Your Budgens Nov-Dec 2026 by YourBudgens

The magazine for independent retailers

November-December 2026

AT THE HEART OF COMMUNITIES SINCE 1872

JOLLY GOOD

Budgens has the offer to give yourself a merry little sales and profits boost this festive season.

NEW SCOOT BENEFITS TO UNWRAP GENERATE HEALTHY WINTER MEDS SALES

IN THIS ISSUE INSPIRATIONAL RETAILER PROFILES l NEW PRODUCTS l LEGISLATION UPDATES l COMMUNIY NEWS

DECK YOUR SHELVES WITH HOLIDAY MAGIC From GB’s #1 Soft Drink Brand*

24.6%

44%

of Soft drinks shoppers buy Cola at Christmas.²

of Soft drinks shoppers buy well-known brands at Christmas.¹

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© 2026 The Coca-Cola Company. All rights reserved. COCA-COLA, COCA-COLA ZERO SUGAR and DIET COKE are registered trade marks of The Coca-Cola Company. Source 1: IGD ShopperVista 5th-6th January’26. Base: 2,095 UK shoppers; 1,773 UK shoppers who celebrated Christmas and did at least some of the Christmas shopping. Source 2: Nielsen, Indies Symbols & Forecourts, Value sales 27th Dec 2025.*Total Market as measured by Nielsen & CGA - Coca-Cola Trademark (Coca-Cola, Diet Coke and Coke Zero) Volume in Litres, MAT to March 2025.

CONTENTS Bags of news, advice, opinions and inspiration to help you unwrap merry sales and profits this winter season.

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COMMUNITY NEWS A round up of inspiring stories from Budgens stores across the UK.

GROCERYAID UPDATE The latest news from the grocery industry’s charity.

OPPORTUNITY STRIKES When the opportunity to take on a large warehouse in the affluent village of Haddenham struck, Maulik Patel jumped.

WHEELING IN SALES Bala Ravi’s new Budgens store in Barrow is helping local shoppers to lighten the load.

COLD COMFORT Nurse your sales and profits with a compelling medicines offer this winter season.

32 35 36 38 42

CHRISTMAS CRACKER The festive season is upon us and Budgens has everything you need to have yourself a merry little sales boost.

NEW PRODUCT ROUNDUP Our pick of the hottest new products to hit the shelves.

NEW VAPING PRODUCTS DUTY Everything you need to know about the newly-enforced vaping products duty.

MEET THE TEAM Booker’s Prascilla Kava has just taken up the exciting new role of Proposition Manager for Convenience and she can’t wait to get cracking!

SCOOT DELIVERS AGAIN! Scoot just keeps on getting better and more powerful, with yet more improvements unveiled.

Drive Festive Sales with Costa Express! A festive favourite returns! This festive season, delight your customers with the irresistible taste of Caramel Nutcracker across three delicious drinks: Caramel Nutcracker Latte Caramel Nutcracker Iced Latte Caramel Nutcracker Hot Chocolate Available from 22nd October 2026 until 6th January 2027, these limited-time festive favourites are designed to bring seasonal excitement to your Costa Express machine and help increase footfall during one of the busiest trading periods of the year.

Launching the campaign in line with the Costa Coffee National Marketing calendar reinforces the power of the Costa Coffee brand in your store. It also helps to: • Capitalise on seasonal consumer demand • Refresh your Costa Express offer with a limited-edition flavour • Give customers a reason to return throughout the festive period • Drive additional drinks sales during peak winter trading

Don’t Forget! Syrup cleans must be completed every 30 days!

Make This Festive Season Your Best Yet With the return of seasonal flavours, the Caramel Nutcracker range is set to be a customer favourite this winter. Costa Express. Festive flavour. Freshly served. Please speak to your Booker RDM to find out more about getting Costa Express into your store. Alternatively, email bookergroup@costacoffee.com for more information.

WELCOME

WELCOME Greetings and a very warm welcome to your final issue of Budgens in 2026 as we begin the countdown to the biggest and brightest trading opportunity of the year. From festive get-togethers with friends to cosy nights in with the family, and not forgetting gifting and lastminute shopping missions, Christmas presents a medley of opportunities to make your sales sing. And Budgens has everything you need to help you end the year on a high note. Packed with seasonal insights, new products, top tips and more, our Christmas feature is just the recipe to help you cook up plump sales and profits, so be sure to add it to your list. Our latest Scoot update is another must-read. Booker’s exclusive low-cost rapid delivery service has been treated to another serving of improvements and enhancements, many of which have been made in direct response to retailer requests. In addition to exciting loyalty developments, recent weeks have seen Scoot introduce a range of new merchandising and promotional capabilities for retailers to enjoy within the app.

Scoot’s customer engagement capabilities have also continued to evolve with new condition-based voucher campaigns, allowing promotions to be targeted at specific customer groups based on their shopping behaviour. And that’s far from all. As cold and flu season strikes, our Winter Medicines feature also includes key ranging advice and exciting promotional news that is sure to help you nurse your shoppers, and your sales, even further. The latest issue also includes a fascinating interview with Booker’s Prascilla Kava, who has just started in the new role of Propositions Manager for Convenience. She joins a brand-new team whose remit is to shape the future direction of all our retail brands, including Budgens. Exciting times for Prascilla, and the Budgens brand, certainly lie ahead. And ever, this issue of Budgens magazine also features plenty of NPD and news, along with a key legislative update on the new vaping products duty. So, with all that wrapped up nicely, it’s time for us to wish you a very merry end to 2026.

STEWART FENN

MARTYN PARKINSON

Director of Retail Customer Proposition & Forecourt Sales

Director of Retail Sales

Magazine created for the use of Budgens retailers and not for consumer purposes.

NEWS

RETAILERS URGED TO TAKE DRS NEXT STEPS With less than one year to go before implementation, it’s now time to act on DRS.

With less than one year to go until the UK’s deposit return scheme (DRS) goes live, retailers should register with scheme administrator Exchange for Change and start planning their next steps, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) says. On 1 October 2027, the UK will introduce a 20p deposit on in-scope containers, alongside a network of reverse vending machines and manual return points, thousands of which will be hosted in local shops.

Exchange for Change has opened the first phase of registration for DRS, which runs until 31 December 2026. After this date, phase two of registration will open, along with the application process for scheme grants. Reverse vending machine manufacturer Tomra is also urging retailers to start planning their next steps. “The businesses that act now will be best placed for a smooth transition when the scheme comes into effect,” said Sondre Henningsgård, Managing Director for Tomra Collection UK.

All retailers are required to register their details with Exchange for Change unless their store is under 100sq metres in an urban area and they do not intend to operate one.

“This is an important opportunity for retailers to become deposit return ready. Over the next year, attention will increasingly turn to the practical aspects of implementation – staff training, customer communications, deciding on return point locations and establishing operational processes. “Right now, stores of all sizes are weighing up the right solutions and balancing those with how to make best use of valuable space, estimating what sort of volume their returns will be, deciding between manual and automated take-back, and looking at how they integrate these plans with their current operations. “Retailers need time to assess their options carefully and make the right long-term investment.” Follow the link below to register your store on the Exchange for Change portal (registration. exchangeforchange.co.uk).

CONVENIENCE STORE BUYER DEMAND CONTINUES TO OUTSTRIP SUPPLY NEW PROPERTY MARKET DATA REVEALS Convenience store values and acquisition activity look set to remain resilient as we head into 2027, a new report by property firm Christie & Co predicts.

Businesses with strong local reputations were attracting premium buyer interest due to the sustainability of their customer bases, the report said.

The optimistic outlook follows a 26% increase in offers made on retail businesses in the first half of 2026, compared with the same period in 2025, Christie & Co’s Retail Market Review 2026 reveals.

Stores that offered additional services such as food to go, home delivery and parcel services were also attracting stronger interest from buyers, it added.

Independent owner-operators made up 65% of store acquisitions in the first half of 2026, the report said.

The outlook for forecourts was also positive, with Christie & Co naming it “one of the most attractive specialist retail markets”.

UNLEASH YOUR SALES 3

EXCITING FLAVOURS

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CANDY BRAND*

Stock Up For Christmas * Source: NIQ, Total Impulse & Total Market, 52 WE 08 08 26

NEWS

COMMUNITY NEWS JUICY COMMUNITY SUPPORT Frasers Budgens’ fresh and zesty approach to community support was clear for all to see after it donated more than half a dozen cases of Terry’s Chocolate Oranges to local hospice Sobell House. Local volunteers now plan to knit cute Christmas cardigans for the chocolate orange-flavoured treats – which will then be sold on to members of the public. It is hoped that the sweet community gesture will help raise juicy funds for the hospice. Commenting on the initiative, Frasers Budgens said: “We’re always proud to support the wonderful work happening right here in our local community, so we were delighted to donate a large supply of Terry’s Chocolate Oranges to Sobell House.

“It’s amazing what a little chocolate, a lot of creativity and a wonderful community can do.”

MAKING A SPLASH

LOCAL CALL

Budgens Caterways and Post Office in Horsham has been helping to promote local efforts to save its community pond which has dried up over the summer.

Brand-new Budgens Netherhall & Post Office in Leicester is actively seeking to support local enterprise by calling on local bakers to get in touch “and explore the possibility of working together”.

The store has been highlighting local fundraising efforts for Cootes Pond on its Facebook page, including calling for donations and helping to drum up attendance for events, including a recent ‘tea and cake by the pond’ day.

Opened in September 2026, the former Costcutter store is keen to buy local and “stock a wide selection of locally baked goodies, including cakes, pastries, desserts and more”.

GROCERYAID

GROCERYAID MAKES A SERIOUS IMPACT GroceryAid recently published its annual Impact Report, highlighting the vital role the industry charity plays in supporting colleagues all year round.

Industry charity GroceryAid recently published its annual Impact Report, taking a deep dive into the progress that it has made in the year 2025 to 2026.

1 | Impact Report 2025/26

Impact Report 2025/26

It has been a significant year for the charity as it pursues its longterm vision, purpose and values, providing a clear direction for its work towards 2030. At the heart of that vision is a simple but powerful ambition: to help more independent retailing and grocery colleagues, by providing relief in tough times through its wide range of welfare services.

FINANCIAL The report reveals that a total of 19,200 industry colleagues received support of some kind from GroceryAid during the year. Some 8,162 colleagues received non-repayable grants, with 8,395 grants paid in total. These included financial relief grants, cost-of-living grants, school essentials grants and carers’ getaway grants. The school essentials grant scheme alone meant that 6,667 children benefited from a £150 grant, helping families ensure they started school in September with new uniforms and equipment.

EMOTIONAL GroceryAid’s emotional support is free and confidential, so colleagues can be confident that sensitive information is not shared with employers,

removing a significant barrier and encouraging individuals to reach out for help. In 2025/26, more than 4,200 people turned to the charity’s Helpline for support. Over 1,200 sought help for anxiety, while more than 700 needed support for complex mental health issues. Others contacted GroceryAid for help with stress, bereavement, relationship challenges and many other personal difficulties. In total, more than 11,000 support sessions were delivered through the Helpline last year.

PRACTICAL GroceryAid’s in-the-moment counselling sessions with a qualified counsellor are accessible 24/7, 365 days a year, and each case is discussed on an individual basis. Callers may also be signposted to other services to support specific issues. In total, 1,964 structured counselling sessions were delivered during the year, along with 1,449 relationship counselling sessions, which helped 243 industry colleagues and their households. In addition, 228 autism and ADHD sessions have been delivered since this new service was introduced in March 2025. Commenting on the report, GroceryAid CEO Kieran Hemsworth said: “I am delighted with the progress we are making and would like to thank our colleagues, trustees, partners, volunteers and supporters for their dedication and commitment. Together, we are helping more industry workers and their families through life’s toughest moments.”

PROFILE: BUDGENS HADDENHAM

OPPORTUNITY STRIKES

Maulik Patel never planned to buy a warehouse in rural Cambridgeshire – but boy is he glad he did! Retail is full of surprises: bolts from the blue that can, and often do, strike without warning, altering even the best-laid plans.

“Haddenham is a fairly affluent area and there wasn’t a huge amount in the way of other retail competition.

Maulik Patel was hit by such a bolt – when, right in the middle of plans to buy a new store in Acton, West London, the opportunity to take on an old industrial unit in the lush and leafy Cambridgeshire countryside suddenly struck.

“There is a small Spar in the centre of the village itself, but parking is limited, meaning many shoppers have to drive much further out to do larger shops.

Nestled on the outskirts of the small fenland village of Haddenham, the unit in question consisted of three small warehouses surrounded by fields, and a development of 40 brandnew two- and three-bedroom homes to the rear. “I never planned to open this store!” Maulik laughs. “One minute I was working on plans to buy in Acton and the next – I came across this one and everything changed.” “I have experience with building up new stores from scratch, so the challenge didn’t faze me – I saw only opportunity,” he says.

“I could see an opportunity to create a store that would harness those larger shops, the baskets and the trolleys. “There are no other Budgens stores for miles around so I knew the brand would make a real impact while its quality range and strength in fresh and chilled would perfectly suit the needs of Haddenham’s shoppers,” he adds. And so, after getting the keys in March, a six-week development of the three old warehouses into a bold and beautiful Budgens began. At 2,970sq ft, the finished result, unveiled on 22 May 2026, is certainly big.

PROFILE: BUDGENS HADDENHAM

And that’s just the shop floor. There’s a further 1,000sq ft of storage out the back – enabling Maulik to bulk buy special offers and make the most of big seasonal events, pre-sells and more. The large unit’s bright and airy feel has been heightened with the use of a pale cream and light grey colourway on the floors, walls and ceilings – along with bold geometric light fixtures. Given the store’s demographic, Maulik knew that its success would hinge on fresh and chilled – a fact which has led to the creation of a truly sumptuous range to suit all manner of missions, from top-up to full trolley shops. Merchandised across seven 3.75m chillers, the quality Budgens offer is supplemented by a generous serving of unique local products, including local butchery meats, along with local sausages, burgers and hams from Grasmere Farm – all of which is supported by Budgens’ eye-catching ‘Discover Local’ POS. And just as Maulik expected, fresh and chilled has fast become one of the store’s bestselling categories. A tempting range of handmade local cakes and muffins further sets the store apart – making it a destination for tea-time treats. “The cakes are flying out; they’ve been one of the biggest surprises actually. At first I wasn’t convinced that we would sell muffins for £4 but demand continues to soar.

FACTFILE Name Budgens Haddenham Retailer Maulik Patel Store size 2,970sq ft Opening hours 6am-10pm Services Parcel lockers, Costa Express

“We’ve created a very pleasant shopping environment here and what we’re seeing is a lot of shoppers coming in, doing full basket shops and then treating themselves to these small indulgences while they are here.” Further indulgence can also be found up at the store’s Good To Go food-to-go zone, including a footfall-driving Costa Coffee offer, fresh milkshakes and a range of freshly baked goods from Country Choice. And it doesn’t end there. Shoppers can also treat themselves to restaurant-quality frozen meal solutions courtesy of a Cook frozen food offer, which has been so successful that Maulik is just about to expand it with a fifth freezer.

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T H E G E N T L E M E N / © N E T F L I X . U S E D W I T H P E R M I S S I O N . I M A G E I S G E N E R AT E D W I T H A R T I F I C I A L I N T E L L I G E N C E .

PROFILE: BUDGENS HADDENHAM

A premium Laithwaite’s wine range, meanwhile, also allows shoppers to treat themselves to an array of mid- to premium-priced wines, all of which sit proudly alongside bigbrand best sellers. But of course, it’s not all about local loveliness and premium prices – with the Jack’s own-label brand and Budgens’ promotional power offering Haddenham’s shoppers outstanding value for money across the board. Savvy buying on Maulik’s part helps too. “I run all the Budgens promotions and thanks to the large storage area out the back I can buy in bulk when a particularly good deal strikes,” he says. “Last month there was a deal offering 6x95g cases of Nescafe Gold Blend for £18.99 – and I got 50 of them! “Our range and promotional strength means that grocery is one of our top-selling categories too – and really highlights just how much shoppers are shopping the whole store,” he adds.

Average basket spend is already up to just under £15 and that’s before having added National Lottery or PayPoint services – both of which are in the pipeline. “It’s still early days but the response we’ve had from the local community already has been fantastic,” Maulik says. “I was initially anticipating average sales of around £15,000 a week but within a couple of months we’d hit £20,000 and growing.” Now, Maulik has set his sights on hitting up to £40,000 in the next couple of years – and he’s got a solid plan for how he’s going to get there. “We’re just about to launch Scoot home delivery which should be game-changing in a rural area like this,” he adds. “We’re also planning to step up our communications strategy and have recently signed up to a social media marketing company to help us grow our Facebook following. More “traditional” forms of local marketing will also be explored.

“It’s still early days but the response we’ve had from the local community already has been fantastic. I was initially anticipating average sales of around £15,000 a week but within a couple of months we’d hit £20,000 and growing.” – MAULIK PATEL

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#1 CLEANING BRAND

#1 AIR FRESHENER

#1 DISH BRAND

Nielsen Value Sales, 52w w/e 29th August 2026. Febreze, Fairy, and Flash in air fresheners, dish, and cleaning sprays categories, respectively

PROFILE: BUDGENS HADDENHAM

“We’ll also be pushing more traditional methods such as leafletting – and will do a direct drop to all the surrounding houses in the run-up to Christmas,” Maulik adds. “The response we received to our Halloween drop was very pleasing, so we’re hoping for more of the same.”

“Loyalty will also play a key role and we’re exploring the launch of new incentives for shoppers such as ‘spend £20 and get a £5 voucher for use against your next shop’,” he says. Budgens Haddenham may well have hit Maulik like a bolt from the blue – but the outlook seems pretty golden.

PROFILE: BUDGENS BARROW

WHEELING IN SALES IN BARROW Bala Ravi has recently opened a shiny new Budgens store at the gateway to the flourishing village of Barrow in Suffolk.

Waaay back in 1086, just 27 people were slated as living in the small rural village of Barrow, near Bury St Edmunds, according to the Domesday Book. Fast forward to 2026 and Barrow’s population load is far weightier, following rapid expansion over the last two decades. And, with several significant housing developments planned to break ground in 2027, that population looks set to continue wheeling on up. It’s a thrilling prospect, especially for entrepreneurial convenience retailer Bala Ravi, who, with the help of his business partner, has recently opened a shiny new Budgens right at the gateway to the flourishing village of Barrow.

Developed in what was formerly an old, unsightly warehouse, the brand-new 2,500sq ft store opened in March 2026, much to the delight of Barrow’s locals who previously had to travel “at least five miles to the nearest supermarket” for fresh and chilled meal solutions and weekly shops. “There are other stores in the village, but they are smaller and only stock limited fresh, chilled and frozen ranges,” Bala explains. “We wanted to open a store that would offer local people something totally different, totally new: a large range of quality fresh, chilled and frozen products and meal solutions, including a lot of local products – and I knew that Budgens would be perfect fit for our vision.”

PROFILE: BUDGENS BARROW

FACTFILE Name Budgens Barrow Suffolk Retailer Balakrishna Ravi Store size 2,500sq ft Opening hours 6am-10pm After taking the site on and securing approval for change of use from warehouse to convenience store – along with a single-storey side extension – a full development began in late 2025. “The whole interior was gutted; the old warehouse didn’t even have a proper floor so we had to start from scratch with a brand-new floor, new ceiling, internal walls and more, before we could even think about fixtures and fittings,” Bala explains. Building work complete, Bala and the Budgens team then got cracking on crafting a unique new range, carefully curated to meet local demand for high-end fresh, chilled and frozen meal solutions – along with food to go.

And what a job they’ve done of meeting that demand.

Services InPost lockers, PayPoint

From pineapples to peppers, preprepared salads and potato cakes, shoppers at brand-new Budgens Barrow can now take their pick from over three metres of quality ready fresh produce – much of it merchandised within smart opendeck chillers featuring attractive wooden crates. Chilled choice is just as plentiful, with shoppers now able to fill their baskets and trolleys with a vast array of chilled meats, fish, ready meals and dairy products – enabling them to complete full weekly shops, grab dinner for tonight, pack lunchboxes and much more – saving them precious time and miles.

PROFILE: BUDGENS BARROW

And, just as Bala intended, local is one of the stars of the show, with him and the team having gone above and beyond to source a unique mix of products from local and small producers. Budgens’ eye-catching ‘Discover Local’ POS jumps out at shoppers from across the store and across almost every category, including fresh meats and sausages, local ales, milkshakes, bakery and more. A particular hit with local shoppers is the new range of indulgent cheesecakes, brownies and cookie pies from local supplier GeeGee Bakes. And Bala has taken care to ensure that his winning range of ultrapremium local products don’t come attached with an ultrapremium price tag; in fact, many of his local products are available to shoppers as part of good-value multibuy deals, such as ‘2 for £8’ on packs of Grasmere sausages and ‘2 for £5’ on indulgent bottles of fresh local milkshakes. Even the aforementioned cheesecakes, housed in their own attractive wooden display case, can be bagged as part of a ‘4 for £13’ deal.

“We wanted to open a store that would offer local people something totally Further premium products can be discovered in the BWS zone, where different, totally new: a large range of a high-end Laithwaites range perfectly complements Budgens’ quality fresh, chilled and frozen products great-value serving of top-selling and meal solutions, including a lot of unique brands, including Jam Shed, Jacob’s Creek and Trivento - all of local products – and I knew that Budgens which were on offer at just £7.49 would be the perfect fit for our vision.” each as Budgens went to press. 27

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PROFILE: BUDGENS BARROW

Speaking of complements – said wine offer is also the perfect one to Budgens Barrow’s new Cook frozen food offer.

And, thanks to a further range of unique locally made sandwiches, wraps and salad pots, he’s done just that.

Housed in three fully branded chest freezers, the range of restaurant-quality meal solutions is proving “exceptionally popular” with Barrow’s locals.

Housed in a dedicated Food To Go chiller at the entrance of the store, the chilled range is complemented by a smart self-serve bar featuring hot, freshly baked goods from Country Choice, along with Costa Coffee and Jolly Rancher slush.

“Cook has already emerged as one of our strongest sellers, we’ve only been open six months and we’re already doing more than £1,000 a week, which considering our relatively rural setting is very encouraging,” Bala adds. “A lot of shoppers are buying several different meals a week; a curry for one night and an Italian pasta dish for another. The single portions are also very popular with our elderly shoppers.” And then there’s the food to go. Located on the main road at the entrance to the village, and featuring its own ten-space car park, Bala could also spy a sizeable opportunity to harness passing trade with a compelling hot and cold food-to-go offer.

“There’s a school nearby, so we get a lot of parents coming in after drop off and pick up to stock up on drinks and snacks,” Bala adds. Other USPs include a whole bay for Free From products – and of course the Jack’s own-label brand, which Bala says is a “big draw for local shoppers”. “Shoppers especially love the Jack’s-branded fresh produce. The feedback on the quality, shelf-life and price is really positive,” he says. Unsurprisingly, fresh and chilled are emerging as the store’s strongest-selling categories since opening, accounting for more than 40% of total sales and growing month on month.

“It’s still early days but so far sales are hitting £25,000 a week from a standing start, and we anticipate hitting £30,000 to £40,000 once we’re fully bedded in. “Already, we’re not just getting basket shoppers, we’re also getting plenty of trolley shoppers; in fact, trolleys of £70 and up are not uncommon,” he adds. “Going forward we’ve still got lots of plans to drive the store forward. “We’ll be working hard on communication to spread the word about our range and offer. “We’ve already invested in leaflet drops and social media but there’s always more to be done! “We’re also planning to introduce more services, such as additional parcel lockers because we know there’s a strong local call for that.” And, with Barrow’s population set to continue blooming, that call looks set to grow and grow and grow – much like the store’s prospects. Now that’s wheely exciting!

FEATURE: WINTER MEDICATIONS

COLD COMFORT Nurse your sales and profits with a compelling medicines offer this winter season.

Baby it’s cold outside! Yes, winter’s here with its crisp and frosty mornings and dark and nippy nights. And while the season promises an abundance of merriment to unwrap, it also delivers some unwelcome gifts: those pesky and problematic winter illnesses. With colder temperatures driving people indoors, at this time of year, unfortunately, festive cheer is not the only thing being spread.

Sales of winter medicines ramp up over autumn, peaking in the week leading up to Christmas as shoppers fight off coughs and colds and ensure that their medicine cupboards are stocked up for the festive season. Nielsen Total Coverage, Total Winter, Weekly Sales March 24.

Product Description

Case Size

Pack Size

Promo WSP

Promo RSP

POR%

Lemsip Max Day and Night Capsules

16s

£19.69

£4.99

21.08%

Lemsip Max Sachets

10s

£19.69

£4.99

21.08%

Lemsip Cold/Flu Capsules Max Strength

16s

£17.49

£4.49

22.09%

Strepsils Extra Tripple Action Lozenges

24s

£41.89

£5.99

30.07%

Nurofen for Children Strawberry

100ml

£15.75

£4.25

25.88%

Gaviscon Double Action

24s

£18.99

£5.99

36.59%

Strepsils Vitamin C lozenges

36s

£14.99

£4.89

38.69%

Lemsip Max Blackcurrant sachets

10s

£13.35

£5.49

27.05%

FEATURE: WINTER MEDICATIONS

From coughs and colds to flu and stomach upsets, the winter season also serves up a nasty dose of bugs to catch shoppers out and lay them low – often with very little warning and at the worst possible time: generally, 7pm on a Sunday. And that’s where convenience stores can come to the rescue. Trading in the heart of their communities and often open long after the pharmacies and supermarkets have closed, convenience stores are uniquely placed to help their shoppers in sickness – as well as in health. Given the above, it’s abundantly clear why it pays to ensure your winter medicines category is in good health – with a well-stocked, relevant and trusted range of remedies readily available on your shop floor. One lady who is certainly keen to stress the importance of getting the winter medicines category right in store is Booker’s Category Manager Designate for Retail, Household, Health, Beauty and Medicine, Lauren Burdett. “The medicines category plays an important role in convenience retail because it provides shoppers with immediate access to products they often need urgently,” she says. “Whether it’s relief from cold and flu symptoms, headaches, allergies or everyday aches and pains, customers value being able to pick up trusted remedies quickly and locally.”

So, what does that look like?

And that’s not the only good news.

Firstly, stores should seek to build a solid year-round offer that covers the core health needs that shoppers experience throughout the year: hay fever and allergy treatments, pain relief, digestive health products and, crucially, cough and cold remedies – which become increasingly important over the winter season.

Because, thanks to a healthy dose of promotional activity, Budgens retailers will also be able to offer their shoppers outstanding value for money on a key range of winter essentials – helping them to ease their wallets as well as sore heads and throats.

“As we move into the colder months, retailers should ensure they have strong availability across the core winter medicines range,” Burdett adds. “Cold and flu remedies such as Lemsip remain the key seasonal driver, alongside cough medicines, Strepsils, Covonia, Benylin and pain relief products such as Anadin and Panadol. “Retailers should focus on trusted brands as well as good-value ownlabel options to cater for different shopper needs and budgets. “Ensuring availability of the category’s best sellers is essential, particularly during peak cold and flu periods when demand can increase rapidly.” And the benefits of a strong and well-managed medicines range don’t end there. A compelling medicines offer can also help drive basket spend, “as shoppers frequently purchase complementary products such as tissues, throat sweets and healthcare essentials alongside their medicines,” Burdett adds.

Coming up in November and December, the promotional activity will cover a range of key cough and cold products, along with painkillers and digestive aids to help support the winter season. A fantastic deal on Lemsip products will see the brand’s Maximum Strength Day and Night Capsules, Cold and Flu Capsules and Maximum Strength sachets – all available to shoppers for the great-value RSP of £4.99. Strepsils Extra Triple Action Blackcurrant will also be supported with an offer of just £5.99. Parents and carers, meanwhile, will also be soothed by a great-value £4.25 price point on Nurofen for Children.

Remember to always sell medicines responsibly The MHRA’s Best practice guidance on the sale of medicines for pain relief recommends that retailers: Sell no more than two packs of painkillers (ibuprofen and or paracetamol) to one customer at a time. Avoid promotions encouraging customers to buy multiple packs. Train staff to recognise and manage potentially inappropriate multiple purchases.

FEATURE: CHRISTMAS

GET SET TO SLEIGH THIS CHRISTMAS The festive season is upon us and Budgens has everything you need to have yourself a merry little sales boost this year. It’s here! Christmas, the biggest and brightest seasonal opportunity of the year, is served – and it’s time to tuck in.

A WORD FROM THE EXPERT “We expect Christmas 2026 to remain a key opportunity for convenience retailers. While shoppers continue to look for value, they are still keen to celebrate and are likely to spread their spending across the longer festive period. This makes it important for retailers to stock the right products at the right time, evolving their range as shopper missions change from early gifting and impulse treats to sharing, entertaining and last-minute top-up purchases. Availability will be critical, particularly in the final fortnight before Christmas when convenience stores see increased footfall.” Nicola Cranwell, Category Manager, Confectionery, Booker Group

From big Christmas bashes to nibbles with the neighbours, fizz with friends, glorious gifting and, not forgetting, the last-minute dashes for batteries, brandy and butter – the festive season dishes up a buffet of occasions and missions to cash in on – and Budgens retailers are perfectly placed to take a bite out of each and every one. Last year, the four weeks leading up to 28 December saw takehome sales through UK grocery retailers hit a record £13.8bn, according to Kantar data, and this year looks set to sparkle just as brightly. Speaking of sparkles – fizz is one of the festive season’s brightest – with sparkling wine sales hitting their annual peak in December and the biggest spike concentrated in the final two

weeks before Christmas and the New Year period. Budgens retailers will be able to offer their shoppers a truly corking choice of sparkling products this festive season – including formats and prices to suit a wide range of different occasions. This coming NP10 period, look out for new and Group Exclusive 75cl bottles of Bucks Fizz, which have an RSP of £3.50 each and are set to shine throughout December. Budgens retailers will also be able to offer their shoppers great-value bottles of Freixenet Prosecco Doc and Freixenet Italian Sparkling Rosé for just £11.49 a bottle and Canti Prosecco Brut and Rosé DOC for just £7.49 during NP10. Shoppers prepared to pay a few more bucks for their bubbles can also treat themselves and others to premium-quality bottles of Lanson LeBlack Creation Brut Champagne for £40.99 and Moet Brut Imperial, which will have an RSP of £43.99.

FEATURE: CHRISTMAS

Speaking of mixes – mixers also look set to cause a stir.

131578 - 59725 Budgens Christmas 2026 Header Card 800x240mm.indd 1

And Christmas is also a boom time for spirits, as shoppers seek to get into the, well, spirit of the season, with warming winter cocktails and drinks. The ideal partner for creamy espresso martinis, Budgens shoppers will be able to snap up 70cl bottles of Baileys Original for just £16.99 during the NP10 period. And don’t forget new Baileys X Terry’s Chocolate Orange. Offering an ultraindulgent fusion of two iconic brands and flavours, it’s perfect for gifting, sharing, mixing into martinis – or simply for sipping alone over ice – and Budgens retailers will be able to offer 50cl bottles to shoppers for an equally tasty EDLP RSP of £17.99. Kahlua Cream and Kahlua Coffee Liqueur will also be available in 70cl bottles for an RSP of £17.99. Fans of the retro classic Snowball cocktail will also be bowled over by great-value bottles of Warninks Advocaat, which will feature the EDLP of £14.99 during NP10.

15/05/2026 12:32

And of course, Budgens retailers will also be able to offer their shoppers great-value price points on a range of bourbons and whiskeys – a popular pick for spiced and fruity-flavoured cocktails. Look out for new and Group Exclusive products such as Jack Daniels Winter Jack Tennessee Spiced Apple Punch – which is sure to warm your sales and profits too. Away from the classics, recent years have seen a rise in the number of Christmas shoppers looking to experiment with new cocktail flavours and mixed drinks – creating another avenue of opportunity for convenience retailers. In fact, according to IGD research about the Christmas 2026 opportunity, 55% of shoppers said they were planning to buy ingredients to make specific drinks – up from 42% in 2025. Sweet and zesty flavoured products, such as new and Group Exclusive Dead Man’s Fingers Pineapple and Grapefruit Rum 700ml, look set to play perfectly into that mix.

During NP10, Budgens shoppers will be able to bag 1L bottles of Schweppes Canada Dry Ginger Ale, Tonic Water and Slim Line for the EDLP of just £1.50. With a foot in both camps, serving as both mixers and standalone soft drinks, carbonates such as Coke and Pepsi also look set to deliver this Christmas thanks to an array off great-value Mega Deals. Two-litre bottles of Pepsi Max, Pepsi Diet, Pepsi Max Cherry and Regular Pepsi will all be on offer as part of an ‘any 2 for £3.25’ deal in NP10, while 18x330ml multipacks of Diet Coke and Coke Zero will feature a great value promotional RSP of just £6.99. And then there are the juices. A key ingredient in both Bucks Fizz and Mimosas, as well as the perfect partner to a traditional breakfast, orange juice is also a major player during the festive season. In fact, according to Tropicana, during the festive season, chilled fruit juice category sales accelerate by more than 100% in comparison to the rest of the year. Fortunately, Budgens retailers have access to an especially juicy range of choices, from big brands, including Tropicana and Innocent – to great-value ownlabel Jack’s and Euroshopper products.

FEATURE: CHRISTMAS

TUB TASTIC Between them, the four leading Christmas tubs – Celebrations, Quality Street, Roses and Heroes – generated a stonking £1.2m in convenience sales during Christmas week 2025 – up from £900,000 in Christmas week 2024, according to Talysis’ Convenience Review 2025. Budgens retailers will be able to offer their shoppers 500g Celebrations Tubs for the EDLP of £6.99 during NP10. So, as the party season gets into full swing, make sure you squeeze every drop out of the orange opportunity with a healthy mix of price points, along with both chilled and ambient options.

CHRISTMAS IN THE BAG Festive drinks literally go hand in hand with snacks – and thanks to more marvellous Mega Deals on key sharing products, Budgens retailers will be able to lend some bite to their festive snack sales too. Perfect for sharing, 130g bags of Wotsits Giants Cheese and Flamin Hot will both be available for the Mega Deal RSP of £1.65 during the NP10 period, while Pringles Cheese & Onion, Original, Prawn Cocktail, Salt & Vinegar, Sour Cream & Onion, and BBQ will all boast RSPs of just £1.75 per 165g tube. And with shoppers open to trading up over the festive period, indulgent, premium-priced products also look set to shine – with Walkers’ new premium Walkers Gold brand set to prove no exception.

Budgens retailers will be able to help their shoppers add some glitz to their festive crisp bowls with new packs of Walkers Gold Black Truffle and Walkers Gold Sea Salt & Olive Oil – both of which will also be available as part of an ‘any 2 for £3.25’ Mega Deal during NP10.

SWEET PICKINGS And of course, we couldn’t write a festive feature without mentioning the sweet stuff. As we head towards the festive finishing line, sharing really is caring when it comes to footfall, sales and profits and, fortunately for Budgens retailers, Budgens’ festive offer delivers a bumper box of innovative new sharing products and great-value festive favourites. Budgens’ festive spread includes an array of new white chocolate products designed to appeal to the under-35s who over-index in the pale stuff. Look out for new 88g boxes of Maltesers White and 90g sharing bars of Aero Milkybar White, among others. Come December, the ‘gifting finish’ sales period makes up

37% of total Christmas sales in independent convenience and symbol groups, according to Mondelez – whose Cadbury Medium Selection Box remains one of the category’s biggest sellers. With an RSP of £5.99, 200g boxes of Lindt Lindor Pistacio, Shortbread, Milk and Assorted chocolate truffles also look set to ride high on the gifting tide. Cracking gifts for kids are also available, including new Cadbury Dairy Milk Buttons and Freddo Faces Smash Baubles – both of which offer a minimum POR of 25.9% – a gift for retailers too.

DON’T FALL FOUL OF THE LAW AT CHRISTMAS! Remember! Regulations are now in place to restrict the location and promotion of products that are high in fat, salt or sugar (HFSS). If your store is in scope, you cannot run volume promotions on HFSS products in store or online. You also cannot display HFSS products within certain distances of checkouts, queuing areas, aisle ends and entrances. For more information, speak to your RDM or visit acs.org. uk/advice/hfss-regulations/.

NEW PRODUCTS

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AERO MILKYBAR WHITE SHARING BAR

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PERFETTI VAN MELLE

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CATEGORY FOCUS: VAPING PRODUCTS DUTY

VAPING PRODUCTS DUTY – WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW… The new Vaping Products Duty came into force last month, so read on to find out exactly which products it applies to and what you should be doing in your store.

22P + VAT PER 1ML WHERE DUTY APPLIES… Prefilled pods and kits Bottled e-liquids Zero nicotine e-liquids DIY mixing kits Not affected… Empty rechargeable devices Empty coils, tanks and pods Batteries and chargers Nicotine pouches

Last month saw the introduction of the new Vaping Products Duty, the first in a series of planned major legal amendments to the way vaping and nicotine products can be sold in your store. The Vaping Products Duty is, in effect, a new tax on e-liquid. It isn’t a ban and it only applies to products containing e-liquid. It works just like the duty already applied to tobacco and alcohol, and you do not need to register with or pay HMRC yourself. That responsibility sits with manufacturers and importers, so all you have to do is buy your Vaping Duty Stamped stock from Booker, who already have everything covered for you. The Duty, which was introduced on 1 October, does not affect empty devices or equipment such as coils, tanks, batteries or chargers. The Duty also does not affect nicotine pouches, which are a separate category outside the scope of this Duty.

Additionally, on 29 October, the legal age limit for all vapes and nicotine pouches – even those with no nicotine – was set at 18 years old. Substantial discounting was also outlawed on the same day, as was offering free samples or promotional items to customers.

RSP HIKES As you will already have noticed, the new Vaping Products Duty has a significant impact on RSPs. The Duty on a 2ml prefilled kit, for example, is 44p plus VAT, while the Duty on a 12ml big puff kit is £2.64 plus VAT. That takes RSPs from somewhere around £12.99 up to £16.20, a major hike. This is likely to see shopper purchasing behaviour change, with many of your customers choosing smaller-format products to help them manage their spend. This is also likely to be reflected in NPD from manufacturers as they develop new products with less liquid to help bring the RSP down.

CATEGORY FOCUS: VAPING PRODUCTS DUTY

WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO RSPS?

NEXT PHASE

The new Duty will have a major impact on RSPs, as the following examples illustrate:

2ML PREFILLED KIT

10ML E-LIQUIDS

12ML BIG PUFF KITS

Duty: 44p + VAT

Duty: £2.20 + VAT

Duty: £2.64 + VAT

Current RSP: £5.99

Current RSP: £3.99

Current RSP: £12.99

New RSP: £6.55

New RSP: £6.65

New RSP: £16.20

EXPECTED MARKETING RULES FROM 1 JUNE 2027 A comprehensive ban on advertising and sponsorship of vaping and nicotine products is expected from 1 June 2027. Here’s what that would mean…

WHAT YOU WILL NO LONGER BE ABLE TO DO: l No outdoor advertising, paid digital displays, leafleting or giveaways l No window vinyls, shopfront signage or A-boards l No in-store promotions such as 2-for-1, BOGOFs or multibuys l No vape-branded merchandise, giveaways, coupons or ‘free with’ bundles l No vape-branded SELs, header cards or flavour towers

WHAT YOU WILL STILL BE ABLE TO DO: l Keep receiving supplier information l Answer questions from customers l Provide neutral point of sale information such as product names, prices and age restriction notices.

SELL THROUGH Stock purchased before 1 October 2026 can still be sold until 31 March 2027. After 31 March 2027, only Duty Paid stock can be sold.

Vaping Products Duty is, however, only the first element of a longterm series of UK Government proposals to reshape the vaping and nicotine products category. Last month saw the completion of a 12-week consultation looking at how vapes and nicotine pouches are packaged, designed and displayed. Nothing is law yet, but it’s worth keeping up to date on how these proposals could affect your store in future. So-called Secondary Legislation, while subject to consultation followed by either a six- or 12-month notice period, is also likely to have a massive impact on the category. By early 2028, it is expected that standardised ‘plain’ packaging will be introduced across all vaping and pouch products, with restricted colours, imagery, branding, shapes and materials. A standardised device design is also likely to be introduced and will be limited to white, black or grey, with restricted branding, no fancy cosmetic lighting and safety-only information on screens. Finally, flavour descriptors will also be simplified and standardised, with only a flavour name permitted – for example, ‘Apple’ – and no concept, sensory, confectionery, dessert or alcohol referencing permitted.

MEET THE TEAM: PRASCILLA KAVA

PRASCILLA KAVA

Proposition Manager, Convenience, Booker Group

ABOUT Prascilla Prascilla has worked for Booker for 15 years now, having joined the Promotions team straight from university. Her role has changed hugely since then and it’s just changed again, with Prascilla having just started in the brand-new role of Proposition Manager for Convenience within a brand-new team. When we spoke to her, she was only one month in – but already relishing the challenge and looking forward to spending time in the field with convenience retailers, learning firsthand of their experiences, challenges and opportunities.

HI PRASCILLA! TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT YOU TO GET STARTED. Hello, I’m Prascilla. Outside of work, I love keeping active, taking on new challenges and exploring different parts of the world – there’s still so much to see! My favourite of all is spending quality time with friends and family, whether it be at home or out and about.

MEET THE TEAM: PRASCILLA KAVA

SO HOW LONG HAVE YOU WORKED FOR BOOKER AND HOW HAS YOUR ROLE DEVELOPED OVER TIME? Fifteen years this month and I genuinely don’t know where the time has gone! I joined the Promotions Team straight after university. Less than a year later, I moved into the BWS Trading Team, where I developed a strong understanding of the buying function; from new product development and promotions right through to range reviews, ensuring we have the right BWS product available to our customers. That was a real highlight for me. I particularly enjoyed working closely with suppliers and collaborating with teams across Supply Chain, Range and Operations. After five years in Trading, I then moved to Marketing. I initially joined the Londis Trade Marketing Team, where I was responsible for Trading Packs and Pre-Sell brochures, managing their production from concept through to delivery. I also loved designing our Booker Retail Trade Show and NCS exhibition stands. More recently, and over the past five years, my role had expanded significantly. My scope had grown to include promotions, large-scale branding and rebranding projects, as well as continuing to deliver many of the initiatives and responsibilities that first drew me to Marketing.

IS THERE A PROJECT OR ACHIEVEMENT YOU’RE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF? My 10th year in Marketing has been one of the most memorable. Heading up the Budgens Rebrand from a Marketing POV was an exciting and rewarding project that brought together creative agencies, multiple internal teams and our retailers, all working towards a shared vision. What made it so special was the collaboration, passion and commitment from everyone involved. Seeing so many people come together to make the rebrand a success was so inspiring. The most rewarding part has been seeing the positive impact. Our Ascot pilot store is continuing to deliver outstanding results, with sales now up 72%, customer numbers increasing by 48% and basket spend rising by 16%.

Knowing this transformation will help shape the future of Budgens going forward and create longterm value for our retailers makes me incredibly proud. It’s wonderful to have been part of the journey.

AND YOU’VE JUST STARTED A BRAND NEW ROLE! Yes! This month I’ve moved into the Propositions Team, taking on a newly created role within a brandnew team. It’s an exciting next step and one that feels like a natural progression following the Budgens rebrand. Through the refresh, we quickly saw from the data that our shoppers had evolved, as well as the shopper mission. It became clear that our proposition needed to evolve too, which was a key driver behind the rebrand.

The exercise encouraged us to take a fresh look across all of our brands and while we’ve successfully repositioned Budgens by reconnecting with its heritage and strengthening its fresh offer, there’s still plenty of opportunity ahead. From range and own brand to promotions and customer experience, we’re focused on creating clearer differentiation so that each brand has a distinct purpose and identity. I’m really looking forward to getting stuck in and supporting the Propositions Team as we bring that vision to life and shape the future of our brands.

TALK US THROUGH SOME OF THE CHANGES IN SHOPPER DATA AND MISSIONS THAT PROMPTED THE NEED TO EVOLVE PROPOSITIONS AND CREATE THIS NEW TEAM? The Retail Proposition function has been created alongside bringing all the retail sales teams together. This will allow the Retail Development Managers to have access to all of our fascia brands and ensure we give all new stores the right fascia.

The Propositions Team will be looking at giving each fascia some points of difference, whilst also reviewing range and our value offer, taking into account the latest shopper information and customer missions. The existing stores will also be able to maximise their potential under the right fascia if they look to refresh at the end of their existing contract.

SO WHAT EXACTLY WILL THE NEW TEAM BE RESPONSIBLE FOR, AND WHERE WILL ITS REMIT BEGIN AND END? In essence, the new team will be responsible for the forwardthinking fascia development, but most importantly, always being the voice of the customer during this ongoing development. It will be involved in various areas including range, product, promotions and own brand development.

WHO ELSE WILL YOU BE WORKING ALONGSIDE? The team will have support for both the traditional neighbourhood-style convenience stores, which I will be responsible for, as well as dedicated support for forecourt stores. We’ll also have a dedicated person in the team to review market insights. We’ll all work closely alongside various project teams and, although small, we’ll be collaborating across all key functions in the business to drive a stronger proposition for customers.

WHAT WILL YOUR KEY FUNCTIONS BE? It’s a role that touches almost every part of the business, which is one of the things that I’m most excited about. Our key priority, though, will be working closely with the Promotions Team and the Own Brand Team to ensure that we have the right product and price for each fascia - and that our own brand range is the strongest available in the market.

WHAT ELSE EXCITES YOU ABOUT THE NEW ROLE? What excites me most is the opportunity to keep learning and see things from a different perspective. I also love that the role is centred around strategic forward thinking, championing the customer voice and playing a key part in leading positive change.

WILL YOUR NEW ROLE INVOLVE MUCH INTERACTION WITH RETAILERS? Absolutely, our retailers are at the centre of our business. To grow and move forward, they will play a key role in feeding back and having a voice through our journey. Our decisions will be based on the information our customers provide, alongside market data and industry insights, to ensure that we deliver the right solutions for our retailers. We need to hear what works and what could work better so that we can best implement solutions and support them in their businesses.

YOU’VE DESCRIBED RETAILERS AND HOW HAS YOUR FIRST AS THE CENTRE OF THE MONTH BEEN? BUSINESS. HOW WILL THEIR The first month has been about FEEDBACK INFLUENCE THE getting out and about, meeting TEAM’S DECISIONS? We will be taking retailer feedback from listening groups and from store visits with Retail Development Managers, which, alongside the Product Team’s expertise, will help shape some ranging decisions – as just one example.

teams across the business and putting faces to names. I’m a big believer in understanding not just what people do, but how and why we do it. I’ll also be spending plenty of time with our retailers, listening firsthand to their experiences, challenges and opportunities.

WHAT ELSE ARE YOU WORKING ON AT THE MOMENT? Alongside that, we’ve already started making progress on creating clearer differentiation across our consumer leaflets and brands. We have been developing some tools that will assist the Retail Development Managers in ensuring that we give the right retailer the right fascia, based on where the store is, whether a retailer wants a delivery or not, and based on the amount of chill and fresh space that the store will have. A key area of focus will be our ranges, which is a topic we regularly hear about from retailers. Our goal is to ensure we have the right ranges, own-label products and offers in the right fascia, creating clearer brand identities and a stronger proposition for both retailers and shoppers.

FEATURE: SCOOT UPDATE

SCOOT JUST KEEPS ON GETTING BETTER!

Booker’s exclusive low-cost rapid delivery service Scoot just keeps on getting better and more powerful, with yet more improvements recently unveiled.

Despite being launched only last year, the platform has taken the market by storm, with more than 475 retailers now using Scoot to grow their sales and profits every day. One reason for the spectacular growth curve is the simple economics of how Scoot works for independent retailers: Scoot was designed by retailers for retailers to help stores make more and save more, delivering £34,000 of additional profit every year, based on weekly sales of just £2,500 at 26% gross margin.

WHY SCOOT? Fully flexible model Make an estimated £34,000 additional profit per year (based on weekly app sales of £2,500 at 26% gross margin) ZERO commission once you reach £5,000 of weekly sales on the app ZERO consumer charges giving you the ability to offer the service for free 0.7% average card transaction fee Save up to £16,000 per year with Scoot vs other rapid delivery platforms based on weekly sales of £4,999 Want to get to the next band of Spend and Save? – Scoot can help you Dedicated onboarding and setup support, including POS package

With home delivery rapidly well on the way to becoming mainstream across the independent retailing sector, Booker has helped more retailers than ever cash in on the huge opportunity with the launch of its exclusive low-cost delivery solution, Scoot.

With only 1% commission charged up to £4,999 of weekly in-app sales – and zero commission once you hit £5,000 a week – Scoot delivers an outstanding low-cost app that facilitates home deliveries to shoppers in as little as 30 minutes. There are also no shopper charges – giving you the flexibility to offer the service for free, should you wish – or to set your own delivery, service or minimum order fees.

FEATURE: SCOOT UPDATE

CONSTANT IMPROVEMENT That model is clearly one reason that Scoot has been so popular with retailers. But another equally important reason is the fact that since day one, Booker has made considerable investment in a programme of constant improvements and enhancements to the platform. Best of all, the majority of these improvements have been made in direct response to retailer requests. You asked, Scoot delivered. That programme of rolling investment continues as Scoot develops its technology to help retailers grow sales, improve customer retention and deliver more personalised shopping experiences. One of the most exciting developments currently underway is the trial of Scoot’s new loyalty solution, which has been designed to reward shoppers, encourage repeat purchases and help retailers build stronger relationships with their customers.

The ongoing trial is providing valuable insights into how loyalty mechanics can increase engagement and drive frequency across key customer segments. Alongside loyalty, Scoot has also introduced a range of new merchandising and promotional capabilities within the app. ‘Timed Tiles’ now allow retailers and brand partners to promote products at specific times of day, helping to target key shopping missions such as lunch, evening meals, treats and late-night convenience occasions. Also new is Category Discount functionality, enabling shoppers to receive offers across entire product categories rather than individual items, creating greater flexibility for promotional activity.

GETTING PERSONAL Alongside all of this, Scoot’s customer engagement capabilities continue to evolve. Scoot can now deliver condition-based voucher campaigns, allowing promotions to be targeted to specific customer groups based on their personal shopping behaviour. This includes, for example, rewarding first-time customers, re-engaging lapsed shoppers and incentivising milestone purchases. This helps ensure offers are more relevant and effective. Combine this with Scoot’s enhanced push notification capabilities and retailers can communicate the right message to the right customer at the right time, helping to drive additional orders and improve retention.

Scoot has also introduced features that help create a more personalised customer experience during fulfilment. Delivery drivers and pickers can now identify when they are serving a new customer or a customer who has reached an important milestone, helping retailers recognise and celebrate loyalty at the point of service and create memorable customer interactions. Behind the scenes, significant progress continues on Scoot’s EPoS integration programme. Development work remains underway with both Madic and MHouse, while over 40 retailers are now live with RDP integration, helping streamline operations, improve stock accuracy and create a more seamless connection between stores and the Scoot platform. These technology investments form part of Scoot’s broader commitment to helping retailers grow digital sales, improve operational efficiency and deliver an increasingly personalised convenience shopping experience for customers.

FEATURE: SCOOT UPDATE

CUSTOMER MILESTONES: EVERY ORDER IS AN OPPORTUNITY Making full use of Scoot’s new customer milestones capabilities is a powerful way to create positive experiences and strengthen the bond you enjoy with your valued customers, be it their first, or 100th order.

Did you know that every Scoot order is an opportunity? It’s a chance to show a customer what your store stands for. A chance to create a positive experience they’ll remember. A chance to turn a firsttime customer into a regular customer and a regular customer into a loyal advocate for your business.

That’s why Scoot is introducing a new feature designed to help you identify and celebrate important customer milestones.

These days, customers have more choice than ever and the stores that stand out aren’t always the cheapest: they’re the ones that consistently deliver great experiences.

Whether it’s their first order or their hundredth, Scoot is giving you a chance to recognise a customer at a meaningful moment in their journey with your store.

A friendly message, excellent order quality, a thoughtful gesture or simply recognising a customer’s loyalty can make all the difference.

When a customer reaches a milestone, it’s more than just another order number.

THE OPPORTUNITY Customers don’t just place orders. They build relationships with stores they trust. When a customer reaches one of the following milestones, Scoot will let you know: l 1st Order l 10th Order l 25th Order l 50th Order l 100th Order These moments are an opportunity to show your customers that their loyalty is valued.

IDEAS TO HELP MAKE A MILESTONE COUNT Small gestures can leave a lasting impression. When customers feel valued, they’re more likely to return, spend more frequently and recommend your store to friends and family.

l Double-check order accuracy for first-time customers l Add a handwritten thank you note l Include a message such as “Thank you for your 25th order with us!” l Add a small complimentary item or gift l Let your team know when a customer reaches a significant milestone l Go the extra mile with service and presentation

EASY PROGRESS To help retailers identify these important moments without any additional effort, Scoot now displays customer milestones directly within the ordering journey. You’ll see milestone notifications appear on: l The HHT l The driver app This means your team can instantly recognise when a customer is placing their 1st, 10th, 25th, 50th or 100th order and take action before the order reaches their door. No additional setup is required. The information is automatically displayed at the point it’s needed most. This feature has been introduced because Scoot recognises that customer loyalty is built through great experiences delivered consistently over time. The milestone indicator gives you a simple way to recognise the customers who are choosing your store again and again.

If you have any questions about the new feature, please contact the Scoot Support Team or go to the help centre on the Scoot Admin portal to see a short video showing what good looks like.

“From personalised loyalty rewards and targeted vouchers to advanced EPoS integration, Scoot is investing in technology that helps retailers attract, retain and reward customers more effectively than ever before.”

NEW

ZYN BLACK MENTHOL 16.5MG

50%

POR*

*For Trade Only. Not for Distribution to Consumers. Profit on Return based on RRP of £6.50 per can. Offer valid while stocks last and subject to availability until 31st December 2026.

This product is not risk-free and contains nicotine, which is addictive. Only for use by adults.

ACS VIEWPOINT: DEPOSIT RETURN SCHEME

THE CLOCK IS TICKING ON DRS With less than a year to go before the implementation of a deposit return scheme in the UK, there are key actions that retailers should be taking now. BY ACS CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ED WOODALL

The countdown to the introduction of the UK deposit return scheme is now on, with less than 12 months until the scheme goes live in October 2027. This is an area that we’ve been talking about for over a decade with retailers, government and industry, but we’re now at a point where it’s time to act. Before the end of 2026, every convenience retailer who is not automatically exempt needs to register their details with Exchange for Change. If you’re in an urban area and have a store with a sales area under 100 square metres, your store is not required to register, but you can still do so if you wish to take part in the scheme voluntarily. If you’re not automatically exempt, but you’re still thinking about how you’re going to take part in the scheme, whether you’re going to apply for a grant, whether you’ll install an RVM or take back containers manually, the first thing you need to do is register with Exchange for Change and then the other details can be taken care of later. If you don’t register, you may be excluded from participation in the scheme.

The introduction of DRS will mark a major change for convenience retailers, not just operationally in terms of siting, managing and making the most of having a reverse vending machine, but also in terms of managing the sell-through of pre-scheme products, getting new stock in, communicating the changes to customers and minimising any disruption when there are collections of containers. While a major change, DRS still presents an opportunity. Stores that aren’t part of the scheme will be legally required to put up signage telling customers the nearest place where they can recycle their containers and get their 20p deposits back – do you want to give that kind of free marketing to your nearest competition? At ACS, we’ve been working on the detail of the scheme, travelling across Europe to see how existing schemes work, and spending time with RVM providers to get the inside track on how their machines actually work in practice. All of this information is available in our DRS Resources Hub at ACS.org. uk, where you’ll find a detailed guide to everything to do with the scheme, FAQs, a glossary of terms, and real experience and learnings from places where DRS is already in place. If you would like to get involved in the political work of ACS call

01252 515 001

or log on to www.acs.org.uk

A BUBBLY BOOST FOR YOUR FESTIVE SALES

*NIQ Total Coverage, Total Plain Sparkling Water Weekly Unit Sales, Data to 27/12/25

M651780

Sparklin gs increase ales a Christm *t as