The magazine for independent retailers
September-October 2026
AT THE HEART OF COMMUNITIES SINCE 1872
NEW LOOK
Introducing a fresh new-look for your Budgens magazine and the Budgens brand
SCOOT DELIVERS VOUCHERING SUCCESS! AUTUMN NPD TO SET YOUR SHELVES ALIGHT
IN THIS ISSUE HALLOWEEN l CHRISTMAS CRACKERS l COMMUNITY NEWS l LGBTQ+ AT BOOKER
Game on. Stock up now. ONLY £1.99 PMP
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CONTENTS The autumn issue of Budgens magazine is bursting with a rich crop of news, views and inspiration. Tuck in!
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COMMUNITY NEWS A round up of inspiring stories from community-minded Budgens stores.
FRESH FACE Budgens’ first new concept store has opened in Ascot to much thanks from local shoppers.
THRILLS AND TILLS Get your teeth stuck into this year’s extra-juicy Halloween opportunity.
ALL WRAPPED UP Christmas is on its way – are you ready?
TRAIN TO GAIN Up-skill your staff and keep compliant with free accredited training.
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SCOOT VOUCHER TRIAL The results are in and Scoot has delivered again!
NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK Look out for Booker’s brand-new Autumn NPD Guide!
NEW PRODUCT ROUNDUP Our pick of the hottest new products to hit the shelves.
MEET THE TEAM Say hello to Booker’s Interim Head of Marketing, Sophie Porter.
BOOKER NETWORKS An inspiring update from Booker’s LGBTQ+ Colleague Network.
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M121844 – Desperados (8x) 3x330ml bottles M177728 – Desperados (12x) 1x650ml bottle M301529 – Desperados (6x) 4x440ml cans
*Source: Kantar world panel online MAT P5 26
WELCOME
WELCOME Welcome to your autumn edition of Budgens magzine and what a stellar one it is! As we’re sure you’ve noticed, this issue is sporting a brand-new look and name after a refreshing redesign that brings it bang up to date - and in-sync with Budgens’ fresh brand identity. And that’s far from the only fresh development. Inside, you’ll also find an inspiring profile on independent retailer Roli Ranger, whose showstopping new Budgens store in Ascot stars a host of new Budgens’ concepts, including an updated logo, colour palette, internal and external signage and so much more! Roli and the Budgens team have done an outstanding job and we’re very hopeful that the new initiatives, look and feel will future proof the Budgens brand for years to come. And that’s far from the only freshness inside. This issue of Budgens magazine also includes a sneak peek at our brand-new NPD Guide for Autumn. With more than 160 NEW lines, including 11 First To Market products and five Group Exclusives, there really is a lot to look forward to.
With the wind-up to the crucial festive period presenting an array of golden sales opportunities, including ‘Back To School’, Halloween and Bonfire Night we’ve also got a bumper crop of support, promotions, NPD and more, to help you make the very most of each and every one. Our Halloween feature is packed with insights and information to help you take a bigger bite out of this year’s opportunity which is shaping up to be especially plump - given that it falls on a Saturday and during the half term holidays. We also urge you to check out our Meet The Team interview with Booker’s Interim Head of Marketing Sophie Porter, who talks about the power of POS - and how Budgens’ suite of expertly-designed materials can support you in squeezing every drop out of all these opportunities and more. This issue also showcases the inspirational progress made by Booker’s LGBTQ+ Network over recent months, as-well as some great advice on staff training. So, happy reading, and very happy trading over the next couple of months!
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.
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THE UK’S NO.1 WATER BRAND
WE DRAW OUR WATER FROM UNDERGROUND
*Source: NIQ Total Market Coverage, Sales Volume (Ltrs and Sales Value (£s), 52wks to 21/03/2026
NEWS
LOCAL SHOPS AMONG BUSINESSES THAT COMMUNITIES WANT MORE OF Local shops and post offices once again topped the public’s ‘most wanted services’ list in the ACS Community Barometer. Local shops and post offices have once again starred at the top of the public’s ‘most wanted services’ list. Banks, specialist food shops, pharmacies, post offices and convenience stores all featured in the top-10 list of businesses that local people said they wanted to see more of in their communities, the Association of Convenience Store’s (ACS) Community Barometer 2026 has revealed. The Barometer also highlighted the essential role that local shops play in community cohesion, with 51% of people agreeing that their local shop acted as a community hub, and 54% agreeing that it helped to reduce loneliness in their community. Just under 45% of people said that would also like to see a greater range of shops and services on their
highstreets, while 39% would like to see improved cleanliness. An additional 30% said they would also like to see more shop units occupied. More than 30% of people said that “dodgy” shops were making their highstreets worse. In addition, hairdressers, charity shops, takeaways, pawnbrokers and specialist vape shops were all named as businesses that the public believe are too numerous, and would like to see less of their highstreets. “The evidence points to a clear and consistent set of priorities: addressing crime and anti-social behaviour, returning empty units to use by reducing the cost of trading, maintaining clean environments, and ensuring accessibility,” the Barometer said.
BOOKER ACHIEVES MARINE STEWARDSHIP COUNCIL (MSC) CERTIFICATION FOR ALL OWN BRAND TUNA PRODUCTS. All own-brand tuna supplied through Booker is now Marine Stewardship Council (MSC) certified. The development means that all Booker’s own brand tuna, including tinned tuna, can carry the blue MSC ecolabel, meaning it has been sustainably sourced. With global supply chains often stretching across several countries and processing stages, traceability is an important part of responsible sourcing. Booker has been working with suppliers and experts to improve visibility across its seafood supply chains, supporting responsible sourcing for both wild-caught and farmed fish, including increasing the amount of seafood sourced from independently certified fisheries.
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NEWS
COMMUNITY NEWS MILES OF MEANING It was certainly a busy summer for Fraser’s Budgens Yarnton, whose community-minded team completed a 100-mile static bike challenge in support of Sobell House Hospice. The fundraising challenge helped the team to raise £643 for the hospice. Commenting on the achievement, Fraser’s Budgens Yarnton said: “Sobell House is a charity that means so much to our team and our local community. “The care, compassion and support they provide to patients and families is truly remarkable, and we’re proud to play a small part in helping them continue their vital work. “This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without the generosity of our customers, colleagues, friends and community members who stopped by
to donate, cheer us on and encourage our riders throughout the day. “From all of us at Fraser’s Budgens Yarnton – thank you for helping us turn miles into meaningful support.”
A CUP OF CONSCIENCE
ENGINES OF ENGAGEMENT
CT Baker Budgens of Holt offered all shoppers a complimentary coffee on a selected day over the summer, in celebration of its new ethical coffee offer.
Fresh from the store team’s static bike challenge, Fraser’s Budgens Yarnton set pulses racing once again when the Audi Revolut F1 Team show car arrived for a threeday visit in July.
The bean-to-cup machine uses Ground & Co coffee, which is Rainforest Alliance Certified and Fairtrade approved.
Shoppers delighted in being able to take selfies next to the cuttingedge vehicle.
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GROCERYAID
BARCODE FESTIVAL RAISES RECORD £1.19M Industry charity GroceryAid’s flagship Barcode music festival raised a record £1.19m in July.
Industry charity GroceryAid has announced the return of Barcode Festival on 1 July 2027 following another hugely successful event this year, that brought together thousands of grocery industry colleagues for a day of live music, networking and fundraising at Kenwood House, London.
Surplus food from the event was donated to City Harvest who help nourish people in need across London experiencing food poverty. Some 20,535 meals were delivered to charities feeding communities across London, through City Harvest’s charitable network, after the event.
Barcode 2026 welcomed more than 4,600 attendees from 378 companies and raised £1,190,025 for GroceryAid, helping the charity continue its vital work supporting independent retailing and grocery workers and their families across the UK.
Kieran Hemsworth, CEO of GroceryAid, said: “Barcode is a celebration of an industry that genuinely cares for its people. To see thousands of colleagues come together to connect, celebrate and raise vital funds for GroceryAid is incredibly special. Every ticket purchased, every activation delivered and every donation made helps us continue providing financial, emotional and practical support to grocery workers and their families across the UK.”
The charity provides financial, emotional and practical support to grocery people when they need it the most.
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PROFILE: BUDGENS & CO ASCOT
A STORE TO BE THANKFUL FOR
Shoppers can’t stop thanking Roli Ranger for Ascot’s bold and bountiful Budgens concept store.
“Thanks for coming!” From 7am to 10pm all week long, those three little words of thanks can be heard skipping melodiously across the shop floor of brand new Budgens & Co in Ascot – music to the ears of its owner, convenience veteran Roli Ranger.
“When you invest such a large sum of money into a development like this, there’s always a few nerves about how shoppers will react – but by the end of week one, those nerves had all but fallen away. The comments filled me with so much confidence.”
And it’s who’s singing them that’s so interesting here, because, contrary to what you might assume, those three little words of thanks are being mouthed by shoppers – straight at Roli and his tip-top team.
The financials certainly did too, with sales at the end of week one up 43% on where they were before the development, and now, just over three months after the store re-opened as a Budgens in March 2026, sales are up a tuneful 45% year on year.
“The reaction we’ve had from shoppers since re-opening has been quite simply phenomenal,” says Roli, who has owned the store for more than 30 years and traded very successfully under the Londis brand for most of them. “Shoppers are literally thanking us every day for bringing this amazing new store to the area. Just yesterday, one local lady told me it was ‘just what Ascot needed’.
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The newly extended and rebranded store has also chalked up its most successful Ascot Race Week ever, with footfall and sales in the week commencing June 16 galloping to uncharted new heights. So, what’s behind the sonorous sales success? Well, as the first store in the UK to trial a medley of Budgens’ brand-
PROFILE: BUDGENS & CO ASCOT
new concepts, every inch of its fresh-focused interior is bursting with vibrancy, vitality and vision for the future. “It took a while!” Roli laughs. “I’d been planning a big shake-up for some time and was already quite some way along the road with plans to develop the store and move to Budgens when they [Budgens] asked me if, in fact, I’d consider piloting their new concept. I agreed almost instantly, and then we spent another eight months planning the developments you see today – but it was certainly well worth the wait!” Dressed to impress with a brandnew fascia, logo, colour palette and window graphics, shoppers know that they are in for a treat before they even enter. And once inside, well...
FACTFILE Name Budgens & Co Ascot Retailer Roli Ranger Store size 2,500sq ft Staff 21 Opening hours 7am-10pm Services Post Office, National Lottery, parcel collection
“I’d always tried to foster a ‘marketstyle’ feel in the previous Londis, with a handmade wooden cart to display fresh fruits and vegetables positioned at the entrance, and I was really hopeful that we’d be able to enhance that in the new store – creating a ‘food hall’ feel where fresh and chilled produce, including local, would be the stars of the show,” he explains. And he and the Budgens team have certainly achieved that. Located right at the front of the store, a four-bay rainbow
of ambient fresh produce shines out from smart wooden crates, framed by a rustic unit featuring vertical timber beams and topped with triangular arches – all of which certainly contribute to the showstopping ‘food hall’ feel that Roli was so keen to create. Chilled fresh produce is housed in smart open-deck fridges, with the category clearly highlighted by Budgens’ new illuminated ‘hero signage’, which instantly orients shoppers to key zones. Featuring a striking emerald hue, the bold new signs enhance the store’s fresh and modern aesthetic and perfectly complement its new-look bay-end headers and perimeter signage, which also feature a new colour palette. Located directly in front of the entrance, the bold and bright ‘Good To Go’ zone is the first thing that shoppers see as they step into the store – instantly setting the scene for the rest of their journey. “We’d only really dipped our toes into food to go previously, with a few countertop hotspots for pastries, a small in-store bakery offer and a slush machine,” Roli explains. Temptingly displayed across four sides of a bespoke-built low-level island at the entrance, it’s fair to say that Roli’s now gone quite a bit further than “dipping his toes” into food to go. He’s executed a perfect high-board dive into the category’s opportunity pool – and come up swimmingly.
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STOCK UP ON
THE UK’s No 1 COFFEE BRAND
Over
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PROFILE: BUDGENS & CO ASCOT
Crowned by bold suspended signage, shoppers can’t fail to be wowed by the ‘Good To Go’ zone and its feast of self-serve machines and units. From decadent fresh cream patisseries to delicious freshly baked pastries, pies, hotdogs and more, the enticing offer has been cooked up to suit all tastes, needs and budgets – from sun-up till sundown. The offer also includes a new countertop Costa Coffee machine and three flavours of Slush Puppie. An equally enticing range of chilled ‘to go’ products, including salad pots, pre-packed sandwiches, packaged pasties and yogurt pots, is merchandised in an adjacent low-level chiller with smart, slanted sliding doors. The range also includes handy lunchbox items for children, along with a dedicated chiller for the Budgens £5 Meal Deal. The store’s pièce de résistance, however, is an outstanding new open-plan kitchen. Developed with the help of a local chef, The Kitchen’s menu has been designed to fill a gap for high-quality breakfast, lunch and evening meals to go that was previously missing from the local community. Primely sited next to the store’s smart new service counter, The Kitchen offers Ascot’s locals and passers-by a wide menu of
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PROFILE: BUDGENS & CO ASCOT
freshly made and made-to-order products, from flat-stone pizzas to samosas, filled croissants, focaccia sandwiches, baguettes and more – truly setting the store apart. All the fillings are freshly made in-store, often using local products and products available from the shop floor, including its wide range of deli meats. “This approach allows us to make a much better margin than if we were buying in pre-prepared fillings, and it also allows us to be more creative and respond to local demand for particular products or flavours,” Roli says. “We can also test out different fillings and get shoppers’ feedback on them instantly.” Currently, the store’s bestselling sandwich filling is fresh chicken and avocado, with its homemade sausage rolls, created in-store using fresh sausage meat from the local butcher, also proving popular. Later this year, Roli will move to the second phase of The Kitchen’s offer, launching smash burgers and freshly cooked curries to go.
“Shoppers are literally thanking us every day for bringing this amazing new store to the area. Just yesterday, one local lady told me it was ‘just what Ascot needed.”
– ROLI RANGER
“We have the equipment ready to install, we’re just giving everything a bit of time to bed in first – learning to walk before you can run is key with a development like this,” he adds. Right next to The Kitchen is another of the store’s standout new features: The Cellar.
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available now
PROFILE: BUDGENS & CO ASCOT
Accessed through smart sliding doors, The Cellar offers shoppers 230sq ft of pre-chilled libations, from beers to ciders, RTDs and, of course, wine – including a highend Laithwaite’s range that has been placed centre stage within a striking wood-and-metal fixture that runs along the middle. The same elegant triangular arches that top the store’s fruit and veg fixture also feature within The Cellar, where they lend the large cool space an almost cathedrallike feel. And while The Cellar does cater to Ascot’s affluent shoppers with a large range of premium-priced products, including a number of champagne brands, there’s also ‘Great Value’ aplenty thanks to a generous serving of special offers. The value-for-money message is also clearly communicated out on the shop floor via dedicated promotional bays, which feature Budgens’ suite of newly designed POS, including the ‘Great Value since 1872’ message. The newly designed POS kit also covers four-weekly promotions and footfall-driving deals such as Fresh 4, Butchers Specials and Essentials, such as the Frozen Meal Deal. Shoppers can also feast their eyes on a significantly enhanced fresh and chilled offer, which now includes dedicated low-level chillers for fresh fish and meat, including a number of local lines, as well as a dedicated low-level
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PROFILE: BUDGENS & CO ASCOT
chiller for deli products, including dips and cooked meats. In the middle of the store, they can bolster their baskets further thanks to a 14-door run of chillers housing ready meals, pizzas, soups, desserts and dairy, while at the back, they can discover six doors of frozen choice supported by five Cook chest freezers. And no matter the time of day, every part of the store is a hive of activity, constantly thrumming with the beat of shoppers’ feet as they explore its aisles to the tune of oohs and aahs. In fact, so busy is it that Roli has invested in new digital headsets to help his 21-strong team communicate with maximum efficacy, particularly when it comes to replenishment. They are also especially useful for communications between The Kitchen serve-over counter and the actual preparation area out the back, where two dedicated staff members are constantly busy baking, slicing, chopping and filling to keep up with demand.
And, as Roli says, there’s still bags more excitement to come. “We’ve only been open three months so, incredibly, what you’re looking at today is still something of a work in progress. We’ve still got new equipment to integrate and big plans to grow The Kitchen offer further. We’ll also be launching Scoot later this year.” For now, though, he’s “delighted” with the current state of affairs. Success has been seen across the board, but especially in categories such as fresh, which is up 70% year on year, and BWS, which is up 40%. Frozen and grocery are also both up 30% year on year as shoppers shop the whole store. “My objective was to create a destination store with a food hall feel that could meet the needs of a really wide variety of shoppers – and I certainly feel that we’ve achieved that,” Roli says. “Shoppers aren’t just telling us they like it; they are thanking us for what we’ve brought to the community, and you can’t really get much better than that!”
“When you invest such a large sum of money into a development like this, there’s always a few nerves about how shoppers will react – but by the end of week one, those nerves had all but fallen away. The comments from shoppers filled me with so much confidence.”
– ROLI RANGER
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FEATURE: HALLOWEEN/BONFIRE NIGHT
THRILLS AND TILLS 131578 - 59725 Budgens Halloween 2026 Header Card 800x350mm.indd 1
Missing out on this year’s extra toothsome Halloween opportunity would be a grave mistake!
Summer’s barely spent and yet the Halloween season has already got its claws into stores, with retailers up and down the country pulling skeletons out of their closets in preparation for 2026’s spooky season. And with just under half of all GB adults now celebrating Halloween – and the number growing, according to a recent YouGov survey – it’s frightfully clear why… A spooktacular 49% of all GB adults said they celebrated Halloween in 2025 – up
significantly from 28% in 2024.
And there’s more good news to come – because with Halloween falling on a Saturday this year, and during the October half-term break, consumer participation is expected to be stronger than ever – giving retailers the chance to take an even bigger bite out of the opportunity. But not if they leave it too late! Did you know that more than a quarter of shoppers (28%) like to start making their Halloween plans at least a month before the big night? This YouGov stat shows just how important it is for retailers to invest in the creation of fully stocked, high-impact seasonal and promotional displays as early as possible in the season.
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Doing so will help you to stretch out that all-important seasonal window and fire up those key incremental sales and profits. But it’s in the final lead-up to the main event that Halloween buying truly peaks in convenience stores. According to the same YouGov survey, 57% of Halloween celebrators make their plans just one week in advance – highlighting just how key it is for retailers to keep the momentum going right up until 31 October.
SWEET OPPORTUNITY “Halloween continues to be one of the biggest seasonal events in the retail calendar,” Booker’s Confectionery Category Manager Nicola Cranwell says, “and confectionery is undoubtedly the standout category.”
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FEATURE: HALLOWEEN/BONFIRE NIGHT
In fact, latest data reveals that Halloween confectionery is now worth £263m [NielsenIQ Scantrack & Kantar WPO | Total Halloween Confectionery | 6W to WE 01/11/25]. So, what are shoppers buying and why? Buying sweets to hand out to trickor-treaters is the most common way that GB shoppers participate in Halloween, with well over a quarter doing so (28%) according to the YouGov findings. For that reason, fun-size confectionery and novelty products are the key drivers of sales during the Halloween season. In fact, demand for these types of products peaks in the final two weeks leading to 31 October, with 80% of shoppers purchasing only chocolate and fruity funsize products, underlining the importance of maintaining availability during this critical trading period, Mars Wrigley adds. This year, Budgens retailers will be able to offer their shoppers the Haribo Starmix Bumper Box – an ideal solution for trick-or-treaters, offering a convenient mix of individually wrapped favourites in a format designed specifically for Halloween. And of course, sharing is big news too. With just under a quarter of GB shoppers (24%) saying they celebrate the spooky season by
Ghoulishly good value Product
Case size
WSP
Consumer Deal
POR
Haribo Starmix Bumper Box
1x800g
£3.35
£5.00
19.60%
Haribo Bone Shakers
12x140g
£7.99
£1.25
36.08%
Maoam Halloween Mix
14x140g
£9.29
£1.25
36.30%
Haribo Sour Bats
12x140g
£7.99
£1.25
36.08%
Maltesers Box
7x310g
£24.79
£5.00
15.01%
*All prices correct at time of going to press. holding scary movie Pumpkins nights at home, also provide a fleshy demand for sharing opportunity to carve out additional sales and profits! products soars in the lead-up to the Just under a quarter of all GB night itself. shoppers (22%) will buy a pumpkin to carve, according to YouGov’s 2025 Halloween spending Sharing bags and shopping trends represent the largest survey. Halloween segment according to Mars Wrigley and were also the fastest-growing format for Halloween 2025, growing 7.1% in value sales – with large and extra-large sharing formats driving both penetration and basket spend.
Budgens retailers should also keep their eyes peeled for Haribo Sour Bats Share Bags – a wholesale channel exclusive “that taps into the continued popularity of sour flavours while adding a fun, seasonal twist to the sharing category,” Cranwell adds. Retailers will also be able to offer their shoppers 140g packs of Haribo Bone Shakers, pricemarked at £1.25, and 140g packs of Maoam Halloween Mix also for £1.25 – offering them PORs of 36.08% and 36.30% respectively!
HARIBO STARMIX BUMPER BOX! Case size: 1x800g Promo WSP: £3.35 Consumer Deal: £5 POR: 19.60% MAIN IMAGE COURTESY OF DAISY ANDERSON ON PEXELS 27
FEATURE: HALLOWEEN/BONFIRE NIGHT
Tins and tubs also shine at Halloween – and were bought by eight million shoppers last season, Mars Wrigley says. And, with nearly half of Halloween tin and tub purchasers buying them again at Christmas, the category really does help retailers to create valuable cross-seasonal loyalty. This Halloween season, Budgens retailers will be able to get their claws on Swizzels Mummy Mix tubs 340g, which they can use to create great in-store theatre and encourage impulse purchases. And of course, it’s not all about the sweet stuff. As shoppers stock up for spooky movie nights at home and Halloween get-togethers with family and friends, sharing is also really big news within the crisps, snacks and nuts (CSN) category – in fact, it’s the headline! With a value of £2.1bn and growing, according to KP Snacks, sharing is the largest segment in CSN and proves that sharing really is caring – especially when it comes to your sales and profits.
And thanks to an array of greatvalue deals, Budgens retailers have got sharing in the bag this year too.
HOT STUFF
Take 140g bags of Doritos Chilli Heatwave, Cool Original and Tangy Cheese for example – all of which will be available as part of a Mega Deal for just £1.75 a bag.
You can also unearth great sales and profit opportunities in the grocery aisle. With 11% of GB shoppers saying that they celebrate the spooky season by baking Halloween treats, it clearly pays to ensure your shelves are fully stocked with key homebaking essentials including plain and self-raising flour, sugar, butter and eggs. And don’t forget the icing sugar – a common distress purchase.
The same great-value price point will also apply to six-bag multipacks of Walkers Cheese and Onion, Ready Salted and Variety, along with dips including Sour Cream and Chives and Mild Salsa. Thrilling limited-edition crisps, such as Walkers Grilled Cheese & Chilli Jam and Walkers Salt & Pepper Chicken crisps, are also sure to help retailers give their sales and profits some extra bite too. The two new takeaway-inspired flavours are the result of Walkers’ ‘Do Us A Flavour’ competition, which invited shoppers to submit their dream crisp ideas.
And with Halloween 2026 falling during many schools’ October half-term breaks, Halloween baking is also likely to prove a popular pastime for parents and carers this year. Why not stock some fun and convenient home-baking kits to make even more of the opportunity?
Budgens retailers will be able to offer their shoppers the two winning flavours in 70g packs for the amazing value price of just £1.10 – offering them PORs of 27.33%.
SPOOKY SALES DRIVERS When asked what would encourage them to buy more Halloween products, the vast majority of GB shoppers named better prices (21%), better quality (16%) and better offers (15%) as the key motivators. A greater choice of products also ranked highly (13%), while 10% of shoppers said location mattered – with being able to buy locally a key driver of sales. [Source: YouGov]
IMAGE COURTESY OF KAROLA-G ON PEXELS 29
TOP TIPS Prioritise availability during the final trading push: With more than half of shoppers planning their Halloween celebrations just a week ahead, late October is critical for promotions and shelf visibility. Ensure bestselling lines, particularly fun-size confectionery and sharing formats of both chocolate and sugar confectionery, remain available as demand peaks closer to 31 October. Drive the value-for-money message home. Price-led messaging, multipacks and affordable Halloween costumes resonate across demographics. Boost visibility with dedicated displays and merchandising support: make full use of your Budgens POS across a range of key shopper touchpoints to maximise visibility and drive impulse purchases. Cross-merchandise confectionery with drinks, snacks and party products to increase basket spend. Maximise the October half-term opportunity. With Halloween and half term aligning this year, plan for increased footfall and familyfocused shopping missions.
And of course, the benefits of creating compelling seasonal sharing offers and displays extend well beyond Halloween. With the days shortening and the weather turning colder, the arrival of the Halloween season coincides with the return of the Big Night In occasion more generally, as shoppers swap picnic rugs for comfy snugs and cosy nights in. So, with all that said and done, it’s clear that no matter the time or the occasion, Budgens has the products, promotions and prices to help you sink your teeth into all the 2026 spooky season has to offer – right from its thrilling start to its terrific end.
DON’T GET CAUGHT OUT! 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/.
“Halloween continues to be one of the biggest seasonal events in the retail calendar. As shoppers increasingly leave purchases until the last minute, local stores become the go-to destination for trick-ortreat sweets, sharing bags, decorations and impulse purchases. “By stocking the right range and creating impactful seasonal displays, convenience retailers can drive incremental sales and increase basket spend throughout October.” – BOOKER CATEGORY MANAGER, CONFECTIONERY, NICOLA CRANWELL IMAGE COURTESY OF PUBLICDOMAINPICTURES ON PIXABAY 31
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FEATURE: GET SET FOR CHRISTMAS
DELIVER THIS CHRISTMAS With multiple missions throughout the season, retailers who plan ahead for Christmas will tuck into the merriest sales and profits.
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131578 - 59725 Budgens Christmas 2026 Bunting 210x210.indd 1
15/05/2026 12:31
Trot on Rudolph! When it comes to Christmas, Budgens is the master of delivering bags of festive sales and profits, with no reindeer needed – unless, of course, they are the chocolate kind. And this year will certainly prove no exception, with a sleigh-load of footfall-driving special offers, great-value prices and new and Group Exclusive products all set to land in stores just in time to help retailers unwrap the festive season’s full potential. And it’s a potential that just keeps on giving. “Christmas is the biggest seasonal trading opportunity of the year, with a much longer selling period than Halloween and multiple shopper missions throughout the season,” Booker’s Category Manager for Confectionery Nicola Cranwell explains. IMAGE COURTESY OF MIKEGLES ON PEXELS 33
WHY ALPRO MATCHA?
AMBIENT UHT = EASY STORAGE ● NON-HFSS REASSURANCE ● VERSATILE ACROSS HOT AND ICED FORMATS ●
MatchA
Made
easy
SIMPLY SHAKE, OPEN AND POUR NO WHISKING, NO WAITING OVER 75% OF CONSUMERS WANT MATCHA WITH A PLANT-BASED ALTERNATIVE RATHER THAN DAIRY MILK Serving Suggestion
SOURCE: ALLEGRA WORLD COFFEE PORTAL LTD. (COFFEE SHOPS & BARISTAS ACROSS THE UK. DEML. PL)
FEATURE: GET SET FOR CHRISTMAS
EXPERT EYE “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.” – BOOKER CATEGORY MANAGER, CONFECTIONERY, NICOLA CRANWELL
“Demand begins building from late September as shoppers start buying gifts and festive treats, before shifting towards sharing, entertaining and stocking fillers in the run-up to Christmas,” she adds. “In the final days before Christmas, convenience stores play a vital role for top-up shopping, forgotten gifts and last-minute purchases.” In other words, at Christmas, flexibility is key, with retailers who plan ahead and adapt their ranges throughout the season best placed to tuck into the festive sales opportunity that extends right across every stage of the Christmas shopping journey.
TOP TIPS FOR MERRY SALES AND PROFITS Plan for the whole season, not just Christmas week. Christmas shopping missions change throughout the season, so adapt your range as demand evolves. Create impactful festive displays using seasonal POS to inspire impulse purchases. Stock a variety of formats, from self-treat and stocking fillers through to sharing and gifting options. Cross-merchandise confectionery with soft drinks, snacks and festive essentials to increase basket spend. Keep bestselling lines fully stocked in the final weeks before Christmas, when convenience stores become the destination for top-up shops and lastminute gifts. Make the most of our exclusive products and NPD to give shoppers a reason to visit your store over larger competitors.
GROUP IMAGE COURTESY OF OURWHISKYFOUNDATION ON PIXABAY 35
FEATURE: GET SET FOR CHRISTMAS
FESTIVE FACTS Last Christmas, 78% of British adults said they expected to spend under £300 on Christmas food and drink, with 31% budgeting between £100 and £199. 27% of consumers said they would look for lower-cost or alternative food or drink options, while 55% thought they would spend the same as the year before. 83% of respondents said that roast potatoes or vegetables were essential to their Christmas meals, followed by 61% who prioritised roast meat and stuffing. 69% said they made their main dish from scratch and 77% prepared side dishes at home, but 62% bought desserts ready-made. [source: YouGov Christmas 2025]
Confectionery, of course, delivers one of the merriest opportunities at Christmas, with growth seen across self-treat, sharing, gifting and novelty formats throughout the season.
Retailers should also look out for the Terry’s Chocolate Orange Toffee Crunch – another Booker Group Exclusive that is set to build on the popularity of the iconic brand with an indulgent festive twist.
This year, Budgens shoppers looking for an affordable self-treat will be able to indulge themselves with the brand-new KitKat Orange Santa 29g – an exciting new product that Cranwell says is “well placed to drive impulse sales throughout the festive period”.
Fans of white chocolate will also be able to indulge themselves and others with Terry’s White Orange and Terry’s Exploding Candy Balls – both of which will feature a great-value RSP of £2 – offering Budgens retailers PORs of 20.05%.
“Boxed chocolates and seasonal novelties then become increasingly important as Christmas approaches,” she adds.
“Sharing bags also perform especially strongly as families come together over the festive period,” Cranwell adds.
This year, the Cadbury Biscoff Bauble 5pk looks set to offer shoppers “an exciting gifting and stocking filler option that’s exclusive to the convenience channel,” says Cranwell.
And Budgens retailers will have sharing in the bag too, thanks to an array of great-value deals on chocolate and sugar confectionery pouch and bag products, perfect for sharing under the tree.
COUNTDOWN TO CHRISTMAS Last year, just under half of Britons (48%) planned to buy an advent calendar for at least one person – with younger adults being the most enthusiastic. Just over a quarter of Britons (26%) said they would buy an advent calendar for children, making them the most common recipients. Around one in five (21%) said they would get a calendar for their own use. This rose sharply among younger adults, with four in 10 18-24-yearolds (41%) saying they bought advent calendars for themselves. When asked what type of advent calendar they would most like to receive, chocolate was by far the favourite, at 62%. Only 18% plumped for drinks-based calendars, 14% for beauty or cosmetics calendars and just 13% for other food delicacy calendars. [source: YouGov Christmas 2025]
IMAGE COURTESY OF HELENJANK ON PIXABAY 37
FEATURE: GET SET FOR CHRISTMAS
Festive favourites Product
Case Size
WSP
Consumer Deal
POR
CDM Biscoff Bauble
48x33.5g
£23.49
£0.80
26.59%
KitKat Orange Santa
30x29g
£12.65
£0.80
36.75%
Terry’s Exploding Candy Ball
12x147g
£15.99
£2.00
20.05%
Terry’s White Chocolate Ball
12x147g
£15.99
£2.00
20.05%
CDM Freddo Faces Smash
9x90g
£12.75
£2.25
24.4%
CDM Buttons Smash
9x90g
£12.75
£2.25
24.4%
Maltesers Box
7x310g
£24.79
£5.00
15.01%
*All prices correct at time of going to press.
Group Exclusive sharing pouches of Christmas-themed M&M’s in both peanut and chocolate flavours are sure to deliver additional sales and profits. And of course, soft drinks, crisps, snacks and BWS products will all benefit too, as shoppers prepare for entertaining – making crosscategory merchandising a great way to drive basket spend. It really is all to play for this Christmas – are you ready?
GROUP EXCLUSIVE!
TERRY’S EXPLODING CANDY BALL
CADBURY DAIRY MILK BISCOFF BAUBLE
Case size: 12x147g Promo WSP: £15.99 Consumer Deal: £2 POR: 20.05%
Case size: 48x33.5g WSP: £23.49 RSP: £0.80 POR: 26.59%
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/
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STROMBOLI SOURDOUGH PIZZA M302277
SALAMI NAPOLI SOURDOUGH PIZZA M308595
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STOCK U P N OW WITH BRP Nielsen, GB_Tot Cov_Convenience, L52w vs. YA, w/e 13/06/2026
AVS: STAFF TRAINING
TRAIN TO GAIN
As a Budgens retailer you have access to free and fully-endorsed on-line training courses to help you build confident, compliant teams.
BUDGENS IS COMMITTED TO SUPPORTING RETAILERS IN KEEPING COMPLIANT.
FREE ONLINE COURSES l Allergen Awareness l Age Verification
CPL Learning offers:
l Award in Underage Sales Prevention (AUASP)
l Endorsed courses that keep you and your staff compliant in line with the latest legislation.
l COSHH l Emergency First Aid l Fire Awareness
l Simple set up for your entire team with their own logins and courses.
l Fuel Safety l HACCP Level 2 l Health and Safety
l Courses and statistics can be accessed 24-hours a day, seven days a week.
l Manual Handling l Natasha’s Law l Slips, Trips and Falls
l Easy access to your certification.
l Working at Height Awareness l Food Safety Level 2
In today’s ultra-competitive retail environment, a confident, welltrained team is as essential to your business as being in-stock of milk and bread. And, Budgens is committed to help you do just that. As a Budgens retailer you have access to a raft of fully-endorsed training courses which have been
specifically designed to help you build strong, confident and crucially, compliant, teams. Powered by CPL Learning, Budgens retailers can access 11 essential compliance courses covering key topics such as Health & Safety and Age Verification. Courses also include Food Safety Level 2 which give you
the necessary training for fresh foods that your local authority will be looking for as part of HACCP regulations and the store Food Hygiene Rating. A number of new and updated courses are now also available, including Natasha’s Law and Slips, Trips & Falls. And it gets better! IMAGE COURTESY OF COTTONBRO ON PEXELS 41
AVS: STAFF TRAINING
“One of the things we like most about CPL Learning is that the courses are practical, easy to follow and relevant to what our teams do every day. It gives managers and colleagues a consistent approach to training, and because it’s flexible, people can complete it around the demands of a busy retail business.” – JEYASEELAN THAMBIRAJAH BUDGENS HEMINGFORD
Not only are all courses free, they have also been designed to fit around you and your team’s schedules. All courses can be completed online on a web browser and accessed 24 hours a day, seven days a week, meaning there’s always time to shine! One retailer who is certainly reaping the rewards of a welltrained, confident team is Jeyaseelan Thambirajah of Budgens Hemingford.
“That’s why we’ve introduced CPL Learning across our field and office teams, with seven colleagues currently completing regular training every six months. It helps everyone stay up to date with legislation, compliance and best practice, while also giving them more confidence in their day-to-day roles.” And signing up couldn’t be easier either. Simply email vicki.edwards@booker.co.uk and register your store today. You won’t regret it!
“At Budgens Hemingford, we believe that investing in our people is just as important as investing in our stores,” he says.
REGISTER YOUR STORE TODAY! Email Vicky.edwards@booker.co.uk Please provide: Brand, Name of Store, Account Number, Address, RDM name, Contact Name, Contact Number
IMAGE COURTESY OF BERTELLIFOTOGRAFIA ON PEXELS 43
M314337
FEATURE: SCOOT
SCOOT ADDS VOUCHERING TO CONTINUE PROGRESS Booker’s exclusive low-cost rapid delivery service Scoot continues its programme of continuous improvement with the addition of vouchering capabilities, in direct response to retailer requests.
468 RETAILERS USING SCOOT!
WHY SCOOT? l Fully flexible model
There are very few quick and easy wins in the world of independent retailing but one solution that might just tick those boxes is Scoot. From a standing start, Booker’s exclusive low-cost delivery solution has flourished and, as Talking Shop went to press, the number of retailers now using Scoot has reached 468 – a remarkable growth curve by any standard. Part of the reason why Scoot has seen such spectacular growth is down to the simple fact that Scoot
is a solution designed by retailers for retailers. That’s why Scoot can help you make more and save more. There’s an estimated £34,000 more profit available each year, based on weekly sales of just £2,500 at 26% gross margin. 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.
l Make an estimated £34,000 additional profit per year (based on weekly app sales of £2,500 at 26% gross margin) l ZERO commission once you reach £5,000 of weekly sales on the app l ZERO consumer charges giving you the ability to offer the service for free l 0.7% average card transaction fee l Save up to £16,000 per year with Scoot vs other rapid delivery platforms based on weekly sales of £4,999 l Want to get to the next band of Spend and Save? – Scoot can help you l Dedicated onboarding and setup support, including POS package
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1 BOTTLE SOLD * EVERY 10 SECONDS NP8
CONSUMER DEAL
STOCK UP NOW * Nielsen Total UK Unit Sales YTD W/E 21/02/2026
FEATURE: SCOOT
VOUCHER TYPES AVAILABLE l £x or % off a total basket spend l £x or % off a fees and charges l £x or % off a product l Buy X product get £x or % off product Y
There are also no shopper charges – giving you the flexibility to offer the service for free, should you wish – or set your own delivery, service or minimum order fees.
CONSTANT PROGRESS Another major reason why Scoot continues to grow is the fact that the dedicated team at Booker continue to develop and improve the solution, often in direct response to requests from retailers. A fantastic example of that is the addition of vouchering functionality. Vouchers were first piloted at the end of January 2026 with the first voucher being redeemed by a customer on the 29th of January. Since then, more than 7,000 vouchers have been redeemed which represents a redemption rate of 10% which by industry standards is very successful. Those redeemed vouchers saved customers a whopping £17,400. Participation has been extremely encouraging with a total of 99 Scoot stores having had a redeemed voucher. The average
customer spend on vouchers was £29.72 after voucher discount compared to £26 without a voucher. What’s more, a total of 814 new customers have used new customer vouchers with 450 shopping again. The average spend of new customers is £23.95 after the discount is applied (with an average discount of £6.70) so total basket spend was a very solid £30.65. To make the vouchering model as flexible as possible for retailers, Scoot offers four different voucher types including: l £x or % off a total basket spend l £x or % off a fees and charges l £x or % off a product l Buy X product get £x or % off product Y Additionally, voucher codes that can be configured for any of the above scenarios and these vouchers can be set to exclude certain departments and have minimum spend criteria and valid days when issued, as required by the retailer. They can also be automated.
customers, lapsed customers, high frequency shoppers or high spenders, for example. Vouchers can even be used to manage customer service issues by, for instance, automatically issuing vouchers for slow deliveries or offering free delivery or money-off vouchers to shoppers as part of a complaint handling process. And the process of continuous improvement doesn’t stop there. In the near future, Scoot will roll out further enhancements such as retailer-controlled vouchering and voucher automation for new customers. It’s no surprise then that Scoot continues to make massive headway and is bringing more retailers on board on a weekly basis. Is it time you gave Scoot a go? Talk to your RDM for more information.
FLEXIBLE APPROACH Vouchers can also be set to be purchasable by the consumer, sharable with other users, set as being valid on certain days of the week or scheduled to coincide with major events. To assist with targeting, retailers can choose to target a range of customer segments, such as all
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FEATURE: AUTUMN NPD GUIDE 2026
FIRE UP YOUR SALES THIS AUTUMN Booker’s brand-new Autumn NDP Guide for 2026 offers up an explosive mix of sizzling NPD, First To Market and Group Exclusive products to get your Autumn sales season off to a bang.
Temperatures may be falling outside, but in-store, things are just about to hot up! Autumn, the gateway to smoking seasonal sales is here, and so too is Booker’s brand- new Autumn NDP Guide for 2026 – a hotbed of new products, first to market goods, Group Exclusives and more! Live on-line now and available alongside your NP9 POS kit, the NPD Guide for Autumn features 11 First To Market products across a number of key convenience categories including soft drinks, confectionery, BWS and grocery. Budgens retailers will be among the first to be able to offer their shoppers brand new Cherry Cola variant of Shades - the viral sunshade shaped sweets created by YouTuber Niko Omilana which are also vegan and halal-certified. They will also be able to get their hands on two new great-value formats of Red Bull Glacier. The new ice raspberry flavoured drink is now available in a 250ml format pricemarked at £1.75 and a 473ml format pricemarked at £2.80. The same can sizes are also available in non-PMP formats.
Other First To Market products that are sure to help retailers stand out from the crowd include Mountain Dew Pitch Black and a new Limited Edition Haribo variant of Ritter Sport.
GET EXCLUSIVE! The power of Group Exclusive products is well-known – gifting retailers a potent way to set themselves apart and drive footfall and excitement in their stores. Booker’s Autumn NDP Guide also includes five red-hot Group Exclusive products. These include: l Kinder Crispy: The popular chocolate and wafer snack is now available in a new Group Exclusive 5-bar multipack format, which offers shoppers even better value for money! l McVitie’s Digestives Mint Club: two nostalgic products have been combined to create an innovative Group Exclusive product that’s sure to give sales some extra bite. l Fox’s Chocolatey Indulgent Creams Matcha: Maximise the ever-growing matcha trend with this Group Exclusive biscuit!
BOOKER’S AUTUMN NPD GUIDE 2026! More than 160 NEW lines including: l FIVE Group Exclusives! l 11 First To Market products!
EXCLUSIVE ADVANTAGE! Group Exclusive are key to create unique value and competitive advantage. Stocking and providing these products can allow you to foster deeper customer loyalty by providing products that can’t be found elsewhere!
l Thatcher’s Apple & Blackcurrant: A low lower ABV product from the fast-growing cider brand that’s sure to drive volume. l Stoli: Premium Vodka in a Group Exclusive 35cl pricemarked at £12.69 And with Halloween, Bonfire Night and Christmas just around the corner, the Guide also showcases a sizzling array of new seasonal products. Keep your eyes peeled for new Wotsits Bag of Bones, which are sure to help you capitalise on the sizeable snacking opportunity.
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M308052
M285082
M316235
M318454
M274107
M316142
OUR RANGE AVAILABLE AT BOOKER
NEW PRODUCTS
NEW TO BUDGENS KINDER CRISPY FERRERO
YFOOD READY TO DRINK MEALS
Crispy chocolate snack made with a crisp wafer shell, smooth milk filling and Kinder chocolate coating. Each pack contains five 34g bars.
NESTLÉ
WOTSITS CRUNCHY REALLY MEATY PMP
WOTSITS REALLY CHEESY
PEPSICO
PEPSICO
A twist on the classic puffed corn snack, featuring extra crunch and a bold meaty flavour in a new PMP format.
A new 16.5g multi-pack format of the popular cheesy flavour corn puffs, which provide 82kcals per pack.
Available in four flavours, each 500ml bottle contains a balanced ready to drink meal with protein, fibre and 26 vitamins and minerals.
IT’S GIVING MANGO & PASSIONFRUIT, APPLE & ELDERFLOWER, BLACK CHERRY
RUBICON RAW ENERGY CHERRY BURST
FIZZ WITH PURPOSE DRINKS
Carbonated drink with a cherry flavour and natural caffeine from green coffee beans, plus B-Vitamins and ginseng.
Low calorie carbonated soft drinks featuring 6g of gut friendly fibre.
BRITVIC
WALKERS MAX KFC PMP ORIGINAL CHICKEN, ZINGER CHICKEN PMP
WALKERS MAX KFC ORIGINAL CHICKEN SHARING BAG
PEPSICO
Classic Kentucky Fried Chicken flavour ridged potato crisps in a new 140g sharing bag.
Classic KFC and Zinger Chicken flavoured ridged crisps in a 70g pack with a £1.35 PMP.
PEPSICO
51
MEET THE TEAM: SOPHIE PORTER
SOPHIE PORTER
INTERIM HEAD OF MARKETING, RETAIL, BOOKER GROUP WELCOME SOPHIE! TELL US A LITTLE BIT ABOUT YOU TO GET US STARTED. Hi! I’m Sophie and I work in the Retail Marketing Team. My background has always been in retail, starting in electricals (both on the floor in-store and later in eCommerce) before moving over to the fast-paced grocery sector in 2014. I’ve worked across all the Booker symbol brands over the years and now have an overview of them all and a great team to make things happen.
SO WHAT DOES THE RETAIL MARKETING TEAM DO? We’re responsible for bringing to life all of the promotional leaflets and Point of Sale (POS) that are sent to stores, as well as seasonal and event POS, retailer Promotional Trading Packs, supplier-led shopper activity (competitions and prize draws), plus the in-store look and feel and supporting branding across our new home-delivery service, Scoot!
52
MEET THE TEAM: SOPHIE PORTER
We also support new stores with branding and launch packages to help put them on the map within their community and work closely with the Product Team to produce New Product brochures and the Pre-Sell brochures, which help retailers plan and order stock for big events in the year, primarily Easter and Christmas. And the main event of the year is the Booker Retail Trade Shows, where we deliver all of the visuals and key messages from across the wider Booker team.
HOW IS YOUR ROLE CHANGING OVER TIME? ARE YOU HAVING TO LEARN ANY NEW SKILLS, OR WAYS OF WORKING? There are many things that keep us on our toes – consumer regulations, legislation changes, new technology and evolving shopper trends and behaviour are all things that have an impact on our role. We need to be at the forefront of these changes to ensure we continue to get things right and support retailers.
IS THERE A PROJECT OR ACHIEVEMENT YOU’RE PARTICULARLY PROUD OF? Launching Scoot was a great project to work on. From a branding point of view, shoppers were involved from the start – we gained feedback on the name, colourways and logo to ensure we launched a brand that resonated and stood out in the market.
WHAT GIVES YOU THE GREATEST SATISFACTION AT WORK? I get a huge amount of satisfaction from supporting retailers. They work incredibly hard, and if I can provide them with the right tools, promotions and in-store materials to help them grow their business, that’s a success for me. What I enjoy even more is spending time in stores and observing how shoppers interact with the POS and promotional messages. Seeing a customer stop, notice an offer, pick up a product or add an extra item to their basket is a powerful reminder that effective marketing can make a real difference in a retail environment.
IF YOU COULD SHARE ONE KEY LEARNING WITH RETAILERS, WHAT WOULD IT BE? To take full advantage of their free POS material kits (promotional and seasonal) to maximise the impact of every promotion!
OK – TALK US THROUGH THIS. HOW EXACTLY DO POS KITS HELP TO DRIVE SALES?
SOPHIE’S TOP TIPS FOR PERFECT PROMOTIONS 1
Even a great offer won’t perform well if customers don’t know about it! Place POS materials in high-traffic areas to significantly improve the chances of success.
2
Using the full kit will help you create multiple customer touchpoints throughout the shopping journey. Window posters attract customers before they enter, aisle signage highlights promotions as they shop, and shelf-edge materials help convert interest into purchases.
3
Utilise in-store space for secondary displays and importantly, ensure good availability through the full campaign!
ABOUT SOPHIE Sophie Porter works in Booker’s marketing team, the hardworking bunchin Booker’s Retail Marketing Team, the hardworking bunch responsible for bringing to life all the promotional leaflets, POS and branding that help your stores to shine! And, having worked across all the Booker symbol brands over the years, she certainly knows her stuff. Helping to launch Scoot has been one of her favourite projects to date, but it’s her ability to support independent retailers, by providing them with the right tools, promotions and in-store materials to grow their businesses, that gives her the most satisfaction.
53
#1 SELLING JUICE SKU
$4.4BN GLOBAL CATEGORY
The UK's number one selling juice SKU across take-home and on-the-go* with 1 carton sold every second***
Coconut Water is now a $4.4bn global category, backed by elite athletes and growing consumer demand for functional refreshments*
M204762 VITA COCO ORIGINAL 500ml
THE FASTEST-GROWING TOP 10 JUICE BRAND BUILT FOR EVERY CHANNEL Enjoyed on its own, in smoothies or as a mixer & sold everywhere from retail to QSR, gyms, pubs, and vending Ambient stable with a long shelf life, it's the Swiss Army Knife of beverages. NAT OCCUURALLY POTA RRING SSIUM
Driving more volume growth than any other juice brand, adding 4.5 million litres to the category and outperforming the energy, juice and soft drinks categories combined*
GREAT
OUTT WOFRREK SHMEN RE
*SOURCE: NIELSEN COCONUT WATER CATEGORY 52 W/E 11.07.2026 ** SOURCE: EUROMONITOR 2026 *** SOURCE: INTERNAL SALES
MEET THE TEAM: SOPHIE PORTER
Promotions give customers a reason to buy now rather than later. They create excitement, drive footfall, increase basket spend, and help highlight products that shoppers may not have otherwise noticed. Well-executed promotions can also encourage repeat visits and improve customer loyalty!
ARE THERE ANY OTHER BENEFITS BEYOND DRIVING SALES? Strong promotional displays create a more professional and engaging shopping environment and can help build loyalty. They help independent retailers compete against big-box shops effectively by showcasing value, highlighting key deals, and delivering a retail experience customers expect from larger chains. Promotions can also help shoppers discover new products and help increase spend.
SO WHAT DOES A WELLEXECUTED PROMOTION LOOK LIKE THEN? Ensure promotions are visible at different touchpoints (front of store, in-store, digital displays and even social media), correct POS is used and displayed tidily. Utilise in-store space for secondary displays and importantly, ensure good availability through the full campaign. Focus on your shoppers’ missions and ensure everything is seasonally relevant.
AND THEY’RE FREE, RIGHT? Completely free! Additional or replacement items can also be
ordered directly through the Budgens Printshop.
ISN’T A SHELF-EDGE LABEL ENOUGH? DO RETAILERS REALLY NEED TO USE THE WHOLE KIT? The full kit creates multiple customer touchpoints throughout the shopping journey. Window posters attract customers before they enter, aisle signage highlights promotions as they shop, and shelf-edge materials help convert interest into purchases. The more visibility your promotion has, the greater its impact. Seasonal POS supporting things like Halloween and Christmas also really help to create theatre within a store.
A LOT OF RETAILERS ARE TIGHT ON TIME, ARE THE FULL POS KITS REALLY WORTH THE EFFORT OF PUTTING UP? Yes! The kits have been professionally designed to maximise visibility and create a consistent promotional message throughout your store. A few minutes spent installing the materials can significantly increase awareness of an offer and help improve sales performance. If you are tight on time, focus on the Mega Deals, which are our best deals, designed to drive the most footfall.
WHAT ABOUT WELLESTABLISHED STORES WITH VERY LOYAL CUSTOMERS – DO THEY STILL NEED PROMOTIONAL DISPLAYS?
Even regular shoppers can overlook products and offers. Promotional displays remind them about current deals, encourage them to try new products, and help increase spend during every store visit. From time to time, kits also contain supplier-led POS supporting shopper competitions. Displaying this is a great way to reward shoppers and give them a chance to win fantastic prizes!
WHAT ARE THE BIGGEST MISTAKES RETAILERS MAKE WITH PROMOTIONS? l Not putting them up early enough l Not giving promotions enough visibility. Even a great offer won’t perform well if customers don’t know about it. Using all available POS materials and placing them in high-traffic areas significantly improves the chances of success. l Slow replenishment, leaving gaps on shelves
SO, HALLOWEEN AND CHRISTMAS ARE JUST AROUND THE CORNER, CAN RETAILERS EXPECT ANYTHING SPECIAL THIS YEAR? Yes! We will be supplying things like header cards, shelf strip and seasonalised promotional posters to help them really bring the seasons to life in-store. Halloween as an event continues to grow every year and now appeals to a much broader audience than just younger children. Think pumpkins and friendly ghouls to get shoppers into the ‘spirit’!
55
BOOKER NETWORKS: LGBTQ+
PRIDE OF PLACE
In our latest update feature on Booker’s four inspirational Colleague Networks, we turn the spotlight back onto the powerful work of LGBTQ+ at Booker.
In recent months, we’ve been updating you on the many inspiring developments that have taken place within Booker’s four Colleague Networks – the pistons of progress that power the common goal of ensuring everyone feels welcome at Booker. In this issue, we return the spotlight to the LGBTQ+ at Booker Colleague Network which, it’s fair to say, is shining brighter than ever before – having undergone quite the evolution since it was first
launched in 2023 and even since it was last profiled on these pages back in late 2025. Since then, LGBTQ+ at Booker has continued to grow both its reach and impact across the business – learning every step of the way and leaning into those learnings with the creation of more structured approaches and new initiatives that seek to drive improvement and lasting change. Initiatives include executive
mentoring through Trans in the City – the UK-based organisation founded by LGBTQ+ advocate Bobbi Pickard, which helps businesses create environments where all employees feel safe and supported. The Network has also strengthened its approach to gathering feedback – enabling it to better understand colleague experiences and prioritise the actions that will have the greatest impact.
57
BOOKER NETWORKS: LGBTQ+
Booker’s fab four Colleague Networks are open to all and include: l Gender Equality at Booker l Race and Ethnicity at Booker l LGBTQ+ at Booker l Disability at Booker
Feedback gathered from colleagues has also led to the creation of a cross-functional working group focused on identifying and prioritising areas for improvement across the business.
Conversations held at Pride events and ongoing colleague engagement revealed that colleagues wanted practical ways to celebrate and support LGBTQ+ inclusion in their own locations.
The Network has also strengthened the involvement of senior leaders within it, ensuring that LGBTQ+ inclusion remains a visible priority and that colleagues have advocates at every level of the organisation.
This directly influenced the development of the Network’s ‘Pride in a Box’ initiative, which provides Pride resources, flags, decorations and educational materials to branches and distribution centres across the Booker network.
However, one of the biggest learnings the Network has made is just how valuable listening can be.
The incredibly well-received initiative, which was expanded again in 2026, enables local teams
to celebrate Pride in ways that feel meaningful to them – while raising awareness of why Pride remains important today. Listening has also enabled the Network to learn that while awareness is important, colleagues increasingly want to see tangible action. As such, by combining colleague feedback with insights from the UN Gap Analysis Tool, it’s been able to move beyond discussion and into developing clearer priorities for the future. So what are those priorities?
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THE MARKET LEADING coffee brand Full Size Machine
Countertop Machine
1m x 1m space required
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Up to 200 drinks range
Available with or without Costa stand
WHY CHOOSE COSTA EXPRESS? We sell 5 cups of coffee every second. Offer your customers the Nation’s No.1 coffee brand in store. You provide the milk and we provide all other consumables, marketing materials, field service support and training.
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.
BOOKER NETWORKS: LGBTQ+
Above all, LGBTQ+ at Booker’s driving ambition is to continue creating an environment where every colleague feels safe, respected and able to bring their whole self to work – building on its strong foundations and ensuring that LGBTQ+ inclusion becomes increasingly embedded in the business’s culture, leadership and ways of working. Increasing visibility, strengthening allyship and providing opportunities for colleagues to learn from one another also remain key. And with a packed schedule of activity designed to connect colleagues from across the business coming up, they will certainly have a great many opportunities to do just that. Planned activity for the months
ahead includes support for important awareness dates, such as Bi Visibility Day, World AIDS Day, LGBTQ+ History Month and Lesbian Visibility Day. LGBTQ+ at Booker will also continue to collaborate with Booker’s other Colleague Networks and with Tesco Group to share learnings, make LGBTQ+ voices heard and ensure that allyship continues to grow across the business. Doing this will help to ensure that inclusion remains everyone’s responsibility. Because meaningful change only really happens when colleagues, networks and leaders all work together to create a culture where people can thrive – and everyone feels that they belong.
EVENTS TO BE PROUD OF One of LGBTQ+ at Booker’s standout moments was its Pride event in London on 4 July 2026, which brought together more than 200 colleagues from across Booker. The event celebrated Pride as both a celebration and a reminder of the importance of visibility, inclusion, mental wellbeing and identity. Importantly, it also gave colleagues the opportunity to share their lived experiences and ideas on how Booker could further support LGBTQ+ colleagues. These discussions became a valuable source of insight for the Network and wider business. Alongside this, the Network also continued to host its learning and awareness sessions – covering topics such as intersectionality, HIV awareness and Trans+ inclusion. Other proud highlights included a virtual fireside chat with LGBTQ+ advocate Bobbi Pickard and its continued support of mentoring opportunities through Trans in the City.
THE LGBTQ+ AT BOOKER COLLEAGUE NETWORK Created in 2023, LGBTQ+ at Booker has the overriding aim of making sure that everyone, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity, feels welcome at Booker and that Booker is a place where all LGBTQ+ colleagues can thrive. Run by members of the LGBTQ+ community and allies, the Network offers a dedicated space for LGBTQ+ colleagues and allies to come together, share experiences and learn from each other.
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ACS VIEWPOINT: COMMUNITY
HEALING OUR HIGH STREETS The Community Barometer 2026 paints a clear picture of what people value. Post offices, pharmacies and convenience stores are viewed as the services that have the most positive impact locally, as well as being seen as the most essential. BY ACS CHIEF EXECUTIVE, ED WOODALL
A change of leadership in Westminster has created an opportunity to deliver a genuine “high street renaissance”, after a decade in which too many local parades, high streets and town centres have been allowed to drift. Andy Burnham has put the principle of place at the heart of his agenda. On winning Makerfield, he called for a “Makerfield test” at the centre of British politics, judging every decision by its impact on the many communities that Westminster has too often overlooked. If the Makerfield test is to mean anything, it must be applied where people encounter the condition of their community. Putting place first means recognising that a thriving local shop, a clean and safe parade, and easy access to everyday essential services are not nice-to-haves. They are the infrastructure of community life, and the clearest measure of whether a place is If you would like to get involved in the political work of ACS call working for the people who live there.
01252 515 001
or log on to www.acs.org.uk
Our Community Barometer report explores what it means to put place first through
the lens of local high streets and community services. Drawing on the views of people across Britain, it examines what people value locally, what makes a good (or bad) high street, and the policy interventions that are needed to make local high streets more vibrant and appealing to their communities. The findings of this year’s report paint a clear picture of what people value. Post offices, pharmacies and convenience stores were viewed as the services that had the most positive impact locally, as well as being seen as the most essential. Convenience stores were also ranked as the top service for promoting local growth – a testament to the recognition of the 400,000-plus jobs and £10bn in GVA that we contribute to the economy every year. When we ask what people want more of, specialist food shops rank as one of the services that people are most keen to see locally, along with banks, which will come as no surprise to anyone who’s attempted to visit a branch in person recently. The interventions that are needed to create diverse and thriving high streets are not new or necessarily complicated. We highlight the burden of business rates, the impact of dodgy shops locally, and the need for robust town-centre-first planning decisions as three areas where the Government can make a positive impact. Together, these findings provide a blueprint for the new Prime Minister to deliver a robust high street strategy and a starting point for how to deliver good growth on every high street, in every part of the country.
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A SCARILy LINE-UP DELICIOUS TO DRIVE YOUR SALES
M302119
M302118
M310195
M306537
FROM GB’s #1 FLAVOURED CARBONATED BRAND* ©2026 The Coca-Cola Company. FANTA is a registered trademark of The Coca-Cola Company. Ghost Face is a registered trademark of Fun World Div., Easter Unlimited, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Ghost Face protected under worldwide copyright registration, and is the exclusive property of Fun World Div., Easter Unlimited, Inc. All Rights Reserved. *Total Market as measured by Nielsen and CGA - Sales Volume data in litres & Sales Value data, MAT to end of March 2026.