the pink whirlwind, Mos has just this month invested in revamping the store’s hot food to go offer yet further, in a bid to ensure that it’s as fresh, on-trend and appetising as possible.

“We review the hot food offer every six months. In this game you simply can’t rest on your laurels, trends are constantly changing February 2022 TalkingShop

31

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What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

Weekly store sales are now cresting

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DELICIOUS DISPLAY: Digital menu boards have been updated to help the desert and food to go offer shine.

and if you don’t keep up you lose out,” he says.

“We’ve had to put our prices up slightly by around 20p per product due to the rising cost of materials, and also overheads such as electricity, the price of which is soaring.

“Shoppers don’t seem too phased by the rises though, as long as the quality stays high which it most certainly has.

“The quality you get from Booker is by far superior to any competition and we source the vast majority of all our fresh and chilled foods for our kitchen from Booker.

“The quality of the Chefs Larder beans and fresh tomatoes for example. Honestly it can’t be beaten.”

“We’ve also changed all of our packaging for our delivered hot food to go to Booker as the quality of the trays is so much better.

“We were using a third-party supplier before but those trays were starting to soften with the heat in the delivery cars as all our cars feature hot plates to keep the food piping!”

“Booker also supplies of all the ingredients for our home-made cake offer – another key USP. We used to buy the cakes in from a local dessert bar supplier but their chef now works here in our store kitchen. She makes the most incredible cakes which have become a real footfall driver.”

Just last month Mos also invested in updating all of the store’s internal menu boards with videos of the curries and pizzas being freshly-made in-store.

“No one else around here is doing that and it’s been really positively received. Shoppers enjoy watching the videos while they wait and it reinforces just how fresh and authentic the offer really is.”

That same eagle-eyed focus on innovation and quality is also displayed on the shop floor, along with a keen focus on value for money, availability and sky-high standards.

Everything, and we mean everything, is monitored, recorded and acted on to ensure that shoppers, both in-store and online consistently receive the best.

Where, mistakes are made, lessons are learned.

“There are certain products where shoppers will be willing to shell out a little more but others, particularly on the grocery side where they absolutely won’t and here value is key.

“We actually sell a lot of larger family sized packs to help give shoppers the bestpossible value for money and we always execute the Premier promotions and make sure the Core Deals are always available on things like milk and bread as that really does make a difference to value-hungry shoppers.

“We also ensure that every square foot of the store is profitable, a gap is a loss and so we always try look for alternatives if something is out of stock. Gaps are a no no here.”

“This is such a busy store and maintaining availability is a full-time job, especially since our online offer took off last year.

“Online is now 40% of our business, it’s incredible but it’s important that we also take note of the threat there.

“Online shopping has become a way of life for shoppers, especially the younger generations and many of those shoppers will have multiple shopping apps on their phones making the competition incredibly fierce.

“The only way to ensure that you win their business is by ensuring that you look, perform and even smell to the highest possible standards. Previously, convenience stores used to try and match the supermarkets in terms of standards but today, it’s often the other way around.

Stores like ours are really pushing boundaries and constantly looking for new ways to innovate and grow.”

Keeping standards at such lofty-levels requires first-rate communication between Mos and his team, something he achieves with regular in-person team meetings but also a plethora of (very) active WhatsApp February 2022 TalkingShop

33

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

groups.

“WhatsApp has really helped to facilitate conversation between the different teams and gets stuff done,” he explains. “We have a ‘Shop Chat’ for the store team, a ‘Reference Chat’ for store procedures, a ‘Driver Chat,’ a ‘Kitchen Chat’ and also a ‘Security Chat.’

An extra-rigorous in-store cleaning regime and checklist, including photographs of completed tasks is also sent to Mos by staff on WhatsApp daily.

All customer feedback is also monitored, logged and responded to, while on the delivery side, performance records of every single delivery, including a note on the individual, picker, scanner and driver are all monitored, to ensure than any issues can be identified, isolated and ironed out.

“A lot of these checks and reports are things I’ve introduced but Booker has also really helped here, Mos adds.

“There’s a lot of really useful ‘best practice’ advice on the Premier retailer website. The team and I check it out regularly to ensure that we are up to date with everything and it’s been particularly helpful with all the recent Covid regulations.”

Social media is another powerful tool in Mos’ armory. “You can’t overstate the importance of social media,” he adds.

“Premier Heyside has more than 15,000 likes on Facebook alone and there’s a reason for that. “We work incredibly hard on that side of the business with six fixed posts a day, including a vast array of promotions such as BOGOF deals on key categories ‘Like and Share special offers, ‘Fire Deals’ and weekly giveaways.

“For us the process of maintaining our social media presence is virtually a full-time job. We literally employ a dedicated member of staff to do all the marketing for us; the

promos, the designs, the scheduling. It has to be that way, it has to consistently slick and interesting to keep shoppers hooked.”

Mos has also just invested in smart new staff uniforms, including branded caps, smart shirts, aprons and jackets, to raise standards yet further and set his employees apart from local competition.

“The uniforms also feature a new ‘Award Winning Store’ badge following Premier Heyside’s recent ‘Impulse Retailer of The Year’ win at the annual Asian Trader Awards – an accolade which he’s also promoting heavily online.

“You can’t be afraid to shout about your success in this business, every little effort, every little win, every little positive tweak no matter how small, it all stacks up and counts for something.”

Judging by those sales figures, it certainly counts for quite a lot.

PROFFESIONAL FEEL: Mos recently invested in smart new staff uniforms for the whole team.

Store CV:

Name: Premier Heyside Retailer: Mos Patel Size: 1,400 sq ft Services: Lottery, PayPoint, Post Office, home delivery, hot food delivery and takeaway Staff: 18 on shop floor, 7 in kitchen, 3 in Post Office and 9 dedicated delivery drivers.

SOCIALLY SAVVY: Social media plays a key role in driving store footfall.

February 2022 TalkingShop

35

STORE PROFILE | Blyth, Northumberland

Team

spirit

Premier Blyth is a shining example of the true power of a partnership approach.

T

CHANGING TIMES: Peter Saleem has spearheaded a striking metamorphosis of his family-owned Premier store.

36 TalkingShop February 2022

eamwork: It’s a commonlycoined word in the convenience retailing industry, but for Premier Broadway in Blyth in Northumberland, teamwork is not just a word, it’s a mantra, and the key supporting pillar on which the entire business is based.

Established back in 1988 by retailer Peter Saleem’s parents, the business started out its life as two separate stores, a grocery business which early on adopted the Premier fascia and a dedicated off-licence, Broadway Wines, just a few units apart.

The model functioned effectively for 32 years, over which time Peter and his parents firmly embedded themselves in the local community - an effort which was supported by a raft of local charitable initiatives and schemes.

“Lots of retailers talk about being community-minded but for us, community really is everything and the store has always been the epicentre of it all,” Peter explains.

“From sponsoring the local football and rugby teams to delivering essentials to elderly shoppers and donating countless bottles of wine to raffles and local good causes, we try to help where we can – which is perhaps why we won the Independent Retailer Award at the recent Asian Trader Awards.

“During the pandemic we teamed up

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

“The idea for the beer cave with the Community Food came from a birthday trip to and Friendship foodbank and Las Vegas. The first place our supplied it with almost daily tour bus took us when we got deliveries of essential items. off the plane was into a liquor At one point the foodbank was store and I was utterly blown feeding around 150 people a away. The store itself was vast, day and as the local community entirely refrigerated and the retailer we just had to support merchandising was incredible. that incredible effort. Whatever I said to my friends then and they needed, we donated. It THAT’S THE SPIRIT: Footfall-driving spirits create an eye-catching there: “I’m going to have one of was a lot of work but it was backdrop behind the tills. these, and now I do and it’s a key incredibly satisfying.”

USP. “We have other interests in the “The cave is one of the first town too. As a family we provide things shoppers see when the a building as a rehabilitation enter the store, it’s accessed centre at a reduced rent, as-wellby way of a custom-made as providing low-rent housing sliding door. Entering the for local disadvantaged people. cave is an experience, it’s got Supporting the community cloud lighting, it’s crisp and is honestly at the heart of cold, everything is brilliantly everything that we do. displayed on smart black And in 2018, Peter and his shelving. It’s quite simply an parents made the bold decision exciting place to be and shoppers to present that community with love it.” even more of a boon – a state-of“I’ve seen a few other beer the-art, destination convenience cave concepts in this country store like no other. but in my opinion most have “While the store was holding been missing that curve appeal its own with good footfall and that we have. It was a significant turnover, in 2018 as a family we investment and one that mum decided that now was the time wasn’t sure about to begin with. to do more. We knew that we However, she was working in weren’t really operating to our the store on Boxing Day and full potential, things needed to IN THE CLOUDS: The beer cave features an array of innovative she later said to me: ‘that beer move on, we needed to give our touches including cloud lighting. cave is incredible, the amount shoppers new reasons to visit of people who came in to the and get excited. store just because they wanted So we put our heads together to experience it and then left and created a plan to incorporate with full baskets was amazing.’ the off-licence with the existing Mum’s been in the trade for Premier grocery store and over 30 years but even with newsagent business. those decades of experience, its “We had some land at the success has stunned her.” back which was being used for But the Beer Cave is not storage but it was all different the store’s only new feature. levels and the drainage was DRINK IT IN: Shoppers can browse COOL TACTICS: Premier Blyth Following a significant re-build poor so we always knew that the comprehensive red wine and now boasts more than 7.5m of vape displays at their leisure. chilled space. and re-modelling process, which developing that area would be a required the business to trade big undertaking. out of a shipping container for a month “However, I’m a big believer that when convenience business.

“Having operated the off-licence for so while works were carried out, the newyou put your mind to something, almost many years and become real experts in our look Premier Broadway has been entirely anything can be done.”

Peter certainly has a point because after field, we knew that when we fused the two reimagined.

“It was a massive, massive job, it involved a lengthy two-year planning process, today, businesses, we had to do something really that unruly tract of land has been transformed extraordinary. This wasn’t going to be a moving the counters, knocking down walls, into a state-of-the-art Beer Cave within simple case of moving bottles from one store fitting new floors and ceilings, re-wiring the entire property, completely rebuilding the what is now a fresh-focused, cutting-edge to another.

February 2022 TalkingShop

37

Recommended retail price LUCOZADE, LUCOZADE SPORT and the Arc Device are registered trade marks of Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ltd. © Lucozade Ribena Suntory Ltd. All rights reserved.

†

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

THE ICE IS RIGHT: Jolly Ranchers and Tango Ice blast slush cater for a range of spending abilities.

WASTE NOT WANT NOT: Magic Bags help to reduce food waste and support low-income shoppers.

DOORS TO SUCCESS: Energysaving doors keep costs in check and the range looking smart.

back end, the list is endless, it was a ten-week job but by pulling together we ensured that it was done in four,” Peter says.

“I was determined that it wouldn’t take any longer than that. We couldn’t leave our local community without their store for any longer than a month, they relied us on us too much.

“When I told the builder it needed to be done in four weeks he just looked at me as though I was insane but we did it.

“Teamwork was key to the build’s success. We used a lot of local people who we have known for years, our family builders and local trusted companies. It was important to us to try and keep as much spend as possible within the local community and everyone came together to support the effort.

“Everyone went the extra mile, from the shop-fitters to the tilers, plumbers, shutter fitters and the two refrigeration companies that we used. Booker was absolutely incredible too, helping us to plan the flow, advising on new ranges and just generally offering support and advice wherever it was needed.

“I barely slept more than two hours a night for the month of the build. I was just totally running on adrenaline.

“The day we opened I was on such a high but the next day I totally crashed and slept for almost a whole day! We weren’t able to put on a big opening celebration because of Covid-19 restrictions but again Booker was really helpful and worked with us create some lucky bags for the local kids.”

But while the opening celebration itself may have been muted, customer reaction and sales certainly have not!

The new-look store now features a comprehensive food and drinks to go offer starring big-name brands such as Costa Coffee, F’real, Fwip, Tango Ice Blast and Jolly Ranchers slush.

“Food to go and specifically the drinks and slush has been huge for footfall. We were told it was going to be big but it’s surpassed even my best expectations.

“Shoppers now literally visit from the other side of town; we’ve become

a destination store.”

Another crucial new element putting Premier Broadway on the map is its vast new chilled offer.

“We always wanted to do chilled on a decent scale and now we finally are. We’ve moved from a one meter refrigerated bay to more than 7.5m of refrigeration. It’s had a huge impact on the store. We can now offer things we never did before such as fresh chickens, mince, ready meals etc.

“Pre-refit, shoppers would pop in, grab a few bits and bobs but have to visit a supermarket for their key meal components. Now, they can get everything they need to create a great meal from here.

“Sales literally grew by 40% overnight. Pre-refit, sales mainly centred around bread, milk, soft drinks, sugar and alcohol and we always did quite well, but now it’s a whole different ball game. Basket spend has risen so dramatically that just a few weeks after opening we had to buy baskets on wheels to better cater for demand, and shoppers just fill them up!

“Average basket spend is just under £12 and it’s climbing week on week. It was around £6 pre-refit.

“I was concerned initially about the wastage side of things and there was a fair bit in the very early days but we soon ironed it out.

“Early on we were also introduced to the ‘Too Good to Go’ Magic Bags concept which is a great way of reducing food waste and supporting low-income shoppers. It’s an appbased scheme which allows retailers to put fresh food that is approaching its Use By date into so-called ‘Magic Bags’ and sell it via the app for a third of the cost.

“Food waste is such an important issue and one that as retailers we have a responsibility to address, especially in the current climate when so many shoppers are struggling financially.

Customers love the scheme and it’s something that we are often praised for locally.”

The store’s old flat chest-freezers were also swapped out for a smart upright five-door freezer which Peter February 2022 TalkingShop

39

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

CUTTING BACK: Some ranges such as household and petfood were reduced.

MAKING A MEAL OF IT: The chilled range now offers shoppers full meal solutions.

LOOKING GOOD: Shoppers are “wowed” by the store’s premium look and feel.

says has also made a “world of difference” to the visual appeal of its frozen range.

“However, it wasn’t all about adding new lines and concepts, we actually did a lot of work with Booker to decrease lines too,” Peter says. Tinned grocery and household were cut back. We also decreased some confectionary lines, including hanging bags which we cut back from 156 to 48.

“Pet food also decreased, it used to be 6m and now its 2m. Overall, we’ve actually reduced the number of lines across the board by 800, despite the increase in chilled lines but the funny thing is that shoppers don’t see that. The most common thing that shoppers say to me now is “wow the store looks amazing, you have such a huge range in here now!

“The way the store has been designed by the team at Booker, it looks so professional, we have all the promotions at the front, everything looks so sharp and interesting and shoppers are honestly wowed by it.

UPPER CRUST: Local sandwiches complement the Premier offer.

“As a business we always had the right attitude, the right community feel and approach but now we have the right visual identity too. We just look the part and shoppers love it.

“It’s been a team effort though, we could never have achieved what we have without Booker’s support, all the fantastic local businesses and tradesmen and of course our incredible store team, fronted by the store manager Kirsty.

“It’s also been a real family effort too.

Mum and dad were heavily involved in the decision-making process. They still work in the business on a daily basis, mum was even behind the counter on Christmas Day itself.

Their years of experience and customer insights are so valuable. I grew up in that store and it’s a truly wonderful feeling to be guiding it through the next stage of its evolution. I just can’t wait to see where it takes us next.”

Store CV:

Name: Premier VG, Premier Broadway, Blyth, Northumberland Retailer: Peter Saleem Size:1,800 sq ft Services: National Lottery, Mobile Top Up, Costa Express Staff:16

BIGGER BASKETS: Average basket spend is £12 and growing.

February 2022 TalkingShop

41

Nielsen scan track value sales 52 w/e to 06.11.21

DRIVE YOUR SALES WITH THE TOP TWO

BESTSELLING BRANDED THIN SKUS IN THE MARKET

*

M257658

FEATURE | Long Life Range

Longer life,

bigger profits Booker’s new range of longer life chilled and bakery products helps eliminate waste and maximise profits.

M

anaging waste is always a key challenge for Premier retailers if they are to maximise their profits and it’s a problem that Booker is tackling head on with a new and very extensive range of long life chilled and bakery products.

The new range includes over 450 products across a wide array of product categories including bread, cakes, dairy and food to go, all offering Premier retailers much better shelf life on big selling products.

The long life range has been carefully built and extended to allow retailers to offer their shoppers far greater choice on high quality products in categories like chilled and bakery that traditionally have very short shelf lives.

The Baker Street bread range, for instance, offers shelf lives in excess of 30 days while many of the cake products in the range have shelf lives that extend beyond three months. Other products, such as the popular Happy Shopper Bakewell Flapjacks, have more than nine months of shelf life.

Longer life products mean less waste which in turn means bigger profits for Premier retailers.

333

Long life fresh lines 44 TalkingShop February 2022

119

Long life bakery lines

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

LONG LIFE CAKES

BIG BENEFITS

But the benefits of the comprehensive long life range extend beyond just bigger profits: longer shelf lives also mean better choice for shoppers as retailers can buy new chilled and bakery lines in without worrying about whether they will sell in the few short days before they pass their best before or sell by dates.

New products can often take a little time to establish themselves with shoppers and the longer life means retailers now have that time to let new lines attract shoppers and develop into regular repeat purchases.

Longer shelf lines also mean better availability for shoppers and also mean less time for your team managing the chilled and bakery fixtures: less time and effort checking dates and replenishing stock and more time to devote to engaging with shoppers and delivering fantastic service.

Don’t forget, too, the sustainability benefits: longer life products mean that fewer perfectly good products end up in the food recycling bin.

Happy Shopper Bakewell Flapjack PM59 2/100 Happy Shopper Chocolatey Flapjack Happy Shopper Buttery Flapjack PM59 2/100 Happy Shopper Gingerbread Man 2/PM100 Happy Shopper Rainbow Cookie PM592F100 Cottage Bakery Choc Swiss Roll PM100 Cottage Bakery Ripple Swiss Roll PM100 Cottage Bakery Jam Bakewell PM100 McVitie’s Caramel Digestive Slices PM100 Cottage Bakery Assorted Bun PM100 Chocolate Brownie Slices PM100 Goodwyns Country Slices Discover The Choice Cherry Bakewell 2/PM200 Discover The Choice Apple Pies 2/PM200 Discover The Choice Assorted Tarts PM100 Happy Shopper Double Choc Muffins PM119 Happy Shopper Mixed Muffins PM119 3pk Happy Shopper Blueberry Muffins PM119 Mr Kipling Viennese Whirls Mr Kipling Angel Slices Mr Kipling Lemon Slices Cad Mini Roll Choc Cottage Bakery Victoria Sponge PM150 Pearls Choc Fudge Brownie Ck Pearls Iced Bakewell Tart Lowthers Eccles Cakes Dan Cake Lemon Half Moon Cottage Bakery Ripple Swiss Roll PM200 Cottage Bakery Chocolate Swiss Roll PM200

LONG LIFE BREAD & BAKERY Baker Street Soft Bagels 4pk Les Brioche Pains au Choc Mission Plain Tortilla 25CM Clay Oven Giant Naan Plain Clay Oven Giant Naan Garlic &Coriander Baker Street Soft White Rolls PM100 Baker Street Hot Dog Rolls Baker Street Seeded Burger Buns Baker Street White Loaf Baker Street Brown Loaf Baker Street Seeded Sliced Loaf

February 2022 TalkingShop

45

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

LONG LIFE BEST SELLING CHILLED LINES Lurpak Spreadable Clover PM200 Lunchables Ham & Cheese PMP Peperami Original PMP100 Delamere Dairy Strawberry Milk Starbucks Frappuccino Vanilla Starbucks Frappuccino Coffee Euro Shopper Eggs PM200 Delamere Dairy Choc Milk Euro Shopper Unsmoked Rindless Bacon PM100 Euro Shopper Smoked Rindless Bacon PM100 Euro Shopper Unsmoked Rindless Bacon PM300 Dairylea Dunkers Jumbo PM69 Delicatessen Fine Eating Chicken Bites PM100 Elmlea Double PM110

SOLUTION FOR ALL

The new long life range has been carefully created to ensure that Premier stores of all sizes can significantly expand their range of chilled and bakery products with the minimum of space. The merchandising team have been able to build a chilled range of 269 fresh and 66 bakery products across just five metres of chilled space and 800mm of ambient space.

With the chilled and bakery categories in good growth at the moment, this means that even small stores can offer their shoppers and extensive and enticing range that will drive footfall, sales and profits.

For larger stores, Premier recommends seven metres of chilled space and 4.8m of bakery and your RDM can offer specific advice on exactly which lines to stock for your shopper base.

TRAINING MATTERS

To support the launch of the new long life range into Premier stores, all RDMs have undergone extensive training specifically on the range. This enables them to offer expert, tailored advice on every aspect of the new range: which products to list, how to merchandise them, how to lay out the fixture and more.

The new range offers Premier retailers a fantastic way of making better, more profitable use of the previous space available to them in-store.

Speak to you RDM today about how long life lines can grow your bottom line.

February 2022 TalkingShop

47

Source:Snackchat, Understanding Easter Shopper Behaviour, April 2021** Source: Nielsen, NIS, Various Markets, Total Spring, Value Sales, 18wk to 03.04.21 vs 19wk to 10.04.20; IRI, Temple, Various Markets, Total Spring, Value Sales, 18wk to 04.04.21 vs 19wk to 11.04.20* Source: Lumina Intelligence Convenience Tracking Programme w.c. 15.03.2021, w.c. 22.03.2021 & w.c. 29.03.2021***

Source:Snackchat, Understanding Easter Shopper Behaviour, April 2021** Source: Nielsen, NIS, Various Markets, Total Spring, Value Sales, 18wk to 03.04.21 vs 19wk to 10.04.20; IRI, Temple, Various Markets, Total Spring, Value Sales, 18wk to 04.04.21 vs 19wk to 11.04.20* Source: Lumina Intelligence Convenience Tracking Programme w.c. 15.03.2021, w.c. 22.03.2021 & w.c. 29.03.2021***

FEATURE | Seasonal Opportunities

Making the most of

Easterand Mother’s Day

27th March Mother’s Day

17th April Easter Sunday

Premier has created another phenomenal range of seasonal promotions on key lines from the biggest brands to help retailers squeeze every penny of profit out of Easter and Mother’s Day.

{

L

ife is never dull or short of opportunities for Premier retailers. After the excitement of Christmas and New Year, it’s straight onto the next set of seasonal opportunities that offer retailers the chance to grow footfall, sales and profits once again.

With Valentine’s, Mother’s Day and Easter approaching fast, it’s the perfect time to get prepared, if you haven’t done so already.

Easter falls late this year with Easter Sunday not arriving until the 17th of April which gives retailers valuable extra time to get ready to cash in on one of the biggest sales periods of the year.

If recent experiences are anything to go by, shoppers’ thoughts are likely to turn to Easter much quicker than they would normally do.

Christmas shopping got into top gear far earlier last year as shoppers saw the festive period as a welcome distraction – and the same is likely to happen with Easter.

That means Premier retailers should go early and go hard! Fortunately, as part of a bigger group, Premier has been able to leverage its buying power to secure an extensive range of fantastic seasonal and Easter promotions from all the key big name brands on many of the most popular products.

The promotions have been structured to make it as simple as possible for shoppers to instantly see the quality of the deals on offer with the vast majority of the promotions on simple round pound price points.

And there’s something to suit every pocket and every taste.

The range also includes lines from the biggest-selling confectionery brands including Cadbury, Galaxy, Kinder, Ferrero, Maltesers, Aero and Kit Kat, among others.

Don’t forget too that the Boxed Chocolate promotions are also perfect for growing sales around the Valentine’s Day (14th Feb) and Mother’s Day (27th Mar) occasions.

Don’t forget that the Premier promotions on Boxed Chocolates are also perfect for Valentine’s and Mother’s Day as well as Easter.

50 TalkingShop February 2022

}

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

TOP TIPS

Seasonal Shopper Deals: Shell Eggs To help retailers, Premier has created a comprehensive range of promotional shell eggs at fantastic every day low prices, sure to drive footfall, sales and profits. All shell eggs are available on a ‘WIGIG’ basis: when it’s gone it’s gone, so order early.

Product

Case Size

WSP

Consumer Deal POR

CDM Small Chunk Egg WIGIG

12x71g

£8.00

ANY 2 FOR £2

20.0%

CDM Small Buttons Egg WIGIG

12x74g

£8.00

ANY 2 FOR £2

20.0%

Milkybar Egg Small WIGIG

12x65g

£7.99

ANY 2 FOR £2

20.1%

Cadbury Medium Mini Egg WIGIG

9x130g

£11.25

ANY 2 FOR £4.00 25.0%

Cad Creme Egg Medium Egg WIGIG

9x138g

£11.25

ANY 2 FOR £4.00 25.0%

Smarties Medium Egg 119g WIGIG

9x119g

£11.99

ANY 2 FOR £4.00 20.1%

Maltesers Medium Egg WIGIG

9x127g

£10.50

ANY 2 FOR £4.00 30.0%

Galaxy Enchanted Large Egg WIGIG

4x234g

£9.30

£4.00

30.3%

Celebrations Large Egg WIGIG

4x220g

£9.30

£4.00

30.3%

Aero Peppermint Large Egg WIGIG

4x252g

£9.95

£4.00

25.4%

Kit Kat Bunny Large Egg WIGIG

4x238g

£9.95

£4.00

25.4%

Cadbury Large Twirl Egg WIGIG

6x237g

£15.49

£4.00

22.6%

Cadbury Twirl Orange Large Egg WIGIG 6x241g

£15.49

£4.00

22.6%

Kit Kat Biscoff Giant Shell Egg WIGIG

£13.29

£5.00

20.3%

4x274g

Seasonal Shopper Deals: Boxes, Cartons and Multipacks Perfect for Valentine’s, Mother’s Day and Easter, Premiers range of promotional boxes, cartons and multipacks offers something for every taste and pocket. Many are available on a ‘WIGIG’ basis: when it’s gone it’s gone, so it’s best to stock up early.

Product

Case Size

WSP

RSP

POR

Cadbury Creme Egg 5pack WIGIG

28x200g

£34.80

£2.00

25.4%

Cadburys Caramel Eggs 5pk WIGIG

28x195g

£34.80

£2.00

25.4%

Maltesers Box

16x110g

£15.00

£1.50

25.0%

Terrys Choc Org Ball Mill WIGIG

12x157g

£12.00

£1.50

20.0%

Maltesers Std Box WIGIG

7x310g

£16.30

£3.50

20.2%

Galaxy Milk WIGIG

17x360g

£35.99

£3.50

27.4%

Cadbury Dairy Milk WIGIG

14x360g

£29.99

£3.50

26.6%

Thorntons Classic Box WIGIG

6x262g

£19.70

£5.00

21.2%

Thorntons Classic Box 449g WIGIG

6x449g

£29.70

£6.99

15.0%

Lindor Milk Carton

8x200g

£19.59

£4.00

26.5%

Lindor Assorted Carton

8x200g

£19.59

£4.00

26.5%

Lindor Salted Caramel WIGIG

8x200g

£19.59

£4.00

26.5%

Lindor Double Chocolate WIGIG

8x200g

£19.59

£4.00

26.5%

Lindor S/Berry/Cream Cornet WIGIG

8x200g

£19.59

£4.00

26.5%

Lindt Lindor White WIGIG

8x200g

£19.59

£4.00

26.5%

Rocher T16 WIGIG

20x200g

£60.00

£4.50

20.0%

Rocher T16 WIGIG

5x200g

£15.00

£4.50

20.0%

Ferrero Collection T15 WIGIG

6x172g

£18.69

£5.00

25.2%

Rocher T24 Diamond WIGIG

6x300g

£27.95

£6.99

20.0%

GO EARLY! It’s never too early to start stocking Easter lines in store, once the festive period is out of the way.

GO HARD! Offering a large range of fantastic Easter promotions is a great way of adding some much-needed theatre in-store and starting to drive bigger basket spends and impulse sales as early as possible.

MAKE IT PROMINENT! Why not create a dedicated Easter bay in-store, perhaps on an aisle-end or within the main confectionery fixture.

Make use of the free POS available from Premier and don’t be afraid to add more theatre with Easter chicks, bunnies and more.

SHOUT ABOUT IT! Broadcasting your Easter deals on social media is a great way of driving footfall and building sales earlier.

RUN COMPETITIONS! To generate excitement and interest, consider running Easter competitions both in-store and on your social media channels.

‘Like & Share’ competitions are a great way of driving excitement and will also help grow your audience of followers.

DRESS UP! A fun way of making Easter front and centre is by encouraging your staff to get involved by dressing up in Easter outfits. Your shoppers will appreciate a little light relief at the moment.

February 2022 TalkingShop

51

FEATURE | Coffee Loyalty

Full of

beans Most Premier retailers will be aware f the coffee to go opportunity, but, combine it with an effective loyalty mechanic and the profits can be positively perky.

O

nce known as a nation of tea drinkers, recent years have witnessed a dramatic shift in UK shoppers’ out of home hot drinks of choice, with caffeine cravers increasingly swapping bags for beans.

In fact, according to Kantar data from 2021, coffee now accounts for more than half of total hot drinks category spend, overtaking tea and hot chocolate combined.

Out of home coffee sales in the UK were also up 76% in the third quarter of 2021,

52 TalkingShop February 2022

with much of that growth having been delivered by retail outlet vending machines as shoppers reclaimed the high-streets following earlier lockdowns.

It’s a trend that’s all to familiar to Sheffield-based Premier retailer Mandeep Singh, for whom coffee, and to be specific, specialty coffee, such as ‘Latte Macchiatos’ and ‘Flat Whites’, have become a major footfall driver.

The quality cups created by the store’s unbranded barista-style coffee machine is certainly a draw, but, as Mandeep explains,

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Always keep away from children. Learn more: www.keepcapsfromkids.eu *Based on Kantar Shopper Data for the UK, spend per trip in £ on Ariel vs average laundry spend in Convenience, P52wk data w/e November 5th 2017. **vs the next best selling capsule. *** Based on Kantar Shopper Data for the UK, % Repeat Purchases P52wks, data w/e Nov 5th, 2017.

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

{

Coffee sales have rocketed. In the last eight weeks alone, they’ve quadrupled from where they were before, and this is still early days, the potential here is massive.

}

it was the launch of a new coffee loyalty scheme towards the end of 2021, that has really helped to perk up sales.

“Loyalty is something that as independent retailers we really need to be taking more seriously now,” Mandeep says.

“It’s the next key battleground. You can have the flashy store and all the latest products, but without a loyalty scheme of some sort, you’re never going to hit your true potential.”

“We’ve entered the loyalty fray with one of our biggest footfall drivers: coffee to go and judging by the figures we’re already generating, it’s clear to see that the scope is huge.”

“Unlike other schemes that force customers to repeatedly visit your store in order to get their tenth coffee for free, or such like, we simply offer our shoppers money off their coffee each time they use February 2022 TalkingShop

55

DRIVE ROS CONSUMER DAILY CASH PRIZE COMPETITION Stock Rockstar

Activate competition POS at chiller

Enjoy more money in your tills!

Rockstar Xdurance 500ml Rockstar Punched Guava 500ml Rockstar Juiced 500ml

Time to

M268734 M268735 M268733

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

{

We still make 40% POR on each £1,00 cup so we’re not losing anything and certainly not when you consider how much footfall has climbed as a result.

}

HOW IT WORKS

their ‘Singh’s Local Discount’ card.

“In my opinion this type of loyalty scheme is far more effective, as shoppers receive instant gratification. They get rewarded for their loyalty with a third off the price straight away, rather than feeling forced into visiting again in order to receive a reward later on down the line.

All of the store’s hot drinks to go, including coffee, are priced at £1.49, however, shoppers with a ‘Singh’s Local Discount’ card can grab a cup for just £1.

The response, Mandeep says, “has been phenomenal,” with coffee sales having “quadrupled” in the eight weeks since launch.

“We promote the card via signage throughout the store but it’s at the till point where we really go to town on promotion, as in my opinion, this kind of mechanic is best explained as part of a conversation between staff and customers.

“Each time a customer comes to the till with a coffee they plan to buy, our team members say: Would you like one of our loyalty cards? Take one and every time you come in and scan it, you’ll get your coffee for just £1.

“Coffee sales have rocketed. In the last

eight weeks alone, they’ve quadrupled from where they were before, and this is still early days, the potential here is massive.

“This particular loyalty mechanic makes the customer feel valued and happy that they have been rewarded with an instant saving.

“We only launched it eight weeks ago and we’ve already got 400 shoppers actively using their cards with more and more taking up the cards every day. There’s no forms to fill in or anything to sign, they just scan, save and go.

“The cards have definitely changed shoppers’ mindsets. Shoppers with the cards are far more inclined to visit us for a coffee now, as well as getting a basket of goods, as opposed to paying £3.50 at the local coffee shop.

The promotional “pull” is also having an impact across the wider food to go zone, with Mandeep also witnessing “a significant uptick across associated snacks and meals to go.”

“I’d advise other retailers to definitely get on board with the loyalty concept,” he adds.

“I honestly can’t think of a single reason not too, especially when you consider

All coffee to go customers are offered a ‘Singh’s Local Discount Card’ at the till point.

Cards feature perforations enabling them to be easily attached to key-rings as well as placed in wallets.

All loyalty card users receive an instant saving of 49p on their coffee.

Loyalty card users pay just £1 for a cup each time they use the card, as opposed to the regular price of £1.49.

Please speak with your RDM for further details.

that I’m still making 40% POR on a £1 coffee. You can’t think of it as losing 49p, you’re not losing anything, you are gaining massively, and the repeat business says it all. You can’t argue with quadruple sales growth.”

With stats like that, the proof, as they say, is certainly in the pudding, or in the Latte Macchiato.

February 2022 TalkingShop

57

FEATURE | Medicines

It’s medication

time!

The colder winter months represent a great time for Premier retailers to ensure their range of medicines is comprehensive and well presented, ideally on the shop floor.

I

t’s that time of year when many shoppers will be turning to their local Premier store for over the counter medicines to combat the annual spike in colds, coughs and sniffles – so it’s the ideal time to take a fresh look at your range and make sure that you have something for every requirement.

A dedicated range of winter–related products can ensure that you can offer

RETAILER VIEW SHAHID GHAFOOR Premier Mossley, Great Manchester “In largely seasonal categories like medicines where shoppers don’t buy into the category for the rest of the year, we always find that it’s the big brands that shoppers are looking for. They’re prepared to spend a little more to get a good product because they want it to work and they want to feel better. That’s great news for retailers because it lets us help them and it lets us grow our sales and profits at the same time.”

58 TalkingShop February 2022

your shoppers a warm welcome even as the temperature falls. Stores that have the right range of seasonal products for both planned and impulse purchases can continue to satisfy their regular shoppers every single day, growing sales and profits into the bargain.

HIT THE FLOOR

But it’s not just the range that you carry that will help you grow sales, it’s where you site them in-store. Traditionally, retailers have stocked medicines behind the counter but this merchandising strategy may mean that many shoppers might not even realise that you stock medicines – so you could be missing out on profitable sales.

A new strategy that some Premier retailers are using successfully is to stock medicines out on the shop floor where shoppers can easily see them and can browse at their

What are your views? Email talkingshop@booker.co.uk

Cold and Flu Range DESCRIPTION

CASE SIZE

WSP

RSP

POR

LEMSIP MAX DAY AND NIGHT CAP

6x16s

£18.69

£4.99

25.1%

LEMSIP MAX STRENGTH

4x10s

£10.99

£4.69

29.7%

£12.31

£3.99

38.3%

LEMSIP COLD/FLU CAP STREPSILS HONEY & LEMON

6x16pk

£11.99

£2.99

19.8%

STREPSIL BLKCURRANT TRPL LOZ

6x24s

£17.41

£5.49

36.6%

BENYLIN ADULT CHESTY COUGH

6x150ml

£21.59

£6.65

35.1%

COVONIA COUGH MIXTURE

12x150ml

£32.95

£4.75

30.6%

GAVISCON DOUBLE ACTION

8x8pk

£9.89

£2.49

40.4%

BEECHAMS ALL IN ONE

6x160ml

£17.29

£4.85

28.7%

VICKS VAPORUB

6x50g

£13.99

£3.99

29.8%

VICKS SINEX MICRO MIST

8x 15ml

£16.99

£4.29

40.6%

CALPOL INFANT 2+ MNTHS BT

6x100ml

£15.59

£4.49

30.6%

NUROFEN EXPRESS LIQUID CAPS

6x10pk

£12.35

£3.39

27.1%

PANADOL ADVANCE TABS

12x16pk

£11.55

£1.75

34.0%

leisure. This can help lead to both bigger basket spends and fresh impulse purchases from shoppers who perhaps hadn’t been aware that you even stock cough, cold and flue remedies.

The medicinal lines can be sited on a gondola end facing the till or on a display unit near the tillpoint, where your team can keep an eye on them and also offer assistance to shoppers who might need a little advice or help.

THINK BIG

Booker offers a full range of medicines to cater for every minor ailment from coughs and sore throats to runny noses and headaches – and don’t forget, too, that face masks and sanitiser gel will also be a priority for shoppers looking to beat the germs and

stay healthy and safe.

When it comes to seasonal purchases and products that they might not buy at any other time of year, shoppers will often gravitate towards the big brands that they know and trust – brands like Lemsip, Strepsils, Benylin, Beechams, Panadol and Nurofen.

Stocking a strong range of well known products and siting them prominently in your store can help add additional footfall and sales at this time of year.

It’s also worth noting that many medicinal lines offer PORs in excess of 30% with some topping 40%. Vicks Sinex Micromist, for example, delivers a POR of 40.6% while the heavily advertised Gaviscon Double Action offers a POR of 40.4%.

RETAILER VIEW SHAMLY SUD Premier Racetrack Autoport, Glasgow “With all that’s going on at the moment, I think coughs and colds are more front of mind for shoppers than usual, so it’s a great opportunity for retailers to offer them the products they need and want to help them feel better and safer. We stock our medicines on the shop floor so that shoppers can’t miss them and also to let them take their time when choosing the right product.”

February 2022 TalkingShop

59

BERRY

peacShoony Coming

Tango Sugar free range - worth over £18m RSV and HAS grown +14.6% in the last year Tango Berry Peachy- New for 2022- A great tasting, vibrant liquid with a bold, disruptive pack design Source: Nielsen, Total Coverage, Value Sales MAT to 20.11.21

Time to

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

Backin’ Jack’s WHAT? NEW JACK’S FRESH RANGE

20.1%

WHEN? 14 LINES AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Booker has launched 14 new fresh lines under the Jack’s own brand, offering Premier retailers and shoppers a great range of high quality and fantastic value lines in the important fresh produce category.

WHO? With fresh continuing to grow in significance in independent retail, the new Jack’s range features 14 of the most popular and biggest selling produce lines including everything from onions and mushrooms to apples and kiwi fruit.

Minimum POR JACK’S BUTTERNUT SQUASH Case size: 14S WSP: £13.30 RSP: £1.29 POR: 26.4% JACK’S MILD ONIONS Case size: 20 X 3PK WSP: £19.80 RSP: £1.29 POR: 23.3%

Available to order as single units, the new Jack’s range features high quality, eye-catching packaging that will quickly become familiar to shoppers and will become a by-word for the fantastic quality and great value products that they have come to expect from their local Premier store.

JACK’S COOKING ONION Case size: 1KG WSP: £11.84 RSP: £0.99 POR: 25.3% JACK’S RED ONIONS Case size: 20 X 3PK WSP: £19.80 RSP: £1.29 POR: 23.3% JACK’S KIWI FRUIT

WHERE TO STOCK? Stock the lines prominently within the relevant fixture to help shoppers become familiar with the Jack’s brand and encourage your team to introduce the new range to shoppers.

Case size: 10 X 4PK WSP: £11.92 RSP: £1.59 POR: 25.0% JACK’S CLOSED CUP MUSHROOMS Case size: 8 X 250G WSP: £5.92 RSP: £0.99 POR: 25.3% JACK’S AVOCADO Case size: 10 X 2PK WSP: £19.90 RSP: £2.49 POR: 20.1% JACK’S FINE BEANS Case size: 8 X 200G WSP: £8.00 RSP: £1.39 POR: 28.1% JACK’S SALAD CRESS Case size: 12 X 100G WSP: £2.88 RSP: £0.39 POR: 38.5% JACK’S RED APPLES Case size: 8 X 4PK WSP: £10.32 RSP: £1.79 POR: 27.9% JACK’S GREEN APPLES Case size: 8 X 4PK WSP: £10.32 RSP: £1.79 POR: 27.9% JACK’S PINK LADY APPLES Case size: 6 X 4PK WSP: £11.94 RSP: £2.75 POR: 27.6%

February 2022 TalkingShop

61

Take a bite WHAT? KIT KAT BITES MILK BAG PM100 – GROUP EXCLUSIVE WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Kit Kat Bites Milk Bag is among confectionery giant Nestlé’s most important launches of 2022 – and the product will be a Group Exclusive for 11 weeks. This gives Premier retailers a fantastic opportunity to steal a march on the competition and cash in on a product that Nestlé has very high hopes for.

WHO? Kit Kat is the number three confectionery brand in the UK and is a hugely popular brand, so the launch of new Kit Kat Bites Milk Bag offers the chance to appeal to existing Kit Kat loyalists and other shoppers attracted by the exciting new format. It’s an ideal product for sharing the £1 price mark will help catch the shopper’s eye.

WHERE TO STOCK? Stock on the main confectionery fixture but also on any sharing format section you may have or within a £1 section, if you have one in your store.

KIT KAT BITES MILK BAG PM100 Case size: 10 WSP: £6.65 RSP: £1PM POR: 20.2%

Orange growth

GROUP EXCLUSIVE

Bag some sales

WHAT? KIT KAT ORANGE PM60

WHAT? AERO MELTS MILK BAG PM100

WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW

WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW

WHY? The Kit Kat brand enjoys a very large and very loyal following so any new products are likely to drive footfall, sales and profits for Premier retailers. This new line capitalises on the fact that orange flavoured products are currently growing at 37% in the market and orange now the second most popular confectionery flavour in the UK [Kantar].

WHY? Aero is a hugely popular brand with shoppers and is Nestlé’s second biggest brand – which means the launch of a brand new product under the Aero banner is sure to create some excitement in-store and on social media.

WHO? All Kit Kat fans are likely to be keen to try the new flavour but Kit Kat Orange is also sure to bring new shoppers into both the brand and the chocolate confectionery category. The 60p price mark will also help attract attention and drive trial and repeat purchase.

WHERE TO STOCK? Stock on the main confectionery fixture and in higher traffic areas such as promotional ends to drive impulse sales.

KIT KAT ORANGE

WHO? With the big growth we’ve seen in recent times around larger format and sharing packs, the launch of Aero Melts Milk Bag gives Premier retailers another great chance to grow the category, drive sales and cash in on PORs in excess of 20%. Aero is Nestlé’s top selling sharing brand and this new £1 price marked line will appeal to a wide range of shoppers.

PM60 Case size: 24 WSP: £8.99 RSP: £0.60PM

WHERE TO STOCK? Feature within a sharing or larger format ‘big night in’ section, if you have one, to drive impulse sales and grow basket spend.

POR: 25.1% AERO MELTS MILK BAG PM100 Case size: 12 WSP: £7.99 RSP: £1PM POR: 20.1%

62 TalkingShop February 2022

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

Shed loads of profit WHAT? JAM SHED CALIFORNIAN ROSÉ WHEN? AVAILABLE NOW WHY? Now worth £57.5m and reporting 90% growth year-on-year, following three years of triple digit growth, Jam Shed has been a huge success since its first Shiraz SKU launched in 2017. The brand offers something fresh and innovative, recently making the top 20 wines in the UK. The rich and juicy Jam Shed Californian Rosé taps into the rosé category worth over £809M and growing at a rate of 25.7% [Nielsen, Apr 2021].

WHO? The Jam Shed range sources grapes across the globe to create simple, delicious, jammy wines for those that simply enjoy great taste. The new rosé varietal will continue to excite loyal fans and win over new shopper with flavours of fresh red summer berries and cream.

WHERE TO STOCK? The new line should be stocked prominently in the chiller with other rosé wines where the eye-catching label will drive sales.

JAM SHED CALIFORNIAN ROSÉ Case size: 6 x 75cl WSP: £25.95 RSP: £6.49 POR: 20.0%

Zero hero WHAT? CORONA CERO WHEN? FEBRUARY WHY? Corona Cero – that’s zero in English – is Corona’s new alcohol-free beer which taps into the continued growth in interest and sales in the low and no alcohol category. Sales of zero alcohol beer in particular have grown enormously, up 113.2% since 2019 [Nielsen]. Available next month, Corona Cero offers shoppers looking for a zero alcohol beer a fresh and great-tasting alternative.

WHO? The new beer is predominantly aimed at the 18-34 age bracket which drives the majority of zero alcohol beer sales but is expected to appeal to a wider audience thanks to the eye-catching packaging, the big brand name and the great taste.

WHERE TO STOCK? Corona Cero should be stocked in the chiller to make it ready for instant consumption and should be merchandised prominently within the low and no alcohol section of the beer fixture.

CORONA CERO Case size: 6x4x330ml WSP: £12.79 RSP: £3.50 POR: 26.9%

February 2022 TalkingShop

63

NO.1 WASHING UP LIQUID BRAND IN THE UK* • 6 out of 10 household buy Fairy washing-up liquid in a year* • 69% of category value is spent on Fairy*

Fairy Liquid Original PM129 433ml M131437 Fairy Liquid Lemon PM129 433ml M131442 Fairy Liq Pomegrante & Honey PM129 433ml M135606 *Source: Kantar Worldpanel – Hand Dish Cleaners category – Great Britain, past 52 weeks ending 31st October 2021

PricesDown

FANTASTIC OPPORTUNITIES TO SAVE ON COSTS AND BOOST YOUR PROFITS

Spend & Save to grow profits Booker’s Spend & Save scheme lets Premier retailers earn up to 5% rebate on their spend with Booker, helping improve their profitability.

FOUR WEEKLY SPEND

DISCOUNT

£10,000 to £14,999

0.5%

£15,000 to £24,999

1%

£25,000 to £34,999

2%

£35,000 to £44,999

3%

£45,000 to £ 54,999

4%

£55,000+

5%

RETAILER VIEW DENNIS WILLIAMS Premier Broadway, Edinburgh “Spend & Save is a great scheme for Premier retailers, particularly since the upper banding was increased to 5%. The scheme is a fantastic way to seriously boost our profits every year and it’s good to be rewarded for our loyalty to Booker. Given the value of tobacco sales, it’s also brilliant that our tobacco spend is included in our four-weekly spend totals. Spend & Save definitely helps us run a successful, profitable business.”

B

ooker’s extremely popular Spend & Save scheme is a fantastic way to quickly and effortlessly grow your profits by earning up to 5% rebate on everything you spend with Booker. It’s that simple.

The scheme operates across six separate spending bands, calculated based on your four-weekly spend – and don’t forget that this includes tobacco spend.

The discount level achieved is then paid every four weeks on the nontobacco element of your spend.

So, as highlighted in the example on this page, if your four-weekly spend is £22k on tobacco products and £33k on non-tobacco products, your total fourweekly spend would be £55k, qualifying you for the 5% rebate. This would then be applied to the £33k non-tobacco

spend and you would receive a voucher for £1,650 for that period. Over a year, that would amount to over £21k in rebate – and a big boost to your bottom line.

The bands begin at just £10k of fourweekly spend, which earns 0.5% rebate and rises steadily to the top band of 5% for four-weekly spend of £55k or over.

Martyn Parkinson, Brand Director - Premier, commented: “The Spend & Save scheme has been extremely popular with retailers, and grew even more popular when we added a new top tier offering a 5% rebate.

“This is just one way we’d like to say thank you for choosing Booker. Spend & Save directly helps your profitability and forms part of our continued commitment to improve choice, price and service.

If you have any further questions about Spend & Save, or about growing your sales, please contact your RDM.

DISCOUNT EXAMPLE NON TOBACCO SPEND

£33,000

TOBACCO SPEND

£22,000

TOTAL SPEND

£55,000

DISCOUNT BAND ACHIEVED

5%

DISCOUNT APPLIED TO NON TOBACCO

£33,000 X 5% = £1,650

TOTAL ANNUAL DISCOUNT

£21,450

February 2022 TalkingShop

65

MORE MULTIPACKS. MORE SALES. NOW AVAILABLE IN PRICE MARK PACK

£4.69

RED BULL ENERGY 250ML 4PK PMC M235282

RED BULL SUGARFREE 250ML 4PK PMC M273989

BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

On course for fresh growth

A comprehensive training course for Premier RDMs has helped them enhance their fresh produce skillsets, allowing them to offer expert advice and support to retailers and help generate sales increases of 26%.

T

he fresh category continues to grow in independent retailing and is a vitally important one for Premier retailers. Fresh can be a complex category to manage, which is why the support of Booker’s knowledgeable team of RDMs can be invaluable.

To ensure that the RDM team was able to offer the best possible advice and help in the fresh category, Booker created a bespoke two-stage training course that every single RDM has completed.

The result? A fully trained team of RDMs

helped deliver a 26% uplift in fresh sales in participating Premier stores!

l Food safety legislation

ON COURSE

l Documentation

The course was delivered by Booker Learning & Development expert Vicky Edwards and was created specifically to drive growth in the fresh category in Premier stores through increased footfall and spend driven by execution of best practice in-store.

Part one of the course gave the RDMs a thorough knowledge of all key aspects of the category, covering topics such as:

l Waste management l Merchandising

l Health, safe, legal

As well as covering all the relevant legal obligations around fresh produce and the importance of regular cleaning, temperature checks and record keeping, the course also explained in detail how RDMs could help Premier retailers grow their fresh sales and how they could work with retailers to maintain the best possible displays.

February 2022 TalkingShop

67

Now with a softer * and thicker fabric

Pampers Fresh Clean Baby Wipes M254345

Stock up today! *vs. previous product.

RDM VIEW DAWN LEIVERS Nottingham “The training courses were immensely helpful for me, particularly as I was relatively new to the business. They gave me a fantastic grounding in every aspect of fresh produce and that has proven invaluable in helping advice and support retailers as they grow their fresh offer and drive up sales and profits in a hugely important category.”

Key messages FRESH SALES GROWTH l Fresh is an important category for all Premier stores of all sizes l Booker offers more than 300 fresh lines l Planograms are available l Fresh promotions are vital and should be maintained throughout each promotional period l Understand the competition and use fresh as a way to become a destination store for fresh in your area

RDM VIEW LAURA CHITTY ODAMS Burton and Derby “I’ve been with Booker for more than 21 years but I learned so much from the fresh training courses.

The support from the training team was fantastic and the two courses really gave me the confidence to be able to support my retailer customers much more proactively and knowledgeably in a massively important category, particularly around the legal aspects of fresh produce.

I feel like I can really help my retailer customers much more efficiently now and help them drive growth in their businesses in the fresh category.”

This involved taking the time with retailers to establish what good looks like and sharing best practice and advice. It also included supporting retailers on making the best possible use of available space, getting more products onto the shelves but without cluttering the store.

REFRESHER

That course was then followed up with a refresher course in October which helped

DISPLAY MAINTENANCE l Maintain best practice when receiving deliveries l Fresh replenishment should be prioritised

the team bring their knowledge up to date and also allowed them to share their experiences with one another and discuss the real-world challenges and opportunities that they were experiencing in the Premier stores they were working with to grow fresh sales.

For the purposes of the training, each RDM was asked to work with three ‘focus stores’ and the refresher course allowed the RDMs to share what they had learned and continue to develop best practice for Premier retailers.

With a 26% increase in sales in these focus stores, it’s clear that the training was a great success. It’s also clear that everything that the Premier RDMs learned as part of the training initiative will be invaluable in future as they share their new knowledge with the wider Premier retailing family.

l Frequent checks should be carried out to ensure the fixture is attractive and appealing l Try to see the fixture from the shopper’s point of view l Many shoppers judge stores by their fresh offering

LEGALITY l Familiarise yourself with all legal obligations around fresh produce l Visit the Premier website for training and instore record keeping l Focus on health, safe, legal l Establish and maintain high standards in the category l Monitor and manage waste carefully l Consider implementing the ‘Too Good To Go’ waste management app

February 2022 TalkingShop

69

BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

Delivering results

If your store doesn’t offer home delivery you could be missing out on the chance to seriously boost sales. Getting started is easier than you might think.

FREE Home Delivery for your store Join Jisp and benefit from every order you make

The benefits Free Home Delivery for 12 months*

400% increase in sales with Jisp

Retailer receives 100% of basket and delivery charge on every order

Full social media and instore support

*T&Cs apply

70 TalkingShop February 2022

Register your interest jisp.com/sign-up/booker

H

ome delivery has been possibly the biggest trend to emerge in convenience retailing over the past two years. In that short space of time, home delivery has gone from being a new idea to a fully established service that is offered by a very significant, and growing, number of Premier retailers. Home delivery may have been created in response to the pandemic, but the service is now becoming mainstream.

While the initial demand for home delivery services came at the start of lockdown with vulnerable and selfisolating shoppers unable or unwilling to visit busy supermarkets, demand for home delivery has continued to grow ever since, even after restrictions were lifted. Many shoppers are now firmly in the habit of ordering from their local Premier store, knowing that

they will get the great range, prices, quality and value they expect in-store but with the added convenience of having everything delivered to their door, often in under an hour.

This demand from shoppers for frictionless online experiences has caused an explosion of new techdriven solutions designed to make the shopping experience easier, quicker, more convenient and safer.

It has seen about a decade’s-worth of technological advances crammed into just 18 months or so, with an enormous array of solutions now available to help retailers offer click & collect, scan & go and home delivery.

Home delivery has been a gamechanger for many Premier retailers and it’s an opportunity that merits further consideration, if you are not already offering the service to your shoppers. Get started and you could soon be fulfilling up to 100 orders a

Why should retailers join Jisp?

SIGN UP, SET UP, SELL!

Your guide to onboarding new retailers

Retailers can easily register their store and start selling in just three simple steps.

1 – Sign up

day, and in Justin Whittaker there is at least one Premier retailer that has achieved over £1m in annual home delivery sales.

SPOILED FOR CHOICE

So, you want to give home delivery a try but aren’t sure how to get going?

There are several solutions vying for retailers’ attention but one of the easiest and quickest ways to get into home delivery is with the awardwinning Jisp app.

As well as home delivery, Jisp also offers click & collect and scan & go services in an all-in-one solution that is tailored for every individual store.

While it’s the Jisp app that sits at the heart of the solution, it’s the retailer’s store name which the customer sees at every touchpoint and it’s the retailers business that is placed at the centre of the entire Jisp journey. In addition to launching a home delivery service with a minimum of fuss and cost, Premier retailers can seamlessly advertise their best deals, create bespoke marketing campaigns and reach new shoppers through the app.

Embracing these services has the

Visit jisp.com/sign-up/booker to enter your details and upload a logo, or alternatively, ask Jisp’s team of designers for support.

2 – Set up

Next, choose products, upload line lists, and set delivery preferences and prices – all with the assistance of Jisp’s team.

3 – Sell

You’re now ready to create product offers, campaigns and events – increasing sales and engaging with local shoppers on the app. potential to transform your business, helping you reach a much wider shopper base and significantly boosting your bottom line by growing spend. The average Jisp store, for example, increases basket spend by over 400% and also sells five times more

products per customer. That’s all with 0% commission on sales transacted through Jisp. And Jisp transfers funds directly into your bank account within three working days at no extra cost, regardless of the number of transactions.

February 2022 TalkingShop

71

SS

SS E

BE MINE

PER FECT

F YO O R U

FOR EVER

MINE

On P ro m NP1 2 o

KISS

L YO

VEGAN

M266717 12x142g WSP £5.99* RSP £1.00

M274452 36x18g WSP £7.29 RSP £0.35

POR 40%

POR 30.5%

M121958 24x39g WSP £5.19 RSP £0.35

POR 25.9%

Valentine’s is a key event in the confectionery calendar

UL

HUG

STOCK THE BESTSELLERS

A

*Prices available in Depot & online between 26th Jan and 15th Feb 2022

KI S

FO

HU

T ERFEC

KISS

BE E MIN

Quick questions WHAT IS JISP? Jisp is a mobile app providing home delivery, click & collect and scan & go shopping solutions. With strong ties to cutting-edge technology, Jisp offers innovative solutions using QR codes and frictionless shopping capabilities.

HOW DOES IT WORK? Jisp provides shoppers with a mobile app to order products from local stores. Retailers receive orders through an online dashboard accessed on a PC, tablet, or laptop.

Here orders are actioned, and notifications are automatically pushed to shoppers to keep them well informed.

HOW DO RETAILERS VIEW SALES AND GET NOTIFIED OF NEW ORDERS? In the online dashboard, retailers can easily access separate tabs relevant to the different services provided

by Jisp, including Click & Collect orders, Home Delivery orders, Order History and so on. Jisp sends instant emails and text messages to store owners when shoppers place an order.

HOW DO I SIGN UP?

GETTING STARTED

All you need to get started is a delivery driver. Jisp provides all the technology, including a full stock and pricing management solution that can operate independently of EPoS systems.

You have full control over deliveries. There are no limits or restrictions set by Jisp: retailers themselves are fully in charge of their new services and communication with shoppers. Jisp allows the store to choose everything from product substitutions and delivery preferences and time slots to allocating drivers for each delivery.

There are no customer handling fees, meaning the price the shopper pays in the app is exactly the same price they would pay in-store. There is no long-term contract to tie you down either as Jisp signs up retailers on an initial six-month contract which then continues on a three-month rolling basis with only a one-month notice period.

WHAT DOES IT COST?

A one-off fee of £75 + VAT is all it takes to get up and running with Jisp.

This includes all set-up and in-store marketing materials to promote your new home delivery service through a unique QR code to your shoppers.

There is then a weekly subscription of £30 per week. Every order facilitated through home delivery, click & collect and scan & go will incur a 0.5% transaction fee paid by the retailer.

After retailers have signed up, they aren’t simply left to their own devices. They have the support of a local store Marketing Manager as well as Jisp’s team of specialists to help drive awareness of the service through its free social media support. For technical queries, retailers can receive dedicated help from a UK-based call centre via phone and email.

Visit jisp.com/sign-up/booker and join the home delivery revolution!

Visit jisp.com/sign-up/booker and click through to complete a short sign-up form. Jisp’s package is simply constructed, giving retailers the flexibility to choose services best suited for their needs.

HOW DO I GET MY PRODUCTS ONLINE? There are several easy ways to start trading, putting the retailer’s individual needs first. Products can be selected from Jisp’s extensive online library and attributed a price, or Jisp can work with an existing EPoS provider to upload a product list of the top 500 sellers. Alternatively, retailers can send Jisp product files (barcode, product title and price) to populate the online store.

CAN I LIST OFFERS AND PROMOTIONS? Absolutely! Jisp is compatible with several offer types and general discounts, such as ‘Buy-One-Get-One-Free’ or ‘Save £1.50’. These can be turned into actionable marketing campaigns which can be sent directly to followers on Jisp to reach them in any place, at any time.

February 2022 TalkingShop

73

BetterService IDEAS TO GIVE YOUR BUSINESS THE EDGE

New POS delivering for retailers POS kit The new and improved POS kit includes: l Wow Deal POS l Mega Deal POS l Amazing Value POS l Sandwich Meal Deal POS l Frozen POS l Every Day Low Prices POS l Special Offers POS

74 TalkingShop February 2022

Premier’s fully updated and simplified range of POS has helped simplify the shopping experience and has improved shopper communications.

T

he vital role played by POS in a shopping environment is easy to overlook but experience shows that eyecatching, easy to understand POS can help drive sales and profits in-store, something that many Premier retailers have seen since the launch of the new black and yellow Premier POS kit.

The high impact POS help retailers instantly and effectively communicate the fantastic Premier promotional package to shoppers in-store and on social media. The greatly expanded and improved new kit included specialist POS for all of Premier’s main promotional programmes including Wow Deals, Mega Deals, EDLP, Frozen, Meal Deals, Amazing Value and Special Offers.

TOP TIPS

Priority list Premier is advising retailers to display their allnew POS kits in the following priority order: 1 Amazing Value bread and milk (Display in the first poster frame closest to your entrance door).

LARGE SHELF CARDS Wow and Mega Deal large shelf cards should be used for promotion ends only.

2 Wow Deal poster 3 Six Mega Deal posters. Please display your Mega deal posters in prices ascending order.

SHELF EDGE LABELS

4 Sandwich meal deal poster

You no longer need to print promotional Epos shelf edge labels in-store.

You will receive one shelf edge label for all products that are on promotion. Always try to display your shelf edge labels to the left hand side of every product.

5 Special offer posters for any additional poster frames available.

SHELF STRIPS Your Wow Deal shelf edge strip should be placed on the top shelf of your first promotion end. Mega Deal stripping is to be used on all other shelves on your two Mega Deal ends.

SHELF EDGE LABEL BACKERS Only use a shelf edge label backer on products where you have two or more facings. On all other special offer ends, use normal black stripping with the special offer backers.

AMAZING VALUE POSTERS The milk and bread poster is to be displayed in the poster frame closet to the entrance door.

AMAZING VALUE BANNER This is available to order via the Premier printshop website.

FROZEN only

£1 each

Varieties as stocked 750g/800g 107438 Premier Amazing Value Banner.indd 1

only

£2 PM £2 15 Pack

Any 2 for

£2.30 2L

only

£3 each

PM £3 500g

500G BIG VALUE PACK

For maximum impact, display your frozen meal deal within one door of an upright freezer. Glass door vinyls should be applied to the outside of the glass door upright freezers in the top left hand corner. Glass surfaces should be clean and moistened with a damp cloth so that the vinyl can be slid into position.

only

£1.75 each

£2.49 410g 01/12/2021 11:14

The POS was fully redesigned to make it even more eye-catching and attention-grabbing using the iconic Premier yellow contrasted with black for maximum standout.

The new kit delivers everything that Premier retailers need to help them highlight promotions and even came with a detailed implementation guide to ensure they make the very best use of the POS in-store.

For the first time, the new POS kits included ready-to-use shelf strips which means that retailers no longer have to print them themselves using the Epos system.

Highlighting the fantastic value available in your store has never been simpler and quicker.

SANDWICH MEAL DEALS New and improved Sandwich Meal Deal POS kit is included to make it easier for your shoppers to see what products are included in the deal.

Additional kits are available via the Premier printshop website.

EDLP SHELF CARDS These are only sent for frozen, wine and beer promotional lines.

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LaunchReview FEEDBACK ON THE LATEST BOOKER PRODUCTS

Smirnoff variant proves popular

Tropical tipple takes-off With flavours responsible for most of the growth in the spirits category, it looks like Smirnoff is onto a winner with its new Mango & Passionfruit variant.

Flavoured spirits are all the rage with shoppers at the moment, responsible for almost 90% of volume growth in the category over the past five years (IWSR). And with vodka flavours growing at 73% in the off-trade (Neilsen), any new launch from the world’s No.1 vodka brand, Smirnoff, is sure to make shoppers sit up and take notice.

So it proved with the roll-out of Smirnoff Flavoured Vodka, the latest launch in the Diageo brand’s flavour drive, joining the likes of raspberry, lime, green apple and vanilla variants on shelves. The product first hit shelves at the start of November, and the good news for Premier retailers is that Booker group is first to market the new spirit, with four months’ exclusivity.

The new variant has been launched to target younger shoppers in

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particular, who over-index on purchasing tropical flavoured spirits in the impulse channel. According to Neilsen, 22.4% of tropical spirits shoppers are aged between 18-34 years old. Neilsen also says that there are 5.5 million vodka consumers who don’t drink gin in the UK. The new product also offers a great alternative for them to consider.

Smirnoff Mango & Passionfruit comes in cases of six 70cl bottles, which are price-marked at £15.99, delivering a POR of 15%. The price mark gives consumers confidence that they are getting value for money for a big-name brand like Smirnoff.

A strong, impactful bottle design delivers massive stand-out on shelves, where the vibrantly-coloured liquid is sure to attract shoppers’ attention.

shopper’s view…

Lynn Sergio, Godalming I’m a big fan of vodka and don’t really drink any other kind of spirit, apart from the occasional Bacardi and Coke when the vodka runs out! I don’t drink a great deal of beer or wine either, so it gets a bit boring always having a vodka and Coke or vodka and lemonade.

I was doing a top-up shop in my local Premier store when I saw the new Smirnoff Mango & Passionfruit vodka. I wasn’t really looking to buy alcohol but the blue of the label contrasting with the orange liquid inside really caught my eye, so I thought I’d give it a whirl.

Smirnoff is my favourite brand anyway, so I knew I’d be getting a quality product.

Because the bottle had the £15.99 price already stamped on it, I was confident that I was also getting value for money. I find that the prices in Premier are always pretty much bang on the money anyway.

Mixed with lemonade, I really liked the refreshing tropical taste. It’s perfect for lifting your spirits on a damp, dark winter’s evening.

I wasn’t much aware of flavoured spirits before, so this has opened up a whole new exciting world for me. I’ll definitely be buying again, and I’ll also be sampling some of the other flavours in the range. Well done Smirnoff!

RETAILER VIEW MOS PATEL Premier Heyside My shoppers can’t get enough of flavoured spirits at the moment: they’re flying off shelves. Therefore, any new launch from a big brand like Smirnoff is sure to attract attention, especially from my younger shoppers, who love experimenting with all of the new flavours. Shoppers are drawn to the bright orange bottle, which practically glows. The fact that people can’t get it in supermarkets or other stores – as it is only available to Booker retailers – is a big bonus too.

RETAILER VIEW JOSH JOHAL Premier Birnham I’m really pleased with Smirnoff Mango & Passionfruit. It’s been really popular with shoppers in my store. People are picking up a bottle to see what it’s like and then coming back to buy another one – so it must be good! Everyone is being a lot more careful with their money at the moment, so shoppers like the reassurance that they’re getting good value that comes with a price-marked pack. It also helps that it’s very brightly coloured. It attracts a lot of attention on my spirits display.

RETAILER VIEW IAN MITCHELL Premier Girvan “While it’s clear to me that gin continues to be the star of the spirits show, we’re seeing more and more shoppers trying out other spirits, often vodka. Usually, they buy flavoured vodkas and fruity flavours seem to be the most popular. When shoppers are looking for something new, the big Smirnoff brand name coupled with the prominent price mark gives them the confidence they need to that they’re getting great quality at a good price. This new Smirnoff line has sold really well and we’re starting to see repeat purchases, which is always good.”

IN SUMMARY

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BOOKER GROUP EXCLUSIVE BIG BRAND NAME AND GREAT ALTERNATIVE TO GIN FLAVOURS ARE DRIVING GROWTH IN THE SPIRITS CATEGORY REASSURANCE OF A PRICE-MARKED PACK FOR SHOPPERS

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Community Engagement | GUEST COLUMN

Julie Kaur of Jule’s Convenience Store in Shropshire has earned an enviable reputation for her community engagement work and shares her story.

Community engagement brings its own rewards Active community engagement brings many unexpected business and personal benefits for retailers and there has never been a better time to get active.

W

hen we first set out on this journey as independent retailers, my husband and I certainly didn’t set out to be ‘community retailers’. I’m pleased to be recognised as a pillar of our community these days and I’m delighted to have raised so much money for local charities and community groups, but that’s not what we had in mind all those years ago.

I’m often asked why I get so involved in my community. My answer is always the same: it’s rewarding. And it’s rewarding in all sorts of different ways.

I don’t remember exactly how it started but I do remember back in 1990 that my husband decided to sponsor a local football team and we went along for the photoshoot. I realised then that small gestures like this really make a difference to people and to the wider community.

Then when our kids went to nursery and primary school, we donated some products to the schools and we got involved in sponsoring sports days. Then we started to get approached by other people in the community who were looking for help and support – so we spread our wings a little further.

I joined the school PTA, I helped organise school fairs and sports day sand everywhere I looked, doors were opening. We got more and more requests and were always happy to help if we could. Then I had another realisation. What if, instead of donating £50, I could help raise £100?

It was at that point that I started getting more actively involved in fundraising and fundraising activities. About 11 years ago a shopper

STAR ACT: Julie Kaur, front right, receives a recent community award.

asked me to join a midnight walk for Severn Hospice so I said yes.

I met some more people and was asked to do Race For Life. I had never run in my life but I said yes. More doors opened, I met more people in our community.

It all just snowballed and in 2021, for example, I completed thirty 10k runs, raising over £5k for three charities. I’m going one better this year as I turn 50 so I’m aiming for fifty 10ks before my birthday in June. I’ve already done 17 and I have the 18th this weekend! I’m hoping to raise around £20k for Severn Hospice, Age UK and the Radcliffe Fund.

Why do I do it? Because it’s rewarding and I enjoy it. Coming to work is a pleasure for me. Being able to help others in my community gives me a thrill. You could say I’m hooked on it. We’ve raised money to buy a wheelchair for the child of a customer, we’ve done Easter Egg raffles and walked 300,000 steps to raise money for different charities. We’ve made a positive impact on people’s lives.

At Christmas we had to cancel our party, sponsored by Boost.

But instead we decided to take a goody bag to more than 80 elderly people in our community and get Santa to hand out teddy bears for local kids at the store. You just can’t buy that feeling you get when you see the smiles on their faces.

For us it’s all about active engagement. Not just handing over money or products, but getting personally involved in as many projects as we can. That makes it real. That takes what we do above what bigger shops do by just handing over a cheque.

And yes, it does benefit the business. Our community is loyal to us in the same way we are loyal to them. But that’s a by-product.

The real reward is those smiles.

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ACS Viewpoint | Legislation

James Lowman The ‘Challenge 25’ policy is an important strategy that merit higher consumer awareness.

Putting ‘Challenge 25’ in the spotlight ‘Challenge 25’ is a key policy in helping retailers avoid in-store problems when it comes to age-restricted sales, yet shopper awareness is only at 70%.

W

orking as a retailer in the convenience sector, it is inevitable that you will encounter a number of products which are subject to age restrictions on a daily basis and its important that you feel confident in your store’s procedures in the sale of these products.

One of the key policies in relation to the sale of age restricted products is ‘Challenge 25’ which is a retailing strategy which encourages customers who is over the age of 18 but looks under 25 to carry identification if they wish to buy age restricted products.

At the end of 2021, we launched consumer polling to determine current awareness levels of Challenge 25 and we found that around 70% of customers were aware of the policy.

While this is a good level of awareness, there is still room for improvement and that’s why

we’re launching a campaign to promote the aware before they even step foot in your store. use of Challenge 25 in our sector.

We know from our 2021 Crime Report Last month we launched a campaign which will run throughout the year to that enforcing age restricted sales policies is promote the use of Challenge 25 in stores one of the top triggers for violence and abuse and to raise awareness amongst consumers, against shopworkers. This is an important campaign to raise awareness amongst reminding them that they will be asked consumers so that they understand for proof of age if they want to why they are being asked for purchase a product which has proof of age and that our an age restriction.

IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO colleagues are following As part of the GET INVOLVED IN THE procedure to minimise campaign, we’re POLITICAL WORK OF ACS the risk of selling age launching new ....................... CALL ...................... restricted products materials for you to to those who are use in store to remind 01252 515 001 underage. customers about the ............. OR LOG ON TO ...........

If you have any policy earlier in their www.acs.org.uk questions about the shopping journey as well campaign, please get in as digital materials that you touch via Edward.woodall@ can use to tell your customers acs.org.uk on social media so that they are February 2022 TalkingShop

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*IRI – Femcare – Total Market – Value Sales – MAT 03.10.2020

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

Fresh focus to continue in 2022?

One of the trends I’ve noticed is the continuing growth of the importance of the fresh category. It appears to be core to the independent retailing channel these days.

Is fresh a category we should redouble our efforts on in 2022?

STEVE DHINSA, PREMIER VG, DURHAM

Cracking opportunity?

With independent retailing continuing to perform well, it looks like the next few months could offer more great opportunities to increase our sales and profits. Do you have any advice on how best to approach the huge Easter opportunity?

MOS PATEL, PREMIER HEYSIDE, MANCHESTER MARTYN PARKINSON, SALES DIRECTOR – RETAIL, SAID: “The next few months bring fantastic opportunities for Premier retailers and not just around Easter. Experience shows that Valentine’s and Mother’s Day can also be vital sales periods. With Easter falling late this year, this gives retailers a welcome extended period to maximise footfall, sales and profits. Premier has another outstanding array of promotions that are perfect for all three opportunities, delivering quality and value – so stock up early and make your displays unmissable in-store.

Long life profit opportunity

MARTYN PARKINSON, SALES DIRECTOR – RETAIL, SAID: “Fresh is now a vital category for all Premier stores, which is why we have put all of our Premier RDMs through comprehensive training in the category to empower them to help retailers grow sales and profits. In our trials as part of the training, we saw sales uplifts of 26% through more effective ranging, better use of space and best practice merchandising. Speak to your RDM now to find out how you can grow your fresh sales in 2022.

As we enter another year with a new set of opportunities on the horizon, are there any particular opportunities that you feel premier retailers should be focusing on over the coming months?

IAN MITCHELL, PREMIER GIRVAN, AYRSHIRE MARTYN PARKINSON, SALES DIRECTOR – RETAIL, SAID “A fantastic opportunity is Premier’s new range of more than 450 long-life bakery and chilled products. Bakery and chilled are critically important categories but the typically short shelf life of many products in these categories can be a challenge. That’s why we have addressed this problem and created a brand new range with shelf lives running into many months. Longer life means less waste which means more profits.

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