MEET THE TEAM

Say hello to... Mark Oldfield

Category Lead Wine & RTDs

TELL US A LITTLE ABOUT THE KEY FUNCTIONS OF YOUR ROLE?

There are four category managers in our fantastic team, of which I am the lead. We split responsibilities across the major suppliers and that covers product listings, range, promotions, pricing and availability, so we have quite a broad remit!

We also have to tailor the range and the offering to suit the different retail fascias. Budgens retailers, for example, have quite different requirements from those of other fascia group retailers, so a lot of work also goes into that.

DESCRIBE YOUR CAREER JOURNEY UP UNTIL NOW?

I took up the post of Category Lead for Wine and RTDs a year ago, but I’ve been at Booker for 16 years and have worked across grocery, catering and now wine and RTDs so I have a good understanding of the business. Ten years prior to that, I started my career at an independent cash and carry in The Midlands. I progressed from the ground up, from checkouts to supervisor, then duty manager before moving into the buying team. My early years have proved invaluable as they have meant that I’ve seen almost every facet of the business.

WHAT’S THE BEST BIT ABOUT YOUR JOB?

There are three key things, the fi rst one being that every day is different. There’s no set timetable, it varies throughout the day, week and year. Sometimes the role is offi ce-based, sometimes I’m out in the fi eld visiting retailers and sometimes I’m visiting suppliers and getting insights and information from them, so it’s really broad.

The second thing is the retailers themselves. They really keep you on your toes! Getting to spend time with retailers in their stores is something I

MAKE MORE OF AUSTRALIAN WINES

Australia is the biggest country in terms of sales volume so it’s really important that Budgens retailers also have a good core Australian off ering across each of the price brackets. that Budgens retailers also have a good core Australian off ering across each of the Australian wines tend to off er that sweeter taste profi le which a growing number of shoppers are looking for these days. Australian wines tend to off er that sweeter taste profi le which a growing number of They also tend to be more robust in terms of price and availability, which is key. Australian wines don’t really struggle with some of supply challenges that other countries such as France and New Zealand can, which helps to keep prices low and availability high.

love and fortunately, since lockdown restrictions have eased, I’ve been able to get back to doing that a lot this year.

The third thing is my team. They are an incredible bunch of truly dedicated people who between them have more than 60 years of wine-buying experience, so they certainly know their stuff!

WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN FOCUSING YOUR ENERGIES OF LATE?

Premium has been a big focus for us. Budgens stores tend to have much higher demand for premiumpriced wines, due to their shopper demographic, so we’ve been working really hard to help them offer an even stronger premium proposition. For Budgens retailers, premium wines tend to sit in the £10 to £15 bracket and beyond – some Budgens stores even stock £35 bottles, because that is where their demand is.

The fact that we can now source across the bigger group has opened up some really fantastic opportunities for us to grow the range of premium wines available to Budgens retailers and we have just made 12 new, top-selling premium wines available to them. The vast majority of the RSPs for these new premium wines are all between £10 and £15, which is what retailers have been asking us for.

WHAT’S THE BIGGEST CHALLENGE RETAILERS FACE WITH WINE?

Having too many single facings can be a real problem. To shoppers, a display with too many single facings just looks like a wall of bottles which can be really confusing. We recommend that Budgens retailers devote three to four facings to their bestsellers.

WHAT KEY TRENDS ARE DRIVING WINE SALES AT THE MOMENT?

Price is currently front of mind for shoppers, meaning that it’s more important than ever before for retailers to have a good offer across each of the key price brackets, including entry-level products with RSPs of £5 to £6 and the mid-priced products at £6 to £8.

Mid-priced brands such as Jam Shed and 19 Crimes have experienced phenomenal growth and really driven the numbers this year, so it’s really important to have the right range here.

However, it’s also important to note that, despite the cost-of-living crisis, premium-priced products remain key. That’s why we have also been very working really hard to introduce more premium-priced products to close that important £10-£15 gap.

Taste-wise, shoppers have also started to move towards sweeter profi les – another reason why the Jam Shed brand is turning the dial at the moment.

WHAT IS THE MAIN FOCUS OF ACTIVITY IN YOUR DEPARTMENT JUST NOW?

Another key priority is maximising availability and mitigating cost-price increases from the supply base and we’re working really hard with our suppliers to do this.

Helping Budgens retailers to develop their premium ranges will also be another big focus, as discussed earlier.

Mark’s TopTips Tips

l When it comes to wine, having the right range with more facings is key. l We recommend at least three to four facings of your best-selling SKUs. l Don’t be afraid of chopping out lines that aren’t working to make space for more facings of your top-sellers. l Make sure you have a good solid off ering across the key price points and follow the RSPs. l Support promotions with gondola-end displays. l Try to keep most, if not all of your white wine and rosé chilled to make the most of the ‘drink now’ market. l If you have additional space where you can create an exciting display for one of the big promotions, such as Christmas 9 and 10 for example, then do so! l A nice off -shelf display of all the deals together will help to drive sales and profi ts.

wine is still a category that shoppers like to treat themselves with and we think that premium wines themselves with and we think that premium wines will still continue to motor over the coming months, as will still continue to motor over the coming months, as shoppers swap meals out for indulgent nights in with shoppers swap meals out for indulgent nights in with a premium bottle of wine. As a result, for Budgens a premium bottle of wine. As a result, for Budgens retailers, we will be focusing hard on strengthening retailers, we will be focusing hard on strengthening that key £10-£15 bracket. that key £10-£15 bracket.

WHAT ELSE CAN BUDGENS RETAILERS LOOK FORWARD TO ON WINE?

Retailers will also continue to see strong ‘2 for £10 and ‘2 for £12’ promotions on key brands throughout the year, which really do help to drive footfall and profi ts.

With sweeter wines also making a comeback, we will also be increasing our range on Jam Shed and 19 Crimes. Argentinian Malbec is still a really on-trend growth area too, so we’ll also be doing more work with brands such as Trivento.

The other exciting thing to note is that in addition to all the great work we are doing on premium, we will also be securing even more entry-level price points and we are sourcing much more from across the group to help us do just that.

We’ve already seen some fantastic Tesco brands start to come into Booker and BRP recently, including an Italian Pinot Grigio and Italian Rosé under the Caparelli brand, which is now a Booker Exclusive.

TALK TO US ABOUT OPPORTUNITIES OFFERED BY SEASONAL EVENTS?

Seasonal events are really important in the wine category. We are currently working on the Christmas opportunity at the moment, which is obviously a key one. Everyone wants to treat themselves at Christmas so there is a huge opportunity for retailers to upsell more premium products. Sparkling products and red wines in particular will offer fantastic opportunities for retailers to grow sales and profi ts this Christmas.

HOW IS THE LOW TO NO WINE CATEGORY PERFORMING?

The total low to no alcohol category is fl ying and wine is certainly no exception, growing at 900% year on year. For a retailer looking to enter the low to no wine category for the fi rst time I would suggest keeping it small and simple to start with. Go for something like a McGuigan Zero which is one of the better-fl avoured no alcohol wines. Low to no alcohol wines haven’t historically had the greatest taste but the market has made some major improvements recently and some of these new products such as McGuigan Zero really stand up. For a no alcohol sparkling I’d also suggest stocking Nozeco.